SutradharIndian, Bengali, Assamese Derived from Sanskrit सूत्रधार (sutradhara) meaning "thread-holder" or "carpenter", from सूत्र (sutra) meaning "thread, string, line" and धार (dhara) meaning "holding, bearing" (referring to a carpenter's role in weaving together different parts of wooden or metal structures).
SutterGerman, English English and South German occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler (rarely a tailor), from Middle English suter, souter, Middle High German suter, sutære (from Latin sutor, an agent derivative of suere ‘to sew’).
SutterfieldEnglish Possibly derives from the Old English word ''sutere'', and the Latin word ''sutor'', meaning a shoemaker.
SvobodnýCzech Svobodný means "freedom man" in Czech.
SwainScottish, Irish, English Northern English occupational name for a servant or attendant, from Middle English swein "young man attendant upon a knight", which was derived from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant"... [more]
SwigertGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of German Schweigert or Zweigert, an occupational name for a gardener or tender of plants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zwigen, meaning "to graft" or "to plant".
SwinehartEnglish, German Means "swine herder", from Middle High German swīn "hog, swine" and hertære "herder".
SwingEnglish Probably an Americanized spelling of German Schwing or from Middle High German zwinc meaning "legal district", hence possibly a metonymic occupational name for a district administrator.
SyezdRussian (Rare), Kazakh (Rare) The last name is a Russian last name derived from съезд (s"yezd) meaning "conference, congress, convention", but it is mostly used in Kazakhstan.
SzydłoPolish Means "awl" in Polish, used as an occupational name for a cobbler.
TabakJewish Metonymic occupational name for a seller of tobacco, from German Tabak, Yiddish and Ukrainian tabik (all ultimately from Spanish tabaco, a word of Caribbean origin). Tobacco was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
TabakDutch Occupational name for a butcher or hog breeder, from Middle Dutch tucbake composed of tucken "to pull, push, strike" and bake "hog, pig; meat from the back of a pig".
TabernerCatalan It literally means someone who owns a tavern.
TaberneroSpanish Tabernero is a Spanish-language occupational surname literally meaning "tavern keeper".
TabibiPersian From Persian طبیب (tabib) meaning "doctor, physician" (of Arabic origin).
TaciroğluTurkish Taciroğlu is a last name adopted by a merchant family in Turkey in January 1934. It literally means "Son of Merchant". "Tacir" is an Arabic word (" التاجر ") in origin which means trader in Turkish... [more]
TagliaferroItalian From the Italian tagliare "to cut" and ferro "iron" 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 (see Telfer).
TagliaficoItalian From the Italian tagliare "to cut" and fico "fig".
TagliamonteItalian Tagliamonte means "mountain cutter". From the Italian tagliate (to cut) and monte (mountain).
TallantEnglish (British, ?), Norman, Irish English (of Norman origin) occupational name for a tailor or nickname for a good swordsman, from taillant ‘cutting’, present participle of Old French tailler ‘to cut’ (Late Latin taliare, from talea ‘(plant) cutting’)... [more]
TamborJewish Derived from German Tambour "drummer in a regiment", ultimately via French tambour from Old French tambor "drum".
TamrakarNewar, Indian Means "copper maker; craftsman" in Sanskrit. This is used by the Tamrakar caste of Nepal and India, and mainly of Newar ethnicity in Nepal.
TasmanDutch Derived from Dutch tas "bag" and man "person, man". Usually a metonymic name for someone who made bags, though in at least one case it was taken from the name of a ship, De Tas.
TedderEnglish From the Middle English word Thedere or Teddere which either comes from the Old English name Thēodhere or the Germanic name Theudher. Alternatively, it could be an occupational name from the Middle English Teddere, meaning “one who teds”... [more]
TeissièrOccitan Occupational name meaning "weaver", ultimately from Latin texarius.... [more]
TejeroSpanish Occupational Spanish surname for a tiler, its origin may be in Saragossa, Spain. A famous bearer is Antonio Tejero, a Lieutenant Colonel who was responsible for the 23-F coup attempt.
TeklićCroatian Derived from teklić, a rare form of the word "messenger".
TeleeIndian Variant transcription of Devanagari तेली (see Teli).
TelferScottish, English, Italian From a personal name based on a byname for a strong man or ferocious warrior, from Old French taille or tailler "to cut" + fer "iron" Latin: ferrum "iron" (see Tagliaferro).
