Maus
A surname that may come from the German word for “mouse,” though some old sources also treat it as a shortened nickname form.
The #8,288 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,244 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The most likely source is the German word Maus, meaning “mouse.” In surname use, that could have begun as a nickname for someone small, quick, timid, or simply associated with the animal in some way. Some 19th-century writers also mention related short forms and regional spellings, so the name may not always have had a single origin in every family.
History
The form appears in German-speaking areas and is reflected in older dictionaries with variants such as Muus, Mus, and related diminutives. In some cases, families later altered or Latinized the name, as with forms like Musculus. The surname is found in German and Dutch contexts and later spread more widely through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several old surname dictionaries connect Maus with the same root as the German word for a mouse, making it one of the more literal animal-based surnames.
From the historical record
“1 ouse. D. Muus ; G., Dch., FI. t Maus, Mus ; Fr. Mousse ; p.n. ; Old G. form Muoza, from mod 1 (courage). Moze, a Hugt. n., Lond. 1687”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)