American Submitted Surnames

American names are used in the United States. See also about American names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Shipman English
Occupational name for a mariner, or occasionally perhaps for a boatbuilder, from Middle English "schipman". One notable person is known evildoer Harold Shipman. He was an English general practitioner who is believed to be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history.
Shipp English
nickname for a mariner or perhaps a boatbuilder from Middle English schip "ship". Compare Shipman . in addition the name may occasionally also have been topographic or habitational referring to a house or inn distinguished by the sign of a ship.
Shipper German, Jewish, English
Cognate of Schipper. occupational name from Middle English shippere "shipman sailor seaman" (Old English scipere) perhaps also with the sense "skipper" (Middle Low German schipper).
Shipton English
From Old English scip "sheep", and tun "enclosure; settlement".
Shipwright English
Occupational name for a ship builder.
Shircliff English
Habitational name from Shirecliff in Sheffield (Yorkshire) from Old English scir "bright" and clif "cliff bank".
Shoaf American
Origin is unknown but it is the surname of American Rachel Shoaf who is a convicted murderer.
Shoat English (American)
Variant of Choate
Shockley English
(i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"
Shoesmith English
occupational name for a blacksmith who either specialized in shoeing horses (a farrier) or in making and fitting iron blades known as shoes such as the tips of spades and the plowshares on plow moldboards from Middle English sho "shoe" (Old English scoh) and smith "smith" (Old English smiþ).
Shore English
From the Old English word scora meaning "the land along the edge of an ocean, sea, lake, or river; a coast."
Shortall English
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.
Shrapnel English
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.
Shreve English
Altered English variant of Sheriff. In some cases, this surname may have arisen from a nickname.
Shreves English
Variant form of Shreve.
Shrewsbury English
From Shrewsbury, a market town and the county town of Shropshire, England, derived from Old English scrobb meaning "scrub, brushwood" and burg meaning "fortified place".
Shrimpton English
Probably referring to the unknown "Estate of Shrimp"
Shropshire English
Regional name from the county of Shropshire, on the western border of England with Wales.
Shuck English
Origin uncertain; perhaps a nickname from Middle English schucke "devil, fiend".
Shufflebottom English
Meaning: "From a sheep valley"
Shuford English (American)
American form of German Schuffert (see Schuchardt).
Shurgot Polish, English (American)
Americanized spelling of Szurgot.
Shuster English
Variant of German Schuster or Slovenian Šuster, both meaning "shoemaker".
Shy English (American)
Americanization of Schei.
Sickler English (Rare)
Came from one who used a sickle to farm fields
Sider English (American)
Americanization of Seider.
Sidle English
Anglicized form of Seidel
Sidwell English
From an English surname of uncertain origin, possibly originally a habitational name from an unidentified place with a second element from Old English well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’, but on the other hand early forms are found without prepositions... [more]
Sievewright English
Denoted a person who makes sieves, from Middle English sive "sieve" and wyrhta "maker, craftsman".
Sigsworth English
Originally denoting someone from Sigsworth Moor in North Yorkshire, England.
Silas English
Derived from the given name Silas
Siler English
Anglicized form of Seiler, an occupational name for a rope maker, from German Seil ‘rope’
Silk English, Irish
English: metonymic occupational name for a silk merchant, from Middle English selk(e), silk(e) ‘silk’. ... [more]
Sill English
English: from a medieval personal name, a short form of Silvester (see Silvester) or Silvanus (see Silvano).
Sillitoe English
A different form of Shillito (which is 'a name of unknown derivation and meaning, probably originating in Yorkshire'), borne by British novelist, short-story writer and poet Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010).
Silvergrass English
From English "Silver" and "Grass". Probably given from the plant called "Silvergrass", a Miscanthus type growing in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, or a field shining with the sun.
Silverstone English
Obviously means "silver stone." In addition to people, this is the name of a racetrack in the village of the same name in England.
Silverthorne English (Rare)
Silverthorne, Silverthorn comes from the Old English seolfor "silver" and þorn "thorn bush" and means the family that lived by the "silver or white thorn tree".
Sim Scottish, Dutch, English
From the personal name Sim, a short form of Simon 1.
Simkin English
Means "little Sim", Sim being a medieval short form of Simon 1 (cf. Simpkin).
Simmers English
English patronymic from Summer.
Simpleton English
A name for someone who is simple, derived from old English.
