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).
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.
SchmelzerGerman occupational name for a smelter from an agent derivative of Middle High German smelzen German schmelzen "to smelt metal" or "make glass".
SchmidlappGerman Derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker" and lap(pe) meaning "cloth, patch, rag".
SchmidlkoferGerman, German (Austrian) Occupational name for a farmer who was also a blacksmith, derived from a diminutive of Middle High German smit meaning "smith" and the suffix -kofer (a variant of -hofer).
SchmidtbergerGerman A distinguishing name for someone named Berger who worked as a blacksmith, or a habitational name for someone from any of several places called Schmidtberg in Bavaria and Switzerland.
SchmoeckelGerman (East Prussian) Originally Smekel. In the 17th century the ‘Sm’ in Low German was gradually replaced by the ‘Schm’ from High German. ... [more]
SchmuckGerman, German (Austrian) From Middle High German smuc meaning "jewel", "finery", hence a metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, or a nickname for someone who wore a prominent jewel or ornament.North German: nickname from Middle Low German smuck meaning "neat", "dainty".
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.
SchneeGerman, Popular Culture A German surname meaning "snow". One fictional bearer of this surname is Weiss Schnee, a main character from the popular web series RWBY.
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’.
SchönenbergerGerman Habitational name for someone from any of several places in Germany and Switzerland named Schönenberg.
SchönrockGerman Either a metonymic occupational name for a baker from Middle High German schœn "fine" (see Schoen ) and rogge "rye"... [more]
SchopenhauerGerman Derived from German schöpfen meaning "to scoop, ladle" and hauen meaning "to chop", referring to a maker of wooden and metal scoops and buckets. This name was borne by the German pessimist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the author of the 1818 book The World as Will and Representation among other works.
SchottlanderGerman, Jewish From German Schottland "Scotland" and, in some cases, denoted an immigrant from Scotland or Ireland. As a Jewish surname, it is most often an ornamental name.
SchottlerGerman Occupational name for a wood turner, Middle Low German scoteler (an agent derivative of scotel ‘wooden bowl’).
SchramGerman, English, Yiddish Derived from German Schramme (Middle High German schram(me)) and Yiddish shram, all of which mean "scar".
SchrammGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic nickname for a person with a scar, from Middle High German schram(me), German Schramme, Yiddish shram ‘scar’.
SchreinerGerman Occupational surname for a joiner (maker of wooden furniture), ultimately from Middle High German schrīnære.
SchrepferGerman (Swiss), German Derived from from Middle High German schrepfer "barber-surgeon's assistant", ultimately from the verb schrepfen "to bleed someone".
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.
SchrödingerGerman Denoted a person from Schröding, a old placename in Bavaria.
SchuelerGerman The surname Schueler was first found in southern Germany, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history.
SchuhGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a maker or repairer of shoes, derived from Middle High German schuoch meaning "shoe". In some cases, it may have denoted a person to a house distinguished by the sign of a shoe.
SchuknechtGerman Occupational name for a shoemaker’s assistant, from Middle High German schuoch meaning "shoe" + knecht meaning "journeyman", "assistant".
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]
SchutzGerman Occupational surname for an archer or a watchman, from Middle High German schützen "to guard, protect". Also a habitational name from Schutz, a place near Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
SchwaabGerman The surname of German VfB Stuttgart footballer Daniel Schwaab, born in Waldkirch, Germany.
SchwabGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): regional name for someone from Swabia (German Schwaben), from Middle High German Swap, German Schwabe ‘Swabian’. The region takes its name from a Germanic tribe recorded from the 1st century BC in the Latin form Suebi or Suevi, of uncertain origin; it was an independent duchy from the 10th century until 1313, when the territory was broken up.
SchwabeGerman 1. The name given to those who lived in Swabia
SchwanbeckGerman Habitational name from any of several places so named, for example near Lübeck and near Anklam.
SchwandtGerman Topographic name for someone who lived in a forest clearing, from Middle High German swant (from swenden "to thin out", "make disappear", causative from swinden "to disappear" modern German schwinden.
SchwandtGerman Habitational name from any of the various places called Schwand or Schwanden, all in southern Germany, named with this element, from Middle High German swant (from swenden "to thin out", "make disappear", causative from swinden "to disappear" modern German schwinden.
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").
SchwankeGerman From a short form of the German given name Swaneke, a pet form of Swane, ultimately derived from a Germanic compound name formed with swan meaning "swan" as the first element (see Schwenke 2).
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.
SchweinsteigerGerman Occupational name for a pig farmer, an overseer of pigs or a nickname for someone who rode a pig, derived from Middle High German swīn meaning "hog, swine" and stīger meaning "foreman, mine inspector"... [more]
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).
SchwerdtfegerGerman occupational name for an armorer or specifically for a servant whose job was to polish swords Middle High German Middle Low German swertfeger (from swert "sword" and an agent derivative of fegen "to polish or clean").
SchwingGerman Occupational name for someone whose job was to swingle flax, i.e. to beat the flax with a swingle in order to remove the woody parts of the plant prior to spinning, from Middle German swingen meaning "to swing" or swing meaning "swingle".
SeagerEnglish, German (Modern) English: from the Middle English personal name Segar, Old English S?gar, composed of the elements s? ‘sea’ + gar ‘spear’.... [more]
SeeEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who lived by the sea-shore or beside a lake, from Middle English see meaning "sea", "lake" (Old English sǣ), Middle High German sē. Alternatively, the English name may denote someone who lived by a watercourse, from an Old English sēoh meaning "watercourse", "drain".
