Origin
Stone : 1: English: from Middle English ston(e) ‘stone rock’ (Old English stān). The surname may be topographic for someone who lived on stony ground by a notable outcrop of rock or by a stone boundary-marker or monument or habitational from a place called Stone such as those in Buckinghamshire Devon Gloucestershire Hampshire Kent Somerset Staffordshire and Worcestershire.2: Irish (Kilkenny): adopted for Irish Ó Clochartaigh (see Clougherty) and/or Ó Clochasaigh (see Clohessy) and possibly several other names containing or thought to contain the element cloch ‘stone’.3: Americanized form (translation into English) of various surnames in other languages meaning ‘stone’ including Jewish Stein Norwegian Steine French Lapierre Desroche and Desroches.
Aston : English:: 1: from the Middle English personal name Ad(e)stan which is usually from Old English Æthelstān (see Alston). It may also be from the much rarer Old English name Ēadstān.2: habitational name from any of several places in England called Aston. Most were named with Old English ēast ‘east’ + tūn ‘settlement’. In a few cases the first element is æsc ‘ash tree’.3: topographic name from Middle English atte stone ‘(dweller) by the stone’.
Baskett : English:: 1: from Middle English basket ‘basket’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a basket maker or perhaps for someone who carried a basket or pannier as part of his work for example carrying baskets of stone to a lime kiln. In some cases it appears to have been a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a basket (probably owned by a basket maker).2: variant of Bascott a habitational name from Bascote in Warwickshire probably so named with an unattested Old English personal name Basuca + cot ‘cottage’.3: possibly from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Basket which could have been a pet form of Base (see Bass) + the Picard and Flemish double diminutive hypocoristic suffix -ket. Compare Bosket.
Bato : 1: Filipino: from bato ‘stone’ in any of several languages of the Philippines; either a metonymic occupational name for a mason (someone who worked with stone) or a nickname evoking the attributes of strength and stubbornness.2: Slovak (mainly Baťo also Báto Báťo Bató): nickname from baťo ‘older man’.3: Assyrian/Chaldean: from a pet form of the Syriac personal name Patros ‘Peter’.
Baxendale : English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): variant of Baxenden a habitational name from a place near Accrington which is named with an unattested Old English word bæcstān ‘bakestone’ (a flat stone on which bread was baked) + denu ‘valley’. Middle English dale was sometimes substituted for Old English denu in northern placenames.
Belsten : from Belstone (Devon). The place-name is from Old English belle ‘bell’ + stān ‘stone’; the stone was a rocking stone or logan-stone.
Blackstone : English:: 1: habitational name from Blackstone in Woodmancote (Sussex) from the Old English personal name Blæcsige + ing + tūn ‘the estate called after Blæcsige’.2: habitational name from Blaxton in Yorkshire named with Old English blæc ‘black’ + stān ‘stone’.3: habitational name from Blakeston (Hall) in Norton (Durham) from the Old Norse personal name Bleikr + Old English tūn meaning ‘Bleikr's estate’.4: topographic name for someone who lived by a dark (boundary) stone from Middle English blak(e) ‘black dark’ (Old English blæc) + stān ‘stone’.5: perhaps from the Middle English personal name Blakston (Old English Blæcstān from blæc ‘black’ + stān ‘stone’).
Brunsdon : from the Middle English continuation of the Old English personal name Brūnstān (from brūn 'brown' + stān 'stone').
Bugni : Italian:: 1: metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper from bugno ‘beehive’ from an unattested Celtic word būnia.2: from bugna ‘dressed stone ashlar’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a stonemason or possibly a nickname for someone with a protrusion on the forehead.
Campkin : re-modelled form of Campin variant of Campion in imitation of names ending with the hypocoristic suffix -kin. The same change has occurred in the word pumpkin which is an altered form of pumpin a variant of pompion (OED). For the variation in the surname compare Nicolas Campion 1572 Willm. Campkin 1671 in IGI (Ware Herts); Richard Campion 1589 Samuel Campkin 1676 in IGI (Bassingbourn Cambs); George Campion 1605 Frances Campin 1606 Edward Campkin 1705 in IGI (Watton at Stone Herts); Anne Camkin 1674 Grace Campion 1696 in IGI (Potton Beds); James Campin 1695 Robert Campion 1732 Isaac Campkin 1807 in IGI (Orpington Kent).
Carley : 1: Irish (Roscommon): shortened form of McCarley.2: English: habitational name from the hamlet of Carley in Lifton (Devon) possibly named with Cornish ker ‘fort round (enclosure)’ + legh ‘flat stone slab’.3: English: variant of Carlow.4: Americanized form of Swiss German Kehrli or of its German cognate Kerle (see Kerl) or of some other similar (like-sounding) German surname.
Circuit : 1: from Southcott in Linslade (Bucks) (recorded as Surcote in 1826) now pronounced Cirket or from a lost Southcott in Stone (Sircotes 1511 in Place-Names of Bucks pp. 80 165). 2: perhaps from Middle English (Old French) surcote (the item of clothing).
