MarnerEnglish, German Occupational name for a sailor from Anglo-Norman French mariner Middle, High German marnære "seaman". English variant of Mariner.
MarschallGerman, English occupational name for a man in the service of a member of the nobility originally one who looked after the horses derived from Middle High German marschalc from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant"... [more]
MarstellerGerman Occupational name for a stable boy in or for the supervisor of the stables on a noble estate, from Middle High German mar(c) 'noble horse' stall 'stable' + the agent suffix -er.
MarxGerman From a short form of the given name Markus. A famous bearer was Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German philosopher known for his work in socioeconomic theory.
MastGerman, Dutch Derived from Middle High German and Middle Dutch mast "mast (fodder made of acorns and beechnuts); the process of fattening livestock", an occupational name for a pig farmer or a swineherd. In some cases, however, the German name may also have been derived from Middle High German mast, mastic "fat, stout".
MayerhoferGerman (Austrian) Denoted a person from the municipality of Mayrhof in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
MecklenburgGerman, Jewish Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".
MeesterDutch, Flemish, German Occupational name for a teacher, lecturer or a master craftsman, or a nickname for someone who had a bossy demeanor, derived from Dutch meester meaning "master". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress, singer and model Leighton Meester (1986-).
MellerGerman Denoting someone hailing from Melle in Germany.
MeltzerGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a maltster, a brewer who used malt, from German Meltzer (an agent derivative of Middle High German malt ‘malt’, ‘germinated barley’), Yiddish meltser ‘maltster’... [more]
MendlerGerman Occupational name for a maker of coats from an agent derivative of Middle High German mantel, mandel, mendel "coat".
MenkeGerman Derived as a diminutive of several Germanic given names whose first element was derived from Germanic *magin- and *megin- "strength; force; power".
MentzerGerman Habitational name with the agent suffix -er, either from Mainz, earlier Mentz, derived from the medieval Latin name Mogontia (Latin Mogontiacum, probably from the Celtic personal name Mogontios), or from Menz in Brandenburg and Saxony.
MerlinEnglish, French, German From the given name Merlin as well as referred to the blackbird, that is named merle in French and merlo in Italian and Spanish... [more]
MesmerGerman Occupational name for a maker of knives from Middle High German messer meaning "knife". A famous bearer was Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), a German doctor known for his theory of "animal magnetism", which was eventually incorporated into the field of hypnosis.
MesserGerman Occupational name for an official in charge of measuring the dues paid in kind by tenants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German mezzen "to measure".
MesserschmidtGerman Name given to a knife smith. From German "messer" meaning knife, and "schmidt" meaning smith.
MessingGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German messinc meaning "brass", referring to a person who makes or repairs brass objects. A famous bearer is American actress Debra Messing (1968-).
MesslerGerman Habitational name for someone from Messel near Darmstadt.
MetteGerman Matronymic surname derived from the given name Mette, a Low German short form of Mechthild.
MishlerGerman Americanized spelling of Swiss German Mischler .
MittagGerman Means "midday, noon" in German, with an archaic meaning of "south". Habitational name given to someone who lived south of a main settlement.
MittelGerman Literally "middle", probably a topographic name from a farm occupying a middle position in a settlement. Compare Mitter.
MitterGerman Topographic name for someone who lived on or owned a property that was in the middle between two or more others, especially if the others were both held by men with the same personal name (for example, Mitter Hans), from the strong form of Middle High German mitte "mid, middle".
MittermeierGerman (Austrian) Literal meaning "middle farmer" its thought to have been given to farmers living between two there farms in the mountains.
MondGerman Either from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with munt "protection guardianship" making it a cognate of Monday 1 or probably also a topographic or habitational name referring to a house with the sign of a moon from Middle High German manemone "moon".
MondscheinGerman, Jewish topographic or habitational name referring to a house name meaning "moonshine" or a nickname for someone who was bald from the same word Middle High German māno "moon" and schinen "shine"... [more]
MosbruckerGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a bridge over a swamp, from Middle High German mos meaning "bog", "swamp" + brucke meaning "bridge".
MoselGerman Habitational name from any of several places so named. topographic name from the Mosel river in western Germany a tributary of the Rhine that rises in the Vosges and flows through Lorraine and then a deep winding valley from Trier to Koblenz.
MostGerman Metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of must, i.e. unfermented grape juice, from Middle High German most, ultimately derived from Latin mustum vinum meaning "young (i.e. fresh) wine"... [more]
MotteFrench, Walloon, Flemish, German from old French motte "motte" a word of Gaulish origin denoting a man-made protective mound or moat surrounding a castle or other fortified strongholds; or a habitational name from any of the various places in France and in Belgium named with this word.... [more]
MunichGerman From the lower German word for monk, most likely first used as a surname for a former member of a monastery.
MunkGerman, Scandinavian, Dutch, English From Middle High German münich Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish munk Middle Dutch munc "monk" a nickname for someone thought to resemble a monk or a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a monastery... [more]
MünsterGerman, Dutch habitational name from any of the places called Münster (in Germany) or Munster derived from Latin monasterium "monastery" or a topographic name for someone living near a monastery.
