240 Marvelous Last Names That Start With M: With Meanings

Few surnames cover more of the world’s cultures than last names that start with M. Many traditional Celtic names begin with Mc, while M names occur in French, Arabic, and Spanish. There are so many M names worldwide that it can be hard to distinguish one from the other.

Come with us on an informative and surprising journey into last names, starting with M. Get the most essential information on each categorized name, from origin to meaning. Soon, you’ll know everything you need about M last names from start to finish.

80 Popular Last Names Starting With M

Find the most well-known last names that start with M that top the list.

1. Ma – means “horse” in Chinese, derived from Mafu, an ancient location in the Hebei province.
2. Mabon – based on Maponos, the Celtic god of youth, son of the earth mother goddess.
3. MacAdam – the Irish and Scottish-Gaelic patronymic form of Adam, meaning “son of Adam.”
4. Macaluso – an Italian-Sicilian nickname taken from the Arabic “makhlūs,” meaning “freed” and “liberated.”
5. MacCarthy – means “son of the loving one” in Irish, from the MacCarthy clan in Munster.
6. MacCoy – comes from the Irish Mac Aodha, meaning “son of Aodh,” god of the underworld.
7. Macek – the Czech pet form of Matěj, one of many Slvaic forms of Matthew.
8. Machado – means “ax” or “hatchet” in Portuguese, originating in the 2nd century.
9. Macina – based on the Italian “màcina,” meaning “millstone,” which is an occupational name for a “miller.”
10. Macneil – also appears as the Gaelic McNeill, meaning “son of Neil.”
11. Macri – the plural version of “macro,” meaning “lean” or “thin,” based on the Latin “macer.”
12. Madden – comes from the Irish “madra,” meaning “little dog”; also from the Welsh first name Madin.
13. Maddox – derives from a Welsh surname, meaning “son of Madoc,” which also means “fortunate.”
14. Maffeo – an Italian given name originating as a medieval variation of Matteo.
15. Magee – is made up of “Mag,” meaning “son of,” and “aodh,” meaning “fire.”
16. Maggio – means “May” in Italian, given to someone born in May.
17. Maguire – comes from the Gaelic MacUidhir, meaning “son of the dark one.”
18. Mahoney – an Anglo form of the Gaelic Ó’Mathghamhna, meaning “descendent of good calf.”
19. Malloy – means “noble chief” in Irish, originating in County Offaly, Ireland.
20. Malone – based on the Irish Ó’Maoileoin, describing a “servant or a disciple of Saint John.”
21. Manning – is derived from the Old Norse “manningi,” meaning “brave or valiant man.”
22. Marchese – originally the Italian title “marchése”; a nickname for someone acting like a “marquis.”
23. Marek – a Polish variation of Mark, based on the Latin Marcus; a Czech nickname for Martin.
24. Mariani – taken from the Italian Mariano, given to someone from Mariano in Bergamo or Como.
25. Marino – originally derived from the Latin Marinus, meaning “of the sea.”
26. Marquez – means “son of Marcos” in Spanish, originating in Castille, Spain.
27. Marseille – given to someone “from Marseille,” also a popular Haitian nickname.
28. Marshall – dates back to the Norman Conquest of 1066, from the French “marechal,” meaning “farrier.”
29. Martin – first appeared as the Latin Martinus for Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war.
30. Martinelli – an Italian patronymic form of Marino, meaning “of the sea.”
31. Martinez – comes from the Latin Martinus, the Spanish form of Martin.
32. Masaki – means “correct tree” in Japanese, first appearing in the Fujiwara and Minamoto clans.
33. Massey – taken from the Middle English Massy, a nickname for Matthew.
34. Mathieu – originated as the Hebrew Matatyahu and Matityahu, meaning “gift of God,”
35. Matos – from the Spanish-Galician “mato,” meaning “brushwood scrub,” and the name of several locations in Portugal.
36. Matthews – means “son or descendant of Matthew” and “gift of God.”
37. Maxwell – originally a place name in Roxburghshire, Scotland, meaning “Mack’s spring (or stream).”
