Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
SchortgenGerman Of a German origin, the fist part meaning short or small.
SchotteGerman From schotte, an ethnic name for a Scottish person or somebody of such descent.
SchramGerman, English, Yiddish Derived from German Schramme (Middle High German schram(me)) and Yiddish shram, all of which mean "scar".
SchrockGerman Some think that the last name Schrock comes from the German word which meant something along the lines of "Jump" or "Leaps" and was probably a nickname to someone who was a great jumper, or someone who was easily startled.
SchrootDutch Possibly an altered form of des Groot via Sgroot, meaning "son of the Groot", itself a byname meaning "great, large". Alternatively, it could be related to schroot "scrap (metal)" or the older scrode "to cut", an occupational name for someone who worked with metal, or perhaps a tailor.
SchuftGerman Means "wretch, blackguard" in German.
SchumerJewish, German (Rare) Possibly taken from Middle Low German schumer meaning "good for nothing, vagabond". Notable bearers are American comedian Amy Schumer (b. 1981) and American politician Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (b... [more]
SchurrGerman From a nickname meaning "quarrel" in German, given to a hot-tempered person.
SchürrleGerman Variant of Schurr. A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player André Schürrle (1990-).
SchwankGerman Either a nickname for a thin person, (derived from Middle High German swanc meaning "little, slender, thin"), a pretty person (from Middle Low German swank "fine, dainty") or a fun, loving person (from Middle High German swanc and Middle Low German swank "funny idea, joke, jest, foolery").
SchweigertGerman Derives from an agent derivative of the German "schweigen", to be silent, and the nickname would have been given to a silent, quiet, taciturn person.
SchweitzGerman Ethnic name for a Swiss, from German Schweitz meaning "Swiss".
SchwenkGerman Variant spelling of Schwanke, or apparently a nickname referring to a person's gait, derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing back and forth, to sling" (see Schwenke 1).
ScimiaItalian From an archaic form of Italian scimmia "monkey", from Ancient Greek σιμός (simos) "snub-nosed". Has figurative meanings of "drunk" and "imitator, mimic, aper".
ScogginsEnglish Possibly derived from Old Norse skegg meaning "beard".
ScogingsEnglish, Old Danish A surname of Scandinavian origin from the old Norse and old Danish by-name "Skeggi" or "skoggi", meaning 'the bearded one'. Common in areas invaded and settled by Scandinavians in the 8th and 9th Centuries.
ScornavaccheItalian Possibly deriving from Italian words scorno meaning shame, and vacca meaning cow. Sicilian variant of Scornavacca.
ScrogginsEnglish Derived from Middle English scrogge meaning "brushwood", given to someone who lived near a bushy area, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a prickly personality.
ScurtiItalian Possibly from Neapolitan curto "short".
SealyEnglish Derived from Old English sælig "blessed, fortunate, prosperous, happy" and was used as a term to describe someone with a cheerful, happy disposition.
SecchiItalian Probably related to Italian secco "thin, dry". May alternately derive from secare "to cut", Sardinian seghi "sixteen", segete "harvest, harvest fodder", or a shortened form of seneche "old, aged".
SeçkinTurkish Means "exclusive, elite" or "distinguished, outstanding" in Turkish.
SeditaItalian From Italian sei "six" + dita, plural of dito "finger", hence a nickname either for someone having six fingers or metaphorically for someone who was very dextrous.
SegevHebrew Means "exaltation, greatness" in Hebrew.
ŠeliehBelarusian Derived from Belarusian шэлег (šelieh), a word used for various medieval small coins, primarily for silver and copper solidi, ultimately from the German word Schilling meaning "shilling".
SemakUkrainian, Russian East Slavic surname derived from a Slavic root meaning "seven". This was used as a nickname for someone who was associated with this number and was mainly given to the seventh child.
SeminarioSpanish (Latin American) Means "seminar" in Spanish, likely denoting an academic person. Miguel Grau Seminario (1834-1879) was the most renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the naval battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific
SensiItalian Derived from Italian "senso" meaning "sense, feeling". Historically, the surname could have been given to someone who was known for their wisdom or intelligence, or to someone who had a keen sense of perception or intuition... [more]
ŞentürkTurkish From Turkish şen meaning "happy, cheerful" and Türk meaning "Turk".
SevastosGreek From the same Greek word that means respected, also an aristocratic title during the Byzantine Empire.
SevelevRussian Derived by means of suffix "-ev" from Old Slavic verb sheveliti (se) meaning to make noise, to whirr, to rustle, to whistle, to wander. Initially it designated someone bold, daring, hardy, spirited... [more]
SevenTurkish Means "loving, affectionate" in Turkish.
