Lorraine f EnglishFrom the name of a region in eastern France, originally meaning "kingdom of
Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of
Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France that is now called
Lorraine, or in German
Lothringen (from Latin
Lothari regnum). As a given name, it has been used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century, perhaps due to its similar sound with
Laura. It became popular after World War I when the region was in the news, as it was contested between Germany and France.
Lou f & m English, FrenchShort form of
Louise or
Louis. Famous bearers include the baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) and the musician Lou Reed (1942-2013).
Lourdes f Spanish, PortugueseFrom the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby grotto.
Love 2 f EnglishSimply from the English word
love, derived from Old English
lufu.
Lowell m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from
lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).
Luana f English, Italian, PortugueseFrom the movie
Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.
Luann f EnglishEither a combination of
Lou and
Ann or a variant of
Luana. It was popularized in the 1950s by the singer Lu Ann Simms (1933-2003).
Lucetta f ItalianDiminutive of
Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Lucina f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
lucus meaning
"grove", but later associated with
lux meaning
"light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.
Lucinda f English, Portuguese, LiteratureAn elaboration of
Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel
Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play
The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).
Lucius m Ancient Roman, Biblical, EnglishRoman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin
lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.
Lucky m & f English, HindiFrom a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).
Lucretia f Ancient Roman, Roman MythologyFeminine form of the Roman family name
Lucretius, possibly from Latin
lucrum meaning
"profit, wealth". According Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida, Spain.
Ludwig m GermanFrom the Germanic name
Hludwig meaning
"famous in battle", composed of the elements
hlut "famous, loud" and
wig "war, battle". This was the name of three Merovingian kings of the Franks (though their names are usually spelled as
Clovis) as well as several Carolingian kings and Holy Roman emperors (names often spelled in the French form
Louis). Other famous bearers include the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), who contributed to logic and the philosophy of language.
Luigi m ItalianItalian form of
Louis. It has been borne by five prime ministers of Italy since the 19th century. This is also the name of
Mario's brother in Nintendo video games (debuting 1983), called
ルイージ (Ruīji) in Japanese.
Luther m EnglishFrom a German surname, itself derived from the Old German given name
Leuthar. The surname was borne by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a monk and theologian who started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his famous 95 theses to a church door. It has since been used as a given name in his honour, especially among Protestants. A notable bearer from the modern era was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
Lyndon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"linden tree hill" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
Lynette f English, Arthurian CycleForm of
Lynet used by Alfred Tennyson in his 1872 poem
Gareth and Lynette. According to Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette were eventually married. In modern times it is also regarded as a diminutive of
Lynn.
Lynn f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
Linda or names that end in
lyn or
line.
Mabelle f EnglishVariant of
Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase
ma belle meaning "my beautiful".
Madonna f EnglishFrom a title of the Virgin
Mary meaning "my lady" in Italian. A famous bearer of the name is American singer Madonna Ciccone (1958-), known simply as Madonna.
Mafalda f Portuguese, Italian, SpanishOriginally a medieval Portuguese form of
Matilda. This name was borne by the wife of Afonso, the first king of Portugal. In modern times it was the name of the titular character in a popular Argentine comic strip (published from 1964 to 1973) by Quino.
Magdalene f German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom a title meaning
"of Magdala".
Mary Magdalene, a character in the New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by
Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered
Madeline, while
Magdalene or
Magdalen is the learned form.
Mahala f EnglishVariant of
Mahalah or
Mahalath. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.
Maiara f TupiFrom Tupi
maya arya meaning
"great-grandmother".
Maira f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
μαρμαίρω (marmairo) meaning
"sparkle, gleam, flash". This name was borne by several characters in Greek mythology, including one of the Nereids.
Malvina f Literature, English, Italian, FrenchCreated by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean
"smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic
mala "brow" and
mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to
mhìn and pronounced with a
v sound).
Manley m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name, meaning
"common clearing" in Old English.
