Mann Family History

English, German, and Jewish (Ashkenazic) derive a nickname for a fierce or strong man, or for a man contrasted with a boy, from Middle English, Middle High German man, and German Mann meaning 'man'. In some cases, the name may have arisen as an occupational name for a servant, stemming from the medieval usage of the term to describe a person of inferior social status. The Jewish surname can be artificial.

English and German origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic personal name Manno, which appears in Old English as Mann or Manna. This name likely originated either as a byname or as a short form of a compound name containing the element man 'man', such as Hermann.

In English, it can also serve as a habitational name from the Isle of Man. In Irish and Scottish contexts, it is a shortened form of McMann, derived from McMahon. Additionally, there is a Germanized form of the Sorbian Man, which comes from a short form of the Old Slavic personal name Manislav or Manomir, based on the element man 'to allure' (from Old Slavic maniti).

The Jewish (Ashkenazic) variant of the surname is cognate with Man, which supports the connections established above. Furthermore, in American contexts, it can be viewed as a shortened form of the Finnish Manninen. Lastly, in India (Punjab), it is noted as a Jat and Sikh name of unexplained etymology.