SardEnglish, French, Spanish, Italian In the book surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary by Henry Harrison and Gyda (Pulling) Harrison 1912 - Reprinted 1996. The Sard surname (which has been in England, Italy and Europe for a long time) is defined thus on page 136.... [more]
ScheeleGerman, Dutch, Swedish (Rare) From Middle Low German schele and Dutch scheel meaning "squinting, cross-eyed". A notable bearer was German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) who discovered oxygen and identified several other elements.
SchelinSwedish Combination of an unknown element (probably derived from a place name) and the common surname suffix -in.
SchevingIcelandic, Danish (Rare) From the name of the Danish town Skævinge whose name might be derived from Old Danish skap "something excavated".
SchumerJewish, German (Rare) Possibly taken from Middle Low German schumer meaning "good for nothing, vagabond". Notable bearers are American comedian Amy Schumer (b. 1981) and American politician Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (b... [more]
SchutzGerman Occupational surname for an archer or a watchman, from Middle High German schützen "to guard, protect". Also a habitational name from Schutz, a place near Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
SedinSwedish Two famous bearers are the Swedish ice hockey players, and twins, Henrik and Daniel Sedin (b. 1980).
SegerSwedish, English, Dutch Means "victory" in Swedish. It is also a variant of the English surname Seager or derived from the Germanic given name Sigiheri "victory army".
SeibGerman Short form of SEIBOLD. Ultimately derived from names composed of the Germanic name element sigi "victory".
SeinfeldGerman, Jewish From the German word sein "to be" and the word of German Jewish origin feld which means "field". It was a name given to areas of land that had been cleared of forest.
SelanderSwedish Combination of Swedish sel "stretch of calm water in a river or stream" and the common surname suffix -ander (originally from Greek aner "man"). The first element, sel, is also a common place name element in Northern Sweden and it's possible that this name is both ornamental and locational in origin.
SewellEnglish English from the Middle English personal names Siwald and Sewald, Old English Sigeweald and Seweald, composed of the elements sige ‘victory’ and se ‘sea’ + weald ‘rule’... [more]
ShacklefordEnglish, Medieval English Locational surname deriving from the place called Shackleford in Surrey, near the town of Farnham. The origin of "shackle" is uncertain. It could be derived from Old English sceacan "to shake"... [more]
SibeliusFinland Swedish Latinization of Swedish Sibbe, the name of an estate in Eastern Uusimaa, Finland. A notable bearer was Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957).
SievertLow German, Dutch, Swedish Derived from the given name Sievert. A Sievert (Sv) is a unit measuring the effect of ionizing radiation on the human body (called equivalent absorbed radiation dose)... [more]
SjölanderSwedish Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and the common surname suffix -ander (a combination of land and the habitational suffix -er). The second element is sometimes said to be derived from Greek aner "man".
SjömanSwedish Means "seaman, sailor" in Swedish, although this name is more likely to be an ornamental name composed of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and man "man". A notable bearer is film director Vilgot Sjöman (1924-2006).
SkarsgårdSwedish (Rare) Allegedly a habitational name derived from Skärlöv, a village located on the island of Öland, Kalmar County, Sweden. The name of the village is said to mean "Skare's farm" (Skares gård in Swedish)... [more]
SkeltonEnglish, German, Norwegian (Rare) Habitational name from places in Cumbria and Yorkshire, England, originally named with the same elements as Shelton, but with a later change of ‘s’ to ‘sk’ under Scandinavian influence.
SnällSwedish Possibly taken from English Snell or its German cognate Schnell, meaning "quick, fast", and having its spelling influenced by Swedish snäll "nice, kind"... [more]
SnapeEnglish (British), Scottish An old, now rare surname, with various origins in Suffolk and Yorkshire in England and Lanarkshire in Scotland, derived from Middle English snaipen, “to injure; to nip (of sleet or snow); to criticize, rebuke, revile”, from Old Norse sneypa, “to disgrace, to dishonor, to outrage”... [more]
SpielbergJewish, German From Old High German spiegel "lookout point" or German Spiel "game, play" and berg "mountain". Locational surname after a town in Austria. A famous bearer is American director Steven Spielberg (1946-present).
