Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Monsivais SpanishHispanic (Mexico; Monsiváis): Perhaps A Topographic Name Derived From Latin Mons Silvaticus ‘Wooded Mountain’ Or A Habitational Name From Monsivalls A Hill In Ribagorza In Huesca Province (Spain) Named From Latin Monte Ipsa Vallis ‘Mount Of The Valley’.
Mont French, Catalantopographic name for a mountain dweller from Catalan and Old French
mont "mountain" (from Latin
mons genitive
montis).
Montalban SpanishSpanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.
Montalbano ItalianHabitational name from Montalbano di Elicona in northeastern Sicily (earlier simply Montalbano), Montalbano Jonico (Matera province), or the district of Montalbano in Fasano, Brindisi.
Montale ItalianFrom Latin
mons ("mountain"), this surname was originally given as a nickname to people who lived on hills and mountains. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet and writer Eugenio Montale (1896-1981), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1975.
Montalto Italian, PortugueseHabitational name from any of various places called Montalto or Montaldo especially Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza province in Italy or from a place in Portugal called Montalto from
monte "hill" and
alto "high" (from Latin
altus).
Montaperto ItalianMy father tells me this name means "open mountain." It seems to have come from a small area around Agrigento in Sicily, Italy.
Monteagudo SpanishHabitational name from any of numerous places called Monteagudo (‘pointed mountain’) from monte ‘mountain’ + agudo ‘sharp pointed’ (from Latin acutus from acus ‘needle’) for example in the provinces of Murcia Teruel A Coruña and Navarre.
Montecalvo ItalianHabitational name from any of various places called Montecalvo ("bald mountain") especially Montecalvo Irpino in Avellino province, from the elements
monte "mountain" and
calvo "bald".
Montefiore Italian, JewishDerived from
Montefiore, which is the name of several places in Italy. For example, there is Castle Montefiore in the town of Recanati (province of Macerata), the municipality of Montefiore Conca (province of Rimini) and the municipality of Montefiore dell'Aso (province of Ascoli Piceno)... [
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Monteith ScottishFrom the name of the district of
Menteith in south Perthshire, Scotland, derived from Gaelic
monadh meaning "hill pasture" combined with the Scottish river name
Teith. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor and musician Cory Monteith (1982-2013), who played Finn Hudson on the American television series
Glee (2009-2015).
Monteleone ItalianFrom various place names, meaning "mountain lion", or "mountain of the lion".
Montemayor SpanishHabitational name from any of several places called Montemayor, from monte meaning "mountain" + mayor meaning "main", "larger", "greater", in particular in the provinces of Cordova, Salamanca, and Valladolid.
Montenegro Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in Spain and Portugal named Montenegro, from Spanish and Portuguese
monte meaning "mountain, hill" and
negro meaning "black".
Monterd AragoneseIt indicates familial origin within either of 2 municipalities: Monterd d’Albarrazín or Monterd.
Monterrubio SpanishHabitational name from any of the places called Monterrubio ‘red mountain’.
Montesano ItalianFrom Italian
monte meaning "mountain" and
sano meaning "healthy".
Montesquieu FrenchFrom French
montagne, meaning "mountain" and possibly also from
queue, meaning "line". Charles Montesquieu was a 17th-century French aristocrat, philosopher and politician.
Monteverde ItalianHabitational name from any of various places called Monteverde, for example in Avellino province, from monte meaning "mountain" + verde meaning "green".
Monteverdi ItalianDerived from Italian
monte meaning "mountain" and
verdi meaning "green"; literally means "green mountain".
Montevirgen Spanish (Philippines)From the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Montevirgen, meaning "Our Lady of Mount Virgin," dedicated at the Convento de Montevirgen (Convent of Mount Virgin) in the municipality of Villalba de los Barros, located in Extremadura's Badajoz province in western Spain.
Montford EnglishAs a Shropshire name believed to mean "from a communal ford or water crossing" while the Norfolk origin is "from Munda's ford," Munda being an old English personal name meaning "protector, guardian," as seen in names such as
Edmund.
Montiel SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Montigny Frenchhabitational name from (Le) Montigny the name of several places in various parts of France (from a Gallo-Roman estate name Montiniacum formed either from a personal name or from a derivative of
mons "mountain" and the locative suffix
acum)... [
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Montilla SpanishHabitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
Montisci ItalianOriginated in Sardinia, Italy in the 17th century given to fishermen
Montone Italiannickname from
montone "ram" (from Medieval Latin
multo genitive
multonis). Or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Montone ("big mountain").
