MANIUSmAncient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, which was possibly derived from Old Latin
manus "good".
MANLEYmEnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name, meaning "common clearing" in Old English.
MANLIUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was possibly derived from Latin
mane "morning". Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was a Roman consul who saved Rome from the Gauls in the 4th century BC.
MANOJmIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, KannadaModern form of
MANOJA.
MANOJAmHinduismMeans "born of the mind", from Sanskrit
मनस् (manas) meaning "mind, intellect, spirit" and
ज (ja) meaning "born". This is another name of the Hindu god
Kama.
MANSELmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname which originally referred to a person who came from the French city of Le Mans.
MANSURmArabic, Turkish, IndonesianMeans "victorious" in Arabic. Abu Jafar al-Mansur was an 8th-century Abbasid caliph and the founder of the city of Baghdad.
MANU (1)mHinduism, Indian, Hindi, KannadaMeans "thinking, wise" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is a title of Svayambhuva, the progenitor of the human race, as well as several of his descendants.
MANUELmSpanish, Portuguese, German, English, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)Spanish and Portuguese form of
EMMANUEL. In the spelling
Μανουηλ (Manouel) it was also used in the Byzantine Empire, notably by two emperors. It is possible this form of the name was transmitted to Spain and Portugal from Byzantium, since there were connections between the royal families (king Ferdinand III of Castile married Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen, who had Byzantine roots, and had a son named Manuel). The name has been used in Iberia since at least the 13th century and was borne by two kings of Portugal.
MAO (1)fJapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or
舞 (mai) meaning "dance" combined with
央 (o) meaning "center",
緒 (o) meaning "thread" or
桜 (o) meaning "cherry blossom". Other kanji combinations are possible.
MARA (1)fBiblicalMeans "bitter" in Hebrew. This is a name taken by
Naomi in the Old Testament (see Ruth 1:20).
MARALfArmenianMeans "deer" in Armenian, referring to the Caspian Red Deer.
MARAMAfPolynesian MythologyMeans "moon" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology she was the goddess of the moon and death.
MARCELLINUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was derived from
MARCELLUS. Saint Marcellinus was a pope of the early 4th century who was supposedly martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
MARCIANUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was a derivative of the praenomen
MARCUS. This was the name of a 5th-century Eastern Roman emperor. It was also borne by a 2nd-century saint: a bishop of Tortona, Italy.
MARCIUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was a derivative of the praenomen
MARCUS. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary, king of Rome.
MARCOmItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, DutchItalian form of
MARK. During the Middle Ages this name was common in Venice, where Saint Mark was supposedly buried. A famous bearer was the Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who travelled across Asia to China in the 13th century.
MARCUSmAncient Roman, Biblical Latin, English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishRoman praenomen, or given name, which was probably derived from the name of the Roman god
MARS. This was among the most popular of the Roman praenomina. Famous bearers include Marcus Tullius Cicero (known simply as Cicero), a 1st-century BC statesman and orator, Marcus Antonius (known as Mark Antony), a 1st-century BC politician, and Marcus Aurelius, a notable 2nd-century emperor. This was also the name of a pope of the 4th century. This spelling has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world, though the traditional English form
Mark has been more common.
MARDUKmNear Eastern MythologyPossibly from Sumerian
amar-Utu meaning "calf of
UTU". In Babylonian mythology he was the chief god, presiding over heaven, light, sky, battle, and fertility. After killing the dragon
Tiamat, who was an old enemy of the gods, he created the world and sky from the pieces of her body.
MARGANITAfHebrewFrom the name of a type of flowering plant common in Israel, called the scarlet pimpernel in English.
MARGARETfEnglishDerived 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] MARGAUXfFrenchVariant 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.
MARGHERITAfItalianItalian form of
MARGARET. This is also the Italian word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARGRIETfDutchDutch form of
MARGARET. This is also the Dutch word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARGUERITEfFrenchFrench form of
MARGARET. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
MARI (1)fWelsh, 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)fJapaneseFrom 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)fMythologyPossibly from Basque
emari "donation" or
amari "mother". This was the name of a goddess of the weather and fertility in Basque mythology.
MARIAf & mItalian, 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] MARIAHfEnglishVariant 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)fEnglishVariant 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.
MARIEf & mFrench, 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] MARIELfEnglishDiminutive of
MARY influenced by
MURIEL. In the case of actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name is from the Cuban town of Mariel.
MARIKOfJapaneseFrom 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.
MARILYNfEnglishCombination 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).
MARINAfItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Georgian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
MARINUS.
MARIOmItalian, Spanish, German, CroatianItalian and Spanish form of
MARIUS. Famous bearers include American race car driver Mario Andretti (1940-) and Canadian hockey player Mario Lemieux (1965-).
MARION (2)mEnglishFrom a French surname which was derived from
MARION (1). This was the real name of American actor John Wayne (1907-1979), who was born Marion Robert Morrison.
MARISfEnglish (Rare)Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
MARIUSmAncient Roman, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, FrenchRoman family name which 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.
MARJORIEfEnglishMedieval 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.
MARKmEnglish, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, BiblicalForm of
MARCUS. Saint Mark was the author of the second gospel in the New Testament. Though the author's identity is not certain, some traditions hold him to be the same person as the John Mark who appears in the Book of Acts. He is the patron saint of Venice, where he is supposedly buried. Though in use during the Middle Ages,
Mark was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when it began to be used alongside the classical form
Marcus.
... [more] MARLEN (1)mRussianBlend of
Marx and
Lenin. This name was created by Communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
MARLENEfGerman, 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.
MARLEYfEnglish (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).
MARLONmEnglishMeaning unknown. This name was popularized by the American actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004), who was named after his father.
MARLOWEfEnglish (Modern)From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English.
MARNIEfEnglishPossibly 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.
MARQUISmAfrican AmericanFrom a noble title which was derived from the Old French word
marchis "march, borderland", which originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm.
MARSmRoman MythologyPossibly related to Latin
mas "male" (genitive
maris). In Roman mythology Mars was the god of war, often equated with the Greek god
Ares. This is also the name of the fourth planet in the solar system.
MARSHALLmEnglishFrom a surname which originally denoted a person who was a marshal. The word
marshal originally derives from Germanic
marah "horse" and
scalc "servant".
MARTAfSpanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, GeorgianCognate of
MARTHA.
MARTHAfEnglish, 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]