Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
MILLSAP English (American), EnglishJudging by the name and how it sounds, I guess it's occupational. This is the name of a town in Texas, named after Fuller Millsap.
MILNER English, ScottishNorthern English (mainly Yorkshire) and Scottish: variant of
MILLER, retaining the -n- of the Middle English word, which was a result of Scandinavian linguistic influence, as in Old Norse
mylnari.
MIMS English (British)Habitational name from Mimms (North and South Mimms) in Hertfordshire, most probably derived from an ancient British tribal name, Mimmas.
MINER EnglishEnglish occupational name for someone who built mines, either for the excavation of coal and other minerals, or as a technique in the medieval art of siege warfare. The word represents an agent derivative of Middle English, Old French
mine ‘mine’ (a word of Celtic origin, cognate with Gaelic
mein ‘ore’, ‘mine’).
MISSINGHAM EnglishThe name means "lost home", and it's from the Old English words "missan" and "ham".
MISTRY EnglishInfluenced by the English word
mystery meaning
unknown. MOCKFORD EnglishMockford comes from "Mocca's ford", with Mocca being an Old English name of uncertain origin. An alternative theory is that it comes from "Motholfr's ford" from the Old Norse meaning "renown-wolf". Either way, Mockford was once a place in Sussex, near Rottingdean, and it is from there that most branches of the name originate.
MOHLER German, EnglishThe Mohler surname is derived from the Low German word
möhl which means mill. Thus the name originally denoted someone who live or worked near a mill. Variant of
MÜLLER.
MOLE EnglishMole is (in some but not all cases) the English form of the German Möhl meaning mill.
MONEYPENNY EnglishProbably 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.
MONGER EnglishName for a retail trader or a stallholder in a market, Middle English
monger,
manger.
MONK EnglishNickname for someone of monkish habits or appearance, or an occupational name for a servant employed at a monastery, from Middle English
munk,
monk "monk" (Old English
munuc,
munec, from Late Latin
monachus, Greek
monakhos "solitary", a derivative of
monos "alone").
MONTFORD EnglishAs a Shropshire name believed to mean "from a communal ford or water crossing" while the Norfolk origin is "from Munda's ford," Munda being an old English personal name meaning "protector, guardian," as seen in names such as
EDMUND.
MONTY French, EnglishTopographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).
MOODY English, IrishEither from Middle English
modie "angry, haughty, impetuous", or Old English
modig "brave, proud".
MOORCOCK EnglishFrom 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-).
MORALEE English, FrenchFirst found in Norfolk where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings.
MORANT EnglishFrom the Old French personal name
Morant, perhaps from a nickname meaning "steadfast", or alternatively of Germanic origin and meaning literally "courage-raven". A known bearer was the British-born Australian soldier and poet Breaker Morant, original name Edwin Henry Murrant (?1864-1902).
MORDAUNT EnglishRecorded as Mordant, Mordaunt (English), Mordagne, Mordant (French) and apparently Mordanti in Italy, this is a surname of French origins. According to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley writing in the year 1880, the name was originally Norman, and was brought to England by a follower of Duke William of Normandy, when he conquered England in 1066...
[more] MORDEN EnglishParish in Surrey; one mile from Mitcham. "Moor Hollow" in Old English.
MOREHOUSE EnglishHabitational name from any of various places, for example Moorhouse in West Yorkshire, named from Old English mōr meaning "marsh", "fen" + hūs meaning "house".
MORT EnglishPerhaps from a Norman nickname based on Old French
mort "dead", possibly referring to someone with a deathly pallor or otherwise sepulchral appearance.
MORTIMER EnglishDerived from a place name meaning "still water" in Old French.
MOSLEY EnglishHabitational name from any of several places called Mos(e)ley in central, western, and northwestern England. The obvious derivation is from Old English mos ‘peat bog’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’, but the one in southern Birmingham (Museleie in Domesday Book) had as its first element Old English mus ‘mouse’, while one in Staffordshire (Molesleie in Domesday Book) had the genitive case of the Old English byname Moll.
