MiskellIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meisceall meaning "descendant of Meiscill", a personal name of unexplained etymology. It was sometimes Anglicized as Maxwell.
MisuariFilipino, Tausug Meaning uncertain. A famous bearer is Nurallaji Pinang Misuari (1939-), better known as Nur Misuari, a Moro Filipino revolutionary.
MitaniJapanese From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".
MiwaJapanese From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 輪 (wa) meaning "wheel, ring, circle".
MiyamaJapanese 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".
MiyanoJapanese From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
MiyazatoJapanese From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".
MiyazawaJapanese From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".
MizoguchiJapanese From Japanese 溝 (mizo) meaning "ditch, drain, gutter" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".
MongushTuvan Theorised to be derived from Tuvan moon meaning "cohesive, powerful" combined with kush "force". It is also believed to have been Mongolified and Turkified during the reign of Chinggis Khan in the 13th century.
MontenegroSpanish, 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".
MonteverdiItalian Derived from Italian monte meaning "mountain" and verdi meaning "green"; literally means "green mountain".
MorceliArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly from Arabic مُرْسِل (mursil) meaning "sender, dispatcher" or "sent, transmitted" from أَرْسَلَ (ʾarsala) "to send, to dispatch".
MouChinese From Chinese 牟 (móu) referring to the ancient state of Mou that existed during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 BC).
MoujahidArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic مُجَاهِد (mujāhid) meaning "one who is labouring, one who is in distress", also used to refer to a member of a liberation army in Muslim countries (chiefly Moroccan).
MroczkowskiPolish Name for someone from any of various places called Mroczkowa, Mroczków or Mroczkowice, all derived from Polish mroczek meaning "house bat".
NagaiJapanese From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" or 永 (naga) meaning "eternity" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
NaganoJapanese From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" or 永 (naga) meaning "eternity" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
NagaokaJapanese From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
NagataJapanese From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" or 永 (naga) meaning "eternity" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".
NagayamaJapanese From Japanese 永 (nagai) meaning "eternity, long, lengthy" or 長 (nagai) meaning "chief, head, leader" combined with 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".
NahasapeemapetilonPopular Culture Borne by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, a fictional character from the television series 'The Simpsons' (1989-). According to the show's sources, the character is meant to be of Bengali Indian origin.
NairIndian, Malayalam From Nair, the name of a group of Hindu castes concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The origin of the word itself is somewhat disputed. Some believe it is derived from nayaka, an honorific meaning "leader of the people", while another theory suggests that is is derived from the Sanskrit नाग (nāgá) "snake, serpent" (a reference to the practice of snake worship)... [more]
NasutionBatak From Mandailing Nan Sakti On or Na Sakti On meaning "the magic one", itself from sakti meaning "mystical, magical" (ultimately of Sanskrit origin). This was a nickname of legendary Mandailing ruler Si Baroar Nan Sakti.
NatkhoCircassian Shapsug name possibly derived from Adyghe нат (nāt) meaning "Nart" (referring to a Caucasian saga) combined with хъо (χo) meaning "pig".
NatokCircassian Derived from Adyghe натӏэ (nāṭă) meaning "forehead" combined with къу (q°) meaning "man, male".
NiChinese From Chinese 倪 (ní) referring to the ancient territory of Ni, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Shandong province.
NiangWestern African, Wolof Refers to a member of the Deme, a Wolof clan whose symbol is the donkey.
NiazaiPashto Most likely from Persian نیاز (niyaz) meaning "need, necessity, desire, wish" (see Niaz or Niyaz) combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)"... [more]
NoviItalian Derived from Italian novello and ultimately derived from Latin novellus meaning "new". "Novi" also means "new" in several Slavic languages.
ObamaJapanese From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore".
ObolenskyRussian 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.
OcampoSpanish, Galician From the Galician toponym O Campo meaning "the field", also used as a habitational name from a town of the same name in Lugo, Galicia.
OcasioSpanish (Caribbean) Meaning uncertain, possibly from Spanish ocasión meaning "occasion" or ocaso meaning "dusk, sunset". This surname is primarily used in Puerto Rico.
OcchipintiSicilian Derived from Italian occhi "eyes" and pinti "painted", denoting someone with dark eyelashes or with flecked or blood-shot eyes.