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."
SnachkoRussian From Russian сначала (snachala), meaning "first, at the beginning".
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.
SnojSlovene (Rare) Means "sweat" from Slovene znoj (ultimately from Proto-Slavic *znojь) meaning "sweat". Might be a nickname for someone who is very sweaty.
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 Archaic Italian form of socio meaning "companion, partner, 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’).
SpelliniItalian Possibly derived from Old Germanic spellą meaning "news, message" or "story, legend", perhaps a nickname for a storyteller or messenger.
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").
SpillmanEnglish From the medieval male personal name Spileman, literally "acrobat" or "jester" (from a derivative of Middle English spillen "to play, cavort").
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... [more]
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-).
StaffEnglish Derived from Middle English staf "rod staff, stave" (Old English stæf) used as a nickname either for a tall thin person someone who made staves or for anyone who carried a staff of office.
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.
StarkovmRussian Derivative of старый (staryj) meaning "old, ancient".
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".
StormareSwedish Swedish variant of Storm 1 meaning "stormer". This surname was adopted by the Swedish actor Peter Stormare (1953-), whose birth surname was Storm.
StornelliItalian Meaning uncertain; may be from storno "starling", or directly from stornelli, an Italian lyric or folk song.
StorrGerman Nickname for a crude man, from Middle High German storr 'tree stump', 'clod'.
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.
StrainRomanian From Romanian meaning "strange, foreign".
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.
StranoItalian Nickname from Italian meaning "stranger".
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, derived from Middle English Sonday. 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.
SuriyaarachchiSinhalese From Sanskrit सूर्य (sūrya) meaning "sun" combined with the Sinhala title ආරච්චි (ārachchi) meaning "village leader, sergeant".
SuriyawongThai From Thai สุริย (suriya) meaning "sun, solar" and วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty".
SvetlakovmRussian Derived from Russian word светло (svetlo) meaning "light".
SvetleyshiymRussian Svetleyshiy was a title used by non-firstborn children of royals.
SwaggerEnglish (American) Probably a nickname for someone who's confident but aggressive and arrogant.
SwanEnglish, Scottish Originally given as a nickname to a person who was noted for purity or excellence, which were taken to be attributes of the swan, or who resembled a swan in some other way. In some cases it may have been given to a person who lived at a house with the sign of a swan... [more]
SweetingEnglish Derived from Old English swete and Middle English sweting meaning "darling, sweetheart", hence a nickname for a popular and attractive person, or for somebody who habitually addressed people with the term (see Sweet).
SwettEnglish Derived from the old English words "swete" and "swot".
ŚwitałaPolish Derived from Polish świt "dawn" "sun" "daylight" or świtać "to dawn". It is a nickname for an early-riser.
SwitserEnglish Either (i) from the medieval nickname Swetesire (literally "sweet sir, amiable master"), applied sarcastically either to someone who used the expression liberally as a form of address or to someone with a de-haut-en-bas manner; or (ii) an anglicization of Schweitzer (from Middle High German swīzer "Swiss person").
SzmulikPolish The Szmulik surname has much history. Its origins are Hebrew. It has taken on various spellings over the centuries, depending on where the person or family lived in Europe or America.... [more]
SzotPolish Nickname for a fish seller with a bad reputation, from szot "bad herring".
SztojkaRomani From the Slavic verb stojati meaning "to stand, to be located". Pál Sztojka was a notable Romani bishop in Hungary.
SzurgotPolish Nickname from szurgot ‘shuffling sound’
SzyślakPolish Derived from East Slavic word šišlat "do slowly".
TaccolaItalian Nickname of a diminutive from Italian meaning "jackdaw".
TachuriTelugu THE GREAT LITTLESTAR SURNAME IS TACHURI
TagalogFilipino Of uncertain etymology. It could be from Filipino prefix taga- "native of" combined either from alog "ford" or ilog "river". It could also be from Tagal, a name of some tribes in Borneo or Sumatra... [more]
TaghlyanArmenian From Turkish dağlı meaning "mountaineer, highlander" or "rude, uneducated".
TagliaferroItalian From Italian tagliare "to cut" and ferro "iron", an occupational name for an ironworker, or a nickname for a strong or ferocious fighter, one who was adept at cutting through the cuirass of the enemy with his sword... [more]
TaglialatelaItalian Taglialatela means "the person who cuts the cloth" and is typical in the Naples and Caserta areas of Italy.