MeanswellPopular Culture Simply 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.
MedellinSpanish Habitational 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.
MedleyEnglish Habitational 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’... [more]
MeeboerDutch (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)".
MeehanIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maotháin meaning "descendant of Maothán", a diminutive of Irish maoth "soft, tender, moist; tearful, sentimental"... [more]
MeeksScottish In 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.
MeesterDutch, Flemish, German Occupational 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-).
MeguriJapanese (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.
MeguriJapanese (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.
MeiklejohnScottish A Scottish distinguishing name for identifying the larger or eldest (Older Scots meikle "large") or elder of two men called John. (See also Mickle).
MeilerRomansh Derived from the place name Meils (present-day Mels in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland).
MejiaSpanish Spanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
MejiaGalician A 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.... [more]
MekkyArabic (Egyptian) Refers to the city of Mecca or Makka (مكة) in Saudi Arabia, considered the most holy city in Islam.
MelanchthonHistory Means "black earth", derived from Greek μελανός (melanos), the genitive of the adjective μέλας (melas) meaning "black, dark", and χθών (chthon) meaning "land, earth, soil"... [more]
MelanderSwedish Combination 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)... [more]
MelansonBreton Possibly derived from an altered form of French mélasson "clumsy, awkward" (from mélasse "molasses, treacle").
MelasGreek Possibly from the names of several characters in Greek mythology, including a son of Poseidon who the Nile River was originally named after.
MelbyNorwegian Modern form of Meðalbýr meaning "middle farm", a combination of Old Norse meðal "middle" and býr "farm".
MeleroSpanish Occupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
MelgarSpanish Topographical 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).
MelgosaSpanish This 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.
MelilloItalian Means "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.
MelleItalian Derived 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).
MelmothEnglish From 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".
MelroseScottish, English Habitational 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’. ... [more]
MeltonEnglish Habitational name from any of several places meaning "middle town". Compare Middleton.
MeltzerGerman German 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’... [more]
MemonUrdu From 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".
MendarteBasque Habitational name of Gipuzkoan origin, possibly derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and arte "between, among".
MendeleevRussian Meaning uncertain. A famous bearer was Dimitri Mendeleev (1834-1907), a Russian chemist who developed an early model of the periodic table.
MendietaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and -eta "place of, abundance of".
MendigurenBasque From the name of a hamlet meaning "edge of the mountain" in Basque.
MendinuetaBasque From the name of a village in Itzagaondoa, Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque mendino "small mountain" and the toponymic suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
MendiolaBasque From 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".
MendizabalBasque Means "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.
MendlerGerman Occupational name for a maker of coats from an agent derivative of Middle High German mantel, mandel, mendel "coat".
MendolaItalian topographic 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 amendolamendula "almond almond tree" (see Amendola ). Compare Lamendola.
MenearCornish, 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.
MengChinese From 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.
MengeleGerman Doctor 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.
MenkeGerman Derived as a diminutive of several Germanic given names whose first element was derived from Germanic *magin- and *megin- "strength; force; power".
MenottiItalian From the medieval given name Menotto, a diminutive of Domenico via its short form Menico.
MenshovmRussian From Russian меньший (menshiy), meaning "less, lesser". Denoted to a peasent or other person of low economic class.
MensinkDutch Patronymic or habitational name meaning "of Menso", a diminutive of personal name derived from the element megin (see Mense, Menno).
MeredithWelsh From 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".
MerkhGerman (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.
MerlJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic) metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Merl, a pet form of Hebrew Miryam (see Mirkin).
MerleauFrench The name Merleau is a rare French given name and surname, derived from "merle" meaning "blackbird" in French with the diminutive suffix "-eau", which can indicate a place of water or serve as a poetic augmentative, enhancing its natural imagery.... [more]
MerletteFrench Feminine diminutive of French merle "blackbird", this name was given as a nickname to a cheerful person or to someone who liked to sing.
MerlinEnglish, French, German From the given name Merlin as well as referred to the blackbird, that is named merle in French and merlo in Italian and Spanish... [more]
MerlinoItalian Either from the given name Merlino the Italian form of Merlin, a diminutive of Merlo, or for someone who came from Merlino in the Milano province.
