MoselGerman Habitational name from any of several places so named. topographic name from the Mosel river in western Germany a tributary of the Rhine that rises in the Vosges and flows through Lorraine and then a deep winding valley from Trier to Koblenz.
MoseleItalian Probably related to German Moser, derived from moos "moss, bog". Alternatively, could be related to the toponyms Mosa or Mosella, which are of Celtic origin.
MosherEnglish It 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"... [more]
MoskowitzJewish Germanized 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).
MosleyEnglish Habitational 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" and 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.
MosqueraSpanish, Catalan Spanish topographic name for someone who lived in a place that was infested with flies or mosquitos from a derivative of mosca "fly" (from Latin musca)... [more]
MossbergSwedish Combination of Swedish mosse "bog" and berg "mountain".
MossmanEnglish This interesting name is a variant of the surname Moss which is either topographical for someone who lived by a peat bog, from the Old English pre 7th Century 'mos' or a habitational name from a place named with this word, for example Mosedale in Cumbria or Moseley in West Yorkshire.
MostGerman Metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of must, i.e. unfermented grape juice, from Middle High German most, ultimately derived from Latin mustum vinum meaning "young (i.e. fresh) wine"... [more]
MostPolish, Jewish Topographic name from Slavic most meaning "bridge", or a habitational name from any of several places named with this word.
MotoyamaJapanese Combination of Kanji Characters 本 meaning "Book", and 山 meaning "Mountain".
MottEnglish The surname Mott was first found in Essex, where the family held a family seat from very early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Moate (Irish: An Móta) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland... [more]
MotteFrench, Walloon, Flemish, German from old French motte "motte" a word of Gaulish origin denoting a man-made protective mound or moat surrounding a castle or other fortified strongholds; or a habitational name from any of the various places in France and in Belgium named with this word.... [more]
MouChinese From Chinese 牟 (móu) referring to the ancient state of Mou that existed during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 BC).
MouchtarisGreek Greek form of Mukhtar, from Arabic mukhtar (مختار) meaning "the chosen".
MoujahidArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic مُجَاهِد (mujāhid) meaning "one who is labouring, one who is in distress", also used to refer to a member of a liberation army in Muslim countries (chiefly Moroccan).
MouldenhauerGerman Has a Northern German origin, and means “bowl maker” or “carver of bowls”.
MoulderEnglish Derived from the Middle English word molder which means "to shape or mold something." It could refer to a person who shaped or molded dough or other ingredients into loaves of bread or other baked goods... [more]
MoultonEnglish Derived from various places with the same name, for example in the counties of Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and North Yorkshire in England. It is either derived from the Old English given name Mūla, the Old Norse name Múli or Old English mūl meaning "mule" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
MountEnglish Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains.
MountbattenEnglish, German (Anglicized) Partial calque of Battenberg. This is the name of a British family that originated as a branch of the Battenberg family, a notable bearer of which was British statesman Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979).
MountstuartEnglish Possibly derived from the mountain in the Cascade Range, in the state of Washington, United States.
MouraPortuguese Derived from the Portuguese word "Mouro", which refers to an individual from the Moor people. This is the feminine form of the word, often used in legends of enchanted moor women, which very common in Portugal... [more]
MourouzisGreek Belonged to an important Greek family of Pontic origin.
MousallEnglish The surname Mousall was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
MoutonFrench Nickname from Old French mouton "sheep" used for a docile mild-mannered person for someone easily led or perhaps for a curly-haired man... [more]
MoxleyEnglish From the name of a settlement in Staffordshire, England, probably derived from the Old English given name Mocc and hlaw "mound, small hill".
MoxonEnglish Means "son of Magge", a pet-form of Margaret, a female personal name which came into English via French from Late Latin Margarita, literally "pearl".
MoyanoSpanish Habitational name for someone from Moya, from an adjectival form of the place name.
MoyesEnglish From the medieval personal name Moise, a vernacular variant of Moses (the biblical name of the Hebrew prophet who led the Children of Israel out of captivity).
MozartGerman The surname was first recorded in the 14th century as Mozahrt, and later as Motzhardt in Germany. It is a compound word, the first part of which is Middle High German mos, also spelt mosz, and meaning “bog, marsh” in southern dialects (compare modern German Moos)... [more]
MroczkowskiPolish Name for someone from any of various places called Mroczkowa, Mroczków or Mroczkowice, all derived from Polish mroczek meaning "house bat".