38. McAfee – an Anglo form of the Gaelic Mac Dhuibhshíthe, meaning “son of Duibhshíth (black peace).”
39. McBride – an Anglo form of Gaelic Mac Brighde, meaning “son of the servant of (Saint Brigit).”
40. McCarthy – originally Mac Cárthaigh in Irish, meaning “son of the loving one” or “loving,”
41. McClure – from the Gaelic MacGill Uidhir, meaning “son of the pale one” or “son of the cold one.”
42. McDonald – taken from the Gaelic MacDomhnaill, meaning “son of Domhnall” or “son of the mighty ruler.”
43. McFarland – based on the Gaelic Mac Pharlain, meaning “son of Parlan,” an Irish form of Bartholomew.
44. McKinney – the Anglo form of the Gaelic Mac Coinnigh, meaning “son of Coinneach.”
45. McPherson – initially appears as the Gaelic Mac a’Phearsain, meaning “son of the parson.”
46. Meadows – for someone who “lived near a meadow,” from the Old English “mead.”
47. Medina – based on the Arabic “madīnah,” meaning “city”; influenced by Arab rule in Sicily.
48. Mehta – derived from the Sanskrit “mahita,” meaning “great” or “praised” as used by Hindus and Sikhs.
49. Melendez – the American spelling of the Spanish Menendez, a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.
50. Mendel – a Yiddish form of the Hebrew Menachem, meaning “he who comforts.”
51. Messer – made up of the Old German “maz,” meaning “food” and “sahs,” meaning “knife.”
52. Meyer – taken from the German “mei(g)er,” meaning “manager” (of a lord’s country estate).
53. Meža – a Slovenian nickname composed of “mežati,” meaning “to have one’s eyes half-closed.”
54. Michelin – a pet form of Michel, the French variation of Michael, meaning “who is like God?”
55. Mills – given to someone “living near a mill”; means “descendent of Miles.”
56. Miranda – a Spanish example of last names that start with M, meaning “worthy of admiration.”
57. Miroslaw – the Polish equivalent to Miroslav, made up of “miro,” meaning “peace,” and “sław,” meaning “glory.”
58. Mitchell – a form of Michael, meaning “one who is like God,” ranks 44th in the U.S.
59. Molina – a Spanish surname for a “miller” from the Latin “mola,” meaning “millstone.”
60. Monroe – means “mouth of the River Roe” in Gaelic, for a river in Northern Ireland.
61. Montoya – originated in Álava, the Basque region of northern Spain, meaning “hills and valleys.”
62. Moore – a 5-letter Gaelic surname meaning “bog” that also means “stately” and “noble” in Irish.
63. Mora – dates back to medieval Spain, where it refers to a “blackberry.”
64. Morales – a Spanish topographical surname based on “moral,” meaning “mulberry tree.”
65. Moran – means “descendant of Mórán,” composed of the Gaelic “mor,” meaning “great,” and “an,” meaning “the.”
66. Morgan – based on the Welsh Morcant, meaning “son or descendant of Morgan/Morcant.”
67. Morris – derived from Morres, given to someone “living on the Morre (moors).”
68. Morrison – means “the son of Morris” (or Maurice), based on the Norman Maurice.
69. Morrow – from the Gaelic Moireach, meaning “seafarer,” inspired by Moray in northern Scotland.
70. Morse – an Old English and Welsh surname meaning “son of Maurice.”
71. Moser – a German name for someone “living near a peat bog” from the German “mōs.”
72. Moses – associated with the Hebrew Moshe, meaning “conceived by a certain God.”
73. Mosley – is made up of the Old English “mos,” meaning “peat bog” and “leah,” meaning “woodland clearing.”
74. Moss – from the Old English “mos,” given to someone living “at a boggy place.”
75. Mullins – the name of various places in France; from the Old French “molins,” meaning “mills.”
76. Mulrooney – based on the Gaelic O’Maolruanaidh, meaning a “follower of Ruanaidh.”
77. Munoz – from the Basque “muinoa,” meaning “hill”; used for New Castile and Andalusia areas.
78. Murphy – an Anglo variant of the Gaelic Ó Murchadha, meaning “descendent of the sea battle warrior.”
79. Murray – means “descendant of Ó’Muireadhaigh” in Gaelic, associated with the Scottish Moray.
80. Myers – in German, Myers means “steward or bailiff” of a town or village.

