As a general rule, Moluccan names sound Polynesian, but this Polynesian-ness of Moluccan names is often obscured by Dutch spellings. The Dutch ruled Maluku for hundreds of years, during which time anybody who was part Dutch, worked for the Dutch, or had a Dutch name could be assured of certain advantages. So Moluccans loved to give their names Dutch spellings which often obscured completely the original Polynesian sounding syllables.
And in general every Moluccan surname has a meaning in the ancient tongue. This meaning is often forgotten, in which case people are apt to improvise by making a new meaning up, complete with a fanciful family-origin story to explain how the name evolved. Anyone who has delved into Moluccan origins has come across such stories, which may be a complex blend of truth, near truth, and fiction.
The other important thing about Moluccan names is that almost every one of them is closely associated with some geographical location or locations. For example, it is almost 100% guaranteed that anyone with a name like Watimena is either from Oma village or can trace his/her lineage to Oma. What this tells us is that Moluccan people have an exceptionally strong bond with the land, and so to remove a Moluccan from his/her homeland is an unforgivable violation of his/her rights as a human being. It is hard for people to understand this in other countries, where people are completely mobile and land is freely bought and sold, but this inextricable bond with the land is part of what it means to be Moluccan.
I have tried to gather stories about surnames, but I found that such stories were often viewed as closely guarded secrets, something like the latest breakthrough in nuclear physics might be guarded in the US. So I have not attempted a serious study of Moluccan surnames, which might require lifetimes to accomplish if this kind of resistance must needs be broken down to gain each one. Nevertheless, I do have these few tales. One is about the Muals of Hunut. Even the fact that there should be Muals in Hunut is interesting, since the Muals are best known in Buru, but here they are in Hunut. Another is about the Hitiahubesis of the same region. If there was ever a Polynesian sounding name it must be Hitiahubesi. And I also have a record of the famous Nikiulu family of Ambon (I have taken the liberty of dispensing with Dutch spellings, which will doubtless irritate my Moluccan brothers to no end). And speaking of fanciful tales, I have also taken down the legend of the Nahuwaels, who claim to have drifted to Maluku upon some sort of sago raft. It is doubtless from imaginings like this that great struggles against the elements such as Kon Tiki are born!
And lastly I must add that Moluccan families are patrilineal, just like in the West, so that surnames are handed down from father to son whereas daughters marry into other patrilineal lines and take up their surnames. But in addition to the patrilineal surname, by tradition every Moluccan family belongs to something called a "ruma tau," which is evidently a vestigeal remnant of the ancient past which has no meaning in our time. This is especially evident in the most truly Moluccan societies where outside influences have been minimal, for example in Buru, where almost everyone can immediately tell you the name of his ruma tau. Thus the Lesnusas are called Masbait Taun, meaning that they belong to the Masbait lineage. For those interested in persuing this topic further, it appears that Masbait is a Buru corruption of Maja Pahit, which was an empire on Java, and the word, "tau," is a very ancient Austronesian word meaning "people." So at one time, the Lesnusas must have been considered Maja Pahit people from Java.