Swiss
names are used in the country of Switzerland in central Europe.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Meaux FrenchHabitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name
Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.
Mecklenburg German, JewishRegional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon
mikil "big, great" and
burg "castle".
Mecone Italian (Modern, Rare)Giuseppe Meconi (Febuary 1860-April 21,1921) was born in San Massimo, Campbasso Province, Italy. Giuseppe arrived in Pennsylvania, United States in the late 1880s and married Elizabeth Magyar in 1885... [
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Medici ItalianPatronymic or plural form of
Medico. Medici is the family name of one of Italy's most powerful families.
Medico ItalianOccupational name for a physician, Italian medico (Latin
medicus, from
medere "to heal").
Mée FrenchFrench habitational name from places called (Le) Mée in Mayenne, Eure-et-Loir, and Seine-et-Marne, derived from Old French
me(i)s ‘farmstead’ (Latin
mansus).
Meester Dutch, Flemish, GermanOccupational 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-).
Meiler RomanshDerived from the place name
Meils (present-day
Mels in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland).
Melillo Spanish, Italiandescribing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian
mela Mellenthin GermanHabitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Meloni ItalianFrom Italian
mela ("apple", from Latin
malum) or
melone ("melon", from Latin
melopepo), both ultimately from Ancient Greek μῆλον (
mêlon), meaning "apple", "fruit from a tree"... [
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Meltzer GermanGerman 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’... [
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Mendler GermanOccupational name for a maker of coats from an agent derivative of Middle High German
mantel,
mandel,
mendel "coat".
Mendola Italiantopographic name for someone who lived by an almond tree or trees or a habitational name from any of the places called with the dialect term
amendola mendula "almond almond tree" (see
Amendola ). Compare
Lamendola.
Mengele GermanDoctor Josef Mengele (Born on March 16, 1911 - Died on February 7, 1979), also known as the Angel of Death, was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) Officer and physician during World War II. He is mainly remembered for his actions at the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he performed deadly experiments on prisoners, was a member of the team of doctors who selected victims to be killed in the gas chambers and was one of the doctors who administered the gas.
Menke GermanDerived as a diminutive of several Germanic given names whose first element was derived from Germanic
*magin- and
*megin- "strength; force; power".
Mentzer GermanHabitational 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.
Mercante ItalianAn occupational name meaning "merchant, trader" in Italian, from Latin
mercans "trading".
Mercey FrenchDerived from the name of the commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France.
Mergler GermanMeans "marl" from German
mergel. It either denoted someone who lived by a marl pit or someone who sold marl.
Merkh German (Anglicized, ?)Anglicized form of the name Märkh, a German name that existed in southern Germany with Arabic roots tied to the village of al-Märkh in Qatar; the name became Anglicized in the early 17th century. It is one of those surnames where anyone who possesses it is related to everyone else who possesses the name.
Merleau FrenchThe name Merleau is a rare French given name and surname, derived from "merle" meaning "blackbird" in French with the diminutive suffix "-eau", which can indicate a place of water or serve as a poetic augmentative, enhancing its natural imagery.... [
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Merlette FrenchFeminine diminutive of French
merle "blackbird", this name was given as a nickname to a cheerful person or to someone who liked to sing.
Mertesacker GermanMeans "Merten's field" in German, derived from the given name
Merten and Middle High German
acker meaning "field". A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player Per Mertesacker (1984-).
Mesina ItalianFrom Sardinian
mesina "keg, small barrel", probably given as a nickname to someone with a round or fat build.
Mesmer GermanOccupational 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.
Messer GermanOccupational 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".
Messerschmidt GermanName given to a knife smith. From German "messer" meaning knife, and "schmidt" meaning smith.
Messi Italian, Spanish (Latin American)Possibly from Italian
messi meaning "messengers". Aamous bearer of this surname is Lionel Messi (born 1987-), an Argentinian footballer of Italian descent.
