Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
RuchGerman (Swiss) It was originally a nickname for a greedy person, from Middle High German ruoch ‘eager,’ ‘intent.’... [more]
RuckerGerman Middle High German: nickname rucken "to move or draw". North German: nickname from Middle Low German rucker "thief", "greedy or acquisitive person". German: from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name Rudiger... [more]
RuegerGerman The name was likely first bestowed on someone thought to have the characteristics of a heron as a nickname, eventually becoming a hereditary surname.
RugeGerman Nickname from Middle High German ruowe, ruge ‘quiet’, ‘calm’ or Low German rug ‘rough’, ‘crude’.... [more]
RuggEnglish Nickname for a person associated with the color red, whether through hair color, clothing, or complexion. Accordingly, the name is derived from the Old French word ruge, meaning red.
RuhGerman Derived from German ruhig meaning "quiet".
RuheGerman Variant of Ruge. (Rühe) is also a nickname from Rüde ‘hound.’ Habitational name from places named Rühen, Rüden, Rhüden in northern Germany.
RuiterDutch Derived from the Dutch noun ruiter meaning "rider, horseman, knight".
RummelGerman Derived from a short form of names containing the element hruom "fame, glory". Alternatively, could be a nickname for a noisemaker, from Middle High German rummeln "to make noise, to move impetuously"... [more]
RummoEstonian Rummo is an Estonian surname, derived from "rumm" ("rum").
RundellEnglish Nickname derived from a diminutive of Middle English and Old French rond, rund meaning "fat, round" (see Rounds), or derived from Rundale, a local place in the village and civil parish of Shoreham in Kent, England, named with Old English rum(ig) meaning "roomy, spacious" and dæl meaning "valley".
RungeGerman From the old word "runga", meaning stick or whip
RuschLow German Derived from Middle Low German rusch "quick, rash, hasty; unkempt", this was a nickname for a quick or unkempt, unrefined person.
RusconiItalian From Italian rusca, "splinter, sliver of wood".
RushdieKashmiri (Rare) Derived from Arabic رَشَدَ (rašada) meaning "to go the right way, to follow the right course" or "to be well guided" (related to the given names Rashad and Rashid)... [more]
RuskykhUkrainian, Russian (Ukrainianized) Means "a Russian", from Ukrainian руський (rus'kyy) "Russian". It can also derived from the Russian word русский (russkiy), with the same meaning.
RusskikhRussian Means "Russian" in Russian, probably used as a nickname for a person who lived in a village where the majority of residents were non-Russian.
RustEnglish, Scottish A nickname to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
RuszczakPolish From the verb ruszać with numerous potential meanings—"to move; to set out", "to shake; to waver", "to bother; to harass" or "to disturb someone else's belongings"—or from Rus meaning either "reddish-haired person" or "Ruthenian; Rusyn".
RuthEnglish, German (Swiss) English: from Middle English reuthe ‘pity’ (a derivative of rewen to pity, Old English hreowan) nickname for a charitable person or for a pitiable one. Not related to the given name in this case.... [more]
RuugeEstonian Ruuge is an Estonian surname meaning "pale brown" or "dark blonde" or "sorrel" colored.
RuutikainenFinnish A rare Finnish surname combining the word for gunpowder, "ruuti", and the common surname ending -nen. The 2017 Finnish population register indicates there are 106 Ruutikainens alive in Finland, and some sites estimate there are another ten abroad... [more]
SabouriPersian Derived from Persian صبور (sabour) meaning "patient, tolerant".
SabourinFrench (Quebec), French (Huguenot) Southern French surname, originally a nickname for a pleasant or amiable person, from a diminutive of sabor meaning "flavor, taste" (Old French saveur). The Huguenots brought this surname to England, and from there it may have been introduced to North America.
SaccenteItalian Nickname from medieval Italian saccente "wise, learned, intelligent". In modern times, the word has come to mean "conceited, presumptuous".
SachanIndian, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit सचान (sácāna) meaning "kind, friendly".
SachdevIndian, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi From Sanskrit सत्य (satya) meaning "true, virtuous, good" and देव (devá) meaning "deity, god".
SaeliewThai Alternate transcription of Saelau (based on the Hakka romanization of the name).
SaengerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a chorister or a nickname for someone who liked singing, from Middle High German senger, German Sänger meaning "singer".
SaengkaeoThai From Thai แสง (saeng) meaning "light, ray, beam" and แก้ว (kaeo) meaning "crystal, glass, diamond".
SaengmaiThai (Rare) From Thai แสง (saeng) meaning "light, ray, beam" and ไม้ (mai) meaning "wood, tree".
SaengsawangThai From Thai แสง (saeng) meaning "light, ray, beam" and สว่าง (sawang) meaning "bright, shining, brilliant".
SaengsuwanThai From Thai แสง (saeng) meaning "light, ray, beam" and สุวรรณ (suwan) meaning "gold".
SaengthongThai From Thai แสง (saeng) meaning "light, ray, beam" and ทอง (thong) meaning "gold".
SaettaItalian Possibly an Italianized form of Sicilian Saitta, or else taken directly from the Italian word saetta meaning "arrow, bolt" or "thunderbolt, lightning"... [more]
SaeuengThai Form of Huang used by Chinese Thais (based on the Hakka romanization of the name).
SageEnglish, French A nickname for a person with great wisdom. From Middle English and Old French sage "wise" (see also Sage).