TeliIndian From Sanskrit तेली (tēlī) meaning "oily" in Sanskrit. This is used by the Teli caste who traditionally specialized in oil pressing and trade.
TempleEnglish, French Occupational name or habitational name for someone who was employed at or lived near one of the houses ("temples") maintained by the Knights Templar, a crusading order so named because they claimed to occupy in Jerusalem the site of the old temple (Middle English, Old French temple, Latin templum)... [more]
TemplerEnglish Templer is an Old English surname denoting either a servant of one of the Knights Templar, or a person living near or serving at a church. The meaning is “church attendant”.
TemplierFrench French variant of Temple, given to someone who was a member of the Templar order.
TennantEnglish, Scottish The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Tennant. It is a name for someone who works as a tenant farmer. The name was applied to those who paid for the rent on their land through working the fields and donating a percentage of the take to the landlord... [more]
TerakgiOttoman Turkish, Turkish (Anglicized, Rare), Arabic Now mainly used as an arabic surname, mainly in Syria or lebanon. This last name possibliy comes from "Tarak Yapımcısı" which means combmaker. This surname can be spelt as "Terakgi" if a arab or a turkish person were to move to an english speaking nation.
TerwilligerEnglish An anglicized version of the Dutch surname, Der Willikeur, meaning "a by-law; a statute". Also, Der willige-waar, means "serviceable ware", or "ware that sells well" and could be related as well.
TesauroItalian metonymic occupational name for a treasurer or person in charge of financial administration from Old Italian tesauro "treasure treasury" (from Latin thesaurus "hoard"). It may also be from the personal name Tesauro with the same origin.
TesoroSpanish, Italian from tesoro "treasure" (from Latin thesaurus "hoard") applied as a metonymic occupational name for a treasurer. In some cases this may be a habitational name from El Tesoro in southern Spain... [more]
TessierFrench Occupational Name For A Weaver, From Old French Tissier (From Late Latin Texarius, A Derivative Of Texere ‘To Weave’). It Is Also Found In England As A Surname Of Huguenot Origin. Compare Tacey.
TheumaMaltese Most likely derived from Arabic ثُوم (ṯūm) meaning "garlic", used in reference to someone who grew garlic or owned a garlic field. Alternatively, it may also be from تَوْأَم (tawʾam) meaning "twin, double".
TimoneyIrish (Gallicized) The name Timoney is an Irish name. It originated in the west of Ireland. In Irish it is O'Tiománaí. Tiománaí means driver in Irish.
TimpanoItalian for working stone in big buildings, like temples
TischJewish, German Metonymic occupational name for a joiner, from German "Tisch", Yiddish "tish" meaning table.
TischbeinGerman, Literature Means "table leg" in German, from German tisch "table" and bein "leg". This was the surname of a German family of master artists from Hesse which spanned three generations. This is also the surname of the main character of the 1929 novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, Emil Tischbein.
TišljarCroatian Derived from Chakavian Croatian tišljar, meaning "carpenter".
TokarevRussian Patronymic name derived from Russian токарь (tokar) meaning "turner". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone. A notable bearer of this name was the Russian-American singer and songwriter Willi Tokarev (1934-2019).
TõldseppEstonian Tõldsepp is an Estonian surname meaning "carriage" or "coach smith".
TolivarAsturian (Modern, Rare), English (Rare) Variant of Tolliver. Apparently, this name may have originated in Candamo, Asturias, in the 18th (or earlier) century. The "var" last syllable may be related to "fer," and the meaning may be related to iron, e.g. iron miner, iron refiner, etc... [more]
TõllaseppEstonian Tõllasepp is an Estonian surname meaning "coach maker" or "coach smith"; derived form the compound words "tõld" (coach, chariot) and "sepp" (smith).
TornatoreItalian Derived from Italian tornatore meaning "turner", which refers to a craftsman who turns and shapes various materials (such as wood and metal) on a lathe. In other words: this surname is the Italian cognate of the English surname Turner... [more]
TorreyEnglish Means "conqueror, victor" in Old English.
TozerEnglish Tozer is a surname commonly believed to have originated in Devon, South West England. It is a reference to the occupation of carding of wool which was originally performed by the use of teasels (Latin carduus), via the Middle English word tōsen, to tease (out).
TraegerGerman Derived from the German word Trager which means "Someone who carries something." Traeger could also mean "gift of God."
