Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ManeraItalian Either a habitational name from any of two places called Manera in the Italian provinces of Cuneo and Como, a nickname and perhaps a metonymic occupational name (from the dialect word manèra meaning "executioner's axe, cleaver" or from Italian manero "well-behaved, skilled"), or derived from the given name Mainiero (ultimately from Frankish Maginhari, composed of the Ancient Germanic elements magin "strength, might" and hari, heri "army").
ManfordEnglish Place name for "Munda's ford" from an Old English personal name Munda, the same element in the second syllable of Edmund and ford meaning a waterway crossing.
ManglicmotIlocano From Ilocano manglikmot meaning "to surround, to encircle".
MangoneItalian habitational name from Mangone a place in Cosenza province. Or an occupational name for a merchant from Latin mango (genitive mangonis) "dealer, slave trader". Or possibly also from an ancient Germanic personal name (see Mangold ).
ManhattanEnglish From the name of the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. Derived from the Munsee Lenape language term manaháhtaan (where manah- means "gather", -aht- means "bow" and -aan is an abstract element used to form verb stems), meaning "the place where we get bows" or "place for gathering the (wood to make) bows"... [more]
ManheimGerman, Jewish Habitational name from the city of Mannheim in southwestern Germany (formerly the residence of the electors Palatine) so named from the ancient Germanic personal name Manno (see Mann ) annd Old High German heim "homestead"... [more]
ManiagoItalian From the name of a town in Friuli, Italy, probably derived from the given name Manilius and the Italian toponymic suffix -ago, ultimately from Proto-Celtic -*akos.
ManilaFilipino Derived from the Sanskrit word नील (nīla) meaning "indigo". It comes from the Tagalog phrase maynilá meaning "where indigo is found".
ManjarrésSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
ManjarrezSpanish Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.
ManleyEnglish Habitational name from places in Devon and Cheshire, named in Old English as "common wood or clearing", from (ge)mǣne "common, shared" and lēah "woodland clearing". The surname is still chiefly found in the regions around these villages.
ManoJapanese From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or 間 (ma) meaning "pause" and 野 (no) meaning "field, plain, wilderness".
MañozkaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous palace in the municipality of Etxebarria.
ManresaCatalan This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the municipality or the neighborhood in the municipality of Badalona.
MansfieldEnglish Means "open land by the River Maun", from the Celtic river name combined with the Old English word feld "field".
MansillaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from Mansilla a place in La Rioja province.
MansourArabic (Egyptian) Originally referred to someone from the city of Mansoura (المنصورة) in Egypt.
MantonEnglish Locational surname, derived from old English "the dweller near the chalky or sandy earth."
ManuelCatalan, Spanish Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
ManvilleFrench A locational surname deriving from any of the various places in France called "Manneville or Magneville", named, from the Old Germanic personal name "Manno" or the Old French adjective "magne", great, with the word "ville", meaning a town or settlement.
ManzanaresSpanish Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province
ManzanoSpanish (Mexican) Habitational name from any of various minor places named Manzano, or a topographic name for someone who lived by an apple tree or orchard, from Spanish manzano ‘apple tree’, Old Spanish maçano, from maçana ‘apple’, Late Latin (mala) Mattiana, a type of apple named in honor of the 1st century bc horticultural writer Gaius Matius.
MaoChinese From Chinese 毛 (máo) referring to the ancient region of Mao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province. A notable bearer of this surname was Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
MapletonEnglish The surname Mapleton was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor.
MaquedaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
MaquetFrench From a derivative of bac ‘tub’, also ‘ferry’, used as a metonymic occupational name for a maker or for a boatman.... [more]
MaquibarBasque (Hispanicized) Castilianized form of Makibar, possibly derived from Basque mako "arch, hook; curved, crooked" or "club, cane, staff" and ibar "valley, riverbank"... [more]
MaquilingFilipino, Tagalog (Hispanicized) Derived from Tagalog makiling meaning "uneven, crooked, bent." This name was given in honor of Maria Makiling. She is said to be the protector of Mount Makiling, a volcano in the Philippines.
