Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
SchenkelGerman, Dutch, Jewish German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for someone with long or otherwise notable legs, from Middle High German schenkel, Middle Dutch schenkel, schinkel ‘thigh’, ‘lower leg’, German Schenkel ‘thigh’.
SchiffGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Schif "ship", indicating the bearer was either a sailor, or lived in a house distinguished by a ship sign.
SchildJewish From German Schild "shield", "(house) sign", applied either as an ornamental name or as a habitational name for someone who lived in a house distinguished by a sign.
SchillingGerman, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a serf who had paid his rent or fee to his lord for his freedom, derived from Middle High German schillinc, Middle Low German schillink and German schilling meaning "shilling"... [more]
SchirokauerשיראָקאוערGerman, Yiddish Derived from the town of Sieraków in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland.
SchoenGerman, Jewish, Dutch German (Schön) nickname for a handsome or pleasant man, from Middle High German schoene ‘fine’, ‘beautiful’; ‘refined’, ‘friendly’, ‘nice’. ... [more]
SchottlanderGerman, Jewish, Dutch From German Schottland, 'Scotland' and, in some cases, denoted an immigrant from Scotland or Ireland. Numerous Irish fled to continental Europe after the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 13th century.... [more]
SchramGerman, English, Yiddish Derived from German Schramme (Middle High German schram(me)) and Yiddish shram, all of which mean "scar".
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.
SchulerJewish Occupational name for a Talmudic scholar or the sexton of a synagogue, from an agent derivative of Yiddish shul "synagogue".
SchulmanYiddish Refers to a person, typically a Rabbi, who works at a Shul (Synagogue in Yiddish.)... [more]
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]
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.
SchwartzmanJewish Nickname for a dark-skinned or dark-haired person, from German schwarz meaning "black" and man meaning "man, person".
SegevשגבHebrew Means "exaltation, greatness" in Hebrew.
SeidJewish Metonymic occupational name from German Seide and Yiddish zayd "silk"
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".
SeifGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a soap maker, from Middle High German seife, German Seife 'soap'.
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.
SelaסֶלַעHebrew Means "rock" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a city, the capital of Edom. Famous bearer is the Israeli model, actress and television presenter Rotem Sela (born 1983)
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.
SemenduevסמנדואבJudeo-Tat From the given name Semendu or Simandu, which was possibly derived from Persian سیاه (siyah) meaning "black" and مرد (mard) meaning "man" or Hebrew סימן טוב (siman tov) meaning "good sign, good mark".
SetzerGerman, Jewish Derived from either Middle High German "setzen", used to refer to market inspectors and tax officials, or Yiddish "setser", a typesetter.
ShamounשאמוןArabic, Assyrian, Jewish Derived from the given name شامون (Shamʿūn), itself an Arabic form of Simon 1, used mainly among Christians and Jews... [more]
ShaniשָׁנִיHebrew Means "red, scarlet" in Hebrew. From the given name Shani 1.
SharabiשרעביJudeo-Arabic Denotes someone originally from the district of Sharab in western Yemen.
SharonשרוןHebrew From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means "plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel.
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.
Shemtovשמטוב, שם-טובHebrew (Modern) Means "good name", derived from Hebrew שם (shem) means "name" and טוב (tov) means "good".
ShereshevskyשרשבסקיRussian, Jewish Name for someone originally from the city of Sharashova in Belarus, probably derived Russian шерешь (sheresh) meaning "frozen mud, ice (on a river)".
ShulmanשולמןJewish It is a Jewish-Polish surname that first appeared around 1090. It means Rabai, Gabbai, or Shamash. These are occupations that take place in a Shul-Synagogue. Shul is the Yiddish word for Synagogue. The name litterally means 'man that goes to the Synagogue'.
ShultsשולץJewish (Anglicized, Rare) The name Shults comes from one of those ancient dukedoms, territories and states that would eventually form a part of present day Germany. At its birth in the Middle Ages, it was used to indicate someone who worked as a town-mayor derived from the medieval name "Schultheis" which has the same meaning.... [more]
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.
SilberbergJewish The meaning of the name is "silver mountain" and comes from Germany
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 (German mann) "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]
SkorupaPolish, Jewish Derived from Polish skorupa meaning "shell", hence a nickname for a secretive individual.
SkyJewish Shortened from last names ending in -sky.
SlonimJewish Habitational name from Slonim, a city in Belarus.
SlotnickJewish (Anglicized, Modern) A Polish, Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian surname, meaning 'goldsmith'. Also a Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) occupational name for a goldsmith. Variant/anglicization of Polish Zlotnik, Ukrainian Zlotnyk.
