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.
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 nickname for a young woman, from Old English milde "mild, gentle" and mægden "girl, virgin".
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]
Minter English
Occupational name for someone involved in the production or distribution of coins, such as a moneyer or a clerk in a mint, derived from Old English mynet "coin".
Mirschel Yiddish
Jewish (Ashkenazic) and German variant of Herschel.
Mirskiy m Russian, Yiddish (Russified)
Derived from Russian мир (mir), meaning "world" or "peace".
Mischel German
Diminutive of Misch.
Mishler German
Americanized spelling of Swiss German Mischler .
Mistry English
Influenced by the English word mystery meaning unknown.
Mitch English
From the given name Mitchell or Mitch.
Mitcham English
Habitational name from Mitcham in Surrey so named from Old English micel "big" and ham "village homestead" or ham "water meadow" meaning either "the great homestead" or "the great meadow".
Mitchells English (African)
Derived from the given name Mitchell or a variant of Mitchell 1. Mostly dominated in South Africa.
Mitford English
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".
Mittag German
Means "midday, noon" in German, with an archaic meaning of "south". Habitational name given to someone who lived south of a main settlement.
Mittel German
Literally "middle", probably a topographic name from a farm occupying a middle position in a settlement. Compare Mitter.
Mittelkauff German (Archaic)
An extinct occupational name for a broker or middleman from Middle High German mittel meaning "middle" and kauf meaning "purchase".
Mittelmann German
From a byname from Middle High German mittelman "mediator, arbitrator".
Mitten English
English surname, meaning "from Mitten" various towns with the name or similar spelling. The towns were presumably named after the glove.
Mitter German
Topographic name for someone who lived on or owned a property that was in the middle between two or more others, especially if the others were both held by men with the same personal name (for example, Mitter Hans), from the strong form of Middle High German mitte "mid, middle".
Mittermeier German (Austrian)
Literal meaning "middle farmer" its thought to have been given to farmers living between two there farms in the mountains.
Mixon English
Means "Mick's son".... [more]
Moats English
Variant of Moat.
Moberley English
English habitational name from Mobberley in Cheshire, named in Old English as ‘clearing with a fortified site where assemblies are held’, from (ge)mot ‘meeting’, ‘assembly’ + burh ‘enclosure’, ‘fortification’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
Möbius German
Patronymic surname derived from the given name Bartholomäus, the German form of Bartholomew.
Mobley English
English reduced form of Moberley.
Möbus German
Variant of Möbius.
Mochan Scottish, English, Irish
From the given name Mochán.
Mock English
english for the german surname maag
Mockford English
Mockford comes from "Mocca's ford", with Mocca being an Old English name of uncertain origin. An alternative theory is that it comes from "Motholfr's ford" from the Old Norse meaning "renown-wolf". Either way, Mockford was once a place in Sussex, near Rottingdean, and it is from there that most branches of the name originate.
Mockler English, Irish
Might derived from Gaelic names Ó Mochlair or Mac Mochlair, where moch means "swift."
Modderman Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch modder "mud", this name used to denote a dustman, a garbage man.
Moes Dutch, Low German
Variant form of Maas.
Moes Dutch
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".
Mogasen German
meaning unknown
Mohler German (Swiss)
Derived from the Low German word möhl, meaning "mill." Variant of Müller.
Mohr German, German (Swiss), Romansh
Derived from Latin maurus "Moorish, North African".
Mohrbacher German
Likely arose as a name for those living near Morbach, Germany
Mohrenschildt German
From the surname Mohren and scilt "shield"
Mol Dutch
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.
Mole English
Mole is (in some but not all cases) the English form of the German Möhl meaning mill.
Molen Dutch
From Dutch meaning "mill".
Molenaar Dutch
Derived from Dutch molenaar "miller".
Mollen Dutch
Means "mill" inboth Dutch and German from the German "mühle" and the Dutch "molen". Originally an occupational surname for someone who worked at or lived near a mill.
Mollison English, Scottish
Derived from the female given name Molly, wich is diminutive of Mary.
Molly Dutch (Surinamese)
Possibly derived from an occupational name for a millwright, from Middle Dutch molen "mill".
Molnar Dutch
Variant of Molenaar.
Monarch English
Origin unidentified. Perhaps a translation of French Monarque, Monarc, a nickname for a high-handed or haughty person, from Old French monarque 'monarch'.
Mönch German
Derived from German Mönch "monk" (ultimately via Middle High German münch and Old High German munih from Latin monicus. Compare Monk).
Monckton English
Possibly meaning "estate of monks"
Mond German
Either from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with munt "protection guardianship" making it a cognate of Monday 1 or probably also a topographic or habitational name referring to a house with the sign of a moon from Middle High German mane mone "moon".
Mondriaan Dutch
Meaning uncertain. It is a variant of the surname Mondriaal, which could possibly be a Dutch cognate of Monreal, meaning "royal mountain". This was the real surname of the Dutch-American painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).
Mondrian Dutch
Variant of Mondriaan. A notable bearer was the Dutch-American abstract painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan Jr. (He changed his name in 1912, dropping the extra a from his surname).
