West Germanic Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the language is West Germanic.
usage
language
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Mays English
Variant of Mayes.
Mayson English
Variant of Mason.
Maze English
Variant of Mays.
Mc English
Variant of Mac
Mcandrew Scots, Irish
Irish or Scots surname meaning "son of Andrew".
Mccain English
"Son of warrior"
McCandless Scottish, Irish, Scots
Ulster Scots form of McCandlish. This surname is mostly common in Northern Ireland.
McClaine English
Variant of McClain. This name is borne by the American comic book artist Les McClaine (1977-)
McClurkin English (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Cléireacháin, a variant of Mac Cléirich. A famous bearer of this surname is pastor and gospel singer Donnie McClurkin (1959-).
McCorvey English
A notable bearer was Norma McCorvey (1947-2017), who was the plaintiff for the case that legalized abortion across the United States.
McMaster English, Scottish
Patronymic for someone who was the son of the Master, i.e., a cleric
Mcmath Scottish, English
Means "son of Math".
Mcminn English (British), Scottish
Meaning "Son of" Minn"".
Mcquiston English (British)
Anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic name MacUisdean and in Irish MacUistin.
Mcrayne English, Scottish
Means "son of the queen," combining the surname Rayne with the prefix Gaelic prefix mac, meaning "son."
Mead English, English (New Zealand)
topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Middle English mede ‘meadow’ (Old English m?d). metonymic occupational name for a brewer or seller of mead (Old English meodu), an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey
Meader English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Mead 1 + the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant.
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]
Meadow English
A topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow. The form meadow derives from mǣdwe, the dative case of Old English mǣd.
Meakin English
Variant of Makin.
Meale English
Possibly a nickname from Middle English mele "meal, ground cereal"
Mecklenburg German, Jewish
Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".
Medcalf English (British)
Variant spelling of Metcalfe.
Medd English
Dweller at the meadow.
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]
Medlicott English
Derivative from a location in Shropshire, England
Meeboer Dutch (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)".
Meed English
Dweller at the meadow.
Meehan Irish, English
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Miadhacháin meaning "descendant of Miadhacháin", a diminutive of the byname Miadhach "honorable".
Meer German (Swiss), Romansh
Derived from Late Latin maior domus "mayor of a palace" (compare Meyer 1).
Meer Dutch, Low German
Means "lake, pool, marsh", from Old Germanic *mari "lake; sea, ocean". Compare Van der Meer.
Meersman Flemish
An occupational name for a travelling salesman, from Middle Dutch merseman "itinerant merchant, peddler".
Meester Dutch, Flemish, German
Occupational name for a teacher, lecturer or a master craftsman, or a nickname for someone who had a bossy demeanor, derived from Dutch meester meaning "master". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress, singer and model Leighton Meester (1986-).
Mefford English, German (Americanized), Dutch (Americanized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Meffert, derived from a Germanic given name composed of maht "strength, might" and fridu "peace" (see Metfried, Mathfrid)... [more]
Megarry Irish, English
From the Irish 'Mag Fhearadhaigh', meaning "descendant of the fearless one"
Mehoff Bulgarian, English (American)
Variant transcription of Mehov.
Meijerink Dutch
Toponymic surname derived from meier "bailiff, steward, tenant farmer" (see Meijer) combined with the suffix -ink.
Meinhard German
From the given name Meinhard
Meinhart German
From the given name Meinhard
Meister German, Swiss
Means "Master" in German.
Melchior Dutch, German
Derived from the given name Melchior.
Melk Dutch
Dutch word for "milk"
Melker Dutch, Swedish (Rare), Afrikaans
Derived from Dutch melker "milker (one who milks)". In some cases, however, it can also be derived from the given name Melchior.
Mell English
Possible variant of Meale
Melle German
Taken from place names like Melle or Mellen in Germany.
