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.
Michelangelo m ItalianCombination of
Michael and
Angelo, referring to the archangel Michael. The Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), from Florence, was the man who created such great works of art as the statue of
David and the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This name was also borne by the Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), better known as Caravaggio.
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).
Midas m Greek MythologyMeaning unknown. In Greek myth Midas was a king of Phrygia in Asia Minor. He was granted a wish by the god
Dionysos — that everything he touch be turned to gold.
Miervaldis m LatvianMeans
"ruling with peace", from Latvian
miers "peace" and
valdīt "to rule".
Mieszko m PolishProbably an old diminutive form of
Mieczysław. This was the name of three rulers of Poland including Mieszko I, the first Christian ruler (10th century).
Miguel m Spanish, Portuguese, GalicianSpanish, Portuguese and Galician form of
Michael. A notable bearer of this name was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the Spanish novelist and poet who wrote
Don Quixote.
Mihai m RomanianRomanian form of
Michael. Mihai the Brave was a prince of Wallachia who united Romania in the early 17th century.
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-).
Milan m Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), French (Modern)From the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. It was originally used in Czech, Slovak, and the South Slavic languages, though it has recently become popular elsewhere in Europe.
... [more] Milburn m EnglishFrom an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"mill stream" in Old English.
Miles m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Milo, introduced by the Normans to England in the form
Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". From an early date it was associated with Latin
miles meaning
"soldier".
... [more] Milford m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from various place names all meaning
"ford by a mill" in Old English.
Milko m BulgarianOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear".
Millard m EnglishFrom an occupational English surname meaning
"guardian of the mill" in Old English.
Miller m & f EnglishFrom an English occupational surname for a miller, derived from Middle English
mille "mill".
Milo m English, GermanicOld German form of
Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century.
Miloje m SerbianFrom the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a diminutive of names beginning with that element.
Miloš m Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian, MacedonianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian hero who apparently killed the Ottoman sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo.
Miltiades m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μίλτος (miltos) meaning "red earth" and the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). This was the name of the general who led the Greek forces to victory against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.
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.
Min 1 m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom
敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp",
民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.
Minato m & f Japanese (Rare)From Japanese
港 (minato) meaning "harbour", as well as other combinations of kanji having the same pronunciation.
Mindaugas m LithuanianPossibly from Lithuanian
mintis "thought" or
minti "to remember" combined with
daug "much". This was the name of a 13th-century ruler of Lithuania.
Minenhle f & m ZuluFrom Zulu
imini "day" and
hle "beautiful".
Ming m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Minh m & f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
明 (minh) meaning
"bright". This was an adopted name of the communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969).
Minik m & f GreenlandicMeans
"seal oil" in Greenlandic. A notable bearer was the Inughuit boy Minik (1890-1918), who was among a group brought by the explorer Robert Peary from Greenland to New York in 1897.
Min-Jun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or
旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Minoru m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
実 (minoru) meaning "to bear fruit", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Minos m Greek MythologyPossibly from a Cretan word or title meaning
"king". This was the name of a king of Crete in Greek mythology. He was the son of
Zeus and
Europa. Because Minos had refused to sacrifice a certain bull to
Poseidon, the god had caused his wife Pasiphaë to mate with the bull, which produced the half-bull creature called the Minotaur. Minos had
Daedalus construct the Labyrinth to house the beast, but it was eventually slain by
Theseus.
Min-Seo f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
民 (min) meaning "people, citizens" or
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" combined with
徐 (seo) meaning "slowly, calmly, composed, dignified" or
序 (seo) meaning "series, sequence". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Min-Su m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
民 (min) meaning "people, citizens" or
旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with
秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or
洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Other hanja combinations are possible.
Mio 2 m Literature, Swedish (Modern)From the children's fantasy book
Mio, min Mio (1954) by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Mio is the name of the main character, a young boy who finds out that he is a prince in an otherworldly land. The name was apparently created by Lindgren.
Miodrag m Serbian, CroatianDerived from the element
mio, a Serbo-Croatian form of the Slavic element
milŭ meaning "dear", combined with
dorgŭ meaning "precious".
Miomir m SerbianDerived from the element
mio, a Serbian form of the Slavic element
milŭ meaning "dear", combined with
mirŭ meaning "peace" or "world".
Miraj m ArabicMeans
"ascension" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition, this is the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's visit to the heavens to meet with earlier prophets.
Miras m KazakhMeans
"legacy, inheritance" in Kazakh, from Arabic
ميراث (mīrāth) via Turkish.
Mircea m RomanianRomanian form of
Mirče. This name was borne by a 14th-century ruler of Wallachia, called Mircea the Great.
Miron 2 m HebrewFrom the name of the highest mountain in Israel, Mount Meron. It is also the name of a village on its slopes, thought to be on the same site as the ancient Canaanite city of Merom.
Mirsad m BosnianMeaning unknown, possibly derived from Arabic meaning
"watchtower" or Persian meaning
"ambush".
Misao m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
操 (misao) meaning "chastity, honour". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.
Mischa m & f Dutch, GermanDutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Mislav m CroatianDerived from the Slavic element
myslĭ "thought" or
mojĭ "my" combined with
slava "glory". This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia, also called Mojslav. His name was recorded in Latin as
Muisclavo.
