West Germanic Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the language is West Germanic.
usage
language
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Stringfellow English
Nickname for a powerful man, Middle English streng ‘mighty’, ‘strong’ + felaw ‘fellow’ (see Fellows).
Stroh English, German
Means "straw" when translated from German, indicating a thin man, a person with straw-colored hair, or a dealer of straw.
Strohm Upper German
From the noble name Strohmeier. Great river and electricity.
Stroll English
Stroll comes from the English word meaning to walk without hurry, probably for someone who liked to walk.
Strom German
Variant of Strahm.
Strubel German
German (also Strübel): from a diminutive of Middle High German strūp (see Strub).... [more]
Struijk Dutch
Topographic name derived from Middle Dutch struuc meaning "bush, shrub".
Struik Dutch
Variant of Struijk.
Strutz German
Variant of Strauss.
Struycken Dutch
Variant of Struijk, notably borne by the Dutch actor Carel Struycken (1948-).
Struyk Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized variant of Struijk.
Strycker Dutch
From Dutch de Strycker, an occupational name for someone responsible for measuring out cloth or grain. See also Stryker.
Stryker Dutch
From Dutch Strijker, an occupational name for someone whose job was to fill level measures of grain by passing a flat stick over the brim of the measure, thus removing any heaped excess... [more]
Strynckx Flemish
Variant form of Dutch Streng "strong, rope, cord", a metonymic occupational name for a rope maker. Alternatively, it could be a nickname derived from streng "strict, severe, cruel".
Stuckey English
Stuckey was first found in Devonshire where they held family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence diminished after the battle of Hastings in 1066. For the next three centuries the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]
Studer German (Americanized, Rare), Russian, German
Often found in Switzerland and germany and in a more rare case Russia in north america it's a little more on the rare side
Studley English
From any number of places called Studley in Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and North Yorkshire. The name comes from Old English stod "stud farm" + leah "pasture".
Stuhr German, Danish, German (Austrian)
A nickname for an inflexible, obstinate person.
Stuifzand Dutch
Means "drift-sand, quicksand" in Dutch, from the name of a town in the Netherlands.
Stukeley English
From a surname meaning "woodland clearing with tree stumps" in Old English.
Stukely English
Possibly meaning "stucco" or "stuck".
Stults German
The Stults surname is derived from the German word "stoltz," which means "proud," and as such, it was most likely originally a nickname, which became a hereditary surname.
Stumm German
Descriptive nickname for a mute person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German stum ‘mute’.
Stump German
From Middle Low German stump ‘tree stump’ (borrowed into Middle English), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent tree stump, or else a nickname for a short, stocky person.... [more]
Sturdivant English
Perhaps a nickname for messenger, a pursuivant or a hasty person, derived from Middle English stirten, sterten meaning "to start, leap" (ultimately from Old English styrtan) and avaunt meaning "forward" (itself from Old French).
Sturdy English
From a nickname meaning "strong".
Sturgeon English
From the word "sturgeon" from the Old French esturgeon "sturgeon". A nickname for someone who closely resembled the eponymous fish.
Sturgess English (British)
popular in 1680 in England.
Sturt English
Variant of Stuart
Sturtevant English
Variant form of Sturdivant.
Sturtz German
Sturtz comes from an alpine village in Germany. It literately means "to stumble".
Stutts German
Variation of Stutz. From the webpage: https://venere.it/en/the-meaning-and-history-of-the-last-name-stutz/ ... [more]
St Vincent English
Most likely referring to Vincent Ferrer, a friar and preacher or one of the many places called St. Vincent.
Style English
Variant of Styles.
Stylinson English (British)
Juxtaposed names Styles and Tomlinson, used to represent (relation)ship between Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles (Larry Stylinson).
Suadicani Danish (Rare), German (Rare)
A portmanteau of the Latin words suadeo and canis meaning "persuade" and "dog" respectively. Suadeo can also be used to mean "weapon", which explains the family's crest, which displays an armored gauntlet wielding a sword and a dog climbing a set of stairs... [more]
Suckling English
From a medieval nickname for someone of childlike appearance or childish character (from Middle English suckling "infant still feeding on its mother's milk"). Sir John Suckling (1609-1642) was an English poet and dramatist.
Sudlow English (British)
Apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place, perhaps Sudlow Farm in Cheshire.
Sugar German (Rare)
Sugar is the surname of talented storyteller, writer, and composer Rebecca Rae Sugar (creator of animated series Steven Universe).
