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).
LouwersDutch Either a patronymic from a short form of Laurentius, or an occupational name for a tanner from Dutch looien "to tan (leather)".
LovelandEnglish From the name of a farmstead in Devon, England, possibly derived from the Old English given name Leofa (or Lufa) combined with land "land, cultivated land, estate".
LøvlandNorwegian Habitational name derived from Norwegian løv "leaf" (Old Norse lauf) and land "land", probably referring to areas where deciduous trees grew.
LoyaBasque, Spanish From a location in Navarre, Spain, probably means "the mud", derived from Basque lohi "mud, mire".
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".
MahoodIrish Anglicized form of Mac hUid meaning "son of Ud" (see Hood).
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).
MainScottish Derived from a short form of the Scandinavian personal name Magnus.
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".
MaquibarBasque (Hispanicized) Castilianized form of Makibar, possibly derived from Basque mako "arch, hook; curved, crooked" or "club, cane, staff" and ibar "valley, riverbank"... [more]
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.
MaslinEnglish Derived from the Middle English and Old French given names Mazelin and Mazelin, double diminutives of names containing the Germanic element mahal "meeting, assembly; speech, court"... [more]
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.
MatlockEnglish From the name of a town in Derbyshire, England, meaning "moot oak, oak where meetings were held", derived from Old English mæðel "meeting, gathering, council" (see mahal) and ac "oak (tree)".
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".
MayberryEnglish, Irish Of uncertain origin, probably an altered form of Mowbray. Alternatively, it could be derived from an unidentified English place name containing the Old English element burg "fortress, citadel" and an uncertain first element.
MayhewEnglish Anglicized form of a Norman French variant of the given name Matthew.
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".
McSorleyScottish, Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Somhairle meaning "son of Somhairle", a given name borrowed from Old Norse Sumarliði "summer traveller".
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)".
MeehanIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maotháin meaning "descendant of Maothán", a diminutive of Irish maoth "soft, tender, moist; tearful, sentimental"... [more]
MelansonBreton Possibly derived from an altered form of French mélasson "clumsy, awkward" (from mélasse "molasses, treacle").
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".
MilingianaItalian Probably from milinciana "eggplant, aubergine", likely given to foundlings.
MilludiBasque (Rare) Possibly a variant of the toponym Merelludi, of uncertain etymology. Could be related to a Basque word meaning "mill" or "millet" and the locative or collective suffix -di.
MitfordEnglish 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".
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".
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.
MöwerGerman (Rare) Possibly derived from Middle High German moven "to torment, trouble, burden".
MowerEnglish Occupational name for someone who cut hay or grass.
MoxleyEnglish From the name of a settlement in Staffordshire, England, probably derived from the Old English given name Mocc and hlaw "mound, small hill".
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.
MuxikaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Coincides with, or possibly derives from, the Basque word muxika meaning "peach".
NaitanaItalian, Sardinian Probably from the name of a disappeared village, itself derived from Latin navita "sailor, navigator".
NasutiItalian From Italian nasuto "nosey, big-nosed".
NautaDutch Humanistic Latinization of Schipper, from nauta "sailor, seaman, mariner".
NaylorEnglish Occupational name for someone who made nails, from Middle English nayler "nail maker".
NeesonIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Naois "son of Naois", usually Anglicized as Mcneese. Surname made famous by the actor Liam Neeson.
NeveEnglish, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish Ultimately derived from Old Germanic nefo "nephew, grandson". In Middle English, it also became a term meaning "wastrel, spendthrift".
NevelsDutch Possibly a variant of Nevens. Coincides with Dutch nevel "fog".
NevensFlemish Derived from Middle Dutch neve "male cousin, nephew, grandson".
NevesPortuguese Means "snows" in Portuguese, derived from either the Marian title Maria das Neves "Mary of the Snows", or from any of several locations named for the title.
NewbyEnglish From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English niwe "new" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
NewittEnglish Possibly derived from Middle English newete "newt", or perhaps from the Dutch personal name Nout.
NiedermeyerGerman Means "lower farmer", a distinguishing name for a farmer who worked further south or in a low-lying location.
NiemanDutch Means "new man", a cognate of German Neumann. Can also derive from Middle Dutch nieman "no one, nobody", a byname for an unknown or otherwise nameless person... [more]
NixGerman Derived from Middle High German nickes "water sprite, elf, demon".
NolfFlemish, German Derived from a short form of the personal names Arnolf or Nodolf (a variant of Odolf), or possibly another name ending in wolf "wolf".
NoppeFlemish Possibly related to Middle Dutch noppe "tuft of wool, tassel", a metonymic name for someone who worked with cloth, or a nickname for someone with a slight stature. Alternatively, from a childish form of the given name Norbert.
NorzagaraiBasque (Rare) From the name of a house in the municipality of Álava, Spain, derived from Basque garai "high, tall, top" and an uncertain first element.
NotteItalian From Italian notte "night", perhaps a shortened form of Mezzanotte "midnight" or Bonanotte "good night".
NottetFrench, Belgian, Flemish Derived from given names using the French diminutive -otte, such as Ernotte.
NurchisItalian Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".
NurmeEstonian Derived from nurm, meaning "field, meadow, lea" in Estonian.
NuteEnglish Possibly derived from the given name Cnute, or be a variant of Newitt. Alternatively, it may be from Old English hnutu "brown", a nickname for someone with a brown complexion or hair.
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.