80 Common Last Names That Start With M

These surnames, starting with M, are still found in multiple cultures worldwide.

1. Maas – a Dutch variation of 4-letter last names starting with M as a nickname for Thomas.
2. Mabins – related to the Welsh Mabon and Maben, referring to a “child.”
3. Macak – a Slovak patronymic form of Matej and a version of Matthew.
4. Macall – the Anglo spelling of MacCathail, meaning “son of Cathal,” meaning “powerful in battle.”
5. Mace – a form of the Middle English Masse, a nickname for Matthew or Thomas.
6. Macedo – a 6-letter Portuguese surname based on “macedo,” meaning “apple grove.”
7. Machala – a Czech-Slovak derivative of Mach, from “machać,” meaning “swing” or “sway.”
8. Mack – comes from the Old Norse Makkr and appears as Mac, the Gaelic prefix meaning “son.”
9. Mackie – based on the Gaelic MacAodha, meaning “son of Aodh,” meaning “fire.”
10. Mackintosh – originated with the Scottish Mac an Tòisich clan, meaning “son of the chief.”
11. Mador – associated with the Breton Madoré, a nickname meaning “good help.”
12. Madrigal – various place names in Spain; comes from the Latin “matricale,” meaning “river bed.”
13. Madsen – means the “son of Mads,” the Danish form of Matthew.
14. Maeda – a Japanese name meaning “front rice paddy” occurring mostly in Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands.
15. Magana – means “from Magaña,” based on two villages in Spain’s Soria and Córdoba regions.
16. Magnuson – a version of the Scandinavian Magnússon, meaning “son of Magnus.”
17. Maher – originally the Gaelic Ó Meachair, meaning “descendant of Meachar,” itself meaning “kindly” and “noble.”
18. Mais – taken from the Middle German “meiz,” meaning “cleared land,” a variation of Mayes.
19. Mak – a 3-letter Slavic occupational name for “someone who grew poppies” from “mak,” meaning “poppy.”
20. Maksimov – based on the Russian first name Maksim; also appears as Maximov.
21. Maldonado – a Spanish and Portuguese nickname composed of “mal,” meaning “badly” and “donado,” meaning “given.”
22. Mallory – based on the Old French “maloret,” meaning “ill-fortuned” or “unlucky.”
23. Malouf – a nickname from the Arabic “maʿlūf,” meaning “fattened.”
24. Maltsberger – taken from the German town of Maltsberg; Johann Maltsberger was an early namesake.
25. Mandić – a Serbo-Croatian example of surnames starting with M; originally Mandalena.
26. Manfredi – an Italian plural form of Manfredo, originally meaning “man of peace” in German.
27. Mangold – originated as the Germanic Managwald, composed of “manag,” meaning “much,” and “wald,” meaning “rule.”
28. Manson – an Anglo variant of the Scandinavian Magnusson, meaning “son of Magnus.”
29. Manzo – from the Latin “mansus,” meaning “tame,” as given to an oxherd.
30. Marchenko – a Ukrainian patronymic name meaning “son of Marko”; also appears as Martchenko.
31. Marconi – an Italian plural form of Marcone, from the Latin Marcus.
32. Marcum – first appeared as Marcham for a location in Oxfordshire and Nottinghamshire, England.
33. Marcus – refers to the Roman god of war, Mars, which is also a personal name.
34. Markopoulos – means “son of Marcus” as applied to the Greek given name Markos.
35. Marlowe – means “from the hill by the lake” and is the English form of Marlow.
36. Maroun – related to the Arabic Mārūn and Latin Maron, after a 4th-century Syrian monk.
37. Marquis – means “nobleman” and “lord of the borderlands,” also a title given to nobility.
38. Masters – dates back to the Roman “magister,” describing a “person in charge.”
39. Mathis – a French and Flemish variation of the first name Matthias, a form of Matthew.
40. Matias – means “gift of God” in Hebrew and is among biblical last names that start with M.
41. Matić – based on the Serbo-Croatian Matija and Matej, variations of Matthew.
