SarakatsanisGreek Derived from the Greek Σαρακατσάνοι (Sarakatsanoi) referred to an ethnic Greek population subgroup who were traditionally transhumant shepherds, native to Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania, and North Macedonia... [more]
SarazenFrench From a medieval French nickname for a swarthy person, or for someone who had gone on a Crusade (from Old French sarrazin "Saracen"). It was borne by American golfer Gene Sarazen (1902-99), original name Eugene Saraceni.
SardarIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu From a title meaning "chief, leader", derived from Persian سر (sar) meaning "head, authority" and the suffix دار (dar) meaning "possessor".
SarilarTurkish Means ''yellows'' in Turkish. A common place name in Turkey.
ŠarinićCroatian Possibly derived from šareno, meaning "colorful".
SaripadaFilipino, Maranao From a title meaning "chief" in Maranao, ultimately from Sanskrit श्रीपाद (shripada) literally meaning "holy foot", derived from श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty" and पाद (pada) meaning "foot".
SarkeesianArmenian Variant of Sarkisian. Anita Sarkeesian is a Canadian-American feminist media critic. She is the founder of Feminist Frequency, a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture.
SarrazinFrench Means "Saracen" in Old French, a name used to refer to Arab Muslims in the Middle Ages. It was probably used as a nickname for an unruly person, a person with a dark complexion, or for someone who had taken part in a Crusade.
SarrisGreek Derived from Turkish sari meaning "blond, fair-haired".
SarsourArabic Means "cockroach" or "roach" in Arabic.
SarwarUrdu, Bengali From the Persian title سرور (sarvar) meaning "lord, master".
SawantIndian, Marathi Derived from Sanskrit समन्त (samanta) meaning "universal, complete, entire".
SaxEnglish From Middle English sax meaning "knife", an occupational name for a knife maker, or perhaps a nickname for someone skilled with a knife.
SaxenaIndian, Hindi Traditionally believed to be derived from Sanskrit सखिसेना (sakhisena) meaning "friend of the army", from सखा (sakha) meaning "friend, companion" and सेना (sena) meaning "army"... [more]
SaxonEnglish Derived from the tribe of the Saxons from the Anglo-Saxon element seaxa "a Saxon" derived Germanic elements sahso and sahsaz derived from sahsą "knife"... [more]
SaysonFilipino From Hokkien 世孫 (sì sun) meaning "direct lineal descendant" or 西孫 (sai sun) meaning "western grandchild".
SaytoJapanese (Russified) Alternate transcription of Saitō more commonly used by ethnic Japanese living in parts of the former Soviet Union and Sakhalin Japanese residing on Sakhalin Island in Russia.
SaytouJapanese (Russified) Alternate transcription of Saitou more commonly used by ethnic Japanese living in parts of the former Soviet Union and Sakhalin Japanese residing on Sakhalin Island in Russia.
ScaglioneItalian Derived from scaglione meaning "stallion’s canine tooth" (an augmentative form of scaglie meaning "canine tooth", from Old French escaillon meaning "horse’s tooth"), presumably a nickname for someone with exceptionally large teeth.
ScanagattaItalian Probably means "cat killer", from Italian scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and gatto "cat", with the figurative meaning of "cheat, scoundrel". (Compare Pelagatti)... [more]
ScanarottiItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly a nickname given to a boastful person.
ScannabissiItalian Possibly from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and biscio "snake". Alternately, the first element may be from an archaic form of zanna, "tooth (of an animal)".
ScannláinIrish The name originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Scannláin or Mac Scannláin, which are both derived from the word scannal. which means "contention."
ScerriMaltese Meaning disputed; it could be derived from Sicilian sciarra meaning "fight, brawl", Arabic شَرّ (šarr) meaning "evil, cruel", or a word meaning "anger".
SchaalGerman, Dutch, French, Jewish Either a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch schale "dish"), a habitational name from Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch schald "shallow")... [more]
SchaapDutch Means "sheep" in Dutch, an occupational name for a shepherd. Alternatively, it could be a nickname for someone who looked or behaved like a sheep in some way, or who lived by a sign depicting a sheep.
SchabenGerman Describes an inhabitant of the region Swabia
SchadeGerman, Dutch From schade "damage, injury", a derivative of schaden "to do damage, harm, hurt", generally a nickname for a thug or clumsy person, or, more particularly, a robber knight, who raided others’ lands.
SchalkGerman, Dutch From Old High German scalc "servant, retainer, jester", which eventually evolved to mean "joker, rogue, knave". Could be an occupational name for an attendant or jester, a nickname for someone mischievous, or derived from a given name containing scalc as an element, such as Godschalk.
