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 S Surnames Family History Resources

Surnames, their origin and their meaning

Many surnames are associated with the place/locality of where the family lived and in those cases the location is noted as the meaning.
Many surnames are associated with the occupation of the person given the name.

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Surname		Origin	Meaning
Sackville		Latin	De Sicca villa, that is, from the dry town
Safford		Locality	Seaford, a town of Sussex, England
Salazar		Spanish	Basque Zaraitzu
Sales		German	hall or court
Salisbury		Saxon	capital of Wiltshire, England
Salter		occupation	one who sells salt
Saltz		German	Saltzman
Saltzman		German	Saltzman
Sanchez		Spanish	Basque Zaraitzu
Sandford		Locality	a place in Westmoreland, England
Sandler		German	a person who carts sand
Sands		Danish	Sense, wit
Sangster		Scottish	singer
Santiago		Spanish	Sant Iago
Sanxay		French	Town in Poitou, France
Sarisbury		Saxon	capital of Wiltshire, England
Saterlee		Saxon	where Saturn was worshiped
Saxe		Dutch	Saxon
Saxton			Sexton
Scarborough		Saxon	the seaport and borough of Scarborough, in Yorkshire, England
Scardsdale		Saxon	A valley in Devonshire, England
Scarret		Locality	Scear, a rocky cliff
Schadeck		Locality	lordship in Germany
Schafer		German	shepherd
Schaffer		Dutch	He that dishes up or provides victuals
Schell		English	A spring
Schellden		English	schell, a spring, and dene, a valley
Schenck		German	schenke, an inn or public house
Schenker		German	publican
Scherer		German	barber
Schermerhorn		Dutch	Shermer, a fencer, and hoorn, a horn
Schlosser		German	locksmith
Schluter		German	supply keeper
Schmidt		German	smith
Schmuker		German	decorator
Schneider		German	tailer
Schoonhoven		Dutch	town in South Holland
Schoonmaker		Dutch	Schoenmaker, a shoe-maker
Schreiber		German	secretary or scribe
Schreiner		German	cabinet maker
Schroeder		German	tailor
Schubert		German	shoemaker or shoeseller
Schuler		German	pupil
Schulman		German	school man
Schultheis		German	village mayor
Schultz		German	village mayor
Schumacher		German	shoemaker
Schuman		German	shoemaker
Schuster		German	shoemaker
Schuyler		Dutch	Van Schuyler, from the place of shelter
Schwartz		German	blacksmith
Scott			A native of Scotland
Scranton		Dutch	From schrantsen, to tear, seize, or break
Scroggs		Locality	Scrog, a stunted shrub, bush, or branch
Scudmore		Cornish British	scoudh, or scuth, the shoulders, and mor, big, large
Seaford		Locality	seaport town in Sussex, England
Seaforth		Locality	a projection of the sea on the east coast of Lewis, on the Long Island, Scotland
Seaman			sailor
Sears		Cornish British	sair, a carpenter or sawyer
Searson			Son of Sears
Seaton		Locality	a parish in Perthshire
Seaver		Gaelic	Saibher, rich
Sebright		Saxon	Se=The + bright
Sedgwick			Sedge, grasslike or rushlike plant, wick, a town or harbor
Segur		German	sieg, victory
Seix		Locality	A town in Arriege, France
Selby		Locality	A market-town in west Yorkshire, England
Selkirk		Locality	A borough town of Scotland. Cellkirk, a religious house
Sellenger			St. Leger
Sellick			A place with an open view, remarkable, conspicuous
Semard			St. Medard
Semour			St. Maurus
Semple			St. Paul
Seton		Locality	Lands in Haddingtonshire, Scotland
Severins		Locality	Mountains in Languedoc, France
Severn		Locality	A river rising in the mountain Plynlimmon, in Wales
Sewall			sea wall
Seward			sea, and ward, a keeper
Sewell			sea wall
Seymour			St. Maurus
Shaddock		Locality	lordship in Germany
Shan		Celtic	shanty, an old house
Shanach		Gaelic	Sionnach, a fox
Shane		Celtic	John
Shannon		Gaelic	a river of Ireland
