Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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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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 Spanish, Italiandescribing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian
mela Mellenthin GermanHabitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Mellor EnglishParishes in Derbyshire, and Lancashire, meaning the mill bank. ... [
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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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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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Ménard FrenchMénard is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: André Ménard, Governor General in the French colonial empire.
Mendarozketa BasqueIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Zigoitia.
Mendarte BasqueThis is a (nearly extinct) Basque surname of Gipuzkoan origin. It is a topographic name for someone who lived near a mountain. (Basque mendi = Mountain, arteko = near/in between)... [
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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.
Mendieta BasqueThis indicates familial origin within any of 3 eponymous neighborhoods: the one in the municipality of Ajangiz, the one in the municipality of Lemoa, or the one in the municipality of Artziniega.
Mendiguren BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Gasteiz.
Mendinueta BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of Itzagaondoa.
Mendizabal BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of Arratzua-Ubarrundia that the falangists demolished in 1959 to make way for a reservoir.
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.
Meneses Spanish (Caribbean)Meneses is my maternal grandfather's surname. He was born in Cuba in 1888 but his family came from Spain in the 1800's... [
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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".
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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Meràs OccitanThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Languedocien commune.
Mercado SpanishTopographic name for someone living by a market or metonymic occupational name for a market trader, from Spanish
mercado meaning "market".
Mercedes Spanish (Caribbean)Means "mercies," from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary,
María de las Mercedes, meaning "Mary of Mercies."
Meredith WelshFrom the personal name
Maredudd. In Welsh the stress is on the second syllable. The Old Welsh form is
Morgetiud, of which the first element may mean "pomp, splendor" and the second is
iudd "lord".
Meri EstonianMeri is both an Estonian and Finnish surname, meaning "sea".
Meriloo EstonianMeriloo is an Estonia surname derived from "meri" (sea) and "loo", one of several named locations in Estonia.
Merino Spanish"Merino" where a kind of medieval judges in the kingdoms of Castille and Navarre (nowadays Spain). Besides solving controversies among the people, could have some role in the organization of their territories.... [
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Meritee EstonianMeritee is an Estonian surname meaning "sea road/causeway".
Merivale EnglishThe surname Merivale was first found in Cornwall and Devon, where this prominent family flourished. Walter
Merifild was recorded in Devon in 1200 but it is believed the family had established itself earlier in St... [
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Meriwether EnglishMeans "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person.
Merkh German (Anglicized, ?)Anglicized form of the name Märkh, a German name that existed in southern Germany with Arabic roots tied to the village of al-Märkh in Qatar; the name became Anglicized in the early 17th century. It is one of those surnames where anyone who possesses it is related to everyone else who possesses the name.
Merlette FrenchFeminine diminutive of French
merle "blackbird", this name was given as a nickname to a cheerful person or to someone who liked to sing.
Merriam WelshDerived from either the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of
Maurice, or ultimately from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark".
Merridew EnglishA different form of
Meredith (from the Welsh personal name
Meredydd, perhaps literally "lord of splendour"). It occurs in Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' (1868) belonging to Mrs Merridew, widowed sister to Sir John Verinder.
Merrifield EnglishEnglish habitational name from any of various places, such as
Merryfield in Devon and Cornwall or
Mirfield in West Yorkshire, all named with the Old English elements
myrige 'pleasant' +
feld 'pasture', 'open country.' See also
Merivale.
Merrimen NormanAn ancient Norman name, that would have been used in Britain soon after the Conquest of the island in 1066. This name was given to a person who was a person who was a mischievous child, or who liked to play tricks and make jokes.
Merton EnglishFrom a place name meaning "town on a lake" in Old English.
Mervyn English(i) from the medieval personal name
Merewine, literally "fame-friend"; (ii) from the Old English personal names
Mǣrwynn, literally "famous joy", and
Merefinn, from Old Norse
Mora-Finnr; (iii) from the Welsh personal name
Merfyn, literally probably "marrow-eminent"
Mesa SpanishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations in Spain called Mesa meaning "table" or "mesa" in Spanish (referring to a flat area of land).
Mesila EstonianMesila is an Estonian surname meaning "apiary" and "bee garden".
Mesipuu EstonianMesipuu is an Estonian surname meaning "beehive" (literally, "honey tree").
Mesmer GermanOccupational name for a maker of knives from Middle High German
messer meaning "knife". A famous bearer was Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), a German doctor known for his theory of "animal magnetism", which was eventually incorporated into the field of hypnosis.
Messam English (British)originates from a place called Measham in the county of Leicestershire. The placename is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, as Messeham, and in the Pipe Rolls of the county of 1182 as Meisham... [
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Messer GermanOccupational name for an official in charge of measuring the dues paid in kind by tenants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
mezzen "to measure".
Messer ScottishOccupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Middle English, Older Scots mess(i)er, from Old French messier (see Messier).
Messerschmidt GermanName given to a knife smith. From German "messer" meaning knife, and "schmidt" meaning smith.
Messi African, Arabic, ItalianFamous bearer of this surname is Lionel Messi (born 1987-), an Argentinian footballer of Italian descent.
Messiaen Dutch, FrenchDerived from
Messiaen, the (archaic) Dutch form of the latinate first name
Messianus, which itself is ultimately derived from the Roman praenomen
Messus. The meaning of
Messus is not wholly certain; it may be derived from the Latin verb
meto "to reap, to harvest, to cut, to sever", or from the latinized form of Greek
mesos or
messos "(the) middle, (the) middle one"... [
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Messier FrenchOccupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Old French messier 'harvest master' (Late Latin messicarius, agent derivative of messis 'harvest').
Mestanza SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Metallo ItalianFrom the Greek vocabulary word
metallo "metal", used as a nickname for a miner or for someone with a clear or metallic tone of voice.
Metcalfe EnglishAn occupational name from Northern England, from Old English
mete, 'food' and
calf, 'calf', i.e calfs being fattened for consumption in late summer. Thus, making this surname an occupational name for either a slaughterer or herdsman... [
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Metheny EnglishOriginated from the village name of Methley in Yorkshire.
Metla RussianDerived from Russian метла
(metla) meaning "broom, besom".
Metrejon Louisiana Creole (?), French (?)Maiden surname of Constance Leto (nee Metrejon). She was born in Louisiana and has Cajun(French) ancestry. The Metrejon line is traced back to Joseph Marie Maitrejean, who was born c. 1778, in Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, an island off the coast of Brittany.
Mētriņš LatviaThe name is a combination of "mētra", the Latvian word for mint and -iņš, a suffix commonly used for Latvian male surnames.
Metsäniemi FinnishFinnish surname derived from metsä meaning forest and niemi meaning peninsula.
Metsavaht EstonianMetsavaht is an Estonian surname meaning "forest guard" and "forest warden".
Metsik EstonianMetsik is an Estonian surname meaning "wild" and " ferocious".
Metslang EstonianMetslang is an Estonian surname meaning "forest cutting area"; derived from the compounds "mets "forest" and "lank" (cutting area).
Metsnõmm EstonianMetsnõmm is an Estonian surname meaning "forest heath/moorland".