Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ShockleyEnglish (i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"
ShrewsburyEnglish From Shrewsbury, a market town and the county town of Shropshire, England, derived from Old English scrobb meaning "scrub, brushwood" and burg meaning "fortified place".
ShrimptonEnglish Probably referring to the unknown "Estate of Shrimp"
ShropshireEnglish Regional name from the county of Shropshire, on the western border of England with Wales.
SiagianBatak From the Batak prefix si- and suffix -an indicating location combined with agi meaning "younger sibling".
SiamThai From Siam, a historical name for Thailand.
SiauwChinese (Hokkien) Hokkien romanization of Xiao based on Dutch orthography. It is primarily used in Indonesia.
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).
SidwellEnglish From an English surname of uncertain origin, possibly originally a habitational name from an unidentified place with a second element from Old English well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’, but on the other hand early forms are found without prepositions... [more]
SilangTagalog Means "mountain pass, trail" in Tagalog.
SilbersteinGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber "silver" and stein "stone"; a habitational name from a place so named in Bavaria, or a topographic name.... [more]
SildEstonian Sild is an Estonian name meaning "bridge".
SillaEstonian Silla is an Estonian surname meaning "bridges".
SillanpääFinnish Means "bridgehead" in Finnish, an area around the end of a bridge. Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888-1964) was a Finnish author and the first Finnish writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
SillitoeEnglish A different form of Shillito (which is 'a name of unknown derivation and meaning, probably originating in Yorkshire'), borne by British novelist, short-story writer and poet Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010).
SilverstoneEnglish Obviously means "silver stone." In addition to people, this is the name of a racetrack in the village of the same name in England.
SilverthorneEnglish (Rare) Silverthorne, Silverthorn comes from the Old English seolfor "silver" and þorn "thorn bush" and means the family that lived by the "silver or white thorn tree".
SilveyraSpanish Topographic name from silveira 'woodland', a collective derivative of silva (see Silva ); or a habitational name from any of the places called Silveira in Lugo and Pontevedra provinces, Galicia, Iberia.
SilviaPortuguese (Americanized) SILVIA is an Americanized version of the Portuguese surname Silva, which is derived from the Latin silvae and Portuguese silva words meaning “forest,” “woodland,” or “jungle.” This variation of the surname SILVA was often adopted by Portuguese immigrants upon arrival to the United States.
SimamoraBatak From the Batak prefix si for place names and mamora meaning "rich, prosperous, wealthy".
SimancasSpanish It indicates familial origin within either of 2 places: the municipality in the Comarca of Campiña del Pisuerga or the administrative neighborhood of the Madrid district of San Blas-Canillejas.
SimatupangBatak From Batak si indicating location and tupang meaning "intersection, crossway, confluence".
SimbolonBatak From the Batak prefix si for place names and bolon meaning "big, large, grand".
SimiläFinnish From the given name Simi 3 and the suffix -lä signifying a place.
SingleEnglish Topographic name derived from Old English sengel meaning "burnt clearing" or "brushwood".
SingletonEnglish Habitational name from either of two villages, one in Lancashire, derived from Old English scingol "shingle, roof tile" and tun "enclosure, yard, town", the other in Sussex, derived from Old English sengel meaning "brushwood" or "burnt clearing".
SiqueiraPortuguese Habitational name from numerous places called Siqueira or Sequeira in Portugal or Galicia, derived from sequeira meaning "arid land" (ultimately from Latin siccus "dry").
SiracusaItalian, Sicilian From the name of the city of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy (siracusa in Italian and sarausa in Sicilian).
SiraitBatak From the Batak prefix si used for place names and rait meaning "roof frame, hook".
SirtoriItalian Perhaps a habitational name from a comune (municipality) in Northern Italy.
SitompulBatak From the Batak prefix si used for place names and tompul meaning "peace".
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]
SkarsvågNorwegian From Norwegian meaning "scarp, promontory, rock cliff". It is derived from a place name in Norway, located in the municipality of Magerøya in the northernmost part of the country. As a surname, "Skarsvåg" likely originated as a toponym, referring to a person who hailed from the Skarsvåg area in Norway.
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.
SkibniewskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Podlachian villages: Skibniew-Kurcze or Skibniew-Podawce.
SkillernEnglish Habitational name from Skeleron in Rimington, Lancashire (formerly in West Yorkshire), earlier known as Skelhorn.
SkipworthEnglish From the name of Skipwith in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The place name was recorded as Schipewic in the Domesday Book of 1086; as Scipewiz in the 1166 Pipe Rolls of the county; and as Skipwith in the 1291 Pipe Rolls, and derives from the Old English sceap, scip "sheep", and wic "outlying settlement"; hence, "settlement outside the village where sheep were kept".
SkočdopoleCzech Derived from Czech imperative sentence skoč do pole! meaning "jump in a field!".
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.
SlatsDutch Possibly derived from a toponym related to Old Germanic slaut meaning "puddle, pool" or "ditch, channel".
SlotboomDutch From a place name meaning "lock beam", a piece of wood used to close an opening.
SlowinskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Slowin in Gorzów voivodeship. From the adjective slowinski, denoting a member of the Slowincy, a Slavic people living in Pomerania.
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".
ŚmigielskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish town of Śmigiel.
SmileyScots, English From elements small and lea meaning "a small clearing" or as a nickname may refer to a person of happy disposition known for smiling.
SmithwickEnglish habitational name from Smethwick in Staffordshire Smethwick Green near Brereton Heath (Cheshire) or a lost place called Smithwick in Southover (Sussex). The place name means "the farm of the smiths" from Old English smiþ "smith" and wic "dwelling specialized farm"... [more]
SmolenskyRussian Refers to a region in Western Russia named "Smolensk".
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]
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.
SnipesEnglish Variant spelling of or a patronymic from Snipe. A famous bearer is American actor Wesley Snipes (1962-).
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’.
ŠorgoCroatian Derived from Slavic sorga "sorghum". This surname might've been given to someone who lives or work near sorghum plants.
SorhapuruBasque (Rare) From the name of a village in south-west France Basque Country, possibly derived from sorho "field, cultivated land" and buru "head, top, summit; leader, chief".
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]
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).
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.
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 1 "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’.
StanwoodEnglish (American) From Old English stan meaning "stone, rock" and weald meaning "forest, wooded area".
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.