Maple f EnglishFrom the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem
Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Marc m French, Catalan, WelshFrench, Catalan and Welsh form of
Marcus (see
Mark). This name was borne by the Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Marguerite f FrenchFrench form of
Margaret. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
Mari 1 f Estonian, Finnish, Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Georgian, ArmenianEstonian, Finnish, Welsh and Breton form of
Maria, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of
Mária. It is also a Scandinavian, Georgian and Armenian form of the French name
Marie.
Marian 1 f EnglishVariant of
Marion 1. This name was borne in English legend by Maid Marian, Robin Hood's love. It is sometimes considered a combination of
Mary and
Ann.
... [more] Mariel f EnglishDiminutive of
Mary influenced by
Muriel. In the case of actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name is from the Cuban town of Mariel.
Marion 2 m EnglishFrom a French surname that was derived from
Marion 1. This was the real name of American actor John Wayne (1907-1979), who was born Marion Robert Morrison.
Maritza f Spanish (Latin American)Elaboration of
Maria used particularly in Latin America. The suffix could be inspired by the name of the Itza people of Central America (as seen in the name of the old Maya city of Chichen Itza, Mexico). It also nearly coincides with the name of the Maritsa River in southeastern Europe.
Marius m Ancient Roman, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, LithuanianRoman family name that was derived either from
Mars, the name of the Roman god of War, or else from the Latin root
mas, maris meaning
"male". Gaius Marius was a famous Roman consul of the 2nd century BC. Since the start of the Christian era, it has occasionally been used as a masculine form of
Maria.
Marjorie f EnglishMedieval variant of
Margery, influenced by the name of the herb
marjoram. After the Middle Ages this name was rare, but it was revived at the end of the 19th century.
Marlene f German, EnglishBlend of
Maria and
Magdalene. It refers, therefore, to Mary Magdalene, a character in the New Testament. The name was popularized by the German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), whose real name was Maria Magdalene Dietrich.
Marnie f EnglishPossibly a diminutive of
Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie
Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.
Marquis m African AmericanFrom a noble title that derives from the Old French word
marche meaning "march, borderland". The title originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm.
Marta f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, Estonian, GeorgianForm of
Martha used in various languages.
Martina f German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Martinus (see
Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.
Masako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
雅 (masa) meaning "elegant, graceful" or
正 (masa) meaning "right, proper" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Masako (1963-) is the current empress consort of Japan. This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.
Math m Welsh MythologyPossibly from the old Celtic root *
matus meaning
"bear". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi, Math ap Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd and a magician. Whenever he was not at war, it was required that he rest his feet in the lap of a virgin. He was the uncle of the hero
Gwydion, with whom he shared most of his adventures.
Maud f English, French, Dutch, SwedishMedieval English and French form of
Matilda. Though it became rare after the 14th century, it was revived and once more grew popular in the 19th century, perhaps due to Alfred Tennyson's 1855 poem
Maud.
Maura 2 f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Máire. It has also been associated with Irish
mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish martyr.
May f EnglishDerived from the name of the month of May, which derives from
Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower. It is also used as a diminutive of
Mary,
Margaret or
Mabel.
Mazikeen f Popular CultureFrom Hebrew
מַזִּיקִין (mazziqin) meaning
"damagers, harmful spirits", derived from
מַזִּיק (mazziq) meaning "damaging". As a given name it is borne by a companion of
Lucifer in the comic book series
Lucifer, as well as on the 2016-2021 television adaptation.
Mckayla f English (Modern)Variant of
Michaela, often spelled as
McKayla with the third letter capitalized, as if it were an Irish or Scottish surname beginning with
Mc.
Medora f LiteratureCreated by Lord Byron for a character in his poem
The Corsair (1814). It is not known what inspired Byron to use this name. The year the poem was published, it was used as the middle name of Elizabeth Medora Leigh (1814-1849), a niece and rumoured daughter of Byron.
Melba f EnglishFrom the surname of the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba (1861-1931). This was a stage name that she got from the name of the city Melbourne, where she was born.