MüschGerman Either a habitational name from a place named Müsch in Germany, or a topographic name meaning "bog", perhaps given to someone living near a bog.
MuschDutch, German From Middle Dutch mussche "house sparrow", a nickname for a quick person, or perhaps someone who was small and weak.
MuskatGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a spice merchant from Middle High German muscāt meaning "nutmeg mace". As a Jewish name however it is mainly ornamental.
MutterGerman (also Mütter): occupational name for an official employed to measure grain, from Middle High German mutte, mütte 'bushel', 'grain measure' (Latin modius) + the agent suffix -er.
NachtigallGerman, Jewish Nickname from Middle High German nachtegal "nightingale" from Old High German galan "to sing". Cognate to Nightingale.
NachtriebGerman It possibly comes from the German name of a nachtrab, which is a "night bird like the owl". Another possible meaning is "night tribe".
NadelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker of needles, or in some cases for a tailor, from Middle High German nadel(e), German Nadel "needle".
NadigGerman (Swiss), Romansh Derived from from Old High German (gi-)nadig "kind", this was a nickname for a kind and benevolent person.
NanningaFrisian, Dutch, German Derived from the given name Nanne, a short form of Germanic names containing the element nand meaning "daring, brave, courage"... [more]
NantzGerman From a pet form of a Germanic compound name formed with Nant- (for example, Nantwig, Nantger); its meaning is reflected in Middle High German nenden 'to dare'.
NarrGerman Nickname for a foolish or silly person, from Middle High German narr ‘fool’, ‘jester’.
NasersGerman Habitational, derived from any of several places called Nesse in Oldenburg and Friesland.
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]
NasserGerman Someone from any of the places called Nassen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and Bavaria.
NastGerman Topographic name for someone who lived in a thickly wooded area, or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter, from Middle High German nast meaning "branch", a regional variant of ast, resulting from the misdivision of forms such as ein ast meaning "a branch".
NaterGerman (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German nâtaere "tailor; furrier".
NeffGerman, German (Swiss) From Middle High German neve 'nephew', hence probably a distinguishing name for a close relation or familiar of a prominent personage.
NegleyGerman (Swiss) Altered spelling of Swiss German Nägele, Naegeli, or Nägeli, variants of Nagel.
NeherGerman An occupational name for a tailor from a deritive of Middle Low German, 'nehen' which means 'to sew' or 'to embroider'
NeidhardtGerman From the Germanic given name Nithart, which is derived from Germanic nit meaning "ambition, hatred" and hard meaning "hardy, brave, strong".
NeinGerman Unexplained. Perhaps from a short form of a Germanic personal name formed with an element cognate with Old High German niuwi meaning "new".
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.
NenningerGerman Habitational name for someone from Nenningen in Württemberg.
NergerGerman (Silesian) My family name, Nerger, is listed in the "Deutsches Namenlexicon" by Hans Bahlow. The meaning, given in the lexicon, is "ernahrer" or provider.
NerzGerman From the German word Nerz meaning "Mink".
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”.
NeuburgGerman From the name of various places in Germany and Austria.
NeudorfGerman Derived from various places named Neudorf. From German neu meaning "new" and dorf meaning "village". This surname had been used by the Mennonite communities in Mexico.
NeuenfeldtGerman Habitational name for someone from places so named in Brandenburg and Pomerania, or from places in Lower Saxony or Westphalia called Neuenfelde.
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.
NeuhausGerman, Jewish Topographical name for someone who lived in a new house, Middle High German niuwe hus, modern German neu Haus, or a habitational name for someone from any of several places named Neuhaus ('new house') in various parts of Germany and Austria, also in Bohemia.
NeujahrGerman nickname for someone who owed feudal dues at the New Year, or sometimes a name given to someone born on that day
NeukirchGerman, German (Swiss) Derived from the Middle High German niuwe meaning "new" and kirch meaning "church".
NeumeyerGerman German: distinguishing name for a newly appointed steward or tenant farmer, or one who was a newcomer to an area, from Middle High German niuwe ‘new’ + meier ‘steward’, ‘tenant farmer’ ( see Meyer 1)... [more]
NeuserGerman (Rare) Person who had ancestors that lived in Germany near Dusseldorf in the town called Neuss.
NeustädterGerman Habitational name for someone from any of many places in Germany and Austria called Neustadt.
NeuwirthGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a new innkeeper, from Middle High German niuwe ‘new’ + wirt and German neu + Wirt ‘master of a house’, ‘innkeeper’.
NeveEnglish, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish Ultimately derived from Old Germanic nefo "nephew, grandson". In Middle English, it also became a term meaning "wastrel, spendthrift".
NeverGerman Habitational surname denoting someone from the town of Nevern (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany.
NeyGerman, English A dialectal form of the common German word neu "new".... [more]
NibbeGerman Nickname meaning ‘beak’, or from a short form of a Germanic personal name Nippo, composed of Old High German nit ‘hostility’, ‘eagerness’ + boto ‘messenger’.