Mellenthin German
Habitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Meller German (Americanized), Danish (Americanized), Jewish (Ashkenazi), Polish (Germanized), English
Some characteristic forenames: German Uwe, Alois, Armin, Bernd, Dieter, Erwin, Hartmann, Manfred, Nikolaus, Ute. Jewish Arie, Baruch, Emanuel, Gershon, Moisey, Moshe.... [more]
Mellor English
Parishes in Derbyshire, and Lancashire, meaning the mill bank. ... [more]
Melloy English
Variant of Molloy.
Melmoth English
From middle english milde, meaning "mild, gentle, friendly" and mouth. The development of the surname may have been influenced by association with Middle English mele-mouth, meaning "mealy-mouthed, reticent, ingratiating, hypocritical".
Melody English
Variant of Merridew, or perhaps occasionally derived from the rare Middle English feminine given name Melodia.
Melrose Scottish, English
Habitational name from a place near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, so named from British words that were ancestors of Welsh moel ‘bare, barren’ + rhos ‘moor, heath’. ... [more]
Melton English
Habitational name from any of several places meaning "middle town". Compare Middleton.
Meltzer German
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a maltster, a brewer who used malt, from German Meltzer (an agent derivative of Middle High German malt ‘malt’, ‘germinated barley’), Yiddish meltser ‘maltster’... [more]
Menard English, French
Unaccented form of Ménard.
Mencke German
Variant of Menke
Mendenhall English
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous place in Wiltshire.
Mendler German
Occupational name for a maker of coats from an agent derivative of Middle High German mantel, mandel, mendel "coat".
Mendlsan Yiddish
Yiddish form of Mendelssohn.
Menear Cornish, English (British)
English (Devon; of Cornish origin): topographic name for someone who lived by a menhir, i.e. a tall standing stone erected in prehistoric times (Cornish men ‘stone’ + hir ‘long’). In the United States, it is a common surname in Pennsylvania & West Virginia.
Mengele German
Doctor Josef Mengele (Born on March 16, 1911 - Died on February 7, 1979), also known as the Angel of Death, was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) Officer and physician during World War II. He is mainly remembered for his actions at the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he performed deadly experiments on prisoners, was a member of the team of doctors who selected victims to be killed in the gas chambers and was one of the doctors who administered the gas.
Menke German
Derived as a diminutive of several Germanic given names whose first element was derived from Germanic *magin- and *megin- "strength; force; power".
Mennen Dutch
Derived from a given name such as Manno, or any name containing the element megin "power, strength".
Mensink Dutch
Patronymic or habitational name meaning "of Menso", a diminutive of personal name derived from the element megin (see Mense, Menno).
Mentzer German
Habitational name with the agent suffix -er, either from Mainz, earlier Mentz, derived from the medieval Latin name Mogontia (Latin Mogontiacum, probably from the Celtic personal name Mogontios), or from Menz in Brandenburg and Saxony.
Menzel German, English
Derived from a short form of MENZ, Clemens or Hermann.
Menzer German
Variant of Mentzer.
Merch English
A variant of the surname March
Mercury English
In some cases this may represent an anglicized form of French Mercure or Italian Mercuri, Mercurio or Di Mercurio... [more]
Mergenthaler German
Habitational name for someone from a place called Mergenthal in Saxony or Bohemia.
Mergler German
Means "marl" from German mergel. It either denoted someone who lived by a marl pit or someone who sold marl.
Merivale English
The surname Merivale was first found in Cornwall and Devon, where this prominent family flourished. Walter Merifild was recorded in Devon in 1200 but it is believed the family had established itself earlier in St... [more]
Meriwether English
Means "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person.
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.
Merlin English, French, German
From the given name Merlin as well as referred to the blackbird, that is named merle in French and merlo in Italian and Spanish... [more]
Mermis Dutch
Altered form of Mevis, a shortened form of the given name Bartholomeus
Merridew English
A different form of Meredith (from the Welsh personal name Meredydd, perhaps literally "lord of splendour"). It occurs in Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' (1868) belonging to Mrs Merridew, widowed sister to Sir John Verinder.
