Browse Submitted Surnames

Maeshima Japanese
Mae means "front, forward" and shima means "island".

Mäetalu Estonian
Mäetalu is an Estonian surname meaning "mountain/hill farmstead".

Maeyamada Japanese
Mae means "front, forward", yama means "mountain", and da is a variant of ta meaning "field, rice paddy, wilderness".

Maffione Italian
Possibly a derivative of the given name Maffeo. This surname is from the Puglia region of Barletta, southern Italy.

Magallanes Spanish
Spanish: Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From The Village Of Magaláns (Castilian Magalanes) In Pontevedra Province Galicia (Spain).

Magbanua Filipino, Cebuano
From Cebuano magbanwa meaning "townsperson", derived from Cebuano bánwa meaning "city, town".

Maghery Irish
Name for a resident of the village of town of Maghery in Northern Ireland.

Maghribi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Derived from Arabic المغرب (al-Maghrib) meaning "the west", also referring to the country of Morocco. It could be used to refer to a Moroccan person or (in English) someone from the Maghreb region of Northern Africa.

Magnesi Italian
Derived from the word "magnesia," which is an ancient term for a region in present-day Greece that was known for its deposits of magnesium and other minerals. The surname may have been given to someone who originated from this region or was associated with it.

Mahato Indian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Odia, Nepali
From a title given to the head of a village or a well-to-do peasant, possibly derived from Sanskrit महत् (mahat) meaning "great, large, big".

Mahomes American
With Gaelic origins, Mahomes is a surname that is derived from the word “mathghamhan”, which means “bear”. A famous individual with the name is NFL Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

Maia Basque
From the name of a village in Navarre, Spain, called Amaiur in Basque, derived from amai "end, boundary, limit" (compare the given name Amaia).

Maià Catalan
Habitational name from Maià de Montcal, a village in Girona, or any of several other places named with Maià, which is of pre-Roman origin.

Maisel Yiddish, German, French
Predominantly seems to be a matronymic surname from the Yiddish feminine name Mayzl. Although it is believed that it derived from the Hebrew name Meïser, which means “representative of God”... [more]

Maitra Bengali
Habitational name from either the village of Maitreya or Mohit (present-day locations unknown).

Majerle Slovene
Slovene surname Majerle, a variant of the Polish, Czech, and Slovak Majer, which was a status name for "steward, bailiff, tenant farmer, or village headman", from the German Meyer 1.

Majima Japanese (Rare)
Ma means "Real,Genuine" (this is used most likely,anyway) and Jima means "Island".

Maker English
From the name of a village in Cornwall, England, derived from Old Cornish magoer meaning "wall" or "ruin".

Makimura Japanese
Maki can mean (牧) "shepherd" and mura can be spelled like this (村) meaning "hamlet, village".

Makishima Japanese
From Japanese 牧 (maki) meaning "shepard" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Malešev Serbian (Rare)
It is believed that the name derives from the name of a mountain.

Malfa Italian, Sicilian
habitational name from Malfa on the island of Salina (Messina). Variant of Lamalfa.

Malkawi Arabic (Arabized)
The surname 'Malkawi' deprives from the town of Malka, a small village in Jordan bordering Syria.

Malmberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish malm "ore" and berg "mountain".

Malta Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
habitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin Melita Greek Melitē).

Maltese Italian
habitational or ethnic name for someone from the island of Malta.

Maltez Portuguese
Likely has origins in the Portuguese word "maltez," now written as "maltês," which translates to "Maltese" in English. This surname might have been adopted by families with connections to the Mediterranean island of Malta or by individuals who had some association with Maltese culture or trade.

Manchester English
Habitational name from the city in northwestern England, formerly part of Lancashire. This is so called from Mamucio (an ancient British name containing the element mammā "breast", and meaning "breast-shaped hill") combined with Old English ceaster "Roman fort or walled city" (Latin castra "legionary camp").

