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).
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.
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.
SealyEnglish Derived from Old English sælig "blessed, fortunate, prosperous, happy" and was used as a term to describe someone with a cheerful, happy disposition.
ShackladyEnglish Perhaps from a medieval nickname for a man who had had sexual relations with a woman of higher social class (from shag "to copulate with" (not recorded before the late 17th century) and lady).... [more]
ShadeEnglish From Old English sceadu "shadow, wraith", possibly a nickname for a very thin man.
ShanksEnglish (Modern) Possibly a diminutive of LONGSHANKS, which would be given to a tall or gangly person.
SheldrakeEnglish From a medieval nickname for a dandyish (showy) or vain man, from Middle English scheldrake, the male of a type of duck with brightly-coloured plumage (itself from the East Anglian dialect term scheld "variegated" combined with drake "male duck").
SherlockEnglish, Irish Nickname for someone with "fair hair" or "a lock of fair hair."
SherrardEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname based on Middle English shere "bright, fair", with the derogatory suffix -ard.
SherwinEnglish English: nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English schere(n) ‘to shear’ + wind ‘wind’.
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.
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.
SlimEnglish A characteristic name for someone noted for being thin.
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.
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]
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.
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’).
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").
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.
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.
StaleyEnglish Byname from Middle English staley "resolute, reliable", a reduced form of Stallard.
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").
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.
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.
StarGerman, Jewish Means "starling (bird)" in German, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person. Alternatively, an Anglicized form of Stern 2.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SuhrGerman Nickname for a bitter or cantankerous person, from Middle Low German sūr meaning "sour".
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".
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.
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.
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".
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").
TaitScottish, English Nickname for an energetic or cheerful person, derived from Middle English and Older Scots tayt "merry, lively". Compare Tate.
TalonEnglish, French Derived from Old French talon "heel", denoting a person with a deformity or a swift person. It could also be a diminutive form of given names Talbot and Talleyrand.
TappEnglish, German Derived from an Old English given name Tæppa, of uncertain origin and meaning. In German, it is a nickname for a clumsy person or a simpleton, derived from Middle Low German tappe meaning "oaf".
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.
TelferScottish, English From a personal name based on a byname for a strong man or ferocious warrior, derived from Old French tailler "to cut" and fer "iron". Compare Taillefer, Tagliaferro.
TempestEnglish (British) English (Yorkshire): nickname for someone with a blustery temperament, from Middle English, Old French tempest(e) ‘storm’ (Latin tempestas ‘weather’, ‘season’, a derivative of tempus ‘time’).
TerseEnglish This name means literally curt, short or stiff. Similar to Stiff (surname) (see Stiff under user submitted names) Not very commonly used. If you're looking for a name for a fictional character who is either an antagonist or just likes to stir things up, you could probably use this.
TesterEnglish From the Old French nickname testard, essentially meaning "big head", for a know-it-all.
ThörnSwedish Either a cognate of English Thorn or German Torn, or a soldier name derived from Swedish törn "thorn".
ThynneEnglish Either a nickname meaning “thin”, from Old English þynne, or the designation “of th’Inne” for someone who lived at the Inn of Court.
TigerSwedish Perhaps taken from Swedish tiga "to keep quiet, to say nothing". Tiger is one of the names adopted by Swedish soldiers in the 17th century.
TrauschGerman, Slavic, Low German, Luxembourgish A nickname either derived from Trauschke, a nickname from Old Slavic drugu "companion", or from Middle Low German druus "sullen", "dour".
TrautGerman From either a nickname or a given name derived from the Middle High German word trut "dear, beloved".
TreacherEnglish From a medieval nickname for a tricky or deceptive person (from Old French tricheor "trickster, cheat").
TreichelGerman (Swiss) Swiss German: from a word meaning ‘cow bell’, presumably a nickname for a cowherd or farmer, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made cow bells.
TremelGerman A nickname for a disagreeable person, from German tremel, meaning "boor ruffian".
TrillingGerman nickname from Middle High German drilinc "one of three one third" which was also the name of a medieval coin.