MaranoItalian Habitational name from any of various places named Marano, derived from the Latin given name Marius combined with the suffix -ano... [more]
MarascoItalian Means "morello, morello cherry" in Italian, derived from Latin amarus "bitter".
MarengoItalian Habitational name from Marengo in Alessandria Province or Marengo-Talloria in Cuneo. From Maréngo, Marénco, meaning Of The Sea, Maritime (Medieval Latin Marincus from Mare ‘Sea’), which were often used as personal names or nicknames in the Middle Ages.
MarínGalician This indicates familial origin within either of 4 eponymous localities: the municipality in the Comarca of O Morrazo, the neighborhood of the parish of Xubial, the neighborhood of the parish of Camos in the municipality of Nigrán, or the neighborhood of the parish of Fiestras in the municipality of Silleda.
MariñoGalician It indicates familial origin within either of 4 neighborhoods: Mariño in the parish of Marei in the municipality of Corgo, Mariño in the parish of Santaia de Rairiz in the municipality of Santiso, O Mariño in the parish of Taboexa in the municipality of As Neves, or O Mariño in the parish of Goiáns in the municipality of Porto do Son.
MarjiArabic From Arabic مرج (marj) meaning "meadow".
MarjoribanksScottish Reputedly from the name of a Scottish estate (Ratho-Marjoribankis) bestowed on Robert the Bruce's daughter Marjorie on her marriage in 1316... [more]
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".
MarkhamEnglish English name from a place in Nottinghamshire, named in Old English as 'homestead at a (district) boundary', from mearc 'boundary' + ham 'homestead'. English surname used as an equivalent of Gaelic Ó Marcacháin 'descendant of Marcachán', a diminutive of Marcach (see Markey).
MarkinaBasque From the town of Markina in the Basque county of Spain.
MarklandEnglish From Old English mearc meaning "boundary" and lanu meaning "lane", it is a habitational name from a place in the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It can also be a topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of border or boundary land, or a status name for someone who held land with an annual value of one mark.
MarlboroughEnglish From the name of the market town and civil parish of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England, derived from the Old English given name Mǣrla and beorg meaning "hill, mound".
MaroisNorman, Picard, French topographic name from the Old French words "mareis", "maresc", mareis, marois meaning "marsh" ‘marshy ground’.
MaroniItalian Can be a nickname derived from Italian maroni "balls, bollocks", from the Latin given name Maronius, or from a diminutive of the Germanic-origin name Ademaro... [more]
MarpleEnglish Means "boundary stream" from Old English maere (boundary), and pyll (stream).
MarslandEnglish Probably derived from some place named as being a boggy place, from Old English mersc meaning "marsh" and land meaning "land". Alternatively, it may be a variant of Markland.
MarsmanDutch Derived from Middle Dutch marsch, mersch (Southern Dutch meers), meaning "marsh". In some cases, however, it can also be a variant of Meersman.
MartiranoItalian Likely a habitational surname from a place in Catanzaro province in the Calabria region of Italy.
MartonEnglish habitational name from any of several places so called Marton principally in Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and North Yorkshire named in Old English as "settlement by a lake" (from mere or mær "pool, lake" and tun "settlement") or as "settlement by a boundary" (from gemære "boundary" and tun "settlement").
MarwahaIndian, Punjabi From a place called Marwah in Jammu and Kashmir, India, meaning uncertain.
MarwoodEnglish From the name of two places named Marwood in England, or a nickname for a person who "casts an evil eye", derived from Norman French malreward meaning "evil eye, glance".
MaryFrench Habitational name from places in Saône-et-Loire, Seine-et-Marne, and Nièvre, named in Latin as Mariacum meaning "estate of Marius".
MascarenhasPortuguese Possibly from the place Mascarenhas in the city Mirandela. Originated by Estêvão Rodrigues, Lord of Mascarenhas.
