Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the gender is feminine; and a substring is a.
gender
usage
contains
Liviana f Italian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of the Roman family name Livianus, which was itself derived from the family name Livius.
Livna f Hebrew
Means "white" in Hebrew.
Livnat f Hebrew
Variant of Livna.
Liwia f Polish
Polish form of Livia 1.
Liza f English, Russian, Greek, Georgian
Short form of Elizabeth (English), Yelizaveta (Russian), Elisavet (Greek) or Elisabed (Georgian).
Lizaveta f Russian
Short form of Yelizaveta.
Ljerka f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Derived from the rare Serbo-Croatian word lijer meaning "lily" (the usual word is ljiljan).
Ljilja f Serbian, Croatian
Short form of Ljiljana.
Ljiljana f Serbian, Croatian
Derived from Serbo-Croatian ljiljan meaning "lily".
Ljuba m & f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Czech
From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love", or a short form of names beginning with that element. It is typically masculine in Serbia and feminine elsewhere.
Ljubena f Macedonian
Macedonian feminine form of Lyuben.
Ljubica f Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene
From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix. It can also come from the Serbian and Croatian word ljubica meaning "violet (flower)".
Ljubinka f Serbian
From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Ljudmila f Slovene
Slovene form of Ludmila.
Llewela f Welsh
Variant of Llewella.
Llewella f Welsh
Feminine form of Llywelyn.
Llúcia f Catalan
Catalan form of Lucia.
Lluïsa f Catalan
Catalan feminine form of Louis.
Lluvia f Spanish (Modern)
Means "rain" in Spanish.
Loan 2 f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese (loan), which refers to a mythological bird.
Loane f French (Modern)
Feminine form of Elouan.
Lochana f Hindi
Feminine form of Lochan.
Logan m & f English
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning "little hollow" (from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit" combined with a diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.... [more]
Loida f Spanish
Spanish form of Lois 1.
Lola f Spanish, English, French
Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
Lolicia f English (Rare)
Elaborated form of Lola.
Lolita f Spanish
Diminutive of Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
Longina f Polish, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Longinus.
Lora f English
Variant of Laura.
Loraine f English
Variant of Lorraine.
Lorayne f English
Variant of Lorraine.
Lorea f Basque
Variant of Lore 2.
Loredana f Italian, Romanian
Used by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname Loredan, which was derived from the place name Loreo.
Lorelai f English (Modern)
Variant of Lorelei. This name featured on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) where it was borne by the two main characters (the younger one went by the nickname Rory).
Lorella f Italian
Diminutive of Eleonora, Loredana and other names beginning with Lor.
Lorena 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lorraine.
Lorena 2 f English
Latinized form of Lauren. This name was first brought to public attention in America by the song Lorena (1856), written by Joseph Webster, who was said to have created the name as an anagram of Lenore (from the character in Poe's poem The Raven).
Lorenza f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish feminine form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).
Loreta f Italian
Variant of Loreto.
Loretta f English, Italian
Perhaps a variant of Lauretta or Loreto, or a diminutive of names beginning with Lor. A famous bearer was the American actress Loretta Young (1913-2000), whose birth name was Gretchen.
Lorinda f English
Elaboration of Lori with the popular name suffix inda.
Lorita f Italian (Rare)
Possibly a variant of Loreto.
Lorna f English
Created by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title Marquis of Lorne (see Lorne).
Lorraine f English
From 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.
Lo-Ruhamah f Biblical
Means "not loved, not pitied" in Hebrew, from לֹא (lo) meaning "not" and רָחַם (raḥam) meaning "to pity, to love". In the Old Testament the prophet Hosea was told by God, who was displeased with the people of Israel, to name his daughter this.
Lotta f Swedish, Finnish
Short form of Charlotta.
Louane f French
Combination of Lou and Anne 1.
Louanne f French
Combination of Lou and Anne 1.
Louella f English
Combination of Lou and the popular name suffix ella.
Louisa f English, German, Dutch
Latinate feminine form of Louis. A famous bearer was the American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the author of Little Women.
Louiza f Greek
Greek feminine form of Louis.
Louna f French (Modern)
Possibly a variant of Luna.
Lova f Swedish
Short form of Lovisa.
Loviatar f Finnish Mythology
Meaning unknown. In Finnish mythology Loviatar, also known as Louhi, was a goddess of death and plague.
Loviisa f Finnish
Finnish feminine form of Louis.
Lovisa f Swedish
Swedish feminine form of Louis.
