Origin
Bratko : 1: Polish Ukrainian Slovak Croatian and Slovenian: from a pet form of a personal name based on the Slavic element brat ‘brother’ (from Old Slavic bratrъ) such as Bratomil (Polish Bratomił) with the second element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ).2: Ukrainian: nickname meaning ‘little brother’ from a diminutive of brat ‘brother’.
Demille : Flemish: Frenchified (or Americanized) form of De Mil or Demil a variant of De Mul an occupational name for a miller from a short form of mulder ‘miller’.
Miele : 1: Italian (southern): from a personal name or affectionate nickname from miele ‘honey’.2: German: habitational name from Miele (Lower Saxony) or Mielen (Rhineland-Palatinate).3: South German (Swabia): variant of Miehle 1.4: German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’.5: Germanized form of Sorbian Mił and Mila (and probably also of some other similar or like-sounding cognate): from a short form of a personal name such as Miłosław based on the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ).
Mielke : 1: German (of Slavic origin): from a Germanized pet form of any of various Old Slavic personal names such as Milogost based on the element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ); compare 3 below.2: North German: from a pet form of the personal name Miele 4 of ancient Germanic origin.3: Germanized form of Sorbian Milk and Milka cognates of 1.
Milan : 1: Spanish (Milán) and French: nickname from the bird's name milán milan ‘kite’ possibly denoting an avid person.2: Spanish (Milán) and French: habitational name from the Italian city of Milan (see Milano).3: Slovak Czech Croatian and Ukrainian: from the Slavic personal name Milan a derivative of names such as Miloslav and Czech Bohumil containing the element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ). The same Sorbian surname is apparently found only in Germanized forms such as Mihlan.4: Irish: variant of Millan 3.5: American shortened form of Serbian or Croatian Milanović (see Milanovic) Polish Milanowski or some other similar name.
Milardo : Italian: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements mil ‘gracious good’ + hard ‘hardy brave strong’.
Milas : 1: Croatian Polish Slovak and Czech; Serbian (Milaš): from a derivative of a short form of Slavic compound names such as Miloslav based on the element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ).2: Greek: probably an occupational name for an apple seller from mēlon ‘apple’ + the occupational suffix -as or an American shortened form of some other surname containing the syllable -mil- for example Koromilas ‘plum-seller’.
Milbert : German and French: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements mil ‘generous good’ + berht ‘bright famous’.
Milbrath : German (of Slavic origin): from the Old Slavic personal name Milobrat composed of the elements mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ) + brat (Old Slavic bratrъ) ‘brother’.
Milek : Polish (Miłek); Croatian and Slovenian; Czech (also Mílek): from a pet form of a Slavic compound name with the element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ) e.g. Miloslav (Polish Miłosław) or a nickname derived from miły (Polish) mio (Croatian) mil (Slovenian) milý (Czech) ‘gentle dear; pleasant’.
Miles : 1: English (of Norman origin): from the Middle English (Old French) personal name Mile + genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s or from its other Old French form Miles a derivative of ancient Germanic Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’. The Old French oblique case form was Milon (see Milon 1). Compare Millen and Millson.2: English: variant with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s of Myhill from a vernacular form of the Biblical name Michael. Miles Coverdale the translator of the Bible when in Germany called himself Michael Anglus (‘the Englishman’).3: Irish (Louth and Kilkenny): when not the same as 1 or 2 it is sometimes an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maolmhuire see Myles.4: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): patronymic from the Yiddish personal name Mile a diminutive of Yerachmiel a variant of Biblical Yerachmel (1 Chronicles 2:9). It is formed with the Yiddish possessive -s.5: Americanized form of some original Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname.6: German: variant of Miels a patronymic from Miele 4.
Milette : Americanized form of French Milet: from the ancient Germanic personal name Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’. Altered ending reflects the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t.
Milfort : 1: Haitian: ornamental name composed of French mil ‘thousand’ and fort ‘strong’ which can be interpreted as ‘very strong’.2: Haitian: alternatively perhaps a variant or an altered form of French Millefort a topographic name derived from (en) mi le fort ‘in mid the fort’ denoting a house in the vicinity of a fortress. The surname Millefort is very rare in France.3: In some cases probably also Czech and Alsatian: altered form of German Mühlfort a habitational name from a place so named in Düsseldorf. The surname Milfort is rare in Czechia and Alsatia.
Milic : Serbian and Croatian (Milić); Slovenian (partly of Serbian origin; Milič): patronymic or metronymic from the personal names Milo Mile (male) or Mila (female) based on the element mil ‘gentle dear’ often as a short form of compound names. Compare Milich 1.
Milich : 1: Americanized form of Serbian and Croatian Milić or Slovenian Milič (see Milic) and also of Polish Milicz all based on the Slavic name element mil ‘gentle dear’.2: German: variant of Mühlich (via the form Miehlich) an unflattering nickname from Middle High German müelich ‘troublesome difficult to get on with’.3: Polish Czech and Sorbian: nickname derived from miły (Polish and Sorbian) milý (Czech) ‘gentle dear; pleasant’. As a Polish and Sorbian surname it may also be from a pet form of a personal name containing the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’.