Sinclaire English
Alternate spelling of the surname "Sinclair", derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair"
Sineath English, Irish
Variant of Sinnott. Not to be confused with the Irish first name Sinéad.
Singleton English
Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Sussex.
Sinise English
The meaning of this surname is unknown. A notable bearer is American actor, Gary Sinise.
Sinistra English
Sinistra - last name used by a Harry Potter character. She is a Hogwarts professor in Astronomy, Aurora Sinistra.
Sinnamon English
Scottish surname which is a corruption of the place name Kinnimonth, meaning "head of the hill".
Sinnott English, Irish
From the medieval personal name Sinod (from Old English Sigenōth, literally "victory-brave").... [more]
Sisnett English (Rare)
Found in Barbados.
Sisson English
metronymic from the medieval female personal name Siss, Ciss, short for Sisley, Cecilie, or possibly from a pet form of Sisley (with the old French diminutive suffix -on). variant of Sessions.
Sivertson American
Americanized form of Sivertsen or Sivertsson.
Sizeland English
A locational surname deriving from the place called Sisland near Loddon in Norfolk.
Skaggs English
English name of unknown meaning occurring mainly in Hertfordshire. A noted bearer is American country music artist Ricky Skaggs (1954-).
Skaife English
Skaife is a form of Scaife, which is derived from the Old Norse Skeifr meaning "awry, difficult". The first recorded instance of Scaife is in the epic Beowulf... [more]
Skeffington English
From a location name meaning "homestead of Sceaft's people". This is the name of a parish in Leicestershire, England.
Skelton English, German, Norwegian (Rare)
Habitational name from places in Cumbria and Yorkshire, England, originally named with the same elements as Shelton, but with a later change of ‘s’ to ‘sk’ under Scandinavian influence.
Skillern English
Habitational name from Skeleron in Rimington, Lancashire (formerly in West Yorkshire), earlier known as Skelhorn.
Skipper English
Occupational name for either a basket weaver Derived from Middle English skeppe witch itself is from Old Norse skeppa... [more]
Skipworth English
From the name of Skipwith in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The place name was recorded as Schipewic in the Domesday Book of 1086; as Scipewiz in the 1166 Pipe Rolls of the county; and as Skipwith in the 1291 Pipe Rolls, and derives from the Old English sceap, scip "sheep", and wic "outlying settlement"; hence, "settlement outside the village where sheep were kept".
Skye English (Anglicized, Rare)
Originates from the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
Skyring English
originated around London home counties,... [more]
Slack English, 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.
Slack English
Means "small valley, shallow dell", derived from Old Norse slakki "a slope", a topographic name for someone who lived by such a landform, or a habitational name from one of the places named with this word, for example near Stainland and near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
Slate English
Occupational name for a slater, from Middle English slate, "slate".
Slaughter English
occupational name from Middle English slaughter "butcher" a derivative of Middle English slaught "butchery" and the suffix er or from a shortened form of the synonymous Middle English slaughterer a derivative of slaughter "butchery" and the suffix er.
Slawson English
Slawson is an English surname meaning "unexplained".
Sledge English
Sledge. Refers to a sledge as a sled.
Sleigh English
A sled drawn by horses or reindeer, especially one used for passengers.
Slim English
A characteristic name for someone noted for being thin.
Slinger English
Travelled with the army's a user of Slings for war. The variant Slingo is a misspelling only appeared after the English civil war. YDNA between the two matches.
Slipper English
Occupational surname for a sword-slipper, or scabbard maker.
Slough English
A very rare surname, possibly of German origins.
Smalley English, Cornish (?)
Locational surname from places in Derbyshire and Lancashire, so called from Old English smæl ‘narrow’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’. This may also be a Cornish name with an entirely separate meaning.
Smart English
From Old English (smeart) meaning "quick". This surname was used to refer to person who worked as a handyman.
Smeaton English
From Old English Smiðatun meaning "settlement of the smiths".
Smee English
Variant of Smead, derived from either Middle English smethe "smooth" or Old English smiððe "smithy".
Smiley Scots, 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.
Smithberger English (American)
Americanized form of German Schmidtberger or its variant Schmiedberger.
Smithe English (Rare)
Rare spelling of Smith.
Smither English
Occupational surname Smith with the suffix -er.
Smitherman English
Somebody who assisted the blacksmith.
Smithers English
Patronymic from Smither.
