Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
MANLEYEnglish Habitational name from places in Devon and Cheshire, named in Old English as "common wood or clearing", from (ge)mǣne "common, shared" and lēah "woodland clearing". The surname is still chiefly found in the regions around these villages.
MANSELLEnglish (Canadian), Norman Of Norman origin, a habitational or regional name from Old French mansel ‘inhabitant of Le Mans or the surrounding area of Maine’. The place was originally named in Latin (ad) Ceromannos, from the name of the Gaulish tribe living there, the Ceromanni... [more]
MANSFIELDEnglish Means "open land by the River Maun," from the Celtic river name + the Old English word "feld."
MAPPEnglish From a variant of the medieval female personal name Mabbe, a shortened form of AMABEL. A fictional bearer is Elizabeth Mapp, busybodyish spinster in the 'Mapp and Lucia' novels of E.F. Benson.
MARCHEnglish From the English word meaning, "to walk stiffly and proudly" or possibly from the month.
MARCHANTFrench, English, Spanish Variant of MARCHAND, from French marchand meaning "merchant, mercantile". Though it is of French origin, it was transferred into the Spanish-speaking world, especially Chile, by French invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
MARCUSEnglish Marcus is a surname derived from the given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning (possibly from the Etruscan "mar" which means "to harvest"), or referring to the god Mars... [more]
MARKEnglish, German, Dutch Topographic name for someone who lived on a boundary between two districts, from Middle English merke, Middle High German marc, Middle Dutch marke, merke, all meaning "borderland"... [more]
MARKHAMEnglish English name from a place in Nottinghamshire, named in Old English as 'homestead at a (district) boundary', from mearc 'boundary' + ham 'homestead'. English surname used as an equivalent of Gaelic Ó MARCACHÁIN 'descendant of Marcachán', a diminutive of Marcach (see Markey).
MARKLANDEnglish From Old English mearc meaning "boundary" and lanu meaning "lane", it is a habitational name from a place in the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It can also be a topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of border or boundary land, or a status name for someone who held land with an annual value of one mark.
MARKLEYEnglish This surname means "border clearing" from Old English elements mearc meaning "border, mark" and leah meaning "clearing, grove."
MARKSEnglish This surname is derived either from the name MARK or from Old English mearc meaning "border, mark."
MARKSMANEnglish An occupational surname indicating a person who was a hunter, especially a skilled one.
MARSLANDEnglish Probably derived from some place named as being a boggy place, from Old English mersc meaning "marsh" and land meaning "land". Alternatively, it may be a variant of MARKLAND.
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]
MASEYEnglish, Scottish, French, Norman English and Scottish (of Norman origin) and French: habitational name from any of various places in northern France which get their names from the Gallo-Roman personal name MACCIUS + the locative suffix -acum.... [more]
MASSETEREnglish Perhaps means "brewery worker" (from Middle English mash "fermentable mixture of hot water and grain" + rudder "rudder-shaped stirrer").
MASSINGBERDEnglish Perhaps from a medieval nickname for someone with an auburn or reddish beard (from Middle English massing "brass" + berd "beard").
MASSINGHAMEnglish The name is tribal and probably Anglo-Saxon, and translates as the 'hamm' (place or village) of the Maessa (Mass) tribe. These people are also recorded in Lincoln, as 'Massingberd', the castle (berg) of the Maessa tribe.
MATLOCKEnglish Derived from a place name (Matlock in Derbyshire) meaning ‘meeting-place oak’ from Old English mæthel ‘meeting’, ‘gathering’, ‘council’ and ac ‘oak’.
MATONTIEnglish My grandfathers last name from Italy . He grew up in Naples but the name is from a small country village by Tuscany named Matonti. That's all we know so far.
MATTINGLYEnglish (British) This name dates all the way back to the 1200s and research shows that Mattingly families began immigrating to the United States in the 1600s and continued until the 1900s. However, the place name (Mattingley, England) dates back to the year 1086, but spelled as Matingelege... [more]
MAUDLINGEnglish From the medieval female personal name Maudeleyn, the English form of Greek Magdalēnē, the sobriquet in the New Testament of the woman Mary who was cured of evil spirits by Jesus... [more]
MAUGHANIrish, English Anglicized from the original Irish Gaelic form Ò Mocháin meaning 'descendant of Mochain'. This name was one of the earliest known Irish surnames brought to England and remains a fairly common surname in the North East of the country.
MAURICEEnglish, French This surname is taken from a given name which is derived from the Roman name Mauritius, a derivative of Maurus.
MAVERICKEnglish (Rare) Surname notably borne by Texas lawyer, politician and land baron Samuel MAVERICK (1803-1870) to whom the word maverick was coined.
MAXFIELDEnglish Habitational name from places so named in England.
MAXSONPopular Culture, English Means son of MAX. This is the surname of the hereditary leaders of the Brotherhood of Steel in the popular Fallout game. The first bearer of the name was Captain Roger Maxson, who founded the BOS, with the most recent bearer being Arthur Maxson, the current leader of the BOS in Fallout 4.
MEADEnglish topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Middle English mede ‘meadow’ (Old English m?d). metonymic occupational name for a brewer or seller of mead (Old English meodu), an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey
MEADEREnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Mead 1 + the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant.