MermerTurkish Means "marble" in Turkish, ultimately of Greek origin.
MernissiArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly a variant of Marnissi. A famous bearer was Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist Fatima Mernissi (1940-2015).
MerriamWelsh Derived from either the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of Maurice, or ultimately from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark".
MerridewEnglish A 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.
MerrifieldEnglish English 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.
MerriganIrish Irish: Anglicized Form Of Gaelic Ó Muireagáin ‘Descendant Of Muireagán’-'The son of the descendant of Mary'/or/ A Personal Name Derived From Muir ‘Sea’.
MerrihewEnglish, Irish Likely an altered form of Welsh Meredith (which is found as Meriday in 16th- and 17th-century English sources; also compare Merridew) or possibly of English Mayhew.
MerrimenNorman An 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.
MesaSpanish Habitational 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).
MesmerGerman Occupational 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.
MessamEnglish (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... [more]
MesserGerman Occupational 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".
MessiItalian, Spanish (Latin American) Possibly from Italian messi meaning "messengers". A famous bearer of this surname is Lionel Messi (born 1987-), an Argentinian footballer of Italian descent.
MessiaenDutch, French, Belgian Derived from Messiaen, the (archaic) Dutch form of the latinate first name Messianus, which itself is ultimately derived from the Roman praenomen Messus.
MessierFrench Occupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Old French messier 'harvest master' (Late Latin messicarius, agent derivative of messis 'harvest').
MetrejonLouisiana 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.
MētriņšLatvian The name is a combination of "mētra", the Latvian word for mint and -iņš, a suffix commonly used for Latvian male surnames.
MetsolaFinnish From Finnish metso meaning "wood grouse, capercaillie" and the suffix -la indicating a place. Metsola is the realm of forests in Finnish mythology.
MetwallyArabic (Egyptian) From Arabic متولي (mutawalli) meaning "responsible, entrusted with, charged with", ultimately from the word تَوَلَّى (tawalla) meaning "to take charge of, to take control of".
MeusburgerGerman (Austrian) The history of this last name is that it means "Mountain Dweller." Being as part of the Austrian surnames, it's a widely used one in it's home country. A few brothers had gone to various countries, as of now there is Meusburgers in Columbia, as well as the United States and throughout Europe... [more]
MewbornEnglish Rare English name. The only place I have found it in the phone directory (other than several small towns in eastern North Carolina) is in Northumberland, UK. The word mew has to do with stables, and of course born is an English word.
MezzasalmaItalian From Italian mezza "half" and salma, an archaic term for a small unit of land, indicating that the bearer was not very wealthy. Salma also coincides with an Italian word meaning "corpse".
MheenakThai From Thai มีนัก (Minak) meaning "of Khmer royalty or nobility".... [more]
MiaoChinese From Chinese 缪 (miào), another name for Duke Mu of Lu, an ancient official whose name (穆) had the same pronunciation as the character 缪. After his death, his descendants adopted 缪 as their surname.
MiaoChinese From Chinese 苗 (miáo) meaning "seedling, shoot, sprout", also referring to the ancient fief of Miao, which existed in the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
MibbMost likely German Is an Americanized for of GIbb, or Gibbs. Could be derived from the name Gilbert.
MichalskyPolish A variant of Michalski. "Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from a place called Michale in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or Michały in Masovian Voivodeship both named with the personal name Michał (see Michal ). Jewish (from Poland): patronymic from the personal name Michal." ... [more]
MidlerEnglish Nickname for a person who causes trouble or meddles in the affairs of others, derived from Middle English medeler meaning "meddler, troublemaker, one who interferes". This name is borne by the American singer, actress and comedienne Bette Midler (1945-).
MidnightIrish Middle of the night, darkness, dark blue
MidoriyaJapanese (Rare), Popular Culture Combination of 緑 (midori) meaning "green" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley," used on the main character Izuku Midoriya (緑谷 出久) in 'My Hero Academia'.... [more]