SeedorfGerman habitational name from any of the numerous places so named from See "lake" and Dorf "village".
SeelGerman Occupational name for a person who makes or sells ropes.
SeidGerman From the Germanic given name Sito, a short form of a compound name formed with sigi "victory".
SeideGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German side, German Seide ‘silk’ (from Late Latin seta, originally denoting animal hair), hence a metonymic occupational name for a manufacturer or seller of silk.
SeidenbergGerman, Jewish Derived from several places with the same name. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German seide meaning "silk" and berg meaning "mountain".
SeiderGerman Originating in the region of Saxony. Name of a silk merchant, from the German word for silk: seide
SeifGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a soap maker, from Middle High German seife, German Seife 'soap'.
SeifertGerman (East Prussian) German/Russian/Ashkenazi Jewish this surname derived from the very popular personal name siegfried, introduced for the first time inglaterra in the Anglo-Saxon period, and again as a surname thousand years later... [more]
SeilerGerman German and Jewish occupational surname for a rope maker.
SeimUpper German German: metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper, from Middle High German seim ‘honey’.
SeinfeldGerman, Jewish From the German word sein "to be" and the word of German Jewish origin feld which means "field". It was a name given to areas of land that had been cleared of forest.
SeligmanGerman, Jewish Derived from the given name Selig with the German suffix -man meaning "man" and it's originally a patronymic. The surname Seligman is originated in the Rhineland.
SellmeyerGerman Occupational name for the steward of a hall or manor house from Middle High German sal "hall residence" and meier "steward" (see Meyer 1).
SelmerGerman Teutonic name meaning "hall master" for a steward or keeper of a large home or settlement.
SelzGerman The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and a left hand tributary of the Rhine. It flows through the largest German wine region, Rheinhessen or Rhenish Hesse. Also, Seltz (German: Selz) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region in north-eastern France.... [more]
SengGerman 1. Topographic name for someone who lived by land cleared by fire, from Middle High German sengen ‘to singe or burn’. ... [more]
SennGerman Derived from the Middle High German word senne meaning "dairy farmer".
SensenbachGerman A topographic name formed with an unexplained first element + Middle High German bach ‘creek’. Pretty common in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
SetzerGerman, Jewish Derived from either Middle High German "setzen", used to refer to market inspectors and tax officials, or Yiddish "setser", a typesetter.
SewinaGerman, Polish The first available record of the Sewina family name is around 1620 in the province of Silesia, a mixed cultural region between Germany and Poland. Once part of the Prussian Empire and Germany. After World War Two, the area is now part of Poland... [more]
SeyfriedGerman Derived from the given name Siegfried. The American actress Amanda Seyfried (1985-) is a well-known bearer of this name.
ShatnerGerman (Anglicized), Jewish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Schattner. A notable bearer was Canadian actor William Shatner (1931-), who is known for his roles as Captain James T. Kirk in 'Star Trek', T.J. Hooker in 'T.J. Hooker', Denny Crane in 'Boston Legal', and the Priceline Negotiator in Priceline.com commercials.
ShipperGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish Cognate and English variant of Schipper. occupational name from Middle English shippere "shipman sailor seaman" (Old English scipere) perhaps also with the sense "skipper" (Middle Low German schipper).
SieberGerman The roots of the German surname Sieber can be traced to the Old Germanic word "Siebmacher," meaning "sieve maker." The surname is occupational in origin, and was most likely originally borne by someone who held this position
SiebernGerman German. People known with this name are: Emelia Siebern, Hannah Siebern, Caleb Siebern.
SieckGerman The name is originally spelled "Siecke". Eric Siecke came from Norway and settled in Holstein, Germany in the year 1307. The final "e" was dropped by most of the family, though one branch still retains it... [more]
SiegfriedGerman From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements sigi "victory" and fridu "peace". The German surname has also occasionally been adopted by Ashkenazic Jews.
SilberGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber, German Silber "silver"; a metonymic occupational name for a silversmith, or often, in the case of the Jewish surname, an ornamental name.
SilbermanGerman, Jewish Variant of Silber, with the addition of Middle High German man meaning "man" or Yiddish man meaning "man".
SilbermannGerman, Jewish Variant of Silber. from Middle High German silber German silber "silver" and Middle High German Yiddish man "man" an occupation for a man who worked with silver.
SilbersteinGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber "silver" and stein "stone"; a habitational name from a place so named in Bavaria, or a topographic name.... [more]
SimbeckGerman Originates from the German prefix sim meaning "of the head" and the German word becka meaning "bull". When combined in this order, the meaning was "bull-headed", meaning stubborn and obstinant.
SingerGerman variant of Sänger, in the sense of ‘poet’
SingleGerman Derived from a pet form of a Germanic given name beginning with sing-.
SkeltonEnglish, 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.
SpaderGerman Occupational name for a spade maker or for someone who used a spade in his work, derived from Middle High or Middle Low German spade. A notable bearer is American actor James Spader (1960-).
SpahGerman (?), 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.
SpanglerGerman Spangler is an occupational surname for "metal worker" having derived from the German word spange, meaning a clasp or buckle of the sort such a craftsman might have designed.