SinatraItalian Comes from a personal name in Sicily and souther Calabria. The name was apparently in origin a nickname from Latin senator member of the Roman senate, Latin senatus, a derivative of senex ‘old’... [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.
SklerosGreek Means strong/ harsh in Greek, and also the name of an old Byzantine family.
SklueffRussian (Latinized, Rare, ?) Means bird of prey. From Russia. Was changed by the government from Cellieic letters to Latin letters. Unknown if it was change in Russia or Harbin, Chun where they escaped Bolshevism.
SkorupaPolish, Jewish Derived from Polish skorupa meaning "shell", hence a nickname for a secretive individual.
SlingerEnglish Travelled with the army's a user of Slings for war. The variant Slingo is a misspelling only appeared after the English civil war. YDNA between the two matches.
SlipperEnglish Occupational surname for a sword-slipper, or scabbard maker.
SluiterDutch Occupation name for a porter, or gatekeeper. Also an occupational name for someone who made and poured alcohol. "The one who pours the alcohol." - Middle Dutch Sluter. Compare to English Porter.
SlutskyJewish Habitational name for someone from Slutsk, a city in Belarus.
SmalleyEnglish, Cornish (?) Locational surname from places in Derbyshire and Lancashire, so called from Old English smæl ‘narrow’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’. This may also be a Cornish name with an entirely separate meaning.
SmeatonEnglish From Old English Smiðatun meaning "settlement of the smiths".
SmitheeScottish appears to be an occupational name for a blacksmith, it has been suggested that when surnames came into use in Scotland, several different families simply 'took on' the name whether they had been blacksmiths or not.... [more]
SnowdenEnglish Habitational name from Snowden, a place in West Yorkshire named from Old English snāw ‘snow’ + dūn ‘hill’, i.e. a hill where snow lies long.
SnowdonEnglish Variant spelling of Snowden, a surname initially used by the Border Reivers. Comes from the mountain in Wales.
SolankiIndian, Gujarati, Marathi From a vernacular name for the Chaulukya, a dynasty that ruled parts of northwestern India (in what is now Gujarat and Rajasthan) between the 10th and 13th centuries, of uncertain meaning.
SoldanoItalian, Sicilian from soldano "sultan" (earlier sultano from Arabic sulṭān "ruler") used as a nickname for someone who behaved in an outlandish or autocratic manner.
SoldnerGerman German surname meaning mercenary. German spelling has umlaut over the O, but American spelling is Soldner or Soeldner.
SoleckiPolish Habitational surname for someone from any of a number of places called Solec, named with sól ‘salt’.
SolidayAmerican Reportedly German and Dutch background? Never have really known. The history that has been told my siblings and I is that three brothers came from Germany to the US in late 1800 and went into business in Phila - they eventually argued and split up and two of them changed the spelling of their last name and scattered throughout PA - When I left home in 1963 - mY Father James Edward Soliday, son of John Soliday and Martha Freidline Soliday and us children were the only ones in our area... [more]
SolinasItalian Meaning uncertain; could be related to Latin solum, from which comes Italian suolo "earth, ground, soil" and suola "sole (of the foot or shoe)", or from Italian salina "salt pan, salt marsh".
SollanoBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Zalla.
SolorioSpanish This indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the Sierra de Solorio mountain range that straddles Aragon, La Mancha, & Old Castile.
SooläteEstonian Sooläte is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp/bog spring".
SoometsEstonian Soomets is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp forest".
SoopartEstonian Soopart is an Estonian surname meaning "pintail duck (Anas acuta)".
SoopereEstonian Soopere is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp folks".
SoosaarEstonian Soosaar is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp island".
SoosõrvEstonian Soosõrv is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "soo" meaning "swamp" and "sõrv", possibly a corruption of "serv" meaning "border" or "edge"; "swamp/marsh border".
SoosterEstonian Sooster is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "soosik", meaning "favorite" and "heir".
SootammEstonian Sootamm is an Estonian surname meaning "pin oak" (Quercus palustris). Literally, "swamp oak".
SordinoLiterature The surname of Melinda "Mel" Sordino, the main character of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak (1999). Her surname was apparently derived from Italian sordino meaning "mute" or "deaf".
SorellaItalian Means "sister". Nickname for someone known for behaving in a sisterly manner, or perhaps like a nun.
SorrellEnglish From a medieval nickname meaning literally "little red-haired one", from a derivative of Anglo-Norman sorel "chestnut".
SosunovRussian Derived from Russian сосун (sosun) meaning "sucker". Alternatively this may be a patronymic surname derived from the Jewish name Sasson meaning "happiness".