MOSSMAN EnglishThis interesting name is a variant of the surname Moss which is either topographical for someone who lived by a peat bog, from the Old English pre 7th Century 'mos' or a habitational name from a place named with this word, for example Mosedale in Cumbria or Moseley in West Yorkshire.
MOTLEY EnglishThis 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").
MOUNT EnglishMount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains.
MOUNTJOY EnglishHabitational surname for a person from Montjoie in La Manche, France, named with Old French
mont "hill", "mountain" +
joie "joy".
MOWBRAY EnglishUltimately from the name of a place in Normandy meaning "mud hill" in Old French.
MOXON EnglishMeans "son of
Magge", a pet-form of
MARGARET, a female personal name which came into English via French from Late Latin
Margarita, literally "pearl".
MOYES EnglishFrom the medieval personal name
Moise, a vernacular variant of
MOSES (the biblical name of the Hebrew prophet who led the Children of Israel out of captivity).
MUDD EnglishEither (i) "person who lives in a muddy area"; (ii) from the medieval female personal name
Mudd, a variant of
MAUD (variously
Mahalt,
Mauld,
Malt, vernacular versions of Anglo-Norman
MATILDA); or (iii) from the Old English personal name
Mōd or
Mōda, a shortened form of various compound names beginning with
mōd "courage".
MUDGE EnglishA location surname for someone who lives or dwells near the swamps. A famous bearer of this surname is Angela Mudge, a champion fell runner and trail runner from Scotland.
MULLIS EnglishAs either Mulles and Mullis, the surname first found in Parish Registers in Cornwall Co. by 1548 in Michaelstow. Manorial tenement rolls trace that particular family to 1483. Between 1337 and 1453 random tenants were recorded between Tintagel and Altarnun as Molys and Mollys...
[more] MUSSEY EnglishNickname from Middle English
mūs ‘mouse’ +
ēage ‘eye’.
MUSTON EnglishHabitational name from places so named, from Old English
mus "mouse", or
must, "muddy stream or place" combined with
tun "enclosure, settlement". Another explanation could be that the first element is derived from an old Scandinavian personal name,
Músi (of unknown meaning), combined with
tun.
MYATT EnglishFrom the medieval personal name
Myat, literally "little
Mihel", an Anglo-Norman variant of
MICHAEL.
NAISMITH EnglishMeans either "nail-maker" (from Old English
nægelsmith) or "knife-maker" (from Old English
cnīfsmith).
NANKERVIS Cornish, English (Australian)From the name of a place in St Enoder parish in Cornwall, derived from Cornish
nans "valley" and an uncertain second element, possibly *
cerwys, an unattested plural of
carow "stag"....
[more] NAPIER Scottish, EnglishScottish occupational name for a producer or seller of table linen or for a naperer, the servant in charge of the linen in use in a great house from the Middle English, Old French
nap(p)ier, an agent derivative of Old French
nappe ‘table cloth’ (Latin
mappa)...
[more] NARAMOR English, WelshNaramor, also Narramore or Naramore, is a corruption of Northmore, and has Welsh/English background. "More North"
NASMITH Scottish, EnglishThis surname is derived from an occupation, "nail-smith", but may also mean "knife-smith".
NATES English, JewishIt's probably from the given name
NATE, the origin is said to be Jewish*, but the ancestors immigrated to English speaking countries.
NATION EnglishMost probably a variant of Nathan, altered by folk etymology under the influence of the English vocabulary word nation
NAUGHTON EnglishHabitational name from a place in Suffolk, named in Old English with nafola meaning "navel" + tūn meaning "enclosure", "settlement", i.e. "settlement in the navel or depression".
NAVARRO Spanish, French, EnglishDescribes a former member of the ancient kingdom of Navarre. Possibly means 'the treeless country' or 'the country above the trees'
NEAD English1. English: possibly a metonymic nickname for a needy person, from Middle English ne(e)d ‘need’. ...
[more] NEARS EnglishFrench 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.
NEEVE English, ScottishAn English surname, of Norman origin, meaning the nephew. One who was in care of their uncle. A surname first recorded in Perthshire.
NEIGHBOR EnglishFrom 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.
