LAPOINTE FrenchMeans "point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.
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", from French
blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.
LECCE ItalianOriginally indicated a person from Lecce, southern Italy. The town was known as
Licea or
Litium in Latin, earlier
Lupiae.
LÉCUYER FrenchFrom French
écuyer meaning "squire, shield-bearer".
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.
LENZ GermanFrom a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.
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.
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.
MAGRO ItalianFrom a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin
macer.
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.
MARCHAND English, FrenchOccupational surname meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin
mercari "to trade".
MARCHEGIANO ItalianFrom the name of the Marche region in Italy. It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.
MARQUARDT GermanFrom Old German
marka "border, boundary" and
ward "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 Latin
martellus.
MAURER GermanOccupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.
MAUS GermanFrom a nickname meaning "mouse" from the word
mûs (Middle High German, Old High German).
MAZZA ItalianFrom nicknames meaning "maul" or "mallet" in Italian.
MENDEL Jewish, GermanDerived from the given name
MENDEL. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
MERLO Italian, SpanishMeans "blackbird", ultimately from Latin
merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
MESSANA ItalianFrom the name of the Sicilian city Messina. The city was named for the original Greek settlers' homeland Messene.
MESSER GermanOccupational surname for one who made knives, from German
messer "knife".
METZ (1) GermanOccupational name for a cutler derived from Middle High German
metze "knife".
METZGER GermanMeans "butcher" in German, given to people who practiced that profession.
MEYER (1) GermanFrom the Middle High German word
meier meaning "higher, superior". It was used for landholder's stewards or great farmers or leaseholders (nowadays a
Meier is a dairy farmer).
Meier and
Meyer are used more often in northern Germany while
Maier and
Mayer are used in southern Germany.
MODUGNO ItalianFrom the town Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994), the songwriter of 'Volare'.
MONDADORI ItalianMeans "fleece selector" from Old Italian
emendatore. This was an occupational name for someone who chose the best fleeces to be made into wool.
MONET FrenchDerived from either of the given names
HAMON or
EDMOND. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
MORANDI ItalianFrom the Italian medieval given name
Morando meaning "steadfast".
MORRA ItalianLocative surname derived from Morra De Sanctis, a place near Naples, Italy.
MOSCHELLA ItalianMeans "housefly" in Italian, perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.
MOSER GermanName for someone who lived near a peat bog, from the Middle High German word
mos.
MOTTA ItalianFrom various names of places around Italy. It is derived from a Gaulish word meaning "hill".
MUGGIA ItalianLocative surname from the area of Trieste, the capital city of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Muggia is a town near the Croatian border.
MÜLLER GermanGerman equivalent of
MILLER, derived from Middle High German
mülnære or
müller.
MURTAS ItalianFrom the Sardinian word
murta meaning "myrtle". This surname has a locative origin.
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.
NASATO ItalianNickname for someone with a prominent nose, from Italian
naso "nose".
NECCHI ItalianPossibly from Italian
neccio, a type of flat bread.
NEGRI ItalianNickname derived from Italian
negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.
NEPI ItalianFrom the town of Nepi in central Italy, which is of uncertain origin.
NERI ItalianFrom Italian
nero "black", indicating a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.
NERVETTI ItalianPossibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese
nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.
NERVI ItalianFrom the name of the town of Nervi in Liguria, northwestern Italy.
NESPOLI ItalianFrom the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian
nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".
NEUVILLE FrenchFrom the names of various French towns meaning "new town".
NICASTRO ItalianFrom the name of the town of Nicastro in Calabria, southern Italy.
NICCHI ItalianFrom the Italian word
nicchio meaning "shell", possibly a nickname for people related to the sea.
NICOLOSI ItalianFrom the name of the town Nicolosi on Sicily, itself named for Saint Nicholas.
NIEDDU ItalianFrom Sardinian
nieddu meaning "black", derived from Latin
niger.
NISI ItalianMeans "son of Niso", an Italian form of the mythological name
NISUS.
NIZZOLA ItalianFrom the name of the Italian town of Nizzola near Modena.
NOEL French, EnglishEither 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.
NOSCHESE ItalianFrom the name of the town of Nusco in Campania, southern Italy.
NOTARO ItalianOccupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin
notarius.
OBERST GermanFrom Old High German
obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.
OELBERG GermanMeans "oil hill" from Middle High German
öl "oil" and
berg "mountain, hill".
OHME GermanFrom Middle High German
oem meaning "maternal uncle".
OPPENHEIMER GermanOriginally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home".
ORSINI ItalianFrom a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin
ursus "bear".
OURSLER GermanOriginally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.
PACE ItalianDerived from the Italian given name
Pace meaning "peace".
PADOVANO ItalianOriginally denoted one who came from the city of Padua in Italy, from Italian
Padova, itself from Latin
Patavium, of unknown meaning.
PAGE English, FrenchOccupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδιον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
PALLADINO ItalianFrom Italian
paladino meaning "knight, defender", from Late Latin
palatinus meaning "palace officer".
PALMISANO ItalianLocative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
PALUMBO ItalianFrom Italian
palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.
PAPP (2) GermanNickname perhaps related to Late Latin
pappare meaning "to eat".
PAQUET (1) FrenchOccupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French
pacquet "bundle".
PARENT English, FrenchDerived 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").
PARMA ItalianFrom the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.
PARODI ItalianFrom the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.
PATERNOSTER English, ItalianOccupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase
pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.
PAVIA ItalianFrom the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.
PAVONE ItalianMeans "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
PECORA ItalianMeans "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
PELLEGRINO ItalianMeans "pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
peregrinus.
PÉRIGORD FrenchFrom the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.
PERUGIA ItalianFrom the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as
Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.
PESARO ItalianFrom the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin
Pisaurum).
PESCE ItalianMeans "fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.
PETIT French, Catalan, EnglishMeans "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
PFAFF GermanFrom a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German
pfaffo, from Latin
papa.
PFENNING GermanFrom Old High German
pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
PIAZZA ItalianMeans "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square.
PICASSO ItalianFrom Italian
pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.
PICCOLI ItalianNickname for a short person, from Italian
piccolo "small".
PIERNO ItalianFrom the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.