Miljkovic : Serbian and Croatian (Miljković): patronymic from the personal name Miljko containing the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (often as a pet form of compound names and of the derivatives like Miljan). Compare Milkovich.
Milk : 1: English (Norfolk): nickname from Middle English milk ‘milk’ (Old English meolc). There are many possible reasons for the use of such a nickname including milk-white hair the collecting or selling of milk and of course the drinking of milk – whether or not taken to indicate effeminacy or spiritlessness.2: Sorbian: from a pet form of a personal name such as Miłosław based on the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ). This surname is found mainly in Germanized forms such as Mielke and Milke.3: Probably also an Americanized form (translation into English) of German Milch ‘milk’.4: Perhaps also an American shortened form of a surname beginning with Milk- such as Polish Miłkowski (see Milkowski).
Milko : 1: Polish (Miłko); Slovak and Rusyn (from Slovakia) (also Miľko): from a pet form of a compound personal name such as Polish Miłosław based on the Old Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from the adjective milъ).2: Polish (Miłko) and Slovak: nickname from a derivative of the adjective miły (Polish) milý (Slovak) ‘nice pleasant’.3: American shortened form of Serbian or Croatian Milković (see Milkovich) or Miljković (see Miljkovic) and possibly also of other similar names such as Polish Miłkowski (see Milkowski) and Slovak Milkovič (see Milkovich).
Milkovich : 1: Americanized form of Serbian and Croatian Milković Slovak Milkovič: patronymic from the personal name Milko containing the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (often as a pet form of compound names and of the derivatives like Milan). Compare Milko 3.2: Americanized form of Serbian and Croatian Miljković (see Miljkovic).3: Ukrainian (standard transliteration Milkovych): patronymic from the personal name Milko (see 1 above).
Millard : 1: English: variant of Millward.2: French and German: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements mil ‘good gracious’ + hard ‘hardy brave strong’. Compare Milord.3: French (southern): from a variant of Occitan milhar ‘millet field’ a derivative of mil ‘millet’.
Mille : 1: French and Flemish: from the ancient Germanic personal name Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’.2: French and Flemish: from a shortened variant of the personal name French Émile (see Emile) Flemish Emiel.3: English: variant of Mill. This surname is rare in Britain.
Millet : 1: French and Catalan: metonymic 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’).2: French: habitational name from (Le) Millet the name of several places in various parts of France.3: English (mainly Lancashire) and Irish (Mayo and Tipperary): from the Middle English male personal name Milot a diminutive of Mile (see Miles) or from the Middle English female personal name Millota a diminutive of Mill (a short form of Millicent see Mill).
Millwater : English (Gloucestershire): habitational name probably from a place called in Middle English either with mīl ‘mile’ + wæter ‘water stream’ or with mil(ne) ‘mill’ as the first element.
Milman : 1: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): occupational name for a worker at a mill from Yiddish mil ‘mill’ + man ‘man’. Compare Millman.2: English: variant of Millman a cognate of 1 above.
Milo : 1: Italian (southern): habitational name from Milo in Catania province Sicily.2: Italian (southern): from a short form of the personal name Emilio or from the ancient Germanic personal name Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’.3: Slovak: from the personal name Milo a short form of compound names such as Miloslav and Bohumil formed with the Old Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from the adjective milъ).4: Slovak and Rusyn (from Slovakia) (Miľo): from the personal name Miľo a cognate of 3 above.
Milon : 1: French and Channel Islands (Jersey): from the oblique case form of the Old French personal name Miles a derivative of ancient Germanic Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’.2: French: from a shortened pet form of the personal name Émile (see Emile).
Milosevic : Serbian and Croatian (Milošević): patronymic from the personal name Miloš a derivative of Miloslav or Milosav names composed with the element mil ‘gentle dear’.
Milot : 1: French: derivative of the ancient Germanic personal name Milo based on the element mil from mel ‘good generous’. Compare Melott.2: English and Irish: variant of Millett. This surname is rare in Britain.
Milota : 1: Czech and Slovak: from a short form of Miloslav Bohumil or some other personal name formed with the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ).2: Possibly also an American shortened form of Hungarian Milotai or Milotay: habitational name for someone from a village called Milota in Szatmár County in northeastern Hungary. The placename is of Slavic origin.
Misch : 2: East German: from a Germanized Slavic pet form of a personal name equivalent to Michael (compare Polish name below) or of any other name beginning with Mi- or My- including various compound names based on the Slavic elements mir ‘peace’ and mil ‘gentle dear’.3: Germanized form Polish Miś and in some cases also of Croatian or Slovenian Miš (see Mis).1: German: habitational name from any of several places in the Rhineland called Müsch.
Schmehl : 1: North German: perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman related to Schmel a kind of fish.2: German: possibly from a Germanized form of an Old Slavic personal name based on the adjective mil ‘gentle dear’ with fused particle s.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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