NEMIROW EnglishIs the English for the Russian/Ukrainian Surname Nemirov
NESBITT Scottish, Irish, EnglishDerives from the hamlets of East Nisbet and West Nisbet, Berwickshire. Some bearers of Nisbet/Nesbitt (and variant) names may originate from the village of Nisbet in Roxburghshire.
NEVELS English, Scottish(1) Variant of
NEVILLE (2) Possibly variant of Dutch Nevens, which is derived from Neve, from Middle English, Old Norse, Middle Dutch neve ‘nephew’, presumably denoting the nephew of some great personage.
NEW EnglishNickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe meaning "new".
NEWARK EnglishA habitational name taken on from a place name, such as Newark in Cambridgeshire or Newark on Trent in Nottinghamshire.
NEWBORN EnglishHabitational name from Newbourn in Suffolk or Newburn in Tyne and Wear (formerly part of Northumberland), both named with Old English
niwe "new" and
burna "stream", perhaps denoting a stream that had changed its course.
NEWBROUGH English (British)Newbrough surname is thought to be a habitational, taken on from a place name such as from Newbrough in Northumberland, which is derived from the Old English words niwe, meaning "new," and burh, meaning "fortification."
NEWBY EnglishMeans "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.
NEWEY EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived at a "new enclosure", from Middle English
newe "new" and
haga "enclousire".
NEWHAM EnglishHabitational name from any of the various places, for example in Northumbria and North Yorkshire, so named from Old English
neowe "new" and
ham "homestead".
NIGHTINGALE EnglishNickname for someone with a good voice, from Middle English
nighti(n)gale, Old English
nihtegal, from
niht "night" and
galan "sing" (cf.
NACHTIGALL).
NINE English (American)Americanized spelling of German Nein or Neun, from Middle High German niun meaning "nine".
NOAR EnglishThis surname is thought to be derived from
nore which could mean "shore, cliff." This could denote that someone might have lived in a shore or cliff. It may also be used as a surname for someone who lived in the now 'diminished' village of Nore in Surrey.
NOBLE English, Scottish, Irish, FrenchNickname from Middle English, Old French
noble "high-born, distinguished, illustrious" (Latin
nobilis), denoting someone of lofty birth or character, or perhaps also ironically someone of low station...
[more] NOCK Celtic, EnglishDweller at the oak tree; originally spelt as "Noake" evolved into "Nock".
NOON EnglishEither (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] NORDICK EnglishHabitational name from a place so named near Bocholt, in the Lower Rhine area.
NORELL Swedish, EnglishSwedish ornamental name composed of
norr "north" or
nor "small strait" and the popular surname suffix
-ell, from Latin adjectival suffix
-elius. ...
[more] NORRELL English, German (?)A locational surname from the Germanic (Old English/Old Norse) term for the north. It either refers to someone who lived in a location called Northwell, lived north of a well, spring or stream (Old English
weall)...
[more] NORTHCOTT EnglishDerived from the Old English words "norð," meaning "north," and "cot," meaning a "cottage," or "shelter."
NOTTINGHAM English (British)A habitational name from the city of Nottingham in the East Midlands. Comes from the Old English name, meaning "homestead (ham) of Snot’s people". The initial S- was lost in the 12th century, due to the influence of Anglo-Norman French....
[more] NOY EnglishEither (i) from the medieval male personal name
Noye, the English form of the Hebrew name
Noach "
Noah"; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on Hebrew
noy "decoration, adornment".
NUTTALL EnglishEnglish: 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] NUTTER EnglishMeans either (i) "scribe, clerk" (from Middle English
notere, ultimately from Latin
notārius); or (ii) "person who keeps or tends oxen" (from a derivative of Middle English
nowt "ox")...
[more] OAK EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English
oke "oak".
OAKLAND EnglishThis surname is derived from Old English
āc and
land and it, obviously, means "oak land."
ODHAM EnglishVariant of
ODOM, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -
ham.
ODOM EnglishMedieval 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).
OGILVIE Scottish, EnglishFrom the ancient Barony of Ogilvie in Angus, Northeast Scotland. The placename itself is derived from Pictish
ocel, 'high' and
fa, 'plain'.
OKEY EnglishLocation name meaning "lives near oak trees".
