MASAKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
雅 (masa) meaning "elegant, graceful" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Masako (1963-) is the current empress consort of Japan. This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.
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, Finnish, SlovakFrom 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 1855 poem
Maud.
MĀUI 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.
MAYUMI (1) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow" or
由 (yu) meaning "reason" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". This name can also be constructed from other kanji combinations.
MCKINLEY f & m EnglishFrom a surname, the Gaelic form of which is
Mac Fhionnlaigh meaning
"son of FIONNLAGH". A famous bearer was the assassinated American president William McKinley (1843-1901).
MEADE m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that 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
Μήδεια (Medeia), possibly derived from
μήδομαι (medomai) meaning
"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.
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.
MEDUSA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Μέδουσα (Medousa), which was derived from
μέδω (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
Μέγαιρα (Megaira), which was derived from
μεγαίρω (megairo) meaning
"to grudge". This was the name of one of the Furies or
Ἐρινύες (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 that have the same reading. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
MEHETABEL f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מְהֵיטַבְאֵל (Meheitav'el) meaning
"God makes happy". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
MEHR m & f Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
MITHRA. As a Persian vocabulary word it means
"friendship" and
"sun". It is also the name of the seventh month of the Persian calendar. All these derive from the same source: the Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "oath, covenant, agreement".
MEHRNAZ f PersianFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "friendship" or "sun" and
ناز (naz) meaning "delight, comfort". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
MEI (1) f ChineseFrom Chinese
美 (měi) meaning "beautiful" or
梅 (méi) meaning "Chinese plum" (species Prunus mume), as well as other characters that 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.
MEINWEN f WelshMeans
"slender and white" from Welsh
main "slender" and
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
MEJA f Swedish (Modern)Possibly from a Low German diminutive of names beginning with the Germanic element
magan meaning
"strength". It was popularized by the Swedish singer Meja (1969-), born Anna Pernilla Torndahl.
MELANIE f English, German, DutchFrom
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
... [more] 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.
MELE f HawaiianMeans
"song" in Hawaiian. This name is also used as a Hawaiian and Samoan form of
MARY.
MELETE f Greek MythologyMeans
"practice, exercise" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of meditation.
MELIA f Greek MythologyMeans
"ash tree" in Greek, a derivative of
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". This was the name of a nymph in Greek myth, the daughter of the Greek god Okeanos.
MELINA f English, GreekElaboration of
Mel, either from names such as
MELISSA or from Greek
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". A famous bearer was Greek-American actress Melina Mercouri (1920-1994), who was born Maria Amalia Mercouris.
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.
MÉLISANDE f FrenchFrench form of
MILLICENT used by Maurice Maeterlinck in his play
Pelléas et Mélisande (1893). The play was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).
MELISSA f English, Dutch, Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyMeans
"bee" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius this was the name of the sister of the nymph
Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young
Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1516 poem
Orlando Furioso belonging to the fairy who helps
Ruggiero escape from the witch Alcina. As an English given name,
Melissa has been used since the 18th century.
MELITA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
MELITE. However, in the case of Queen Victoria's granddaughter Princess Victoria Melita (1876-1936), it was derived from
Melita, the Latin name of the island country of Malta where she was born.
MELODY f EnglishFrom the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
MELPOMENE f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
μέλπω (melpo) meaning
"to sing, to celebrate with song". This was the name of one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, the muse of tragedy.
MELUSINE f MythologyMeaning unknown. In European folklore Melusine was a water fairy who turned into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. She made her husband, Raymond of Poitou, promise that he would never see her on that day, and when he broke his word she left him forever.
MENODORA f Ancient GreekMeans
"gift of the moon", derived from Greek
μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora.
MERAB (1) f BiblicalMeans
"abundant" in Hebrew. This is the name of a daughter of Saul in the Old Testament.
MERAUD f CornishMeaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish
mor "sea".
MERCEDES f SpanishMeans
"mercies" (that is, the plural of mercy), from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
María de las Mercedes, meaning "Mary of Mercies". It is ultimately from the Latin word
merces meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favour, pity".
MERCIA f English (Rare)Latinate form of
MERCY. This was also the name of an old Anglo-Saxon kingdom, though it has a different origin.
MERCY f EnglishFrom the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.
