Browse Submitted Surnames

Matonti English
My grandfathers last name from Italy . He grew up in Naples but the name is from a small country village by Tuscany named Matonti. That's all we know so far.

Matsushima Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Matsuyama Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Matsuzaki Japanese
Japanese: ‘pine tree cape’. This name is found mostly in both the Tōkyō area and on the island of Kyūshū, where it is pronounced Matsusaki.

Mau Khmer
From Chinese 毛 (máo) meaning "Mao", an ancient region in parts of present-day Henan, China, during the Zhou Dynasty.

Maudling English
From the medieval female personal name Maudeleyn, the English form of Greek Magdalene, the sobriquet in the New Testament of the woman Mary who was cured of evil spirits by Jesus... [more]

Maxemchuk Russian (Anglicized), Ukrainian (Anglicized, ?)
Variant of Maximchuk. ... [more]

Maya Basque (Hispanicized), Catalan, Spanish
As a Spanish surname, this is a Castilianized form of Portuguese Maia. As a Catalan surname this is a variant of Maià... [more]

Mayfair English
Locational surname based off Mayfair, a district in the City of Westminster in London, England.

Mayfleet English
Used in The City of Ember as the main character's (Lina Mayfleet) last name.

Mayorquin Spanish
variant of Mallorquín a habitational name for someone from Majorca the largest island in the Balearic Islands from an adjectival form of its Spanish name Mallorca.

Mbili Central African
Derived from a village in Cameroon named "Bambili".

Mccambridge Scottish
Anglicized from Gaelic Mac Ambróis, "son of Ambrose". This name, influenced in its spelling by the English city name Cambridge, is well-established in Northern Ireland.

Mccolgan Irish, Scottish
Has several possible meanings. It might mean someone from the village of Kilcolgan, County Galway; a follower of St. Columba; or the son of someone named Colga... [more]

Mcgillicuddy Irish
The surname McGillicuddy comes from the Irish Mac GiollaMochuda, meaning 'son of the devotee of St. Mochuda'. It's part of the O'Sullivan sect and comes from the West part of Ireland in county Kerry... [more]

Meades English
The 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... [more]

Mecklenburg German, Jewish
Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".

Medley English
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]

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.

Mehrabani Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Mehraban, located in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.

Meiesaar Estonian
Meiesaar is an Estonian surname meaning "our island".

Mekky Arabic (Egyptian)
Refers to the city of Mecca or Makka (مكة) in Saudi Arabia, considered the most holy city in Islam.

Melanay Filipino (Latinized, Modern, Rare)
From Bicol region in the Philippines, the most population name in Naga City.

Mellali Moroccan
Habitational name from the city of Beni Mellal

Mellali Moroccan
Habitational name from the city of Beni Mellal.

Mellenthin German
Habitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.

Mendarte Basque
This 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)... [more]

Mendiburu Basque
Means "top of the mountain" in Basque.

Mendiola Basque
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".

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... [more]

Menez Breton
Menez means mount or mountain in Breton.

Mérida Spanish
habitational name from the city of Mérida in Badajoz province... [more]

Merisaar Estonian
Merisaar is an Estonian surname meaning "sea island".

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.

Merrimen Norman
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.

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... [more]

Metheny English
Originated from the village name of Methley in Yorkshire.

Methven Scottish
From the village name "Methven" in Scotland.

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.

Metsaorg Estonian
Metsaorg is an Estonian surname meaning "forest valley".

Meusburger German (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]

Michalczewski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Michalczew.

Michiyama Japanese
Michi means "path" and yama means "mountain, hill".

Middendorf German
"middle of the village"

Midoriya Japanese (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]

Miglinieks Latvian
Name comes from the village Miglinieki.

Mignano Italian
Possibly taken from the Mignano Monte Lungo commune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania.

Mikkelsaar Estonian
Mikkelsaar is an Estonian surname derived from the masculine given name "Mikkel (Mihkel)" and "saar", meaning island; "Mikkel's island".

Milan Italian, French
Habitational name from the Italian city of Milan (see Milano).

