Surnames of Length 6

Medved Slovene, Croatian, Ukrainian
Means "bear" in several languages, from the Old Slavic root medvědĭ.

Medveď m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Medved.

Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.

Meindl German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino.

Melnik Russian, Belarusian
Means "miller" in Russian and Belarusian.

Melnyk Ukrainian
Means "miller" in Ukrainian. This is the most common Ukrainian surname.

Melvin Scottish
Variant of Melville.

Mendel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Mendel.

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Mendes Portuguese
Portuguese form of Menéndez.

Méndez Spanish
Variant of Menéndez.

Mercer English
Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".

Merckx Dutch, Flemish
From the given name Mark.

Merino Spanish
From the title for a judge in medieval Spain, derived from Latin maior.

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Metaxa f Greek
Feminine form of Metaxas.

Meyers German, English
Patronymic form of Meyer 1, Mayer 3 or Myer.

Miazga Polish
Derived from Polish miazga "pulp, crush".

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Miguel Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Miguel.

Mihova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Mihov.

Mikula m Slovak, Czech
Derived from the given name Mikuláš.

Milani Italian
Variant of Milano.

Milano Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from Milan.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

Minami Japanese
From Japanese 南 (minami) meaning "south".

Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.

Minkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Minko", a Bulgarian diminutive of Mihail.

Mishra Hindi, Marathi
Means "mixed, mingled, honourable" in Sanskrit.

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Miyata Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Mizuno Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Mlakar Slovene, Croatian
Referred to someone who lived near a pool, derived from South Slavic mlaka meaning "pool, puddle".

Mlynář m Czech
Means "miller" in Czech.

Mohren German
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

Möller Low German, Swedish
Low German and Swedish form of Müller.

Møller Danish
Danish form of Müller.

Molloy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maolmhuaidh or Ó Maol Aodha.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Monday 1 English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Mundi.

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Monday 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Eoin. The last part of the surname was mistakenly taken as the Gaelic word for "Monday", Luain.

Monroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of Munro. It was borne by the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).

Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.

Mooney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Mooren Dutch
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

Moreau French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Moreno Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Morgan Welsh
Derived from the given name Morgan 1.

Morita Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Morris English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Derived from the given name Maurice.

Morton English
Derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Mounce German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of German Manz.

Muggia Italian
From the town of Muggia in northeastern Italy near the Slovenian border. It was called Muglae in Latin.

Mulder Dutch
Dutch equivalent of Miller.

Mullen Irish
From the Irish Ó Maoláin meaning "descendant of Maolán". The given name Maolán meant "devotee, servant, tonsured one".

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Mulloy Irish
Variant of Molloy.

Munroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically Canadian and American) form of Munro.

Munson English
Patronymic formed from the Norman French nickname moun meaning "monk".

Muraro Italian
Occupational name for a wall builder, from Italian murare meaning "to wall up".

Murgia Sardinian
Means "brine" in Sardinian, perhaps a nickname for someone who pickled foods.

Murphy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Murchadha meaning "descendant of Murchadh". This is the most common Irish surname.

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".

Murtas Sardinian
From Sardinian murta meaning "myrtle".

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Mwangi Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Mwangi.

Mylona f Greek
Feminine form of Mylonas.

Mynatt English
Variant of Minett.

Naggia Italian
Variant of Naggi.

Najjar Arabic
Means "carpenter" in Arabic.

Nakano Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Napoli Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Narang Hindi
From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.

Nasato Italian
Nickname for someone with a prominent nose, from Italian naso "nose".

Natale Italian
From the given name Natale.

Naumov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Naum".

Necchi Italian
Possibly from Italian neccio, a type of flat bread.

Nedvěd m Czech
Czech cognate of Medved, derived from the dialectal nedvěd.

Nelson 1 English
Means "son of Neil". This name was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805).

Nelson 2 Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of the Scandinavian names Nilsson, Nilsen, or Nielsen.

Németh Hungarian
Means "German" in Hungarian.

Neroni Italian
Variant of Neri.

Neuman German, Jewish
Variant of Neumann.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.

Newton English
From the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

Nguyen Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Nguyễn.

Nicchi Italian
From the Italian word nicchio meaning "shell", possibly a nickname for people related to the sea.

Nieddu Italian
From Sardinian nieddu meaning "black", derived from Latin niger.

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.

Nikula Finnish
From the given name Niku, a Finnish form of Nicholas.

Nilsen Norwegian
Means "son of Nils".

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Nordin Swedish
Derived from Swedish nord meaning "north" (Old Norse norðr).

Norman English
Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.

Norris 1 English, Scottish
Means "from the north" from Old French norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.

Norris 2 English
Means "wet nurse, foster mother" from Old French norrice, from Latin nutricius.

Norton English
From the name of various towns in England meaning "north town" in Old English.

Notaro Italian
Occupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin notarius.

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Nozawa Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Nyberg Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and berg meaning "mountain".

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Nyilas Hungarian
Means "archer, bowman" in Hungarian.

Nylund Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.

O'Berne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

Oberti Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Oberto Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

O'Boyle Irish
Variant of Boyle.

O'Brian Irish
Variant of O'Brien.

O'Brien Irish
From the Irish Ó Briain meaning "descendant of Brian".

Ó Broin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Byrne.

O'Byrne Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Broin meaning "descendant of Bran 1".

Ó Carra Irish
Means "descendant of Carra", Carra being a nickname meaning "spear".

O'Clery Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cléirigh.

Ó Corra Irish
Means "descendant of Corra" in Irish. The given name Corra means "spear".

Ó Cuaig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quigg.