Monty French, EnglishTopographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).
Monvoisin FrenchMarried surname of a infamous 17th century fortune teller and poisoner, Catherine Monvoisin nee Deshayes, known as La Voisin. Executed for witchcraft in 1680 in the affair of the poisons. Her clients included the elite of Paris including a mistress of Louis XIV.
Monzo ItalianPossibly a variant of Monsu, which may be an occupational name for a cook, Calabrian munsu, or a nickname or title from Milanese monsu ‘sir’, ‘lord’, ‘gentleman’.
Monzon SpanishHabitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.
Moody English, IrishEither from Middle English
modie "angry, haughty, impetuous", or Old English
modig "brave, proud".
Mook GermanThis surname means 'flying insect' from a German word that is mauke. (I think it is mauke, I am SO not sure.)
Mööl EstonianMööl is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "möll" meaning "tumult" and "turbulence".
Moorcock EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a moorcock (the male of the red grouse). It is borne by British author Michael Moorcock (1939-).
Morabito ItalianUltimately from Arabic
مُرَابِط (
murabit) "holy man, one who preaches in the street; soldier stationed in an outpost", from which comes Sicilian
murabitu "moderate, sober" and
murabbiu "teetotal".
Moraczewski PolishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 Greater Polish villages named Moraczewo.
Morag HebrewMeans "threshing sledge", "flail" in Hebrew. Morag is a hand-held threshing tool.
Moralee English, FrenchFirst found in Norfolk where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings.
Moran IrishThe surname Moran, originating in counties Mayo and Sligo of Connaught, is the shortened version of O'Moran, Anglicized form of the older O'Morain "grandson of the great one" with the Old Irish root mor 'great, big' (denoting stature and/or character).
Morand French, French (Swiss)from the medieval Latin personal name Maurandus Morandus derived from Maurus "Mauritanian Moor" and the suffix -andus (following the pattern of names formed from a verbal noun such as Amandus) or shortened from Moderandus which appears to be Latin for "he who is (able) to be guided"... [
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Morant English, FrenchFrom the Old French personal name
Morant, perhaps from a nickname meaning "steadfast", or alternatively of Germanic origin and meaning literally "courage-raven". A known bearer was the British-born Australian soldier and poet Breaker Morant, original name Edwin Henry Murrant (?1864-1902).
Moratalla SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Murcian municipality.
Morceli Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly from Arabic مُرْسِل
(mursil) meaning "sender, dispatcher" or "sent, transmitted" from أَرْسَلَ
(ʾarsala) "to send, to dispatch".
Mordaunt EnglishRecorded as Mordant, Mordaunt (English), Mordagne, Mordant (French) and apparently Mordanti in Italy, this is a surname of French origins. According to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley writing in the year 1880, the name was originally Norman, and was brought to England by a follower of Duke William of Normandy, when he conquered England in 1066... [
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Morden EnglishParish in Surrey; one mile from Mitcham. "Moor Hollow" in Old English.
More English, ScottishVariant of
Moore 3. A famous bearer was the English lawyer, humanist, and martyr Saint Thomas More (1478-1535).
More Frenchnickname for a dark-skinned man from Old French
more "Moor" (from Latin
Maurus). French cognitive of
Moore 3.
Morehouse EnglishHabitational name from any of various places, for example Moorhouse in West Yorkshire, named from Old English mōr meaning "marsh", "fen" + hūs meaning "house".
Moreira Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of the numerous places in Portugal and Galicia called Moreira, from
moreira meaning "mulberry tree".
Morell RomanshDerived from Latin
maurus "Moorish, North African" as well as a derivation from a diminutive of the given name
Maurus.
Morells GreekOne meaning/explanation of the surname Morells is it's an Americanization of the Greek name surname
Mariolis.
Moreschi ItalianNickname for a dark-skinned person, derived from the Medieval Latin word
moro, actually from the Latin
Maurus, meaning, "dark-skinned".
Morey Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Mórdha, and in English (of Norman origin), derived from the Old French given name
Mory, a short form of
Amaury (see
Emery).
Morgade Anglo-SaxonIt`s a derived from Anglo-Saxon Morgen Or Morgan. Its meaning is morning. It have a second meaning that is a variety or type of oil.
Moriai JapaneseFrom the Japanese 盛 (
mori) "assortment" or 森 (
mori) "forest" and 合 (
ai) "fit," "suit," "join."
