Unisex Surnames

Mullins 2 Irish
Variant of Mullen.

Mulloy Irish
Variant of Molloy.

Mulrennan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maol Bhréanáin.

Mulryan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maoil Riain.

Mun Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 문 (see Moon 1).

Muñoz Spanish
Patronymic derived from the medieval Spanish given name Muño, from Latin Munnius, possibly of Germanic origin.

Munro Scottish
Designated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland. It is derived from Gaelic bun meaning "root, base" combined with the river's name.

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

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

Munteanu Romanian
From Romanian muntean meaning "mountaineer, from the mountains", ultimately from Latin mons.

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

Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".

Murdoch Scottish
Scottish form of Murdock.

Murdock Irish
Derived from the given name Murchadh.

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

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".

Mushyan Armenian
Originally denoted someone who came from the Armenian town of Mushi.

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

Mussolini Italian
From Italian mussolina meaning "muslin", a type of cloth, itself derived from the city of Mosul in Iraq. This name was borne by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945).

Mustafa Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Mustafa.

Mustonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish musta meaning "black".

Mutō Japanese
From Japanese 武 (mu) meaning "military, martial" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

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

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Mwangi Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Mwangi.

Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.

Myers English
Patronymic form of Myer or Mayer 3.

Myles English
From the given name Miles.

Mynatt English
Variant of Minett.

Naaji Arabic
From the given name Naaji.

Nacar Turkish
Turkish form of Najjar.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nagarkar Marathi
Derived from the name of the town of Nagar in Maharashtra, India.

Nagasawa Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.

Naggi Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.

Naggia Italian
Variant of Naggi.

Nagi Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ناجي (see Naaji).

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Najjar Arabic
Means "carpenter" in Arabic.

Najm Arabic
From the given name Najm.

Nakabayashi Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Nakagawa Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Nakahara Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Nakai Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Nakajima Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Nakashima Japanese
Variant of Nakajima.

Naldi Italian
From given names like Arnaldo and Rinaldo.

Namgung Korean
From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south" combined with 宮 (gung) meaning "palace, house". This is the most common Korean compound surname.

Nana Italian
From a diminutive of Giovanni.

Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nanni Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nannini Italian
From Nanni, a diminutive of the given name Giovanni.

Napoleoni Italian
From the medieval given name Napoleone.

Napoletani Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Napoli Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Napoliello Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

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

Nardi Italian
From the given name Nardo, which was originally a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo.

Nardo Italian
Variant of Nardi.

Nardovino Italian (Rare)
Either from Nardo, a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo, or from Ardovino, a variant of Arduino.

Narváez Spanish
From the name of a town in central Spain.

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

Nascimbene Italian
Variant of Nascimbeni.

Nascimbeni Italian
From the medieval given name Nascimbene, typical of the Venetian region.

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Nass Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Natale Italian
From the given name Natale.

Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.

Nathanson Jewish
Means "son of Nathan".

Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Nave Italian
From various Italian places called Nave.

Nazarenko Ukrainian
From the given name Nazar.

Nazaretian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարեթյան (see Nazaretyan).

Nazaretyan Armenian
Means "son of Nazaret".

Nazarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարյան (see Nazaryan).

Nazario Italian
From the given name Nazario.

Nazaryan Armenian
Means "son of Nazar".

Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.

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

Neely Scottish
Variant of McNeilly.

Negrescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian negru "black".

Negri Italian
Nickname derived from Italian negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.

Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.

Neil Scottish, English, Irish
Derived from the given name Neil.

Nejem Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic نجم (see Najm).

Nelissen Dutch
Means "son of Cornelis".

Nelli Italian
Derived from the given name Nello.

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.

Nemes Hungarian
Means "noble, gentle" in Hungarian.

Német Hungarian
Variant of Németh.

Németh Hungarian
Means "German" in Hungarian.

Nenci Italian
Means "son of Nencio", a Tuscan diminutive of the name Lorenzo.

Nepi Italian
From the town of Nepi in central Italy, which is of uncertain origin.

Neri Italian
From Italian nero "black", indicating a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.

Neroni Italian
Variant of Neri.

Nervetti Italian
Possibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.

Nervi Italian
From the name of the town of Nervi in Liguria, northwestern Italy.

Nespola Italian
Variant of Nespoli.

Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Neuman German, Jewish
Variant of Neumann.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Neuville French
From the names of various French towns meaning "new town".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Nevin 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Nevin 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín or Ó Cnáimhín.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

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).

Ng 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wu 1.

Ng 2 Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Huang.

Ngo Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Ngô.

Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 吳 (ngô).

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.

Nibhanupudi Telugu
From the name of a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Nicastro Italian
From the name of the town of Nicastro in Calabria, southern Italy.

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

Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nichols English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nicholson English
Means "son of Nicholas". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Jack Nicholson (1937-).

Nickleby Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix -by, which is derived from Old Norse býr meaning "farm, settlement".

Nicodemo Italian
Derived from the given name Nicodemo.

Nicolai Italian
Means "son of Nicola 1".

Nicolaou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Νικολάου (see Nikolaou).

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Nicolescu Romanian
Means "son of Nicolae".

Nicolosi Italian
From the name of the town Nicolosi on Sicily, itself named for Saint Nicholas.

Nicolson English
Variant of Nicholson.

Nicosia Italian
From the name of the town of Nicosia on Sicily.

Nicotera Italian
From the name of the town of Nicotera in Calabria.

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

Nielsen Danish
Means "son of Niels 1".

