Swiss
names are used in the country of Switzerland in central Europe.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Rusch GermanDerived from Middle High German and Middle Low German
rusch "rush reeds".
Rusher German (Americanized)Americanized version of the German surname Rüscher or Roshcer. Either a topographic name for someone who lived among rushes or an occupational name for someone who created things out of rushes.
Rüster GermanMeans "elm (tree)" in German. Could alternatively derive from
rüsten to "to equip, to arm", an occupational name for someone who provided weapons to an army.
Ruth English, German (Swiss)English: from Middle English reuthe ‘pity’ (a derivative of rewen to pity, Old English hreowan) nickname for a charitable person or for a pitiable one. Not related to the given name in this case.... [
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Ryne German (Swiss)Respelling of Swiss German
Rhyn, a topographic name for someone living on the Rhine river, Middle High German
Rin.
Sabat FrenchNickname for a noisy, rowdy person, from Middle French
sab(b)at "noise", "racket".
Saccà ItalianFrom Arabic
سقى (
saqa) "to give water", a nickname for a water carrier.
Sachtleben GermanNickname for someone perceived to lead a carefree, easy life, from Middle Low German sacht(e) meaning "soft" + leben meaning "life".
Sackhoff GermanOccupational name for a farmer who cultivated land to grow plants, particularly crops, derived from Middle High German
sack meaning "sack, end of a valley, area of cultivation" and
hof meaning "farmstead, manor, farm"... [
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Sackmann GermanOccupational name from Middle High German sacman meaning "baggage servant", one who was in charge of transporting and looking after a knight’s baggage and supplies on campaign.
Saco ItalianThere are several possible derivations for the Saco surname: the Saco name evolved from an old Tuscan personal name, Saccus; it came from the word "sacco" meaning "a sack," and was an occupational name for a maker of sacks or bags; it was a habitational name taken on from the place named Sacco in Salerno province.
Sadat German (Rare)The last name Sadat means "master" and "gentleman," and is originally a religious last name which was popular in the west, more precisely in Germany.
Saenger German, JewishOccupational name for a chorister or a nickname for someone who liked singing, from Middle High German senger, German Sänger meaning "singer".
Saint English, FrenchNickname for a particularly pious individual, from Middle English, Old French
saint,
seint "holy" (Latin
sanctus "blameless, holy"). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, especially on the Continent, and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname.
Saint-exupery FrenchFrom the place named Saint-Exupery. Famous bearer of this surname is Antoine Saint-Exupery, the writer of .
Saint-Just FrenchFrom Saint
Justus of Beauvais, a Catholic Saint. A famous bearer of this name is Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, a figure of the French Revolution who was guillotined.
Saint-Simon FrenchA French surname meaning "Saint Simon". Two famous bearers were Duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy(1675-1755), a French memoirist, and his younger relative, Henri de Saint-Simon(1760-1825), the founder of French Socialism and modern theoretical Socialism in general.
Sajin French1 French: metonymic occupational name for a satin merchant or specialist satin weaver, from Middle French satin ‘satin’, a word of Arabic and (ultimately) Chinese origin, a derivative of the Chinese place name Tsinkiang, whence satin silk was brought to the Middle East and Europe in the Middle Ages.... [
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Saladin Frenchnickname for a blustering or tyrannical individual from the name of the medieval Egyptian sultan who because of his success in combating the Crusaders became demonized in French and Italian folklore as a monster second only to Herod.
Sale English, FrenchEnglish: from Middle English sale ‘hall’, a topographic name for someone living at a hall or manor house, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor house. ... [
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Salerno ItalianSouthern Italian habitational name from the city of Salerno in Campania.
Sallas Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Galician, Portuguese, Aragonese, Asturian, Romanian, GreekEither a variant of
Salas or
Sala, or else a nickname from Arabic, Turkish, or Persian
salli meaning "broad, wide, large, tall".
Sallwasser GermanIt is derived from the German words (Salz) meaning "salt", & (Salweide) meaning "water".
Salussolia Italian, PiedmonteseOriginally denoted a person from
Salussola, a comune (municipality) in the province of Biella in Piedmont, Italy.
