maund

Maund is an English-language surname with examples dating to the medieval period. The name continues to be used in the United Kingdom and among communities in other English-speaking countries. As with many surnames, its precise origin is uncertain; it may derive from a byname, a place name, or an earlier personal name that evolved into a family surname. The spelling Maund has remained stable in modern times, though historical sources show occasional variant forms.

In addition to its use as a surname, maund refers to a historical unit of mass once used in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, a maund was defined as 40 seers. The exact weight of a seer varied by region, but the maund commonly equaled about 37.3 kilograms (roughly 82 pounds) in many contexts. The unit was employed in agriculture, taxation, and trade under various rulers, including during British rule. Over the 19th and early 20th centuries, the maund gradually fell out of official use as metric systems were adopted, though it appears in historical records and archival materials.

Today, Maund is primarily encountered as a surname, with its historical weight measure largely of interest to scholars and researchers studying historical commerce and administration. The two senses—surname and historical unit of mass—are distinct and have no practical overlap in contemporary usage.