South
A topographic surname for someone who lived in or came from the south, or from a place named South/Southam/Southall.
The #3,231 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,621 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually topographic or locational: it comes from the Old English word for "south" and was used for someone who lived to the south of a settlement or came from a place so named. Historical surname dictionaries also connect it with place-names such as Southam and Southall, and with other compound forms beginning with South-. In some families it may simply have functioned as a directional nickname, marking a person’s position within a village or parish. Because "south" is an ordinary English word, the surname could arise independently in more than one place.
History
The name appears in medieval England as surnames began to stabilize, especially in the south of the country. It also survives in a number of related forms and place-derived surnames, which can make family lines with this name come from different places and origins. In Scotland, Lower specifically notes the name under his discussion of "North," suggesting a directional surname usage there as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the surname is so short and ordinary, it could arise in several different places independently, so not every South family shares the same ancestral origin.
From the historical record
“SOUTHON \ app. weak (syncopated) forms SOUTH AN J of Southern, q.v. SOUTHOUSE (Eng.) Dweller at the South House [M.E. Southouse; O.E. sUS + Ms] SOUTHRAN SOUTHREN SOUTHREY (Eng.) Bel. to Southery (Norf.: i^thcent. Suthereye; etc.) = the Southern Island or Waterside [O.E. sii'Sera, compar. of 5«K, south -f z^…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)