Moriancumer Mormon (Archaic)In the Book of Ether, Jared's brother's name remains untold. Joseph Smith revealed that his name was Mahonri Moriancumer.
Moriguchi JapaneseFrom 森
(mori) meaning "forest" and 口
(kuchi) meaning "entrance," "mouth."
Morihei JapaneseThis surname combines 森 (shin, mori) meaning "forest, woods" with 平 (hyou, byou, hei, tai.ra, -daira, hira, hira-) meaning "even, flat, peace."... [
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Morii JapaneseMori means "forest" and i means "well, mineshaft, pit".
Moríñigo LeoneseIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Morino JapaneseMori means "forest" and no means "field, rice paddy, wilderness".
Morioka JapaneseFrom Japanese 守
(mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker" and 岡
(oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
Moritani JapaneseFrom Japanese 守
(mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker" and 谷
(tani) meaning "valley".
Moriya JapaneseFrom the Japanese 守 (
mori or
kami) "guard," "protect," "defend" or 森 (
mori) "forest" and 屋 (
ya) "dwelling" or 谷 (
ya or
tani) "valley."
Moriya JapaneseFrom Japanese 守
(mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker" and 屋
(ya) meaning "house, dwelling".
Morizaka JapaneseMoto means "forest" and zuka is a form of
tsuka meaning "mound".
Mørk NorwegianFrom Old Norse
mork "wood". This was the name of several farmsteads in Norway.
Moro Italian, SpanishNickname from
moro "moor" from Latin
maurus "moor, north african" and Italian variant of
Mauro.
Moros SpanishHabitational name from Moros in Zaragoza province, so named from the plural of moro ‘Moor’, i.e. ‘the place where the Moors live’.
Morpurgo HebrewMorpurgo (Hebrew: מורפורגו) is an Italian surname of Jewish origin. Originally Marpurg, from the Austrian city Marburg an der Drau (today Maribor in Slovenia). Key ancestor was Moises Jacob, father of Petachia, in Bad-Rackersburg, Austria... [
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Morreale ItalianHabitational name from the town of Monreale in Sicily, derived from Italian
monte regale meaning "royal mountain".
Morrissey IrishMorrissey is an Irish name meaning "choice of the sea".
Mort EnglishPerhaps from a Norman nickname based on Old French
mort "dead", possibly referring to someone with a deathly pallor or otherwise sepulchral appearance.
Mortaz PersianMortaz is a family with Persian roots that means suffered or has suffered
Mosbrucker GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a bridge over a swamp, from Middle High German mos meaning "bog", "swamp" + brucke meaning "bridge".
Mosca RomanshYounger form of
Muos-cha which was derived from Romansh
muos-cha "fly (animal)".
Moscatelli ItalianThe name Moscatelli has its origins in a type of grape called Moscatel. This grape has its origin in ancient Egypt or Greece, but it was in Italy that it became famous. Here the farmers that planted the grape became known as the Moscatelli.
Moscato ItalianVariant of the personal name Muscato, also Americanized spelling of Greek Moskatos, a metonymic occupational name for a grower of muscat grapes.
Mosele Italian, German (Austrian)This surname is to be found in north-eastern Italy, more specifically in the Vicenza and Verona provinces. Families with this name are certain to be originally from the mountain town of Asiago, situated on a plateau north of Vicenza and now a well-known skiing resort... [
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Mosher EnglishIt is one of several variants of the name
Mauger, also spelt
Moger and
Major, which itself comes from the Old French
Maugier and Old German
Malger, a compound name meaning "council-spear"... [
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Moskowitz JewishGermanized form of a patronymic surname formed by adding the Slavic suffix "-ovic" meaning "son of" to a Yiddish transformation (Moshke) of the biblical Hebrew personal Moses ("Mosko" was a Polish pet form of the personal name Moses).
Moskva RussianDerived from the Russian word
Москва meaning "Moscow".
Moslavac CroatianHabitational name for someone from Moslavina, a region in Croatia.
Mosley EnglishHabitational name from any of several places called Mos(e)ley in central, western, and northwestern England. The obvious derivation is from Old English mos ‘peat bog’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’, but the one in southern Birmingham (Museleie in Domesday Book) had as its first element Old English mus ‘mouse’, while one in Staffordshire (Molesleie in Domesday Book) had the genitive case of the Old English byname Moll.