MotaAmerican Surname of YouTuber and Dancing with the Stars competitor Bethany Mota.
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").
MoultonEnglish 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".
MozartGerman 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]
MuirheadScottish Derived from many places in southern Scotland with the same name, from northern Middle English muir meaning "moor" and heid meaning "head, end".
MukhinRussian From Russian муха (mukha) meaning "fly".
MurlandIrish Murland is an Irish surname, which according to MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland is MacMurghalain in Gaelic, ultimately deriving from words meaning "sea" and "valor".
MuroJapanese From Japanese 室 (muro) meaning "room, chamber, apartment, cellar, greenouse".
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".
MyōchinJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 明珍 (myōchin), the 2 characters used in 明らかに珍しい (akiraka ni mezurashii) meaning "evidently rare". This is from the event in the Heian Period, of an armorer who created an armor that was then praised by Emperor Konoe... [more]
NakaJapanese, Okinawan From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle; center". It is a reference to an event in the Northern and Southern Courts Period, of 3 sons of Takase who became heroes for the south. The emperor of Japan awarded each of the sons a new surname; Oku for the eldest son, Naka for the middle son, and Kuchi for the youngest son.... [more]
NakaJapanese From Japanese 那珂 (Naka) meaning "Naka", a district in the former Japanese province of Hitachi in parts of present-day Ibaraki, Japan.
NakacheJudeo-Spanish From Arabic نقاش (naqqash) meaning "engraver, inscriber, sculptor".
NanjoJapanese From 南 (nan, minami) meaning "south" and 城 (jo, shiro) meaning "castle". Other kanji are possible.
NankeJapanese From 南 (nan, minami) meaning "south" and 家 (ke, ie) meaning "home, house residence".
NapsoCircassian (Russified) Means "whole-eyed", derived from Adyghe нэ (nă) meaning "eye" and псэу (psăw) "health, alive" or "whole, all, complete".
NaptsokCircassian Circassian name derived from Adyghe напцэ (nāpcă) meaning “eyelash, eyebrow”.
NaraJapanese This surname is used as 楢, 奈良 or 那良 with 楢 (shuu, yuu, nara) meaning "oak", 奈 (dai, na, nai, ikan, karanashi) meaning "Nara, what?", 那 (na, da, nani, nanzo, ikan) meaning "what?" and 良 (ryou, i.i, -i.i, yo.i, -yo.i, ra) meaning "good, pleasing, skilled."... [more]
NassauGerman, Dutch, Jewish From the name of the town of Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (formerly the seat of an independent duchy in the 19th century), derived from Old High German naz meaning "damp, wet" and ouwa meaning "water meadow"... [more]
NatkhoCircassian Shapsug name possibly derived from Adyghe нат (nāt) meaning "Nart" (referring to a Caucasian saga) combined with хъо (χo) meaning "pig".
NeedhamEnglish From a place name derived from Old English ned meaning "need, constraint" and ham meaning "home, estate, settlement".
NegleyGerman (Swiss) Altered spelling of Swiss German Nägele, Naegeli, or Nägeli, variants of Nagel.
NegruRomanian Nickname or ethnic name from negru "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NehruIndian, Hindi From Sanskrit नहर (nahar, nehar) meaning "canal". This name was borne by Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the first Prime Minister of India. His earliest recorded ancestor Raj Kaul adopted the name when, upon moving from Kashmir to Delhi, he was granted a jagir (feudal land grant) with a house situated on the banks of a canal... [more]
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.
NeisserGerman German demonym of the town of Neisse (nowadays Nysa, in Poland), itself from the name of the river Neisse (Nysa) which runs through the city.
NejadPersian Means "lineage, race" in Persian (an archaic word), typically used as a suffix for compound surnames.
NejiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 子師, combining 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of Chinese zodiac)" with 師 (shi, su, nara.u, moromoro) meaning "army, exemplar, expert, master, model, teacher, war."
NestorIrish Derived from the surname Mac Girr an Adhastair (sometimes shortened to Mac an Aghastair), meaning "Short man of the halter." The Mac Girr an Adhastair were associated with the local lords, the Ó Lochlainn family.
NetleyEnglish Locative name from Netley Marsh in Eling (Hants), which is recorded as Nateleg in 1248. The place name derives from Old English næt "wet" + lēah "open woodland".
NeubertGerman Derived from the German word “neu,” meaning “new,” and the word “Bert,” which is a shortened form of the Germanic given name “Berthold,” meaning “bright ruler.” So, it means “new bright ruler”.
NeugerGerman, French (?) Was popularized by the German community. Famous bearers include investors Win Neuger and Dan Neuger, author Christie Cozad Neuger.
NeuserGerman (Rare) Person who had ancestors that lived in Germany near Dusseldorf in the town called Neuss.
NewbyEnglish Means "person from Newby", Newby being a combination of the Middle English elements newe "new" and by "farm, settlement" (ultimately from Old Norse býr "farm"). British travel writer Eric Newby (1919-2006) bore this surname.
NeweyEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived at a "new enclosure", from Middle English newe "new" and haga "enclousire".
NibeJapanese Variant transcription or reading of Japanese Kanji 新部 (see Niibe).
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.
