The M slice of the verified A-to-Z index. Each row keeps the index discipline: the parts it was built from, the meaning, the origin type. The full index, all letters side by side, lives on the last names with meanings page, and the letter walk continues at the bottom of this page.
The verified index slice. The origin type stays on every row.
Last names that start with M, with receipts
Name
Built from
Meaning
Origin
Copy
MacArthur
mac (son of) + Arthur
son of Arthur ("bear")
patronymic
MacDonald
mac (son of) + Dòmhnall
son of Donald ("world ruler")
patronymic
MacIntyre
mac an t-saoir (son of the wright)
son of the carpenter
patronymic
MacKenzie
mac (son of) + Coinneach
son of Kenneth ("comely")
patronymic
MacLeod
mac (son of) + Leòid (from Ljótr)
son of Leod ("the ugly one", Old Norse)
patronymic
MacMillan
mac (son of) + maol (bald, tonsured)
son of the tonsured servant
patronymic
Macpherson
mac (son of) + a phersain (the parson)
son of the parson
patronymic
Marsh
mersc (marsh)
dweller by the marsh
locative
Marshall
mearh (horse) + scealc (servant)
horse servant, later officer
occupational
Martin
Mars (the god) + -in
son of Martin ("of Mars, warlike")
patronymic
Martinez
Martin + -ez
son of Martin ("of Mars, warlike")
patronymic
Martinez
Martin + -ez
son of Martin ("of Mars, warlike")
patronymic
Mason
machun (Old French, stoneworker)
stoneworker
occupational
Matthews
Matthew + -s
son of Matthew ("gift of God")
patronymic
Maxwell
Maccus + wella (stream)
stream of Maccus
locative
McCarthy
mac (son of) + Carthach
son of Carthach ("loving")
patronymic
McCormick
mac (son of) + Cormac
son of Cormac
patronymic
McCoy
mac Aodha (son of Aodh)
son of Aodh ("fire")
patronymic
McDonald
mac (son of) + Dòmhnall
son of Donald ("world ruler")
patronymic
McDougall
mac (son of) + Dubhghall
son of Dugald ("dark stranger")
patronymic
McLean
mac (son of) + Giolla Eathain
son of the servant of Saint John
patronymic
McMahon
mac (son of) + Mathghamhain
son of Mahon ("bear")
patronymic
Mercer
mercer (cloth merchant)
cloth trader
occupational
Meredith
Maredudd (Old Welsh)
sea lord: contested
patronymic
Meyers
meier (German, steward)
estate steward
occupational
Miller
myln (mill) + -er
mill operator
occupational
Mills
myln (mill) + -s
dweller by the mill
locative
Milton
myln (mill) + tūn (settlement)
mill settlement
locative
Mitchell
Michael + -el (diminutive)
son of Michael
patronymic
Monroe
from the mouth of the River Roe (Ulster)
man from the mouth of the Roe
locative
Montgomery
mont (mount) + Gomeric
mountain of Gomeric
locative
Moody
mōdig (bold)
the bold one
descriptive
Moore
mōr (moor, marsh)
dweller by the moor or marsh
locative
Moran
Ó Móráin (descendant of Mórán)
descendant of the great one
patronymic
Moreno
moreno (Spanish, dark)
dark-skinned, swarthy
descriptive
Morris
Maurus (Moorish)
son of Maurice ("dark, Moorish")
patronymic
Morrison
Maurice + -son
son of Maurice ("dark, Moorish")
patronymic
Muller
Müller (German, miller)
miller
occupational
Murphy
Ó Murchadha (descendant of Murchadh)
descendant of the sea warrior
patronymic
Murray
from Moray (Scotland)
from Moray, northeastern Scotland
locative
Which lanes own the M names
Computed from the live site, not guessed. These pages carry the most M-initial surnames in their banks:
The general banks carry this letter’s rows.
The lane pages own each name’ s deep story; this page owns the slice. That is how an index stays honest.
The letter itself
M is one of the four biggest initials. Across the verified index, S is the biggest surname initial and X the smallest. The four origin engines, trade, place, parent, description, run under every letter; the mix is what changes. This slice runs 24 patronymic, 6 occupational, 8 locative, 2 descriptive.
The how surnames work guide walks the four engines, and the European last names page maps the suffix systems that decide which letters dominate which countries.
Last names that start with M, answered
What last names start with M?
The 40 verified rows above, each with its parts, meaning and origin. The M slice leans 24 patronymic, 6 occupational, 8 locative, 2 descriptive. Every row is the same receipt discipline as the full index: built from, meaning, origin type.
Where do last names that start with M come from?
From the same four engines as the whole register: trade, place, parent, description. This slice runs 24 patronymic, 6 occupational, 8 locative, 2 descriptive. The how surnames work guide walks each engine; the full A-to-Z index lives on last names with meanings.
Does this list cover every last name that starts with M?
No, and no honest index claims that. This is the verified slice: 40 rows, every receipt checked. The lane pages above carry deeper banks per tradition, and the lane pages own each name's full story. A letter page is a door, not a census.
Where these names come from.Every row is the verified A-to-Z index's M slice, re-cut by initial; the built-from, meaning and origin receipts are the index's own, unchanged. The lane map is computed from the live site's banks at build day. A row here may also appear on its lane page, which is the index's job, stated plainly. No new name data was invented for this slice. Where every name's receipt comes from →