SağlamTurkish Means "firm, hard, strong" in Turkish.
SaharaouiArabic (Maghrebi) From Arabic صحراوي (Ṣaḥrāwī) meaning "inhabitant of the desert" (from صحراء (Ṣaḥrā') "desert"), referring to the indigenous Sahrawi people of Western Sahara (see Sahraoui)... [more]
SaikiaIndian, Assamese From a military title used during the Ahom Kingdom that indicated an official who commanded 100 soldiers. The title itself is derived from Assamese শ (xo) meaning "hundred".
SaimuJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 宰 (sai) meaning "superintend" and 務 (mu) meaning "task; duty", referring to someone who would supervise or administer others.
SaintEnglish, French Nickname for a particularly pious individual, from Middle English, Old French saint, seint "holy" (Latin sanctus "blameless, holy"). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, especially on the Continent, and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname.
SaittaSicilian, Italian Means "arrow" or "lightning bolt" in Sicilian, from Latin sagitta via sajitta. Probably a nickname for a quick or fast-footed person, though it may have also been a metonymic occupational name for a fletcher.
SakTurkish Means "conscious, awake" or "stalk, stem" in Turkish.
SakigakeJapanese 魁 (Sakigake) can be translated to (pioneer; leader; taking the initiative; forerunner; harbinger; herald; / leading an attack; charging ahead of others (towards the enemy)) It could be interpreted as a nickname for who's a leader
SakoWestern African, Manding From the name of a Soninke and Mandinka clan most likely derived from saaxo meaning "heron, egret".
SaładajczykPolish A Polish surname consisting of 3 elements: sała or сала a word of East Slavic origin meaning "salo" or "slanina", daj meaning "give" and czyk meaning "son of". The name means "the son of the one who gives the salo".
SaladinFrench nickname for a blustering or tyrannical individual from the name of the medieval Egyptian sultan who because of his success in combating the Crusaders became demonized in French and Italian folklore as a monster second only to Herod.
SalakayaAbkhaz Mingrelian form of the Abkhaz surname Шакар-ипа (Shakar-ipa) meaning "son of Shakar". The name itself may be derived from Persian شکر (šakar) meaning "sugar" or from Arabic شَكَرَ (šakara) meaning "to be thankful, to be grateful".
SalamehArabic Derived from Arabic سلامة (salama) meaning "safety, good health" or سلام (salam) meaning "peace".
SamahaArabic Derived from Arabic سَمْح (samḥ) meaning "magnanimous, generous".
SamarakoonSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit समर (samara) meaning "coming together, meeting" or "conflict, struggle" combined with Sinhala කෝන් (kon) meaning "king" (of Tamil origin).
SamaranayakeSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit समर (samara) meaning "coming together, meeting" or "conflict, struggle" and नायक (nayaka) meaning "hero, leader".
SamarasingheSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit समर (samara) meaning "coming together, meeting" or "conflict, struggle" and सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion".
SamaraweeraSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit समर (samara) meaning "coming together, meeting" or "conflict, struggle" and वीर (vira) meaning "hero, man, brave".
SamrithKhmer Means "refined, polished, clean, pure" in Khmer.
SamsonFilipino From Hokkien 三孫 (sam-sun) meaning "third grandson".
SamwaysEnglish From a medieval nickname for a fool (from Middle English samwis "foolish", literally "half-wise").
SandanoItalian Derived from an older form of Italian sandalo "sandal (plant), sandalwood", ultimately from Sanskrit चन्दन (candana). Possibly an occupational name for someone who crafted with the wood, or perhaps a nickname for someone who often wore a sandalwood scent.
SanteeEnglish A topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.
SantiItalian Derived from the given name Santi, or as a patronymic form of Santo. It can also be derived as a nickname from santo "holy" or "saint", ultimately from Latin sanctus.
SaracenoItalian A nickname from saraceno "Saracen" (from Late Latin Saracenus) denoting someone of swarthy appearance an unruly person or someone who had taken part in a Crusade... [more]
SaragihBatak Simalungun clan name derived from the prefix sa- combined with Simalungun ragih meaning "rule, arrange".
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."
ScarffEnglish Nickname from Old Norse skarfr meaning "cormorant".
ScarlatoItalian From Sicilian scarlatu meaning "scarlet" or "purple". Given as an occupational name for a dyer, or as a nickname for someone who habitually wore scarlet or who had bright red hair.
ScarselliItalian From scarsella "purse", a type of bag hung around the neck to keep money in. Possibly indicated a wealthy person.
ScatenaItalian From scatenare "to provoke, stir up, unleash", probably a nickname for a troublemaker.
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).
SchaulGerman, Dutch, Jewish Either from from Middle Low German schulle, Middle Dutch scholle, schulle, Middle High German schülle "plaice"; either a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or seller of these fish or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a plaice... [more]
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.
ScherfGerman from Middle High German and Middle Low German scherf a coin worth half a penny possibly applied as a nickname for a poor person.
SchiavoItalian Means both "Slav" and "slave" in Italian, the latter meaning deriving from the former. Was most likely given as an ethnonym to people from Eastern Europe, though in some cases it may have been a nickname, or an occupational name for a servant.
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.
SchnepperGerman South German: nickname for a chatterer from an agent derivative of Middle High German snappen ‘to chatter’.... [more]
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" and dita "fingers", either literally referring to someone with six fingers, or metaphorically to someone who was very dextrous, or perhaps ironically to a clumsy person.
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