Merrifield English
English habitational name from any of various places, such as Merryfield in Devon and Cornwall or Mirfield in West Yorkshire, all named with the Old English elements myrige 'pleasant' + feld 'pasture', 'open country.' See also Merivale.
Merrihew English, Irish
Likely an altered form of Welsh Meredith (which is found as Meriday in 16th- and 17th-century English sources; also compare Merridew) or possibly of English Mayhew.
Merriman English, Irish
1. English: nickname, an elaborated form of Merry.... [more]
Merriott English
Either a habitational name from Merriott in Somerset. The placename may derive from Old English mere miere "mare" mere "pool" or gemære "boundary" and gæt "gate gap"... [more]
Merriweather English
From a medieval nickname for someone of a cheerful disposition (cf. Meriwether).
Mertesacker German
Means "Merten's field" in German, derived from the given name Merten and Middle High German acker meaning "field". A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player Per Mertesacker (1984-).
Merton English
From a place name meaning "town on a lake" in Old English.
Mertz German
Variant of the surname Martz
Mervin Welsh, English
From the given name Mervin
Mervyn English
(i) from the medieval personal name Merewine, literally "fame-friend"; (ii) from the Old English personal names Mǣrwynn, literally "famous joy", and Merefinn, from Old Norse Mora-Finnr; (iii) from the Welsh personal name Merfyn, literally probably "marrow-eminent"
Mesmer German
Occupational name for a maker of knives from Middle High German messer meaning "knife". A famous bearer was Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), a German doctor known for his theory of "animal magnetism", which was eventually incorporated into the field of hypnosis.
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]
Messer German
Occupational name for an official in charge of measuring the dues paid in kind by tenants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German mezzen "to measure".
Messerschmidt German
Name given to a knife smith. From German "messer" meaning knife, and "schmidt" meaning smith.
Messiaen Dutch, 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.
Messing German, Jewish
Derived from Middle High German messinc meaning "brass", referring to a person who makes or repairs brass objects. A famous bearer is American actress Debra Messing (1968-).
Messler German
Habitational name for someone from Messel near Darmstadt.
Metcalfe English
An occupational name from Northern England, from Old English mete, 'food' and calf, 'calf', i.e calfs being fattened for consumption in late summer. Thus, making this surname an occupational name for either a slaughterer or herdsman... [more]
Metheny English
Originated from the village name of Methley in Yorkshire.
Metselaar Dutch
Means "bricklayer, mason" in Dutch.
Mette German
Matronymic surname derived from the given name Mette, a Low German short form of Mechthild.
Mette Dutch
Truncated form of Demetter.
Metz German
From a short form of the female personal name Mechthild.
Meulen Dutch, Belgian
Variant spelling of Molen, meaning "mill".
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]
Meutstege Dutch
Possibly from Dutch meute meaning "pack, crowd" and steeg meaning "alleyway, lane, narrow path". Dutch former soccer player Wim Meutstege (1952-) bears this name.
Mewborn English
Rare English name. The only place I have found it in the phone directory (other than several small towns in eastern North Carolina) is in Northumberland, UK. The word mew has to do with stables, and of course born is an English word.
Mich Polish, English
From Michaj or Michał in Polish usage. From Michael in English.
Michaël Dutch, French
From the given name Michaël.
Miché French, Dutch (Rare)
Derived from the given name Michel.
Michelle English (American)
Directly taken from the given name Michelle.
Michels German, Dutch, Flemish
Patronymic from the personal name Michel.
Mick German, Dutch
Occupational name from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch micke "(wheat or rye) bread". Alternatively, a Germanized form of Mik.
Mickelson English (American, Anglicized)
Anglicization of the Danish-Norwegian surname Mikkelsen, which means "son of Mikkel," a variant of the personal name Michael.
Micklethwaite English
Habitational name for a person from several places inside West Yorkshire, all derived from Old Norse mikill "great, large" and þveit "clearing, pasture".
Mickley English
It comes the French name Michelet, which comes from the name Michael, as in the angel. ... [more]
Middag Dutch
Means "midday, noon" in Dutch. Compare German Mittag.