Sugarbaker English
Occupational name for an owner of a sugar-house, a factory where raw sugar was made or refined, derived from Middle English sugre, suker meaning "sugar" and bakere meaning "baker".
Sugg English (British)
Surname of internet personalities Zoe and Joe Sugg. Zoe is known as Zoella on the website YouTube and has a book on sale called "Girl Online". Joe is also a YouTuber.
Suh Low German
North German from Middle Low German su ‘sow’, either a metonymic occupational name for a swineherd or an offensive nickname.
Suhr German
Nickname for a bitter or cantankerous person, from Middle Low German sūr meaning "sour".
Sullen English
Means "gloomy, ill-tempered, moody" in English, with the archaic meanings "lonely, desolate" and "mischievous, malignant, obstinate", derived from Anglo-Norman soleyn "solitary, alone".
Sullenberger German (Swiss)
Derived from an unknown place called Sullenberg or from Schallenberg in Baden, Switzerland. A famous bearer is Sully Sullenberger (1951-), an American retired Air Force fighter pilot and airline captain who is best known for saving all 155 people aboard in the 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, after both engines were disabled by a bird strike.
Sully English
Sully, Varient of the last name Sullivan. Notable people include Alfred Sully, American Civil war officer famous for his paintings.
Sully English
English: of Norman origin a habitational name from any of the three places called Sully in Calvados (Normandy), Aisne (Picardy), & Loiret (Centre)... [more]
Sulzer German
occupational name for someone who made prepared meats from Middle High German sulzer "butcher charcutier". from a derivative of Middle High German sulze "brine" hence a topographic name for someone who lived near a spring of salty water or a habitational name for someone from any of the places called Sulz in Germany Austria Alsace and Switzerland.
Summ English
Variant of the surname Summers.
Summer English, German
From Middle English sum(m)er, Middle High German sumer "summer", hence a nickname for someone of a warm or sunny disposition, or for someone associated with the season of summer in some other way.
Summerhays English
Probably means "person living by a summer enclosure (where animals were grazed on upland pastures in the summer)" (from Middle English sumer "summer" + hay "enclosure").
Summerlee English (Rare)
This surname is originated from Old English sumer meaning "summer" and leah meaning "clearing, meadow."
Summerlin English, German, Scottish
An English surname.... [more]
Summerset English
Regional surname for someone from Somerset, an area in England. The name is derived from Old English sumer(tun)saete meaning "dwellers at the summer settlement".
Summit English (American)
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
Sumpter English
Occupational name for someone who drove a packhorse, from Middle English sompter.
Sumter English
This surname is derived from an official title. 'the sumpter.' Old French sommetier, a packhorseman, one who carried baggage on horseback
Sunday English
Denoted a person who was born on or is associated with Sunday, derived from Middle English Sonday. A famous bearer of the name was American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder Billy Sunday (1862-1935), full name William Ashley Sunday, which is an anglicized form of the surname Sonntag, as his parents were German immigrants.
Sunder English
From Sanskrit sundara‘beautiful’. This is only a given name in India, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S.
Sunderland English
Habitational name from any of the locations with the name 'Sunderland', most notably the port city County Durham. This, along with other examples in Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland derives from either Old English sundor 'seperate' and land 'land' or Old Norse suðr 'southern' and land 'land' (see Sutherland)... [more]
Surface German (Americanized)
Americanized form of Zerfas.
Surfus German (Americanized)
Americanized form of Zerfas.
Surrey English
Regional name for someone from the county of Surrey.
Surridge English
From the medieval personal name Seric, a descendant of both Old English Sǣrīc, literally "sea power", and Sigerīc, literally "victory power".
Surridge English
Originally meant "person from Surridge", Devon ("south ridge").
Surridge English
Meant "person from the south" (from Old French surreis "southerner").
Susan English, Dutch, Jewish (Sephardic)
As an English (London) and Dutch surname, it comes from the feminine personal name Susanna, from Hebrew שושן (shushan) meaning "lily, lily of the valley".... [more]
Sussex English
Derived from an English county name meaning "region of the Saxons from the south" in Old English.
Süsskind Yiddish
Derived from a Medieval Yiddish given name, it is a variant of a German variant Ziskind
Sussman German, Jewish
In German, this is an elaborated form of Süß, meaning "sweet man".... [more]
Süssmann German, Jewish
A nickname for a sweet person.
Sutcliff English
From Old English sūth, meaning "south, southern" and cliff.
Sutcliffe English
The name means ''south of the cliff/hill''.