42. McAllister – a mostly Scottish form of the Gaelic Mac Alasdair, meaning “son of Alasdair (or Alexander).”
43. McCourt – originally the Gaelic MacCuairt, meaning “the son of a visitor.”
44. McDermott – an Anglo variation of the Gaelic Mac Diarmada, meaning “son of Diarmaid.”
45. McEnroe – from the Gaelic Mac ConRubha, meaning “son of Cú Rubha”; means “hound of the promontory.”
46. McKenzie – based on the Gaelic MacCoinnich, meaning “son of Coinnich” or “fair and handsome one.”
47. McNamara – from the Gaelic Cú Mhara, made up of “cú,” meaning “hound” and “muir,” meaning “sea.”
48. Mead – an English surname for someone “living by a meadow,” from the Old English “mǣd,” meaning “meadow.”
49. Medved – a Slavic word meaning “bear” used as a nickname for a “strong” or “clumsy” person.
50. Meier – is a German title for a “steward” or “bailiff” that was also used for a “tenant farmer.”
51. Meinberg – originated as a place name in Westphalia, Germany called Bad-Meinberg.
52. Melvin – based on the Gaelic Ó Maoil Mhín, meaning “gentle chieftain” or “gentle lord.”
53. Mendenhall – from the Old English given name Milda and “halh,” meaning “nook” or “corner of land.”
54. Mendez – means “son or descendant of Mendel or Mendo” in Spanish, based on Menendo.
55. Menendez – taken from the medieval Menendo, composed of “ermen,” meaning “whole,” and “gild,” meaning “tribute.”
56. Mercado – means “market” in Spanish, typically given to a “market trader” or someone “living near a market.”
57. Merchant – an Old French occupational name for a “trader” or “seller of goods.”
58. Merritt – means “boundary gate” in Old English and is a variation of Marriott.
59. Metzger – an occupational German name given to a “butcher” from “metziger.”
60. Middleton – comes from the Old English “midel,” meaning “middle,” and “tūn,” meaning “enclosure settlement.”
61. Milić – among Serbo-Croatian last names starting with M, using the Slavic root “mil,” meaning “dear.”
62. Mishra – an Indian surname deriving from the Sanskrit “mišra,” meaning “mixed manifold.”
63. Monaghan – an Anglo form of the Gaelic O’Manacháin, meaning “descendant of the monk.”
64. Monk – based on the Middle English “monkes,” meaning (at the) monk’s (house or quarters.”
65. Montalvo – inspired by various place names in Spain, from the Latin “montem albus,” meaning “white mountain.”
66. Monte – given to someone “living on or near a mountain” in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
67. Montgomery – based on Sainte-Foy-de-Montgomery and Saint Germain de Montgomery, place names in France.
68. Morcos – an Arabic-Egyptian version of Morkos, a form of Mark used by Coptic Christians.
69. Moreau – a French nickname for a “dark-skinned” person from the Old French “more.”
70. Moriarty – an Anglo variation of the Gaelic Ó Muircheartaigh, meaning “navigator” or “seaworthy.”
71. Morton – made up of the Old English “mōr,” meaning “moor,” and “tūn,” meaning “farmstead” and “estate.”
72. Mosqueda – a Spanish nickname that uses the root “mosca,” meaning “fly.”
73. Moua – named after the Moua clan of the Hmong people found in Laos, China, and Vietnam.
74. Moyer – an occupational French name for a “sharecropper” from the Old French “moie,” meaning “half.”
75. Mueller – an alternative spelling of the German Müller, meaning “miller”; the fifth most common surname in Austria.
76. Mughrabi – associated with the Arabic “maghreb,” meaning “west,” referring to North Africa or Morocco.
77. Muir – used to describe someone “living beside a moor” in Scotland; also means “fen.”
78. Muniz – means “Muno’s son” or “son of Mummius” in Spanish.
79. Munson – a patronymic form of Mund based on the Danish Monsen, meaning “son of Mund.”
80. Murdoch – made up of the Gaelic “mur,” meaning “sea” and “murchadh,” meaning “sea warrior.”

