Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
MolchanovmRussian From Russian молчание (molchaniye), meaning "silence".
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.
MorticelliItalian (Rare) Means "died small" in Italian, from morto "dead; died" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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.
MozoSpanish Nickname from Spanish meaning "young".
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.
NairIndian, Malayalam From Nair, the name of a group of Hindu castes concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The origin of the word itself is somewhat disputed. Some believe it is derived from nayaka, an honorific meaning "leader of the people", while another theory suggests that is is derived from the Sanskrit नाग (nāgá) "snake, serpent" (a reference to the practice of snake worship)... [more]
NamdarPersian Means "famous, celebrated" in Persian.
NamdariPersian Derived from Persian نامدار (namdar) meaning "famous, celebrated".
NamurArabic, Maltese Derived from Arabic نمر, نامور (namur) meaning "tiger". It is typical of Malta.
NantzGerman From a pet form of a Germanic compound name formed with Nant- (for example, Nantwig, Nantger); its meaning is reflected in Middle High German nenden 'to dare'.
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.
NapieralaPolish Nickname for an insistent person, from a derivative of napierac ‘advance’, ‘press’, ‘urge’.
NaporaPolish Nickname for an interfering person, Polish napora, derivative of napierać meaning ‘to insist on somebody doing something’.
NapsoCircassian (Russified) Means "whole-eyed", derived from Adyghe нэ (nă) meaning "eye" and псэу (psăw) "health, alive" or "whole, all, complete".
NaqviUrdu Derived from Arabic نقي (naqi) meaning "pure, clean". This is the name of a Shi'ite clan found primarily in Iran, Iraq and South Asia, named after 9th-century imam Ali al-Hadi (also known as al-Naqi).
NasutiItalian From Italian nasuto "nosey, big-nosed".
NasutionBatak From Mandailing Nan Sakti On or Na Sakti On meaning "the magic one", itself from sakti meaning "mystical, magical" (ultimately of Sanskrit origin). This was a nickname of legendary Mandailing ruler Si Baroar Nan Sakti.
NeadEnglish 1. English: possibly a metonymic nickname for a needy person, from Middle English ne(e)d ‘need’. ... [more]
NearsEnglish French in origin, it is derived from the word "Noir," which is the equivalent of the English word "Black." It could have referred to a person with dark features, hair, or perhaps even one who was thought to engage in nafarious, or "dark," deeds.
NeemeloEstonian Neemelo is an Estonian surname derived from the masculine given name "Neeme".
NeeskensDutch Nickname for a nosy person, from Dutch nees meaning "nose, snout". It could also be derived from a Dutch diminutive of the feminine given name Agnes... [more]
NeffGerman, German (Swiss) From Middle High German neve 'nephew', hence probably a distinguishing name for a close relation or familiar of a prominent personage.
NegreCatalan Nickname or ethnic name from negre "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegreteSpanish Possibly from negrete denoting a member of a 15th-century faction based in the mountainous area of Cantabria.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (continuation of Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a dark complexion, someone who wore dark clothes, someone who worked a job in the night, or was otherwise associated with the night.
NegruRomanian Nickname or ethnic name from negru "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NeighborEnglish From the Middle English word neighbor, derived from neghebour, which in turn comes from the Old English words neah, meaning "near", and gebur, meaning "a dweller". This may have been used as a nickname for someone who was a 'good neighbor', more likely it evolved from the term of address for someone living nearby.
NeujahrGerman nickname for someone who owed feudal dues at the New Year, or sometimes a name given to someone born on that day
NeutsFlemish Flemish Dutch, meaning "New Son" lore tells of a son of a foreign given this name after being born in Flanders with no known father
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".
NeveuFrench Relationship name from Old French neveu "nephew" also "grandson" used to distinguish the two bearers of the same personal name.
NevilisVenetian (Archaic) An extinct surname. Likely derives from Italian "neve", meaning "snow". This surname was possibly given as a nickname to someone with light hair or fair skin. It could also be a cognate of the French surname Neuville.
NewEnglish Nickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe meaning "new".
NewcomerEnglish (American) Nickname for a person who was new to a town or location, from Old English niwe meaning "new" and cumen meaning "to come".
NewittEnglish Possibly derived from Middle English newete "newt", or perhaps from the Dutch personal name Nout.
NeznaykoUkrainian, Russian Means "unknown", from Ukrainian and Russian не знай (ne znay), meaning "don't know".
NgọVietnamese Vietnamese form of Wu, from Sino-Vietnamese 午 (ngọ).