Sutherlin English
Variant of Sutherland
Sutter German, English
English and South German occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler (rarely a tailor), from Middle English suter, souter, Middle High German suter, sutære (from Latin sutor, an agent derivative of suere ‘to sew’).
Sutterfield English
Possibly derives from the Old English word ''sutere'', and the Latin word ''sutor'', meaning a shoemaker.
Suttor English
English... [more]
Suurbier Dutch
Dutch cognate of Sauerbier. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Wim Suurbier (1945-2020).
Swagger English (American)
Probably a nickname for someone who's confident but aggressive and arrogant.
Swaile English
Recorded in the spellings of Swaile, Swale and Swales, this is an English surname. It is locational, and according to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley, originates from either a hamlet called Swallow Hill, near Barnsley in Yorkshire, with Swale being the local dialectal pronunciation and spelling... [more]
Swain Scottish, Irish, English
Northern English occupational name for a servant or attendant, from Middle English swein "young man attendant upon a knight", which was derived from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant"... [more]
Swan English, 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]
Swanepoel Afrikaans, Dutch (Rare)
From the place name Zwaenepoel "swan pool".
Swaneveld Dutch
From the place name Zwanenveld, meaning "swan’s field" in Dutch.
Swank German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schwank or Schwenk. It is borne by the American actress Hilary Swank (1974-).
Swann English
Variant of Swan.
Swannell English
From the Old Norse female personal name Svanhildr, literally "swan-battle".
Swanwick English
Habitational name from Swanwick in Derbyshire, possibly also Swanwick in Hampshire. Both are named from Old English swan, "herdsman," and wic, "outlying dairy farm."
Swart Afrikaans
Means "black" in Afrikaans
Swartwood English (American, Anglicized)
Variant of Swarthout, a Dutch locational name for a dweller in or near a black wood.
Swartzlander English (American)
Americanized form of German Schwarzländer, a habitational name for someone from an area of Bavaria known as Schwarzland ‘the black land’, from Middle High German swarz ‘black’ + land ‘land’.
Swasey English
Unexplained. Possibly an Anglicized form of Dutch Swijse(n), variant of Wijs "wise" (see Wise).
Swayze German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Schweitzer. A famous bearer was American actor and singer Patrick Swayze (1952-2009).
Sweed English
Variant spelling of Sweet.
Sweeting English
Derived from Old English swete and Middle English sweting meaning "darling, sweetheart", hence a nickname for a popular and attractive person, or for somebody who habitually addressed people with the term (see Sweet).
Sweijs Dutch (Rare)
Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from German Schweiz "Switzerland".
Swenson English, Swedish
Variant or Americanized form of Svensson or Svensen. As an English name it may also mean "son of Swain".
Swett English
Derived from the old English words "swete" and "swot".
Swiers English (British), Dutch
English (Yorkshire): variant of Swires.... [more]
Swigert German (Americanized)
Americanized form of German Schweigert or Zweigert, an occupational name for a gardener or tender of plants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zwigen, meaning "to graft" or "to plant".
Swinburne English
habitational name primarily from Great and Little Swinburne (Northumberland) but perhaps also occasionally from one or other places similarly named from Old English swin "pig" and burna "stream" meaning "pig stream".
Swinehart English, German
Means "swine herder", from Middle High German swīn "hog, swine" and hertære "herder".
Swing English
Probably an Americanized spelling of German Schwing or from Middle High German zwinc meaning "legal district", hence possibly a metonymic occupational name for a district administrator.
Swinkels Dutch
Contracted form of Dutch des winkels meaning "from the corner". Compare Winkler.
Swinton English, Scottish
From various place names composed of Old English swin "pig, wild boar" and tun "settlement, enclosure".
Swisher German
Americanized form of German Schweitzer meaning Swiss.
Swiss English (American)
Americanized form of German Schweitz.
Switser English
Either (i) from the medieval nickname Swetesire (literally "sweet sir, amiable master"), applied sarcastically either to someone who used the expression liberally as a form of address or to someone with a de-haut-en-bas manner; or (ii) an anglicization of Schweitzer (from Middle High German swīzer "Swiss person").
Sycamore English
Probably comes from the tree Sycamore
Sydow Low German
Habitational name from any of several places so named in Germany.
Sykes English
English Surname (mainly Yorkshire): topographic name for someone who lived by a stream in a marsh or in a hollow, from Middle English syke ‘marshy stream’, ‘damp gully’, or a habitational name from one of the places named with this word, in Lancashire and West Yorkshire.
