Lindgren SwedishFrom Swedish
lind meaning "linden tree" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).
Linna FinnishMeans
"castle" in Finnish. A famous namesake is Väinö Linna (1920-1992), Finnish author of
The Unknown Soldier.
Lister ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac an Fleisdeir meaning
"son of the arrow maker".
Lithgow ScottishHabitation name meaning derived from Brythonic roots meaning "pool hollow". A famous bearer of this name is actor John Lithgow (1945-).
Liu ChineseFrom Chinese
刘 (liú) meaning
"kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.
Locatelli ItalianFrom Locatello, a town in Lombardy, northern Italy, near the city of Bergamo.
Lombardi ItalianOriginally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots
lang "long" and
bart "beard".
London EnglishFrom the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain.
Loyola Spanish, BasqueFrom the name of a place name near the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country of Spain, derived from Basque
loi meaning "mud". This was the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.
Lu 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
吕 (lǚ) meaning "musical note" and also referring to the former state of Lu, which was situated in what is now Henan province.
Lum EnglishFrom the name of towns in England called
Lumb, probably from Old English
lum "pool".
Lund Danish, Swedish, NorwegianIndicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse
lundr meaning
"grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.
Luo ChineseFrom Chinese
罗 (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.
Lusk ScottishPossibly from the place name
Leask in Aberdeenshire, of unknown meaning.
Luzzatto ItalianFrom an Italian form of
Lusatia, a region of eastern Germany.
Lynch IrishFrom Irish
Ó Loingsigh meaning
"descendant of Loingseach", a given name meaning "mariner".
Lyne ScottishHabitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.
Lynn EnglishFrom the name of a town in Norfolk (King's Lynn), derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake".
Lyon 1 English, FrenchOriginally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin
Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of
Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.
MacBeth ScottishDerived from the Gaelic given name
Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.
MacCarrick IrishMeans
"son of Cúcharraige" in Irish. The given name
Cúcharraige is composed of
cú "hound" and
carraig "rock".
MacCoughlan IrishMeans
"son of Cochlán". The given name
Cochlán is derived from Irish
cochal meaning "cape" or "hood".
MacDonald ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
MacDhòmhnaill meaning
"son of Donald". It originates from the Highland clan Donald.
MacGregor ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
MacGriogair meaning
"son of Gregor". It originates from the Highland clan Gregor. A famous bearer was the Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734).
Mack 1 Scottish, IrishShortened form of various Irish and Scottish surnames beginning with
Mac or
Mc (from Irish
mac meaning "son").
MacKenzie ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
MacCoinnich meaning
"son of Coinneach". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.
Mac Niadh IrishMeans
"son of Niadh" in Irish. The given name
Niadh means "champion".
Madison EnglishMeans
"son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).
Magalhães PortugueseDenoted a person hailing from one of the numerous minor places of this name in Portugal, possibly of Celtic origin. A notable bearer was the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (1480-1521), normally called Ferdinand Magellan in English.
Malone IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Maoil Eoin meaning
"descendant of a disciple of Saint John".
Manfredonia ItalianOriginally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King
Manfred of Sicily.
Mantovani ItalianFrom the name of the city of Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy (
Mantova in Italian).
Maradona SpanishFrom the name of a place near Lugo in northern Spain. A notable bearer is the former Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona (1960-2020).
Marchegiano ItalianFrom the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin
marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.
Marchesi ItalianFrom the Italian title
marchese meaning
"marquis". It was probably a nickname for a person who behaved like a marquis or worked in the household of a marquis.
Markey IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Marcaigh meaning
"descendant of Marcach", a given name meaning "horse rider".
Marley EnglishOriginally denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in Britain called
Marley, ultimately meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. One of the main characters in Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol (1843) bears this surname. It was also borne by the Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Marlow EnglishOriginally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English
mere "lake" and
lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).
Marshall EnglishDerived from Middle English
mareschal "marshal", from Latin
mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German
marah "horse" and
scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.
Mason EnglishOccupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French
masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English
macian "to make").
Massey EnglishDerived from
Massy, the name of several towns in France. The name of the town is perhaps derived from a personal name that was Latinized as
Maccius.
Mathers EnglishOccupational name meaning
"mower, cutter of hay" in Old English.