MARGANITA f HebrewFrom the name of a type of flowering plant common in Israel, called the scarlet pimpernel in English.
MARGARET f EnglishDerived from Latin
Margarita, which was from Greek
μαργαριτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", probably ultimately a borrowing from Sanskrit
मञ्यरी (manyari). Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.
... [more] MARGAUX f FrenchVariant of
MARGOT influenced by the name of the wine-producing French town. It was borne by Margaux Hemingway (1954-1996), granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway, who had it changed from
Margot.
MARGHERITA f ItalianItalian form of
MARGARET. This is also the Italian word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARGRIET f DutchDutch form of
MARGARET. This is also the Dutch word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARGUERITE f FrenchFrench form of
MARGARET. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARI (1) f Welsh, Breton, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishWelsh, Breton, Estonian and Finnish form of
MARIA, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of
MÁRIA. It is also a Scandinavian form of
MARIE.
MARI (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" or
里 (ri) meaning "village". Many other combinations of kanji characters can form this name.
MARI (3) f MythologyPossibly from Basque
emari "donation" or
amari "mother". This was the name of a goddess of the weather and fertility in Basque mythology.
MARIA f & m Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicLatin form of Greek
Μαρια, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
MARY).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
... [more] MARIAH f EnglishVariant of
MARIA. It is usually pronounced in a way that reflects an older English pronunciation of
Maria. The name was popularized in the early 1990s by the American singer Mariah Carey (1970-).
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.
MARIE f & m French, Czech, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrench and Czech form of
MARIA. A notable bearer of this name was Marie Antoinette, a queen of France who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Another was Marie Curie (1867-1934), a physicist and chemist who studied radioactivity with her husband Pierre.
... [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.
MARIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine",
里 (ri) meaning "village" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Many different combinations of kanji characters can form this name.
MARILYN f EnglishCombination of
MARY and
lyn. It has been used since the start of the 20th century. A famous bearer was the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
MARINA f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Georgian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
MARINUS.
MARIS f English (Rare)Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
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.
MARLEY f English (Modern)From a surname which was taken from a place name meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the Jamaican musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
MARLOWE f English (Modern)From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English.
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.
MARTA f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, GeorgianCognate of
MARTHA.
MARTHA f English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Greek, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom Aramaic
מַרְתָּא (marta') meaning "the lady, the mistress", feminine form of
מַר (mar) meaning "master". In the New Testament this is the name of the sister of
Lazarus and
Mary of Bethany (who is sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene). She was a witness to
Jesus restoring her dead brother to life.
... [more] MARTINA f German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, 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.
MARWA f ArabicFrom the Arabic name of a fragrant plant. Al-Marwa is one of the names of a sacred hill near Mecca.
MARY f English, BiblicalUsual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names
Μαριαμ (Mariam) and
Μαρια (Maria) - the spellings are interchangeable - which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
... [more] MARYAM f Arabic, Persian, UrduArabic, Persian and Urdu form of
Miryam (see
MARY). In Iran it is also the name of a flower, the tuberose, which is named after the Virgin Mary.
MASAMI f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
成 (masa) meaning "become" or
正 (masa) meaning "right, proper" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.
MASUMA f ArabicMeans "innocent" in Arabic. After her death, this name was applied to Fatima, a daughter of the 9th-century Shia imam Musa al-Kadhim.
MASUYO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
益 (masu) meaning "profit, benefit" and
世 (yo) meaning "world". Other kanji combinations are possible.
MATIJA m & f Slovene, Croatian, SerbianSlovene, Croatian and Serbian form of
MATTHIAS, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. It is occasionally used as a feminine name.
MATILDA f English, Swedish, FinnishFrom the Germanic name
Mahthildis meaning "strength in battle", from the elements
maht "might, strength" and
hild "battle". Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler. The name was common in many branches of European royalty in the Middle Ages. It was brought to England by the Normans, being borne by the wife of William the Conqueror himself. Another notable royal by this name was a 12th-century daughter of Henry I of England, known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman emperor Henry V. She later invaded England, laying the foundations for the reign of her son Henry II.
... [more] MAUD f English, French, DutchUsual medieval 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 Lord Tennyson's poem 'Maud' (1855).
MAUI m & f Hawaiian, Polynesian MythologyMeaning unknown. In Hawaiian mythology Māui was a trickster who created the Hawaiian Islands by having his brothers fish them out of the sea. He was also responsible for binding the sun and slowing its movement.
MAURA (2) f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
MÁIRE. It has also been associated with Gaelic
mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish or Scottish martyr.
MAVIS f EnglishFrom the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, derived from Old French
mauvis, of uncertain origin. It was first used as a given name by the British author Marie Corelli, who used it for a character in her novel 'The Sorrows of Satan' (1895).
MAVOURNEEN f IrishDerived from the Irish phrase
mo mhúirnín meaning "my darling".
MAXINE f EnglishFeminine form of
MAX. It has been commonly used only since the beginning of the 20th century.
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.
MAYA (1) f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, MarathiMeans "illusion" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Durga.
MAYA (2) f EnglishVariant of
MAIA (1). This name can also be given in reference to the Maya peoples, a Native American culture who built a great civilization in southern Mexico and Latin America.
MAYLIS f FrenchFrom the name of a town in southern France, possibly derived from Occitan
mair "mother" and French
lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of
MARIE and
lys.
MAYU f JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or
満 (ma) meaning "full" combined with
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
夕 (yu) meaning "evening". This name can also be constructed from other kanji combinations.
MEADE m & f English (Rare)From an English surname which indicated one who lived on a meadow (from Middle English
mede) or one who sold or made mead (an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey; from Old English
meodu).
MEDEA f Greek Mythology (Latinized), GeorgianFrom Greek
Μηδεια (Medeia), possibly derived from
μηδομαι (medomai) "to think, to plan". In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped
Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.
MEDUSA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Μεδουσα (Medousa), which was derived from
μεδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek myth this was the name of one of the three Gorgons, ugly women who had snakes for hair. She was so hideous that anyone who gazed upon her was turned to stone, so the hero
Perseus had to look using the reflection in his shield in order to slay her.
MEGA f & m IndonesianMeans "cloud" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
मेघ (megha).
MEGAERA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Μεγαιρα (Megaira) which was derived from
μεγαιρω (megairo) "to grudge". This was the name of one of the Furies or
Ερινυες (Erinyes) in Greek mythology. The name is used as a word in several European languages to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered woman (for example, French
mégère and Italian
megera).
MEGAN f Welsh, EnglishWelsh diminutive of
MARGARET. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.
MEGUMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
恵 (megumi) meaning "favour, benefit" or
愛 (megumi) meaning "love, affection", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations which have the same reading. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
MEHETABEL f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
םְהֵיטַבְאֵל (Meheitav'el) meaning "God makes happy". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
MEI (1) f ChineseFrom Chinese
美 (měi) meaning "beautiful" or
梅 (méi) meaning "Chinese plum" (species Prunus mume), as well as other characters which are pronounced similarly.
MEI (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout" combined with
依 (i) meaning "rely on",
生 (i) meaning "life" or
衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". Other kanji combinations are possible.