Milanay Filipino (Latinized, Rare, Archaic)
The Milanay is original surname from Bicol region in the Philippines, the most population name in Naga City.

Milanesi Italian
It comes from the Italian city of Milan, in Lombardia (northern Italy), where it is most used

Mimana Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 任那 (Mimana) meaning "Mimana", an ancient hypothesized region in parts of present-day South Korea, mentioned in the Nihon Shoki.

Mimura Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Mindanao Tagalog
From the name of the second largest island in the Philippines, which was derived from the name of the Maguindanao people (see Mindanao).

Minde German
Habitational name denoting someone from the city of Minden.

Mine Japanese
This surname is used as 岑, 峯, 峰, 嶺, 三根, 美根, 美祢, 美禰 or 見根 with 岑 (gin, shin, mine), an outdated character meaning "mountaintop, peak," 峯/峰 (hou, ne, mine) meaning "peak, summit," 嶺 (ryou, rei, mine) meaning with the same meaning as 峯/峰, 三 (san, zou, mi, mi'.tsu, mi.tsu) meaning "three," 美 (bi, mi, utsuku.shii) meaning "beauty/iful," 見 (ken, mi.eru, mi.seru, mi.ru) meaning "chances, hopes, idea, look at, opinion, see, visible," 根 (kon, ne, -ne) meaning "head (pimple), radical, root" and 祢/禰 (dei, nai, ne) meaning "ancestral shrine."... [more]

Mineyama Japanese
Mine means "peak" and yama means "mountain, hill".

Minoshima Japanese
Mi means "beauty", no is a possessive particle, and shima means "island".

Minsky Belarusian, Russian
Refers to the city named "Minsk" in Belarus.

Mirajkar Marathi
Means "one from Miraj" in Marathi. Miraj is a city located in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Miramontes Spanish
Looker of mountains.

Mishima Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Mitaka Japanese
There is a city in Tokyo with this name. It is spelled using 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 鷹 (taka) meaning "falcon, eagle, hawk". As a surname, it could likely be spelled using 見 (mi) meaning "outlook, view, mindset" or 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" as well.

Mitamura Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy", and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Mitani Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Mitcham English
Habitational name from Mitcham in Surrey so named from Old English micel "big" and ham "village homestead" or ham "water meadow" meaning either "the great homestead" or "the great meadow".

Mitry Medieval French
Descendants of the noble owner of the region located outside of Paris France (Mitry)

Mitsushima Japanese
Mitsu could mean "three" or "light" and shima means "island".

Mitsutani Japanese
From 満 (mitsu, mitsuru, michiru) meaning "full; satisfy" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".... [more]

Mittermeier German (Austrian)
Literal meaning "middle farmer" its thought to have been given to farmers living between two there farms in the mountains.

Miya Japanese
The name could mean ‘three arrows’, ‘three valleys’ or ‘shrine’, the latter being the most common. Some occurrences in America are the result of shortening longer names.

Miyabe Japanese
From the Japanese 宮 (miya) "{Shinto} shrine" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."

Miyagishima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace", 城 (ki) meaning "castle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Miyama Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 間 (ma) meaning "among, between". It can also be formed from 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or 深 (mi) meaning "deep, profound" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Miyasato Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".

Miyashima Japanese
Miya means "shrine, palace temple" and shima means "island".

Miyazato Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".

Mizumura Japanese
Mizu means "water" and mura means "village, hamlet".

Mizuyama Japanese
Mizu means "water" and yama means "hill, mountain".

Mlima Swahili
From Swahili meaning "mountain".

Mo Chinese
According to a study of Mu Ying's Name record, the surname came to be when descendants of the antediluvian ruler Zhuanxu abbreviated the name of his city, Moyangcheng (莫陽城; in modern-day Pingxiang County, Hebei) and took it as their surname... [more]

Moberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish mo "sandy heath" and berg "mountain". A notable bearer was Swedish author and playwright Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973).

Moclin Spanish
A town positioned outside of Granada and Toledo Spain, its current occupants number in the thousands. But, 700’s this town was positioned in a mist of sprawling Moorish control. And, for the next 800 years, it was the epic center of Europe’s culture and medicine... [more]

Modena Italian, Judeo-Italian
Italian and Jewish (from Italy) habitational name from the city of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.