Lovorka f Croatian
From Croatian lovor meaning "laurel tree".
Loyalty f English (Modern)
From the English word, which was originally borrowed from Old French loiauté, a derivative of loial "loyal", itself derived from Latin legalis "legal".
Lúa f Galician
Galician form of Luna.
Luana f English, Italian, Portuguese
From 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 English
Either 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).
Luanna f English (Rare)
Either a combination of Lou and Anna or a variant of Luana.
Luanne f English
Variant of Luann.
Ľuba f Slovak
Slovak form of Ljuba.
Luba f Russian, Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Ukrainian Люба (see Lyuba).
Lubanzi m & f Xhosa, Zulu
Means "it is wide" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the phrase uthando lubanzi "love is wide".
Ľubica f Slovak
Slovak form of Ljubica.
Lubna f Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Means "storax tree" in Arabic. According to a 7th-century Arabic tale Lubna and Qays were a couple forced to divorce by Qays's father.
Ľubomíra f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Lubomír.
Lubomíra f Czech
Feminine form of Lubomír.
Ļubova f Latvian
Latvian form of Lyubov.
Luca 2 f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Lucia.
Lucasta f Literature
This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".
Lucetta f Italian
Diminutive of Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Lúcia f Portuguese, Hungarian
Portuguese and Hungarian form of Lucia.
Lucía f Spanish
Spanish form of Lucia. This is the most popular name for girls in Spain beginning in 2003.
Lucia f Italian, German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.
Lucica f Romanian
Diminutive of Lucia.
Lūcija f Latvian
Latvian form of Lucia.
Lucija f Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian form of Lucia.
Lucila f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Lucilla.
Lucília f Portuguese
Portuguese feminine form of Lucilius.
Lucilia f Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Lucilius.
Lucilla f Italian, Ancient Roman
Latin diminutive of Lucia. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred in Rome.
Lucina f Roman Mythology
Derived 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, Literature
An 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).
Łucja f Polish
Polish form of Lucia.
Lucrécia f Portuguese
Portuguese form of Lucretia.
Lucrecia f Spanish
Spanish form of Lucretia.
Lucretia f Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology
Feminine 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.
Lucrezia f Italian
Italian form of Lucretia.
Lucyna f Polish
Polish form of Lucina.
Ľudmila f Slovak
Slovak form of Ludmila.
Ludmiła f Polish
Polish form of Ludmila.
Ludmila f Czech, Latvian, Russian
Means "favour of the people" from the Slavic elements ľudŭ "people" and milŭ "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.... [more]
Ludmilla f Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Людмила (see Lyudmila).
Ludovica f Italian
Italian feminine form of Ludwig.
Ľudŭmila f Old Slavic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Slavic reconstruction of Ludmila.
Ludwika f Polish
Polish feminine form of Ludwig.
Luella f English
Variant of Louella.
Luena f Portuguese
Meaning unknown, possibly from the name of a city in Angola. It was popularized in Portugal by a character on the telenovela A Única Mulher (2015-2017).
Luigia f Italian
Italian feminine form of Louis.
Luigina f Italian
Diminutive of Luigia.
Luísa f Portuguese
Feminine form of Luís.
Luisa f Spanish, Italian
Feminine form of Luis.
Luisella f Italian
Diminutive of Luisa.
Luisina f Spanish
Diminutive of Luisa.
Luisita f Spanish
Diminutive of Luisa.
Luitgard f German
From the Old German name Leutgard, which was derived from the elements liut "people" and gart "enclosure, yard". It was borne by Charlemagne's fifth and last wife. This was also the name of a 13th-century Flemish nun, the patron saint of easy deliveries.
Luiza f Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian
Polish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine form of Louis.
Luján f Spanish (Latin American)
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Luján, meaning "Our Lady of Luján". This is the name of a city in Argentina near Buenos Aires. Our Lady of Luján is a 17th-century statue of Mary. Supposedly the horses transporting the statue further into Argentina refused to pull the cart past Luján, so a shrine was built at the spot. She is regarded as a patron saint of Argentina.
Lujayn f Arabic
Means "silver" in Arabic.
Lujza f Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak feminine form of Louis.
Luksa f Esperanto
Means "luxurious" in Esperanto.
Lula 1 f English
Diminutive of Louise and names that begin with Lu.
Luljeta f Albanian
Means "flower of life" in Albanian, from lule "flower" and jetë "life".