Syler German
Altered spelling of German Seiler.
Sylvester English
From the given name Sylvester.
Syme English
Variant of Symes, from a form of the given name Simon 1 (see Simms).
Symere English (American, Rare)
Name of unknown origin, typically used in the United States. It is best known as the real first name of American rapper Lil Uzi Vert.
Symmes English
Variant of Simms
Symond English
Variant of Simon.
Synge English (British)
First found in Shropshire where they had been anciently seated as Lords of the Manor of Bridgenorth, from the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D.
Syrett English
Either (i) from the medieval male personal name Syred (from Old English Sigeræd, literally "victory-counsel"); or (ii) from the medieval female personal name Sigerith (from Old Norse Sigfrithr, literally "victory-lovely").
Sytsma Frisian
Son of Sietse/Sytse/Sijtse
Szarabajka Polish, English
His surname, Szarabajka, means "Grey Tale" in Polish. Last name is pronounced "sarah-bike-ah".
Szroeder German (Polonized), Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schröder 1 or Schröder 2.
Tabak Dutch
Occupational name for a butcher or hog breeder, from Middle Dutch tucbake composed of tucken "to pull, push, strike" and bake "hog, pig; meat from the back of a pig".
Tabbert German, Frisian
From Middle Low German tabbert, Middle Dutch tabbaert ‘tabard’, a sleeveless overgarment worn by men in the Middle Ages, (ultimately from French tabard, from Late Latin tabardum)... [more]
Taber English, Polish
English: variant spelling of Tabor. ... [more]
Tabor English, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Jewish
English: metonymic occupational name for a drummer, from Middle English, Old French tabo(u)r ‘drum’.... [more]
Tacey English, English (American)
(East Midlands): From A Pet Form Of The Middle English Personal Name Eustace. Compare Stacey, Stace... [more]
Taffe English
Of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Táth," meaning "descendant of Táth." It's believed to have originated as a personal name, possibly meaning "poet" or "philosopher."
Taiber German
German (also Täuber) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Taube ‘pigeon, dove’. The -er inflection denotes the male bird, but in most cases this is an occupational name for a pigeon breeder, from an agent noun derivative ending in -er(t).
Tait Scottish, English
Nickname for an energetic or cheerful person, derived from Middle English and Older Scots tayt "merry, lively". Compare Tate.
Talbert English, French
From a continental Germanic personal name composed of the elements tal "valley" and berth "bright".
Talcott English, Norman
Norman habitational name from Taillecourt in France.... [more]
Tallant English (British, ?), Norman, Irish
English (of Norman origin) occupational name for a tailor or nickname for a good swordsman, from taillant ‘cutting’, present participle of Old French tailler ‘to cut’ (Late Latin taliare, from talea ‘(plant) cutting’)... [more]
Tallent English
Habitational name from Talland in Cornwall, which is thought to be named as ‘hill-brow church site’, from Cornish tal + lann.
Tallentire English (Rare)
From a small village in Cumbria, England, meaning 'head of the land' in Cumbric.
Talley English (American)
Americanized form of Tallig.
Talley English
Variant of Tolley.
Tallon English, Irish, Norman, French
English and Irish (of Norman origin), and French from a Germanic personal name derived from tal ‘destroy’, either as a short form of a compound name with this first element (compare Talbot) or as an independent byname... [more]
Talloran German (Modern, ?)
It is unknown whether Talloran is a real surname or not. However, the surname means "brave" and is given to James Talloran, a fictional character working for the SCP Foundation. The SCP Foundation is a secret organization that studies the paranormal... [more]
Talon English, French
Derived from Old French talon "heel", denoting a person with a deformity or a swift person. It could also be a diminutive form of given names Talbot and Talleyrand.
Tan English (Australian, Rare)
Possibly from the English Word "Tan", or from the Given Name Tan.
Tancock English
From a shortened variant of the male personal name Andrew, with the suffix -cock (literally "cockerel", hence "jaunty or bumptious young man"), that was often added to create pet-forms of personal names in the Middle Ages.
Tandy English
From a pet-form of the male personal name Andrew.
Tangerine English
Possibly means "from Tangier".
Tannen German, Jewish
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several places in Lower Saxony or Baden named with German Tannen ‘pine’, or from a short form of any of the many compound names formed with this element... [more]
Tannenbaum Jewish, German
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic name or Jewish ornamental name from German Tannenbaum ‘fir tree’, ‘pine tree’.
