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.
Massa ItalianA habitational name from any of the various places named Massa (for example, Massa Lubrense or Massa di Somma, both in the Metropolitan City of Naples, or Massa d’Albe in the Province of L'Aquila), which were all named from the medieval Latin word
massa, meaning ‘holding’ or ‘estate’.
Massara Italian, GreekEither a feminine form of
Massaro or from the equivalent occupational or status name in medieval Greek, (
massaras meaning ‘peasant’ or ‘share cropper’) which is from the word
massaria meaning ‘small farm’.
Massaro ItalianRegional or archaic form of Italian
massaio meaning "tenant farmer, share cropper".
Mast German, DutchDerived 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".
Mastin French, Flemish, Walloonoccupational name for a household servant or guard from Old French
mastin "watchdog, manservant" (from Latin
mansuetudinus "domestic"). The Old French word had the further sense of a bad-tempered dog and was used as an adjective in the sense of "bad cruel".
Mastrantonio ItalianFrom the Italian title
mastro meaning "master craftsman", combined with the given name
Antonio. A famous bearer is American actress and singer Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (1958-).
Mastromarino ItalianDerived from Italian
mastro meaning "master, skilled" and
marino meaning "mariner, sailor."
Mastrorilli ItalianDerived from Italian
mastro "master; expert craftsman" and a patronymic form of the given name
Iorio.
Matarese Italianhabitational name for someone from Matera (see
Matera ) from materräisë a local adjectival form of the placename (in standard Italian materano).
Matassa ItalianOccupational name for a producer of silk, from Sicilian
matassa "hank", "skein", also the name of a type of silk (cf.
Metaxas).
Matera ItalianHabitational name from Matera in Basilicata region.
Matheny French (Anglicized)Of French origin. According to Matheny family tradition, this surname comes from the name of a village in France named Mathenay. This may also have been a French Huguenot surname.
Mattei ItalianPatronymic or plural form
Matteo. The Mattei family was a powerful noble family in Rome during the Middle Ages.
Matthau GermanDerived from the given name
Matthias. This name was borne by the American actor Walter Matthau (1920-2000).
Maturin FrenchFrom the French male personal name
Maturin, from Latin
Mātūrīnus, a derivative of
Mātūrus, literally "timely". It was borne by the Irish "Gothic" novelist Charles Maturin (1782-1824).
Mauer German, JewishTopographic name for someone who lived near a wall, from Middle High German
mure "wall".
Maul German, DanishFrom Middle High German meaning "mouth, jaw". Possibly a nickname for someone with a deformed mouth or jaw.
Mautz GermanMeaning "to gripe", or "to complain" in Swabian German.
Maxia ItalianPossibly from the dialectical term
maxia "magic", or
masia "farm, country house".
Mazzocco Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), BrazilianThe surname Mazzocco is believed to have its roots in Italy, specifically from regions such as Lombardy and Veneto. It may have been a nickname for someone who was strong or powerful. The name is derived from the Italian word and last name
Mazza.
Mazzola ItalianFrom a diminutive of Italian
mazza meaning "maul, mallet".
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. This was the name of an Italian political dynasty that was in power through the Renaissance period.
Medico ItalianMeans "doctor, physician" in Italian, from Latin
medicus, ultimately from
medeor "to heal, cure, remedy, help".
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 ItalianMeans "small apple, crab apple" in Neapolitan, either a topographic name, an occupational name for a grower or seller of apples, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a sour disposition. Alternatively, it could be from the Latin given name
Mellilus, related to the endearment
mellilla "little honey", or be a diminutive form of
Meli.
Melle FrenchOccupational name derived from Old French
melle "buckle, ring".
Melle FrenchHabitational name from the French town Melle in Deux-Sèvres, western France.
Melle GermanTaken from place names like Melle or Mellen in Germany.
Melle ItalianDerived from the place name Melle in Cueno, Piedmont, northern Italy. It could also be derived from the given name
Mello, a short form of diminutives ending with
-mello (like Giacomello, a diminutive of
Giacomo).
Mellenthin GermanHabitational name from places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Meller German (Americanized), Danish (Americanized), Jewish (Ashkenazi), Polish (Germanized), EnglishSome characteristic forenames: German Uwe, Alois, Armin, Bernd, Dieter, Erwin, Hartmann, Manfred, Nikolaus, Ute. Jewish Arie, Baruch, Emanuel, Gershon, Moisey, Moshe.... [
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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". A famous 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.