Luminița f Romanian
Means "little light", derived from Romanian lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Luna f Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lupita f Spanish
Diminutive of Guadalupe.
Lutgard f Flemish
Variant of Lutgarde.
Lutgarde f Flemish
Dutch (Flemish) form of Luitgard.
Lutgardis f Germanic (Latinized), Flemish
Latinized form of Leutgard (see Luitgard). In Flanders this form of the name is common on birth certificates, but it is usually rendered Lutgarde in daily life.
Luvenia f English
Possibly a form of Lavinia. It has been used in America since the 19th century.
Luvinia f English
Variant of Luvenia.
Luzia f Portuguese, German
Portuguese and German form of Lucia.
Luzviminda f Filipino
Blend of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the names of the three main island groups of the Philippines.
Lwandle m & f Zulu, Xhosa
Means "ocean" in Zulu and Xhosa.
Lya f French (Modern)
Variant of Léa.
Lyanna f Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for a character in his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). In the story Lyanna was the sister of Ned Stark. Her abduction and subsequent death was the cause of the civil war that toppled the Targaryens.
Lyda f English
Perhaps a variant of Lydia.
Lýdia f Slovak, Faroese
Slovak and Faroese form of Lydia.
Lydia f English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king Lydos. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.
Lyla f English
Variant of Leila.
Lyliane f French
Variant of Liliane.
Lynda f English
Variant of Linda.
Lynna f English (Rare)
Elaborated form of Lynn.
Lyra f Astronomy
The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).
Lysandra f Ancient Greek
Feminine form of Lysandros (see Lysander).
Lysanne f Dutch
Variant of Lisanne.
Lysiane f French
Combination of Lys and Anne 1.
Lysistrate f Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and στρατός (stratos) meaning "army". This is the name of a comedy by the Greek playwright Aristophanes, also called by its Latinized form Lysistrata. In the play Lysistrate attempts to end the Peloponnesian War by persuading the women from both sides to withhold sex from men.
Lysithea f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and θεά (thea) meaning "goddess". This was the name of a lover of Zeus in Greek mythology. A small moon of Jupiter is named after her.
Lyssa 1 f English
Short form of Alyssa.
Lyssa 2 f Greek Mythology
Means "rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.
Lyuba f Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Lyubov, and a Bulgarian form of Ljuba.
Lyubomira f Bulgarian
Bulgarian feminine form of Lubomír.
Lyubomyra f Ukrainian
Ukrainian feminine form of Lubomír.
Lyudmila f Russian, Bulgarian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Ludmila. This was the name of a character in Aleksandr Pushkin's poem Ruslan and Lyudmila (1820).
Lyudmyla f Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Ludmila.
Lyydia f Finnish (Rare)
Finnish variant of Lydia.
Maacah f & m Biblical
Derived from Hebrew מָעַך (maʿaḵ) meaning "to press, to crush". This name is borne by both male and female characters in the Old Testament.
Maachah f & m Biblical
Form of Maacah in some versions of the Old Testament.
Maaike f Dutch
Dutch diminutive of Maria.
Ma'akha f & m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Maacah.
Maala f Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Mahlah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Maaria f Finnish
Finnish form of Maria.
Maarika f Estonian, Finnish
Diminutive of Maarja (Estonian) or Maaria (Finnish).
Maarit f Finnish
Finnish form of Margaret.
Maarja f Estonian
Estonian form of Maria.
Maartje f Dutch
Dutch feminine form of Martin.
Maat f Egyptian Mythology
From Egyptian mꜣꜥt meaning "truth, virtue, justice". Maat (or Ma'at) was the Egyptian goddess who personified truth and balance. She was the consort of Thoth.
Maata f Maori
Maori form of Martha.
Maayan f & m Hebrew
Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.
Mab f Literature
Used by William Shakespeare for the queen of the fairies in his play Romeo and Juliet (1596). Of uncertain origin, it is possibly derived from Mabel or the Irish name Medb. After being used by Shakespeare, the name subsequently appeared in other literary works such as Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Queen Mab (1813).
Mabel f English
Medieval feminine form of Amabilis. This spelling and Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel The Heir of Redclyffe, which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).
Mabella f English (Rare)
Elaborated form of Mabel.
Mabelle f English
Variant of Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase ma belle meaning "my beautiful".
Mable f English
Variant of Mabel.
Mabyn f Cornish
Possibly from Old Cornish mab meaning "son". This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish saint, said to be one of the children of Brychan Brycheiniog. She is now regarded as a woman, but some early sources describe her as a man.
