MarcheseItalian From the title of rank marchése "marquis" (in Italy the rank immediately below that of duke), probably applied as a nickname for someone who behaved like a marquis, or an occupational name for a servant in the household of a marquis... [more]
MarchioneItalian Nickname from marchione ‘marquis’, from medieval Latin marchio, genitive marchionis, from Germanic marka ‘borderland’
MarmionEnglish, French, Irish 1. English (of Norman origin) and French: nickname from old French marmion “monkey”, “brat”. ... [more]
MarohomFilipino, Maranao From an honorific title bestowed upon deceased sultans, derived from Arabic مرحوم (marhum) meaning "late, deceased".
MarquisFrench, English for someone who behaved like a marquis or an occupational name for a servant in the household of a marquis, from Old Northern French marquis... [more]
MarrufoSpanish nickname from marrufo a Portuguese word meaning literally 'lay brother' and figuratively 'cunning sly'
MartaOld Celtic (Latinized, Archaic) It is a small animal from the variety of mammals living in Spain and is prized for its skin has great finesse. Also known like Beech Marten (Stone Marten or White Breasted Marten).
MartelloItalian Southern Italian: nickname for someone with a forceful personality, from Italian martèllo ‘hammer’ (Late Latin martellus), or a metonymic occupational name for someone who used a hammer in their work.
MártirSpanish from mártir "martyr" probably a nickname for someone devoted to the religious cult of a Christian martyr or perhaps one who had played the part of a Christian martyr in a religious play.
MartireItalian from martire "martyr" probably a nickname for someone who had played the part of a Christian martyr in a religious play. However there was a Saint Martire and so the surname may be derived from a personal name.
MarvelEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname (often ironic) for someone regarded as a prodigy; or (ii) "person from Merville", the name of two places in northern France ("smaller settlement" and "settlement belonging to a man with a Germanic name beginning with Meri-, literally 'famous'")... [more]
MasihUrdu, Indian (Christian), Hindi From Urdu مسیح (masih) or Hindi मसीह (masih) referring to the Christian messiah (Jesus Christ), both ultimately from Arabic مسيح (masih). This name is common among Pakistani and North Indian Christians.
MasopustmCzech From a Czech nickname meaning "carnival", originally given to a festive person. A famous bearer was the Czech soccer player Josef Masopust (1931-2015).
MassingberdEnglish Perhaps from a medieval nickname for someone with an auburn or reddish beard (from Middle English massing "brass" + berd "beard").
MassipCatalan Derived from Latin mancipium, meaning "(purchased) slave".
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".
MavrogiannisGreek Literally means "black Giannis", derived from Greek μαύρος (mavros) "black, Moorish" and Giannis.
MavromichalisGreek Means "black Michalis (Michael)" in Greek. In Mani, it is said to derive from an orphan named Μιχάλης (Michalis). Because of the dark clothing worn during times of mourning, orphans were often called μαύρος (mavros) meaning "black".
MavrosGreek Means "black, dark" in Greek, originally used as a nickname for a person with a dark complexion.
MayorEnglish, Spanish, Catalan English variant of Mayer 3 and Catalan variant of Major. Either a nickname for an older man or a distinguishing epithet for the elder of two bearers of the same personal name, from mayor "older", from Latin maior (natus), literally "greater (by birth)"... [more]
MazepaUkrainian From Ukrainian мазепа (mazepa), meaning "idiot, fool, blockhead".
MazighArabic (Maghrebi), Berber Derived from Arabic أَمَازِيغ (ʾamāzīḡ) the Arabic designation for the Berber (Amazigh) people of North Africa. The word itself is ultimately of Tamazight origin, from Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ (Amaziɣ) of disputed meaning; in modern Central Atlas Tamazight, it means “free-man”.
MbiliAfrican, Swahili, Zulu From Swahili and Zulu meaning "two" or "second". It is possible that an ancestor of an individual with this surname was the second child of their parents.