Tannhäuser German
Habitational name for someone from any of the places called Tannhausen in Brandenburg, Silesia or Württemberg.
Tantser German (Russified), German (Ukrainianized)
Russified and Ukrainianised form of Tanzer.
Tape English, German
Variant spelling of Tapp.
Tapp English, German
Derived from an Old English given name Tæppa, of uncertain origin and meaning. In German, it is a nickname for a clumsy person or a simpleton, derived from Middle Low German tappe meaning "oaf".
Tarbell English
Tarbell is an alteration of the English placename Turville in Buckinghamshire in England.
Taron German
Standardized variant of Tarruhn.
Taron German (Rare)
The standardized variant of Tarruhn which has origins in the Neumark region of Brandenburg, Prussia dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The Taron family was one of many German families who left the Neumark region and moved eastward into present-day Poland and Ukraine... [more]
Tarruhn German
Origins are found in Neumark, Brandenburg, Prussia.
Tarsney English (British)
Tarsney is a variant spelling of Tosne.
Tarver English
Uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Thorferth, a variant of the Old Norse given name Þórfreðr (compare Tolfree), or perhaps from Torver, the name of a former village in Lancashire... [more]
Tasman Dutch
Derived from Dutch tas "bag" and man "person, man". Usually a metonymic name for someone who made bags, though in at least one case it was taken from the name of a ship, De Tas.
Tatelman Russian, Yiddish
Man who tats or sew
Tates English
This is a variant of rather Tate or Tate, both having the same origin.
Tatischeff French, Russian, English
Best known as the actual full surname of Jacques Tati.
Tatke German
Unknown source.
Tatlock English
Probably a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place in Lancashire or Cheshire, where the surname occurs most frequently.
Tatlow English (British, Rare)
I heard it was from a small village in England called Tallow.
Tauber German
Occupational name for a pigeon breeder, from German Taube "pigeon, dove".
Taufer German (Rare, Archaic)
Taufer is a german surname. The meaning of Taufer is "to dip".... [more]
Taunton English
Habitational name from Taunton in Somerset, Taunton Farm in Coulsdon, Surrey, or Tanton in North Yorkshire. The Somerset place name was originally a combination of a Celtic river name (now the Tone, possibly meaning ‘roaring stream’) + Old English tūn ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’... [more]
Tawney English, Norman
Habitational name from either of two places, Saint-Aubin-du-Thennay or Saint-Jean-du-Thennay, in Eure, Normandy, both so named from an uncertain first element (possibly a Gallo-Roman personal name or the Gaulish word tann ‘oak’, ‘holly’) + the locative suffix -acum.
Taylar English
Possibly a variant spelling of Taylor.
Tayler English
Variant of Taylor.
Taylorson English
Means "son of Taylor".
Tazelaar Dutch
Dutch (Zeeland) variant of ’t Hazelaar "the hazel bush", a topographic name for someone living by hazel bushes.
Tea English
Variant of Tee.
Teach English
This surname is derived from the Middle English phrase "at asche," meaning at,or near the ash tree.
Teacher English
From an English word for someone who taught schools.
Teagarden Low German
The surname Teagarden was first found in Bavaria, where the name Tiegarten was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. The name appeared in Solingen as Thegarden as early as 1374 and was recorded as Tegarden in 1488... [more]
Teasdale English
From Teesdale, the name of a valley of the River Tees in northern England, derived from the river's name (meaning "warmth" in Old English) combined with dæl meaning "valley".
Teates German (Americanized)
Probably an altered spelling of German Dieter .
Tebay English
From the name of a village in Cumbria, England, derived from the German name element theod meaning "people".
Tebbs English
Variant of Tibbs.
Tedder English
From the Middle English word Thedere or Teddere which either comes from the Old English name Thēodhere or the Germanic name Theudher. Alternatively, it could be an occupational name from the Middle English Teddere, meaning “one who teds”... [more]
Tederich German, Swiss, Scandinavian
The origin and meaning of the surname Tederich is uncertain. It may be derived from the German word "Teder," which means tender or soft, or a variation of the surname Tiederich, which is a habitational name derived from Tiederen, a place name in Holstein.... [more]
Teetes German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of German Dietz
Teeuwen Dutch
Patronymic from a short form of Mattheus.
Tefft English
Variant of English Taft. This surname was already well established in Connecticut and Rhode Island by 1715.
Tegan English
Variant of Teagan.
Tegeder German
I don't know.