110+ Last Names That Start With M, With Origins and Meanings

M holds some of the most common surnames on earth. Miller, Martin, Müller and Martínez all sit near the top of their countries' lists, and Scotland and Ireland add hundreds more through Mac and Mc, "son of".

Below are last names that start with M, grouped by language, each with its origin and meaning. Use them for characters, pen names, games or a family-tree hunt.

English Last Names That Start With M

Trades, landscapes and fathers' names make up most English surnames.

• Mallory – English, from Old French "malheure", a nickname meaning "unlucky".
• Mann – English and German, "man"; often for a servant.
• Marsh – English, for someone living by a marsh.
• Marshall – English, from Old French "mareschal", a groom or farrier, later a high officer of state.
• Mason – English, a stoneworker.
• Matthews – English and Welsh, "son of Matthew"; Matthew is Hebrew for "gift of God".
• Mayhew – English, from a Norman French form of Matthew.
• Mead – English, for someone living by a meadow.
• Meadows – English, for someone living by meadows.
• Mercer – English, a dealer in cloth, especially silk.
• Merriman – English, "merry man", a nickname for a cheerful person.
• Middleton – English, "middle settlement".
• Midwinter – English, a name for someone born or baptised around Christmas.
• Miller – English, a grain miller.
• Mills – English, for someone living or working by the mills.
• Milner – English, a variant of Miller.
• Mitchell – English, from Michel, a form of Michael, Hebrew "who is like God?".
• Monk – English, a nickname for a pious man or a name for a monastery servant.
• Moore – English, for someone living on a moor.
• Morley – English, "moor clearing".
• Morris – English and Welsh, from Maurice, Latin "Moorish, dark".
• Mortimer – English, from Mortemer in Normandy, "dead sea", a still lake.
• Moss – English, for someone living by a peat bog, called a moss in the north.

Scottish, Irish and Welsh Last Names That Start With M

Mac and Mc mean "son of"; Ó means "descendant of". Each name points back to one ancestor.

• MacArthur – Scottish, "son of Arthur".
• MacDonald – Scottish, "son of Donald"; Donald is Gaelic for "world ruler".
• MacGregor – Scottish, "son of Gregor"; Gregory is Greek for "watchful".
• MacKenzie – Scottish, "son of Coinneach", meaning "handsome".
• MacLeod – Scottish, "son of Leod", from Old Norse Ljótr, "ugly".
• Maddox – Welsh, "son of Madog", meaning "fortunate".
• Maguire – Irish, Mag Uidhir, "son of Odhar", meaning "dun-coloured".
• Malone – Irish, Ó Maoil Eoin, "descendant of a devotee of St John".
• McAllister – Scottish, "son of Alasdair" (Alexander).
• McBride – Irish and Scottish, "son of the servant of St Brigid".
• McCarthy – Irish, Mac Cárthaigh, "son of Cárthach", meaning "loving".
• McDermott – Irish, Mac Diarmada, "son of Diarmaid", meaning "free from envy".
• McIntosh – Scottish, Mac an Toisich, "son of the chief".
• McIntyre – Scottish, Mac an tSaoir, "son of the carpenter".
• McKay – Scottish, Mac Aoidh, "son of Aodh", meaning "fire".
• McLaughlin – Irish and Scottish, "son of Lochlann", a Gaelic word for Scandinavia.
• McMahon – Irish, Mac Mathúna, "son of the bear".
• McNamara – Irish, Mac Conmara, "son of the hound of the sea".
• Moran – Irish, Ó Móráin, from "mór", big.
• Morrison – Scottish and English, "son of Morris".
• Murphy – Irish, Ó Murchadha, "descendant of Murchadh", meaning "sea warrior".
• Murray – Scottish, from the region of Moray, "sea settlement".

German, Dutch and Scandinavian Last Names That Start With M

Trade names dominate in Germany; patronymics and nature names dominate in Scandinavia.

• Magnusson – Swedish and Icelandic, "son of Magnus", Latin "great".
• Mahler – German, "painter".
• Malmberg – Swedish, "ore mountain".
• Martens – Dutch and North German, "son of Marten" (Martin).
• Maurer – German, a mason or wall builder.
• Mertens – Dutch and Flemish, "son of Merten" (Martin).
• Messner – German, a sexton or sacristan.
• Metzger – German, "butcher".
• Meyer – German, a steward or bailiff, later a tenant farmer.
• Mikkelsen – Danish and Norwegian, "son of Mikkel" (Michael).
• Moberg – Swedish, "heath mountain".
• Mohr – German, "Moor", a nickname for someone dark.
• Moller – Danish and North German, "miller".
• Moritz – German, from Moritz (Maurice).
• Mortensen – Danish and Norwegian, "son of Morten" (Martin).
• Müller – German, "miller".