Mandal Indian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Odia, Marathi, Nepali
Derived either from a title given to the head of a village or from Sanskrit मण्डल (mandala) meaning "circle, wheel, disk, halo".

Manhattan English
From the name of the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. Derived from the Munsee Lenape language term manaháhtaan (where manah- means "gather", -aht- means "bow" and -aan is an abstract element used to form verb stems), meaning "the place where we get bows" or "place for gathering the (wood to make) bows"... [more]

Manheim German, Jewish
Habitational name from the city of Mannheim in southwestern Germany (formerly the residence of the electors Palatine) so named from the ancient Germanic personal name Manno (see Mann ) annd Old High German heim "homestead"... [more]

Manjarrez Spanish
Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.

Manley English
Habitational name from places in Devon and Cheshire, named in Old English as "common wood or clearing", from (ge)mǣne "common, shared" and lēah "woodland clearing". The surname is still chiefly found in the regions around these villages.

Mannheim German, Jewish
Variant of Manheim. A habitational name from the city of Mannheim in southwestern Germany.

Mansell English (Canadian), Norman
Of Norman origin, a habitational or regional name from Old French mansel ‘inhabitant of Le Mans or the surrounding area of Maine’. The place was originally named in Latin (ad) Ceromannos, from the name of the Gaulish tribe living there, the Ceromanni... [more]

Mansour Arabic (Egyptian)
Originally referred to someone from the city of Mansoura (المنصورة‎) in Egypt.

Manteuffel German
The Manteuffel family is the name of an old and influential German Pomeranian noble family. Manteuffel family was first mentioned in 1256, but the family history officially begins with Henricus Manduvel who is first mentioned on 14... [more]

Manzanares Spanish
Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province

Mao Chinese
From Chinese 毛 (máo) referring to the ancient region of Mao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province. A notable bearer of this surname was Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Maquibar Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Makibar, possibly derived from Basque mako "arch, hook; curved, crooked" or "club, cane, staff" and ibar "valley, riverbank"... [more]

Marchesini Italian
Derived from the Latin word “marchese,” which means “marquis.” It is a title of nobility that was used in medieval Italy and referred to the leader of a march or border region. It likely refers to someone who was descended from or associated with a marquis or who held a similar position of authority in a border region.

Marigo Italian
Either from Venetian marigo "mayor of a rural village", or from the given name Amerigo.

Marjamäe Estonian
Marjamäe is an Estonian surname meaning "berry hill/mountain."

Marker German
Status name for someone who lived on an area of land that was marked off from the village land or woodland, Middle High German merkære.

Marquis French, English
for someone who behaved like a marquis or an occupational name for a servant in the household of a marquis, from Old Northern French marquis... [more]

Marrakchi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Marrakesh in Morocco.

Martirano Italian
Likely a habitational surname from a place in Catanzaro province in the Calabria region of Italy.

Maruya Japanese
From Japanese 丸 or 圓 (maru) meaning "round, full" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Maruyama Japanese
From Japanese 丸 or 圓 (maru) meaning "round, full" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Mascarenhas Portuguese
Possibly from the place Mascarenhas in the city Mirandela. Originated by Estêvão Rodrigues, Lord of Mascarenhas.

Mashhadi Persian
Indicated a person from the city of Mashhad in Iran, itself derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom".

Mashima Japanese
Ma can mean "real, genuine, true" or "flax" and shima means "island".

Mashreque Muslim
Name for someone who came from the Mashreq region in the Middle East (modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq).

Massa Italian
A habitational name from any of the various places named Massa (for example, Massa Lubrense or Massa di Somma, both in the Metropolitan City of Naples, or Massa d’Albe in the Province of L'Aquila), which were all named from the medieval Latin word massa, meaning ‘holding’ or ‘estate’.

Massaro Italian
Regional or archaic form of Italian massaio meaning "tenant farmer, share cropper".

Massingham English
From the name of either of two villages in Norfolk, England, meaning "Mæssa’s village", composed of the personal name Mæssa and possessive suffix ing combined with ham "home, settlement".