Melinda f English, HungarianCombination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Melville m EnglishFrom a Scots surname that was originally from a Norman French place name
Malleville meaning
"bad town". A famous bearer of the surname was the American author Herman Melville (1819-1891), who wrote several novels including
Moby-Dick.
Mercedes f SpanishMeans
"mercies" (that is, the plural of mercy), from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, meaning "Our Lady of Mercies". It is ultimately from the Latin word
merces meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favour, pity".
Merle m & f English, EstonianFrom the English word
merle or the French surname
Merle, which both mean
"blackbird" (from Latin
merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel
The Portrait of a Lady (1880).
... [more] Merlin m Arthurian Cycle, EnglishForm of the Welsh name
Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form
Merlinus over
Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French
merde "excrement".
... [more] Merrill m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived either from the given name
Muriel or from place names meaning "pleasant hill".
Merritt m & f EnglishFrom an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant
"boundary gate" in Old English.
Merry 1 f EnglishFrom the English word
merry, ultimately from Old English
myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel
Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), where it is a diminutive of
Mercy.
Merton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town on a lake" in Old English.
Meryl f EnglishVariant of
Muriel. A famous bearer is American actress Meryl Streep (1949-), whose real name is Mary Louise Streep.
Meyer m HebrewAlternate transcription of Hebrew
מֵאִיר (see
Meir). It also coincides with a German surname meaning "mayor, leader".
Michal 2 f Biblical, HebrewPossibly means
"brook" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of
Saul. She was married to
David, but after David fled from Saul he remarried her to someone else. Later, when David became king, he ordered her returned to him.
Michel m French, German, DutchFrench form of
Michael. Michel de Nostredame (1503-1566), also known as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer who made predictions about future world events. Another famous bearer is the retired French soccer player Michel Platini (1955-). This is also the German diminutive form of
Michael.
Mickey m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
Michael. This was the name that Walt Disney gave to Ub Iwerks' cartoon character Mickey Mouse (debuting 1928), who was called Mortimer Mouse while being developed. Another famous bearer was the American baseball player Mickey Mantle (1931-1995).
Mignon f LiteratureMeans
"cute, darling" in French. This is the name of a character in Ambroise Thomas's opera
Mignon (1866), which was based on Goethe's novel
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1796).
Mikhail m Russian, Belarusian, BulgarianRussian and Belarusian form of
Michael, and an alternate transcription of Bulgarian
Михаил (see
Mihail). This was the name of two Russian tsars. Other notable bearers include the Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841), the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022), and the Latvian-Russian-American dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948-).
Milagros f SpanishMeans
"miracles" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, which means "Our Lady of Miracles".
Milburn m EnglishFrom an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"mill stream" in Old English.
Mildred f EnglishFrom the Old English name
Mildþryð meaning
"gentle strength", derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
þryþ "strength". Saint Mildred was a 7th-century abbess, the daughter of the Kentish princess Saint Ermenburga. After the Norman Conquest this name became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
Milford m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from various place names all meaning
"ford by a mill" in Old English.
Millard m EnglishFrom an occupational English surname meaning
"guardian of the mill" in Old English.
Millicent f EnglishFrom the Gothic name *
Amalaswinþa, composed of the elements
amals "unceasing, vigorous, brave" and
swinþs "strong". Amalaswintha was a 6th-century queen of the Ostrogoths. The Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Melisent or
Melisende. Melisende was a 12th-century queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Baldwin II.
Milton m English, Spanish (Latin American)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote
Paradise Lost.
Minerva f Roman Mythology, English, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
mens meaning
"intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess
Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.
Minna f German (Archaic), Finnish, SwedishMeans
"love" in Old German, specifically medieval courtly love. It is also used as a short form of
Wilhelmina. This is the name of the title character in the play
Minna von Barnhelm (1767) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.
Minnie f EnglishDiminutive of
Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.
