Browse Names

Machli m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Mahli.

Maci f English (Modern)
Variant of Macy.

Madai m Biblical
Means "Medes" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Japheth said to be the ancestor of the Medes, an ancient people related to the Persians.

Maddi f Basque
Variant of Mari 3 or Maria.

Madhavi f Hinduism, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi
Feminine form of Madhava. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

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.

Magali f French, Occitan
Occitan form of Magdalene.

Magdalini f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Magdalene.

Magdi 1 f Hungarian
Diminutive of Magdolna.

Magdi 2 m Arabic (Egyptian)
Alternate transcription of Arabic مجدي (see Majdi). This corresponds more closely with the Egyptian Arabic pronunciation of the name.

Magni m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Derived from the Old Norse element magn meaning "power, strength". In Norse mythology this name is borne by a son of Thor and the giant Járnsaxa.

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.

Mahali 1 m Biblical
Variant of Mahli used in some verses of the King James Version of the Old Testament.

Mahali 2 m Germanic
Old German form of Melle.

Məhəmmədəli m Azerbaijani
Combination of Məhəmməd and Əli.

Mahdi m Arabic, Persian
Means "guided one" in Arabic, a derivative of هدى (hadā) meaning "to lead the right way, to guide".

Mahli m Biblical
From the Hebrew name מַחְלִי (Maḥli), derived from חָלָה (ḥala) meaning "weak, sick". This is the name of two characters mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.

Mähri f Turkmen
Possibly derived from Persian مه (mah) meaning "moon" or مهر (mehr) meaning "friendship, love, kindness".

Mai 1 f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 梅 (mai) meaning "plum, apricot" (refers specifically to the species Prunus mume).

Mai 2 f Japanese
From Japanese 舞 (mai) meaning "dance" or 麻衣 (mai) meaning "linen robe". It can also come from 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with 愛 (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).

Màiri f Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Maria (see Mary). The form Moire is used to refer to the Virgin Mary.

Majdi m Arabic
Means "glorious, praiseworthy" in Arabic, from the root مجد (majada) meaning "to be glorious".

Makai m African American
Variant of Mekhi.

Makari m Russian (Archaic)
Alternate transcription of Russian Макарий (see Makariy).

Malachi m Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning "my messenger" or "my angel", derived from a possessive form of מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Malai f Thai
Means "garland of flowers" in Thai.

Malakai m Fijian, Tongan, English (Modern)
Fijian and Tongan form of Malachi, as well as a modern English variant.

Mal'akhi m Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew form of Malachi.

Malalai f Pashto
Means "sad, grieved" in Pashto. This was the name of a Pashtun woman who encouraged the Afghan forces during the 1880 Battle of Maiwand against the British.

Malani f English (Modern)
Possibly a variant of Melanie using the Hawaiian name element lani meaning "heaven, sky" (found in names such as Leilani and Kalani).

Malati f Hindi
Means "jasmine" in Sanskrit.

Mali f Thai
Means "jasmine" in Thai.

Malinalli f Nahuatl
Means "tall grass" in Nahuatl.

Malini f Hindi
Means "fragrant" in Sanskrit.

Malkhazi m Georgian
Form of Malkhaz with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.

Mami f Japanese
From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or 麻 (ma) meaning "flax" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.

Manami f Japanese
From Japanese 愛 (mana) meaning "love, affection" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or 海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Mandi f English
Diminutive of Amanda.

Mandlenkosi m Zulu, Ndebele
From Zulu and Ndebele amandla "strength, power" and inkosi "king, chief".

Manfredi m Italian
Southern Italian form of Manfred.

Mani 1 m Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Hinduism
Means "jewel" in Sanskrit. This name is mentioned briefly in the Mahabharata belonging to both a giant serpent and an attendant of Skanda.

Mani 2 m Persian
Meaning unknown, presumably of Persian origin. Mani was a 3rd-century prophet who founded the religion of Manichaeism (which is now extinct).

Manjushri m Buddhism
Means "beautiful radiance", derived from Sanskrit मञ्जु (mañju) meaning "lovely, beautiful" and श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour, beauty". According to Buddhist tradition this is the name of a bodhisattva.

Marceli m Polish
Polish form of Marcellus.

Marci f English
Diminutive of Marcia.

Mari 1 f Estonian, Finnish, Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Georgian, Armenian
Estonian, Finnish, Welsh and Breton form of Maria, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of Mária. It is also a Scandinavian, Georgian and Armenian form of the French name Marie.