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Niemczyk Polish
From Polish Niemiec meaning "German" and the patronymic suffix -czyk.

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Niemelä Finnish
From Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Nieminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape".

Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.

Nieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "grandson" in Spanish.

Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.

Nifterick Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nifterik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Niftrik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nigel English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Nigro Italian
Variant of Negri.

Niklasson Swedish
Means "son of Niklas".

Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".

Nikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos".

Nikolić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

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

Niles English
Means "son of Neil".

Nilsen Norwegian
Means "son of Nils".

Nilsson Swedish
Means "son of Nils".

Nishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Nishimura Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nishitani Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Nishiyama Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Nisi Italian
Means "son of Niso", an Italian form of the mythological name Nisus.

Niskanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niska meaning "neck", indicating someone who lived on a neck of land or who had a distinctive neck.

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Niven Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Nixon English
Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).

Nizzola Italian
From the name of the Italian town of Nizzola near Modena.

Noble English, Scottish
From a nickname meaning "noble, high-born, illustrious", derived via Middle English and Old French from Latin nobilis. In some cases the nickname may have been given ironically to people of the opposite character.

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

Noguchi Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

Nolan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nualláin meaning "descendant of Nuallán".

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Nordberg Swedish, Norwegian
From Swedish and Norwegian nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

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

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Nordström Swedish
From Swedish nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.

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.

Normand French
French form of Norman.

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.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

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

Nørup Danish
From the name of Danish villages named Nørup or Norup.

Norup Danish
Variant of Nørup.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Noschese Italian
From the name of the town of Nusco in Campania, southern Italy.

Nosek mu Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.

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

Novák mu Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Czech, Slovak and Hungarian form of Novak.

Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novŭ "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.

Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".

Novosel Croatian
Means "new settler" in Croatian.

Nowak Polish
Polish cognate of Novak. This is the most common surname in Poland.

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.

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

Nunes Portuguese
Means "son of Nuno".

Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".

Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.

Nurmi Finnish
Means "meadow, field" in Finnish. It was the surname of the athlete Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973).

Nurminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish nurmi meaning "grass, lawn".

Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".

Nussenbaum Jewish
Variant of Nussbaum.

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

Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".

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.

Nyitrai Hungarian
Indicated someone from Nitra, a city and historic principality of Slovakia (formerly in Hungary). Its name is derived from that of a local river, which is of unknown meaning.

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

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

Nyman Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Nyquist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Nyqvist Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Nyström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

O Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 오 (see Oh).

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

Obama Luo
From a rare Luo given name meaning "crooked, bent". It was possibly originally given to a baby who had an arm or leg that looked slightly bent immediately after birth or who was born in the breech position.

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

Ó Baoghill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Boyle.

O'Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Öberg Swedish
From Swedish ö (Old Norse ey) meaning "island" and berg meaning "mountain".

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.

Oblak Slovene
Means "cloud" in Slovene.

O'Boyle Irish
Variant of Boyle.

Ó Brádaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brady.

Ó Bradáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Braden.

Obradović Serbian
Means "son of Obrad".

Ó Braoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Breen.

Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.

Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.

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.

Ó Buachalla Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Buckley 2.

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

Ó Caiside Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cassidy.

O'Callaghan Irish
Variant of Callahan.

Ó Caoimh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keefe.

Ó Caoimháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cavan.

Ó Caoindealbháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinlan.

Ó Caolaidhe Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keeley.

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

Ó Catháin Irish
Means "descendant of Cathán".

Ó Cathaláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Callan.

Ó Cathasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Casey.

Ó Ceallacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Callahan.

Ó Ceallaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kelly 1.

Ó Cearmada Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Carmody.

Ó Ceithearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kearney.

Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.

Ó Ciardha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Carey.

Ó Cinnéidigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kennedy.

Ó Cléirigh Irish
Means "descendant of the clerk" in Irish.

O'Clery Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cléirigh.

Ó Cnáimhín Irish
Means "descendant of Cnámh", Cnámh being a nickname meaning "bone".

Ó Cochláin Irish
Means "descendant of Cochlán", where the given name Cochlán is derived from Irish cochal "cape" or "hood". This surname originated in County Cork, Ireland.

Ó Coigligh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quigley.

Ó Coileáin Irish
Means "descendant of Coileán" in Irish.

Ó Comhraidhe Irish
Means "descendant of Comhraidhe", in which the given name Comhraidhe is of unknown meaning.

Ó Conaill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connell.

Ó Conaire Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Conroy.

Ó Conchobhair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Connor.

Ó Conghalaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connolly.

O'Connell Irish
Variant of Connell.

O'Connor Irish
From Irish Ó Conchobhair meaning "descendant of Conchobar".

Ó Corcráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Corcoran.

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

Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.

Ó Cruadhlaoich Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Crowley 1.

Ó Cuaig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quigg.

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Ó Cuidighthigh Irish
Means "descendant of Cuidightheach" in Irish.

Ó Cuilinn Irish
Means "descendant of Cuileann", Cuileann being a nickname meaning "holly".

Ó Cuinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinn.

Ó Cuinneagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cunningham 2.

Ó Cuirc Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quirke.

Ó Dálaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Daly.

Ó Damháin Irish
Means "descendant of Damhán".

Ó Deasmhumhnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Desmond.

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

Ó Deoradháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doran.

Ó Díomasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Dempsey.

Ó Dochartaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doherty.

Ó Doibhilin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Devlin.

Ó Doirnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Durnin.