Shaw		Scottish	lawn
Sheldon		Cornish British	schell, a spring, and dene, a small valley
Shelley		Locality	in Essex, Suffolk
Sheppy		Locality	an island in the county of Kent
Sherard			Scirrard, who came with William the Conqueror
Sherlock		Gaelic	Saor, pronounced as with 'h' after the 'S,' signifying clear, and loch, a lake
Sherman			shearman, one who used to shear cloth
Sherwood		Saxon	sher (scir), clear, and wood, a clearing in the wood
Shiel		Locality	A river and loch or lake, in the south-west of Inverness-shire, Scotland
Sholtis		German	Schultheiss, a mayor, magistrate
Short			stature
Shrewsbury		Locality	A town in Shropshire, England
Shrieves			A sheriff, from scir and reeve, the bailiff of a shire or division
Shuck		Dutch	twelve or a dozen, and is applied to sheaves in a harvest field
Shuckburgh		Locality	A place in Warwickshire, England
Shurtliff		Locality	short cliff
Shute		Locality	the castle of Shute, in Normandy, France
Shuter			shoemaker
Siddons		Welsh	syddyn, a farm
Sigurd			Segur, powerful
Sikes		Locality	A small spring well
Simeon		Hebrew	Hearing
Simmons			Simeon
Simple			St. Paul
Simpson		Scottish	Son of Sim or Simon
Sims			Son of Sim or Simon
Sinclair			St. Clair
Sinden			St. John
Singen			St. John
Sisson		Locality	Sissonne, a town in France
Skeffington		Saxon	sceap, a sheep, and ton, a town
Skelton		Saxon	The hill of separation or boundary
Skene		Gaelic	Sgian, and three dirk-points in pale for his arms
Skidmore		Cornish British	scoudh, or scuth, the shoulders, and mor, big, large
Slack		Locality	A valley, or small shallow dell
Slade		Locality	A long flat piece or slip of ground between hills
Slaven		Celtic	sliabh, a mountain, a mountaineer
Sleeper		Dutch	A cartman, or one who carries goods on a sledge
Smith		Anglo-Saxon	Smitan, to smite or strike
Snell		Dutch	Snel, agile, swift nimble
Snodgrass		Locality	Grass trimmed and smooth
Snow		Dutch	Snoo, cunning, subtle, crafty, sly
Snyder		German	schneider, a tailor
Solden		Locality	A town in Westphalia, Germany
Somer		Gaelic Welsh	so for swl or sal, soil, and mer, a lake, water, the sea
Somerville			So mer, a marshy soil, near water or the sea
Sommer		French	to sum or cast up
Somner			One whose duty consisted in citing delinquents to the ecclesiastical courts; an apparitor; literally, a summoner
Sompnnoure			One whose duty consisted in citing delinquents to the ecclesiastical courts; an apparitor; literally, a summoner
Soto		Spanish	grove
Soule		Locality	A small territory in France, between Bearn and the Lower Navarre
Southcote			south cot
Southwell		Locality	A town in Nottinghamshire, England
Spaaren		Locality	A river in North Holland
Spalding		Locality	the town of Spalding, in Lincolnshire, England
Spark			To disperse, to scatter, to sparkle
Spelman		Danish	Spillemand, a fiddler
Spence		Norman French	Le Despenser, a steward
Spencer		Norman French	Le Despenser, a steward
Spicer		occupation	grocer
Spiegel		Dutch	looking-glass
Spier			Spere, to ask, to inquire
Spink			finch
Spoor		Dutch	spur
Spotten		German	To mock, deride, ridicule
Sprague		Dutch	speech
St. Albans		Locality	A town in Hertfordshire, England
Staats		Dutch	Eustace, or Eustatius
Stacy		Latin	Sto, to stand, stationed, standing still, fixed
Staines			market town in Middlesex, England
Stair		Gaelic	Stepping stones in a river
Stairn		Gaelic	Din, noise
Stalker			A fowler who goes warily and softly in pursuit of his game
Stanhope		Locality	Town in the bishopric of Durham, England
Stanley		Locality	A market-town in Gloucestershire, England
Stanton			stan, a stone, and ton, a hill or town
Stanwood		Saxon	stan, a stone, and wood
Stapleton		Stapleton	stapel, stapol, stapula, a staple, fastening, stake, and ton