Mistawasis m Cree (Anglicized)Means
"big child" in Cree, derived from
ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ (mistahi) "big, great" and
ᐊᐋᐧᓯᐢ (awâsis) "child". This was the name of a prominent 19th-century Cree chief.
Mitchell m EnglishFrom an English surname, itself derived from the given name
Michael or in some cases from Middle English
michel meaning "big, large".
Mithra m Persian MythologyFrom Avestan
𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning
"oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god
Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.
Mitică m RomanianDiminutive of
Dumitru. This is the name of a character in early 20th-century stories by the Romanian author Ion Luca Caragiale.
Mitra 1 m & f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"friend" in Sanskrit, a cognate of
Mithra. This is the name of a Vedic god (
मित्र) who is associated with friendship and contracts and is frequently paired with the god
Varuna. The feminine form
मित्रा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as
Mitra.
Mitsuaki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Mittens m & f PetFrom the plural of the English word
mitten. This is a common name for cats, given because of a distinctive colouration of the paws.
Moab m BiblicalMeans
"of his father" in Hebrew, a derivative of
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Lot. He was the ancestor of the Moabites, a people who lived in the region called Moab to the east of Israel.
Moacir m TupiFrom Tupi
moasy meaning
"pain, regret". This is the name of the son of
Iracema and Martim in the novel
Iracema (1865) by José de Alencar.
Modestus m Late RomanMeans
"moderate, restrained" in Late Latin. This was the name of several saints.
Modu m HistoryPossibly a Middle Chinese form of the old Turkic honorific
bagatur meaning
"hero, warrior". Modu Chanyu was a 3rd-century BC ruler of the Xiongnu, a people from Mongolia.
Mohana m & f HinduismMeans
"bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods
Shiva and
Krishna) and the feminine form
मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).
Mohandas m HindiMeans
"servant of Mohana" from the name of the Hindu god
Mohana (an epithet of
Krishna) combined with Sanskrit
दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". A famous bearer of this name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian leader who struggled peacefully for independence from Britain.
Mojmír m Czech, SlovakDerived from the Slavic elements
mojĭ meaning "my" and
mirŭ meaning "peace" or "world". This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Moravia.
Molière m HistoryStage name adopted by the French playwright and actor Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), the author of
Tartuffe and other works. He probably borrowed the name from one of the many French towns called Meulière or Molière.
Monday m & f English (African)From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
mona "moon" and
dæg "day". This can be given to children born on Monday, especially in Nigeria.
Monet f & m VariousFrom a French surname that was derived from either
Hamon or
Edmond. This was the surname of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Monroe m & f EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning
"from the mouth of the Roe". The Roe is a river in Northern Ireland. Two famous bearers of the surname were American president James Monroe (1758-1831) and American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
... [more] Montague m English (Rare)From an aristocratic English surname meaning
"sharp mountain", from Old French
mont agu. In Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596) this is the surname of
Romeo and his family.
Montana f & m English (Modern)From the name of the American state, which is derived from Latin
montanus "mountainous".
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.
Montu m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
mnṯw meaning
"nomad". In Egyptian mythology he was the god of war, depicted as a man with the head of a falcon or a bull.
Moon 2 f & m English (Rare)From the English word for Earth's natural satellite, ultimately from Old English
mona.
Morandus m Late RomanMedieval Latin name of uncertain meaning. It could be derived from a Germanic name. Alternatively it might be from Latin
demorandus meaning
"lasting, staying" or
Maurus meaning
"North African, Moorish".
Moray m ScottishFrom the name of the area of Moray in Scotland or the surname derived from it (see
Moray).
Mordecai m Biblical, HebrewMeans
"servant of Marduk" in Persian. In the Old Testament Mordecai is the cousin and foster father of
Esther. He thwarted a plot to kill the Persian king, though he made an enemy of the king's chief advisor
Haman.
Mordred m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian CycleFrom Welsh
Medraut, possibly from Latin
moderatus meaning
"controlled, moderated". In Arthurian legend Mordred was the illegitimate son (in some versions nephew) of King
Arthur. Mordred first appears briefly (as
Medraut) in the 10th-century
Annales Cambriae, but he was not portrayed as a traitor until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth. While Arthur is away he seduces his wife
Guinevere and declares himself king. This prompts the battle of Camlann, which leads to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur.
Morgan 1 m & f Welsh, English, FrenchFrom the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
Morley m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from an Old English place name meaning
"marsh clearing".
Morpheus m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
μορφή (morphe) meaning
"shape", referring to the shapes seen in dreams. In Greek mythology Morpheus was the god of dreams.
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.
Mostyn m WelshFrom the name of a town in northern Wales, which is probably derived from Old English elements meaning
"moss town".
Mot m Semitic MythologyMeans
"death" in Ugaritic. This was the name of the Ugaritic god of death and the lord of the netherworld. He was a son of the supreme god
El.
Motecuhzoma m NahuatlMeans
"he becomes angry like a lord" in Nahuatl, from
mo- "himself",
tēcu- "lord" and
zōma "become angry, frown". This name was borne by two emperors of the Aztec Empire.