Salvatore ItalianDerived from the Italian masculine given name
Salvatore, which in turn was derived from the Italian noun
salvatore meaning "saviour, rescuer"... [
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Salzer GermanFor someone who worked with salt from Middle High German
salz "salt" (from Latin
sal).
Salzmann German, JewishOccupational name for a producer or seller of salt, from German
salz "salt" +
mann "man".
Samet German, Jewish, YiddishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of velvet, from Yiddish
samet ‘velvet’ (German
Samt, ultimately from Greek hexamiton, a compound of
hex ‘six’ +
mitos ‘thread’).
Sammartino ItalianFrom Italian
san (apocopic form of
santo ("saint") +
Martino ("Martin").
Sanfelippo ItalianItalian (mainly Sicily and southern Calabria): habitational name from any of several places so named for a local church or shrine dedicated to St. Philip, in particular San Filippo del Mela in Messina province.
Sanfilippo Italian, Sicilianhabitational name from any of several places called with reference to a local church or shrine dedicated to Saint Philip specifically San Filippo del Mela in Messina province, San Filippo near Reggio Calabria.
Santangelo Italian, SicilianEither habitational name from any of numerous places especially in the south named with reference to a local shrine or church dedicated to Saint Angel (Italian Sant'Angelo) as for example Sant'Angelo a Cupolo (Benevento) Sant'Angelo a Fasanella (Salerno) Sant'Angelo all’Esca and Sant'Angelo a Scala (Avellino) Sant'Angelo d'Alife (Caserta) and Sant'Angelo del Pesco (Molise)... [
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Santerre FrenchHabitational name from a place to the southeast of the Somme river, named with Latin
sana terra "healthy, wholesome land".
Santi Italian (Latinized, Archaic)Santi is a surname of Christian inspiration and it means
Son of Santo (Saint). It also has a second meaning in plural that is
Santos (Saints). Santi is a last name that comes from Piedmont (northern Italy)... [
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Saraceno ItalianA nickname from
saraceno "Saracen" (from Late Latin
Saracenus) denoting someone of swarthy appearance an unruly person or someone who had taken part in a Crusade... [
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Saragat ItalianMeaning unknown, perhaps a variant of
Sarago. The surname of a former Italian president.
Sarazen FrenchFrom a medieval French nickname for a swarthy person, or for someone who had gone on a Crusade (from Old French
sarrazin "Saracen"). It was borne by American golfer Gene Sarazen (1902-99), original name Eugene Saraceni.
Sard English, French, Spanish, ItalianIn the book surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary by Henry Harrison and Gyda (Pulling) Harrison 1912 - Reprinted 1996. The Sard surname (which has been in England, Italy and Europe for a long time) is defined thus on page 136.... [
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Sarda ItalianFrom the feminine form of
Sardo or from
sarda "large sardine" either a nickname or occupational name for selling sardines.
Sardella ItalianFrom
sardella "sardine" used as either an occupational name for a fisher or seller of sardines or a nickname for a thin person.
Sardina Italian, Spanish, GalicianFrom
sardina Galician
sardiña "sardine" used for someone as a catcher or seller of the fish or a nickname for a thin person.
Sardone ItalianAugmentative of
Sarda or
Sardo "the big Sardinian". in the central and southern Adriatic region from
sardone "anchovy".
Sarracino ItalianFrom Neapolitan
sarracino, meaning "Saracen", a term used to refer to a variety of ethnic and religious groups, including a nomadic people from Sinai, Muslims, and pirates from the Mediterranean.
Sarrazin FrenchMeans "Saracen" in Old French, a name used to refer to Arab Muslims in the Middle Ages. It was probably used as a nickname for an unruly person, a person with a dark complexion, or for someone who had taken part in a Crusade.
Sauerbier GermanFrom German
sauer meaning "sour" and
bier meaning "beer". It originally referred to a brewer of sour beer.
Sauerwein GermanOccupational nickname for someone who sold sour wine, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a sour disposition, from Middle High German
sur "sour" +
win "wine", i.e. vinegar.
Saulnier FrenchIn Middle French (the form of French spoken from 1340 to 1610), it literally means "salt merchant".
Sauve' FrenchSauve' from France to Canada. Changed probably due to an "a" and an "o" confusion in cursive. My granfather's was typo-ed on WW II old men's sign up in MA. or RI, USA.