SpragueEnglish English from northern Middle English Spragge, either a personal name or a byname meaning "lively", a metathesized and voiced form of "spark."
StaafSwedish Derived from various place names beginning with stav- or staf-, often meaning "boundary marker" when used in place names. Other meanings are possible. Also found occasionally as a soldier's name pre-20th century... [more]
StålbergSwedish Combination of Swedish stål "steel" and berg "mountain".
StålhammarSwedish Means "steel hammer" (from Swedish stål "steel" and hammare "hammer"). Was originally a name common among blacksmiths.
StansfieldEnglish (British) Habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire, probably named with the genitive case of the Old English personal name Stan 1 "stone" and Old English feld "pasture, open country"... [more]
StantzGerman Possibly an altered spelling of German Stanz, a habitation name from places called Stans or Stanz in Austria and Switzerland (see also Stentz).
St AubinFrench Either a habitational name from any of several places in France called Saint-Aubin (from the dedication of their churches to Saint Albinus), or else a nickname with Saint as an (ironic) prefix to the personal name or surname Aubin.
StavigNorwegian Combination of Old Norse stafr "pole" and vik "bay". This was the name of a farmstead in Norway.
StegerGerman From a derivative of Middle High German stec "steep path or track, narrow bridge". The name was likely given to someone living close to a path or small bridge.
StenlundSwedish Combination of Swedish sten "stone, rock" and lund "grove".
StenmarkSwedish Combination of Swedish sten "stone, rock" and mark "ground, land, field".
StensonEnglish From the name of a hamlet (now called Twyford and Stenson) in Derbyshire, England. The name is a combination of the Old Norse name Steinn and Old English tun "settlement, enclosure".
StockdaleEnglish Habitational name from a place in Cumbria and North Yorkshire, England. Derived from Old English stocc "tree trunk" and dæl "valley".
StockholmDanish (Rare), English (American) Danish variant of Stokholm. English usage could be a habitational name for someone from Stockholm, Sweden (see Stockholm), but this etymology does not apply to Scandinavian usage of the name.
StokholmDanish, Norwegian (Rare) Combination of Norwegian skyta "to shoot" (indicating a protruding piece of land like a cape or headland) and holme "islet".
StoltenbergGerman, Norwegian Habitational name from places so called in Pomerania and Rhineland. A famous bearer is Jens Stoltenberg (b. 1959), Prime Minister of Norway 2000-2001 and 2005-2013.
StrandbergSwedish Combination of Swedish strand "beach, sea shore" and berg "mountain".
SträngSwedish Probably taken directly from Swedish sträng "strict, stern, harsh, grim". although it could also be derived from the name of the city Strängnäs.
StridSwedish From the Swedish word stid meaning either "swift, rapid" or "battle, combat, fight".
StrindbergSwedish Likely a combination of Strinne, the name of a village in Multrå parish, Ångermanland, Sweden, and berg "mountain". A well known bearer of this name was Swedish playwright and novelist August Strindberg (1849-1912).
StrohEnglish, German Means "straw" when translated from German, indicating a thin man, a person with straw-colored hair, or a dealer of straw.
StrohmUpper German From the noble name Strohmeier. Great river and electricity.
StureOld Swedish, Swedish (Rare) Derived from Old Norse stura "to be contrary". This was the surname of two important families in the 15th and 16th century Sweden. Members of these families served as regents of Sweden during this time... [more]
SuomalainenFinnish Means "Finn, person from Finland" in Finnish. A combination of Suomi "Finland" and the suffix -lainen that combined with a place name, forms the noun for the inhabitant of a place.
SvedbergSwedish Combination of Swedish svedja "to burn off, to swidden" (referring to slash-and-burn agriculture (in Swedish: svedjebruk)) and berg "mountain". This name can be both locational (surname derived from a place named with Sved-... [more]
SvedinSwedish Combination of Swedish svedja "to burn off, to swidden" (referring to slash-and-burn agriculture (in Swedish: svedjebruk)) and the common surname suffix -in.