Mohácsi Hungarian
Habitational name for someone from Mohács, a city in Hungary.

Mohammadpourkarkaragh Persian (Rare)
From the given name Mohammad combined with Persian پور (pur) "son" and the name of the Persian village of Karkaraq.

Mohylyov m Russian (Ukrainianized), Belarusian (Ukrainianized)
Ukrainian form of Mogilyov, which is derived directly from the city in Belarus.

Momiyama Japanese
From 樅 (momi) meaning "fir tree" or 籾 (momi) "unhulled rice", combined with 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Moncada Spanish
A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.

Moncayo Aragonese
This indicates familial origin near the eponymous mountain massif.

Mondragón Spanish
From the name of a town in Basque County, Spain, which is derived from Latin mons draconis meaning "dragon mountain".

Monge French
Truncated form of Demonge, a regional variant of the given name Dominique (compare Dimanche).

Monsivais Spanish
Hispanic (Mexico; Monsiváis): Perhaps A Topographic Name Derived From Latin Mons Silvaticus ‘Wooded Mountain’ Or A Habitational Name From Monsivalls A Hill In Ribagorza In Huesca Province (Spain) Named From Latin Monte Ipsa Vallis ‘Mount Of The Valley’.

Monstein Romansh
Derived from the place name Monstein, a village in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

Mont French, Catalan, English
topographic name for a mountain dweller from Catalan and Old French mont "mountain" (from Latin mons genitive montis)... [more]

Montalban Spanish
Spanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.

Montale Italian
From Latin mons ("mountain"), this surname was originally given as a nickname to people who lived on hills and mountains. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet and writer Eugenio Montale (1896-1981), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1975.

Montalvo Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Montalvo is a habitational Portuguese and Spanish surname that originated in the medieval period. It comes from the Spanish words monte, meaning "mount", and albo, meaning "white". The name was often given to families who lived near or on a white mountain or hill, and can be interpreted as "white mountain".

Montaperto Italian
My father tells me this name means "open mountain." It seems to have come from a small area around Agrigento in Sicily, Italy.

Monteagudo Spanish
Habitational name from any of numerous places called Monteagudo (‘pointed mountain’) from monte ‘mountain’ + agudo ‘sharp pointed’ (from Latin acutus from acus ‘needle’) for example in the provinces of Murcia Teruel A Coruña and Navarre.

Montecalvo Italian
Habitational name from any of various places called Montecalvo ("bald mountain") especially Montecalvo Irpino in Avellino province, from the elements monte "mountain" and calvo "bald".

Montefiore Italian, Jewish
Derived from Montefiore, which is the name of several places in Italy. For example, there is Castle Montefiore in the town of Recanati (province of Macerata), the municipality of Montefiore Conca (province of Rimini) and the municipality of Montefiore dell'Aso (province of Ascoli Piceno)... [more]

Monteleone Italian
From various place names, meaning "mountain lion", or "mountain of the lion".

Montemayor Spanish
Habitational name from any of several places called Montemayor, from monte meaning "mountain" + mayor meaning "main", "larger", "greater", in particular in the provinces of Cordova, Salamanca, and Valladolid.

Montenegro Spanish, Portuguese
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in Spain and Portugal named Montenegro, from Spanish and Portuguese monte meaning "mountain, hill" and negro meaning "black".

Monterey Spanish (Philippines)
Derived from Spanish monte meaning "mountain" and rey meaning "king". (See Monterrey)

Monterosa Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish monte meaning "mountain", and rosa meaning "pink, rose".

Monterrey Spanish
Derived from places named Monterrey. From Spanish monte meaning "mountain" and rey meaning "king".

Monterrubio Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Monterrubio ‘red mountain’.

Montesano Italian
From Italian monte meaning "mountain" and sano meaning "healthy".

Montesinos Spanish
Topographic name for someone who lived on a mountain from a derivative of monte 'mountain' (from Latin mons gentive montis).

Montesquieu French
From French montagne, meaning "mountain" and possibly also from queue, meaning "line". Charles Montesquieu was a 17th-century French aristocrat, philosopher and politician.

