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.
SoamesEnglish Denoted a person hailing from a village called Soham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "homestead by the lake" from Old English sæ "lake" and ham "farm, homestead"... [more]
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.
SobanskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Sobanice, in Ciechanów voivodeship.
SobolewskiPolish Locational surname that means a person from places in Poland called Sobolew or Sobolewo, both derived from the Polish sobol, meaning "sable".
SolanoSpanish, Aragonese From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish solano meaning "place exposed to the sun" (from Late Latin solanus "pertaining to the sun", a derivative of sol "sun")... [more]
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.
SolariItalian Habitational name from any of various places called "Solaro" or "Solara", from solaro 'site', 'plot', 'meadow', literally "land exposed to the sun".
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.
SolórzanoSpanish Habitational name for someone originally from the municipality of Solórzano in Cantabria, Spain.
SombySami Derived from the name of the village Sompio in Finland.
SoniHindi A Suryavanshi Khatri family, the surname originating from the Punjab region of India. In India the term caste creates a crucial distinction between Varna and Jāti, even though jati does not fit into any of the four varnas and is more often referred to as Sudras.
SonnenbergGerman, Jewish From various place names derived from Middle High German sunne meaning "sun" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".
SontheimerGerman Derived from any of the places named Sontheim in Germany.
SooEstonian Soo is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp".
SooäärEstonian Sooäär is an Estonian surname, meaning "swamp side".
SoomeEstonian Soome is an Estonian surname meaning "Finland".
SoometsEstonian Soomets is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp forest".
SoomroPakistani, Sindhi From the name of the city of سامراء (Sāmarrāʾ) in present-day Iraq. This is the name of a Sindhi tribe in southeastern Pakistan, along with a historical regional dynasty in India (the Soomra).
SopranoItalian For soprano "higher, situated above", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top end of a place on a hillside.
SoramotoJapanese Sora means "sky, heaven" and "source, root, origin".
SorboItalian, Norwegian the surname of Kevin Sorbo (from Hercules, from God's Not Dead movie or two) comes from the word for the "sorb apple" the fruit of the true service tree Sorbus domestica, or from the location-name made up of saurr "mire mud" + bœ´r ‘farm settlement’.
SorianoSpanish Habitational sephardic name for someone from Soria in Castile, from the adjective soriano 'from Soria'.
SorimeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 反り (sori), the continuative form of 反る (soru) meaning "to curve" and 目 (me) meaning "visual feature", referring to a curved landscape of a field.
SotakSlovak Habitational name from Soták, an eastern Slovak region near Humenné.
SoteloSpanish From any of various places in Galicia named Soutelo, derived from Galician souto meaning "grove, plantation".
SotoheboJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 外枦保 (Sotohebo), a clipping of 外枦保門 (Sotohebomon) meaning "Sotohebo Gate", a name of a group of several households in the Kadowari System that took place in the Edo Period in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan, as well as surrounding areas.
SottoSpanish (Philippines) Variant of Soto. This spelling variation arose during the American occupation of the Philippines, possibly by the influence of Italian American surnames.
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]
SournKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer សួន (see Soun).
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.
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".
SouthwickEnglish An English/Scottish locational name from a variety of places, including, Southwick in Northamptonshire, England, and Southwick in Gloucestershire, Sussex, Durham, Hampshire. ... [more]
SowerbyEnglish Habitational name from any places so-called in Northern England. Named from Old Norse saurr, 'mud, filth' and by, 'farm, estate'.
SpagnaItalian From Italian spagna "Spain" for a Spaniard or someone who had connections to Spain. Also from the female given name of the same meaning, Italian cognitive of Spain.
SpargoCornish Cornish: habitational name from Higher or Lower Spargo, in the parish of Mabe, so named from Cornish spern ‘thorn bushes’ + cor ‘enclosure'.
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).
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.
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.