Mondschein German, Jewish
topographic or habitational name referring to a house name meaning "moonshine" or a nickname for someone who was bald from the same word Middle High German māno "moon" and schinen "shine"... [more]
Money English
Occupational name for someone who makes money or a nickname for a rich person, from Old French monoie. A famous bearer of the name was New Zealand-American psychologist John Money (1921-2006).
Moneymaker English (American)
Translated form of German Geldmacher or Geldschläger, occupational names for a coiner.
Moneypenny English
Probably from a medieval nickname for a rich person or a miser. A fictional bearer is Miss Moneypenny, secretary to M (the head of MI6) in the James Bond novels of Ian Fleming and in the films based on them.
Monger English
Occupational name for a retail trader or a stallholder in a market, derived Old English mangere "trader, merchant, dealer".
Monier French, English, French (Huguenot)
French variant of Monnier and occupational name for a moneyer from Middle English monier "moneyer" (Old French monier) or for a miller from Old French monier "miller".
Monkman English
Occupational name for a servant in a monastery, from Middle English monk "monk" and man "man", effectively a variant of Monk with an added suffix.
Monsch German (Swiss), Romansh
Romansh form and Alemannic variant of Mönch.
Mont French, Catalan, English
topographic name for a mountain dweller from Catalan and Old French mont "mountain" (from Latin mons genitive montis)... [more]
Montag German
It means Monday in German.
Montford English
As a Shropshire name believed to mean "from a communal ford or water crossing" while the Norfolk origin is "from Munda's ford," Munda being an old English personal name meaning "protector, guardian," as seen in names such as Edmund.
Montgomerie Scottish, English
Variation of Montgomery. A famous bearer was Margaret Montgomerie Boswell (1738 to 1789), wife of author James Boswell.
Montpelier English, French
English and French variant of Montpellier. This is the name of several places in the United States, for example the capital city of the state of Vermont, which was named after the French city of Montpellier.
Monty French, English
Topographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).
Moody English, Irish
Either from Middle English modie "angry, haughty, impetuous", or Old English modig "brave, proud".
Mooij Dutch
From Dutch mooi "beautiful, handsome, neat, fine".
Mook German
This surname means 'flying insect' from a German word that is mauke. (I think it is mauke, I am SO not sure.)
Moonen Dutch
Patronymic form of Moon, a diminutive of the given name Simon 1.
Moorcock English
From a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a moorcock (the male of the red grouse). It is borne by British author Michael Moorcock (1939-).
Moorehouse English
Variant spelling of Morehouse.
Moorhouse English (British)
This derives from the surname Morehouse, with Old English mōr meaning "marsh", "fen" + hūs meaning "house".... [more]
Mooring Low German (Modern)
habitational name from möringen or möhringen of northern germany.
Moralee English, French
First found in Norfolk where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings.
Morant English, French
From the Old French personal name Morant, perhaps from a nickname meaning "steadfast", or alternatively of Germanic origin and meaning literally "courage-raven". A known bearer was the British-born Australian soldier and poet Breaker Morant, original name Edwin Henry Murrant (?1864-1902).
Mordaunt English
Recorded as Mordant, Mordaunt (English), Mordagne, Mordant (French) and apparently Mordanti in Italy, this is a surname of French origins. According to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley writing in the year 1880, the name was originally Norman, and was brought to England by a follower of Duke William of Normandy, when he conquered England in 1066... [more]
Mordecai English
From the given name Mordecai
Morden English
Parish in Surrey; one mile from Mitcham. "Moor Hollow" in Old English.
More English, Scottish
Variant of Moore 3. A famous bearer was the English lawyer, humanist, and martyr Saint Thomas More (1478-1535).
Moredock English
From the fact that boats get moored at a dock.
Morehouse English
Habitational name from any of various places, for example Moorhouse in West Yorkshire, named from Old English mōr meaning "marsh", "fen" + hūs meaning "house".
Morey Irish, English
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Mórdha, and in English (of Norman origin), derived from the Old French given name Mory, a short form of Amaury (see Emery).
Morgans English, Irish
Variation of Morgan.
Morganson English
Means “son of Morgan 1”.
Morganton English (Canadian)
Created by combining the last names Morgan and Middleton in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in September of 2013.
Morgenthaler German (Swiss)
Derived from the place name Murgental in the Swiss canton Aargau and Obermurgenthal in the canton Bern.
Morning English
From the word “Morning” meaning early or beginning of the day when the sun rises.
Morningstar English, Jewish
English transcription of Morgenstern.
Morphy English
A famous American chess player named Paul Morphy lived in the 19th century.
Morrell English
Anglicization of Morel, related to Morell.
Morrie English
Probably a variant of Morris, or possibly of Murray 1.
Morshuis Dutch
Probably derived from Old Dutch mor "swamp, marsh, peat" and huis "house, home".
Mort English
Perhaps from a Norman nickname based on Old French mort "dead", possibly referring to someone with a deathly pallor or otherwise sepulchral appearance.
Mortenson English
Means "son of Morten".
Mortlock English
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]
Mortonson English
Means "Son of Morton".
Mosbrucker German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a bridge over a swamp, from Middle High German mos meaning "bog", "swamp" + brucke meaning "bridge".
