Mitchells

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural of the surname Mitchell, referring to several people or families who share that family name
2. Members of families bearing the surname Mitchell, taken together as a group of people with a common last name
3. Groups of people who share the family name Mitchell, used when referring to more than one bearer of that surname

Etymology: "Mitchells" is the plural of "Mitchell," a surname that has been around since the Middle Ages. It is a Middle English vernacular form of the Old French given name Michel, itself a version of "Michael," the Hebrew-derived name meaning roughly "who is like God." Over time the name was worn down in everyday speech from the French form into the spelling we see today. The name may also have a second source. In some cases it came from a Middle English nickname, "muchel," meaning "big," so a family name could have started as a description of a large man. Both routes produced the same surname, which is why it is hard to say which one applies to any given family. The plural form simply refers to more than one person bearing the name, as in "the Mitchells went on holiday."