# Patronymica Cornu-Britannica/M

M.
MABE. From the village and parish of Mabe in Kerrier hundred. Hals thinks the name of the vicarage is from Cornish mab, mabe, a son, in reference to Milorus, son of Melianus, king or duke of Cornwall, who lies buried in Milor churchyard; or that Mab or Mabe, the name of the church, refers to Jesus Christ, to whose honour it may have ​been erected. According to Tonkin, the name of this parish in the king's book is La Vabe, that is, St. Vabe or Mabe's Place. One of the nurse names of Abraham is Mabb.
MABIN, MAIBEN, MAYBIN. From the parish of St. Mabyn or Maiben. Ma-byn would signify the hill place. The local name Trevebbyn in Little St. Petroc is said to mean the boy's town (mab, a son).
MADAVER, MADDAVER, MADEVER. From med-veor, the great place; or mêz-veor, the great meadow.
MADDERN. Perhaps from St. Maddarne or Madran, a vicarage in Penwith hundred. "Galfridus Monmothensis tells us in his chronicle that one Madan was a British king in these parts before Julius Cæsar landed in Britain, and probably that he lived or died here, in memory of whom this parish is called Madran, now Maddarne. Here also is Maddarne well of water, greatly famous for its healing virtues, of which Bishop Hall of Exeter speaks in his work entitled the Great Mystery of Godliness, &c." (Hals.) But see Madron.
MADRON. A family of some distinction that formerly dwelt at St. Just, but which is now extinct. The name is derived from Madern, Madron; from vâz-dron, the good or fruitful hill. Cf. Maddern.
MAGER, MAGOR. From mager, maga, the feeding-place. Others connect the name Magor with Mauger, Major, Mayor, and Mayer. See also Maker.
MAIBEN. See Mabin.
MAIN, MAINE. See Myne.
MAINPRICE. From mean-prâz, the stony meadow. Hence the surname Mimpriss.
MAKER. From the parish of Maker in East hundred; ​from va-ker, the dear or charming place; or from va-geare, the green or fruitful place. But see Magor.
MALYON. From Mullion parish in Kerrier hundred. "As in the valuation of Pope Nicholas in 1291 it is called Ecclesia Sancte Melanie, and in Archbishop Usher, De Christianatum Ecclesiarum, &c., the famous St. Malo is called St. Mellonus, St. Melanius, and Meloninus Britannus, I rather take him to have been the patron of this church, and to have given his name to the parish." (Tonkin.) Pryce renders Mull-yon, Mul-yein, Mullion, the bare cold place or exposure. St. Mellion or St. Mellyn in East hundred is said to have had its name from St. Melania, the patron of the church.
MANATON, MANETON. From the manor of Manaton in the parish of Hill South, which is said to have been the seat of the family even before the Conquest, although the head, Francis Manaton, Esq., some time since removed to Kilworthy, near Tavistock, which he became possessed of on the death of his relation, Henry Manaton, Esq. Cf. Tonkin. The name is probably from mean-dûn, the stony hill. Manaton is the name of a small village on an eminence in King's Teignton, Devon.
MANHANICK, MENHENHICK, MENHENICK, MENHINACK, MENHINICK. From men-winnick, the head or top of the marshes.
MANHANIOT. See Menhenitt.
MANHIRE. From men-heere, the high head or hill; or maen-heere, the high stone.
MAPOWDER. A family that once possessed the manor of Pelsew or Peldu in St. Erme, and also Trenance in Withiel. The name may be connected with that of the ​hundred of Powdar, which Pryce translates the province, country, or hundred of oaks (pou-dar); indeed, Powder may have been the family name; and Mab-powder (by corruption Mapowder) would translate the son of Powder. Ma may also be from va, a place. Mapother is the name of a Dublin physician.
MARRACK. From marrek, marhag, a soldier, horseman, knight; from march, a horse.
MAYBIN. See Mabin.
MAYHOW. A Cornish form of Matthew. "The Mayows of Cornwall originally wrote themselves Mayhew." (C. S. Gilbert.)
MAYNE. See Myne.
MEAKER. From root of Magor, q. v.
MEAN. From Mayon or Mean, a small village in Sennen parish, near the Land's End, where there is a large stone called Table Mean. The name means "the stone." But see Myne.
MEANWELL. From mean-wheal, the stony wheal or work; or mean-uhal, the lower stone. Meanwhilly is or was a local name in the county.
MEASE. From root of Vease, q. v.
MEATHREL, MEATHRELL, METHERAL, METHERELL. From Metherill in Calstock; from meath-ryel, the royal plain; or mêz-ryel, the royal meadow.