Moscow English (American, Rare)
From the city of Moscow in Russia.
Mosel German
Habitational name from any of several places so named. topographic name from the Mosel river in western Germany a tributary of the Rhine that rises in the Vosges and flows through Lorraine and then a deep winding valley from Trier to Koblenz.
Mosher English
It is one of several variants of the name Mauger, also spelt Moger and Major, which itself comes from the Old French Maugier and Old German Malger, a compound name meaning "council-spear"... [more]
Mosley English
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.
Mossman English
This interesting name is a variant of the surname Moss which is either topographical for someone who lived by a peat bog, from the Old English pre 7th Century 'mos' or a habitational name from a place named with this word, for example Mosedale in Cumbria or Moseley in West Yorkshire.
Most German
Metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of must, i.e. unfermented grape juice, from Middle High German most, ultimately derived from Latin mustum vinum meaning "young (i.e. fresh) wine"... [more]
Moth English
From a nickname derived from Middle English mothe meaning "moth". Known bearers include New Zealand photojournalist Margaret Moth (1951-2010), British artist Charlotte Moth (1978-), and British Roman Catholic bishop Richard Moth (1958-).
Mothersbaugh English
Anglicized form of Muttersbach.
Motley English
This surname may come from a nickname for someone wearing parti-coloured clothes (from Anglo-French motteley, which may come from Old English mot meaning "speck").
Mott English
The surname Mott was first found in Essex, where the family held a family seat from very early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Moate (Irish: An Móta) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland... [more]
Motte French, Walloon, Flemish, German
from old French motte "motte" a word of Gaulish origin denoting a man-made protective mound or moat surrounding a castle or other fortified strongholds; or a habitational name from any of the various places in France and in Belgium named with this word.... [more]
Motz German
Meaning "dirty" or "grubby".
Mouldenhauer German
Has a Northern German origin, and means “bowl maker” or “carver of bowls”.
Moulder English
Derived from the Middle English word molder which means "to shape or mold something." It could refer to a person who shaped or molded dough or other ingredients into loaves of bread or other baked goods... [more]
Moulton English
Derived from various places with the same name, for example in the counties of Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and North Yorkshire in England. It is either derived from the Old English given name Mūla, the Old Norse name Múli or Old English mūl meaning "mule" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Mount English
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains.
Mountain English
Topographic name from Old French montagne "mountain" (see Montagne).
Mountbatten English, German (Anglicized)
Partial calque of Battenberg. This is the name of a British family that originated as a branch of the Battenberg family, a notable bearer of which was British statesman Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979).
Mountjoy English
Habitational surname for a person from Montjoie in La Manche, France, named with Old French mont "hill", "mountain" + joie "joy".
Mountstuart English
Possibly derived from the mountain in the Cascade Range, in the state of Washington, United States.
Mousall English
The surname Mousall was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Mousel German (Austrian, Anglicized), English
Anglicisation of the German Mäusl, from the German word maus - "mouse" combined with a diminutive suffix, literally meaning "little mouse"... [more]
Mowbray English
Ultimately from the name of a place in Normandy meaning "mud hill" in Old French.
Möwer German (Rare)
Possibly derived from Middle High German moven "to torment, trouble, burden".
Mower German (Americanized)
Americanized form of Maurer and Mauer.
Mower English
Occupational name for someone who cut hay or grass.
Moxley English
From the name of a settlement in Staffordshire, England, probably derived from the Old English given name Mocc and hlaw "mound, small hill".
Moxon English
Means "son of Magge", a pet-form of Margaret, a female personal name which came into English via French from Late Latin Margarita, literally "pearl".
Moyes English
From the medieval personal name Moise, a vernacular variant of Moses (the biblical name of the Hebrew prophet who led the Children of Israel out of captivity).
Mozart German
The surname was first recorded in the 14th century as Mozahrt, and later as Motzhardt in Germany. It is a compound word, the first part of which is Middle High German mos, also spelt mosz, and meaning “bog, marsh” in southern dialects (compare modern German Moos)... [more]
Mozer German
South German (Swabia): Variant Of Moser.
Mudd English
Either (i) "person who lives in a muddy area"; (ii) from the medieval female personal name Mudd, a variant of Maud (variously Mahalt, Mauld, Malt, vernacular versions of Anglo-Norman Matilda); or (iii) from the Old English personal name Mōd or Mōda, a shortened form of various compound names beginning with mōd "courage".
Mudge English
A location surname for someone who lives or dwells near the swamps. A famous bearer of this surname is Angela Mudge, a champion fell runner and trail runner from Scotland.
Mudgett English
Derived from a pet form of Mudge.
Mudie English
Possibly from Old English 'modig', meaning "brave", or "reckless".
Muehlhauser Old High German
The German surname Müehlhauser is derived from the Middle High German words "mülle" and "hûs" which respectively mean mill and house. It is roughly translated to mean "mill-house" and is believed to have evolved from an individual who was either the owner of a mill or lived in a house attached to a mill in earlier times.
Muffet English
Variant of Moffat.
Mühlfeld German
Variant form of Muhlfeld.