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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) : habitational name from Meissen in Germany, earlier (968 ad) recorded as Misna, Misina, named for the small river Misna (today Meisabach), whose name is very ancient, probably pre-Slavic. The place was famous in the Middle Ages for the fine linen cloth produced there, and the German surname may also be an occupational name for a manufacturer or seller of such wares.

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