Savant FrenchNickname from savant ‘learned’, a nickname for a university graduate or a particularly knowledgeable person.
Savard FrenchEither from Old French
savart meaning "wasteland" or the Germanic elements
sab of uncertain meaning and
hard meaning "brave, hardy".
Savelli ItalianIt could derive from the Sabelli (ancient Italic tribe), pre-Roman population, or from toponyms such as Savelli di Norcia (PG) and indicate the origin of the founder.
Savignac FrenchHabitational name for someone from various communes by this name in France.
Savio ItalianItalian nickname given to a wise, sage man. Saint Dominic Savio is a well-known bearer of this surname.
Savorgnan Italian (Rare)From a small town near Udine named
Savorgnano del Torre, of Friulian origin. This was the name of a Friulian aristocratic family, ascribed to the Venetian participate. The famous bearer of this surname was an Italian-French explorer Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905)
Scafata ItalianPossibly denoting someone from the Italian town Scafati, from Latin
scapha "skiff, light boat". Alternately, may be from Italian
scafare "to husk peas", either literally referring to someone's occupation, or from the figurative meaning of "to make more confident; alert, shrewd".
Scaglietti ItalianThe name of an Italian coachbuilder, with one of its famous customers being Ferrari when it doesn't want a design from Pininfarina.
Scaglione ItalianDerived from
scaglione meaning "stallion’s canine tooth" (an augmentative form of
scaglie meaning "canine tooth", from Old French
escaillon meaning "horse’s tooth"), presumably a nickname for someone with exceptionally large teeth.
Scala Italian, GreekHabitational or topographic name from any of various places named with
scala, "ladder", "steps", "wharf".
Scali ItalianHabitational name from Scali in Piedimonte Etneo, Sicily. From greek
skali, "step", "terrace".
Scalia ItalianHabitational name derived from Scalea in the province of Cosenza, deriving ultimately from medieval Greek
skaleia meaning "hoeing".
Scaloni ItalianLikely derived from Italian
scala meaning "ladder, stairs". It may have originated as a occupational name for someone who built or worked with ladders.
Scanagatta ItalianProbably means "cat killer", from Italian
scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and
gatto "cat", with the figurative meaning of "cheat, scoundrel". (Compare
Pelagatti)... [
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Scanavacca ItalianPossibly an occupational name for a butcher, from
scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and
vacca "cow".
Scanavino ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly related to
scanalare "to cut a groove, to plough" and
vino "wine".
Scannabissi ItalianPossibly from
scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and
biscio "snake". Alternately, the first element may be from an archaic form of
zanna, "tooth (of an animal)".
Scannadinari Italian (Rare)Taken from the Italian
scanna meaning "slaying" and
dinari meaning "money" in the plural form. Therefore,
killer of money.
Scannapieco ItalianOccupational name for a butcher, from
scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and
piecuro "sheep, lamb".
Scannella ItalianPossibly from Italian
scannellare "to channel, to cut a groove", itself from Latin
scamnum "ridge (of earth formed by plowing)".
Scarcella ItalianFrom Italian "scarcella", a dessert enjoyed during Easter from the Italian region of Apulia, possibly referring to a baker who would make them.
Scarduzio ItalianFrom the Italian verb scardare, meaning to husk a hazelnut or chestnut. Possibly a metaphor for a sculptor who 'husked' a sculpture from stone.
Scarlato ItalianOccupational name for a dyer, or as a nickname for someone who habitually wore scarlet or who had bright red hair, From Sicilian
scarlatu "scarlet".
Scarselli ItalianFrom
scarsella "purse", a type of bag hung around the neck to keep money in. Possibly indicated a wealthy person.
Scatena ItalianFrom
scatenare "to provoke, stir up, unleash", probably a nickname for a troublemaker.
Schaaf GermanMetonymic occupational name for a shepherd, from Middle High German schāf ‘sheep’. In some cases it may have been a nickname for someone thought to resemble a sheep, or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a sheep... [
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Schaal German, Dutch, French, JewishEither a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German
schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch
schale "dish"), a habitational name from
Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch
schald "shallow")... [
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Schachner GermanGerman origins (as told to me by my family); popular in Austria and also has Jewish and Slavic origins, according to the internet/ancestry.com.