Macarena f Spanish
From the name of a barrio (district) in Seville, which got its name from a temple that may have been named for a person named Macarius (see Macario). The Virgin of Macarena, that is Mary, is widely venerated in Seville.
Macaria f Spanish
Feminine form of Macario.
Machla f & m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Mahlah.
Machteld f Dutch
Dutch form of Matilda.
Macie f English
Variant of Macy.
Mackenzie f & m English
From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coinnich, itself derived from the given name Coinneach. As a feminine given name it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-), especially after she began appearing on the television comedy One Day at a Time in 1975. In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.
Macy f English
From an English surname that was from various towns called Massy in France. The towns themselves were originally derived from a Gallo-Roman personal name that was Latinized as Maccius. The name was brought to public attention in 1989 when the character Macy Alexander was introduced to the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. It is also notable as the name of a chain of American department stores founded by Rowland Hussey Macy in 1858.
Madailéin f Irish
Irish form of Magdalene.
Madalena f Portuguese
Portuguese form of Magdalena.
Mădălina f Romanian
Romanian form of Magdalene.
Madalitso m & f Chewa
Means "blessings" in Chewa.
Madalyn f English
Variant of Madeline.
Madara f Latvian
From the Latvian name for a type of flowering plant, known as cleavers or bedstraw in English.
Mädchen f Various (Rare)
Means "girl" in German. It is not used as a name in Germany itself.
Maddalen f Basque
Basque form of Magdalene.
Maddalena f Italian
Italian form of Magdalene.
Maddi f Basque
Variant of Mari 3 or Maria.
Maddie f English
Diminutive of Madeline or Madison.
Maddy f English
Diminutive of Madeline or Madison.
Made m & f Balinese
From Sanskrit मध्य (madhya) meaning "middle". This name is traditionally given to the family's second-born child.
Madelen f Norwegian, Swedish
Norwegian and Swedish variant of Madeleine.
Madelief f Dutch
Derived from Dutch madeliefje meaning "daisy".
Madelina f English (Rare)
Latinate form of Madeline.
Madeline f English
English form of Madeleine. This is the name of the heroine in a series of children's books by the Austrian-American author Ludwig Bemelmans, first published 1939.
Madelon f French (Rare), Dutch
French diminutive of Madeleine, now more common as a Dutch name.
Madelyn f English
Variant of Madeline.
Madge f English
Diminutive of Margaret.
Madhavi f Hinduism, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi
Feminine form of Madhava. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
Madhu f & m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu
From Sanskrit मधु (madhu) meaning "honey, sweet". This is another name of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu year (which occurs in March and April).
Madhur m & f Hindi
Means "sweet" in Sanskrit.
Madhuri f Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada
From Sanskrit माधुर (mādhura) meaning "sweetness", a derivative of मधु (madhu) meaning "honey, sweet".
Madi f English
Diminutive of Madeline or Madison.
Madicken f Literature, Swedish (Rare)
Used by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the heroine of her series of books of the same name, first published in 1960. She is called Maggie, Meg or Mardie in English translations. In the books the name is a diminutive of Margareta, though the inspiration for the character was Lindgren's childhood friend Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.
Madiha f Arabic
Means "praise, commendation" in Arabic, derived from مدح (madaḥa) meaning "to praise".
Mədinə f Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Madina.
Madina f Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Avar, Chechen
From the name of the city of Medina, derived from Arabic المدينة (al-Madīna), which means "the city". The Saudi city is considered an Islamic holy site because the Prophet Muhammad was based there for a period.
Madison f & m English
From the English surname Madison meaning "son of Matthew" or "son of Maud". It was not commonly used as a feminine name until after the movie Splash (1984), in which the main character adopted it as her name after seeing a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City. It was ranked second for girls in the United States by 2001. This rise from obscurity to prominence in only 18 years represents an unprecedented 550,000 percent increase in usage.... [more]
Madita f Literature, German
Created as a German equivalent of Madicken for the German translation of Astrid Lindgren's books.
Madlenka f Czech
Czech diminutive of Magdaléna.
Madlyn f English
Variant of Madeline.
Madona f Georgian
Georgian form of Madonna.
Madonna f English
From 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.
Mae f English
Variant of May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Mæja f Icelandic
Icelandic diminutive of María.
Maela f Breton
Feminine form of Maël.
Maeleth f Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Mahalath used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Maëlie f French (Modern)
Feminine form of Maël.
Maëlle f French, Breton
Feminine form of Maël.
