Jung 1 GermanMeans
"young" in German, from Middle High German
junc.
Kahler GermanFrom a nickname derived from German
kahl meaning
"bald".
Kaiser GermanFrom Middle High German
keiser meaning
"emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name
Caesar.
Kalb GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
Kalbfleisch GermanOccupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German
kalb meaning "calf" and
fleisch meaning "meat".
Kappel German, DutchName for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin
cappella, a diminutive of
cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint
Martin, which was kept in small churches.
Kästner GermanMeans
"cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German
kaste "box".
Kaube GermanFrom the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.
Keil GermanMeans
"wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.
Keller GermanMeans
"cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.
Kerner GermanDerived from Old High German
kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
Kiefer 2 GermanOccupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German
kuofa meaning
"barrel".
Kirchner GermanDerived from Middle High German
kirchenaere meaning
"sexton".
Kistler GermanOccupational name meaning
"chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German
kiste.
Klein German, Dutch, JewishMeans
"small, little" from German
klein or Yiddish
kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Klossner GermanDerived from German
Klausner, Middle High German
klosenære meaning
"hermit".
Knef GermanOccupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German
knif meaning
"shoemaker's knife".
Kneller GermanOriginally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German
knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Knochenmus GermanFrom German
Knochen "bone" and
Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.
Knopf GermanMeans
"button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.
Kohl GermanDerived from Middle High German
kol "cabbage".
Kohler GermanFrom Middle High German
koler meaning
"charcoal burner" or
"charcoal seller".
Kolbe GermanFrom Middle High German
kolbe meaning
"club".
Krämer GermanMeans
"shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German
kram meaning "tent, trading post".
Kranz German, JewishDerived from Old High German
kranz meaning
"wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.
Kraus GermanFrom Middle High German
krus meaning
"curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.
Krebs GermanMeans
"crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.
Kron German, SwedishFrom German
Krone and Swedish
krona meaning
"crown" (from Latin
corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.
Krückel GermanNickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German
krücke meaning
"cane".
Krüger 1 GermanIn northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German
kroch meaning
"tavern".
Krüger 2 GermanIn southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German
kruoc meaning
"jug, pot".
Küchler GermanOccupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German
kuoche "cake, pastry".
Kunkel GermanOccupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German
kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.
Kurz GermanMeans
"short" in German, ultimately from Latin
curtus.
Labriola ItalianOriginally indicated a person from the town of Abriola in southern Italy.
Lachance FrenchMeans
"chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.
Lachapelle FrenchMeans
"the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.
Lacroix FrenchMeans
"the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Laganà ItalianOccupational name for a greengrocer, meaning
"vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek
λάχανον (lachanon).
Lagorio ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Ligurian
lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.
Laguardia ItalianOccupational name meaning
"sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.
Lama ItalianDerived from the name place
Lama, common in Italy.
Lamar French, EnglishOriginally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French
la mare meaning "the pool".
Lamon ItalianFrom the name of the village of Lamon near the city of Belluno in Veneto, Italy.
Landau German, JewishDerived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".
Lane 2 FrenchDerived from a French word meaning
"wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.
Lapointe FrenchMeans
"the point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.
Laporte FrenchMeans
"the door, the gateway" in French, from Latin
porta. This was a name for someone who lived near the town gates or who operated them.
Laterza ItalianFrom the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.
Laurito ItalianFrom the name of the town of Laurito, near Salerno in the area of Naples.
Lavigne FrenchMeans
"the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.
Lavoie FrenchMeans
"the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.
Lebeau FrenchNickname for a handsome person, from French
le "the" and
beau "beautiful, handsome".
Leblanc FrenchMeans
"the white" in French, from
blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.
Lebrun FrenchFrom a nickname meaning
"the brown" in French, from
brun "brown".
Lecce ItalianOriginally indicated a person from Lecce, southern Italy. The town was known as
Licea or
Litium in Latin, earlier
Lupiae.
Lecomte FrenchMeans
"the count" in French, a nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved like one.
Lécuyer FrenchFrom French
écuyer meaning
"squire, shield-bearer", from Latin
scutarius, a derivative of
scutum "shield".
Lefèvre FrenchOccupational name meaning
"blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin
faber.
Lehmann GermanFrom Middle High German
lehenman meaning
"vassal, liege man".
Lehr GermanFrom Old High German
loh meaning
"meadow, clearing".
Leitner GermanReferred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German
lite "slope".
Leitzke GermanEither from
Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name
Leutz, a variant of
Lutz.
Lemaire FrenchMeans
"the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.
Lémieux FrenchDerived from the place name
Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
Lemoine FrenchMeans
"the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.
Lenz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"springtime" in German.
Leroux FrenchMeans
"the red", from Old French
ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.
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".
Luther GermanFrom the old given name
Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).
Luzzatto ItalianFrom an Italian form of
Lusatia, a region of eastern Germany.
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.
Lyon 2 English, FrenchFrom a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English
lion meaning
"lion".
Manco ItalianMeans
"left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin
mancus meaning "maimed".
Mandel German, YiddishMeans
"almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Manfredonia ItalianOriginally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King
Manfred of Sicily.
Mann German, EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.
Mantovani ItalianFrom the name of the city of Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy (
Mantova in Italian).
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.
Marmo ItalianMeans
"marble" in Italian, possibly indicating a person who lived near a quarry or one who worked with marble.
Marquardt GermanFrom Old High German
marka "border, boundary" and
wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.
Martel 2 French, EnglishNickname for a smith, derived from Old French
martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin
martellus.
Maurer GermanOccupational name meaning
"wall builder" in German.
Maus GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"mouse", from Old High German
mus.
Mazza ItalianFrom a nickname (perhaps occupational) meaning
"maul, mallet" in Italian.
Meissner GermanOriginally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.
Melsbach GermanFrom the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".
Mendel 2 GermanDerived 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.
Merkel GermanFrom a diminutive of the given name
Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).
Merlo Italian, SpanishMeans
"blackbird", ultimately from Latin
merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
Messer GermanOccupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German
messer "knife".
Messina ItalianFrom the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city
Μεσσήνη (Messene).
Messner GermanOccupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German
mesinari.
Metz 1 GermanOccupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German
metze "knife".
Meyer 1 GermanFrom Middle High German
meier meaning
"bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin
maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings
Meier and
Meyer are more common in northern Germany while
Maier and
Mayer are more common in southern Germany.
Modugno ItalianFrom the town of Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994).
Mondadori ItalianFrom Italian
mondatore meaning
"weeder". This was an occupational name for someone who kept fields clear of weeds.
Monet FrenchDerived from either of the given names
Hamon or
Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Montagna ItalianMeans
"mountain" in Italian, from Latin
montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.
Monti ItalianMeans
"mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin
mons.
Morra ItalianLocative name derived from Italian places such as Morra De Sanctis, Campania, or Morra del Villar, Piedmont.
Moschella ItalianFrom a diminutive of Italian
mosca meaning
"housefly", perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.
Moser GermanName for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German
mos.
Motta ItalianFrom various names of places around Italy. It is derived from a Gaulish word meaning "hill".
Muggia ItalianFrom the town of Muggia in northeastern Italy near the Slovenian border. It was called
Muglae in Latin.
Müller GermanGerman equivalent of
Miller, derived from Middle High German
mülnære or
müller.
Muraro ItalianOccupational name for a wall builder, from Italian
murare meaning
"to wall up".
Mussolini ItalianFrom 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).
Nagel German, DutchMeans
"nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.
Naggi ItalianOriginally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.