Clapper : 1: English (Yorkshire): topographic name from Middle English claper generally denoting someone who lived by a rabbit warren. In southern counties however it often denoted a clapper bridge a rough or natural bridge across a stream. The Devon clapper bridge common on Dartmoor was made of flat stones laid across stone pillars. Alternatively a nickname for a chatterer from Middle English claper ‘the tongue of a bell or of a noisy person’.2: Americanized form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Klapper ‘chatterer’.
Click : 1: Americanized form of German Klick or Klück (see Kluck) or Glück (see Gluck).2: English (Gloucestershire): apparently a habitational name connected with a piece of land in the parish of Ermington near Plymouth in Devon early recorded as Clekeland(e) and still known as Clickland. The placename may be from Old English cleaca ‘stepping stone boundary stone’ (of Celtic origin) + land ‘territory’.3: Americanized form of Polish and possibly also of Czech and Slovak Klik (see Klick).4: Probably also an Americanized form of Jewish Glück (see Gluck) or Glick.
Cowcher : from Middle English co(u)chur cucher ‘maker of couched work’ a type of embroidery in which gold or silver threads and jewels were stitched onto ceremonial robes. Compare Setter.from Middle English co(u)chur cucher ‘maker of beds or couches’.from Anglo-Norman French co(u)chour coucher ‘mason stone mason’.from Middle English couchour cowchour ‘bed-ridden person’.
Crayston : probably from Crayston in Shap (Westm) though that name appears later than the first record of the surname.possibly from the 'grey stone' which gave its name to a ward of Carlisle (Cumb) or from some other conspicuous grey stone. Greystoke also in Cumb had original initial C- and the variation between C- and G- may have inversely affected this name.
Creviston : Probably an Americanized form of German Gravenstein (also Grabenstein) or Dutch Gravesteijn a habitational name from a castle or a stone house (stein) of the count (Graf/graaf).
Cusden : 1: perhaps a reduced form of Coulsdon from the place of that name in Surrey recorded as Colesdone in 1086 and Culesden in 1255. Coulsdon is apparently identical with a place called Cudredesdone in a deed of 933 and is to be interpreted as ‘the dūn or hill of a man named Cūðrǣd’. Surname spellings such as Codsden and Codsdon may therefore reflect an older alternative pronunciation *Cudesden or *Cude(r)sdon.perhaps from Godstone (Surrey) from which surnames are frequently recorded from the mid-13th century onwards in spellings starting with Cod(d)-; see Place-Names of Surrey p. 317. The place-name meant either ‘Codd's stone or rock’ or ‘Codd's farm or estate’ (Old English Codd or genitival Coddes + Old English stān or tūn). No spellings with -sdon or -sden have been noted for the place-name although such variants would be plausible. 2: possibly from Cuddesdon (Oxon) recorded as Cuþenes dune in 945 and Codesdone in 1086 but no medieval instances of a surname from this place have been found. The place-name denoted the ‘the hill of a man named Cūþwine or *Cūþen’ (both Old English personal names). This name could also account for some examples of the post-medieval Surrey name listed at (1). Substitution of -den for -don is common in English locative names.
Diamond : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from an Anglicized form of a metonymic occupational name for a diamond worker derived from German Diamant French and Dutch diamant ‘diamond’ or Yiddish dime(n)t from medieval Latin diamas genitive diamantis and ultimately from Greek adamas ‘unconquerable’ genitive adamantos a reference to the hardness of the stone.2: English: from the rare Middle English female personal name Diamand derived from Old French diamaunt diamaund ‘diamond’ found in Middle English as diamound deamaunt and deamon. The name may alternatively be a variant of Daymon or a pet form of the Middle English personal name Day to which the hypocoristic suffix -man has been added.3: Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Diamáin ‘descendant of Diamán’ earlier Díomá or Déamán a diminutive of Díoma itself a pet form of Diarmaid (see McDermott).4: Americanized form of Greek Diamantis or of any of patronymics derived from this name. Compare Diamant 3.
Einstein : 1: German: habitational name from any of various places called with a Middle High German derivative of einsteinen ‘to enclose or surround with stone’. In the unsettled social climate of the Middle Ages even relatively minor settlements were commonly surrounded with stone walls as a defense against attack.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name composed of German ein ‘one’ + Stein ‘stone’.
Feustel : South German:: 1: from a pet form of Faust.2: metonymic occupational name for a miner from Fäustel ‘hammer of the miner or stone mason’.
Fleckenstein : 1: German: habitational name from a lost place called Fleckenstein in the Vosges mountains.2: German: occupational name from Middle High German vlecken ‘beat break split’ + stein ‘stone’ probably given to a mason journeyman or builder at an initiation ceremony (of the guild) as split the stone.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Flecken ‘stain spot’ (Yiddish flekn) + Stein ‘stone’.
Fusilier : 1: Altered form of French Fuselier.2: In some cases possibly also French: derivative of Old French foisil ‘fire stone or small piece of steel used to strike flints in order to make sparks to start a fire’ an occupational name for someone who made or sold such pieces of steel.
Galapon : Filipino: from galapong ‘rice flour’ a word found in various languages of the Philippines applied as a metonymic occupational name for a producer of rice flour through stone grinding.