Monteverde Italian
Habitational name from any of various places called Monteverde, for example in Avellino province, from monte meaning "mountain" + verde meaning "green".

Monteverdi Italian
Derived from Italian monte meaning "mountain" and verdi meaning "green"; literally means "green mountain".

Montigny French
habitational name from (Le) Montigny the name of several places in various parts of France (from a Gallo-Roman estate name Montiniacum formed either from a personal name or from a derivative of mons "mountain" and the locative suffix acum)... [more]

Montiverdi Italian
Green Mountain

Montixi Italian
Means "small mountain, hill".

Montone Italian
nickname from montone "ram" (from Medieval Latin multo genitive multonis). Or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Montone ("big mountain").

Montpelier English, French
English and French variant of Montpellier. This is the name of several places in the United States, for example the capital city of the state of Vermont, which was named after the French city of Montpellier.

Montpellier French
Means "woad mountain", derived from French mont (itself from Latin mōns) meaning "mountain" and pastel (Latin pastellus, pestellus) meaning "woad, dye", referring to someone who lived near a mountain that was covered with woad (a plant that produces a blue dye)... [more]

Montville French
"Mountain town".

Monty French, English
Topographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).

Monzon Spanish
Habitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.

Morača Serbian
Morača is a historical region in Montenegro.

Moraczewski Polish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Greater Polish villages named Moraczewo.

Moranville French
Habitational name from a commune in France named Moranville, probably derived from the personal name Morand and Old French ville "city, town, settlement".

Morijima Japanese
A variant of Morishima.... [more]

Morimura Japanese (Rare)
From Kanji "森" (Mori) meaning "Forest" and "村" (Mura) meaning "Village".

Morisato Japanese
Mori means "forest" and sato means "village".

Morishima Japanese
Mori means "forest, grove" and shima means "island".

Morishima Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Moritani Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Moritani Japanese
From Japanese 守 (mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Moriya Japanese
From the Japanese 守 (mori or kami) "guard," "protect," "defend" or 森 (mori) "forest" and 屋 (ya) "dwelling" or 谷 (ya or tani) "valley."

Moriya Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Morpurgo Judeo-Italian
Italian surname of Jewish origin, originally Marpurg, from the Austrian city Marburg an der Drau (today Maribor in Slovenia). The progenitor was Moises Jacob, father of Petachia, in Bad-Rackersburg, Austria... [more]

Morreale Italian
Habitational name from the town of Monreale in Sicily, derived from Italian monte regale meaning "royal mountain".

Moscow English (American, Rare)
From the city of Moscow in Russia.

Mosel German
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.

Mosele Italian, German (Austrian)
This surname is to be found in north-eastern Italy, more specifically in the Vicenza and Verona provinces. Families with this name are certain to be originally from the mountain town of Asiago, situated on a plateau north of Vicenza and now a well-known skiing resort... [more]

Moslavac Croatian
Habitational name for someone from Moslavina, a region in Croatia.

Mossberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish mosse "bog" and berg "mountain".

Mossberg Jewish
Combination of Moses and German berg "mountain, hill".

Motomura Japanese
Moto means "origin, source" and mura means "village, hamlet".

Motoyama Japanese
Combination of Kanji Characters 本 meaning "Book", and 山 meaning "Mountain".

Mount English
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains.

Mountain English
Topographic name from Old French montagne "mountain" (see Montagne).

Mountjoy English
Habitational surname for a person from Montjoie in La Manche, France, named with Old French mont "hill", "mountain" + joie "joy".

Mountstuart English
Possibly derived from the mountain in the Cascade Range, in the state of Washington, United States.

Moura Portuguese
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]

Mstishyn Ukrainian
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous village.

Mueangkhot Thai
From Thai เมือง (mueang) meaning "city, town" and โคตร (khot) meaning "ancestry, clan, family".

Mugamäe Estonian
Mugamäe is an Estonian surname meaning "comfortable hill/mountain".

Mugishima Japanese
Mugi means "wheat" and shima means "island".