MEES. From meas, mes, mêz, an open field.
MEHUISH. See Melhuish.
MEIN. See Myne.
MELGESS. From Melgess in St. Agnes, which Pryce renders the mill wood (melin-gus).
MELHUISH, VELLHUISH. Hals mentions these, ​among five others, as the names of the chief inhabitants of Penrin in Gluvias. He says, "The name Melhuish is local, viz., from the barton or tenement of Melhuish, near Kirton in Devon, which signifies a lark-bird, or larks." The Cornish has certainly melhuez, a lark, which Pryce derives from mel-huez, a sweet breath; or, says, he, the bird may perhaps be so named from pelhudz, a high flight. The local name however can hardly be derived from a lark; and the last syllable is probably from wich, wick, a dwelling. Mellhuish, Mellish, Mehuish, and Mellows would seem to be the same name.
MELLADEW, MELLODEW. From melin-thew, the black mill.
MELLHUISH, MELLISH. See Melhuish.
MELLODEW. See Melladew.
MELLOWS. See Melhuish.
MELYNGISSY. From Melancoose in Colan or Colon; or Mellingoos in Cornelly; from melin-gûs, the mill wood.
MENADAWA. From Menadawa in Camborne. Pryce renders Menadarva, Menadorva, the watery hill; or by the water; or the hill of oaks (men, a head, hill; dower, water; deru, oaks). I take it to be from men-dar-va, the head of the oak place; or the head of the watery place.
MENADUE, or MENANDUE. From Mennadie in Luxulion; from mean-dew, the black rock.
MENAGWINS. From Menegwins in Gorran; from men-gwyn, the white head or promontory. Hals renders Mena-Gwins in St. Austell, white hills.
MENEAR, MENNEER. From mên-hîr, the long stone; or mener, a mountain, a hill. Cf. the names Minear, Miners, Mynor, Mynors.
​MENHENHICK, MENHENICK. See Manhanick.
MENHENITT, MANHANIOT. From the parish of Menheniot (now Menherriot) in East hundred. According to Hals, the name means the ancient stone gate (Cornish mean-hen, A. S. gate, geat). Others derive it from menedh-Neot, (St.) Neot's hill. In the valuation of Pope Nicholas the name of the parish is written Manyhinyhet or Saihinet.
MENHINACK. See Manhanick.
MENHINICK. See Manhanick.
MENZANT. From men-zanz, which may be variously rendered the saint's head, the holy or consecrated hill, or the head of the bay; or from mên-sanz, the holy stone.
MERTHER. From Merther in Powder hundred. Pryce renders Mer-ther, Môr-dôr, on the sea-water. Hals says, "Merthyr, Murder refers to the tutelar patron and guardian saint (Cohan) of the church, who was a martyr for the Christian religion."
METHERAL. See Meathrel.
METHERELL. See Meathrel.
MEVAGISSEY. From Mevagassey in Powder hundred, which Hals renders "the hill custom; otherwise Menagasseg, after the Welsh, is the hill and waves of the sea"! Carew says the church is called Menaguisy from its two tutelar saints Meny and Isey. In Wolsey's Inquisition (1521) the church is called St. Menage-zey. Pryce gives Mene-guissey, Melin-gissy (a village); and Meva-gizey, Mene-guissy, Mellin-guissey (a parish); both of which he renders the mill wood.
MEYN. See Myne.
MICHELL. Not an uncommon surname in Cornwall. The name of one family was originally Mychel and Mighel, ​and was so written for many centuries. It is merely a Cornish form of Michael. The proper name of this family would seem to be Coloryan. "The parish register of Ludgvan gives births, deaths, and marriages of Mighel de Coloryan, from about 1380. The death of John Mychel de Coloryan at the age of 80 is recorded." (Inf. John Michell, Esq., St. Petersburg.) Under Ludgven or Ludgean parish Gilbert says, "The name of another farm in Ludgean, which cannot be accidental, requires notice. On this farm was a well, now destroyed by mines, having, in all probability, some slight quality of chalybeate. The water acquired an established reputation for the relief of weak sight, and hundreds repaired there every year to bathe their eyes. The farm is named Collurian, and has been time out of mind." There is still a place and property called Colloryan in Ludgvan, in possession of the Michell family, one of which family is now Her Majesty's Consul at St. Petersburg. The Cornish word culurionem signifies the entrail; clorian is a pair of scales; clor, glory, beauty; but if Gilbert is correct, the name Collurian is from the Gr. κολλυριον, κολλουριον, a collyrian, a medicinal application for the eyes.