Spanish and Portuguese Last Names That Start With M

Patronymics ending in -ez or -es sit beside names from trees, hills and Arabic place names.

• Machado – Portuguese and Spanish, "axe".
• Marques – Portuguese, "son of Marcos" (Mark).
• Martínez – Spanish, "son of Martín"; Martin comes from Mars, the Roman war god.
• Marín – Spanish, from Latin Marinus, "of the sea".
• Medina – Spanish, from Arabic "madīna", city.
• Mendoza – Basque, "cold mountain".
• Molina – Spanish, "mill".
• Monteiro – Portuguese, "huntsman".
• Montes – Spanish, "mountains".
• Mora – Spanish, from places named Mora; "mora" is a blackberry.
• Morales – Spanish, "mulberry trees".
• Moreno – Spanish, "brown", a nickname for someone dark-haired.
• Méndez – Spanish, "son of Mendo", a short form of Hermenegildo.

Italian Last Names That Start With M

Italian surnames often name a home town or describe a looks-based nickname.

• Mancini – Italian, "left-handed".
• Manzo – Italian, "bullock".
• Mariani – Italian, from Mariano.
• Marino – Italian, "of the sea".
• Martini – Italian, "of the family of Martino" (Martin).
• Mastroianni – Italian, "master Gianni"; "mastro" meant a master craftsman.
• Mazza – Italian, "club" or "mallet".
• Medici – Italian, "physicians".
• Messina – Italian, from Messina in Sicily.
• Milani – Italian, "from Milan".
• Molinari – Italian, "millers".
• Monti – Italian, "mountains".
• Morelli – Italian, a diminutive of Moro, "dark".
• Moretti – Italian, a diminutive of Moro, "dark".

French Last Names That Start With M

French has its own millers, masons and merchants, plus the most common surname in France.

• Marchand – French, "merchant".
• Martin – French and English, from Latin Martinus, "of Mars"; the most common surname in France.
• Maréchal – French, "marshal", first a farrier.
• Masson – French, "mason".
• Mathieu – French, from Matthew, "gift of God".
• Mercier – French, "mercer", a cloth dealer.
• Meunier – French, "miller".
• Michel – French and German, from Michael.
• Montaigne – French, "mountain".
• Moreau – French, "dark", from "more", Moor.
• Moulin – French, "mill".

Hebrew, Arabic and Japanese Last Names That Start With M

Hebrew and Arabic surnames often name a virtue or a homeland. Japanese surnames usually describe a landscape, character by character.

• Maeda – Japanese, "front rice field".
• Mahmoud – Arabic, "praised".
• Malka – Jewish, Hebrew and Aramaic "queen".
• Mansour – Arabic, "victorious".
• Masri – Arabic, "Egyptian".
• Matsuda – Japanese, "pine rice field".
• Matsumoto – Japanese, "base of the pine tree".
• Mendelsohn – Jewish, "son of Mendel", a Yiddish pet form of Menachem, "comforter".
• Minami – Japanese, "south".
• Miura – Japanese, "three bays".
• Miyamoto – Japanese, "base of the shrine".
• Mizrahi – Jewish, Hebrew "eastern"; for Jews from the Middle East.
• Mori – Japanese, "forest".
• Morita – Japanese, "forest rice field".
• Murakami – Japanese, "upper village".
• Mustafa – Arabic, "the chosen one".

How to Choose a Last Name That Starts With M

Five rules for picking an M surname for a character, a pen name or a profile.

1. Let the origin set the scene

McNamara says Ireland, Matsumoto says Japan, Moretti says Italy. Pick the one that matches where the person comes from.

2. Mind the Mac and Mc spelling

Both mean "son of". Scottish families lean to Mac and Irish ones to Mc, though both spellings turn up in each country.

3. Avoid alliteration overload

Mary Miller works. Mary Margaret Miller-Morgan starts to sound like a tongue twister.

4. Watch the meaning

Mallory means "unlucky" and MacLeod "son of the ugly one". That can be a fun hidden joke, or a bad one.

5. Check how it travels

Müller loses its umlaut in many systems and turns into Muller or Mueller. Pick a spelling and stick with it.

FAQs

What does Mac or Mc mean in a surname?

Both come from the Gaelic "mac", son. MacDonald means "son of Donald".

What is the most common last name that starts with M?

Miller in the United States, Martin in France, Müller in Germany and Martínez in Spain and Mexico all rank near the top of their national lists.

Why do so many languages have a surname meaning miller?

Every village needed a mill, and the miller was a fixed, well-known figure. That gave Miller, Müller, Moller, Meunier, Molinari and Molina.

Conclusion: Last Names That Start With M

An M surname can place a character in a Highland glen, a Kyoto suburb or a Tuscan mill town in one word. Pick the one whose story fits. For more, browse last names that start with A or southern last names.

Tags: Last Names, Surnames, Name Meanings, Letter M