Schacht German, FlemishFrom Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
schacht "shaft; pole, tunnel", a metonymic occupational name for someone who made shafts for tools or weapons, or who worked in a mineshaft.
Schade German, DutchFrom
schade "damage, injury", a derivative of
schaden "to do damage, harm, hurt", generally a nickname for a thug or clumsy person, or, more particularly, a robber knight, who raided others’ lands.
Schaefer German (?)Originating in Germany SCHAEFER is a given surname meaning Shepard in German.
Schaff GermanName given to sheepherders, accounding to personal family history.
Schäffler GermanOccupational name for a cooper, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
scheffel "bushel".
Schalk German, DutchFrom Old High German
scalc "servant, retainer, jester", which eventually evolved to mean "joker, rogue, knave". Could be an occupational name for an attendant or jester, a nickname for someone mischievous, or derived from a given name containing
scalc as an element, such as
Godschalk.
Schall GermanNickname for a braggart or for a market crier from Middle High German
schal "noise" "bragging".
Schaller Upper GermanFrom Middle High German word "schal," which means "noise," or "bragging," and as such is was thought to have originally been a nickname for a braggart, or for a market crier.
Schankweiler GermanFrom the name of a German municipality, derived from
Schank "bar, pub, tavern" and
Weiler "hamlet".
Schattner German, JewishHabitational name for someone from any of several places named Schaten or Schatten, or a topographic name for someone living in a shady location, from Middle High German
schate "shade", "protection".
Schatz German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a treasurer, from German
Schatz ‘treasure’, Middle High German
scha(t)z. It may also have been a nickname for a rich man (or ironically for a miser), or else for a well-liked person or a ladies’ favorite, from the use of the vocabulary word as a term of endearment... [
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Schätzel GermanGerman diminutive of
Schatz, or a nickname for a lover meaning "little sweetheart" (from the same word used as a term of endearment).
Schauer GermanThe Schauer surname comes from the Middle High German word "schouwen" meaning "to inspect;" as such, the name is thought to have originally been occupational, for some kind of inspector, perhaps an official of a market.
Schaumburg German, BelgianHabitational name from any of the places called Schaumburg or Schauenburg in Germany, or Schauwberg in Brabant, Belgium. Derived from
schūm "slag, cinder" and
burg "mountain, hill".
Schaus German, LuxembourgishA nickname for a simpleton, from
schaus, a word in Rhenish Franconian and Lower Rhine dialects of German.
Schauwecker Germanhabitational name for someone from Schaubeck near Marbach (Württemberg).
Scheele German, Dutch, Swedish (Rare)From Middle Low German
schele and Dutch
scheel meaning "squinting, cross-eyed". A notable bearer was German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) who discovered oxygen and identified several other elements.
Scheetz GermanAnglicized version of the German surname, Schütz, "archer," "yeoman," "protect."
Scheid German, JewishEither a topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary (between two valleys etc.) or crossroads Middle High German
scheide, a habitational name from any of various places called
Scheidt Scheiden... [
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Scheidegger German, German (Swiss)Topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary or watershed. The name was derived from the Old German word SCHEIDE, meaning 'to part, to divide'. It may also have been a habitation name from any of the numerous places named with this word.
Scheidemann GermanDenoted a person who is divorced or who lives in a valley, from Middle High German
scheiden "to separate, to divorce (a couple)" and
mann "man".
Schein German, Jewishfrom Middle High German
schīn German
schein "shining brightness" hence a nickname for someone with either a radiant personality or possibly for someone living in a sunny location or a Jewish artificial name.
Schell GermanMeans "noisy" or "loud" from the German word "schel"
Schemmel GermanNickname for a disabled person, from Middle High German
schemel "stool", which was used as a crutch by invalids.
Schenkel German, Dutch, JewishMeans "leg, shank", an occupational name for a butcher or a nickname for someone with long or otherwise notable legs.
Scherf Germanfrom Middle High German and Middle Low German
scherf a coin worth half a penny possibly applied as a nickname for a poor person.
Scherl GermanDerived from the Middle Low German word “scherl” or “scherle,” which means “small shield.” It may have been from a person known for carrying a small shield, a person who lived near a small shield-shaped sign or symbol, or a person who lived in a place named after the small shield.