Mull Scottish
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]

Munkdahl Swedish (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]

Mura Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet".

Murahama Japanese
Mura means "hamlet, village" and hama means "seashore, veach".

Murahashi Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet" and hashi means "bridge".

Murahayashi Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet" and hayashi means "forest, grove".

Murai Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Muraji Japanese
From 村 (mura) meaning "village" and 治 (ji, haru, osamu) meaning "clinical, administer, govern, rule".

Murakami Japanese
From the Japanese 村, 邑 or 邨 (mura) "village" and 上 (kami, kan or ue) "upper," "above," 神 (kami, kan or shin) "god" or 守 (kami or mori) "guard," "protect," "defend."

Murakami Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 上 (kami) meaning "start, high place, top".

Murakawa Japanese
Mura means "village" and kawa means "river".

Muraki Japanese
Mura means "hamlet, village" and ki means "tree, wood".

Muraki Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

Murakita Japanese
From 村 (mura) meaning "village, hamlet" and 北 (kita) meaning "north".

Murako Japanese (Rare)
Mura means "village, hamlet" and ko means "child, sign of the rat".

Muramatsu Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".

Muramori Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet" and mori means "forest".

Muramoto Japanese
Mura means "village" and moto means "origin".

Muranaka Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "village" combined with 中 (naka) meaning "inside, middle".

Murano Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet" and no means "wilderness, plain, field."

Murao Japanese
From 村 (mura) meaning "village, hamlet" and 尾 (o) meaning "tail".

Muraoka Japanese
From 村 (mura) meaning "village, hamlet" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Murase Japanese
"Mura" (村) meaning village, and "se" (瀬) meaning rapids or fast moving water

Murase Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 瀬 (se) meaning "rapids, current".

Murashima Japanese
Shima means "island" and mura means "hamlet, village".

Murata Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Muratagi Japanese
From Japanese "村" (mura) meaning village, "田" (ta) rice field and "義" (gi) meaning righteousness

Murayama Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Murayoshi Japanese
Mura means "village, hamlet" or "town" and yoshi means "good luck".

Murcia Spanish
Habitational name from the city Murcia.

Murkowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Murkowo.

Nabeshima Japanese
From 鍋 (nabe) meaning "pot, kettle, cauldron" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nabeya Japanese
From 鍋 (nabe) meaning "pot, kettle, cauldron" and 谷 (tani, ya, gaya, gai) meaning "valley".

Nadolny Polish, Jewish, Sorbian
Topographic name from Polish nadól, Sorbian nadol "downwards", denoting someone who lived lower down in a village on a slope, or on relatively low-lying ground.

Nadori Moroccan
Habitational name from the Rifian city or province of Nador. A famous bearer is singer Rachid Nadori.

Nagashima Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Nagatani Japanese
Naga means "chief, long" and tani means "valley".

Nagavekar Indian
Of Indian origin, specifically from the Konkan region of Maharashtra. The name is derived from the words "nagav" which means cobra and "kar" meaning owner, thus Nagavekar means "owner of cobras" in English... [more]

Nagayama Japanese
From Japanese 永 (nagai) meaning "eternity, long, lengthy" or 長 (nagai) meaning "chief, head, leader" combined with 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Nainggolan Batak
From the name of a village located on the island of Samosir in Lake Toba (itself on the island of Sumatra).

Nairn Scottish
Means "person from Nairn", Highland region ("(place at the mouth of the river) Nairn", a Celtic river-name perhaps meaning "penetrating one").

Naitana Italian, Sardinian
Probably from the name of a disappeared village, itself derived from Latin navita "sailor, navigator".

Najafi Persian
Indicated a person from the city of Najaf in Iraq, derived from Arabic نجف (najafa) meaning "elevated place".

Nakanotani Japanese (Rare)
Naka means "middle", no is a possessive particle, and tani means "valley".

Nakasato Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".

Nakasato Japanese
From Japanese 仲 (naka) meaning "relationship" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".

Nakatani Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Nakaya Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Nakaya Japanese
From Japanese 仲 (naka) meaning "relation, relationship" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Nakayama Japanese
From the Japanese 中 (naka) "middle," "in" or 仲 (naka) "relationship," "relation" and 山 (yama) "mountain."

