Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Mctavish ScottishOn the Scottish west coast, the McTavish family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Tammas, which is the Lowland Scottish form of Thomas. The Gaelic forms of the name are Mac Tamhais or Mac Thamhais, both of which mean son of Tammas.
McTeer Irish, ScottishThis surname is a modern variant of the ancient
mhac an t'Saoir which means "the son of the carpenter."... [
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McVeigh Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Bheatha or
Mac an Bheatha, themselves derived from Gaelic
Mac Beatha meaning "son of life" (see
MacBeth).
Mead English, English (New Zealand)topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Middle English mede ‘meadow’ (Old English m?d). metonymic occupational name for a brewer or seller of mead (Old English meodu), an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey
Meader EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Mead 1 + the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant.
Meades EnglishThe name Meades is a plural variation of the name Meade, Mead, Mede, etc., the spelling being rather arbitrary and phonetic in the middle ages (even among the very few scribes, clerics and high-born persons who were literate) and without due consideration of standarized form, hence the various spellings of the name today... [
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Meadow EnglishA topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow. The form
meadow derives from
mǣdwe, the dative case of Old English
mǣd.
Meale EnglishPossibly a nickname from Middle English
mele "meal, ground cereal"
Meaño GalicianIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Meanswell Popular CultureSimply the English words "means well". This is the surname of the main protagonist of LazyTown, Stephanie Meanswell, as well as her uncle, Mayor Milford Meanswell.
Meaux FrenchHabitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name
Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.
Mecklenburg German, JewishRegional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon
mikil "big, great" and
burg "castle".
Medellin SpanishHabitational name from a place so named in Badajoz province Latin (Caecilia) Metellina derived from the name of a 1st-century Roman proconsul in Spain Cecilio Metello Pio.
Medici ItalianPatronymic or plural form of
Medico. This was the name of an Italian political dynasty that was in power through the Renaissance period.
Medico ItalianMeans "doctor, physician" in Italian, from Latin
medicus, ultimately from
medeor "to heal, cure, remedy, help".
Medley EnglishHabitational name, either a variant of
Madeley (a name common to several places, including one in Shropshire and two in Staffordshire), named in Old English as ‘Mada’s clearing’, from an unattested byname,
Mada (probably a derivative of
mad ‘foolish’) +
leah ‘woodland clearing’; or from Medley on the Thames in Oxfordshire, named in Old English with
middel ‘middle’ +
eg ‘island’... [
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Medrano SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Mée FrenchFrench habitational name from places called (Le) Mée in Mayenne, Eure-et-Loir, and Seine-et-Marne, derived from Old French
me(i)s ‘farmstead’ (Latin
mansus).
Mee EstonianMee is an Estonian surname derived from "mees" meaning "man".
Meeboer Dutch (Rare)Possibly an occupational name for someone who brewed or sold mead, from Dutch
mede (also
mee) "mead" and
boer "farmer, peasant; merchant, producer (of a product)".
Meeder EstonianMeeder is an Estonian surname derived from "meede (measure, arrangement)".
Meehan IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Maotháin meaning "descendant of
Maothán", a diminutive of Irish
maoth "soft, tender, moist; tearful, sentimental"... [
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Meeks ScottishIn Scotland, the names were spelled according to sound so there are many variations of the spelling including Meek, Meeke, Meik, Meech, Mekie and other spellings. After hard times in Scotland, many Meeks' left for Australia Ireland, and North America.
Meel EstonianMeel is an Estonian surname meaning "sense" or "countenance".
Meema EstonianMeema is an Estonian surname derived from "mesi/mee" meaning "honey".
Meersman FlemishAn occupational name for a travelling salesman, from Middle Dutch
merseman "itinerant merchant, peddler".
Meeru EstonianMeeru is an Estonian surname derived from "meer" meaning "mayor".
Meester Dutch, Flemish, GermanOccupational name for a teacher, lecturer or a master craftsman, or a nickname for someone who had a bossy demeanor, derived from Dutch
meester meaning "master". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress, singer and model Leighton Meester (1986-).
Megarry Irish, EnglishFrom the Irish 'Mag Fhearadhaigh', meaning "descendant of the fearless one"
Meghnagi Jewish, Northern AfricanSephardic Jewish, originating from the Libyan Jewish community. Most were from Tripoli, with a much smaller contingent from Benghazi.
Megrelishvili GeorgianMeans "son of the Mingrelian", derived from Georgian მეგრელი
(megreli) meaning "Mingrelian".
Meguri Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 巡 (
Meguri), a clipping of 巡谷 (
Meguriya) meaning "Meguriya", a division in the division of Nakada in the area of Aiga in the city of Sumoto in the prefecture of Hyōgo in Japan.
Meguri Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 廻 (
meguri), from 廻り (
meguri) meaning "transport route, regular visit". This is the name of a former village in the district of Aira in the former Japanese province of Ōsumi in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan.
Meguro JapaneseFrom Japanese 目
(me) meaning "eye, look, appearance" and 黒
(kuro) meaning "black".
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 GermanDenoting someone hailing from Melle in Germany.
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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