NhekKhmer Means "close, together, often, frequently" in Khmer. It may also be from a short form of Chinese 涅槃 (nièpán) meaning "nirvana".
NiangWestern African, Wolof Refers to a member of the Deme, a Wolof clan whose symbol is the donkey.
NibbeGerman Nickname meaning ‘beak’, or from a short form of a Germanic personal name Nippo, composed of Old High German nit ‘hostility’, ‘eagerness’ + boto ‘messenger’.
NiceEnglish From the English word 'nice', meaning "kind".
NichterGerman, Yiddish Possibly means "negator, negate" from Middle High German nicht meaning "not", or "sober", from Middle High German nüchter. Perhaps it originally denoted a person who was a philosopher, judge, or bartender.
NieboerDutch Dutch cognate for Neubauer. epithet for a farmer who was new to an area from nie "new" and bur "farmer".
NiedbałaPolish Nickname from niedbały meaning "negligent", "careless", "untidy".
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]
NievoItalian From nievo "grandchild, grandson; nephew", probably used to differentiate between relatives of the same name.
NightingaleEnglish Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").
NikbakhtPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and بخت (bakht) meaning "fortune, happiness".
NiknamPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and نام (nam) meaning "name".
NikpourPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and پور (pour) meaning "son, descendant".
NimitzGerman Derived from Russian немчин (nemchin) meaning "German", of Slavic origin. This surname was borne by Chester W. Nimitz (1885-1966), a fleet admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
NoirFrench Means "black" in French, originally used in Northern France as an ethnic nickname for someone from Southern France, Spain, Italy or North Africa. It also may have been used for someone who wore dark clothing or for someone who had an occupation during the night or was associated with the night.
NoonEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
NoorhaniEstonian Noorhani is an Estonian surname meaning "young goose".
NoorzaiPashto Means "son of light", from Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light, illumination" combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)".
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.
NovelloItalian From the nickname and personal name Novello, from Italian meaning 'new, young'. A famous bearer of this name is Welsh actor and musician Ivor Novello (1893-1951).
NovoGalician, Portuguese Nickname from Portuguese and Galician novo ‘new’, ‘young’ (Latin novus). The word was also occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, particularly for a child born after the death of a sibling, and this may also be a source of the surname.
NovotutovmRussian Maybe from Russian новый (novyy) meaning "new", and тут (tut), meaning "here", probably denoting to a new person in a village.
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.
ObeidatArabic From Arabic عبيد ('ubayd), a diminutive of عبد ('abd) meaning "servant, slave".
ObinagaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 帯 (obi) meaning "sash; belt" and 長 (naga), the root form of 長い (nagai) meaning "long; lengthy".... [more]
Ó BolguidirIrish The name Ó Bolguidir has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Bolguidir, which likely meant "yellow-belly" (from bolg odhar).
ObradorSpanish Nickname for a hard worker. From Spanish meaning "worker".
ObuchMedieval Polish (Rare) Obuch is a surname found in Poland and specifically areas that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. It was the name of a long handled battle hammer and may have denoted someone handy with the weapon or who produced the weapon... [more]
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.
OchsGerman, Jewish Means "ox" in German, derived from Middle High German ohse, possibly denoting a strong person or someone who worked with oxen. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Ó CiaráinIrish A byname from a diminutive of ciar ‘dark’, ‘black-haired.'
Ó CróinínIrish It literally means "little saffron-colored one’s descendant".
Ó CrotaighIrish Means “descendant of Crotach.” Crotach is a byname for a hunchback.
OdehArabic (Mashriqi) Derived from Arabic عودة ('awdah) meaning "return". This surname is primarily found in the Levant.
OdhamEnglish Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
OdishoAssyrian Means "servant of Jesus" from Syriac ܥܒܕܐ (ʿaḇdā) meaning "servant" and ܝܫܘܥ (Išōʿ) meaning "Jesus".
OdomEnglish Medieval nickname for someone who had climbed the social ladder by marrying the daughter of a prominent figure in the local community, from Middle English odam ‘son-in-law’ (Old English aðum).
O'DowdIrish The original Gaelic form was Dubhda. The first portion of the name comes from the word dubh, which means "black" or "dark-complexioned."
OechslinGerman (Swiss) South German (also Öchslein): from Middle High German ohse ‘ox’ + the diminutive suffix -lin. An occupational name for someone who tended cattle, or for a cattle dealer; or a nickname for a farmer who used oxen for plowing, or for someone perceived to resemble an ox.