Smithson English
Means "a son who was born by a blacksmith worker".
Smithwick English
habitational name from Smethwick in Staffordshire Smethwick Green near Brereton Heath (Cheshire) or a lost place called Smithwick in Southover (Sussex). The place name means "the farm of the smiths" from Old English smiþ "smith" and wic "dwelling specialized farm"... [more]
Smock English
From Middle English smoc, smok meaning "smock", "shift", hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold such garments, or a nickname for someone who habitually wore a smock (the usual everyday working garment of a peasant).
Smoke English, German, German (Austrian)
Possibly a variant of English Smock or an altered form of German Schmuck.
Smoker English
Derived from the Old English word "smoc," meaning "smock" or, literally, "woman's undergarment." The name was most likely originally borne by someone who made or sold smocks.
Smollett English, Scottish
From a nickname for someone who had a small head.
Smy English
Variation of a name given to a blacksmith
Smyth English
Creative spelling of the surname Smith.
Snark English
History largely unknown. The word's original meaning, in the mid-nineteenth century, was to snort / snore, or to find fault. ... [more]
Snearly English (American, Anglicized, Rare), German (Rare)
Ancestors immigrated from Baden-Württemberg, Germany prior to 1741.
Snelson English
Means "son of Snell", Snell being a nickname for a brisk or active person, from Middle English snell "quick, lively" (cf... [more]
Snicket English
A narrow alleyway
Snipe English
Derived from a given name; from Old English snip or Old Norse snípr. It is habitational surname from a place so called in the historic county of Northumberland, North East England.
Snipes English
Variant spelling of or a patronymic from Snipe. A famous bearer is American actor Wesley Snipes (1962-).
Snow English, Jewish (Anglicized)
Nickname denoting someone with very white hair or an exceptionally pale complexion, from Old English snaw "snow".... [more]
Snowden English
Habitational name from Snowden, a place in West Yorkshire named from Old English snāw ‘snow’ + dūn ‘hill’, i.e. a hill where snow lies long.
Snowdon English
Variant spelling of Snowden, a surname initially used by the Border Reivers. Comes from the mountain in Wales.
Snowe English
Variation of Snow.
Snyder Dutch, English, German, Yiddish, Jewish
Means "tailor" in Dutch, an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.... [more]
Soames English
Denoted a person hailing from a village called Soham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "homestead by the lake" from Old English "lake" and ham "farm, homestead"... [more]
Soap American
a guy in call of duty modern warfare
Soderberg English (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Swedish Söderberg
Soliday American
Reportedly German and Dutch background? Never have really known. The history that has been told my siblings and I is that three brothers came from Germany to the US in late 1800 and went into business in Phila - they eventually argued and split up and two of them changed the spelling of their last name and scattered throughout PA - When I left home in 1963 - mY Father James Edward Soliday, son of John Soliday and Martha Freidline Soliday and us children were the only ones in our area... [more]
Solstice English
Taken from it's usage as a given name, which derived from Latin solsticium and thus ultimately from sol "sun" and stito "to stand still". The English word solstice refers to two times of the year when the sun's apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes.
Somerset English
Regional name from the county of this name, so called from Old English sumer(tun)saete meaning "dwellers at the summer settlement".
Soneji American
Gary Soneji (also known as Gary Murphy) is the antagonist in James Patterson's 1993 crime thriller novel, Along Came a Spider, which was later adapted into a movie of the same name.
Sonley English
Possibly derived from the Old Norse name Sunnulfr.
Sophomore English (American, Rare)
Meaning unknown. Could be a nickname for the 2nd son.
Sorrell English
From a medieval nickname meaning literally "little red-haired one", from a derivative of Anglo-Norman sorel "chestnut".
Sosbe English
Variant of Sosby
Sosby English
Possibly a variant of Soulsby
Soul English
Literally from the English word "soul"
Soule English, French, Medieval English
English: of uncertain origin; perhaps derived from the vocabulary word soul as a term of affection.... [more]
Soulsby English
Habitational name from either of two places called Soulby in Cumbria
Souter English, Scottish
Occupational name for a cobbler or shoemaker, derived from Middle English soutere, from Old Norse sutare, ultimately derived from Latin sutor meaning "to sew".
South English
From Middle English south, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the south of a settlement or a regional name for someone who had migrated from the south.