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.
NiedUpper German South German: habitational name from Nied in Hesse.
NiederhäuserGerman, Swiss Habitational name from any of numerous places named Niederhaus or Niederhausen, denoting the lower of two dwellings or settlements or one in a low-lying position.
NiedermeierGerman, German (Austrian) Occupational name for a farmer who had a farm lower than the neighboring one(s). This surname and its variant spellings are common to Austria and the state of Bavaria in Germany.
NiedermeyerGerman Means "lower farmer", a distinguishing name for a farmer who worked further south or in a low-lying location.
NiedfeldtGerman Topographic name for a person who lived by a lower area of open land, derived from Middle Low German nider meaning "lower" and feld meaning "open country".
NiehausGerman North German: topographic name from Middle Low German nie ‘new’ + hus ‘house’; or a habitational name from a common North German and Westphalian farm name with the same meaning.
NiesGerman German: from a reduced form of the personal name Dionys (see Dennis), which was stressed on the last syllable; this was a popular personal name as a result of the influence of the French Saint Denis... [more]
NietlingGerman The last name Nietling has its origins in Germany, specifically within the regions of Bavaria and the Rhineland. It is believed to derive from a combination of the Germanic elements "nied," meaning "low" or "beneath," and "ling," which can denote a diminutive or a person associated with a particular place or characteristic... [more]
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.
NipperGerman 1. habitational name for someone from Nippe in Hesse. ... [more]
NippleAnglo-Saxon, German, Dutch, Germanic, English (American) It could relate to someone who lived near a small hill or mound, as nipple in English can colloquially describe a rounded hilltop. It could also be a variation or corruption of a German or Dutch surname, such as Knippel, Nippel, or Nippold... [more]
NolfFlemish, German Derived from a short form of the personal names Arnolf or Nodolf (a variant of Odolf), or possibly another name ending in wolf "wolf".
NollGerman From a short form of any of various medieval personal names derived from Germanic personal names ending in -n + wald 'rule', for example Arnold and Reinwald.
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]
NonnenmacherGerman Occupational name for a gelder of hogs, from Middle High German nunne, nonne meaning "nun", and by transfer "castrated hog" + an agent derivative of machen meaning "to make".
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]
NungesserGerman Apparently a variant spelling of German Nonnengasse, derived from a street name meaning "nuns, lane". It could also be a variant of Gnugesser, a nickname for a big eater, derived from g(e)nug meaning "enough" and esser meaning "eater" (which derived from essen meaning "to eat")... [more]
NürnbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from the city of Nürnberg in Bavaria.
NussGerman from Middle High German nuz ‘nut’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a gatherer and seller of nuts, or a nickname for a man thought to resemble a nut in some way
ObenaufGerman Surname used to refer to someone who lived 'up there' (on a mountain, hill, etc.).
OberfeldGerman, Jewish From German ober meaning "upper" and feld meaning "field".
ObermillerGerman (Americanized) Partly Americanized form of German Obermüller, a topographic name for the miller at the ‘upper mill’.
ObstGerman, Jewish Means "fruit" in German, denoting someone who grows or sells fruit. As a Jewish name, it is ornamental.
OchsGerman, Jewish Means "ox" in German, derived from Middle High German ohse, possibly denoting a strong person or someone who worked with oxen. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
OchsnerGerman (Swiss) Means "oxen herder" in Swiss, from Middle High German ohse "ox".
OdenthalGerman From the name of a town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
OffenbachGerman, Jewish From the name of the city of Offenbach am Main in Hesse, Germany. A famous bearer was the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880).
OmsGerman Some characteristic forenames: German Matthias, Otto.... [more]
OnstadNorwegian, German Habitational name from the name of any of seven farmsteads mainly in the southeast most of them with names formed from any of various Old Norse personal names plus stathir "farmstead" as for example Augunarstathir from the personal name Auðun (from Auth "wealth" plus un "friend")... [more]
OppGerman Generally considered a (very) contracted form of given names that contained the Old High German element od "fortune; wealth" (or a variant thereof) and a second element that began with or contained the letter B, for example Audobald.
OrtmanGerman The surname Ortman was first found in Silesia, where the name emerged after the 14th century, where it was related to the name "Ertmar"; this name is also reflected in the place name Erdmannsdorf, found in both Saxony and Silesia... [more]
OstwaldGerman from the ancient Germanic personal name Ostold composed of the elements ōst "east" (see Oest ) and Old High German walt(an) "to rule". Variant of Oswald.
OtteGerman Otte was given to someone who lived in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society. The name Otte evolved from the Old German personal name Ott, a name of Emperors, made famous by Otto the Great (912-973), Holy Roman emperor.
OverholserGerman (Swiss) The Oberholtzer family originated in the Swiss village of Oberholtz, south of Zurich, before the 15th century. However, in 1661, one family left Switzerland for the Palatinate in Germany.
PachGerman Pach is an occupational hereditary surname for a baker in Old German. Pach is also a German local name for someone who lived by a stream, which was originally derived from the German word "bach" which means stream... [more]