Nakayama Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Nakazato Japanese
From 中 (naka) meaning "center, middle" and 里 (sato) meaning "village."

Namazu Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 鯰 (Namazu) meaning "Namazu", a former large village in the former district of Aida in the former Japanese province of Mimasaka in parts of present-day Okayama, Japan.

Namiyama Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 波 (nami) meaning "wave" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Nanashima Japanese (Rare)
Japanese surname meaning "seven island".

Nancarrow Cornish
Means "person from Nancarrow", Cornwall (either "valley frequented by deer" or "rough valley"). It was borne by US composer Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997).

Nance Cornish
Medieval Cornish surname. Derived from the Celtic word 'nans', meaning valley. Often linked with the Breton surname 'de Nant', which also means valley.

Nandedkar Marathi
Means "one from Nanded" in Marathi. Nanded is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Nankervis Cornish, English (Australian)
From the name of a place in St Enoder parish in Cornwall, derived from Cornish nans "valley" and an uncertain second element, possibly *cerwys, an unattested plural of carow "stag".... [more]

Nápoles Spanish, Portuguese, Spanish (Caribbean)
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Napoli; habitational name from the Italian city of Naples, which is called Nápoles in Spanish and Portuguese.

Narboni Judeo-Spanish
From the name of the city of Narbonne in Occitania, France.

Nariyama Japanese
Nari means "thunder" and yama means "mountain, hill".

Narva Estonian
Narva is an Estonian surname taken from the city of the same name in Ida-Viru County.

Nassau German, Dutch, Jewish
From the name of the town of Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (formerly the seat of an independent duchy in the 19th century), derived from Old High German naz meaning "damp, wet" and ouwa meaning "water meadow"... [more]

Nast German
Topographic name for someone who lived in a thickly wooded area, or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter, from Middle High German nast meaning "branch", a regional variant of ast, resulting from the misdivision of forms such as ein ast meaning "a branch".

Natsume Japanese
From Japanese 棗 (Natsume) meaning "Natsume", a former large village in the former district of Sakai in the former Japanese province of Echizen in parts of present-day Fukui in Japan or it being a former name for the area of Ishishimbo in the city of Fukui in the prefecture of Fukui in Japan.

Navarrete Spanish
From the town of Navarrete in La Rioja, Spain, meaning "the mountain pass of the Navarrans" or "dun mountain pass". It became particularly popular in the province of Jaen through the Castillian conquest of Baeza.

Navas Spanish
Pural form of Spanish and Asturian-Leonese Nava (see also Naves).... [more]

Nedelcu Romanian (Modern)
Entered Romania around the 16th century via Bulgaria as a popular female given name - Neda/Nedelea etc., attested under the form of Nedelco/Nedelcu in the historical region of Basarabia around 1560, became a surname in the following century... [more]

Negrete Spanish
Possibly from negrete denoting a member of a 15th-century faction based in the mountainous area of Cantabria.

Negros Spanish (Philippines)
From Spanish negro meaning "black". Named after an island in the Philippines.

Neisser German
German demonym of the town of Neisse (nowadays Nysa, in Poland), itself from the name of the river Neisse (Nysa) which runs through the city.

Nemirov Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian
Name derived from the city of Nemirov in Ukraine, The city was named after its founder, Prince Nemir.

Nepal Nepali
Name for someone from the village of Nepa in western-central Nepal.

Nerenberg Jewish
Variant of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname Nierenberg, which is derived from Nirnberg, the Yiddish form of Nuremberg (German Nürnberg), hence becoming an Ashkenazic Jewish habitational surname for someone living in that city.

Nesbitt Scottish, Irish, English
Derives from the hamlets of East Nisbet and West Nisbet, Berwickshire. Some bearers of Nisbet/Nesbitt (and variant) names may originate from the village of Nisbet in Roxburghshire.

Netting English
As Needham the derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th century elements 'ned' meaning need, with 'ham', a homestead or village, the name indicating a place that provided a poor living.