Minoru m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
実 (minoru) meaning "to bear fruit", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Misty f EnglishFrom the English word
misty, ultimately derived from Old English. The jazz song
Misty (1954) by Erroll Garner may have helped popularize the name.
Moira f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Máire. It also coincides with Greek
Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of
Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.
Mona 1 f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Muadhnait. It is also associated with Greek
monos "one" and Leonardo da Vinci's painting the
Mona Lisa (in which case it is a contraction of Italian
ma donna meaning "my lady").
Monika f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
Monica used in various languages.
Monte m English, ArmenianEither a diminutive of
Montgomery or from the Spanish or Italian vocabulary word meaning "mountain". Its use as an Armenian name is inspired by the Armenian-American revolutionary Monte Melkonian (1957-1993).
Montgomery m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. A notable bearer of this surname was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.
Moriah f English (Modern)From Hebrew
מֹרִיָה (Moriyah) possibly meaning "seen by
Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where
Abraham is to sacrifice
Isaac and the mountain upon which
Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.
Mortimer m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Normandy, itself meaning
"dead water, still water" in Old French.
Morton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"moor town" in Old English.
Muriel f English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Irish
Muirgel and Scottish
Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel
John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Myrna f Irish (Rare), EnglishAnglicized form of
Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).
Myron m English, Ukrainian, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μύρον (myron) meaning
"sweet oil, perfume". Myron was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek sculptor. Saints bearing this name include a 3rd-century bishop of Crete and a 4th-century martyr from Cyzicus who was killed by a mob. These saints are more widely revered in the Eastern Church, and the name has generally been more common among Eastern Christians. As an English name, it has been used since the 19th century.
Myrtle f EnglishSimply from the English word
myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek
μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
Nada 1 f ArabicMeans either
"generosity" or
"dew" in Arabic.
Nan f EnglishOriginally a diminutive of
Ann. It may have originated with the affectionate phrase
mine Ann, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nan. It is now also used as a short form of
Nancy.
Napoleon m History, EnglishFrom the old Italian name
Napoleone, used most notably by the French emperor Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), who was born on Corsica. The etymology is uncertain, but it is possibly derived from Old German
Nibelungen meaning
"sons of mist", a name used in Germanic legend to refer to the keepers of a hoard of treasure, often identified with the Burgundians. Alternatively, it could be connected to the name of the Italian city of Napoli (Naples).
Ned m EnglishDiminutive of
Edward or
Edmund. It has been used since the 14th century, and may have had root in the medieval affectionate phrase
mine Ed, which was later reinterpreted as
my Ned.
Nell f EnglishMedieval diminutive of names beginning with
El, such as
Eleanor,
Ellen 1 or
Helen. It may have arisen from the medieval affectionate phrase
mine El, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nel.
Nereida f SpanishDerived from Greek
Νηρηΐδες (Nereides) meaning
"nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nestor m Greek Mythology, Russian, Portuguese, FrenchMeans
"returner, homecomer" in Greek, from
νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In
Homer's
Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
Nichelle f African AmericanCombination of
Nicole and
Michelle. This name spiked in popularity in the late 1960s when the actress Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) portrayed Nyota Uhura on the
Star Trek television series. Nichols was given the name Grace at birth but it was changed at a young age.
Nick m English, DutchShort form of
Nicholas. It is borne by the comic character Nick Bottom in Shakespeare's play
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595).
Nigel m EnglishFrom
Nigellus, a medieval Latinized form of
Neil. It was commonly associated with Latin
niger "black". It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to Walter Scott's novel
The Fortunes of Nigel (1822).
Niles m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Neil.
Noble m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"noble, notable". The name can also be given in direct reference to the English word
noble.
Nona 1 f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
nonus meaning
"ninth", referring to the nine months of pregnancy. This was the name of a Roman goddess of pregnancy. She was also one of the three Fates (or Parcae).
Nona 2 f English, Ancient Roman (Rare)Feminine form of
Nonus. It was also used in 19th-century England, derived directly from Latin
nonus "ninth" and traditionally given to the ninth-born child.