MathemaNdebele The Mathema people mostly inhabit the Northern Matebeleland in Zimbabwe, however their clan names are linked and related of those other Nguni clans. These are as follows: ... [more]
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”.
M'balaCentral African Derived from the given name Mbala. This surname is borne by French comedian, actor and political activist Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (1966-).
MbenguzanaHlubi (?), African Hlubi word referring to an old cat with grey beard but in this instance it means grey-bearded leopard. Originates from one of the Nkwali tribe's early head?king Lusulengwe(Leopard's face)
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.
MbituwohCentral African From the prefix "Mbi-" which means "people of" or "descendants of." and the root "tuwoh" which is from the clan name, a small regional designation in Cameroon derived from the Toubou people.
MbotoAfrican Last name of a character from Australian soap opera, Home and Away. This is the last name of character Stephanie Mboto, duration 1996-97.
MeghnagiJewish, Northern African Sephardic Jewish, originating from the Libyan Jewish community. Most were from Tripoli, with a much smaller contingent from Benghazi.
MelakuEthiopian, Amharic From the given name Melaku, meaning "the angel" in Amharic. It is possibly related to Arabic/Hebrew Malak and Turkish Melek 2, also meaning "angel".
MesfunAmharic Mesfun translates to “prince” or “duke.” Historically, it was a prestigious title given to members of the imperial family or high-ranking nobility in the Ethiopian Empire. During the Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes),~ 1750 to 1850, people bearing the title "Mesfin" held substantial political and economic power, often governing regions with significant autonomy.
MkerrefBerber (Modern, Rare) Mkerref originated from the 1950s in Tangier, Morocco. The surname is rare and its holders have riffian (amazigh) roots, known as the Temsamanis originally. ... [more]
MohaleSouthern African A Sesotho given and surname using the prefix: "mo-", a common noun class prefix in Bantu languages, typically denoting a person or agent, and "-hale" which together translates to "hero" or "brave one".
MuliEastern African Muli is chiefly found among the Kamba ethnic group in Kenya which is largely located in the Eastern Province. The Kamba people are part of the larger Bantu-speaking group. It derives from the given name and when used as a surname is patronymic... [more]
MutembwaShona From the Shona elements Mu-: a common Shona prefix for people or agents, meaning "one who..." and -tembwa: derived from the verb “kutemba” or related forms meaning “to cut,” “to sever,”... [more]
MutiaEastern African, Maasai A Kenyan Maasai surname known mostly in the West as the name of a certain fictitious escarpment, which appears infrequently in old Tarzan Films.
MweushiAfrican salute to a king or chief spokesman.literally means "your excellency" or "your majesty". and is usually followed by another name and not used alone.
NakabugoEastern African A rare surname primarily found in Uganda derived from Nakabugo, with a documented origin in the Nkima clan of the Buganda kingdom. The name is derived from one of the daughters of the clan head, Mugema.
NakibogofEastern African From the prefix "Na-" which is commonly used in female names and can denote "mother of" or relate to femininity and the root "kibogo" which is a dialectal form of "kibuga," which in Luganda means "city" or "capital."
NdayishimiyeRundi, Rwandan Means "I rejoice in the lord, god has made me happy, I am grateful to god" from nda- a prefix meaning "I", yi an infix often used for verb conjugation in Bantu languages, and -shimiye meaning "to rejoice, to thank".
NgaEthiopian, Japanese Ethiopian: from the personal name Nega, which is interpreted as "it became morning" in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.... [more]
NshimiyimanaEastern African A common Kinyarwanda surname, the official language of Rwanda. Nshimiyimana breaks down into parts in Kinyarwanda: Nshimi — derived from the verb “gushima”, which means “to thank” or “to praise.”, yi — a possessive connector roughly meaning “of” or “who has.”, and mana — which means “God.”.
NwudeIgbo The surname Nwude is likely of Igbo origin, a major ethnic group in Nigeria. In the Igbo language, Nwude (or Nwodi) can be a combination of two elements:... [more]
OdoemeneNigerian Odoemene roots from Nigeria. It has branched onward to America, and multiple other countries. It literally means 'yellow reluctance' in Igbo.
OgunkeyeYoruba Means "Ogun is worthy of supplication" from the Yoruba god Ogun combined with Yoruba words kẹ meaning "beg, plead, supplicate" and yè meaning "to be fitting, proper, honorable".
OgunniyiYoruba Means "possess the praise of Ogun" from the Yoruba god Ogun combined with Yoruba words ní meaning "obtain, get, have, possess" and yẹ́ meaning "praise, favour".
OkoturoNigerian A surname most popular in Nigeria; meaning currently unknown.
OkumuEastern African In the Luo language, Okumu (for males) and Akumu (for females) are traditionally given to children conceived under unusual circumstances. Specifically, these names are associated with "mysterious births," such as conception occurring shortly after a previous birth but before the mother's menstrual cycle has resumed... [more]