Gale : 1: English: nickname from Anglo-Norman French gal gale galle ‘cock cockerel’.2: English: habitational name from a minor place called with either Middle English gale gagel (Old English gagel) ‘bog myrtle’ or with Middle English gale ‘fishery paying dues to the lord’ (Old English gafol ‘tax’?) such as Gale in Bickington (Devon) and The Gale the name of a fishery in Ham and Stone (Gloucestershire).3: English: topographic name from Middle English gale gail (Old Norse geil) ‘ravine narrow lane’ or a habitational name from a place so named such as Gale in Littleborough Rochdale (Lancashire) or possibly High Gale in Tatham or Tunstall (Lancashire). With the sense ‘narrow lane’ it is found in several street names in medieval York.4: English: metonymic occupational name for a jailer or a topographic name for someone who lived near the local jail or a nickname for a jailbird occasionally perhaps for someone who worked ‘(at the) jail’ from Middle English gayole gayll(e) jaiole jaile (northern Old French gaiole Parisian Old French jaiole). Compare Galer.5: English (of Norman origin): perhaps occasionally from the Old French personal name Gale a Parisian form of ancient Germanic Walo (see Wale and compare Gallon). However the only examples of it as a personal name in English records seem to belong to (presumably French) foreigners so it is uncertain whether this was another source of the Middle English surnames.6: Portuguese: from galé ‘galleon warship’ presumably a metonymic occupational name for a shipwright or a mariner.7: Slovenian and Croatian: from a pet form of the personal name Gal. Compare Galle and Gole.
Garfinkel : Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name or nickname from Yiddish gorfinkl ‘carbuncle’ German Karfunkel. This term denoted both a red precious or semi-precious stone especially a garnet or ruby cut into a rounded shape (in which case it is an artificial name) and a large inflamed growth on the skin like a large boil (in which case it is a descriptive nickname).
Goldstein : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name composed of German Gold ‘gold’ + Stein ‘stone rock’.2: German: from a medieval personal name nickname or occupational name from Middle High German Middle Low German golste(i)n ‘gold stone precious ston (probably referring to chrysolite or topaz which was used as a testing stone by alchemists).
Gorgone : Italian: apparently a humanistic nickname from Greek Gorgōn ‘gorgon’. In classical mythology the Gorgons were three sisters who had the power to turn to stone anyone who looked at them.
Grose : 1: Cornish: topographic name for someone who lived near a stone cross set up by the roadside or in a marketplace Cornish crous (from Latin crux crucis). Compare Cross.2: English (of Norman origin): variant of Gross.
Helland : Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads so named notably in the counties of Rogaland and Hordaland mostly from Old Norse Helgaland (see Helgeland) but in some cases from Old Norse hella ‘flat stone flagstone flat mountain’ or hellir ‘cave’ + land ‘(piece of) land farmstead’.
Helle : 1: German: topographic name from Middle High German helle ‘hell’ used (often in field names) in a topographic sense to denote a hollow or a wild precipitous place.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads so named from Old Norse hella ‘flat stone flagstone flat mountain’ or hellir ‘cave’.3: Finnish: ornamental name from helle ‘hot weather’ adopted during the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century mostly to replace Swedish surnames beginning with Hell- or Häll- such as Hellgren and Hellström (see Hellstrom).
Helseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads most of them named with Old Norse Helgasetr Helgusetr from the male personal name Helgi and the female personal name Helga respectively; both names are derived from heilagr ‘holy sacred’. In some cases other personal names for example Herleifr or Herlaugi are the source of the first element and in other cases it is derived from hella ‘flat stone flat mountain’. The second element -seth is derived from setr ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Helvig : 1: Danish: from the personal name Helvig composed of the ancient Germanic elements hel ‘luck’ + wīg ‘war’. Compare German Helwig.2: Norwegian: habitational name from a farm name in southwestern Norway and Agder most likely a compound of Old Norse hella ‘flat stone flat mountain’ and vík ‘bay inlet’.
Hochstein : German: topographic name for someone who lived by a high rock or a castle of that name from Middle High German hōh ‘high’ + stein ‘rock stone castle’.
Hoen : 1: Dutch and German: metonymic occupational name for a chicken farmer or poultry merchant from hoen ‘hen chicken grouse’ or a habitational name from a so named house with the image of such a bird depicted on a sign or an ornamental stone.2: Dutch and German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Huno (from hūn ‘bear cub’).3: German: variant of Höhn (see Hoehn).4: Norwegian: habitational name from either of two farmsteads named Hon from Old Norse hundr ‘dog’ or from Hóvin a compound of hór ‘high’ + vin ‘meadow’.
Hone : 1: English: topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent stone especially a boundary marker from Middle English hone ‘stone rock’ (Old English hān) the same word as modern English hone ‘whetstone’. Compare Honer.2: German (Höne) in part of Sorbian origin: see Hoene and Hoehne.