O'LAUGHLEN EnglishThis was the surname of Michael O'Laughlen, a conspirator in a plot to kidnap Abraham Lincoln.
OLD EnglishFrom Middle English
old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
OLDKNOW EnglishOriginally "Oldknoll"; deriving from the word
knoll meaning ''hill''.
OLDROYD EnglishDerived from the two Old English pre 7th century words - "euld", meaning "old", and "royd", meaning "clearing".
OLIN English, DutchEnglish or Dutch name meaning either "from a low lying area" or from the word Hollander meaning "one from the Netherlands" a country well known for a low lying landscape.
OLIPHANT EnglishMeans "elephant" (from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German
olifant "elephant"), perhaps used as a nickname for a large cumbersome person, or denoting someone who lived in a building distinguished by the sign of an elephant.
OLLIS EnglishUnexplained surname found in records of Bristol and Bath.
OPHEL English19th century name from the Cambridgeshire area. Probably derived from Oldfield. Variants include Opheld, Oful and Offel....
[more] ORANGE Medieval English, Medieval French, EnglishDerived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III...
[more] ORBISON EnglishFrom a village in Lincolnshire, England originally called Orby and later Orreby that is derived from a Scandinavian personal name
Orri- and the Scandinavian place element
-by which means "a farmstead or small settlement."
ORCHARD English, ScottishEnglish: topographic name for someone who lived by an orchard, or a metonymic occupational name for a fruit grower, from Middle English
orchard....
[more] ORCUTT EnglishPerhaps a much altered spelling of Scottish
URQUHART used predominantly in Staffordshire, England.
ORGAN EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a player of a musical instrument (any musical instrument, not necessarily what is now known as an organ), from Middle English organ (Old French organe, Late Latin organum ‘device’, ‘(musical) instrument’, Greek organon ‘tool’, from ergein ‘to work or do’).
ORGAN EnglishFrom a rare medieval personal name, attested only in the Latinized forms
Organus (masculine) and
ORGANA (feminine).
ORLEY Dutch, Flemish, EnglishA surname of uncertain origin found among the Dutch, Flemish and English. In England the name is primarily found in Yorkshire and Devon. Orley may be an adapted form of a French name
D'Orley or a nickname for
ORLANDO...
[more] ORPIN EnglishMeans "herbalist" (from Middle English
orpin "yellow stonecrop", a plant prescribed by medieval herbalists for healing wounds). A variant spelling was borne by British painter Sir William Orpen (1878-1931).
OSGOOD English, JewishEnglish: Old Norse personal name Asgautr, composed of the elements as'god'+the tribal name Gaul. This was established in England before the Conquest, in the late old English forms Osgot or Osgod and was later reinforce by the Norman Ansgot....
[more] OSLER EnglishPossibly derived from
Ostler (from the the Norman 'Hostelier') meaning clerk or bookkeeper. First used in England after the Norman invasion of 1066. Surname of a 19th cent...
[more] OTTOWAY EnglishFrom the Norman male personal names
Otoïs, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-wide" or "wealth-wood", and
Otewi, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-war".
OVERFELT EnglishDerived from the Old English "ofer," meaning "seashore," or "riverbank."
OVERSON EnglishDerived from the Old French name Overson, meaning "dweller by the river-banks". The name was probably brought to England in the wake of the Norman conquest of 1066.
OWNER EnglishFrom English
owner meaning "a person who owns something".
OWSLEY EnglishHabitational name form a now lost place name in Southern England. Possibly derived from the name of the river name Ouse and Old English -
leah meaning "wood".
OXENDINE EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "valley of the oxen", which was derived from Old English
oxa "ox" (genitive plural
oxena) and
denu "valley".
OYASKI English (American)A surname created by Michael Oyaski (formally Michael O'Yaski). The surname is currently known to only be used by one particular branch of the O'Yaski family tree. The surname means "Dragon Rider of the West" according to members of the Oyaski family.
PACEY English"Habitation name from Pacy-sur-Eure"
which took its name from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius and the local suffix -acum. PACKWOOD EnglishHabitational name from a place in Warwickshire, so named from the Old English personal name Pac(c)a + wudu ‘wood’.