KroesDutch, Low German Means "chalice, cup, jug" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels, such as a potter. Could also be a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a cup.
KrollGerman, Dutch Nickname for someone with curly hair, from Middle High German krol "curly", Middle Low German krulle "ringlet, curl", Middle Dutch croel, crul.
KrouwelDutch From Middle Dutch crauwel meaning "trident, hook, claw", an occupational name for someone who used such a tool, or habitational name for someone who lived near a landmark depicting it.
KruipDutch Means "crawl, creep" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone known for skulking about.
KruisDutch, Flemish Means "cross" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived near a crossroads, a sign depicting a cross, or a place where people were executed. Could also denote someone who made crosses, either the religious symbol or the instrument of torture.
KrutxagaBasque Habitational name, probably derived from a variant of Basque gurutze "cross; intersection, crossing" and -aga "place of, abundance of".
KüttEstonian Means "hunter" in Estonian, derived from Middle Low German schütte.
KuulEstonian Probably derived from Estonian kuul meaning "bullet, ball".
LäänEstonian Lään is an Estonian surname meaning "liege" or "fief". May also derive from lääne meaning "western".
LaanEstonian Laan is Estonian surname derived from laanelill; starflower and wintergreen (Trientalis europaea).
LaanDutch Means "lane, avenue" in Dutch (see Van Der Laan). Alternatively, could be a matronymic from the given name Lane, a Middle Dutch diminutive of Juliana and other names with similar elements.
LachtrupGerman Probably from a place name using the suffix -trup, related to dorf meaning "village". The first element could be lach "laugh, smile", or a corruption of loch "hole, pit".
LaiItalian Possibly denoting someone from Alà dei Sardi, or derived from the given name Nicola 1. Alternately, it may derive from lai, a type of lyrical poem.
LakemanDutch Either a topographic name for someone who lived by a lake or pond, from Middle Dutch lake "lake, pool; stream, marshland" and man "person, man", or an occupational name from laken "broadcloth".
LakuntzaBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque lako "wine press" and -une "place, location" combined with -tza "large quantity, abundance".
LamDutch, North Frisian Means "lamb" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a lamb or a place named for them. In some cases, it may derive from the name of a ship.
LamersDutch Patronymic from the given name Lamert, a variant of Lammert.
LammersEnglish Habitational name from either Lamas in Norfolk or Lamarsh in Essex, derived from Old English lām "loam, clay" combined with ersc "plowed field" or mersc "marsh".
LandetxoBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Mungia, Spain, derived from Basque landa "field, prairie, plain" and etxe "house, home, building".
LandibarBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the village of Urdazubi, Navarre, derived from Basque landa "field, prairie, plain" and ibar "valley, riverbank".
LangarikaBasque (Rare) From the name of a hamlet in Álava, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque langarri "arable, cultivatable", or from an uncertain given name.
LangendonckDutch, Belgian A habitational name derived from lang "long, elongated" and donk "sandy hill".
LangerakDutch A habitational name from any of several places called Langerak, derived from lang "long" and rak "straight section of a waterway".
LanghoorDutch, Belgian Means "long ear", from lang "long, tall" and oor "ear", a nickname for someone with large ears, or perhaps good hearing.
LanghornDanish Habitational name from Langenhorn (Danish Langhorn), a settlement in the north of Germany that was at one point under Danish rule.
LanghorneEnglish From Middle English lang "long" and horn "horn". Can be a habitational name from a place named with the elements, with horn used in the sense of a promontory or extending piece of land... [more]
LantziegoBasque (Rare) From the name of a town and municipality in Álava, Basque Country, of uncertain etymology.
LardizabalBasque, Filipino Habitational name derived from Basque lahardi "brushland, place of brambles" and zabal "wide, broad, ample".
LarkEnglish From the name of the bird, a nickname for a singer or a cheerful person, or perhaps someone who caught and sold larks. Alternatively, could be a shortened form of the personal name Larkin.
LarragaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque larre "pasture, meadow, prairie" and the locative suffix -aga "place of, group of".
LarrainBasque Means "threshing floor" in Basque. This is also the name of a hamlet in Navarre, Spain.
LarraldeBasque Derived from Basque larre "pasture, meadow, prairie" and -alde "near, by; side".
LarramendiBasque Means "pastureland, mountain grassland", derived from Basque larre "pasture, meadow, prairie" and mendi "mountain".
LarrañagaBasque, Spanish From the name of a farmhouse in Azpeitia, Spain, derived from Basque larrain "threshing yard" and -aga "place of, group of".
LarrazabalBasque, Spanish Habitational name derived from Basque larre "field, pastureland, prairie" and zabal "wide, open, ample".