SeverTurkish Means "lover, spirited, fond" in Turkish.
SevimliTurkish Means "cute, lovely, charming, pleasant" in Turkish.
SezerTurkish Means "intuition", from Turkish sezmek meaning "to understand, to perceive".
SezginTurkish Means "sagacious, insightful" in Turkish.
SforzaItalian Derived from the Italian verb sforzare meaning "to force, strain"; also compare the related word forza "force, strength". This was the surname of a dynasty of Milanese dukes, which held power in the 15th and 16th centuries.
SgourosGreek The surname means "curly-haired" in medieval Greek. According to Adamantios Korais the etymology is from the Greek word gyros (round).
ShackladyEnglish Perhaps from a medieval nickname for a man who had had sexual relations with a woman of higher social class (from shag "to copulate with" (not recorded before the late 17th century) and lady).... [more]
ShadeEnglish From Old English sceadu "shadow, wraith", possibly a nickname for a very thin man.
ShakyaNepali, Indian, Hindi From the name of an ancient clan that inhabited parts of present-day Nepal and northern India. The name may have been derived from Sanskrit शाक (shaka) or शक (shaka) referring to the Sakas, a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, or from शक्य (shakya) meaning "possible, capable".
ShalabiArabic Means "elegant, stylish, handsome" in Arabic.
ShebaniArabic (Maghrebi) From the name of an Arab tribe which is derived from Arabic شيب (šīb) meaning "white hair, grayness" or "cold, snow". This surname is chiefly used in Libya.
SheepshanksScottish From a medieval Scottish and northern English nickname for someone with a strange or awkward way of walking (literally "sheeplegs").
ShehataArabic Derived from Arabic شحات (shahhat) meaning "beggar".
SheldrakeEnglish From a medieval nickname for a dandyish (showy) or vain man, from Middle English scheldrake, the male of a type of duck with brightly-coloured plumage (itself from the East Anglian dialect term scheld "variegated" combined with drake "male duck").
SherlockEnglish, Irish Nickname for someone with "fair hair" or "a lock of fair hair."
SherpaNepali From the name of the Sherpa people of Nepal, India and Bhutan, itself derived from Tibetan ཤར (shar) meaning "east" and the nominalising particle པ (pa).
SherrardEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname based on Middle English shere "bright, fair", with the derogatory suffix -ard.
SherwinEnglish English: nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English schere(n) ‘to shear’ + wind ‘wind’.
ShevardnadzeGeorgian Means "son of the falcon", from Georgian შავარდენი (shavardeni) meaning "falcon, hawk". A famous bearer was Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze (1928-2014).
ShevelevRussian Derived by means of suffix "-ev" from Old Slavic verb sheveliti (se) meaning to make noise, to whirr, to rustle, to whistle, to wander. Initially it designated someone bold, daring, hardy, spirited.
ShojaeiPersian Derived from Persian شجاع (shoja) meaning "brave, courageous".
ShokutsuJapanese From Japanese 食 (shoku) meaning food and 通 (tsu) meaning "connoisseur".
SholokhovmRussian Derived from Russian шорох (šórox) "rustle, soft crackling sound", denoting a quiet person, or шерохий (šeróxij) "rough, rugged", denoting a person with a rough face.
SholomRussian Derived from Old Russian шолом (sholom) meaning "helmet".
ShortallEnglish The ancient history of the name Shortall began soon after 1066 when the Norman Conquest of England occurred. It was a name given to a stocky or short-necked person which was in turn derived from the Anglo-Saxon word scorkhals meaning a person with a short neck.
ShrapnelEnglish A different form of Carbonell. Shrapnel (i.e. metal balls or fragments that are scattered when a bomb, shell or bullet explodes) is named after General Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), a British artillery officer who during the Peninsular War invented a shell that produced that effect.
ShresthaNepali Means "excellent" in Nepali, ultimately from Sanskrit श्रेष्ठ (shreshtha) meaning "best, most excellent".
ShrivastavIndian, Hindi Short form of Sanskrit श्रीवास्तव्य (shrivastavya) meaning "abode of wealth", itself from श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty, wealth, prosperity" and वास्तव्य (vastavya) meaning "residence, abode, dwelling, inhabiting".
SiasonFilipino From Hokkien 謝孫 (siā-sun), derived from 謝 (siā) meaning "refuse, decline" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild".
SibunrueangThai From Thai ศรี (si) meaning "glory, honour, fame" combined with บุญ (bun) meaning "merit" and เรือง (rueang) meaning "bright, glowing, brilliant".