SpringGerman From Middle High German sprinc, Middle Low German sprink "spring, well", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or well, or habitational name from Springe near Hannover.
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]
StackhouseEnglish habitational name from Stackhouse in Giggleswick (Yorkshire) from Old Norse stakkr "stack pile rick" and hus "house".
StanawayEnglish Possibly a variant form of English Stanway, a habitational name from any of the places called Stanaway, in Essex, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, all named with Old English stān ‘stone’ + weg ‘track’, ‘road’
StancilEnglish English habitational name from a place so named in South Yorkshire.
StancliffEnglish Habitational name from Scout in Northowram (Yorkshire) recorded as Staynclif in 1309 and Stancliff Skoute (the home of Edward Stankliff) in 1536. The placename derives from Old English stan "stone rock" with influence from Old Norse steinn "stone rock" and Old English clif "cliff bank" later with Middle English scoute "projecting cliff overhanging rock" (Old Norse skúti).
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]
StandishEnglish Habitational name Standish (Lancashire Now Part Of Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire) meaning Old English Stān ‘Stone Rock’ + Edisc ‘Enclosure; or Enclosed Park’.
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).
StanwickEnglish Habitational name from a place so called in Northamptonshire, named in Old English with stan ‘stone’ + wic ‘outlying dairy farm’.
StanwyckEnglish Variant spelling of Stanwick. This name was borne by the American actress, model and dancer Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990).
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".
StapletonEnglish Habitational surname from any of various places in England.
StarbuckEnglish After Starbeck village in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. A famous bearer of this name was the fictional character, Starbuck, the first mate of the Pequod in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.
StartEnglish Habitational name from any of the various minor places named from Old English steort "tail".
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.
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.
SteinauerMedieval German Dweller at or near a stone or rock, often a boundary mark; one who came from Stein, in Germany and Switzerland; descendant of Staino or Stein ("stone").... [more]
SteinbachGerman, Jewish German habitational name from any of the many places named Steinbach, named with Middle High German stein ‘stone’ + bach ‘stream’, ‘creek’. ... [more]
SteinbeckGerman Denotes a person hailing from one of the many places in Germany called Steinbeck or Steinbach, from Middle High German stein "stone" and bach "stream, creek". In some cases it is a South German occupational name for a mason... [more]
SteinbockGerman From German 'stein' meaning "stone" and 'der bock' meaning "goat".
SteinhagenGerman Derived from Old High German stein "stone" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture".
SteinhilberGerman Habitational name for someone from Steinhilben, from Old High German stein "stone" and hülwe or hülbe "hollow, depression; pond, puddle".
SteinkampGerman North German topographic name for someone living by a field with a prominent rocky outcrop or boulder in it, and derived from Middle Low German sten meaning "rock, stone" and kamp meaning "enclosed field".
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.
StekelenburgDutch Derived from Middle Dutch stekel meaning "prickle, stickle, spine, spike" and burg meaning "fortress". A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (1982-).
StensethNorwegian habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads, notably in eastern Norway, named Steinset, from either the noun stein ‘stone’ or the same word as a personal name + set ‘farmstead’.... [more]
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".
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]
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".
St-gelaisFrench (Quebec) From the French place name Saint-Gelais which was allegedly named for a 5th-century bishop of Poitiers. The name Gelais is a variant of Gélase.
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".
StlouisFrench Habitational name from any of several places named with a religious dedication to a St. Louis.
St MaryEnglish, French This name is probably used in reference to Mary, Mother of Jesus or one of the many places called St Mary.
St NicholasEnglish Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.
StoakleyEnglish This is an English locational name of Anglo-Saxon origin. The meaning is either the wood from which stocks, that is to say tree stumps or logs were obtained and derived from the Old English pre 7th Century word stocc, meaning a stump and leah, "a wood or glade"... [more]
StoaksEnglish A name of unknown meaning that was brought to Britain as a result of the Norman Conquest.
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.
StockingEnglish Topographic name from Middle English stocking 'ground cleared of stumps'.