MEREDITH m & f Welsh, EnglishFrom the Welsh name
Maredudd or
Meredydd, possibly meaning
"great lord" or
"sea lord". Since the mid-1920s it has been used more often for girls than for boys in English-speaking countries, though it is still a masculine name in Wales. A famous bearer of this name as surname was the English novelist and poet George Meredith (1828-1909).
MERESANKH f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mrs-ꜥnḫ meaning
"she loves life". This name was borne by several Egyptian royals during the 4th-dynasty period.
MERIDA f Popular CultureThe name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie
Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin
Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of
AUGUSTUS", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.
MERITITES f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mryt-jts meaning
"loved by her father". This name was borne by several Egyptian royals, including a wife and a daughter of the pharaoh
Khufu.
MERITXELL f CatalanFrom the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin
meridies meaning "midday".
MERJA f FinnishPossibly from the name of an ancient Finnish tribe.
MERLE f & m EnglishVariant of
MERRILL or
MURIEL. The spelling has been influenced by the word
merle meaning "blackbird" (via French, from Latin
merula).
MERLYN m & f EnglishVariant of
MERLIN, sometimes used as a feminine form. It has perhaps been influenced by the Welsh word
merlyn meaning "pony".
MEROPE f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
μέρος (meros) meaning "share, part" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". This was the name of several characters in Greek mythology, including the seventh of the Pleiades and the foster mother of
Oedipus.
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.
MERRYN f CornishMeaning unknown. This was the name of an early Cornish (male) saint.
MERVI f FinnishFrom the name of a Finnish village (now a part of the municipality of Hattula).
MERYL f EnglishVariant of
MURIEL, influenced by the spelling of the name
CHERYL. A famous bearer is American actress Meryl Streep (1949-), whose real name is Mary Louise Streep.
METIS f Greek MythologyMeans
"wisdom, skill, cunning" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a Titan. Because it was prophesized that her children would be wiser than
Zeus, he swallowed her after he had impregnated her. However, their daughter
Athena eventually burst from his head fully grown.
MICAIAH m & f BiblicalMeans
"who is like YAHWEH?" in Hebrew. This name occurs in the Old Testament in a variety of Hebrew spellings, belonging to both males and females. It is the full name of
Micah, both the prophet and the man from the Book of Judges. As a feminine name it belongs to the mother of King
Abijah (at
2 Chronicles 13:2), though her name is listed as
Maacah in other passages.
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.
MICHELLE f French, English, DutchFrench feminine form of
MICHEL. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the former American first lady Michelle Obama (1964-).
MICHIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful",
智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be comprised of other combinations of kanji.
MICKEY m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
MICHAEL. This was the name that Walt Disney gave to Ub Iwerks' cartoon character Mickey Mouse, who was originally named Mortimer Mouse. Another famous bearer was the American baseball player Mickey Mantle (1931-1995).
MICOL f ItalianItalian variant form of
MICHAL (2) (the Italian biblical form being
Mikal). This is the name of the heroine in Giorgio Bassani's novel
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1962).
MIDORI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.
MIELA f EsperantoMeans
"sweet" in Esperanto, derived from
mielo "honey", ultimately from Latin
mel.
MIELIKKI f Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
mieli meaning
"mind, mood". This was the name of a Finnish goddess of forests and hunting. By some accounts she is the wife of the god Tapio.
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 a novel by Goethe.
MI-GYEONG f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
京 (gyeong) meaning "capitol city" or
景 (gyeong) meaning "scenery, view". Other hanja combinations are possible.
MIHO (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
穂 (ho) meaning "grain". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
MIKA (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or
加 (ka) meaning "increase". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
MIKI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji combinations are possible.
MIKU f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
空 (ku) meaning "sky" or
久 (ku) meaning "long time". It can also come from a nanori reading of
未来 (mirai) meaning "future". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
MILADA f Czech, SlovakOriginally a diminutive of Slavic names containing the element
milu "gracious, dear". It has become associated with Czech/Slovak
mladý "young".
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".
MILBURGA f History (Ecclesiastical)Derived from the Old English elements
milde "gentle" and
burg "fortress". Saint Milburga, the sister of Saint Mildred, was a daughter of a 7th-century Mercian king. She was supposedly in possession of magical powers.
MILDGYÐ f Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
gyð "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, the sister of Saint Mildred.
MILDRED f EnglishFrom the Old English name
Mildþryð meaning
"gentle strength", derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
þryð "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.