Neuberger German
German surname meaning 'new mountaineer'

Newberg Jewish (Americanized)
Americanized form of Neuberg, an ornamental Jewish name meaning "new mountain" in German.

Ney German, English
A dialectal form of the common German word neu "new".... [more]

Neyama Japanese
Ne means "root" and yama means "mountain, hill".

Ngumba Kongo
From Kongo meaning "mountain".

Nieuwenhuis Dutch
Means "new house" in Dutch. Indicated that the bearer lived in a new house or lived in a village of the same name

Niezabitowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Lesser Polish villages: Niezabitów or Niezabitów-Kolonia.

Nihon'yanagi Japanese
Means "2 salix trees", from Japanese 二本 (nihon) meaning "2 (cylindrical objects)" and 柳 (yanagi) meaning "salix". This is the name of a few places in Japan (in the city of Goshogawara and the city of Gonohe).

Niinemäe Estonian
Niinemäe is an Estonian surname meaning "linden hill/mountain".

Nimura Japanese
From Japanese 二 (ni) meaning "two" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Ninberg Jewish
1 Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Feinberg .... [more]

Nirehara Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 楡原 (Nirehara), an variant reading of 楡原 (Nirebara) meaning "Nirebara", a former large village in the district of Koshi in the former Japanese province of Echigo in parts of present-day Niigata, Japan or an area in the same place, in the city of Nagaoka in the prefecture of Niigata in Japan.

Nishishima Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nishiyasu Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 安 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, safe, simple, ammonium". The fact that it is homographic as Japanese 西安 (Shīan) meaning "Xi'an", a city in Shaanxi, China, is coincidental.

Niz Spanish (Latin American, Hispanicized, Modern)
Derived from the city of Nice in France, usually a surname given to someone without paternal recognition in that city.... [more]

Niziński m Polish
Might be derived from a Polish village called Niziny. It comes from Polish nizina, meaning "plain, lowland."

Noar English
This surname is thought to be derived from nore which could mean "shore, cliff." This could denote that someone might have lived in a shore or cliff. It may also be used as a surname for someone who lived in the now 'diminished' village of Nore in Surrey.

Noe Medieval English, Korean
A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]

Nojima Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Nõmme Estonian
Nõmme is an Estonian surname, derived from "nõmm", meaning "heath". It is also the name of several locations of towns and villages in Estonia.

Nomura Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nonomura Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field" and 村 (mura) meaning "village".

Nonoyama Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark 々) and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Noormägi Estonian
Noormägi is an Estonian surname meaning "young hill/mountain".

Nordahl Norwegian, Swedish
The surname derives from a place name in Sunnmøre, Norway. Meaning from Old Norse norðr ''north'' and dalr ''dale'', ''valley''. In Sweden, this name is mostly ornamental, rather than habitaional.

Nordenskiöld Swedish, Finland Swedish (Archaic)
Combination of Swedish nord "north" and sköld "shield". Norden is also the Swedish name for the Nordic countries, but it is not the element used in this surname. Nordenskiöld is a Swedish and Fennoswedish noble family, the first known members are brothers Anders Johan Nordenskiöld (1696-1763) and Carl Fredric Nordenskiöld the elder (1702-1779)... [more]

Noriega Asturian
This indicates familial origin within an eponymous village.

Noronha Portuguese
Derived from Noreña, the name of a village in Asturias, northern Spain.

Northam English
habitational namefrom Northam (Devon) Northam Farm in Brean (Somerset) Northam in Southampton (Hampshire) or a lost Northam in Redbridge Hundred Hampshire. The place names derive from Old English norþ "north northern" and ham "village homestead" or ham "water meadow".

Northey English
Habitational name from Northay in Hawkchurch Devon. The placename derives from Middle English north "north northern" and heie "fence enclosure hedge" (Old English norþ (ge)hæg)... [more]

Noshima Japanese
No means "field, rice paddy, wilderness" and shima means "island".

Nosho Japanese
From 納 (no) meaning "payment, supply, acceptance" and 庄 (sho) meaning "village, manor, hamlet."

