85 surnames on this site, with what each one means.
SalasPlace · rank 522A Spanish habitational surname from salas, “rooms” or “halls,” associated with places and manor houses.
SalazarPlace · rank 177A Spanish habitational surname associated with Salazar in Burgos and the Salazar valley; the deeper place-name gloss is debated.
SalgadoNickname · rank 771A Galician and Portuguese nickname from salgado “salty,” used figuratively for a witty or piquant person (Late Latin salicatus).
SalinasPlace · rank 390A Spanish habitational or topographic surname from salinas, “saltworks” or salt-producing places.
SampsonParent’s name · rank 913An English, Welsh, and Jewish variant of Samson from the Biblical personal name (Hebrew Shimshon); also Norman habitational from French Saint-Samson places.
SanchezParent’s name · rank 25Son of Sancho — Spanish patronymic (-ez).
SandersParent’s name · rank 102A patronymic surname meaning “son of Sander,” with Sander a short form of Alexander.
SandovalPlace · rank 244Spanish habitational surname from Sandoval, a place name in Spain, often glossed as “land of forest.”
SanfordPlace · rank 990An English habitational surname, a variant of Sandford—“sandy ford”—from Old English sand + ford.
SantanaPlace · rank 510A Spanish and Portuguese surname from Santa Ana, “Saint Anne,” often associated with places or religious dedication.
SantiagoParent’s name · rank 238Spanish devotional and personal-name surname from Santiago, “Saint James,” with possible place-name use.
SantosNickname · rank 190A Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician surname from Latin sanctus, “saints,” often connected with a devotional name or All Saints’ Day.
SaundersParent’s name · rank 487An English patronymic from Saunder, a medieval form of Alexander, plus -s: “Saunder’s” or “son of Saunder.”
SavageNickname · rank 681An English or French descriptive surname from Middle English or Old French sauvage, “wild” or “uncivilized.”
SawyerOccupation · rank 718An English occupational surname for someone who sawed timber into boards or worked as a woodcutter.
SchaeferOccupation · rank 857A German and Ashkenazic Jewish occupational surname for a shepherd, from Schäfer, an agent form of Schaf, “sheep.”
SchmidtOccupation · rank 193A German occupational surname meaning “smith,” for a metalworker or blacksmith.
SchmittOccupation · rank 988A South German occupational surname, a spelling variant of Schmidt—“blacksmith” or metalworker.
SchneiderOccupation · rank 320A German occupational surname for a tailor, from the verb schneiden, “to cut.”
SchroederOccupation · rank 502A North German occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, with related craft and delivery senses.
SchultzOccupation · rank 311A German occupational or status surname for a village official, judge, or local administrator.
SchwartzNickname · rank 344A German surname meaning “black,” originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or complexion; place-name routes also occur.
ScottNickname · rank 40An ethnic byname for a Scot / person associated with Scotland.
SellersOccupation · rank 834An English occupational surname (Lancashire/Yorkshire), a variant of Seller with excrescent -s: saddler, merchant, or monastic/household cellarer.
SerranoPlace · rank 419A Spanish topographic name for someone from the mountains or a mountain range.
SextonOccupation · rank 831Usually English occupational for a church sexton or sacristan; also Irish Ó Seastnáin, “descendant of Seastnán,” and northern English Saxton overlap.
ShafferOccupation · rank 577An Americanized German surname linked to Schäfer “shepherd” or Schaffer “steward” or “bailiff,” with Central European cognates.
ShahNickname · rank 413A Persian status name from shah, “king.”
ShannonParent’s name · rank 767An Irish surname from Gaelic Ó Seanáin, “descendant of Seanán,” a pet form based on seán “old”; also a shortened form of Shanahan or Mac Giolla tSeanáin.
SharmaNickname · rank 727An Indian surname and Brahmin title from Sanskrit śarman, associated with protection, shelter, or joy.
SharpNickname · rank 426A nickname for someone sharp, quick, or keen-witted, with translated and Irish surname streams also documented.
ShawPlace · rank 169An English topographic or habitational surname from a small wood or thicket, with Gaelic and Chinese surname routes.
SheltonPlace · rank 359From a settlement on a ledge, shelf, or rocky rise; a habitational surname from Shelton places.
ShepardOccupation · rank 928An English occupational surname, a spelling variant of Shepherd—“sheep herder”—from Old English scēaphyrde; also used to translate French or Jewish names meaning shepherd.
ShepherdOccupation · rank 552An occupational surname for a person who tended sheep, from Middle English shep-herd.
SheppardOccupation · rank 977An English occupational surname, a spelling variant of Shepherd—“sheep herder”—from Middle English schepeherde / Old English scēaphyrde.
ShermanOccupation · rank 493An English occupational surname for a shearman, someone who trimmed or finished cloth with shears.
ShieldsPlace · rank 676A surname from English shield or shield-like shelter/place names, with Irish Ó Siadhail as another route.
ShortNickname · rank 603An English descriptive surname for a short or small person.
SierraPlace · rank 957A Spanish habitational surname from places called (La) Sierra, from sierra, “ridge” or “chain of hills.”
SilvaPlace · rank 157A Portuguese, Galician, Spanish, or Italian surname from silva, “woodland” or “forest,” often habitational.
SimmonsParent’s name · rank 119An English patronymic from Simon, “son of Simon,” with several spelling traditions.
SimonParent’s name · rank 403From Simon, the biblical personal name; traditionally “hearing” or “hearkening.”