TromansEnglish A nickname surname which was given to a trustworthy man, of medieval English origin.
TroostDutch, Low German Means "comfort, consolation" in Dutch, a nickname for someone who was particularly encouraging or helpful, or perhaps a byname for a child born after the death of an older sibling.
TrothEnglish From a nickname meaning "truth" or "oath, pledge, promise", given to someone known to be truthful or loyal, or perhaps known for swearing oaths.
TroutEnglish Occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling the fish.
TroutmanEnglish (American) Americanized form of German "Trautmann". The German adjective "traut" means “dear” or "beloved", and it derives from the same root as "trauen": to trust. Worldwide, there are now more Troutmans than Trautmanns.... [more]
TrowEnglish Nickname for a trustworthy person, from Middle English trow(e), trew(e) 'faithful', 'steadfast'.
TrusloveEnglish A variant of Truelove. Truelove is common in the North of England whereas Truslove is its southern variant, being found in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. It is unclear if individuals bearing either surname are linked by a common ancestor, or if people bearing the surname Truslove are descended from Trueloves who migrated from further North of England.... [more]
TubmanEnglish From a nickname, a variant of Tubb. A notable bearer was the American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913).
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.
TwocockEnglish Twocock literally translates to "twin cocks" and was likely given to someone who was perceived to have a fierce or aggressive personality, like a rooster.
TyskSwedish Means "German" in Swedish. It probably started out as a nickname for someone who had immigrated from Germany or for someone who had German ancestry. It could also be a 'soldier name' and refer to the military unit someone belonged to... [more]
UhlGerman Uhl begins in the German province of Bavaria. Uhl is a nickname surname, a class of German names derived from eke-names, or added names, that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute... [more]
UngarGerman, Jewish ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary. Cognate of Ungaro and variant of Unger.
UngerGerman German, Jewish (Ashkenazic), and Slovenian: ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary, from the ethnic term Unger ‘Hungarian’ ... [more]
UsryEnglish Variant of Ussery. It comes from a nickname given to a bear-like person.
UtechGerman From Middle Low German ūt-echtisch ‘outsider’, a term denoting someone who was not a member of a particular guild.
VaderGerman (Rare) From Middle Low German vader meaning ‘father’, ‘senior’; in the Middle Ages this was used a term of address for someone who was senior in rank or age.
Van MolDutch, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch mol, meaning "mole." This surname can either derive from the nickname mol, meaning "mole", perhaps given to someone with dark hair or blindness, or from a house with the sign of a mole.
VaseyEnglish Derived from the Norman french word enveisie "playful, merry"
VentrisEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a bold or slightly reckless person (from a reduced form of Middle English aventurous "venturesome"). It was borne by British architect and scholar Michael Ventris (1922-1956), decipherer of the Mycenaean Greek Linear B script.
VesperGerman Either a nickname from Latin vesper "6 o’clock in the evening evening time" originally the second to last canonical hour or a habitational name from a place so called on the Ruhr river.
VetterGerman from a nickname from Middle High German veter(e) ‘uncle’, ‘nephew’. The word is from Old High German fetiro (a derivative of fater ‘father’), which was used more generally to denote various male relatives; the meaning of modern German Vetter is ‘cousin’.
VidlerEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname based on Anglo-Norman vis de leu, literally "wolf-face"; or (ii) "violinist, fiddle player" (cf. Fiedler).
VierlingGerman Derived from Middle High German vierlinc meaning "one-fourth of a measure", hence a status name or nickname for someone who had an annual tax liability of this amount.
VinkDutch Means "finch, chaffinch" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught finches and other small birds. It could also be a nickname for someone cheerful, or who was known for whistling.
VirtueEnglish Used as a name for someone who had played the part of Virtue in a medieval mystery play, or as a nickname for someone noted for their virtuousness or (sarcastically) for someone who parades their supposed moral superiority.
VisitorEnglish Likely from someone who was a stranger in a place.
VolkmannGerman Probably denoted for a speaker or a people's person, derived from German volk "people" and mann "man". Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801-1877) was a German physiologist, anatomist, and philosopher... [more]