Honer : 1: English: occupational name for a sharpener of tools a grinder or honer from a derivative of Middle English hone ‘whetstone’ (Old English hān ‘stone’) + -er. In Surrey Sussex and Hampshire the name may also have been topographic for someone who lived by a prominent rock or by a boundary stone from a Middle English derivative of Hone + -er. See Hone.2: North German (Höner): variant of Hohner.
Hoversten : Americanized form of Norwegian Håvarstein a habitational name from a farmstead in Rogaland named Håvastein from Old Norse as Hávisteinn from hár ‘high’ + steinn ‘stone’ indicating a tall stone such as a standing stone.
Keinath : 2: German: variant of Keinrath from the personal name Konrad (see Konrad).1: South German (Swabia): from medieval Latin caminata (camera) ‘room with a fireplace (in medieval castles)’ which by extension came to mean a freestanding stone building for storage or a hostelry and hence a topographic name.
Kemner : 1: German: shortened form of Kemenater from Latin caminata ‘with a fireplace or chimney’ hence a nickname for someone who lived in a house with a fireplace (heated room) or a house built of stone.2: Danish: occupational name from kemner ‘rent collector chamberlain’.
Kerstein : 1: German: from a variant of the personal name Christian with metathesis of the -r- and a folk-etymological component -stein ‘stone’ influenced by names such as Kirschstein ‘cherry stone (pit)’.2: German: possibly also a variant of Karstein a habitational name from the name of a manor near Elberfeld (Rhineland).3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kirstein.
Kleiber : German:: 1: from an agent derivative of Middle High German kleben ‘to stick or bind’ an occupational name for a builder working with clay or in Swabia for someone who applied whitewash.2: in Bavaria and Austria an occupational name for a shingle maker from Middle High German klieben ‘to split (wood or stone)’. Compare Klauber.
Klier : 1: Jewish (from Galicia) German and Czech: artificial name (for Jews) and nickname (for Germans and Czechs) from German dialect Klier ‘castrated cock’.2: German (central and south): variant of Glüher an occupational name for a blacksmith from Middle High German glüejen glüen ‘to make glow forge’.3: Czech: occupational name from Middle High German klieben ‘to split (wood or stone)’ (see German Kleiber).
Klipstein : Altered form of German Klippstein in northern Germany a metonymic occupational name for a stone mason from Low German klipstein ‘recycled stone’.
Klopfenstein : German: occupational name for a quarryman or stone mason from klopfen ‘(to) strike or knock’ + Stein ‘stone’ literally ‘strike the stone’.
Knock : 1: German: northern variant of Knoche.2: German: possibly a habitational name from Knock near Emden.3: English (East Anglia and southeastern): from Middle English kno(c)k ‘hill hillock’ (Old English cnocc). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by a small hill or habitational from a place so named such as Knock Farm in Stone cum Ebony (Kent) or Knock Hatch in Arlington (Sussex).
Kremen : 1: Czech (Křemen) and Slovak (Kremeň): nickname for a hard man from Czech křemen Slovak kremeň ‘flint’ a stone of proverbial hardness.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): artificial name or metonymic occupational name from Russian kremen ‘pebble flint’.
La Pietra : Italian (also Lapietra):: 1: from pietra ‘stone rock’ (from Latin petra from Greek) with the definite article la; probably a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent rock or on stony ground or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a quarryman or stone carver.2: feminine form of Pietro with the addition of the definite article la.
Langran : unexplained; possibly from a Middle English *lange rane ‘frog's tongue’ parallel to lange serpent ‘snake's tongue’ ‘a tongue-shaped stone having the property of detecting poison’. In MED ranula ranule ‘abscess under the tongue’ is exemplified in about 1425 thus: ‘Ranula..is a maner carnositee oblong vnder þe tonge lettyng þe acte of it to þe fourme of a rane i. froske.’ The surname may therefore be a nickname for someone with such an abscess.
Lapierre : French Walloon and Flemish:: 1: topographic name with fused French feminine definite article la for someone who lived on a patch of stony soil or by a large outcrop of rock from Old French pierre ‘stone rock’ (compare Pierre 2); or a habitational name from any of various places called Lapierre or La Pierre in France and Belgium (Wallonia) with the same meaning.2: from French la pierre ‘the stone’ used as a nickname (often for a person named Pierre; see Pierre 1) or soldier's name and probably also as a metonymic occupational name for a quarryman or stone carver. Compare Lapeer Lapier and Stone 3.
Layer : 1: English: habitational name from any of the three places in Essex – Layer Breton Layer de la Haye and Layer Marney – all named from a river name Leire the name of a small stream thought to be from a Celtic word meaning ‘mud’.2: English: nickname or status name from Anglo-Norman French le eyr ‘the heir’. Compare Ayer.3: English: occupational name for a stone layer Middle English leyer leghere; the job of the layer was to position the stones worked by the masons.4: German: habitational name for someone from any of various places called Lay.
Ledger : 1: English: from a Norman personal name Leodegar Old French Legier of ancient Germanic origin (see Leger 1).2: English: metonymic occupational name from Middle English legger ‘one who lays stone a mason’ a derivative of Old English lecgan ‘to lay’.3: Americanized form of French Leger 1.