Messier FrenchOccupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Old French messier 'harvest master' (Late Latin messicarius, agent derivative of messis 'harvest').
Messing German, JewishDerived 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-).
Messler GermanHabitational name for someone from Messel near Darmstadt.
Metallo ItalianFrom the Greek vocabulary word
metallo "metal", used as a nickname for a miner or for someone with a clear or metallic tone of voice.
Metrejon Louisiana Creole (?), French (?)Maiden surname of Constance Leto (nee Metrejon). She was born in Louisiana and has Cajun(French) ancestry. The Metrejon line is traced back to Joseph Marie Maitrejean, who was born c. 1778, in Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, an island off the coast of Brittany.
Mezzadonna ItalianMeans "half a woman" in Italian, from
mezza "half" and
donna "lady, woman".
Mezzanotte ItalianMeans "midnight" in Italian, perhaps given to someone who was born at midnight.
Mezzasalma ItalianFrom Italian
mezza "half" and
salma, an archaic term for a small unit of land, indicating that the bearer was not very wealthy.
Salma also coincides with an Italian word meaning "corpse".
Miano ItalianHabitational name from Miano in Naples, Parma, and Teramo; Miane in Treviso; or Mian in Belluno.
Mick German, DutchOccupational name from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
micke "(wheat or rye) bread". Alternatively, a Germanized form of
Mik.
Mickley FrenchIt originated when an immigrant family named Michelet came to New York from Northern France. Because they had a foreign surname, they made up the names Mickley and Michelin. The originator was Jean Jacques Michelet (John Jacob Mickley), a private in the Revolutionary War... [
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Miedinger GermanHabitational name for someone from Meitingen in Württemberg.
Mielke GermanDerived from a diminutive of the given name
Milogost and other Slavic given names beginning with the element
mil-.
Mignano ItalianPossibly taken from the Mignano Monte Lungo commune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania.
Mignogna ItalianIn part a Southern Italian a habitational name from Mignogna, a minor place in Foggia province.
Milanesi ItalianIt comes from the Italian city of Milan, in Lombardia (northern Italy), where it is most used
Milingiana ItalianProbably from
milinciana "eggplant, aubergine", likely given to foundlings.
Millet French, Catalanmetonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of millet or panic grass or a topographic name for someone who lived by a field of millet from French and Catalan
millet (from Latin
milietum a derivative of
milium in Old French
mil "millet").
Minde GermanHabitational name denoting someone from the city of Minden.
Minden German, EnglishHabitational name from any of various places so named, for example in Westphalia (German) or Shropshire (English).
Minelli ItalianPatronymic or plural form of
Minello, a pet form of the personal name
Mino, which is a short form of a personal name formed with the hypocoristic suffix
-mino, such as
Adimino,
Giacomino,
Guglielmino, etc.
Minervino Italiana habitational name from either of two places, Minervino di Lecce or Minervino Murge, in the provinces of Lecce and Bari, which take their names from ancient temples dedicated to the Roman goddess Minerva.
Minion FrenchFrench form of
Miner, an occupational name for a someone working in a mine.
Mirabella Italian, SicilianItalian (Campania and Sicily): habitational name from Mirabella Eclano in Avellino or Mirabella Imbaccari in Catania, or from various places with the name Mirabello, all named from medieval Latin
mira, "viewpoint", and
bella, "beautiful"... [
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Miraglia ItalianFrom the Old Sicilian military title
miraglia di mari meaning "admiral".
Mittag GermanMeans "midday, noon" in German, with an archaic meaning of "south". Habitational name given to someone who lived south of a main settlement.
Mittel GermanLiterally "middle", probably a topographic name from a farm occupying a middle position in a settlement. Compare
Mitter.
Mittelmann GermanFrom a byname from Middle High German
mittelman "mediator, arbitrator".
Mitter GermanTopographic 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".
Möbius GermanPatronymic surname derived from the given name Bartholomäus, the German form of Bartholomew.