LarregiBasque (Archaic) Derived from Basque larre "pasture, meadow, prairie" and -(t)egi "place of".
LarrionBasque From the name of a village in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque larre "field, pasture, meadowland" and on "good".
LaskurainBasque Possibly derived from Basque lats "creek, brook, small stream" and the locative suffixes -ko and -ain.
LasterEnglish Occupational name for a shoemaker, or for someone who made lasts, a wooden tool in the shape of a foot used for stretching and shaping leather when making boots.
LauwerFlemish Occupational name for a tanner, from Dutch looien "to tan (leather)".
LavenderEnglish, Dutch Occupational name for a washerman or launderer, Old French, Middle Dutch lavendier (Late Latin lavandarius, an agent derivative of lavanda "washing", "things to be washed"). The term was applied especially to a worker in the wool industry who washed the raw wool or rinsed the cloth after fulling... [more]
LawfordEnglish From any of several places in England called Lawford, derived from the personal name Lealla (cognate with Old High German Lallo), and ford "ford, river crossing".
LazkaoBasque (Rare) Habitational name possibly derived from Basque latsa "small stream, riverlet".
Le BrasBreton Altered form of Breton Ar Brazh meaning "the great, the imposing" or "the big, the fat", ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brassos "great, violent".
LedgerEnglish From the given name Leodegar or Legier. Alternatively, could be an occupational name for a stonemason, ultimately derived from Old English lecgan "to put, place, lay (down)".
LeegstraDutch Probably derived from either leeg "empty, hollow" or laag "low" combined with the West Frisian suffix -stra.
LeggioItalian From Sicilian leggiu "light, not heavy; superficial", a nickname for someone considered unreliable or irresponsible. Variant of Leggièri.
LeverFrench, English Nickname for a fleet-footed or timid person, from Old French levre "hare" (Latin lepus, genitive leporis). It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a hunter of hares.
LeverEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a place thickly grown with rushes, from Old English lǣfer "rush, reed". Compare Laver. Great and Little Lever in Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire) are named with this word, and in some cases the surname may also be derived from these places.
LichtJewish From the German word meaning "light", possibly derived from a given name meaning "light" such as Uri or Meir.
LichtGerman, Dutch, Yiddish Means "light" or "candle". Could be an occupational name for a chandler, a topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing (see Lichte), or a nickname for someone who had light hair, or who was agile and slender.
LichteGerman Habitational name for someone who lived in a clearing (see Lucht) or topographic name from a town in Germany, situated by the Lichte river. Alternatively, a variant of Licht.
LicursiItalian Of Albanian origin, either an occupational name for a tanner from lëkurë "skin, leather", or a habitational name.
LiddellEnglish From the Liddel river, which takes its name from Okd English hl̄de “loud” + dæl “valley”.
LiemDutch Habitual surname for Lieme in Eastphalia, which is from lim meaning "mire".
LiemanDutch From a Germanic personal name composed of liut "people", or possibly liob "dear, beloved", combined with man "person, man" (see Liutman, Liefman).
LieshoutDutch Originally indicated a person from the village of Lieshout in the province of North-Brabant, Netherlands. It is possibly derived from either Dutch lies meaning "great manna grass" (a grasslike plant that grows near riverbanks and ponds) or Middle Dutch lese meaning "track, furrow", combined with hout meaning "forest".
LiistroItalian From Sicilian lijistru "privet", a kind of shrub or small tree.
LinnGerman Toponymic surname derived from Germanic lin "swamp, bog, marsh".
LinnGerman Derived from the given name Linto, a short form of names containing the element lind "soft, flexible".
LinnGerman (Silesian), Jewish (Ashkenazi) Derived from the Slavic word lin "tench (fish)", a nickname for a fisherman, or for a person who somehow resembled a tench.
LizárragaBasque (Hispanicized) Castilianized form of Basque Lizarraga, a habitational name from any of several places derived from Basque lizar (archaic form leizar) "ash tree" and the locative suffix -aga meaning "abundance of" or "place of".
LoaizaBasque Castilianized form of a Basque topographic name derived from lohi "mud, mire" and the suffix -tza denoting abundance.
Lo GuastaItalian Variant of Guasti, literally "the broken". Probably used as a nickname for someone with a twisted or deformed limb, used in at least one case for a foundling.
LoiaItalian Most likely a variant of Aloia. May alternately be related to Italian loggia "atrium, open-roofed gallery", Greek λεώς (leos) "the people", or Tuscan loia "dirt, filth on clothes or skin", perhaps a nickname for someone with a profession that often made them dirty, such as mining.
