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]
SperberGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a small but belligerent person from Middle High German sperwære "sparrow hawk" (Old High German sparwāri a compound of sparw "sparrow" and āri "eagle").
SpiegelmanGerman (Germanized, Rare, Archaic), Jewish (Germanized, Rare, Archaic) The name Spiegelman is a name with both German and Jewish origins. In German the word "Spiegel" translates to "mirror". Also "Mann" translates to "man". So one could interpret the name to mean "mirror man" or less often "man of the mirror"... [more]
SpillmanEnglish From the medieval male personal name Spileman, literally "acrobat" or "jester" (from a derivative of Middle English spillen "to play, cavort").
SpinosaItalian Most likely from Italian spinosa meaning "prickly, thorny, spiny, ticklish, touchy".
SplendenteItalian From Italian splendente "bright, shining", supposedly given to an infants abandoned at orphanages on sunny days.
SpoorsEnglish From Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for someone who made spurs, or perhaps a nickname for someone known for wearing them.
SpringbornGerman Derived from Middle Low German sprinkborn meaning "spring, well", hence either a nickname for someone who lived by a spring or a water well, or from various place names in Germany.
SpringerGerman, English, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer, from springen "to jump, to leap". A famous bearer was Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.
SproutEnglish This name is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning "the son of Sprot".... [more]
SpruanceEnglish Possibly a variant of Spruce. A notable bearer was Raymond A. Spruance (1886-1969), a United States Navy admiral during World War II.
SpruijtDutch Means "sprout" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a young person or a descendant of a wealthy, powerful or important family.
SpruytDutch Variant of Spruijt. This surname is especially common in Belgium.
SpryEnglish Was apparently a nickname for an active, brisk, or smart person. The word spry is of obscure origin.
SquarepantsPopular Culture The surname of the famous cartoon character "SpongeBob SquarePants" from the entitled show.
SquibbEnglish Nickname for an irascible, unpredictable or petty person, derived from Middle English squibbe meaning "firework, firecracker". A famous bearer is the American actress June Squibb (1929-).
StallardEnglish Byname for a valiant or resolute person, from a reduced pronunciation of Middle English stalward, stalworth "stalwart" (an Old English compound of stǣl "place" and wierðe "worthy").
StalloneItalian from stallone "stallion" applied either as a nickname for someone thought to resemble a stallion or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who bred horses. from an augmentative of stalla "stable stall" used as a topographic name and as a habitational name from any of the minor places called with this word.... [more]
StamDutch Means "trunk (of a tree), stem" in Dutch, a nickname for a blocky or heavily built man.
StangGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Middle High German stang, German Stange ‘pole’, ‘shaft’, hence a nickname for a tall, thin person, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wooden shafts for spears and the like, or a metonymic occupational name for a soldier.
StarGerman, Jewish Means "starling (bird)" in German, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person. Alternatively, an Anglicized form of Stern 2.
StarDutch Means "stiff, frozen, rigid" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch staer "having a troubled or gloomy expression; tight, stiff", a nickname either for a gloomy person or for someone who was rigid and inflexible.
StarkeyEnglish, German From a diminutive of Stark. This surname is borne by the English musician Sir Richard Starkey (1940-), also known as Ringo Starr.
StarlingEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a starling, especially in constantly chattering.
StarobratPolish (Rare) Possibly comprised of the Polish elements stary "old" deriving from Proto-Slavic *starъ and brat "brother" deriving from Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ or *bràtъ.
StateGerman Nickname from Middle High German stæt(e) meaning "firm", "steadfast", "constant".
StauchGerman From Middle High German stuche, a term used to denote both a type of wide sleeve and a headcovering. Also a habitational name from a place called Staucha, near Dresden.
SternkeLow German (Rare, ?) From the German word or surname Stern meaning "star" and the Low German diminutive "-ke". The exact origins of this surname are unknown.
StiefelGerman Either from stiefel "boot", which could mean a boot maker or from middle low german stief which means "stiff", a nickname for a stubborn person
StieglitzGerman Meaning goldfinch, Stiglitz was borrowed into German from a Slavic language, probably Old Czech stehlec. Several possible origins: of the surname can be: ... [more]
StiffEnglish (American) Used sometimes as a derogatory term, stiff means uptight. It is used in a surname in American culture as well as in the media, such as novels, movies or tv shows.
StillmanEnglish From German still "quiet" and Mann "man", hence, "calm man".
StockhardtGerman Nickname for a stiff person, from Stock "stick, staff, trunk" and hart "hard".
StokerDutch Means "stoker, one who stokes a fire" or "firestarter, agitator" in Dutch, an occupational name or a nickname for a troublemaker.
StoutScottish, English Probably a nickname for a brave or powerfully built man, from Middle English stout ‘steadfast’. A contrary origin derives from the Old Norse byname Stútr ‘gnat’, denoting a small and insignificant person.
StraightEnglish Nickname from Middle English streʒt "straight, upright", presumably applied in either a literal or a figurative sense.
SträngSwedish Probably taken directly from Swedish sträng "strict, stern, harsh, grim". although it could also be derived from the name of the city Strängnäs.
StrangEnglish Originally given as a nickname to one who possessed great physical strength.
StrynckxFlemish Variant form of Dutch Streng "strong, rope, cord", a metonymic occupational name for a rope maker. Alternatively, it could be a nickname derived from streng "strict, severe, cruel".
StultsGerman The Stults surname is derived from the German word "stoltz," which means "proud," and as such, it was most likely originally a nickname, which became a hereditary surname.
StummGerman Descriptive nickname for a mute person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German stum ‘mute’.
StumpGerman From Middle Low German stump ‘tree stump’ (borrowed into Middle English), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent tree stump, or else a nickname for a short, stocky person.... [more]
SturdivantEnglish Perhaps a nickname for messenger, a pursuivant or a hasty person, derived from Middle English stirten, sterten meaning "to start, leap" (ultimately from Old English styrtan) and avaunt meaning "forward" (itself from Old French).
SucklingEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone of childlike appearance or childish character (from Middle English suckling "infant still feeding on its mother's milk"). Sir John Suckling (1609-1642) was an English poet and dramatist.
SudanChinese From Chinese 苏丹 (sūdān) meaning "sultan". This is a common surname among Hui Muslims.
SukkasemThai From Thai ศุข (suk) meaning "joy, happiness, delight" and เกษม (kasem) meaning "contentment, happiness".
SuksamranThai From Thai สุข (suk) meaning "joy, delight" and สำราญ (samran) meaning "happy, joyful".
SulitFilipino, Tagalog From a nickname derived from Tagalog sulit which can mean "test, gain" or "return of something borrowed, remittance".
SullenEnglish Means "gloomy, ill-tempered, moody" in English, with the archaic meanings "lonely, desolate" and "mischievous, malignant, obstinate", derived from Anglo-Norman soleyn "solitary, alone".
SumitomoJapanese From Japanese 住 (sumi) meaning "living" and 友 (tomo) meaning "friend".
SummerEnglish, German From Middle English sum(m)er, Middle High German sumer "summer", hence a nickname for someone of a warm or sunny disposition, or for someone associated with the season of summer in some other way.
SummerlyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó Somacháin "descendant of Somachán", a nickname meaning literally "gentle" or "innocent".
SundayEnglish Denoted a person who was born on or is associated with Sunday, ultimately derived from Proto-West-Germanic *sunnōn dag. A famous bearer of the name was American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder Billy Sunday (1862-1935), full name William Ashley Sunday, which is an anglicized form of the surname Sonntag as his parents were German immigrants