McAulayIrish Derived from the Irish "Mac Amhalghaidh" from the prefix Mac- (son of-) and Amhalghaidh, Old Irish form of the name Aulay/ Auley... [more]
McgrawIrish, Scottish Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic Mac Craith (the earlier form of Mac Raith) meaning "son of Craith", composed of the Gaelic elements mac "son of" and Rath, an old byname meaning "grace, prosperity".
MchaleIrish, Welsh From the Irish Mac Céile, a patronymic from the byname Céile, meaning "companion." This was the surname of a Mayo family, tenants of church lands. ... [more]
MeehanIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maotháin meaning "descendant of Maothán", a diminutive of Irish maoth "soft, tender, moist; tearful, sentimental"... [more]
MeesterDutch, 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-).
MeiklejohnScottish A Scottish distinguishing name for identifying the larger or eldest (Older Scots meikle "large") or elder of two men called John. (See also Mickle).
MellodyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maoiléidigh ‘descendant of Maoléidigh’, a byname composed of the elements maol ‘chief’ + éidigh ‘ugly’.
MelmothEnglish 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".
MemonUrdu From the name of the Memon people who inhabit parts of India and Pakistan. The name itself is derived from Arabic مؤمن (mu'min) meaning "believer".
MengChinese From Chinese 孟 (mèng) meaning "eldest brother". It was also adopted by descendants of Meng Sun, a prince from the state of Lu that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
MeriwetherEnglish Means "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person.
MerletteFrench Feminine diminutive of French merle "blackbird", this name was given as a nickname to a cheerful person or to someone who liked to sing.
MetwallyArabic (Egyptian) From Arabic متولي (mutawalli) meaning "responsible, entrusted with, charged with", ultimately from the word تَوَلَّى (tawalla) meaning "to take charge of, to take control of".
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".
MianUrdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Sindhi From an honorific title used on the Indian subcontinent meaning "lord, master, sir" or "prince", derived from Persian میان (miyan) meaning "middle, centre, between".
MiaoChinese From Chinese 缪 (miào), another name for Duke Mu of Lu, an ancient official whose name (穆) had the same pronunciation as the character 缪. After his death, his descendants adopted 缪 as their surname.
MídenoGuanche From Guanche *mīdĭdăn, meaning "legitimate humans". This surname was borne by Guanche people.
MidlerEnglish 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-).
MirzadehPersian Means "prince" in Persian, derived from Arabic أمير (amir) meaning "prince, commander" combined with Persian زاده (zadeh) meaning "offspring".
ModrićCroatian Derived from Croatian mȍdar meaning "blue", most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes. It can also be a habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Modrić, Modrič, Modrići, Modrića, Modruš or Modřice in Croatia... [more]
MoffaItalian From Italian muffa "mould, mildew, moss".
MoghadamPersian Means "first, preceding, head" in Persian, ultimately from Arabic مقدم (muqaddam).
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.
MollaBengali Means "mullah (an Islamic religious scholar)" in Bengali, ultimately from from Persian ملا (molla).
MomKhmer Means "angle, corner" or "dear, beloved, darling" in Khmer.
MonacoItalian Nickname for someone of monkish habits or appearance, or an occupational name for a servant employed at a monastery, from Italian monaco "monk" (from Greek monachos "monk", "solitary").
MonarchEnglish Origin unidentified. Perhaps a translation of French Monarque, Monarc, a nickname for a high-handed or haughty person, from Old French monarque 'monarch'.
MondithokaTelugu (Modern) they are honest people and having helping nature. at history one person has bull cart some time it was went into dig then all people was trying and trying for lift the cart. but no use from those,after that people were shouting as a bigger like come on 'mondithoka' this word not surname of farmer his bull has short tail... [more]
MoneypennyEnglish 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.
MonfaredPersian Means "solitary, single" in Persian (of Arabic origin).
MontoneItalian nickname from montone "ram" (from Medieval Latin multo genitive multonis). Or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Montone ("big mountain").
MoorcockEnglish 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-).
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".
MoreEnglish, Scottish Variant of Moore 3. A famous bearer was the English lawyer, humanist, and martyr Saint Thomas More (1478-1535).