LokerseDutch Possibly a patronymic form of a given name such as Lokke, or a habitational name from a place using the Middle Dutch element loken "to close, shut, fence" (compare Lock).
LuddEnglish Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from Middle English ladde "male servant, commoner, boy", or from Old English lade "bearing, carrying; way, passage, watercourse". In the case of Ned Ludd, legendary founder of the Luddite movement, it may have originated in the surname Ludlam.
LuiaondoBasque (Rare) From the name of a village in Álava, Spain, composed of the Basque suffix -ondo "near, adjacent" and an uncertain first element; possibly related to lur "earth, soil, land".
LuijtenDutch From the given name Luit or Luitje, a diminutive form of names beginning with the element liud "people".
LunaticiItalian A nickname for a quirky or temperamental person, ultimately from Latin lunaticus "of the moon, moonstruck".
LussoItalian From the given name Lucius, or possibly the toponym Santu Lussurgiu.
LustigSwedish, German, Jewish, Dutch A nickname for a cheerful person, derived from Swedish and German lustig "humorous, funny, enjoyable" or Middle High German lustig "merry, carefree". Usually ornamental as a Jewish surname.
LuterEnglish From Middle English leuter "lute player", or else from Old French lutre "otter", either a nickname or a metonymic name for someone who hunted otters.
LutsEstonian Means "burbot" (a species of European freshwater fish) in Estonian.
LymanEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow or a patch of arable land (see Layman).
LymanGerman Americanized form of German Leimann, Americanized form of Leinemann, habitational name for someone from Leine in Pomerania, or for someone who lived by either of two rivers called Leine, near Hannover and in Saxony.
MacalusoItalian Possibly from Arabic مخلوص (maklus) "freed, liberated", indicating a freedman or slave who had been liberated, which may be related to Sicilian macaluscio, "cleaned and prepared cotton".
MacisItalian From Sardinian maccia "shrub, thick bush, brush", or possibly denoting someone from the village Simax.
MadauItalian From Sardinian madau "fold, enclosure for sheep".
MadeEstonian Matronymic or patronymic surname taken either from the female name Magdaleena or the male name Matteus.
MadedduItalian Possibly a variant of Madau "sheepfold". Alternately, may derive from a Sardinian variant of Amato "beloved", or from the Latin cognomen Metellus "hired servant".
MaiaBasque From the name of a village in Navarre, Spain, called Amaiur in Basque, derived from amai "end, boundary, limit" (compare the given name Amaia).
MalandraItalian Possibly related to Italian malandrino "dishonest, mischievous; rascal".
MalatestaItalian Means "bad head" in Italian, a nickname for a stubborn or perhaps malicious person. It could have also indicated the bearer had a misshapen head. ... [more]
MalfattoItalian Means "badly made, shoddy; deformed" in Italian, possibly originating with the nickname Malefactus "ugly, injured". Cognate to French Malfait.
MalinFrench, Flemish From the masculine given name Madalin, a short form of names composed of the Germanic element mahal "council, assembly, meeting" such as Madalbert.
MangialaglioItalian Means "eats garlic" in Italian, from mangia "to eat" and aglio "garlic". Possibly a nickname for someone known for heavily seasoning their food, or for having bad breath.
MangiaracinaItalian The Sicilian name for salpa, a kind of fish, from mangia "to eat" and racina "grapes".
MangiarottiItalian From an Italian nickname, possibly meaning "rat eater".
ManocchioItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Italian mano "hand" and occhio "eye", an elaboration of the surname Mano, or an altered form of malocchio meaning "evil eye".
MansfieldEnglish Means "open land by the River Maun", from the Celtic river name combined with the Old English word feld "field".
MarigoItalian Either from Venetian marigo "mayor of a rural village", or from the given name Amerigo.
MarkEnglish, German, Dutch Topographic name for someone who lived on a boundary between two districts, from Old High German marka "border, boundary, march". The German term also denotes an area of fenced-off land (see Marker) and, like the English word, is embodied in various place names which have given rise to habitational names.
MarkellEnglish Habitational name from various locations in England containing the Old English element mearc (from Old Germanic markō) meaning "border, boundary".
MarongiuItalian From Sardinian marongiu "to hoe, hoeing", from marra "hoe, digging tool".
MarsmanDutch Derived from Middle Dutch marsch, mersch (Southern Dutch meers), meaning "marsh". In some cases, however, it can also be a variant of Meersman.
MassinghamEnglish 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".
MastDutch Derived from Middle Dutch mast "(ship's) mast; pole", a nickname for a tall, lanky man. Alternatively, it can derive from the homonym mast "pig fodder, animal fodder".