SiddiquiArabic, Urdu, Bengali From Arabic صَادِق (ṣādiq) meaning "true, truthful, veracious". It was traditionally used as an honorific title or a nickname for a trustworthy person.
SidduItalian From Sardinian siddu "seal, brand", or the related siddai/re "to seal, to tighten", from which come the phrases 'siddai is dentis' "to grit one's teeth" and 'siddàu siast ingùnis' "may you be sealed there", the latter of which would have been affectionately said to a child that wouldn't stay still.
SidiqiPashto, Persian, Afghan Means "the veracious" from Arabic صَدَقَ (ṣadaqa) meaning "to be truthful, to be sincere". It is also a variant of Persian Sadeghi.
SiebeLow German from a pet form of the personal name Siebert
SikderBengali From a historical title used to denote a person who owned one quarter of land, derived from Bengali সিকি (siki) meaning "quarter, fourth".
SikumbangMinangkabau Allegedly from the phrase si kumbang meaning "black tiger", probably derived from Minangkabau kumbang which can mean "beetle" or "tiger, leopard". The name may have been used to refer to Tamil settlers from southern India who had darker skin and practised a tiger-like form of martial arts... [more]
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]
SkorupaPolish, Jewish Derived from Polish skorupa meaning "shell", hence a nickname for a secretive individual.
ŠkudlárekCzech Nickname for a stingy person, from a derivative Czech škudil meaning "stingy","tight-fisted".
SlaatsDutch Possibly a contracted form of Dutch des laats meaning "the serf", from Middle Dutch laets "serf, bondsman, freedman".
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.
SladoljevCroatian Derived from slad, meaning "malt", and the -ljev suffix referring to "pouring".
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.
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.
SmyczekPolish Occupational surname for someone who made or used strings, derived from Polish smycz, meaning "leash."
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]
SnapperDutch From Middle Dutch snappen meaning "to chatter, babble, snap" or "to snatch, grab, seize", a nickname for a talkative person, or perhaps a thief. Compare Schnapp.
SnelliusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of Snel. A notable bearer was the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626; real name Willebrord Snel van Royen), commonly called Snell, for whom the formula Snell's law is named.
SnowEnglish, Jewish (Anglicized) Nickname denoting someone with very white hair or an exceptionally pale complexion, from Old English snaw "snow".... [more]
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.
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]
SolmazTurkish Means "colourfast, unfading" in Turkish.
SolnyshkoRussian Derived from Russian diminutive of солнце (solntse), meaning sun.
SolokovRussian Derived from the Russian word 'Sokol', meaning 'falcon'. It is one of the most common Russian surnames, appearing in the top ten.
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.
SorokaUkrainian, Jewish From the nickname Soroka meaning "magpie", which indicates a thievish person or a person with a white streak of hair among black hair.
SorokinRussian From Russian сорока (soroka) meaning "magpie", referring to the Eurasian magpie.
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".
SottileItalian Southern Italian: nickname from sottile ‘delicate’, ‘refined’, also ‘lean’, ‘thin’ (from Latin subtilis ‘small’, ‘slender’).
SoudaniArabic (Maghrebi) Means "Sudanese (referring to a person from Sudan)", derived from Arabic سُودَانِيّ (sūdāniyy).
SozioItalian Nickname from socio "companion", "ally".
ŠpačekCzech Means "tipcat". Pronounced "sh:pah-CZEK".
SpadaforaItalian Variant form of Spatafora. Spadafora is the younger out of the two surnames and yet the most common of the two, which might partly be because it is a little bit more italianized... [more]
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.
SpataforaItalian This surname originates from the Italian island of Sicily, where it was first borne by a noble family of Byzantine origin, which had settled on the island in the 11th century AD. Their surname was derived from the Greek noun σπάθη (spathe) "blade, sword" (akin to Latin spatha "broad sword with a double edge") combined with Greek φορεω (phoreo) "to carry, to bear", which gives the surname the meaning of "he who carries the sword" or "sword-bearer"... [more]
SpäthGerman Derived from Middle High German spæte "late".
SpeakmanEnglish English (chiefly Lancashire) nickname or occupational name for someone who acted as a spokesman, from Middle English spekeman ‘advocate’, ‘spokesman’ (from Old English specan to speak + mann ‘man’).
SpecaItalian From a variant of spiga "spike, ear (of grain)"
SpeedEnglish A nickname for a fortunate person, from Middle English sped, "success".
SpeerGerman, Dutch, English German and Dutch cognate of Spear, as well as an English variant of the same surname.
SpendloveEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone who spread their amorous affections around freely. A different form of the surname was borne by Dora Spenlow, the eponymous hero's "child-wife" in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849-50).... [more]