Leier : German:: 1: (Rhineland): habitational name for someone from any of several places called with Middle Low German leie ‘rock stone slate’ or a topographic name for someone living near a rock or in a rocky area.3: metonymic occupational name from Middle High German līre ‘lyre’ for a minstrel or street player.2: metonymic occupational name for a slater from an agent derivative of Middle High German leie ‘slate’.
Ley : 1: English: variant of Lee.2: German: from a medieval personal name Eloy from Latin Eligius (see Eligio) a Christian saint's name.3: German (Rhineland): topographic name from Middle High German leie ‘rock stone slate’ or a habitational name from any of several places called with this word. Compare Leier.4: German: metonymic occupational name for a slater from Middle High German leie ‘slate’.5: French: habitational name from Ley in Moselle.6: French (Alsace): of German origin (see above).
Losa : Spanish and Italian (Lombardy): topographic name from losa ‘slate’ denoting someone who lived in a place where this kind of stone abounds or an occupational name for a slater.
Losada : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: topographic name for someone who lived by an area paved with flagstones Spanish losada (from losar ‘to pave’ a derivative of losa a word of pre-Roman origin meaning a flat stone slab).2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.
Macera : 1: Italian (southern): topographic name from macera ‘dry-stone wall pile of stones (collected from cultivated land) stone ruins’.3: Spanish: in some cases possibly also a habitational name from La Macera in Cáceres province.2: Spanish: Castilianized form of Portuguese and Galician Maceira.
Mainstone : 1: from Mainstone Court in Pixley (Herefs) and perhaps also from any of several places with similar names of various origins such as Mainstone in Egg Buckland and Mainstone in Heanton Punchardon (both Devon) Mainstone (Shrops) Mainstone in Romsey (Hants) Mainstone Farm in Buxworth (Derbys) and Mainstone Gate in Chobham (Surrey). The Herefs Shrops and Surrey place-names derive from Old English mægen-stān ‘huge stone monolith’. The Derbys and Devon place-names may derive from Old English mægen-stān or from a British word related to Welsh maen ‘stone’ + Old English stān ‘stone’. The Hants place-name derives from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Maheu (genitive Maheues) + Middle English toun ton ‘town village settlement’. 2: there has probably been some confusion with Manston.
Marber : from Old French marbrier ‘quarrier or hewer of marble; carver or worker in marble'. At Westminster in 1385 Thomas Canon of Corfe marbrer was paid £30 6s. 8d. for making stone images in the likeness of kings to stand in the Great Hall. Marble was also used for paving in churches etc. In 1312 Adam le Marbrer undertook to pave part of Saint Paul's with squares of marble (Salzman Building 32 147). Compare Marble.
Marrero : Spanish: occupational name for a stone breaker marrero a derivative of marra ‘hammer’.
Mason : 1: English: occupational name from Middle English masoun ‘mason stone worker builder in stone’ (Old Central French maçon masson). A Middle English form machun (derived from Old French machun) gives rise to Machin and its variants. See also Mayson. Stonemasonry was a hugely important craft in the Middle Ages.2: Italian (Veneto): variant of Masone.3: Altered form of French Masson.4: French: topographic name from a regional variant of maison ‘house’.
Maurer : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a mason especially a builder of walls of stone or brick from an agent derivative of Middle High German mūre German Mauer ‘wall’ (from Latin murus ‘wall’ especially a city wall). In the Middle Ages the majority of dwellings were built of wood (or lath and plaster) and this term would have specifically denoted someone employed in building defensive walls castles churches and other public buildings. This form of the surname is also found in some other European countries e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) the Netherlands Poland Czechia Slovakia and Slovenia (see also 2 below). Compare Mourer and Mowrer.2: In some cases also an Americanized or Germanized form of Slovenian Mavrer or Mavrar: occupational name of German origin (see 1 above) at least in some cases applied as a translation into German of the Slovenian surname Zidar.
Methot : French (Méthot): variant of Métot (and in North America an altered form of this) itself a variant of Métaut probably a topographic name derived from Old French mete ‘boundary stone boundary’. Compare Matott.
Mette : 1: North German: from a pet form of the female personal name Mechthild (see Metz).2: North German: occupational name for a miller from Middle Low German matte mette ‘dry measure’.3: French: topographic name from Old French mete ‘boundary stone boundary’ (from Latin meta ‘bounded estate’).