SchallGerman Nickname for a braggart or for a market crier from Middle High German schal "noise" "bragging".
SchallerUpper German From Middle High German word "schal," which means "noise," or "bragging," and as such is was thought to have originally been a nickname for a braggart, or for a market crier.
SchätzelGerman German diminutive of Schatz, or a nickname for a lover meaning "little sweetheart" (from the same word used as a term of endearment).
SchausGerman, Luxembourgish A nickname for a simpleton, from schaus, a word in Rhenish Franconian and Lower Rhine dialects of German.
ScheeleGerman, Dutch, Swedish (Rare) From Middle Low German schele and Dutch scheel meaning "squinting, cross-eyed". A notable bearer was German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) who discovered oxygen and identified several other elements.
ScheidemannGerman Denoted a person who is divorced or who lives in a valley, from Middle High German scheiden "to separate, to divorce (a couple)" and mann "man".
ScheinGerman, Jewish from Middle High German schīn German schein "shining brightness" hence a nickname for someone with either a radiant personality or possibly for someone living in a sunny location or a Jewish artificial name.
SchemmelGerman Nickname for a disabled person, from Middle High German schemel "stool", which was used as a crutch by invalids.
SchenaItalian Derived from a regional variant of Italian schiena "back (of the body)", perhaps a nickname for someone with a straight, rigid posture, or a topographic name denoting a rise or bump in the ground.
SchenkelGerman, Dutch, Jewish Means "leg, shank", an occupational name for a butcher or a nickname for someone with long or otherwise notable legs.
SchiazzaItalian From chiazza "stain, blot", perhaps given to someone with a prominent birthmark. Might also from a regional dialect, meaning "piazza, town square".
SchickGerman A nickname given to a person who's smart, stylish, and well-dressed.
SchillerGerman Nickname for someone with a squint, from an agent derivative of Middle High German schilhen, schiln 'to squint'.
SchillingGerman, Dutch, Jewish Means "shilling (coin)", possibly a nickname for a serf who had paid his rent or fee to his lord for his freedom. It could also be a habitational name derived from Schillingen, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany... [more]
SchimmelpfennigGerman From Middle High German schimel "mildew, mould" and pfennic "penny", a nickname for someone who was miserly or stingy with their money, hence it growing mouldy in its purse.
SchinkUpper German Nickname for someone with long or otherwise remarkable legs, from Middle High German schinke "thigh, leg". Compare Schenkel.
SchleicherGerman Could derive from the word schleifen meaning "to grind" but most likely is derived from the word schleicher "to sneak, creeper".
SchlemmerGerman Derived from a Middle High German word meaning "feast" and thus used as a nickname for a "gourmet".
SchlepGerman Probably a nickname or occupational name for a laborer or carrier, especially in a mine, from Middle Low German slepen, Middle High German slepen 'to drag or carry (a load)' (modern German schleppen, schleifen).
SchmalGerman Derived from the Middle High German and Middle Low German word smal meaning "small, slight, thin". It was originally used as a nickname.
SchmeichelGerman Nickname for a flatterer, derived from Middle High German smeichen literally meaning "to flatter". Famous bearers of this surname include Peter Schmeichel (1963-) and his son Kasper Schmeichel (1986-), both of whom are Danish soccer goalkeepers.
SchnappGerman Derived from Middle High German snappen meaning "to chatter", or Middle Low German snappen meaning "to grab". This was originally a nickname for a chatterer or a greedy person.
SchoenGerman, Jewish From German schön, Middle High German schoene "fine, beautiful; refined, friendly, nice", a nickname for a handsome or pleasant man. As a Jewish name, it’s usually ornamental.
SchoenwetterGerman German (Schönwetter): nickname for someone with a happy disposition, from Middle High German schœn ‘beautiful’, ‘fine’, ‘nice’ + wetter ‘weather’.
SchömerGerman Nickname for an offensive person, from Middle High German schemen "to insult."
SchönGerman, Swedish Derived from Middle High German schoene "beautiful, friendly".
SchonewilleDutch Perhaps a nickname for an attractive person, derived from Middle Dutch schône meaning "beautiful, clean, pure" and wille meaning "to want, to desire".
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".
ScioliItalian Possibly derived from Scio, a shortened form of the medieval given name Desio (from Latin Desigus or Desijo, associated with literary Italian desio "desire"), or perhaps from medieval Tuscan Ciolo... [more]
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.
SebőHungarian Possibly from Hungarian seb, meaning "wound".
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
SenanayakeSinhalese From Sanskrit सेना (sena) meaning "army" and नायक (nayaka) meaning "hero, leader".
SénéchalFrench Variant of Sénécal, a status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant").
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".
SeongKorean From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded".
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 Nickname from Anglo-Saxon 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