MoreFrench nickname for a dark-skinned man from Old French more "Moor" (from Latin Maurus). French cognitive of Moore 3.
MoreIndian, Marathi Derived from Marathi मोर (mor) meaning "peacock", ultimately from Sanskrit मयूर (mayura).
MorejónSpanish Derived from Spanish moreno meaning "dark".
MorellsGreek One meaning/explanation of the surname Morells is it's an Americanization of the Greek name surname Mariolis.
MoreschiItalian Nickname for a dark-skinned person, derived from the Medieval Latin word moro, actually from the Latin Maurus, meaning, "dark-skinned".
MortEnglish Perhaps from a Norman nickname based on Old French mort "dead", possibly referring to someone with a deathly pallor or otherwise sepulchral appearance.
MosaddeghPersian Nickname derived from Persian مصدق (mosaddeğ) meaning "approved, reliable, certified, attested, verified", ultimately from Arabic مُصَدِّق (muṣaddiq). It was borne by the politician, author and lawyer Mohammad Mosaddegh (1882-1967), who was Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until his democratic government was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1953.
MoscaRomansh Younger form of Muos-cha which was derived from Romansh muos-cha "fly (animal)".
MothEnglish 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-).
MotleyEnglish 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").
MouaHmong From the Hmong clan name Muas associated with Chinese 馬 (mǎ) meaning "horse" (see Ma).
MouchtarisGreek Greek form of Mukhtar, from Arabic mukhtar (مختار) meaning "the chosen".
MoujahidArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic مُجَاهِد (mujāhid) meaning "one who is labouring, one who is in distress", also used to refer to a member of a liberation army in Muslim countries (chiefly Moroccan).
MoutonFrench Nickname from Old French mouton "sheep" used for a docile mild-mannered person for someone easily led or perhaps for a curly-haired man... [more]
MöwerGerman (Rare) Possibly derived from Middle High German moven "to torment, trouble, burden".
MoyleCornish, Welsh Cornish and Welsh: descriptive nickname meaning ‘bald’, from Cornish moyl, Welsh moel.
MozgoviymRussian From Russian мозговий (mozgoviy), meaning "brainy, relating to the brain". A nickname for a smart person.
MrózPolish From a nickname for a white-haired man or alternatively for one of an icy and unsociable disposition, from Polish mróz "frost". Also can be from a short form of the personal name Ambroży
MuChinese From Chinese 穆 (mù) meaning "pure, solemn, honest".
MudieEnglish Possibly from Old English 'modig', meaning "brave", or "reckless".
MuggahScottish From the Gaelic word mùgach meaning "surly".
MughalUrdu Means "Mughal, Moghul" in Urdu, derived from Persian مغول (moghul) meaning "Mongol". This was the name of the dynasty (of Mongol origin) that ruled much of South Asia from the 16th to 19th centuries.
MuhaCzech Form of Mucha, from Czech "Moucha," meaning housefly.
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.
MullarkeyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó Maoilearca "descendent of the follower of (St) Earc", a personal name meaning literally either "speckled one" or "salmon".
MultatuliDutch From the Latin phrase multa tulī meaning "I have suffered much" or "I have borne much". This was the pen name of the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), who wrote Max Havelaar, which denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia... [more]
MunkGerman, Scandinavian, Dutch, English From Middle High German münich Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish munk Middle Dutch munc "monk" a nickname for someone thought to resemble a monk or a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a monastery... [more]
MunnScottish, English Variant form of McMunn. In English, it is a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked for monks, derived from Anglo-Norman French moun meaning "monk" (see Monk).
MussertDutch Dutch cognate of Mussett. This name was borne by the infamous Nazi politician Anton Mussert (1894-1946), the leader of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) during World War II.
MussettEnglish Nickname for a foolish or dreamy person, derived from Middle English musard meaning "absent-minded, stupid", ultimately from Old French musart, musarde meaning "confused".
MusseyEnglish Nickname from Middle English mūs ‘mouse’ + ēage ‘eye’.
MussoItalian Nickname for someone with some peculiarity of the mouth.