MEADOWEnglish A topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow. The form meadow derives from mǣdwe, the dative case of Old English mǣd.
MEDLEYEnglish Habitational name, either a variant of MADELEY (a name common to several places, including one in Shropshire and two in Staffordshire), named in Old English as ‘Mada’s clearing’, from an unattested byname, MADA (probably a derivative of mad ‘foolish’) + leah ‘woodland clearing’; or from Medley on the Thames in Oxfordshire, named in Old English with middel ‘middle’ + eg ‘island’... [more]
MEDLICOTTEnglish Derivative from a location in Shropshire, England
MENEARCornish, English (British) English (Devon; of Cornish origin): topographic name for someone who lived by a menhir, i.e. a tall standing stone erected in prehistoric times (Cornish men ‘stone’ + hir ‘long’). In the United States, it is a common surname in Pennsylvania & West Virginia.
MERRIDEWEnglish A different form of MEREDITH (from the Welsh personal name Meredydd, perhaps literally "lord of splendour"). It occurs in Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' (1868) belonging to Mrs Merridew, widowed sister to Sir John Verinder.
MERTONEnglish From a place name meaning "town on a lake" in Old English.
MERVYNEnglish (i) from the medieval personal name Merewine, literally "fame-friend"; (ii) from the Old English personal names Mǣrwynn, literally "famous joy", and Merefinn, from Old Norse Mora-Finnr; (iii) from the Welsh personal name MERFYN, literally probably "marrow-eminent"
MESSAMEnglish (British) originates from a place called Measham in the county of Leicestershire. The placename is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, as Messeham, and in the Pipe Rolls of the county of 1182 as Meisham... [more]
METCALFEEnglish An occupational name from Northern England, from Old English mete, 'food' and calf, 'calf', i.e calfs being fattened for consumption in late summer. Thus, making this surname an occupational name for either a slaughterer or herdsman... [more]
METHENYEnglish Originated from the village name of Methley in Yorkshire.
MIDDLETONEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of the places so called. In over thirty instances from many different areas, the name is from Old English midel "middle" + tun "enclosure","settlement".
MILKEnglish Probably from Middle English milk ‘milk’, applied as a metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of milk.In some instances, probably a translation of German Milch, a variant of Slavic Milich or of Dutch Mielke (a pet form of Miele), or a shortening of Slavic Milkovich.
MILLScottish, English Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived near a mill, Middle English mille, milne (Old English myl(e)n, from Latin molina, a derivative of molere ‘to grind’)... [more]
MILLAYEnglish This surname is thought to be a respelling of Millais, which may come from the French surname Millet, a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of millet or panic grass (derived from a diminutive form of Old French mil which is then derived from Latin milium meaning "millet").... [more]
MILLSAPEnglish (American), English Judging 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.
MILLWOODEnglish, Anglo-Saxon The name was originally given to a miller or the keeper of a mill. The surname Millwood is derived from the Old English word mylenweard.
MILMANEnglish From the old English word mylen meaning "mill" and mann meaning "man", which in this sense means a worker
MILNEREnglish, Scottish Northern 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.
MIMSEnglish (British) Habitational name from Mimms (North and South Mimms) in Hertfordshire, most probably derived from an ancient British tribal name, Mimmas.
MINDENGerman, English Habitational name from any of various places so named, for example in Westphalia (German) or Shropshire (English).
MINEREnglish English 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’).
MOBERLEYEnglish English habitational name from Mobberley in Cheshire, named in Old English as ‘clearing with a fortified site where assemblies are held’, from (ge)mot ‘meeting’, ‘assembly’ + burh ‘enclosure’, ‘fortification’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
MOCKFORDEnglish Mockford 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.
MOHLERGerman, English The 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.
MOLTENEnglish The surname Molten refers to one who melts lead.
MONARCHEnglish Origin unidentified. Perhaps a translation of French Monarque, Monarc, a nickname for a high-handed or haughty person, from Old French monarque 'monarch'.
MONEYMAKEREnglish (American) Translated form of German Geldmacher or Geldschläger, occupational names for a coiner.
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.
MONKEnglish Nickname 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").
MONTFORDEnglish As 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.
MONTGOMERIEScottish, English Variation of MONTGOMERY. A famous bearer was Margaret Montgomerie Boswell (1738 to 1789), wife of author James Boswell.
MONTYFrench, English Topographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).
MOODYEnglish, Irish Either from Middle English modie "angry, haughty, impetuous", or Old English modig "brave, proud".
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-).
MORALEEEnglish, French First 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.
MORANTEnglish, French From 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).
MORDAUNTEnglish Recorded 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]
MOREHOUSEEnglish Habitational name from any of various places, for example Moorhouse in West Yorkshire, named from Old English mōr meaning "marsh", "fen" + hūs meaning "house".
MOREYIrish, English Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Mórdha, and in English (of Norman origin), from the Old French given name Mory, a short form of AMAURY (see EMERY).
MORTEnglish Perhaps from a Norman nickname based on Old French mort "dead", possibly referring to someone with a deathly pallor or otherwise sepulchral appearance.
MOSLEYEnglish Habitational 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.
MOSSMANEnglish This 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.
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").