Mastenbroek Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the polder area of Mastenbroek in the Dutch province of Overijssel, as well as a small village built around a church in the middle of that polder area. The place names derive from Middle Dutch mast meaning "pole, mast" or "pig feed, fodder" combined with broek meaning "marsh, wetland".

Masterton Scottish (Rare)
From English Masterton, an area in the city of Dunfermline in the council area of Fife in Scotland.

Masuyama Japanese
From the Japanese 増 (masu) "increase," 益 (masu) "benefit," 桝 (masu) "box seat," "measure" or 升 (masu) "box" and 山 (yama) "mountain."

Masvidal Spanish
surname formed by the union of the word, mas, meaning a house from rural zones that is appart from the village and is surrounded by farming land and forests; and another word relating to the owner of the mas.

Matera Italian
Habitational name from Matera in Basilicata region.

Matharu Indian (Sikh, Modern)
Matharus were fierce warriors especially during, the time when the Matharu tribe, had converted to Sikhism; they fought numbers of wars for Guru Gobind Singh, Banda Singh Bahadur and Jassa Singh Ramgarhia.... [more]

Matheny French (Anglicized)
Of French origin. According to Matheny family tradition, this surname comes from the name of a village in France named Mathenay. This may also have been a French Huguenot surname.

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".

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]

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]

McKaren Scottish Gaelic (Rare, Archaic)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Labhrainn ‘son of Labhrann’, Gaelic form of the personal name Lawrence.... [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
Habitational name of Gipuzkoan origin, possibly derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and arte "between, among".

Mendibil Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and -bil "round, circular".

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

Mendieta Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and -eta "place of, abundance of".

Mendiguren Basque
From the name of a hamlet meaning "edge of the mountain" in Basque.

Mendinueta Basque
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".

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".

Mendizabal Basque
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.

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, hamlet, 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".

Mitford English
From the name of a village in Northumberland, England, derived from either Old English midd "middle" or (ge)myþe "confluence, stream junction, river mouth" combined with ford "ford, river crossing".

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".

Mizintsev m Russian
Mikhail Mizintsev is a Russian military general known for committing atrocities in Syria and the city Mariupol, Ukraine.

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".

Mondriaan Dutch
Meaning uncertain. It is a variant of the surname Mondriaal, which could possibly be a Dutch cognate of Monreal, meaning "royal mountain". This was the real surname of the Dutch-American painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).

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

Monroy Spanish
A habitational surname meaning "red mountain".

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]

Montalbán Spanish
Habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum "white mountain", derived from the elements mons "mountain" and albus "white"... [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
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest, grove" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

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

Moriya Japanese
From the Japanese 守 (mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker, guard, protect, defend" or 森 (mori) meaning "forest" combined with 屋 (ya) meaning "house, dwelling" or 谷 (ya or tani) 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) meaning "hamlet, town, village" combined with 上 (kami) meaning "upper, top, above" or 神 (kami) meaning "god" or 守 (kami) meaning "guard, protect, defend."

Murakawa Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

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

Murakita Japanese
From 村 (mura) meaning "village, town, 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
rom Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, hamlet, village" and 瀬 (se) meaning "rapids, ripple, 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) meaning "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.

Muscat Arabic
Refers to the capital city of Oman named "Muscat".

Myrlie English (American), Norwegian (Rare)
Uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Norwegian myr "bog, marsh, swamp" and li "slope, hillside, mountainside" (see hlíð).

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.

Nagao Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "head, leader, chief, long" and 尾 (o) meaning "tail, foot of a mountain, end".

Nagashima Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 島/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".

Nagornykh Russian
From Russian на горе (na gore), meaning "on the 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) meaning "middle" or 仲 (naka) "relationship, relations" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

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 "jujube". Natsume was a large village in the former district of Sakai, but the surname could also be from the former name for the area of Ishishimbo.

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.