Muse
A surname most likely from a nickname for musing, brooding, or loitering, though in some cases it may have been imported from French place-names.
The #2,870 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,560 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English, Muse is usually linked to the verb *muse*, meaning to think, brood, or linger in thought, so it may have begun as a nickname for someone reflective or dreamy. The French records in the historical sources also point to similar forms such as *Musard*, from a word meaning a loiterer or dawdler, suggesting a related nickname sense. In a few cases, the name may also reflect French locational surnames or be a shortened form of a continental name brought into English usage.
History
The surname appears in English records and is not especially common, but it has persisted into the modern era in Britain and the United States. Historical surname dictionaries also note French forms like Musard and related place-based names, which means some bearers of Muse may have different origins depending on family line. Because the name can arise from more than one tradition, its history is somewhat mixed rather than single-source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word *muse* in English originally carries the sense of thoughtful pondering, which makes Muse one of those surnames that can sound almost poetic by coincidence.
From the historical record
“MUSARD (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Loiterer, Dawdler [Fr. musard ; f. muser, to muse, loiter] '. MUSCHAMP (Fr.-Teut. + Fr.-Lat.) Bel. to Muschamp or Mouchamp (France) = the”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)