SlowikPolish, Jewish Nickname for someone with a mellifluous voice or a night-time reveler. From Polish slowik "nightingale".
SlutskyJewish Habitational name for someone from Slutsk, a city in Belarus.
SnowEnglish, Jewish (Anglicized) Nickname denoting someone with very white hair or an exceptionally pale complexion, from Old English snaw "snow".... [more]
SontagGerman, Jewish "sunday;" usually given to a person who was born on a sunday.
SorensonJewish Means "son of the son of Sore", a Yiddish female personal name (from Hebrew Sara, literally "princess"), with the addition of the Slavic possessive suffix -in and German Sohn "son".
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.
SpectorספקטורJewish From Polish szpektor meaning "teacher's assistant (in a Jewish school)", ultimately from inspektor meaning "supervisor".
SpellingEnglish, 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]
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").
SpicerEnglish, 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]
SpiegelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" (via Old High German from Latin speculum, a derivative of specere "to look").
SpieglerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" and the agent suffix -er.
SpielbergJewish, German From Old High German spiegel "lookout point" or German Spiel "game, play" and berg "mountain". Locational surname after a town in Austria. A famous bearer is American director Steven Spielberg (1946-present).
SpielerGerman, Jewish Occupational Name For A Tumbler Or Jester German Spieler ‘Player’ Middle High German Spilære An Agent Derivative Of Spiln ‘To Play To Jest To Sport’.
SpindlerEnglish, 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".
SpringerGerman, English, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer. It can also refer to a descendant of 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.
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, Dutch, Jewish, English German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from German Star, Middle High German star, ‘starling’, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person.... [more]
StaubGerman (Swiss), German, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational nickname for a miller, from Middle High German stoup, German Staub ‘dust’. The Jewish surname may also be ornamental.
StauberGerman, Jewish An occupational name from Staub, with the addition of the German agent suffix -er.
SteinbachGerman, Jewish German habitational name from any of the many places named Steinbach, named with Middle High German stein ‘stone’ + bach ‘stream’, ‘creek’. ... [more]
SteinhardtJewish, Polish, Hungarian Steinhardt is recorded as a Jewish Ashkenazi family name among Jews in Alsace, Germany, Poland, Israel and the U.S.A. since at least the 18th century.... [more]
StrandheimGerman, Jewish From a location name meaning "beach home" in German, from Middle High German strand meaning "beach" and heim meaning "home". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
StrassbergJewish Ornamental name composed of German Strasse "street" and Berg "mountain, hill".
StrassmannGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone living on a main street, from Middle High German strasse, German Strasse "street, road" and man "man".
StraussGerman, Jewish From the German word strauß, meaning "ostrich." In its use as a Jewish surname, it comes from the symbol of the building or family that the bearer occupied or worked for in the Frankfurter Judengasse... [more]
StreisandGerman, Jewish Possibly an ornamental name, literally meaning "scattersand" in German. This surname is borne by the American singer and actress Barbra Streisand (1942-).
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.
TannenGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several places in Lower Saxony or Baden named with German Tannen ‘pine’, or from a short form of any of the many compound names formed with this element... [more]
TannenbaumJewish, German German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic name or Jewish ornamental name from German Tannenbaum ‘fir tree’, ‘pine tree’.
TartakovskyטרטקובסקיRussian, Jewish Name for someone originally from the town of Tartakiv (or Tartakov) in Ukraine, derived from Ukrainian тартак (tartak) meaning "sawmill".
Trachtenbergטרכטנברג, טראַכֿטנבערגGerman, Jewish Could mean either mean "mountain of thoughts", from Yiddish trakhtn (טראַכטן) "to think" and berg "mountain" or "mountain of costumes", from German tracht "to wear, carry" and berg "mountain"... [more]
TreuGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a trustworthy person, from late Middle High German triuwe ‘loyal’. As a Jewish surname it is mainly ornamental.
TshuvaתְּשׁוּבָהHebrew Means "answer" or "returning" in Hebrew. The term חוזר בתשובה which means "returning to the faith", reffers to a person who becomes more religious person in Judaism.
TzviצביHebrew From the given name Tzvi, means "gazelle, roebuck" in Hebrew.
Tzviadצְבִיעָד / צבי-עדHebrew (Modern) Combination of the name Tzvi and the word עַד (ʿaḏ) "an eternity". The illustration of the gazelle, along with the value of eternity, creates a meaning that represents the beauty and existence of the Land of Israel.