Mo : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 莫 meaning ‘nothing; nonexistent’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Mo (鄚) the name of a fief (located in Renqiu in present-day Hebei province) in the state of Zhao during the Warring States period (475–221 BC). This fief may be identical with the city of Mo built by the legendary king Zhuanxu (traditional dates: 2514–2437 BC). When the name of the fiefdom was adopted as a surname the Chinese character 鄚 was simplified as 莫 and adopted as a surname. (ii) from Mo Ao (莫敖) said to be the name of an official position in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) approximately equivalent to ‘deputy prime minister’. Descendants of people who were appointed to this position adopted 莫 (Mo) as their surname. However it is said that Mo Ao (莫敖) was also the name of an official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) whose descendants inherited 莫 as their surname. (iii) shortened form of Xing Mo (刑莫) Mo Na Lou (莫那婁) and Mo Duo Lou (莫多婁) surnames from the Xianbei ethnic group in ancient northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iv) simplified form of another ancient Chinese surname 幕 (Mu in Mandarin pinyin) said to be borne by descendants of Yu Mu ancestor of the legendary Emperor Shun (c. 23rd century BC). They settled mainly in Julu and Jiangling in Hubei province.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 墨 meaning ‘ink’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name of Mo Ru (墨如) said to be the teacher of Yu the first emperor of the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (ii) shortened form of the compound surname Mo-Tai (墨台 or 墨胎) the surname of the royal family of an ancient state called Gu Zhu (located in present-day Hebei province) during the late Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (iii) it is also said that the surname is borne by descendants of Mo Tai (墨台) a prince of the state of Song (located in present-day Shangqiu in Henan province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).3: Chinese: Cantonese Teochew Hokkien and Taiwanese form of the surname 毛 see Mao 1.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 牟 see Mou 1.5: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 武 and 巫 see Wu 3 and 4.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 茅 see Mao 2.Also Cantonese form of the surname 冒 see Mao 3.7: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 慕 see Mu 2.8: Burmese: variant of Moe 5.9: Amerindian (Guatemala): Mayan name from mo ‘macaw’ a kind of parrot. Compare Moo.10: Norwegian: variant of Moe 1.11: Portuguese and Galician: habitational name from any of the places called Mó or A Mó in Portugal and Galicia (Spain) from Latin molam ‘millstone’ referring to a great stone.
Moa : 1: Norway: habitational name from a farm name an inflectional form of Old Norse mór ‘plain moor heath’.2: Galician: habitational name from any of the places called Moa or A Moa from Latin molam ‘millstone’ referring to a great stone.3: Tongan: unexplained.
Moo : 1: Chinese: variant of Mu.2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 巫 possibly based on its Hakka pronunciation see Wu 4.3: Burmese (Karen): variant of Mu 9.4: Amerindian (Mexico): Mayan name a cognate of Mo.5: Galician: from an old form of mo ‘millstone’ a topographic name referring to a large stone.6: Norwegian: variant of Moe.
Mothershaw : 1: from Moddershall in Stone (Staffs) which is recorded as Modredeshale in 1086 Modreshalle in 1305 and Mothersall in 1551. The place-name derives from the Old English personal name Mōdrēd (genitive Mōdrēdes) + halh ‘nook corner of land’. Pronunciation of -shall as -shaw is a common variation. The name sometimes developed to or was confused with Mottershead (compare the bearers of both names in Audley and Leek Staffs). 2: see Mottershaw Mottershead.
Mun : 4: English: variant of Munn.1: Korean: written 문 in Chinese characters 文 meaning ‘writing’ or ‘literature’ and 門 meaning ‘doors’ or ‘gates’. There are only these two Chinese characters for the surname Mun. Although some records indicate that there are as many as 131 Mun clans only three can be traced. The founding ancestor of the oldest of these the Namp’yŏng Mun clan was named Mun Ta-sŏng and was born in 472. According to legend he was found by Shilla King Chabi Maripkan in a stone box at the end of a rainbow by a lotus pond. The Chinese character Mun was inscribed in the box so the king gave that as a surname to the child. The founders of the other two Mun clans were originally named Cha and Kim but after studying in China they changed their names to Mun (because of the meaning of the Chinese character 文 explained above). Compare Moon 4.2: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 門 see Men 4.3: Chinese: variant of Man.
Mungall : from Mungall in Falkirk (Stirlings). The place-name is probably Gaelic mòine ‘moss peat-bog’ + gall in the sense of a prominent stone or standing stone.
Muren : 1: Slovenian: nickname from muren ‘cricket’ (the insect) formerly also ‘black animal’ (in general) probably denoting a cheerful person or a person with dark hair or complexion.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farms named Muren from mur ‘brick or stone wall’ also denoting a farm at the foot of a steep mountain.
Oberley : 1: Possibly an altered form of German and Swiss German Oberle and Oberli.2: German: topographic name from ober ‘up above’ + Middle Low German leie ‘rock stone shale’.
Perrier : 1: French: occupational name for a quarryman or stone breaker from Old French perrier an agent derivative of pierre ‘stone rock’.2: French: habitational name from (Le) Perrier the name of several places in various parts of France.3: English: topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree from Middle English perie ‘pear tree’ + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.4: English (of Norman origin): occupational name either from Old French perrier perrieur ‘quarrier stone breaker’ (compare 1 above) or given the implied high social status of some of the early English bearers from an agent derivative of Old French and Middle English perri pirri ‘precious stone’ hence ‘jeweler’.
Pinkert : 1: German: metonymic occupational name for a blacksmith from Low German pinken ‘to strike sparks from a stone or metal’.2: German: from Pinker a personal name of uncertain origin.3: Dutch: nickname from a derivative of Middle Dutch pinken ‘to sparkle to shine’ (of the eye).4: Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German surname (see 1 and 2 above) probably because of its similarity to the Yiddish personal name Pinkhes (see Pincus).