Southam English
habitational name primarily from Southam (Warwickshire) and occasionally from Southam (Gloucestershire) from Old English suþ "south southern" and ham "village homestead" meaning "the southern farmstead".
Southern English
Topographic name, from an adjectival derivative of South.
Southland English
It means "south land".
Southwell English
English surname meaning "From the south well"
Southwick English
An English/Scottish locational name from a variety of places, including, Southwick in Northamptonshire, England, and Southwick in Gloucestershire, Sussex, Durham, Hampshire. ... [more]
Southworth English
Means "southern enclosure".
Sovereign English
Occupational surname for a leader or supervisor, derived from the English word sovereign meaning "possessing supreme or ultimate power".
Sovern English, French, German, Dutch
Sovern is a modified spelling of Sovereign meaning a ruler or monarch.
Sowerby English
Habitational name from any places so-called in Northern England. Named from Old Norse saurr, 'mud, filth' and by, 'farm, estate'.
Spackman English
English variant of Speakman.
Spah German (?), English (American)
Spah (sometimes spelt Späh) is last name found most commonly in the US that is believed to be of German origin. Unsure of the meaning.
Spain English, Spanish (Anglicized)
Derived from a geographical locality. 'of Spain.' A very early incomer.
Spark English, German
Northern English: from the Old Norse byname or personal name Sparkr ‘sprightly’, ‘vivacious’.... [more]
Sparrow English
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.
Speakman English
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’).
Speare English
Variant of Spear.
Speed English
A nickname for a fortunate person, from Middle English sped, "success".
Speer German, Dutch, English
German and Dutch cognate of Spear, as well as an English variant of the same surname.
Spelling English, Irish, Jewish
Occupational name for a scholar, speaker or a story teller, derived from Middle English spellan meaning "to tell or relate". It could also be a variant of Irish Spillane or Jewish Spellman... [more]
Spender English
Occupational name for a paymaster or someone in charge of finances, from Old English spendan "to spend" and Latin expendere "to pay out".
Spendlove English
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]
Spering English
There is a fish in Germany or Austria names "Spering or Spiering fish" it is in the meat Isle of Germany orAustrian fish.... [more]
Sperry English
Variant of Spear.
Spice English
From Middle English spice meaning "spice", referring to a spice dealer or an apothecary.
Spicer English, Jewish, Polish
English: occupational name for a seller of spices, Middle English spic(i)er (a reduced form of Old French espicier, Late Latin speciarius, an agent derivative of species ‘spice’, ‘groceries’, ‘merchandise’).... [more]
Spier English
An English surname, meaning "the one who watches".
Spillman English
From the medieval male personal name Spileman, literally "acrobat" or "jester" (from a derivative of Middle English spillen "to play, cavort").
Spindler English, German, Jewish
Occupational name for a spindle maker, from an agent derivative of Middle English spindle, Middle High German spindel, German Spindel, Yiddish shpindl "spindle, distaff".
Spinster American (Rare)
A presumably extinct English occupational name, derived from the occupation of spinning.
Spoon English
Apparently a metonymic occupational name either for a maker of roofing shingles or spoons, from Old English spon "chip, splinter" (see also Spooner).
Spoor English, Dutch
From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
Spoors English
From Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for someone who made spurs, or perhaps a nickname for someone known for wearing them.
Sprague English
English from northern Middle English Spragge, either a personal name or a byname meaning "lively", a metathesized and voiced form of "spark."
Springall English
Means (i) "operator of a springald (a type of medieval siege engine)" (from Anglo-Norman springalde); or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a youthful person (from Middle English springal "youth").
Springer German, 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.
Springer English
An occupational name for a dancer, or perhaps a hunter, from either Old English springen "to leap" or Middle English springe "snare, trap".
Springfield English
Dusty Springfield 1939-1999
Sprout English
This name is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning "the son of Sprot".... [more]
Spruance English
Possibly a variant of Spruce. A notable bearer was Raymond A. Spruance (1886-1969), a United States Navy admiral during World War II.
Spruce English
Altered form of Prowse.
Spry English
Was apparently a nickname for an active, brisk, or smart person. The word spry is of obscure origin.
Spurgeon English
Unexplained meaning.
Spurrier English
Derived from the Old French word “esperonier,” meaning “to spur on”. It was likely given as a nickname to someone who was known for encouraging or motivating others. The name could have also referred to someone who was skilled at using spurs to control horses.