SlackEnglish, Dutch Nickname for an idle person, from Middle Dutch slac "slow, loose", Middle English slak "lazy, careless". Alternatively, the Dutch form could derive from Middle Dutch slecke "snail, slug", with a similar implication of idleness.
SlackEnglish Means "small valley, shallow dell", derived from Old Norse slakki "a slope", a topographic name for someone who lived by such a landform, or a habitational name from one of the places named with this word, for example near Stainland and near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
SmockEnglish From Middle English smoc, smok meaning "smock", "shift", hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold such garments, or a nickname for someone who habitually wore a smock (the usual everyday working garment of a peasant).
SmoutDutch, Flemish Means "oil, lard, melted animal fat" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who sold fat or lard, or a nickname for someone who ate – or who could afford to eat – large amounts of food containing it.
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]
SnarkEnglish History largely unknown. The word's original meaning, in the mid-nineteenth century, was to snort / snore, or to find fault. ... [more]
SneydEnglish Derived from multiple locations named 'Sneyd'.
SnipeEnglish Derived from a given name; from Old English snip or Old Norse snípr. It is habitational surname from a place so called in the historic county of Northumberland, North East England.
SnyggSwedish Means "handsome, good looking" in Swedish.
SobaharayaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 蕎原屋 (Sobaharaya) meaning "Sobahara Store", from 蕎原 (Sobahara) meaning "Sobahara", an area in the city of Kaidzuka in the prefecture of Ōsaka in Japan.
SobalvarroSpanish Sobalvarro/Sobalbarro is a surname with known origins in the Iberian Peninsula. The first record of the name appears in the Basque regions of Spain. The name was purportedly constructed by combining the family name of Soba with the newly given Christian name, Alvarro.
SõberEstonian Sõber is an Estonian surname meaning "friend".
SobolewskimPolish Originally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Sobolew or Sobolewo, which derive from Polish soból "sable, marten".
SobueJapanese From Japanese 祖 (so) meaning "ancestor", 父 (bu) meaning "father" and 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet".
SokićCroatian Derived from Turksh sokak, meaning "street". The word is still used in Croatian meaning "little street, alley". Most people with this surname live in Cernik, Croatia.
SolakPolish Surname; meaning seller of salt or salt
SolarSpanish (Rare), Catalan, Aragonese, Asturian Spanish, Catalan, Aragonese, and Asturian-Leonese: topographic name from Latin solarius ‘ancestral home’ (a derivative of solum ‘ground’, ‘floor’), perhaps denoting someone who lived near or at the house of an important family.
SoldoItalian, Croatian Nickname from soldo "penny cent" also "military pay wage" (from Latin solidus "solid" the name of a gold Roman coin). From a short form of a compound personal name ending with -soldo such as Ansoldo... [more]
SolerMaltese Not to be confused with the Catalan and Occitan surname of the same spelling.
SoliéFrench Notable bearers include French cellist Jean-Pierre Solié, who was originally named Jean-Pierre Soulier, possibly making it a variant of Soulier.
SolihDhivehi From the given name Salih. A notable bearer is IbrahimMohamed Solih (1962-), the current president of the Maldives.
SomaiJapanese A notable bearer is Shinji Somai (1948-2001). He was a film director.
SomanIndian Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): Hindu name from Sanskrit soma ‘moon’ + the Tamil-Malayalam third-person masculine singular suffix -n. This is only a given name in India, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S.
SombySami Derived from the name of the village Sompio in Finland.
SõmerEstonian Sõmer is an Estonian surname meaning "grainy" or "mealy".
SørbøNorwegian Habitational name from any of several places in Norway, derived from Old Norse Saurbœr, composed of saurr "mire, mud, dirt" and bœr "farm, settlement". Cognate to Sowerby.
SorboItalian Means "sorb apple, service tree" (species Sorbus domestica) in Italian.
SotakSlovak Habitational name from Soták, an eastern Slovak region near Humenné.
SottoSpanish (Philippines) Variant of Soto. This spelling variation arose during the American occupation of the Philippines, possibly by the influence of Italian American surnames.
SoumaJapanese (Rare) Sou (相) means "appearance, nature", ma (馬) means "horse". Souma is also a city name in Fukishima prefecture. Mitsuko Souma (相馬光子) from Battle Royale bears this surname
SournKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer សួន (see Soun).
SoutaJapanese From Japanese 颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations. Also used as a given name.
SouthEnglish From Middle English south, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the south of a settlement or a regional name for someone who had migrated from the south.
SpannEnglish Derived from Old English spann meaning "span (of a hand)", a unit of measurement equaling about nine inches, possibly used to refer to someone who lived on a strip of land or by a narrow footbridge.
SpannGerman Possibly derived from Middle High German spenne "disagreement, dispute, quarrel".
SpareEnglish Nickname for a frugal person, from Middle English spare ‘sparing, frugal’ (Old English spær).
SparkEnglish, German Northern English: from the Old Norse byname or personal name Sparkr ‘sprightly’, ‘vivacious’.... [more]
SpecaItalian From a variant of spiga "spike, ear (of grain)"
SpeckGerman Variant of Specker as well as a locational surname from one of various places called Speck, Specke and Specken in northern Germany and Spöck in southern Germany, as well as an occupational surname derived from German Speck "bacon" denoting a butcher who sepcialized in the production of bacon, as well as a derisive nickname for a corpulent person.
