Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Mehine EstonianMehine is an Estonian surname meaning "manly" and "virile".
Mehra Indian, Hindi, PunjabiEither derived from Middle Persian
mihr meaning "friendship, sun" or from a Punjabi word meaning "chief, master".
Mehrabani PersianOriginally denoted someone who came from the city of
Mehraban, located in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
Meijerink DutchToponymic surname derived from
meier "bailiff, steward, tenant farmer" (see
Meijer) combined with the suffix
-ink.
Meiklejohn ScottishA Scottish distinguishing name for identifying the larger or eldest (Older Scots
meikle "large") or elder of two men called
John. (See also
Mickle).
Meiler RomanshDerived from the place name
Meils (present-day
Mels in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland).
Meireles PortugueseHabitational name for someone from a place called Meireles in Portugal, meaning unclear.
Mejia SpanishSpanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
Mejia GalicianA very ancient surname, infrequent and widely spread across Spain, mostly in Madrid, Barcelona, Ciudad Real, Valencia, Cuenca, Sevilla and Toledo; and also in Pontevedra, Lugo, Guadalajara, Almería, Granada, Alicante and Málaga.... [
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Mekky Arabic (Egyptian)Refers to the city of Mecca or Makka (مكة) in Saudi Arabia, considered the most holy city in Islam.
Melanchthon HistoryMeans "black earth", derived from Greek μελανός
(melanos), the genitive of the adjective μέλας
(melas) meaning "black, dark", and χθών
(chthon) meaning "land, earth, soil"... [
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Melander SwedishCombination of the element
Mel-, which is unexplained but probably derived from a place name, and the common surname suffix
-ander (a combination of
land "land" and the habitational suffix
-er)... [
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Melanson BretonPossibly derived from an altered form of French
mélasson "clumsy, awkward" (from
mélasse "molasses, treacle").
Melas GreekPossibly from the names of several characters in Greek mythology, including a son of Poseidon who the Nile River was originally named after.
Melby NorwegianModern form of Meðalbýr meaning "middle farm", a combination of Old Norse
meðal "middle" and
býr "farm".
Melero SpanishOccupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
Melgar SpanishTopographical name for someone who lived by a field of lucerne, Spanish melgar (a collective derivative of mielga 'lucerne', Late Latin melica, for classical Latin Medica (herba) 'plant' from Media).
Melgosa SpanishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 Castilian municipalities, Melgosa de Burgos or Melgosa de Villadiego. It could also indicate familial origin within the Manchego municipality La Melgosa.
Melillo ItalianMeans "small apple, crab apple" in Neapolitan, either a topographic name, an occupational name for a grower or seller of apples, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a sour disposition. Alternatively, it could be from the Latin given name
Mellilus, related to the endearment
mellilla "little honey", or be a diminutive form of
Meli.
Melin SwedishFrom any place name named with the element
mel- "middle".
Melissenos GreekSurname associated with the greek word melissa (μέλισσα), which means bee, perhaps a beekeeper.
Melle ItalianDerived from the place name Melle in Cueno, Piedmont, northern Italy. It could also be derived from the given name
Mello, a short form of diminutives ending with
-mello (like Giacomello, a diminutive of
Giacomo).
Melle GermanTaken from place names like Melle or Mellen in Germany.
Melle FrenchOccupational name derived from Old French
melle "buckle, ring".
Melle FrenchHabitational name from the French town Melle in Deux-Sèvres, western France.
Mellenthin GermanHabitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Meller German (Americanized), Danish (Americanized), Jewish (Ashkenazi), Polish (Germanized), EnglishSome characteristic forenames: German Uwe, Alois, Armin, Bernd, Dieter, Erwin, Hartmann, Manfred, Nikolaus, Ute. Jewish Arie, Baruch, Emanuel, Gershon, Moisey, Moshe.... [
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Mellor EnglishParishes in Derbyshire, and Lancashire, meaning the mill bank. ... [
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Melmoth EnglishFrom middle english
milde, meaning "mild, gentle, friendly" and
mouth. The development of the surname may have been influenced by association with Middle English
mele-mouth, meaning "mealy-mouthed, reticent, ingratiating, hypocritical".