TrainEnglish English (Devon): 1. metonymic occupational name for a trapper or hunter, from Middle English trayne, Old French traine ‘guile’, ‘snare’, ‘trap’. ... [more]
TransonFrench Possibly from Old French tronçon "block of wood", perhaps an occupational name for a woodcutter.
TreadwellEnglish Occupational name for a fuller, a person who cleaned and shrunk newly woven cloth by treading it. It is derived from Middle English tred(en) "to tread" and well "well".
TreialEstonian Treial is an Estonian surname meaning "turner".
TrejoSpanish Spanish habitational surname, for someone from Trexo, a place in Asturias in northwest Spain.
TrexlerGerman It is derived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
TrezeguetFrench Meaning uncertain, possibly an occupational name derived from Old French treize, treze meaning "thirteen" and guet (itself from Old French gué) meaning "look-out, watch, vigil"... [more]
TrippierEnglish This surname is derived from an occupation. 'a tripherd,' a goatherd, Yorkshire and Lancashire. 'Trip, a flock of sheep, a herd of swine or goats' (Halliwell).
TriskaCzech Meaning "splinter" in Czech. Nathan Triska is a celebrity born in 1999.
TrompDutch Occupational name for a musician derived from trompet "trumpet, horn", or possibly Middle Dutch tromme "drum".
TrotterEnglish, Scottish, German Northern English and Scottish: occupational name for a messenger, from an agent derivative of Middle English trot(en) 'to walk fast' (Old French troter, of Germanic origin). ... [more]
TroxelGerman Roots of the German surname Troxel can be found in the region of Hesse, where the name originated. Troxel may be an occupational name, derived from the Middle High German word "truhsaesee," meaning "leader." In this case, Troxel would be a variation of the German surname Truchsess.
TroyerGerman (Anglicized) Surname common among the Amish and the Mennonites. It is the Pennsylvania German form of the German last name "Dreier", "Dreyer" or "Treyer". Hans Treyer, an early Anabaptist leader, died as a martyr of his faith in Bern in 1529... [more]
TrustyEnglish This is a late medieval occupation descriptive name given to a professional witness, in effect an early Solicitor, the name deriving from the Olde French "Attester" - one who testifies or vouches for a contract or agreement.
TsuryūJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 釣 (tsu), from 釣り (tsuri) meaning "fishing; angling" and 流 (ryū) meaning "flow of water, style", referring to a fisher.... [more]
TumbrellEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from Old English tumbrel, a kind of small, two-wheeled cart designed to be easily tipped over, or from a variant form of timbrel, a percussion instrument similar to a tambourine.
TunnardEnglish Means "town herd", from Old English tun "town, enclosure, yard" and heord "a herd", an occupational name for someone who guarded the town’s cattle.
TuppenEnglish It comes from people who shepherds. The word tup refers to a male sheep, and pen comes from where the sheep were kept. Tupping is a word used to refer to the mating of sheep and may also be related.
TürerGerman Means "doormaker" in German, from German Tür "door".
TurnburkeAusturian This is my mother's maiden name. Her grandfather, Francis Turnburke was born in Lisbon Portugal in 1825. This family lived in Washington D C. It is said the name was changed from Turnburg to Turnburk then to Turnburke.
TurturroItalian, Sicilian Metonymic occupational name for a groom (a person employed to take care of horses), derived from Sicilian turturo, (ultimately from Italian tortoro) meaning "straw, hay, plait used for strapping horses"... [more]
TütüncüTurkish Occupational name for a grower or seller of tobacco, from Turkish tütün meaning "tobacco".
TüürEstonian Tüür is an Estonian surname meaning "(boat) rudder".
TuveriItalian Possibly from Sardinian Campidanese tuvera, meaning "pipe of the bellows", indicating someone who worked at a forge.
TweedelEnglish Tweedel is Scottish for "the dell on the tweed river"
TwineEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a maker of string or thread, and derived from Old English twin meaning "thread, string".
TwinerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of thread or twine; an agent derivative of Old English twinen meaning "to twine".
UhlířCzech Uhlíř is a originally craftsman dedicated to the production of charcoal. It is also called a person involved in the distribution of coal.... [more]
UhrGerman, Jewish Derived from the given name Ulrich. In Jewish, it is a metonymic occupational name for a watch or clock maker, derived from German uhr meaning "watch, clock".
ÜlgeküttEstonian Ülgekütt is an Estonian surname derived from "hülgekütt" meaning "seal hunter".