TzvielצביאלHebrew (Modern) Means "gazelle of god" in Hebrew, from the given name Tzvi combined with el which means "God".
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".
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.
Urbanskyאורבאַנסקי, אורבנסקיCzech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Jewish In Czech and Slovak usage, it is a habitational name for someone from a place called Urbanice. In Polish usage, it is a habitational name for someone from a place named with the personal name Urban.
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]
WachsGerman, Jewish Occupational name for someone who dealt with beeswax from Middle High German wahs German wachs "wax".
WachsmannGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a gatherer or seller of beeswax from Middle Low German was "wax" and man "man".
WahlGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Walhe, Walch "foreigner from a Romance country", hence a nickname for someone from Italy or France, etc. This surname is also established in Sweden.
WaldsteinGerman, Jewish Habitational surname for a person from a place in Bohemia called Waldstein, which is derived from Middle High German walt "forest" + stein "stone".
WasserGerman, Jewish Topographic name from Middle High German wazzer "water".
WaxGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish variant and English cognitive of Wachs, from Middle English wax "wax" (from Old English weax).
WaxmanEnglish, German (Americanized), Jewish (Americanized) Occupational name for a seller or gatherer of beeswax from wax "wax" plus Middle English man "man". According to the Oxford English Dictionary wax-man is an obsolete term for an officer of a trade guild who collected contributions from members for wax candles to be used in processions... [more]
WeilGerman, Jewish South German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of various places so named in Baden, Bavaria, and Württemberg, from Latin villa ‘country house’, ‘estate’ (later used of a group of houses forming a settlement).
WeilerGerman, Jewish Habitational name from any of several places so named in southern Germany. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Weil.
WeinGerman, Yiddish, Hungarian Means "grape, vine, wine" in German and Yiddish (װײַנ). According to Nelly Weiss, Wein-style family names originated from signboards (house sign, house shield) in Jewish communities. Wein may also be related the German verb weinen meaning "to cry"... [more]
WeiningerGerman (Swiss), Jewish Denoted a person from Weiningen, a municipality in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. It is also a Jewish ornamental name derived from German wein meaning "wine" and the suffix -inger.
WeinmannGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational name for a viticulturalist or wine merchant, Middle High German winman, German Weinmann.
WeinsteinויינסטיןJewish Means "wine stone" from German wein meaning "wine" and stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
WeinstockGerman, Jewish English variant of the German surname Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare Wein).... [more]
WeintraubGerman, Jewish from Middle High German wintrub "grape" derived from wein "wine" and traub "grape" hence either a metonymic occupational name for a vintner or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of grapes.
WeisenburgerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of numerous places named Weissenburg "white fortress".
WeisfeldGerman, Jewish topographic name from a field name composed of Middle High German wiz "white" and feld "open country". Cognate of Whitfield.
WinehouseJewish, German Anglicized variant of German and Yiddish 'Weinhaus'. From German wein, 'vine, grapevine' and haus 'house, building, home', likely indicating a house with a vineyard. ... [more]
WinkelGerman, Jewish, Dutch, Belgian German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic name for someone who lived on a corner of land in the country or a street corner in a town or city, from Middle High German winkel, German Winkel ‘corner’... [more]
WinkelmannGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic name for someone who lived on a corner or kept a corner shop (see Winkel), with the addition of Middle High German man, German Mann ‘man’... [more]
WittgensteinGerman, Jewish Denoted one who came from the Wittgenstein castle in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, derived from Old High German witt meaning "white" and stein meaning "stone"... [more]
WittlinJewish Eastern Ashkenazic, from the Yiddish female personal name Vitle, a pet form of Vite combined with the eastern Slavic suffix -in
WitzGerman, Jewish From the medieval personal name Witzo, a short form of any of several Germanic compound names beginning with wig ‘battle’... [more]
WlodawskiJewish Habitual surname from Włodawa, Poland. First seen in a 1806 revision list of the city Kobryn (Grodno Guberniya), now Kobryn Belarus. ... [more]
WohlGerman, Yiddish Meaning "pleasant" in both Middle German and Ashkenazic Yiddish
WolfhardGerman, Jewish This name derives from the Old High German name “Wolfhard”, composed of two elements: the “*-wulfaz” (wolf) plus “*harduz / *hardu-” (hard, strong, brave, valiant, powerful one). In turn the name means “the one who is strong like a wolf”.
WolowitzJewish This is the surname of the character Howard in the American television show "The Big Bang Theory".