80 Rare Surnames Starting With M

These truly original last names, starting with M, are also the most uncommon.

1. Mabuchi – has various Japanese meanings, including “abyss,” “deep pool,” or “horse.”
2. MacAmhalghaidh – the original Gaelic inspiration for McCaulley, appearing in Scotland and Ireland.
3. Maes – a Welsh surname for someone “living in or near a field”; pronounced MIZE.
4. Magalhães – a Portuguese-Galician surname based on various places in Spain called Magalhães.
5. Magdy – means “glorious” in Arabic and also appears as Magdi in Egypt.
6. Mahar – an Irish variation of Maher, meaning “noble”; also means “expert” in Arabic.
7. Mahmoud – comes from the Arabic “maḥmūd,” meaning “praiseworthy” and “commendable.”
8. Maine – derives from the Old French “maine,” meaning “dwelling, residence, abode.”
9. Makowski – based on several Polish locations called Maków, from the Slavic “mak,” meaning “poppy.”
10. Manjarrez – a Spanish topographical surname based on the village of Manjarrés in Spain.
11. Manumalegua – means “bird of paradise”; a namesake is Frank Toto’a Manumaleuna, an American football player.
12. Manzanares – means “apple orchard,” inspired by the Spanish city of Manzanares.
13. Marangoz – an occupational Turkish surname given to a “joiner” or “carpenter.”
14. Marchand – a French occupational surname for a “buyer and seller of goods,” from the Old French “march(e)ant.”
15. Marmo – from the Italian “marmo,” meaning “marble,” given to a “stonesman” or “quarryman.”
16. Marmolejo – a town in the Jaén province of Spain, from “mármol,” meaning “marble.”
17. Marquardt – from the Old German “marka,” meaning “border” and “wart,” meaning “protector.”
18. Marrero – a Spanish occupational surname for a “stone breaker,” from “marra,” meaning “hammer.”
19. Marron – a form of the Irish Monaghan and Gaelic Ó Mearáin, meaning “descendant of Mearán.”
20. Mascorro – a Basque surname with unknown meaning; originated in the area between Spain and Italy.
21. Masih – means “messiah” or “Christ” in Arabic; also based on the Hebrew “māshīaḥ,” meaning “anointed one.”
22. Massengill – originally Masongill, taken from the Old Norse “meisingr,” meaning “titmouse,” and “gil,” meaning “ravine.”
23. Mateev – comes from the Hebrew “mattathiah,” meaning “gift of the Lord.”
24. Matevosyan – based on the first name Matevos, the Armenian variation of Matthew.
25. Matsumoto – means “place of the (divine) pine tree” in Japanese, a place name known for mythological deities.
26. Matsuoka – a Japanese surname meaning “pine tree hill,” derived from Matsumoto.
27. Mazzola – a southern Italian diminutive of Mazza, an occupational name for a “toolmaker.”
28. McAlpin – an Anglo spelling of the Gaelic MacAilpein, from “alp,” meaning “lump.”
29. McElrath – derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Riabhaigh, meaning “son of the brindled lad.”
30. Meaux – a French surname derived from the Gaulish Meldi tribe or the town of Meaux-la-Montagne.
31. Medeiros – among Portuguese M last names based on a place; from “meda,” meaning “shock.”
32. Meeuwissen – included in Dutch and Flemish names beginning with M; from a short form of Bartholemew.
33. Megalos – a rare form of Greek surnames starting with M, meaning “big.”
34. Meissner – means “someone from Meissen” in Germany and dates back to the 10th-century C.E.
35. Mejia – a beautiful variant of the Spanish first name Matías, equivalent to Matthew.
36. Melanson – a Breton nickname from the French “mélasson,” meaning “clumsy.”
37. Mellor – originally appearing as Melver, an English place name; also means “bare hill” in Welsh.
38. Mencher – an occupational Jewish name for a “flour dealer,” and for someone from “Menchi.”
39. Meng – means “eldest among brothers and sisters born of a concubine” in Chinese.