Plotz : German:: 1: (Plötz): see Ploetz.2: metonymic occupational name from platz plotz ‘wedge (for splitting stone)’ an occupational name for a baker of a Swabian type of cake called by this name or a nickname for a big heavy man.3: variant of Platz 2.
Podraza : Polish: nickname or metonymic occupational name from podraza a wedge serving to raise the quern stone in a mill.
Pong : 1: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 龐 and 逄 see Pang 1 and 2.2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 彭 see Peng 1.3: Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 邦 (meaning ‘state’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal names of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.4: Korean: there are two Chinese characters for the surname Pong but only one is common enough to warrant treatment here. Some records indicate that there are nineteen Pong clans but only the clans of Kanghwa and Haŭm can be documented as legitimate clans. The majority of the Pong clan lives in either Hwanghae Province or Kyŏnggi Province. According to legends an old woman walking along the beach in Haŭm district of Kwanghwa found a stone box floating on the water. Inside was an extraordinary baby boy whom she presented to Koryŏ king Injong in 1107. The king named the baby Pong-u and raised him within the precincts of his court. Pong-u's descendants continued to live in the Haŭm area and the clan came to be known as the Haŭm Pong clan. The founding ancestor of the Kanghwa Pong clan is unknown and there is speculation that perhaps the Kanghwa Pong clan is in fact descended from the Haŭm Pong clan.
Portz : German: variant of Porz a habitational name from a town so named near Cologne. The name proves the point that the name (from Latin porta) and the object (‘city gate’) came to the ancient Germanic north with the Romans who introduced construction in stone. Compare Ports.
Poxton : probably a folk-etymological variant of Poxon (see Pogson) influenced perhaps by the dialect word pox-stone denoting a type of hard grey stone found in the coal measures of N Staffs.
Querry : 1: Irish and Scottish: shortened form of McQuarrie.2: English and Scottish: either a topographic or occupational name for someone who lived near or worked in a stone quarry from Middle English Old French quarrei querrei and quarrere ‘quarry’.3: English: nickname from Middle English quarre(i) (Old French quarré) literally ‘square-shaped (person)’ applied to a stout or thickset man. Compare Carre.
Ris : 1: Swiss German: Alemannic variant of Ries 3 or Reis 1.2: Swiss German: topographic name from Middle High German risi ‘water channel (made of stone or wood) on a mountain’ for someone who lived near such a structure.3: Dutch: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name Riso or Risolf formed with ris- a shortened element with a number of interpretations (for instance possibly a cognate of German Ries). Alternatively a patronymic from a short form of the personal name Henri French equivalent of Henry. Compare Rys.4: Slovenian: nickname from ris ‘lynx’ probably denoting a lithe and deft person.5: Serbian and Croatian: metonymic occupational name from dialect ris ‘harvest of hired reapers paid in kind’. As a Croatian name it may in some cases also be a nickname from ris ‘lynx’ (see Slovenian name above).6: Slovak (Rís): possibly a nickname from Slovak archaic ris (modern spelling rys) ‘lynx’ (see Slovenian name above). Compare Rys.7: Slovak (Riš): unexplained.
Rosenstein : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name compound from German Rosen- ‘rose’ + Stein ‘stone’.2: German: habitational name from a place so named. As a component of placenames stein ‘rock stone’ typically signifies a stone structure such as a castle or house.
Schiappa : Italian:: 1: nickname from schiappa ‘piece of wood’ and figurative ‘to be a washout at something’.2: possibly from a shortened form of Schiappapietra (an occupational name for a stone mason or cutter) or Schiappacasse (an occupational name for a docker) formed with Ligurian s-ciapa ‘to break to split’ (standardized to schiappa).
Shenstone : from Shenstone (Staffs) which is recorded as Scenestan in about 1130 or Shenstone in Stone (Worcs) which is recorded as Senestone in 1221. The Staffs place-name derives from Old English scēne ‘bright beautiful’ + stān ‘stone’. The Worcs place-name probably derives from the Old English personal name Scēne (genitive Scēnes) + Old English tūn ‘farmstead estate’.
Shiverdecker : Americanized form of German Schieferdecker an occupational name for a slater from Middle High German schīver ‘piece of wood or stone slate’ + the agent derivative of decken ‘to lay a roof’.
Sling : from Middle English sling(e) ‘sling’ for someone who used a sling. The word was used either for a hand-held weapon for throwing missiles or for a device used for lifting blocks of stone during building operations. Compare Slinger.
Slinger : 1: English and Dutch: from an agent derivative of Middle English sling Dutch slinge ‘strap for hurling stones’ (of Low German origin) hence an occupational name for a soldier or hunter armed with a sling or a nickname for someone who was a particularly good shot with this weapon. The word was also used of the ropes and pulleys used for lifting blocks of stone during building work and the surname would also have denoted a worker who operated these slings.2: Americanized form of German Schlinger.