Maëlya f French (Modern)
Feminine form of Maël.
Maëlys f French
Feminine form of Maël, possibly influenced by the spelling of Mailys.
Maeva f Tahitian, French
Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.
Maeve f Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Ma'evehpota'e f Cheyenne
Means "red leaf woman", from Cheyenne ma'e- "red" and vehpȯtse "leaf" combined with the feminine suffix -e'é.
Mafalda f Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
Originally 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.
Magali f French, Occitan
Occitan form of Magdalene.
Magalie f French
Variant of Magali.
Magaly f Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Magali, predominantly found in Spanish-speaking countries.
Magda 2 f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ماجدة (see Majda 2).
Magdaleena f Finnish (Rare), Estonian (Rare)
Finnish and Estonian form of Magdalene.
Magdaléna f Slovak, Czech, Hungarian
Slovak and Czech form of Magdalene, as well as a Hungarian variant form.
Magdalene f German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From 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 Aramaic. 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.
Magdalina f Old Church Slavic, Bulgarian
Old Church Slavic form of Magdalene, as well as a Bulgarian variant form.
Magdalini f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Magdalene.
Magdi 1 f Hungarian
Diminutive of Magdolna.
Magdolna f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Magdalene.
Maggie f English
Diminutive of Margaret.
Magnhild f Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse magn "power, strength" and hildr "battle". This was the name of an 1877 novel by the Norwegian author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.
Magnhildr f Old Norse
Old Norse form of Magnhild.
Magnolia f English
From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Magrite f Walloon, Picard
Walloon and Picard form of Margaret.
Maha f Arabic
Means "oryx" in Arabic. The oryx is a variety of antelope that is said to represent beauty.
Mahadevi f Hinduism, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi
Means "great goddess", derived from Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great" and देवी (devī) meaning "goddess". This is the Hindu mother goddess who manifests herself as all other goddesses.
Mahala f English
Variant of Mahalah or Mahalath. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.
Mahalath f Biblical
From the Hebrew name מָחֲלַת (Maḥalaṯ) meaning "lyre". In the Old Testament she is the daughter of Ishmael and the wife of Esau.
Mahalia f English
Variant of Mahala.
Mahaut f Medieval French
Medieval French form of Mathilde.
Mahboubeh f Persian
Persian form of Mahbuba.
Mahbuba f Arabic, Bengali
Feminine form of Mahbub.
Mahin f Persian
Means "related to the moon" in Persian.
Mahinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Mahendra used by Sikhs.
Mahine f Persian
Alternate transcription of Persian مهین (see Mahin).
Mahlah f & m Biblical
From the Hebrew name מַחְלָה (Maḥla), derived from חָלָה (ḥala) meaning "weak, sick". This name is used in the Old Testament as both a feminine and masculine name. In some versions of the Bible the masculine name is spelled Mahalah.
Mahnaz f Persian
From Persian مه (mah) meaning "moon" and ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort".
Mahpiya m & f Sioux
From Dakota or Lakota maȟpíya meaning "cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.
Mähri f Turkmen
Possibly derived from Persian مه (mah) meaning "moon" or مهر (mehr) meaning "friendship, love, kindness".
Mahsa f Persian
Means "like the moon" in Persian.
Mahtab f Persian
Means "moonlight" in Persian.
Mahthilt f Germanic
Old German form of Matilda.
Mahtihildiz f Old Germanic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Germanic reconstruction of Matilda.
Mahulena f Czech
Possibly inspired by Magdalena. The Czech author Julius Zeyer created it for a character in his play Radúz and Mahulena (1898).
Mahvash f Persian
Means "moon-like" in Persian.
Mai 1 f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese (mai) meaning "plum, apricot" (refers specifically to the species Prunus mume).
Mai 2 f Japanese
From Japanese (mai) meaning "dance" or 麻衣 (mai) meaning "linen robe". It can also come from (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with (ai) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Mai 3 f Estonian, Norwegian, Danish, Breton
Diminutive of Maria. This is also the Estonian and Norwegian name for the month of May.
Mai 4 f Arabic
Means "water" in Arabic, a dialectal variant of ماء (māʾ).
Maïa f French
French form of Maia 1.
Maia 1 f Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Portuguese, Georgian
From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.
Maia 2 f Roman Mythology
Probably from Latin maior meaning "greater". This was the name of a Roman goddess of spring, a companion (sometimes wife) of Vulcan. She was later conflated with the Greek goddess Maia. The month of May is named for her.