MaschPolish Possibly a rough translation of marsh, given to people who lived near marshes.
MaseJapanese From Japanese 間 (ma) meaning "among, between" or 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" and 瀬 (se) meaning "rapids, ripple, current".
MaseyEnglish, Scottish, French, Norman English and Scottish (of Norman origin) and French: habitational name from any of various places in northern France which get their names from the Gallo-Roman personal name Maccius + the locative suffix -acum.... [more]
MashrequeMuslim Name for someone who came from the Mashreq region in the Middle East (modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq).
MassaItalian A habitational name from any of the various places named Massa (for example, Massa Lubrense or Massa di Somma, both in the Metropolitan City of Naples, or Massa d’Albe in the Province of L'Aquila), which were all named from the medieval Latin word massa, meaning ‘holding’ or ‘estate’.
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".
MastenEnglish This surname came from when a family lived in the settlements named Marsden in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
MastenbroekDutch Originally indicated a person from the polder area of Mastenbroek in the Dutch province of Overijssel, as well as a small village built around a church in the middle of that polder area. The place names derive from Middle Dutch mast meaning "pole, mast" or "pig feed, fodder" combined with broek meaning "marsh, wetland".
MasudaJapanese From Japanese 増 (masu) meaning "increase", 益 (masu) meaning "benefit", 舛 (masu) meaning "oppose, to go against" (kun reading), 桝 (masu) meaning "box seat, measure" or 升 (masu) meaning "box" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
MasuyamaJapanese From the Japanese 増 (masu) "increase," 益 (masu) "benefit," 桝 (masu) "box seat," "measure" or 升 (masu) "box" and 山 (yama) "mountain."
MasvidalSpanish surname formed by the union of the word, mas, meaning a house from rural zones that is appart from the village and is surrounded by farming land and forests; and another word relating to the owner of the mas.
MatakeJapanese Ma means "genuine" and take means "bamboo".
MatamalaCatalan Town of the Capcir district, in the Northern Catalonia, now part of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in France.
MataplanaCatalan It indicates familial origin within the eponymous farmhouse in the municipality of La Coma i la Pedra.
MatareseItalian habitational name for someone from Matera (see Matera ) from materräisë a local adjectival form of the placename (in standard Italian materano).
MathenyFrench (Anglicized) Of French origin. According to Matheny family tradition, this surname comes from the name of a village in France named Mathenay. This may also have been a French Huguenot surname.
MathrafalMedieval Welsh Named for Castle Mathrafal (Castell-Mathrafal) in Powys, Mid Wales. The House of Mathrafal ruled over Powys for much of the Mediaeval period. Notable members of the family included Owain Glyn Dŵr, who led a rebellion against English rule in 1400.
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)".
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".
MattilaFinnish Means "Matti's farm". A combination of Matti and the suffix -la "farm, place".
MattingleyEnglish From a place name meaning "Matta's clearing" in Old English.
MattinglyEnglish (British) This name dates all the way back to the 1200s and research shows that Mattingly families began immigrating to the United States in the 1600s and continued until the 1900s. However, the place name (Mattingley, England) dates back to the year 1086, but spelled as Matingelege... [more]
MaturanaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Barrundia.
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.
MayerhoferGerman (Austrian) Denoted a person from the municipality of Mayrhof in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
MayfairEnglish Locational surname based off Mayfair, a district in the City of Westminster in London, England.
MayorgaSpanish habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
MayorquinSpanish variant of Mallorquín a habitational name for someone from Majorca the largest island in the Balearic Islands from an adjectival form of its Spanish name Mallorca.
MazandaraniMazanderani Likely originated to denote someone from the modern-day Mazandaran Province in Iran or someone of Mazandarani descent. It is transliterated in many different ways. One notable bearer is Mírzá Asadu'lláh Fádil Mázandarání (1881–1957), who was an important scholar for the Baháʼí Faith.
MazariegoSpanish Altered form of Mazariegos in singular for matching with the bearer.
