Nook of Names

Carrying on now with my look at little used surnames which emerged in England in medieval times from Old English, Old Norse and Norman-French.

On to Part 2 of “M”!

Mead — in most cases, from the Old English mǣd “meadow,” and used of someone who lived by a meadow, rather than anything to do with the drink, although in some cases, it might be, having arisen as the surnameo f someone who made it.

Meaden — from mǣd “meadow” + “end,” i.e. someone who dwelt at the meadow’s end.

Meader — mostly arose meaning  “mead-maker,” but sometimes meadow related.

Measham — from Measham in Leicestershire. Mease (a river-name meaning “mossy”) + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor.”

Melden, Meldon — from Meldon, Northumbria and Meldon, Devon. The former is Old English mǣl “crucifix” + dūn “hill,” while the first element of the latter is mǣle “multi-colored.”

Melford — from one of the places of the name. Old English myln “mill” + “ford.”

Mellanby — from one of the places called Melmerby in Cumbria and Yorkshire. Either the Old Irish personal name Maelmuire “devotee of Mary” or Old Norse malmr “sandy field” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”

Meller — Middle English mellere “miller.”

Mellis — from Mellis, Suffolk. Old English myln “mill” — here meaning “the mills.”

Meltham — from Meltham in Yorkshire. Probably Old English *melt “smelting + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor.”

Mercer — Old French mercier “merchant.” Dipped its toe once into the top 1000 in 1881.

Meriton — from one of the places called Merrington. The Shropshire one derives from Old English myrge “merry” + dūn “hill” (i.e. almost certainly the site of Pagan festivals), while the one in Durham combines the Old English male personal name Mæra with tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”

Merivale — from Old English myrge “merry” + Old French vale “valley.” May share the same sort of sentiment as the Shropshire Meriton.

Merriden, Merridan — from Meriden, Warwickshire. Old English myrge “merry” + denu “valley.” Like Meriton and Merivale, may well signify the site of a Pagan festival.

Merrow — from Surrey. Probably Old English mærge “marrow,” used of fertile ground.

Merrylees — Old English myrge “merry” + lǣse “pasture,” used of someone who lived next to such a place. Often said to mean “pleasant pasture,” there is no reason why it wasn’t intended as “merry,” as with Meriton, Merivale and Merriden, and could well indicate too a place where festivities were held, quite possibly Pagan ones. Not exclusively Scottish, as sometimes thought, by any means, though some examples derive from the now vanished village of Merrilees in West Lothian. Variant Merrilees is borne by celebrity chef Merrilees Parker, and was featured by Abby not that long ago at Appellation Mountain.

Meynell — in part, from Old French mesnil from Latin mansio “abode,” used of a country residence where a land-holder lived with his family and retainers. Others derive from the Old German name Maginhild, a combination of magin “strong” + hild “battle.”

Mezen — from the Old German name Mathasuenta, a combination of mahti “might” and swinde “strong.” It was introduced to Britain by the Normans in the form Maissent.

Micklem — from Mickelham, Surrey. Old English micel “great” + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor,” or hamm “land in a river bend,” “river-meadow,” and “promontory.”

Milborrow, Milborough — from the Old English girl’s name Milburh. Old English milde “mild” + burh “fortress.”

Milby — from Milby, Yorkshire. Old English personal name Milda “mild” + Old Norse bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”

Milden, Mildon — sometimes from the curious Old English personal name Mildhun. A feminine form of this is recorded in medieval times too — Mildoina. It could be that both are diminutive forms of Mildred.  Other Mildons derive from Milden in Suffolk. Old English male personal name *Melda + ingas “family/followers of”, or melde “orache” + ing “place/stream characterized by.”

Millen — In part from the Old German name Milo (also the source of Miles), and in part from Old English myln “mill” + lanu “lane,” used of someone who lived on the “mill lane.”

Milner — either Old English *mylnere or Old Norse mylnari both meaning “miller.”

Minett, Minette — Old French mignot “dainty,” and “pleasing.” Sometimes from Minota, a diminutive  of Mina – see Minn below.

Minter, Mintor  — Old English myntere “moneyer.”

Minn — from the medieval women’s name Mina, thought to be a pet-form of Emeline or some other similarly sounding name.

Mitcham — from Mitcham, Surrey. Old English micel “great” + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor.”

Mobert — from the Old English personal name Modbeorht: mōd “heart,” “mind,” “spirit,” “courage” + beorht “bright.”

Modred — from the Old English personal name Modraed: mōd “heart,” “mind,” “spirit,” “courage” + rǣd “counsel.”

Molyneux — French molineur “miller.”

Monamy — French mon ami “my friend.”

Monier — Old French monier “moneyer.”

Monnery — Old French moinerie “worker at the monastery.”

Morden, Mordon — from one of the places of the name. Old English mōr “moor,”  “marshy upland” + dūn “hill.”

Mordew — French mort Dieu “God’s death!” One of the so-called “oath-names” — understood to have been used a lot by the original bearer!

Moreby — from Moreby in Yorkshire, or Moorby in Lincolnshire. Old Norse mór “moor” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”

Morley — from one of the places of the name. Old English mōr “moor,”  “marshy upland” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”

Morrick — Old English mōr “moor,”  “marshy upland” + wīc “dairy farm”; used of someone who lived at such a place.

Mortyn, Morten — from Mortagne in France, believed to derive from a Celtic river name.

Moyse — from a medieval form of Moses.

Mullin, Mullen — from places in France of the name. Fr: moulin “mill.”

Mulliner — French molineur “miller.”

Munden, Mundon — from one of the places of the name. Old English mund “protection” + dūn “hill.”

Musson — Anglo-French muisson “sparrow.”

Musto — Old English (ge)mōt “moot” + stōw “assembly place.”

Myer, Myers — Myer saw a little use in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but not enoguh to write home about. A name from two sources: Old French mire “physician,” and Old Norse mýrr “marsh.”

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