Southcott : English: from any of several minor places in Devon called Southcote or Southcott named with Old English sūth ‘south southern’ + cot ‘cottage hut shelter’. There are also several places elsewhere in England with the same name including Southcott in Pewsey (Wiltshire) Southcote House in Reading (Berkshire) Southcott in Linslade (Buckinghamshire) and the lost Southcote in Stone (Buckinghamshire).
Splittgerber : North German: occupational name for someone who crushed stone split wood or tanned leather from Middle Low German spliten ‘to split’ + an agent derivative of gerben ‘to prepare’.
Springsteen : 1: Dutch: from springsteen a kind of stone used as a stepping stone in unpaved streets possibly applied as a nickname for a stonecutter. This surname which could alternatively be of North German origin (see 2 below) is no longer found in the Netherlands.2: Americanized form of North German Springstein a cognate of 1 above.
Stanbridge : English: topographic name from Middle English ston ‘stone’ (Old English stān) + brigge ‘bridge’ (Old English brycg). The surname may also be a habitational name from any of various places so called including Stanbridge (Bedfordshire Hampshire) Stanbridge Grange in Slaugham (Sussex) Great and Little Stambridge (Essex) and Stone Bridge in Shalford (Surrey).
Standall : from Middle English ston stan ‘stone’ (Old English stān) + delf ‘quarry’ (Old English gedelf). The surname may be topographic for someone who lived by a stone quarry a nickname for someone who worked in one or toponymic for someone from a place so named such as Standhill (Oxon) which is recorded as Stangedelf in 1002 Standelf in about 1180 and Standell in 1492.
Standring : English (Lancashire): apparently a topographic name deriving from some stone circle (Middle English ston in the older form stan used in compound words + ring) but none is known from the right area.
Stanswood : from Stanswood in Fawley (Hants) which is recorded as Staneude in 1086 and Staneswode in 1283. The place-name probably means ‘wood belonging to Stone’ referring to the settlement of Stone (which also lies in Fawley parish) with Old English wudu ‘wood’. The relevance of the 14th-century bearers cited here who were taxed in the far north of the county is uncertain.
Stanton : English: habitational name from any of numerous places in England called Stanton or Staunton especially Stanton in Staffordshire and Staunton in Worcestershire all named with Old English stān ‘stone’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. Most of the placenames come from their situation on stony ground but in the case of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire and Stanton Drew in Avon the reference is to the proximity of prehistoric stone monuments. The name has also sometimes been chosen by Ashkenazic Jews as an Americanized form of various like-sounding Jewish surnames. This surname has also long been established in Ireland (especially Mayo).
Steen : 1: North German Norwegian and Danish; Swedish (also Steén and Stéen); Dutch and Flemish (also Van der Steen): from Middle Low German stēn Old Norse steinn (Danish and Swedish sten) ‘stone’ hence a topographic name for someone who lived on stony ground or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with stone (quarryman stonecutter or stonemason). As a Swedish name it is mainly habitational name from a placename such as Stenby containing the word sten ‘stone’; it can also be from the personal name Sten with the same meaning. Compare Sten.2: English: from the Middle English personal name Steyne (Old Norse Steinn Sten meaning ‘stone’).3: English: habitational name from any of various minor places in northern England and Scotland named with Old English stān ‘stone rock’ (northern Middle English stayn) or in the rest of England with Old English stǣne ‘stony place’ (Middle English stane stayne stene) including Steane (Northamptonshire) Stein Farm in East Dean (Sussex) Stains in Funtington (Sussex) what is now Old Steine in Brighton (Sussex) and Steyne in Chale (Isle of Wight). Compare Staines.4: Scottish: from a shortened form of Stephen.5: Irish and Scottish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Stiamhna ‘son of Stephen’ often Anglicized as McStephen or McStein.
Steensma : West Frisian and Dutch: occupational name for someone who worked with stone (quarryman stonecutter or stonemason) from stēn ‘stone’ + the Frisian suffix -ma which originally denoted ‘(one of the) men of’.
Stein : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German stein German Stein ‘rock’ hence a topographic name either for someone who lived on stony ground or for someone who lived by a notable outcrop of rock or by a stone boundary marker or monument. It could also be a metonymic occupational name for a mason or stonecutter or among Jews an artificial name. This surname is also found elsewhere in central Europe e.g. in Czechia where it is also spelled Štein and in Poland.2: Dutch: from a shortened form of the personal name Augustijn (see Austin) or a habitational name from any of the Dutch places called Stein.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of ten or more farmsteads notably in southeastern Norway from Old Norse steinn ‘stone’ most often named from a big rock on the farm.4: English (London) and Scottish (Lanarkshire and West Lothian): variant of Steen.
Steinbrecher : German: occupational name for someone who worked in a stone quarry from Middle High German stein ‘stone’ + an agent derivative of brechen ‘to break’.
Steinbrook : 1: Americanized form of Swiss German Steinbrüchel or perhaps German Steinbruch: occupational name for a stone worker from Middle High German stein ‘stone’ + break ‘break fracture’ + -el agent suffix. Compare Stainbrook.2: Possibly also an Americanized form of German Steinbruck or Steinbrück: habitational name from any of the places called Steinbruck Steinbrück Steinenbruck Steinenbrück.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
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