MILDREN. This name might be variously rendered the town for beasts (mîl-tren); the beasts' hill (mîl-dron); the honey town (mêl-tren); the hill of honey (mêl-dron).
MILITON. From the manor of Millaton in Linkinhorne; from melin-ton, the mill dwelling; or melin-don, the mill hill. Melin-don would also signify the yellow hill.
MILL. From melyn, a mill.
MILLAN. From melin, the mill. There is a place called Port Melyn, the mill cove.
MIMPRISS. See Mainprice.
​MINEAR, MINERS. See Menear.
MINGOOSE. From Mingoose in St. Agnes; from min-gûs, the kid's wood.
MINTY, MYNTAYE. From Min-ty, which will variously translate the kid's abode, the stone house or dwelling, and the dwelling on the edge; or from men-têg, the fair head or promontory.
MITHIAN, MYTHIAN. From Methian, formerly Mithian, in St. Agnes. Hals derives the name "from mithi-an, i.e. of whey, a notable grange for cows and milk, or, if Saxon, from my-thyan, my servant, or villain by inheritance"! Mithian means rather the feeding-place, from metha, to feed. The family is now extinct. From this name, by interchange of f and p, we may have the surnames Fiddian, Fithian, and Phythian.
MOASE. See Vose.
MODERET. From mod-ryd, the dwelling at the ford; or mod-rydh, the dwelling in the plain, or the flourishing dwelling. There is a place called Tremoderet-en-Hell in Roche, which Hals renders "Aunt's Hall town, a place heretofore notable for its hall;" and modereb a barth certainly does mean "aunt by the mother's side."
MOGER. Probably from root of Magor.
MOLENNECK. Gilbert translates this name gold-finches (moleneck), and he gives as the arms a chevron Sable, between two goldfinches Proper. It more probably signifies the bare place on or near the brook (moel-in-ick).
MONHURE. From bon-hir, the long dwelling; or mean-hir, the long stone. But see Manhire.
MONTON. From Monathon (Manaccan) in Kerrier hundred; or perhaps rather from Monython in Cury; from ​bon-îthon, the furzy dwelling. There was a David de Monton.
MORGAN. From mor-gan, by the sea.
MORTH, MURTH, MURT. According to C. S. Gilbert, "a branch of the Randall family that resided at or near Looe assumed the name of Morth or Murth (so written in Talland church), but retained the arms of Randall." Wm. Morth was sheriff of Cornwall 2 Wm. III. The name may be from vordh, a way; or marth, a wonder, a marvel; varth, miraculous, wonderful. The W. marth is flat, plain, or open. The arms of Murth are Sable, a chevron between three falcons' legs erased, with bells, Or.
MOYLE. From Moyle near St. Minver, where the family flourished for several generations. They are said to have originally descended from the Moyles of Tresurans, in St. Columb, or the Moyles of Bodmin. The arms of this family are, Gules, a moyle (mule) passant, Argent. The name is from moelh, a blackbird; or perhaps rather from moel, bald, bare (place). Cf. the surname Mole, and the Welsh name Moel signifying "bald."
MUDGAN. See Mudgeon.
MUDGEON, MUDGAN, MUGAUN. "Mudgan, the name of a place in St. Martin's in Meneage, is a corruption of Muchan, a sort of chimney (from mog, moge, smoke), with a lovour or chimney-hole through the top of the house for the smoke; from whence was denominated a family of gentlemen, surnamed Mugaun or Mudgan, whose sole inheritrix was married to Chynoweth of Chynoweth in St. Earth, temp. Queen Mary." (Hals.) The name is probably from mogan, great; or mod, mud-gan, the place upon the down.
​MULBERRY. From Mulfra in Madron; from moel-vrè, the bald or "bare hill. This is confirmed by Polwhele, who renders Moel-vre (vulgò Mulberry) in St. Austell, the bare hill; and by Pryce, who translates Mulfra, Mulvera, the bare hill; which he also makes a nom. fam.
MULFRA, MULVERA. From Mulfra in Madron. See Mulberry.
MULVERA. See Mulfra.
MURT, MURTH. See Morth.
MYLOR. From the parish of Mylor in the hundred of East Kerrick; from moel-or, the stone boundary.
MYNE. From mean, mên (pl. myyn), a stone; or men, a head, a hill. Hence Main, Maine, Mayne, Mean, Mein, Meyn.
MYNON. From mein-on, the stony downs.
MYNOR, MYNORS. See Menear.
MYNTAYE. See Minty.
MYTHIAN. See Mithian.
This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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