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Ó Cuinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinn.

Ó Cuirc Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quirke.

O'Doyle Irish
Variant of Doyle.

Ó Duibh Irish
Means "descendant of Dubh", Dubh being a byname meaning "dark".

Ó Gráda Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Grady.

Ogtrop Dutch
Originally denoted a person who was from the town of Ochtrup in Germany, which is of uncertain origin.

O'Hearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

Okafor Igbo
From the given name Okafor.

O'Keefe Irish
Variant of Keefe.

Okorie Igbo
From the given name Okorie.

O'Leary Irish
From Irish Ó Laoghaire meaning "descendant of Laoghaire".

Olesen Danish
Means "son of Ole".

Olguín Spanish
Variant of Holguín.

Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.

Olsson Swedish
Means "son of Olaf".

Ó Luain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Lane 3.

Ömərov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Ömər".

Omarov m Kazakh
Means "son of Omar 1".

Omdahl Norwegian
Denoted a person hailing from any one of a number of farms in Norway called either Åmdal or Omdal meaning "elm valley".

Ó Meara Irish
Variant of Ó Meadhra.

O'Neill Irish
Variant of O'Neal.

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Ongaro Italian
Variant of Ungaro.

O'Niall Irish
Variant of O'Neal.

Ó Riain Irish
Means "descendant of Rian".

Orlova f Russian
Feminine form of Orlov.

Ormond Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Ōshiro Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle". It is especially common on Okinawa.

Ó Síoda Irish
Means "descendant of Síoda", a byname meaning "silk" in Irish.

Otieno Luo
Derived from the given name Otieno.

O'Toole Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Tuathail meaning "descendant of Túathal".

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Ovesen Norwegian
Means "son of Ove".

Öwezow m Turkmen
Means "son of Öwez".

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

Pachis m Greek
Means "fat, thick" in Greek.

Paddon English
Variant of Patton.

Pagani Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Pagano Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.

Pajari Finnish
Means "boyar", the Finnish form of the Russian noble title боярин (boyarin).

Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pandev m Macedonian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pande", Pande being a diminutive of Petar.

Pappas m Greek
Means "priest" in Greek.

Paquet 1 French
Occupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French pacquet "bundle".

Paquet 2 French
From a diminutive of the given name Pascal.

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

Parish 2 English
Derived from the medieval given name Paris, an Old French diminutive form of Patrick.

Parisi Italian
Italian form of Parish 1.

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Parodi Italian
From the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Pascal French
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.

Paszek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of Paweł.

Pataki Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian patak meaning "creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.

Patton English, Scottish
Diminutive of the medieval name Pate, a short form of Patrick.

Paulis Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Pavesi Italian
Variant of Pavia.

Pavlík m Slovak, Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Pavol or Pavel.

Pavlov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Pavone Italian
Means "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Pawlak Polish
Means "son of Paweł".

Paxton English
From an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Pecora Italian
Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.

Peláez Spanish
Means "son of Pelayo".

Pelley French
Anglicized form of Pellé.

Pender 1 English
From Middle English pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Pensak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Pesaro Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Peters English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Peter".

Pethes Hungarian
Derived from Pete, a diminutive of Péter.

Petőcs Hungarian
Derived from Pető, an old Hungarian diminutive of Péter.

Petőfi Hungarian
Means "son of Pető", an old diminutive of Péter.

Petran Romanian
From the Romanian given name Petre.

Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".

Petrov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Peter" in Russian and Bulgarian.

Peusen Dutch
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".

Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

Pierce English
From the given name Piers.

Pierno Italian
From the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Pintér Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Pisani Italian
From Italian pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.

Planck German
German variant of Plank.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Poggio Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".

Poirot French, Literature
From a diminutive of French poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.

Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

Polzin German
From the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.

Popova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Popov.

Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Poulin French
Derived from Old French poule meaning "chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.

Powell Welsh, English
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of Hywel".

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Pražak m Czech
Means "from Prague" in Czech.

Priddy Welsh
From Welsh prydudd meaning "bard".

Priede Latvian
Means "pine tree" in Latvian.

Prieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.

Prifti Albanian
From Albanian prift meaning "priest".

Proulx French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".

Prunty Irish
From Irish Ó Proinntigh meaning "descendant of Proinnteach", a given name probably derived from Irish bronntach meaning "generous".

Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

Puskás Hungarian
Occupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian puska meaning "gun" (from German, itself from Latin buxis "box").

Putina f Russian
Feminine form of Putin.

Putnam English
From Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".

Quincy English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name Quintus.

Quirke Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuirc meaning "descendant of Corc", a given name meaning "heart".

Quirós Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician queiroa meaning "heather".

Radeva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Radev.

Radkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Radko".

Raines English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).

Ramsay Scottish
Variant of Ramsey.

Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Raneri Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Raniero.

Raptis m Greek
Means "tailor" in Greek.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Rautio Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

Reagan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Riagáin meaning "descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was the American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

Rebane Estonian
Means "fox" in Estonian.

Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.

Řehová f Czech
Feminine form of Řeha.

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.

Reiter German
Variant of Reuter 1.

Renard French
From the given name Renard.

Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.

Rendón Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".

Resnik Slovene
Possibly from Slovene resa meaning "heather".

Rettig German
Derived from Middle High German retich, Middle Low German redik meaning "radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.

Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".

Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

Řezník m Czech
Means "butcher" in Czech.

Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

Ridley English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English geryd "channel" or hreod "reed" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".

Ripley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien (1979) and its sequels.

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Rivera Spanish
From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.

Rivero Spanish
Variant of Rivera.