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".
MediciItalian Patronymic or plural form of Medico. This was the name of an Italian political dynasty that was in power through the Renaissance period.
MedicoItalian Means "doctor, physician" in Italian, from Latin medicus, ultimately from medeor "to heal, cure, remedy, help".
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]
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.
MollicaItalian Means "crumb, breadcrumb; soft inner part of bread" in Italian, a nickname for a physically small or unintelligent person, or perhaps someone considered kind and soft-hearted.
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".
MorticelliItalian (Rare) Means "died small" in Italian, from morto "dead; died" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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".
NapelloItalian (Rare) Means "aconite, monkshood" in Italian, taken from the plant’s scientific name Aconitum napellus, a nickname for someone considered to have an unpleasant or "poisonous" character.
NasutiItalian From Italian nasuto "nosey, big-nosed".
NattiItalian Derived from the Gaulish given name Nattius, possibly derived from either Old Celtic natu "chant, poem" or from Latin (g)nato "born".
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.
Ó DonndubhartaighIrish (Archaic) Means "descendant of Donndubhartach", a personal name composed of donn "brown" and dub "black" combined with artach "nobleman".
Ó DuibhneIrish Means "descendent of Duibhne", a given name possibly meaning "ill-tempered, surly".
OegemaDutch, Frisian Patronymic form of an uncertain personal name, possibly Hugo, using the Frisian suffix -ma "man of".
OgnissantiItalian Means "all saints" in Italian, either from the devotional name given to children born on All Saints’ Day, or from any of several locations named as such.
OiangurenBasque Habitational name derived from Basque oihan "forest, woods" and guren "limit, edge, boundary".
OiartzunBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Basque Country, Spain, possibly derived from the nearby Roman town Oiasso (also called Oiarso), the name of which may have been applied to the entire surrounding region... [more]
OibarBasque The name of several locations in Navarre, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque ibar "valley". Compare Aybar.
OihartzabalBasque (Rare) Derived from Basque oihan "forest, woods" and zabal "wide, broad, open".
OlabeagaBasque From the name of a neighbourhood in the city of Bilbao in Biscay, Basque Country, derived from Basque ola "factory, foundry, ironworks" and -be "lower part" combined with -aga "place of, group of".
OlaetxeaBasque From the name of a tower house in Elgoibar, an industrial town in Basque Country, derived from Basque ola "factory, foundry, forge; cabin, hut" and etxe "house, building".
OlagaraiBasque Derived from Basque ola "factory, forge, ironworks; hut, cabin" and garai "high, tall, prominent".
OlagueBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, probably derived from Basque ola meaning "forge, factory, foundry" or "hut, cabin" and the suffix -gune "place, area".
Ó LaighinIrish Means "of Leinster" or "descendant of the one from Leinster", denoting someone who came from the Irish province Leinster (Laighin in Irish)... [more]
OlanoBasque From the name of a hamlet in Álava, Basque Country, derived from ola "factory, forge, ironworks; hut cabin" and the diminutive suffix -no.
Ó MiadhaighIrish Means "descendant of Miadhach", a byname meaning "honorable" from Old Irish míad "honour, dignity, elevation".
OmtzigtDutch Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]
OnbekendDutch Means "unknown, anonymous" in Dutch, given to individuals who don’t have a family name (often for cultural reasons).
OnidiItalian Denoting someone from Onida, a former village.
OosterweghelDutch Derived from the Dutch words ooster "east" and weg "road".
OostwalDutch From the Dutch words oost "east" and wal "coast, shore" or "bank, levee, wall".
OranjeDutch Means "orange (colour)" in Dutch, in reference to the Dutch Royal Family, who in turn derive their name from the town of Orange (or Auranja) in France, first attested as Arausio in the first century... [more]
OrdorikaBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Muxika, Spain, possibly derived from Basque ordo "plain, field, meadow" and ori "yellow" combined with the toponymic suffix -ika meaning "slope" or "place of".
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OritzBasque Habitational name from Oritz, a town in Navarre province.
OrleyEnglish Habitational name from Orleigh, possibly meaning "Ordwulf’s clearing", functionally from ort "point" and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
OruetaBasque From the name of a district in the town of Gautegiz-Arteaga, Spain, derived from Basque oru "ground, place, building site" and the toponymic suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
OtxaranBasque (Rare) From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zalla, Spain, derived from Basque otso "wolf" and (h)aran "valley".
OudenhovenDutch Derived from Dutch oude "old" and hoeve "farm, farmstead, manor". As a surname it is derived from one of the many places of this name.
OudshoornDutch From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]
PaceyEnglish Habitational name from the French location Pacy-sur-Eure, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius and the locative suffix -acum... [more]
PancioneItalian Means "fat person, paunch, big belly" in Italian.
PancorboSpanish From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Suggestions as to its origin include Spanish puente curvo "curved bridge", or a legend about crows delivering bread to the town when it was besieged by Saracens, leading to it being called Pan-Cuervo "Bread-Crow".
PandimiglioItalian Probably means "millet bread" in Italian, from pane "bread" and miglio "millet".
PanettaItalian Diminutive form of Italian pane "bread", probably an occupational name for a baker.
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PannebakkerDutch From Middle Dutch panne "pan, roof tile" and backer "baker", an occupational name for someone who made roof tiles.
PannekoekDutch Means "pancake" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone who made or liked to eat pancake. Alternatively, it could derive from a place name, such as an inn or field named for pancakes.
PanzeriItalian Either a nickname from Italian pancia "belly, paunch", referring to someone with a prominent belly (see Panza), or an occupational name for someone who manufactured girdles and armour, from panciere "corset, girdle; paunce (armour covering the belly)", ultimately from the same root.
PanzicaItalian From Sicilian panzicu "pot-bellied, paunch".
ParoloItalian Derived from a variant of Italian paiolo "cauldron, copper pot", an occupational name for someone who made or sold such vessels.
ParsonEnglish Means "priest, cleric, minister" in English, either an occupational name for someone who worked for a parson, a nickname for someone considered particularly pious, or perhaps given to illegitimate children of a priest.
PassafiumeItalian From Italian passa fiume meaning "(one who) crosses the river", an occupational name for a ferryman.
PaterDutch, German, English, Polish From Latin pater "father", used as a religious title for a priest in Roman Catholicism. Possibly used semi-literally for a man who worked in the church, or figuratively for a solemn or pompous man.
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PauwDutch, Flemish Means "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic Pauwels "son of Paul".
PávekmCzech Diminutive of páv "peacock", hence a nickname for a pretentious or ostentatious person.
PelterEnglish Derived from Middle English pellet "skin (of an animal, sheep)", an occupational name for someone who tanned or sold hides and pelts for a living. Compare French Pelletier.
PenisFilipino Possibly derived from Spanish pino "pine tree", or perhaps a nickname based on the English word for genitalia.
PennaItalian Possibly from Italian penna "feather, pen", a nickname for a scribe.
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.