SwanEnglish, Scottish Originally given as a nickname to a person who was noted for purity or excellence, which were taken to be attributes of the swan, or who resembled a swan in some other way. In some cases it may have been given to a person who lived at a house with the sign of a swan... [more]
SwedenborgSwedish Derived from the surname Svedberg (sometimes spelled Swedberg). A notable bearer was Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a Swedish theologian and scientist.
SwintonEnglish, Scottish From various place names composed of Old English swin "pig, wild boar" and tun "settlement, enclosure".
SydowLow German Habitational name from any of several places so named in Germany.
SyrénSwedish Meaning uncertain. Perhaps a combination of an unknown first element and the common surname suffix -én, or taken directly from Swedish syren "lilac".
TackleberryPopular Culture, American (Rare) This is a surname most notably used by Officer Eugene Tackleberry (played by the lovably hilarious David Graf) in the classic Police Academy movies of the 1980s-90s. Officer Tackleberry is a markedly boyish police officer who has a passionate adoration for guns and adventure... [more]
TakahideJapanese (Rare) Taka means "eagle" such as in surname "Takasu" but more commonly means "tall,high" instead. Hide means "fine,excellence". This must be one of the very few Japanese surnames that has "Hide" in it. It is mostly just a first name element... [more]
TakeharaJapanese (Rare) Take means "Bamboo" while Hara means "Plain". This surname means " Plain of the Bamboo". Takehara is also a city in Hiroshima and a railway station.
TakemiyaJapanese From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace".
TakiJapanese (Rare) Tami means "Waterfall". This is occasionally a first name too,as a matter of a fact,neither of them are common.
TegnérSwedish Derived from the name of Tegnaby parish in Småland, Sweden. The name was originally spelled Tegnérus, but was later shortened to Tegnér. Notable bearers include Alice Tegnér (1864-1943), composer of many Swedish hymns and children's songs, and Esaias Tegnér (1782-1846), bishop and writer.
ThulinSwedish Meaning uncertain. Possibly derived from thule, an ancient Greek and Roman term for an area in northern Europe which some believe to be the Nordic countries.
ThunbergSwedish Combination of Swedish tun (from Old Norse tún) "enclosure, courtyard, plot, fence" and berg "mountain".
TigerSwedish Perhaps taken from Swedish tiga "to keep quiet, to say nothing". Tiger is one of the names adopted by Swedish soldiers in the 17th century.
TinsleyEnglish From a place name in England composed of the unattested name Tynni and Old English hlaw "hill, mound, barrow".
TippettsEnglish (American) Tippetts Recorded as Tipp, Tippe, diminutives Tippell, Tippets, Tipping, patronymics Tippett, Tipples, Tippins, and possibly others, this is a medieval English surname. ... [more]
TjernströmSwedish Combination of Swedish tjärn "tarn" and ström "stream".
TolivarAsturian (Modern, Rare), English (Rare) Variant of Tolliver. Apparently, this name may have originated in Candamo, Asturias, in the 18th (or earlier) century. The "var" last syllable may be related to "fer," and the meaning may be related to iron, e.g. iron miner, iron refiner, etc... [more]
TopeliusFinnish (Rare), Swedish (Rare) Latinized form of the Finnish place name Toppila in Ostrobothnia, Finland. Zachris Topelius (1818-1898) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, journalist, and historian.
TörnbladSwedish Combination of Swedish törne "thorn" and blad "leaf".
TorvaldsFinland Swedish From the given name Torvald. A notable bearer is Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds (b. 1969), inventor of the Linux kernel.
TorvaldssonSwedish Swedish patronymic meaning "son of Torvald". It was the surname name of Erik the Red (Eiríkr Þorvaldsson, anglicized as Erik Thorvaldsson or Erik Torvaldsson), father of Viking explorer Leif Erikson.
TothEnglish (Anglicized), German Either an anglicized form of Hungarian Tóth or derived from German tot "dead" or Middle High German tote "godfather".