McgonagleAmerican Irish (Donegal) and Scottish (Glasgow): Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Conghail, a patronymic from the personal name Conghal, composed of Celtic elements meaning 'hound' + 'valor'.
MeaderEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Mead 1 + the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant.
MeadowEnglish A topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow. The form meadow derives from mǣdwe, the dative case of Old English mǣd.
MeañoGalician It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
MeathIrish Denotes a person from County Meath, Ireland (see Mcnamee).
MeauxFrench Habitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.
MecklenburgGerman, Jewish Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".
MedellinSpanish Habitational name from a place so named in Badajoz province Latin (Caecilia) Metellina derived from the name of a 1st-century Roman proconsul in Spain Cecilio Metello Pio.
MedleyEnglish 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]
MedlicottEnglish Derivative from a location in Shropshire, England
MéeFrench French habitational name from places called (Le) Mée in Mayenne, Eure-et-Loir, and Seine-et-Marne, derived from Old French me(i)s ‘farmstead’ (Latin mansus).
MeguriJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 巡 (Meguri), a clipping of 巡谷 (Meguriya) meaning "Meguriya", a division in the division of Nakada in the area of Aiga in the city of Sumoto in the prefecture of Hyōgo in Japan.
MeguriJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 廻 (meguri), from 廻り (meguri) meaning "transport route, regular visit". This is the name of a former village in the district of Aira in the former Japanese province of Ōsumi in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan.
MehrabaniPersian Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Mehraban, located in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
MeijerinkDutch Toponymic surname derived from meier "bailiff, steward, tenant farmer" (see Meijer) combined with the suffix -ink.
MeilerRomansh Derived from the place name Meils (present-day Mels in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland).
MeirelesPortuguese Habitational name for someone from a place called Meireles in Portugal, meaning unclear.
MekkyArabic (Egyptian) Refers to the city of Mecca or Makka (مكة) in Saudi Arabia, considered the most holy city in Islam.
MelanchthonHistory Means "black earth", derived from Greek μελανός (melanos), the genitive of the adjective μέλας (melas) meaning "black, dark", and χθών (chthon) meaning "land, earth, soil"... [more]
MelanderSwedish Combination of the element Mel-, which is unexplained but probably derived from a place name, and the common surname suffix -ander (a combination of land "land" and the habitational suffix -er)... [more]
MelbyNorwegian Modern form of Meðalbýr meaning "middle farm", a combination of Old Norse meðal "middle" and býr "farm".
MelgarSpanish Topographical name for someone who lived by a field of lucerne, Spanish melgar (a collective derivative of mielga 'lucerne', Late Latin melica, for classical Latin Medica (herba) 'plant' from Media).
MelgosaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Castilian municipalities, Melgosa de Burgos or Melgosa de Villadiego. It could also indicate familial origin within the Manchego municipality La Melgosa.
MelilloItalian Means "small apple, crab apple" in Neapolitan, either a topographic name, an occupational name for a grower or seller of apples, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a sour disposition. Alternatively, it could be from the Latin given name Mellilus, related to the endearment mellilla "little honey", or be a diminutive form of Meli.
MelinSwedish From any place name named with the element mel- "middle".
MellaliMoroccan Habitational name from the city of Beni Mellal
MellaliMoroccan Habitational name from the city of Beni Mellal.
MelleItalian Derived from the place name Melle in Cueno, Piedmont, northern Italy. It could also be derived from the given name Mello, a short form of diminutives ending with -mello (like Giacomello, a diminutive of Giacomo).
MelleGerman Taken from place names like Melle or Mellen in Germany.
MellenthinGerman Habitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
MellerGerman Denoting someone hailing from Melle in Germany.
MellorEnglish Parishes in Derbyshire, and Lancashire, meaning the mill bank. ... [more]
MelroseScottish, 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]
MeltonEnglish Habitational name from any of several places meaning "middle town". Compare Middleton.
MendarozketaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Zigoitia.
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.