MrózPolish From a nickname for a white-haired man or alternatively for one of an icy and unsociable disposition, from Polish mróz "frost". Also can be from a short form of the personal name Ambroży
MrozińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from any of several places called Mrozy.
MrozowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Mrozowo in Bydgoszcz voivodeship, or from any of several places called Mrozy.
MuChinese Chinese : in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc) there existed a leader who was posthumously given the name of the duke of Mu. His descendants adopted Mu as their surname... [more]
MudaliarTamil "Mudaliar" is a combination of a Tamil word "Mudali" which means "First" and "yar" which is an honorific suffix. So the surname means "First People" or "Elite People" in Tamil.
MuddEnglish Either (i) "person who lives in a muddy area"; (ii) from the medieval female personal name Mudd, a variant of Maud (variously Mahalt, Mauld, Malt, vernacular versions of Anglo-Norman Matilda); or (iii) from the Old English personal name Mōd or Mōda, a shortened form of various compound names beginning with mōd "courage".
MudgeEnglish A location surname for someone who lives or dwells near the swamps. A famous bearer of this surname is Angela Mudge, a champion fell runner and trail runner from Scotland.
MuehlhauserOld High German The German surname Müehlhauser is derived from the Middle High German words "mülle" and "hûs" which respectively mean mill and house. It is roughly translated to mean "mill-house" and is believed to have evolved from an individual who was either the owner of a mill or lived in a house attached to a mill in earlier times.
MuffettScottish A different form of Moffatt. 'Little Miss Muffett' is a traditional nursery rhyme: Little Miss Muffett / Sat on a tuffet, / Eating her curds and whey; / There came a big spider, / Who sat down beside her / And frightened Miss Muffet away. It has been speculated that 'Miss Muffett' is Patience Muffet, the daughter of the physician and entomologist Dr Thomas Muffet (1553-1604).
MughalUrdu Means "Mughal, Moghul" in Urdu, derived from Persian مغول (moghul) meaning "Mongol". This was the name of the dynasty (of Mongol origin) that ruled much of South Asia from the 16th to 19th centuries.
MuirScottish Topographic name for someone who lived on a moor, from a Scots form of Middle English more moor, fen.
MuisDutch From Dutch muis meaning "mouse". Could be a nickname denoting someone with mouse-like tendencies, or who caught mice, or a short form of the given name Bartholomeus.
MukushinaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 無垢 (muku) meaning "spiritual purity; freedom from desire or aversion" and 品 (shina), a clipping of 九品 (kokonoshina) meaning "the 9 Stages in Life (in Buddhism)".
MulcasterEnglish (Modern) The surname Mulcaster was first found in Cumberland where they trace their lineage back to the place name Muncaster, home of Muncaster Castle, a privately owned castle overlooking the Esk river, near the west-coastal town of Ravenglass in Cumbria which dates back at least 800 years.
MulkerinIrish The Irish surname Mulkerin is an anglicied rendering of the Gaelic surname O'Maoilchiarain which means ,literally, "descendant of a follower of Saint Ciaran", the Irish saint who founded the great monastery at Clonmacnois... [more]
MullScottish Scottish, Irish, or English: Probably comes from the Scots language, as the Scots word for "headland" or comes from the geographical term, which is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Maol, a term for a rounded hill, summit, or mountain bare of trees... [more]
MullarkeyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó Maoilearca "descendent of the follower of (St) Earc", a personal name meaning literally either "speckled one" or "salmon".
MüllerleileGerman Derived from Middle High German mülnære, müller meaning "miller" (see Müller), and the German given names Lawlin, Lauwelin and Lawelin, medieval diminutives of Nikolaus.
MullinixFrench A locational name "of de Moloneaux" probably from the noble family who trace their descent from William the Conqueror, from Molineaux-sur-Seine, near Rouen. The name came to England during the wake of the Norman Conquest... [more]
MultatuliDutch From the Latin phrase multa tulī meaning "I have suffered much" or "I have borne much". This was the pen name of the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), who wrote Max Havelaar, which denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia... [more]
MulvaneyIrish From Ó Maoilmheana meaning "descendant of Maoilmhaena."
MulveyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maoilmhiadhaigh "descendant of Maoilmhiadhach", a personal name meaning "honorable chief".
MulvihillIrish Anglicized from Gaelic Ó Maoil Mhichíl meaning "descendant of Maoilmhichil", Maoilmhichil being a personal name meaning "devotee of (Saint) Michael", referring to the archangel.
MunchDanish, French, Norwegian (Rare) Either a variant of Münch or Munk, both meaning "monk". A notable bearer was Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863-1944), whose best known work is 'The Scream'.
MundakaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Spain, of uncertain etymology. A popular theory is that it derives from Latin munda aqua "clean water", but there is no evidence to support this origin... [more]
MundenEnglish From the name of a parish in Hertfordshire, England.
MunevarColombian I actually don't know its orgin, just the meaning and that I have it.... [more]
MungChin From a part of a Chin masculine compound personal name of unexplained meaning.
MungarayApache, Spanish (Mexican) Very rare Apache name give to the Apache still in Mexico. We are decents of victorio and the local spa is/ Mexicans gave us this name that we still carry today.
MungiaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Basque Country, possibly derived from the personal name Munio combined with the locative suffix -(t)egi.
MunkGerman, Scandinavian, Dutch, English From Middle High German münich Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish munk Middle Dutch munc "monk" a nickname for someone thought to resemble a monk or a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a monastery... [more]
MunkdahlSwedish (Rare) Perhaps derived from the name of the municipality and locality Munkedal in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. If that's the case, then the first element is Swedish munk "monk" and the second element is dal "valley"... [more]
MunnScottish, English Variant form of McMunn. In English, it is a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked for monks, derived from Anglo-Norman French moun meaning "monk" (see Monk).
MunshiUrdu, Bengali Derived from Persian منشی (monshi) meaning "secretary, teacher, writer", ultimately of Arabic origin.
MünsterGerman, Dutch habitational name from any of the places called Münster (in Germany) or Munster derived from Latin monasterium "monastery" or a topographic name for someone living near a monastery.
Muravyov-AmurskyRussian (Rare) Combination of surname Muravyov and Amursky. The famous bearer of this surname is Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, who played a major role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Amur River basin and to the shores of the Sea of Japan.
MurchieEnglish (American, Anglicized), English (British, Anglicized) "Murchie" comes from the personal name "Murdo". The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname was "Mac Mhurchaidh", meaning son of "Murdo". The name "Murdo" is equivalent to "Murdock", and means sea warrior.
MurchisonEnglish (American) May be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac Mhurchaidh" meaning "Son of Sea Warrior"
MurdickScottish Most likely a derivative of Murdock, or Murdoch. Historical documentation, as late as the mid-1800's refer to my ancestors as Murdock, but can also reference the surname of Murdick - even, on occasion, in the same document... [more]
MurilloSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations called Murillo, so named from a diminutive of Spanish muro meaning "wall".
MurkowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Murkowo.
MurlandIrish Murland is an Irish surname, which according to MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland is MacMurghalain in Gaelic, ultimately deriving from words meaning "sea" and "valor".
MusickPolish This Polish and Czech surname was a name of two-fold origin. It was a name given to a peasant or vassal and was also a nickname from the Polish word 'musiec' meaning 'must'. It appears that the name derived from someone who had to take orders, perhaps from an overseer or lord of the manor.
MussertDutch Dutch cognate of Mussett. This name was borne by the infamous Nazi politician Anton Mussert (1894-1946), the leader of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) during World War II.
MussoItalian Nickname for someone with some peculiarity of the mouth.
MustonEnglish Habitational name from places so named, from Old English mus "mouse", or must, "muddy stream or place" combined with tun "enclosure, settlement". Another explanation could be that the first element is derived from an old Scandinavian personal name, Músi (of unknown meaning), combined with tun.
MutiaEastern African, Maasai A Kenyan Maasai surname known mostly in the West as the name of a certain fictitious escarpment, which appears infrequently in old Tarzan Films.
MuvazaDungan From the first part of the given name Muhammad and Chinese 娃子 (wázi), a dialectal term meaning "(small) child".
MuxikaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Coincides with, or possibly derives from, the Basque word muxika meaning "peach".
MyattEnglish From the medieval personal name Myat, literally "little Mihel", an Anglo-Norman variant of Michael.
MycroftEnglish From Old English ġemȳþ "mouth (of a river)" + croft meaning "enclosed field", originally denoting somebody who lives at the mouth of a river.... [more]
MyeEnglish 1 English: (i) occupational name from Middle English (Hypothetical) *mie, Old French mie ‘physician’, synonymous with Mee, Mayer 3 or Mayer 4, and Myer... [more]
MyōchinJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 明珍 (myōchin), the 2 characters used in 明らかに珍しい (akiraka ni mezurashii) meaning "evidently rare". This is from the event in the Heian Period, of an armorer who created an armor that was then praised by Emperor Konoe... [more]