MastGerman, Dutch Derived from Middle High German and Middle Dutch mast "mast (fodder made of acorns and beechnuts); the process of fattening livestock", an occupational name for a pig farmer or a swineherd. In some cases, however, the German name may also have been derived from Middle High German mast, mastic "fat, stout".
MastrangeloItalian From Italian mastro "master, expert craftsman" combined with the given name Angelo.
MattanaItalian From Sardinian mattana "madness, annoyance".
MattenFlemish Could derive from a short form of a given name such as Matthias or Mathilde, or be a toponym derived from either Middle High German mata "meadow" or French motte "clod, mound of earth".
McadoryNorthern Irish (Rare) Anglicized form of Northern Irish Mac an Deoraidh meaning "son of the stranger", derived from Old Irish déorad "stranger, outlaw, exile, pilgrim".
McCalveyIrish Either an Anglicized form of Mac an Chalbhaigh, possibly derived from Irish calbhach "big-headed" or "bald-headed", or an altered form of McKelvey.
McEvoyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhíodhbhuidhe meaning "son of Fíodhbhadhach", derived from fiodhbhadhach meaning "woodsman".
McevoyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhuidhe "son of the yellow-haired lad", from giolla "youth, page, boy" and buide "yellow".
McStockerIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Irish Mac An Stocaire meaning "son of the trumpeter", from stocaire "trumpeter".
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)".
MeersmanFlemish An occupational name for a travelling salesman, from Middle Dutch merseman "itinerant merchant, peddler".
MeijerinkDutch Toponymic surname derived from meier "bailiff, steward, tenant farmer" (see Meijer) combined with the suffix -ink.
MeltonEnglish Habitational name from any of several places meaning "middle town". Compare Middleton.
MendarteBasque Habitational name of Gipuzkoan origin, possibly derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and arte "between, among".
MendibilBasque Habitational name derived from Basque mendi "mountain" and -bil "round, circular".
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.
MesinaItalian From Sardinian mesina "keg, small barrel", probably given as a nickname to someone with a round or fat build.
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.
MezzadonnaItalian Means "half a woman" in Italian, from mezza "half" and donna "lady, woman".
MezzanotteItalian Means "midnight" in Italian, perhaps given to someone who was born at midnight.
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".
MittagGerman Means "midday, noon" in German, with an archaic meaning of "south". Habitational name given to someone who lived south of a main settlement.
MoesDutch Derived from Middle Dutch moes "stew, mush, vegetables, food", either on its own as a nickname for a cook or vegetable farmer, or as a shortened form of a longer name, such as the toponym Moespot "vegetable pot".
MoffaItalian From Italian muffa "mould, mildew, moss".
MolDutch Means "mole (animal)" in Dutch. Could be a nickname for someone with poor eyesight or who was known for digging, an occupational name for a mole catcher, or a habitational name for someone from Mol in the Antwerp province, Belgium.
MolenaVenetian From Venetian mołéna "crumb", perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's size.
MollyDutch (Surinamese) Possibly derived from an occupational name for a millwright, from Middle Dutch molen "mill".
MoncadaSpanish A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
MorabitoItalian Ultimately from Arabic مُرَابِط (murabit) "holy man, one who preaches in the street; soldier stationed in an outpost", from which comes Sicilian murabitu "moderate, sober" and murabbiu "teetotal".
MorgadeSpanish Derived from Portuguese morgado "firstborn, heir".
MorshuisDutch Probably derived from Old Dutch mor "swamp, marsh, peat" and huis "house, home".
MortlockEnglish Habitational name denoting someone from Mortlake, Surrey, or from Mortlach, Banff. Mortlake could mean either "Morta’s meadow", from the byname Morta and Old English lag "wet pasture, marshy field", or "salmon stream", from mort "young salmon" and lacu "stream, pool"... [more]
MosleyEnglish Habitational name from any of several places called Mos(e)ley in central, western, and northwestern England. The obvious derivation is from Old English mos "peat bog" and leah "woodland clearing", but the one in southern Birmingham (Museleie in Domesday Book) had as its first element Old English mus "mouse", while one in Staffordshire (Molesleie in Domesday Book) had the genitive case of the Old English byname Moll.
MuisDutch, Indonesian From Dutch muis meaning "mouse". Could be a nickname denoting someone with mouse-like tendencies, or who caught mice, or a short form of the given name Bartholomeus.
MulèItalian From Arabic مولى (mawlan) "guide, chief, lord, master".
MundakaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Spain, of uncertain etymology. A popular theory is that it derives from Latin munda aqua "clean water", but there is no evidence to support this origin... [more]
MungiaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Basque Country, possibly derived from the personal name Munio combined with the locative suffix -(t)egi.