Modigliani ItalianUsed by Sepharditic Jews, this surname comes from the Italian town of
Modigliana, in Romagna. Famous bearers of this surname include painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) and Nobel Prize in Economics recipient Franco Modigliani (1918–2003).
Molinaro ItalianOccupational name for a miller, derived from Italian
mulino meaning "mill".
Molinarolo ItalianProbably from a person's occupation, with
molino/
mulino meaning "mill" in Italian. The second part may come from
rullo, meaning "a roller" or "I roll."
Mollet FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived in a muddy or boggy place from a diminutive of mol "marsh, bog".
Molyneux FrenchPossibly a habitational name from Moulineux, meaning "mill of the waters", or derives from the Old French name De Molines or De Moulins, meaning "mill". The surname has been linked to a large French family that settled in Lancashire from France.
Monaco ItalianNickname for someone of monkish habits or appearance, or an occupational name for a servant employed at a monastery, from Italian
monaco "monk" (from Greek
monachos "monk", "solitary").
Mönch GermanDerived from German
Mönch "monk" (ultimately via Middle High German
münch and Old High German
munih from Latin
monicus. Compare
Monk).
Mond GermanEither 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
mane mone "moon".
Mondschein German, Jewishtopographic 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
mōne mān(d)e "moon" and
schīn "shine".
Moneta ItalianPossibly originating from a nickname given to those who lived near a temple dedicated to
Juno Moneta. A famous bearer of this surname is Nobel Prize for Peace recipient Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (1833–1918).
Moneta Italianfrom
moneta "money" probably applied as either a nickname for a rich man or as a metonymic occupational name for a moneyer or money lender.
Monfils FrenchMonfils is a surname of French origin, meaning "my son."
Monopoli ItalianItalian: habitational name from a place called Monopoli in Bari province from Greek monē polis ‘single town’.
Montalbano ItalianHabitational name from Montalbano di Elicona in northeastern Sicily (earlier simply Montalbano), Montalbano Jonico (Matera province), or the district of Montalbano in Fasano, Brindisi.
Montale ItalianFrom Latin
mons ("mountain"), this surname was originally given as a nickname to people who lived on hills and mountains. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet and writer Eugenio Montale (1896-1981), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1975.
Montalto Italian, PortugueseHabitational name from any of various places called Montalto or Montaldo especially Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza province in Italy or from a place in Portugal called Montalto from
monte "hill" and
alto "high" (from Latin
altus).
Montalvo Portuguese, Spanish, ItalianMontalvo is a habitational Portuguese and Spanish surname that originated in the medieval period. It comes from the Spanish words monte, meaning "
mount", and albo, meaning "
white". The name was often given to families who lived near or on a white mountain or hill, and can be interpreted as "
white mountain".
Montaperto ItalianMy father tells me this name means "open mountain." It seems to have come from a small area around Agrigento in Sicily, Italy.
Montecalvo ItalianHabitational name from any of various places called Montecalvo ("bald mountain") especially Montecalvo Irpino in Avellino province, from the elements
monte "mountain" and
calvo "bald".
Montefiore Italian, JewishDerived from
Montefiore, which is the name of several places in Italy. For example, there is Castle Montefiore in the town of Recanati (province of Macerata), the municipality of Montefiore Conca (province of Rimini) and the municipality of Montefiore dell'Aso (province of Ascoli Piceno)... [
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Monteleone ItalianFrom various place names, meaning "mountain lion", or "mountain of the lion".
Montesano ItalianFrom Italian
monte meaning "mountain" and
sano meaning "healthy".
Montesquieu FrenchFrom French
montagne, meaning "mountain" and possibly also from
queue, meaning "line". Charles Montesquieu was a 17th-century French aristocrat, philosopher and politician.
Monteverde ItalianHabitational name from any of various places called Monteverde, for example in Avellino province, from monte meaning "mountain" + verde meaning "green".