Stark		German	Starck, strong, firm, confirmed to the utmost degree
Starkey			Strong of body
Starr		German	Stiff, rigid, inflexible
Stead			A place enclosed, a station or standing place
Steane		Danish Dutch	stone
Stearns			Severe in look, harsh, bold
Stebbins		Locality	originally Stubing, in Essex, England
Steele			inflexible, hard, firm, or enduring
Steen		Danish Dutch	stone
Stein		Locality	A town in the isle of Sky, Scotland
Steinhauer		German	stonecutter
Stell		German	A place, station, office
Stemme		Danish	Voice, vote, suffrage
Stennett		Danish	stenet, stony, rocky
Stern			Severe in look, harsh, bold
Stetson		Danish	stepson
Stevens		Greek	crown
Stevenson		Scottish	Son of Steven
Stewart			Lord High Steward of Scotland
Still			Quiet, calm, silent
Stimands		Danish	Stimand, a robber, highwayman
Stirling		Locality	city of Stirling
Stocker			One who stocks, stores, or supplies
Stocking		Saxon	Stoc, a place, and ing, low land, a meadow
Stockton		Locality	A town in Durham, on the Tees, England
Stoddard			De La Standard
Stokes		Locality	towns in Suffolk and Gloucestershire, England
Stokesby		Locality	Stugeby, the village in the ravine
Stone		Locality	A town in England
Storr		Danish	From storre, greater, larger, stout, strong
Stoughton		Locality	Stoche or Stoke, a place in Surrey, England, and tun, a word signifying an inclosure
Stover		Danish	fleet hound
Stowe			A fixed place or mansion
Strachan		Gaelic	the parish of Strachan in Kincardineshire, Scotland, formerly Strathaen
Strain		Locality	A town in the north of Scotland, written Strane
Stratton		Cornish British	The hill full of fresh springs
Stretton		Cornish British	The hill full of fresh springs
Strickland			Strick-land or Stirkland, that is, 'the pasture ground of young cattle,' called stirks or steers
Stringer			One who made or fitted the strings to the bows in the time of archery
Stryker		Danish	strige, to strike, to roam, to travel
Stubbins		Locality	Stebbings, originally Stubing, in Essex, England
Studebaker		German	pastry baker
Stukeby		Locality	Stugeby, the village in the ravine
Stukley		Gaelic	stuc, a little hill jutting out from a greater, a cliff, and ley, a place
Stukly		Gaelic	stuc, a little hill jutting out from a greater, a cliff, and ley, a place
Sullivan		Celtic	suil, eye, and ban, fair
Sully		French	the town in the province of Orleans, France
Sult		Gaelic	Suilt or Sult, comeliness, beauty, fat
Summer		Celtic Gaelic	samh, the sun
Sumner			One whose duty consisted in citing delinquents to the ecclesiastical courts; an apparitor; literally, a summoner
Sumpter			A teamster or groom who drives beasts of burden
Sunderland			A seaport town in the county of Durham, England
Surtees		Locality	Sur-Tees, that is, on the river Tees or Tay, in the county of Durham, England
Suter			A shoemaker, one who sews or stitches
Sutherland		Scottish	the former county in Scotland
Sutphen		Dutch	the city of Zutphen, in Germany
Sutter			A shoemaker, one who sews or stitches
Sutton		Locality	A town in Devonshire, England
Swaim		Locality	Schwaim, a town in lower Bavaria
Swane		Danish	Swain, a youth, a servant, a herdsman
Swartwout		Dutch	Zwart, black, and woud, a wood.
Sweeney		Irish	son of Suibhne
Sweet			Swede
Swettenham			sweete, pleasant or agreeable, and ham, a village
Sweyne		Gaelic	Sean
Swift		Locality	swiftness in moving
Swinburn		Locality	Sweyne's burn or boundary
Swits		Dutch	A Swiss, a native of Switzerland
Switzer			A Swiss, a native of Switzerland
Sylvester		Latin	Sylva a wood
Symes			Simon or Simeon
Symington		Locality	a parish in the north-west of Kyle, Ayrshire, Scotland

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