Nottingham English (British)
A habitational name from the city of Nottingham in the East Midlands. Comes from the Old English name, meaning "homestead (ham) of Snot’s people". The initial S- was lost in the 12th century, due to the influence of Anglo-Norman French.... [more]

Nouveau French
Denoting someone who was new to a village or country. From French meaning "newcomer".

Novgorodsky Russian, Belarusian
Refers to the region named "Novgorod" in Russia.

Novikoff Jewish, Belarusian
habitational name from the Belorussian village of Noviki.

Novosel Croatian
Derived from nov, meaning "new", and selo, meaning "village", so the possible meaning is "the one who's new to the village".

Novoselec Croatian
Derived from nov, meaning "new", and selo, meaning "village", so the possible meaning is "the one who's new to the village".

Novoselić Croatian
Derived from nov, meaning "new", and selo, meaning "village", so the possible meaning is "the one who's new to the village".... [more]

Noyama Japanese
Combination of Kanji Characters 野 meaning "Field", and 山 meaning "Mountain".

Nōzawa Japanese (Rare)
Variant of Osame but adding Japanese 沢 (zawa), the joining form of 沢 (sawa) meaning "mountain stream, marsh; wetlands", possibly referring to a place with wet grounds or a mountain stream.

Nürnberger German, Jewish
Habitational name for someone from the city of Nürnberg in Bavaria.

Nusuku Okinawan (Rare, Archaic)
From Okinawan 野底 (Nusuku) meaning "Nosoko", an area in the city of Ishigaki in the prefecture of Okinawa in Japan.

Oakden English
A variant of Ogden, from a place name derived from Old English āc "oak" and denu "valley". Famous bearers include British diplomat Edward Oakden and English cricketer Patrick Oakden.

Oakwell English
Probably either from the former village of Oakwell-in-the-Blean in the county of Kent, or Ockwell Manor, and again a former village, near Bray, in Berkshire

Obenauf German
Surname used to refer to someone who lived 'up there' (on a mountain, hill, etc.).

Obolensky Russian
Indicates familial origin within the village of Obolensk in the Kaluga Oblast, Russia. This was the name of a Russian aristocrat family of the Rurik Dynasty.

Ochitani Japanese
From 落 (ochi) meaning "fall, leave behind, drop" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Odajima Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Oeffelt Dutch
Oeffelt is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant, part of the Boxmeer municipality.

Offenbach German, Jewish
From the name of the city of Offenbach am Main in Hesse, Germany. A famous bearer was the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880).

Ogasawara Japanese
From Japanese 小笠原 (Ogasawara) meaning "Ogasawara", a former village in the former district of Koma in the former Japanese province of Kai in parts of present-day Yamanashi, Japan.

Oginskiai Lithuanian
This indicates familial origin within the village of Uogintai.

Oglethorpe English
From Oglethorpe Hall in Bramham (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Ocelestorp in 1086 and Okelesthorp in 124 The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Oddkell and Old Scandinavian or Old English þorp "secondary settlement outlying farmstead" meaning "Oddkell's village" the surname derived from oddr "point of a weapon" and ketill "cauldron".

Oihaneder Basque
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous palace in the city of Gasteiz.

Okajima Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Okashima Japanese
岡 (Oka) means "ridge, hill" and 島 (shima) means "island".

Okatani Japanese
Oka means "ridge, hill" and tani means "valley".

Okayama Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Okitani Japanese
Oki could mean "open sea", or it could be spelled as o meaning "big, great", and tani meaning "valley".

Okocimski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Okocim.

Okroj Kashubian
The name has been in existence in the Kashubian region for centuries.

Okutani Japanese
Oku means inside, interior" and tani means "valley".

Okuyama Japanese
From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Oldenhave Dutch
From the name of a small village in the province of Drenthe, Holland, composed of Dutch oud and hoeve, meaning "old farm".

Oldham English
Habitational name from Oldham in Lancashire. The placename derives from Old English ald "old" and Old Norse holmr "island water meadow" or eald "old" and ham "farmstead" meaning either "old lands" or "old farm".

Olissaar Estonian
Olissaar is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "õli" meaning "oil/fat" and "saar" meaning "island".

Ölund Swedish
Combination of Swedish ö "island" and lund "groove".