UmabeJapanese From Japanese 馬部 (umabe), a shortened word for 馬飼部 (umakaibe) meaning "horse feeding department".
VaišysmLithuanian Possibly from vaišės ("feast, entertainment") or a related word.
VakiliPersian Derived from Persian وکیل (vakil) meaning "lawyer, attorney".
ValkDutch Means "falcon" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a falconer, or possibly derived from the given name Falk. Compare Falco.
ValletFrench, English French topographic name from a diminutive of Old French val "valley" (see Val ) or a habitational name from (Le) Vallet the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France and French and English occupational name for a manservant from Old French and Middle English vallet "manservant groom".
Van De LeestDutch, Flemish Derived from Dutch leest meaning "last, boottree", a tool used by shoemakers to shape boots. This can be either an occupational name for cobblers, or a habitational name from the settlement of Leest, itself possibly named for a field in the shape of a boot.
Van der PloegDutch Means "of the plough" in Dutch, an occupational name for a farmer or a bookbinder (a ploeg also being a tool used in binding books), or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a plough.
Van der WeideDutch Means "from the pasture" in Dutch, either a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for a butcher.
Van der WerfDutch Means "from the wharf" or "from the shipyard" in Dutch, derived from werf meaning "quay, wharf, shipyard", or from the older form werve "dyke, quay, bank". Can be a topographic name for someone who lived near such a place, or an occupational name for someone who worked at a shipyard, such as a carpenter.
VangardeFrench "(A soldier) in the leading edge of an army formation"
Van MerrienboerDutch Occupational name for a mare farmer, derived from Middle Dutch merrie meaning "mare (female horse)" and boer meaning "peasant, farmer".
VansickleDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of a hypothetical Dutch surname, probably derived from either the given name Sikkel (see Siegel) or from sikkel meaning "sickle, scythe".
Van TolDutch Means "of (the) toll" or "from Tol" in Dutch, derived from tol "toll (fee); toll booth, toll house", a habitational name for someone who lived near or in a toll house or a place named for one, or a metonymic occupational name for a toll collector... [more]
VargeidNorwegian Invented by Sverre Kristian (then) Olsen and his brother Willy Anfinn (also then) Olsen. They thought Olsen was boring, and invented the new Vargeid.
VaskEstonian Vask is an Estonian surname meaning "copper".
VassEnglish Status name denoting a serf, Middle English, Old French vass(e), from Late Latin vassus, of Celtic origin. Compare Welsh gwas "boy", Gaelic foss "servant".
VassarFrench, English Name indicating the status of "a vassal or serf" in feudal society.
VavasourEnglish (Rare) From the word for a feudal rank, possibly derived (via Old French) from Latin vassus vassorum meaning "vassal of vassals".
VaynerYiddish Weiner is a surname or, in fact, the spelling of two different surnames originating in German and the closely related Yiddish language. In German, the name is pronounced vaɪnɐ(ʁ),of which the rare English pronunciation vaɪnər is a close approximation... [more]
VəzirovAzerbaijani Means "son of the vizier", from the Arabic title وَزِير (wazīr) denoting a minister or high-ranking official in an Islamic government.
VeeversEnglish Means "dealer in foodstuffs" (from Old French vivres "victuals").
VeilleuxFrench variant of veilleur, a night guard of nightwatch.
VelamaIndian, Telugu It is a Telugu name, denoting mainly agricultural laborers.
VeldmanDutch Means "field man" in Dutch, a name for a farmer, or someone who lived by a field.
VellalaIndian, Tamil It is a Tamil name, denoting agricultural laborers.
VerdierFrench, Norman, English Occupational name for a forester. Derived from Old French verdier (from Late Latin viridarius, a derivative of viridis "green"). Also an occupational name for someone working in a garden or orchard, or a topographic name for someone living near one... [more]
VerneFrench, English As a French surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew. While the English version can mean someone who lived where ferns grew, Verne can also mean a seller of ferns which in medieval times were used in bedding, as floor coverings and as animal feed.
VerretFrench From the French word verre, meaning "glass." Possibly denoting someone who worked with glass.
VerrierFrench An occupational French surname indicating a glassmaker or glassblower, from French verre "glass", derived from Middle French voirre "glass".
VeryardMedieval Spanish (Rare) Rumour has it that the surname De-Veryard represented a Spanish occupation, but unclear what that might be - have never been able to establish the origin.
VeskiEstonian Veski is an Estonian surname meaning "mill".