StockleyEnglish Derived from Old english stocc (tree bark) and leah (clearing), indicating that the original bearer of this name lived in a wooded clearing.
StocktonEnglish Habitational surname for a person from any of the places (e.g. Cheshire, County Durham, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and North and West Yorkshire) so called from Old English stocc "tree trunk" or stoc "dependent settlement" + tun "enclosure", "settlement".
StockwellEnglish An English boy's name meaning "From the tree stump spring"
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.
StokholmDanish, Norwegian (Rare) Combination of Norwegian skyta "to shoot" (indicating a protruding piece of land like a cape or headland) and holme "islet".
StolinskiBelarusian This indicates familial origin within the town of Stólin.
StollerGerman, Jewish, English Habitational surname for someone from a place called Stolle, near Zurich (now called Stollen).... [more]
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.
StonekingCornish, Medieval Cornish The surname Stoneking was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The name originates in Cornwall, deriving from the Old English word 'stan', meaning stone, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a prominent stone.
StonorEnglish Locational name from a village in Oxfordshire, England. The name comes from Old English stán "stony" and the place was named for a stone circle on the land.
StormoNorwegian Habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads, notably in northern Norway, so named from stor meaning "big" + mo meaning "moor", "heath".
StrandheimGerman, Jewish From a location name meaning "beach home" in German, from Middle High German strand meaning "beach" and heim meaning "home". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
StrangewaysEnglish Means "person from Strangeways", Greater Manchester ("strong current").
StrasburgGerman It is derived from the Old Germanic phrase "an der Strasse," which literally means "on the street." Thus, the original bearer of this name was most likely someone whose residence was located on a street.
StrasseGerman It derives either from the ancient Roman (Latin) word "straet" meaning a main road, and hence somebody who lived by such a place, or from a German pre-medieval word "stratz" meaning vain.
StrassmannGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone living on a main street, from Middle High German strasse, German Strasse "street, road" and man "man".
StrathairnScottish From Strathearn, the name of a large valley of the River Earn in Scotland, derived from Gaelic srath meaning "river valley, grassland" combined with the river's name. A famous bearer is American actor David Strathairn (1949-).
StrattonEnglish English: habitational name from any of various places, in Bedfordshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, and Wiltshire, so named from Old English str?t ‘paved highway’, ‘Roman road’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’... [more]
StreamEnglish English topographic name for someone who lived beside a stream, Middle English streme. Americanized form of Swedish Ström or Danish Strøm (see Strom).
StreiterGerman Topographic name from Middle High German struot 'swamp', 'bush', 'thicket' + -er, suffix denoting an inhabitant.
StrelowGerman, Polabian Originally an Polabian name from the city Stralsund (pola. Stralov).
StreteEnglish Strete is derived from Old English "Straet" which, in turn is derived from the latin "strata". This surname has spelling variants including, Streeter, Street, Straight, and Streeten. The first occurrences of this surname include Modbert de Strete of Devon (1100), AEluric de Streitun and his heir Roger (at the time of Henry de Ferrers) and Eadric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia.
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).
StrojnowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Strojnów.
StryjewskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Stryjów in Zamość voivodeship, named with stryj meaning "paternal uncle", "father’s brother".
StrzalińskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish village of Strzaliny.
StrzałkowskiPolish Denoted a person from various places in Poland named Strzałki, Strzałkowo, Strzałków, all derived from Polish strzalka meaning "arrow".
StuckeyEnglish 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]
StudleyEnglish 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".
SudaJapanese From Japanese 須 (su) meaning "mandatory, necessary" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
SudanArabic, Italian, Spanish Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Sudan or who had traded with Sudan. The name of the country is ultimately derived from Arabic سُود (sud) meaning "black", referring to the darker skin of the inhabitants.
SudlowEnglish (British) Apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place, perhaps Sudlow Farm in Cheshire.