MulcasterEnglish (Modern) The surname Mulcaster was first found in Cumberland where they trace their lineage back to the place name Muncaster, home of Muncaster Castle, a privately owned castle overlooking the Esk river, near the west-coastal town of Ravenglass in Cumbria which dates back at least 800 years.
MullisEnglish As 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]
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).
MustonEnglish Habitational 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.
MyattEnglish From the medieval personal name Myat, literally "little Mihel", an Anglo-Norman variant of Michael.
MycroftEnglish From Old English ġemȳþ "mouth (of a river)" + croft meaning "enclosed field", originally denoting somebody who lives at the mouth of a river.... [more]
NankervisCornish, 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]
NapierScottish, English Scottish 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]
NapperEnglish 1 English: occupational name for a naperer, the servant in charge of the linen in use in a great house, Middle English, Old French nap(p)ier. Compare Scottish Napier .... [more]
NaramorEnglish, Welsh Naramor, also Narramore or Naramore, is a corruption of Northmore, and has Welsh/English background. "More North"
NarramoreEnglish Earliest progenitor is Reginald Bynorthemore, living 1318 inbetween Bovey Tracy and Moretonhampstead, in Dartmoor, Devonshire, England. By the 16th century, the surname was being used interchangeably as Narramore/Northmore within the same generation, as in the case of Walter Narramore/Northmore... [more]
NasmithScottish, English This surname is derived from an occupation, "nail-smith", but may also mean "knife-smith".
NatesEnglish, Jewish It's probably from the given name Nate, the origin is said to be Jewish*, but the ancestors immigrated to English speaking countries.
NaughtonEnglish Habitational 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".
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.
NeeveEnglish, Scottish An English surname, of Norman origin, meaning the nephew. One who was in care of their uncle. A surname first recorded in Perthshire.
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.
NelmsEnglish (American) Topographic name for someone who lived near or amid a grove of elm trees, from misdivision of Middle English atten elmes ‘at the elms’
NelvinEnglish (American) Female named after her uncle who surname was Melvin. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1931.
NemirowEnglish Is the English for the Russian/Ukrainian Surname Nemirov
NemoEnglish A different form of Nimmo (a Scottish name of unknown origin).
NesbittScottish, Irish, English Derives 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.
NettingEnglish As Needham the derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th century elements 'ned' meaning need, with 'ham', a homestead or village, the name indicating a place that provided a poor living.
NeufeldGerman, English Neufeld is a surname of German origin, meaning "new field". It is not seldom in Germany and it is common among German speaking Mennonites from Russia.
NevelsEnglish, 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.
NewbornEnglish Habitational 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.
NewbroughEnglish (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."
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.
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".
NeweyEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived at a "new enclosure", from Middle English newe "new" and haga "enclousire".
NewhamEnglish Habitational name from any of the various places, for example in Northumbria and North Yorkshire, so named from Old English neowe "new" and ham "homestead".
NewhouseEnglish Either a habitational name for someone who lived at a "new house" (from Middle English niwe "new" and hus "new house") or a habitational name from any of various minor places so called especially perhaps Newhouses in Horton Yorkshire near the border with Lancashire... [more]
NightingaleEnglish Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").
NoarEnglish This 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.
NobleEnglish, Scottish, Irish, French Nickname 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]
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]
NorrellEnglish, 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]
NorringtonEnglish Norrington is the name given to a person from the eponymous place.
NottinghamEnglish (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]
NoxonEnglish Variant of Nixon. It is derived from the personal name Nicholas, which was Nik, or Nikke in Old English.
NoyEnglish Either (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".
NoyeEnglish Patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah.
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".
NunnallysEnglish (American) A common surname in America, belonging to 4058 individuals. Nunnally is most common among White (63.36%) and Black/African American (30.93%) individuals.
NuteAnglo-Saxon, English Derived from the given name Cnute. Alternatively, it may be of nickname origin, from the Old English word hnutu, which meant brown, and would have been given to someone with a brown complexion.
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]
NutterEnglish Means 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]
OakEnglish Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".
OakenshieldEnglish (British), Literature In J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", the surname of Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves and the King of Durin's Folk.
OaksEnglish English variant spelling of Oakes and Americanized form of Jewish Ochs.
OakwellEnglish Probably either from the former village of Oakwell-in-the-Blean in the county of Kent, or Ockwell Manor, and again a former village, near Bray, in Berkshire
OdhamEnglish Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
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).
OfficerEnglish (Canadian), English (American, Rare) Occupational name for the holder of any office, from Anglo-Norman French officer (an agent derivative of Old French office ‘duty’, ‘service’, Latin officium ‘service’, ‘task’).
OgilvieScottish, English From the ancient Barony of Ogilvie in Angus, Northeast Scotland. The placename itself is derived from Pictish ocel, 'high' and fa, 'plain'.
OgleScottish, English, Northern Irish Habitational name from a place in Northumbria, named with the Old English personal name Ocga + Old English hyll 'hill'.
OldEnglish From Middle English old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
OleyEnglish Was my mother's fathers name. Also my mother's brother.
OlinEnglish, Dutch English 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.
OliphantEnglish Means "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.