SoulierFrench Metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker, from Old French soulier ‘shoe’, ‘sandal’.... [more]
SoulsbyEnglish Habitational name from either of two places called Soulby in Cumbria
SounessScottish (Rare) Perhaps derived from the place name Soonhouse in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders area (which is of uncertain meaning), or from the place names Sun-hlaw or Sunilaw near the town of Coldstream, also in the Scottish Borders in Scotland, meaning "south hill" or "sunny hill" in Old English... [more]
SouthamEnglish habitational name primarily from Southam (Warwickshire) and occasionally from Southam (Gloucestershire) from Old English suþ "south southern" and ham "village homestead" meaning "the southern farmstead".
SparrowEnglish English: nickname from Middle English sparewe ‘sparrow’, perhaps for a small, chirpy person, or else for someone bearing some fancied physical resemblance to a sparrow.
SpenderEnglish Occupational name for a paymaster or someone in charge of finances, from Old English spendan "to spend" and Latin expendere "to pay out".
SperberGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a small but belligerent person from Middle High German sperwære "sparrow hawk" (Old High German sparwāri a compound of sparw "sparrow" and āri "eagle").
SperingEnglish There is a fish in Germany or Austria names "Spering or Spiering fish" it is in the meat Isle of Germany orAustrian fish.... [more]
SperoniItalian Either a Plural form of sperone "spur" an occupation for a spurrier or from the given name Gaspare.
SpiegelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" (via Old High German from Latin speculum, a derivative of specere "to look").
SpielerGerman, Jewish Occupational Name For A Tumbler Or Jester German Spieler ‘Player’ Middle High German Spilære An Agent Derivative Of Spiln ‘To Play To Jest To Sport’.
ŠpiljakCroatian Possibly derived from špilja, meaning "cave".
SpínolaPortuguese Portuguese topographic name from a diminutive of espinha ‘thorn’, ‘thorn bush’.
SpinolaItalian Italian (Liguria) diminutive of Spina. Italian topographic name for someone living by Monte Spinola in the province of Pavia.
SpinosaItalian Most likely from Italian spinosa meaning "prickly, thorny, spiny, ticklish, touchy".
SpiteriMaltese The surname Spiteri is derived from the Latin word "hospitalieri" meaning hospitaliers. It was initially given to babies born to mothers who worked as nurses at the Knights' hospital during the 16th century where the babies' fathers were usually knights who had been treated at said hospital.
SpragueEnglish English from northern Middle English Spragge, either a personal name or a byname meaning "lively", a metathesized and voiced form of "spark."
SquiresEnglish Surname is plural of Squire. A young person that tends to his knight, also someone that is a member of a landowner class that ranks below a knight.
StancilEnglish English habitational name from a place so named in South Yorkshire.
StandenEnglish Habitational name predominantly from Standen in Pendleton (Lancashire) and Standean in Ditchling (Sussex) but also from other places similarly named including Standen in East Grinstead (Sussex) Standen in Biddenden (Kent) Standen in Benenden (Kent) Upper and Lower Standen in Hawkinge (Kent) Standen (Berkshire Wiltshire Isle of Wight) and Standon (Devon Hampshire Hertfordshire Staffordshire)... [more]
StarkeyEnglish, German From a diminutive of Stark. This surname is borne by the English musician Sir Richard Starkey (1940-), also known as Ringo Starr.
StauberGerman, Jewish An occupational name from Staub, with the addition of the German agent suffix -er.
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.
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".
SterkenDutch, English Means "strong". Derived either from the Old English term sterċan, meaning "to make rigid", or from the Old Saxon sterkian and Old High German sterken, both meaning "to strengthen."
SterleyEnglish This is an English locational surname. Recorded as Starley, Stearley, Sterley, Sturley, and others, it originates from a place called 'ster-leah', meaning "steer" or "cattle farm". However no such place in any of the known surname spellings is to be found in England, although there is place called Starleyburn in Fifeshire in Scotland... [more]
SternkeLow German (Rare, ?) From the German word or surname Stern meaning "star" and the Low German diminutive "-ke". The exact origins of this surname are unknown.
StiefelGerman Either from stiefel "boot", which could mean a boot maker or from middle low german stief which means "stiff", a nickname for a stubborn person
StifterGerman Unknown History of Stifter. Stifter means Founder in German
StinnesGerman Indicated that the bearer lived near a prominent stone. See also Stein
StinsonEnglish, Scottish This is one of the many patronymic forms of the male given name Stephen, i.e. son of Stephen. From these forms developed the variant patronymics which include Stim(p)son, Stenson, Steenson, and Stinson.
StognerAnglo-Saxon The surname Stogner belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
StohokeIrish Gaelic name that originated in Ireland.