40. Mensah – used to describe a “third-born son”; the most common surname in Ghana.
41. Merckx – taken from the given name Merk, a Dutch form of Mark.
42. Metaxas – a Greek occupational name for a “silk merchant” or “silk manufacturer.”
43. Metcalfe – an Old English nickname based on the medieval “mete-calf,” meaning “fattened up calf.”
44. Michalak – means “son of Michał” in Polish, taken from a version of Michael.
45. Miele – means “honey” in French and Italian; also the name of a German town in Saxony.
46. Mifsud – example of Maltese last names that start with M; from the Arabic “mifṣad,” meaning “lancet.”
47. Mijares – inspired by Spanish place names in Ávila; from “mijar,” meaning “millet field.”
48. Mikell – from the Hebrew version of Michael, meaning “who is like God.”
49. Mikesell – the Anglo variation of the German Meixell (Michael), meaning “Who is like God?”
50. Mikhail – comes from Mīkhā’īl, the Arabic form of Michael used mainly by Christians.
51. Mishra – from the Sanskrit “mišra,” meaning “mixed manifold”; also an honorific title.
52. Moctezuma – a rarer spelling of Montezuma inspired by the last ruler of the Aztecs.
53. Moen – the name of various farmsteads in Norway, from the Old Norse “mór,” meaning “heath.”
54. Moffat – the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, England; means “the long plain.”
55. Moghadam – one of the Persian 8-letter last names starting with M; from “muqaddam,” an occupational title.
56. Mollown – originally appeared as the Gaelic O’Maoileoin, meaning “devoted to St. John.”
57. Montalbano – a location in Sicily, inspired by Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.
58. Montano – derived from the Italian “montano,” meaning “mountain,” based on Montano Antilia in Salerno.
59. Monteith – made up of the Gaelic “monadh,” meaning “hill pasture” and “Teith,” for the Teith River.
60. Montenegro – based on places in Spain, Portugal, and Italy; means “black mountain.”
61. Montserrat – means “jagged mountain” in French; also the name of a mountain in Catalonia.
62. Moon – means “full” and “complete” when appearing in Chinese-Cantonese; the Irish form of Mohan.
63. Moose – an Anglo form of the German Moos; a Native American-Dakota word for a “moose” (animal).
64. Morais – a Portuguese variation of Moraes given to someone living “among mulberry trees.”
65. Moranville – associated with the French Morand and the Latin “villa,” meaning estate.
66. Moravec – a 7-letter Czech and Slovak surname for someone “from Morava.”
67. Morishita – means “one who lives below the forest” in Japanese used in the Kyōto–Ōsaka region.
68. Morrissette – a French surname based on Mauritius, from the Phoenician “mauharim,” meaning “eastern.”
69. Mottershead – composed of the Old English “mōtere,” meaning “speaker” and “hēafod,” meaning “top of a hill.”
70. Mousavi – among Persian surnames starting with M, from the Arabic “mūsawī,” meaning “descendent of Musa.”
71. Mouser – a Middle English nickname for the “mous-ere (mouse ear) hawkweed” plant.
72. Mulrennan – from the Gaelic O’Maoilriain, meaning “descendent of the worshiper of Rian,” the god of water.
73. Mulvihill – based on the Gaelic Maoil Mhichil, meaning “servant of St. Michael.”
74. Mumford – derived from the Old French “mont,” meaning “hill,” and “fort.”
75. Mundt – a German nickname for a “guardian” or “trustworthy person” from the German “munt.”
76. Murgatroyd – made up of the Middle English Mergret (Margaret) and “rode,” meaning “clearing.”
77. Musgrave – based on two locales in Northern England called Great Musgrave and Little Musgrave.
78. Mustafa – taken from the Arabic “muṣṭafā,” meaning “chosen”; also means “to be pure to be select.”
79. Myrick – originally a Latin boy’s name meaning “dark-skinned” and “Moorish.”
80. Myška – a 5-letter Czech nickname from “myš,” meaning “mouse.”