SpierEnglish An English surname, meaning "the one who watches".
SpiesGerman While it translates to the plural of "spy" in English, Spies is a semi-common name found throughout Germany and the surrounding nations. This surname is also popular throughout states with a high German population.
SpijkDutch Possibly a habitational name from any of several locations called Spijk, derived from Old Dutch spich "headland, spit".
SpinaItalian Means "thorn" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived by a thorn bush or a habitational name from any of various locations called Spina... [more]
SpjutSwedish Taken directly from Swedish spjut "spear".
SplendenteItalian From Italian splendente "bright, shining", supposedly given to an infants abandoned at orphanages on sunny days.
SpohrGerman Occupational name for a maker of spurs, from Middle High German spor ‘spur’, or a topographic name, from Middle High German spor ‘spoor’, ‘animal tracks’.... [more]
SpoonEnglish Apparently a metonymic occupational name either for a maker of roofing shingles or spoons, from Old English spon "chip, splinter" (see also Spooner).
SpoonapplePopular Culture Edwina Spoonapple is a fictional character and the titular character from the Off-Broadway musical "Dear Edwina" (2008). She is a 13-year-old girl who wants proof of her accomplishments, just like her siblings... [more]
SpoorEnglish, Dutch From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
SpringbornGerman Derived from Middle Low German sprinkborn meaning "spring, well", hence either a nickname for someone who lived by a spring or a water well, or from various place names in Germany.
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]
StaalDutch From Old Dutch stal meaning "steel", a metonymic occupational name for a steelworker or blacksmith.
StaffEnglish Derived from Middle English staf "rod staff, stave" (Old English stæf) used as a nickname either for a tall thin person someone who made staves or for anyone who carried a staff of office.
StangGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Middle High German stang, German Stange ‘pole’, ‘shaft’, hence a nickname for a tall, thin person, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wooden shafts for spears and the like, or a metonymic occupational name for a soldier.
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]
StaplefordEnglish Habitational name from any of a number of places, in Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Wiltshire, so named from Old English stapol meaning "post" + ford meaning "ford".
StateGerman Nickname from Middle High German stæt(e) meaning "firm", "steadfast", "constant".
StaubGerman (Swiss), German, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational nickname for a miller, from Middle High German stoup, German Staub ‘dust’. The Jewish surname may also be ornamental.
StegerhoekDutch Derived from Old Dutch stega "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and huok "corner, angle, hook".
StehrGerman From Middle High German ster ‘ram’, hence probably a nickname for a lusty person, or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shepherd.
SteifvaterGerman from Middle Low German stēfvader 'stepfather' hence a relationship name.
SteinhagenGerman Derived from Old High German stein "stone" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture".
SteinhardtJewish, Polish, Hungarian Steinhardt is recorded as a Jewish Ashkenazi family name among Jews in Alsace, Germany, Poland, Israel and the U.S.A. since at least the 18th century.... [more]
SteinmeierGerman Distinguishing name for a tenant farmer (Meyer) whose farm was on stony ground or was distinguished by a conspicuous rock formation (Middle High German stein 'rock').
SteinwedelGerman From the German word "stein" and "wedel" which mean "stone frond", which was a name given to someone who lived near a stone wall covered in plants.
StellEnglish Unknown origin, possibly a variant of Steel, from the English word "steel", originating in Yorkshire, UK. Alternatively, it may be derived from North German dialect word stel meaning "bog", denoting someone who lived near a marsh; or from Latin stella meaning "star", eg for a person who lived at an inn with a star on its sign.
StellrechtGerman Occupational name for a cartwright, from Middle High German stel "framework" and reht (from Old High German wurht-) "maker". Compare English -wright.
StellwagenGerman metonymic occupational name for a carter or a cartwright from Middle High German stelle "cart" and wagen "wagon".
StentEnglish (Archaic) Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone". Recorded in several forms including Stein, Steen, Stone and Ston, this surname is english. It is perhaps not surprisingly one of the first recorded surnames anywhere in the world.... [more]
StepnowskyPolish Polish (Stępnowski): habitational name for someone from Stępno in Kalisz voivodeship, named with stępać ‘to plod’ ( see Stepien ), or from a place called Stepnów, now in Ukraine.
SternhagenGerman topographic name from Middle High German ster "ram" (and -n- either the plural ending or a folk etymological insert by association with Middle High German stern "star") and hagen "enclosed field or pasture".
SteynAfrikaans Derived from Old Dutch stēn "stone" referring ot a (bowl) stone or a weapon made of stone or rock.
StichGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name for a tailor or cobbler from Middle High German stich German stich "stitch".
StiffEnglish (American) Used sometimes as a derogatory term, stiff means uptight. It is used in a surname in American culture as well as in the media, such as novels, movies or tv shows.
StinchcombEnglish Habitational name from Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire, recorded in the 12th century as Stintescombe, from the dialect term stint meaning "sandpiper" + cumb meaning "narrow valley".