Middaugh English
Variant of German Mittag meaning "midday, south".
Middelberg Dutch
Variant of Middelburg, derived from middel "middle, centre" and burg "fortress, citadel".
Middendorf German
"middle of the village"
Middle English
Derived from the word middle
Midford English
Habitational name for someone from Mitford in Northumberland.
Midler English
Nickname for a person who causes trouble or meddles in the affairs of others, derived from Middle English medeler meaning "meddler, troublemaker, one who interferes". This name is borne by the American singer, actress and comedienne Bette Midler (1945-).
Miedema West Frisian, Dutch
Derived from West Frisian miede "meadow, hayfield" and the suffix -ma "one of the men of".
Miedinger German
Habitational name for someone from Meitingen in Württemberg.
Mielke German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Milogost and other Slavic given names beginning with the element mil-.
Mier Dutch
Derived from Dutch mier "ant", perhaps denoting an industrious person.
Mier Spanish, English (American)
As a Spanish name relates to late summer and means "harvest" or "ripened".... [more]
Mifflin English
An English West Country variant of the original Welsh-Breton personal name Merlin.
Milbourne English
Variant form of Milburn.
Milchik Yiddish
From the Yiddish milch, meaning “milk”derived from Old High German. Refers to food containing and/or prepared with dairy products in Ashkenazi Judaism.... [more]
Mildmay English
From a medieval nickname for an inoffensive person (literally "mild maiden").
Milhous English
Variant spelling of English Millhouse.
Milhouse English
Variant spelling of Millhouse.
Milk English
Probably from Middle English milk ‘milk’, applied as a metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of milk.In some instances, probably a translation of German Milch, a variant of Slavic Milich or of Dutch Mielke (a pet form of Miele), or a shortening of Slavic Milkovich.
Mill Scottish, English
Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived near a mill, Middle English mille, milne (Old English myl(e)n, from Latin molina, a derivative of molere ‘to grind’)... [more]
Millar English
Variant of Miller.
Millay English
This surname is thought to be a respelling of Millais, which may come from the French surname Millet, a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of millet or panic grass (derived from a diminutive form of Old French mil which is then derived from Latin milium meaning "millet").... [more]
Milley English
Habitational name from a lost or unidentified place possibly in Lincolnshire.
Millington English
Parishes in Cheshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Millsap English (American), English
Judging by the name and how it sounds, I guess it's occupational. This is the name of a town in Texas, named after Fuller Millsap.
Milman English
From the old English word mylen meaning "mill" and mann meaning "man", which in this sense means a worker
Milner English, Scottish
Northern English (mainly Yorkshire) and Scottish: variant of Miller, retaining the -n- of the Middle English word, which was a result of Scandinavian linguistic influence, as in Old Norse mylnari.
Milo English
Derived from the given name Milo.
Milward English
Variant of Millard and Millward, derived from mille "mill" and weard "guard" meaning "guardian of the mill"
Mims English (British)
Habitational name from Mimms (North and South Mimms) in Hertfordshire, most probably derived from an ancient British tribal name, Mimmas.
Minde German
Habitational name denoting someone from the city of Minden.
Minden German, English
Habitational name from any of various places so named, for example in Westphalia (German) or Shropshire (English).
Miner English
English occupational name for someone who built mines, either for the excavation of coal and other minerals, or as a technique in the medieval art of siege warfare. The word represents an agent derivative of Middle English, Old French mine ‘mine’ (a word of Celtic origin, cognate with Gaelic mein ‘ore’, ‘mine’).
Minghella English (British)
It derives from the Roman (Latin) "Dominicus", meaning "belonging to the lord god", from "dominus", lord or master. The name was given considerable impetus by the fame of the Spanish saint "Dominicus", who founded the Dominican order of monks, although it was already well established.
Minnow English
Possibly derived from the English word "minnow", a small fish.
Minor English, German, French
English: variant spelling of Miner.... [more]