Meloni ItalianFrom Italian
mela ("apple", from Latin
malum) or
melone ("melon", from Latin
melopepo), both ultimately from Ancient Greek μῆλον (
mêlon), meaning "apple", "fruit from a tree"... [
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Melrose Scottish, EnglishHabitational name from a place near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, so named from British words that were ancestors of Welsh
moel ‘bare, barren’ +
rhos ‘moor, heath’. ... [
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Meltzer GermanGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a maltster, a brewer who used malt, from German Meltzer (an agent derivative of Middle High German malt ‘malt’, ‘germinated barley’), Yiddish meltser ‘maltster’... [
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Memon UrduFrom the name of the Memon people who inhabit parts of India and Pakistan. The name itself is derived from Arabic مؤمن
(mu'min) meaning "believer".
Mencia SpanishDerived from the female personal name Mencía Mencia a cognate of the male name Matías.
Mendarozketa BasqueIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Zigoitia.
Mendarte BasqueHabitational name of Gipuzkoan origin, possibly derived from Basque
mendi "mountain" and
arte "between, among".
Mendeleev RussianMeaning uncertain. A famous bearer was
Dimitri Mendeleev (1834-1907), a Russian chemist who developed an early model of the periodic table.
Mendenhall EnglishIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous place in Wiltshire.
Mendibil BasqueHabitational name derived from Basque
mendi "mountain" and
-bil "round, circular".
Mendieta BasqueHabitational name derived from Basque
mendi "mountain" and
-eta "place of, abundance of".
Mendiguren BasqueFrom the name of a hamlet meaning "edge of the mountain" in Basque.
Mendinueta BasqueFrom the name of a village in Itzagaondoa, Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque
mendino "small mountain" and the toponymic suffix
-eta "place of, abundance of".
Mendiola BasqueFrom the name of a village in Álava, Basque Country, derived from
mendi "mountain" combined with either
ola "hut, cabin; foundry, factory" or
-ola "place of".
Mendizabal BasqueMeans "wide mountain", derived from Basque
mendi "mountain" and
zabal "wide, broad, ample". This was also the name of a neighborhood of Arratzua-Ubarrundia that the falangists demolished in 1959 to make way for a reservoir.
Mendler GermanOccupational name for a maker of coats from an agent derivative of Middle High German
mantel,
mandel,
mendel "coat".
Mendola Italiantopographic name for someone who lived by an almond tree or trees or a habitational name from any of the places called with the dialect term
amendola mendula "almond almond tree" (see
Amendola ). Compare
Lamendola.
Menear Cornish, English (British)English (Devon; of Cornish origin): topographic name for someone who lived by a menhir, i.e. a tall standing stone erected in prehistoric times (Cornish men ‘stone’ + hir ‘long’). In the United States, it is a common surname in Pennsylvania & West Virginia.
Meng ChineseFrom Chinese 孟
(mèng) meaning "eldest brother". It was also adopted by descendants of Meng Sun, a prince from the state of Lu that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Mengele GermanDoctor Josef Mengele (Born on March 16, 1911 - Died on February 7, 1979), also known as the Angel of Death, was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) Officer and physician during World War II. He is mainly remembered for his actions at the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he performed deadly experiments on prisoners, was a member of the team of doctors who selected victims to be killed in the gas chambers and was one of the doctors who administered the gas.
Mengíbar SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Menke GermanDerived as a diminutive of several Germanic given names whose first element was derived from Germanic
*magin- and
*megin- "strength; force; power".
Mennen DutchDerived from a given name such as
Manno, or any name containing the element
megin "power, strength".
Menon MalayalamMeans "accountant" in Malayalam, itself derived from the title മേലവൻ
(melavan) meaning "overseer, boss, exalted one", from മേല
(mel) meaning "top, above, high" and the third person pronoun അവൻ
(avan) meaning "he".
Menshov m RussianFrom Russian
меньший (menshiy), meaning "less, lesser". Denoted to a peasent or other person of low economic class.
Mentzer GermanHabitational name with the agent suffix -er, either from Mainz, earlier Mentz, derived from the medieval Latin name Mogontia (Latin Mogontiacum, probably from the Celtic personal name Mogontios), or from Menz in Brandenburg and Saxony.
Menzie ScottishMenzie (originally spelled Menȝie) derives from the surname
Menzies, which in turn derives from the Norman commune Mesnières (known as Maneria in the 1300s)... [
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Merage PersianLikely from Arabic
Miraj, meaning ‘ascension’. A famous bearer of the surname is the co-founder of Hot Pockets, Paul Merage.
Meràs OccitanThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Languedocien commune.
Mercante ItalianAn occupational name meaning "merchant, trader" in Italian, from Latin
mercans "trading".
Mercedes Spanish (Caribbean)Means "mercies," from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary,
María de las Mercedes, meaning "Mary of Mercies."
Mercey FrenchDerived from the name of the commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France.