NietzscheGerman, German (Silesian) Derived from a Silesian diminutive of the given name Nikolaus. A notable bearer was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), a German philosopher.
NihonJapanese (Rare) Means "Japan" in Japanese, though originally from 日本 (nihon), a clipping of 日本晴れ (nihombare) meaning "no clouds in the sky". It is a reference to an event in the Edo Period, of a weather forecaster who was asked for the weather and answered 日本晴れ... [more]
NiibeJapanese From Japanese 新 (nii) meaning "new" and 部 (be) meaning "department, division; part".
NiimiJapanese Nii means "new" and mi means "see, outlook, viewpoint".
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.
NobelSwedish Habitational name from Östra Nöbbelöv in Scania, Southern Sweden. The name was originally spelled Nobelius but was later shortened to Nobel. A famous bearer was Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), a Swedish engineer, chemist, and inventor.
NōdaJapanese Variant of Osame but adding Japanese 田 (da), the joining form of 田 (ta) meaning "rice paddy, cultivated field", possibly referring to a place with rice paddies or cultivated fields.
NodaJapanese Combination of the kanji 野 (no, "area, field, hidden part of a structure; wild, rustic") and 田 (ta, "rice paddy, field"). A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (野田 佳彦; b. 1957).
NodaJapanese Variant reading or transcription of Japanese Kanji 納田 (see Nōda).
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]
NolteGerman From a short form of various medieval given names derived from Germanic given names ending with -n and wald meaning "rule", for example Arnold and Reinwald... [more]
NomiJapanese From the Japanese possessive particle 乃 (no) and 美 (mi) "beauty."
NoonanIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nuanáin (from Irish Gaelic Ó hIonmhaineáin) meaning "descendant of Ionmhaineán", a diminutive of the given name Ionmhain "beloved, dear". ... [more]
NordahlNorwegian, Swedish The surname derives from a place name in Sunnmøre, Norway. Meaning from Old Norse norðr ''north'' and dalr ''dale'', ''valley''. In Sweden, this name is mostly ornamental, rather than habitaional.
NordénSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" and the common surname suffix -én.
NorellSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" or nor "small strait" and the common surname suffix -ell.
NorénSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" or nor "small strait" and the common surname suffix -én.
NorinSwedish Derived from Swedish nord "north" or nor "small strait".
NormanSwedish Combination of Swedish norr "north", or in some cases nor "narrow strait of water", and man "man".
NoroJapanese From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 呂 (ro) meaning "spine, backbone".
NugentEnglish, Irish, French An English, Irish (of Norman origin) and French habitational surname derived from any of several places in northern France (such as Nogent-sur-Oise), From Latin novientum and apparently an altered form of a Gaulish name meaning "new settlement".
NuttallEnglish English: habitational name from some place named with Old English hnutu ‘nut’ + h(e)alh ‘nook’, ‘recess’. In some cases this may be Nuthall in Nottinghamshire, but the surname is common mainly in Lancashire, and a Lancashire origin is therefore more likely... [more]
NyblomSwedish Combination of Swedish ny "new" and blom "bloom".
OakdenEnglish A variant of Ogden, from a place name derived from Old English āc "oak" and denu "valley". Famous bearers include British diplomat Edward Oakden and English cricketer Patrick Oakden.
OaklandEnglish This surname is derived from Old English āc and land and it, obviously, means "oak land."
ŌbaJapanese From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 場 (ba) meaning "place, situation, circumstances".
ObaJapanese Alternate transcription of Japanese 大場 (see Ōba).
OcakTurkish Means "stove, oven, furnace" in Turkish.
OcónSpanish This indicates familial origin within either the eponymous Riojan municipality or the Ocón de Villafranca neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Villafranca Montes de Oca.
OdaJapanese From the Japanese 小 (o) "small," 尾 (o) "tail" or 織 (o) "fabric," "material," "cloth" and 田 (ta or da) "rice paddy" or 多 (ta or da) "many."... [more]
ŌeJapanese From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet".
OeJapanese O means "big, great" and e means "inlet, shore".
OeJapanese Alternate transcription of Japanese 大江 (see Ōe).
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.
OeffeltDutch Oeffelt is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant, part of the Boxmeer municipality.
OestenGerman Possibly derived from a watercourse, e.g. the Oste, tributary of the Elbe.
ŌgaJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 淡河, 王賀 or 相賀 with 淡 (tan, awa.i) meaning "faint, fleeting, pale, thin," 河 (ka, kawa) meaning "river," 王 (ou, -nou) meaning "king, magnate, rule," 相 (shou, sou, ai-, ou) meaning "aspect, councillor, each other, inter-, minister of state, mutual, phase, physiognomy, together" and 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]
OkeyEnglish Location name meaning "lives near oak trees".
ŌkiJapanese From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
OkiJapanese Alternate transcription of Japanese 大木 (see Ōki).
OkiJapanese From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea".
ÖksüzTurkish Means "orphan, motherless child" in Turkish.
OkuJapanese From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside, interior".
OkuJapanese From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside; inner depths". It is a reference to an event in the Northern and Southern Courts Period, of 3 sons of Takase who became heroes for the south. The emperor of Japan awarded each of the sons a new surname; Oku for the eldest son, Naka for the middle son, and Kuchi for the youngest son.... [more]