SimpsonParent’s name · rank 167An English and Scottish patronymic meaning “son of Sim,” a short form of Simon.
SimsParent’s name · rank 277An English and Scottish patronymic meaning “son of Sim,” a familiar form of Simon.
SinghNickname · rank 156“Lion” (from Sanskrit siṃha); widely used as a Sikh male surname/title.
SingletonPlace · rank 632An English habitational surname from Singleton in Lancashire or Sussex, referring to a farmstead or estate.
SkinnerOccupation · rank 637An English occupational surname for someone who stripped animal hides for fur or leather.
SloanParent’s name · rank 808An Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, Ó Sluaghadháin, “descendant of Sluaghadhán,” a diminutive of Sluaghadh, “raider.”
SmallNickname · rank 761An English and Scottish nickname for a person of slender build or small stature, from Middle English smal(e); also an Americanized translation of some European “small” surnames.
SmithOccupation · rank 1A metalworker — usually the village blacksmith.
SnowNickname · rank 729An English descriptive surname for someone with snow-white coloring or a wintry association, with other regional routes also possible.
SnyderOccupation · rank 172An Americanized German or Dutch occupational surname from Schneider or Snijder, “tailor” or “cutter.”
SolisPlace · rank 392A surname with Spanish habitational roots from Solís and English nickname routes from solace.
SolomonParent’s name · rank 725An English, Jewish, and European surname from the biblical personal name Solomon, Hebrew Shelomo, traditionally associated with peace.
SosaPlace · rank 621A Spanish surname, often a Castilianized form of Portuguese or Galician Sousa, with a possible nickname from “seaweed.”
SotoPlace · rank 188A Spanish habitational or topographic surname from soto, a grove or small wooded area near water.
SparksOccupation · rank 544An English surname from Spark or Sparks, associated with a blacksmith’s sparks and possibly a lively nickname.
SpearsNickname · rank 845An English and Scottish variant of Spear with excrescent -s: from Middle English spere, “spear,” a nickname for a tall thin person or skilled spear-user.
SpenceOccupation · rank 984An English and Scottish surname for a pantry or larder servant, from Middle English spence “storeroom,” related to Spencer.
SpencerOccupation · rank 208English status or occupational surname from Old French despensier, a steward or dispenser of provisions.
StaffordPlace · rank 764An English habitational surname principally from Stafford in Staffordshire (Old English stæth “river bank” + ford), also from other similarly named places.
StanleyPlace · rank 335An English habitational surname from places named Stanley, meaning “stony meadow” or “rocky clearing.”
StantonPlace · rank 997An English habitational surname from places named Stanton or Staunton—Old English stān “stone” + tūn “farmstead.”
StarkNickname · rank 852A Scottish, English, German, and Ashkenazic Jewish nickname from words meaning “strong,” “sturdy,” “bold,” or “brave.”
SteeleOccupation · rank 363A steel-related surname: an occupational name for a steelworker, a nickname for hardness, or a regional place-name form.
SteinPlace · rank 812A German and Ashkenazi Jewish topographic name from Middle High German stein, “rock” or “stone”; also occupational for a mason, plus Dutch and Norwegian place streams.
StephensParent’s name · rank 197A patronymic surname meaning “son of Stephen,” from Greek Stephanos, “crown.”
StephensonParent’s name · rank 723An English and Scottish patronymic surname meaning “son of Stephen,” from the Greek personal name Stephanos, “crown” or “garland.”
StevensParent’s name · rank 141A patronymic surname meaning “son of Steven” or “son of Stephen.”
StevensonParent’s name · rank 445A patronymic meaning “son of Steven” or “son of Stephen.”
StewartOccupation · rank 61A steward — household or estate administrator (Old English stigweard).
StokesPlace · rank 559An English habitational surname from Stoke, with a plural or later excrescent -s.
StonePlace · rank 184A topographic surname for someone who lived by a notable stone or stony ground; some lines may be occupational.
StoutNickname · rank 820An English nickname from Middle English stout, “bold,” “daring,” or “brave,” from Old French estolt/estout.
StricklandPlace · rank 517An English habitational surname from Strickland places in Westmorland, from “young bullock” and “land.”
StrongNickname · rank 774An English nickname from Middle English strong(e) / strang(e), “strong, powerful” (Old English strang); also an Americanized form of some similar European names.
StuartOccupation · rank 993A French-influenced spelling of Stewart—the occupational surname for a steward (Old English stigweard, household guardian).
SuarezParent’s name · rank 473A Spanish patronymic Suárez meaning “son of Suero” (also Suaro/Soeiro), formed with the -ez descent suffix.
SullivanParent’s name · rank 107An anglicized Irish patronymic from Ó Súilleabháin, “descendant of Súilleabhán.”
SummersNickname · rank 600An English surname related to Summer, from a seasonal nickname or occupational and topographic uses, with Irish and German alternatives.
SunNickname · rank 929A Chinese surname, chiefly Mandarin 孫/孙 (Sūn) meaning “grandson”; also other Chinese romanizations and Korean Son.
SuttonPlace · rank 351From a southern farmstead or settlement; a habitational surname from places called Sutton.
SwansonParent’s name · rank 439A Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Swan” or “son of Sven,” with swain-related forms also possible.
SweeneyParent’s name · rank 660An Irish and Scottish surname, anglicized from Mac Suibhne, meaning “son of Suibhne,” a personal name traditionally glossed “pleasant.”