Mari 2 f Japanese
From 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 Basque Mythology
Possibly from Basque emari meaning "donation" or amari meaning "mother". This was the name of a goddess of nature and fertility in Basque mythology.

Mariami f Georgian
Form of Mariam with the Georgian nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.

Marianthi f Greek
Combination of Maria and Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower" (from names such as Chrysanthi).

Marijani m Swahili
Means "coral" in Swahili, originally a borrowing from Arabic مرْجان (marjān).

Marni f English
Variant of Marnie.

Marsaili f Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Marcella, now also associated with Marjorie.

Martí m Catalan
Catalan form of Martin.

Martti m Finnish
Finnish form of Martin.

Masaki m Japanese
From Japanese 正 (masa) meaning "right, proper" and 樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of kanji having the same reading.

Masami f & m Japanese
From 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.

Masashi m Japanese
From Japanese 政 (masa) meaning "government" or 雅 (masa) meaning "elegant, graceful" combined with 志 (shi) meaning "will, purpose". Many other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

Masozi m & f Tumbuka
Means "tears" in Tumbuka.

Matei m Romanian
Romanian form of Matthew.

Mati m Estonian
Estonian form of Matthew.

Matthei m Old Church Slavic
Old Church Slavic form of Matthew.

Matti m Finnish
Finnish form of Matthew.

Matvei m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Матвей (see Matvey).

Māui m & f Hawaiian, Polynesian Mythology
Meaning 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.

Mauri m Finnish
Finnish form of Maurice.

Mawuli m Ewe
Means "God lives" in Ewe.

Maxi m & f Spanish, German
Spanish short form of Maximiliano (masculine) or German short form of Maximiliane (feminine) or Maximilian (masculine).

Mayumi 1 f Japanese
From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with 弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow" or 由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". This name can also be constructed from other kanji combinations.

Mayumi 2 f Tagalog
Means "tender, soft, modest" in Tagalog.

Mbali f Zulu
Means "flower" in Zulu.

Meeli f Estonian
Feminine form of Meelis.

Meenakshi f Hinduism, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Sanskrit मीनाक्षी (see Minakshi).

Meeri f Finnish
Finnish form of Mary.

Megumi f Japanese
From 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.

Mehdi m Persian, Azerbaijani, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Persian, Azerbaijani and North African form of Mahdi.

Mehmet Ali m Turkish
Combination of Mehmet and Ali 1.

Mei 1 f Chinese
From 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 Japanese
From 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.

Mekhi m African American
Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. This name was popularized by the American actor Mekhi Phifer (1974-).

Melati f Indonesian, Malay
Means "jasmine flower" in Malay and Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit मालती (mālatī).

Melpomeni f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Melpomene.

Merari m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Means "bitter" in Hebrew. This is the name of the youngest son of Levi in the Old Testament.

Meri 1 f Finnish
Means "sea" in Finnish.

Meri 2 f Georgian, Armenian, Greek
Georgian, Armenian and Greek form of the English name Mary.

Meropi f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Merope.

Mervi f Finnish
From the name of a Finnish village (now a part of the municipality of Hattula).

Meti f Oromo
Means "umbrella" in Oromo.

Metztli f & m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Means "moon" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec god (or goddess) of the moon.

Meztli f & m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Variant of Metztli.

Mhairi f Scottish
Anglicized form of a Mhàiri, the vocative case of Màiri.

Michi 1 m & f Japanese
From Japanese 道 (michi) meaning "path". Other kanji can also form this name.

Michi 2 m & f German
German diminutive of Michael or Michaela.

Mictlantecuhtli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "lord of Mictlan" in Nahuatl. In Aztec mythology he was the skeletal ruler of Mictlan, the realm of the dead, with his wife Mictecacihuatl.

Midori f Japanese
From Japanese 緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.

Mielikki f Finnish Mythology
Derived 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.

Mihai m Romanian
Romanian form of Michael. Mihai the Brave was a prince of Wallachia who united Romania in the early 17th century.

Mikalai m Belarusian
Alternate transcription of Belarusian Мікалай (see Mikalay).

Miki f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Mikki f English
Strictly feminine variant of Mickey.

Milani f English (Modern)
From the name of the Italian city of Milan, as in the name of the American cosmetics company founded in 2002. It could also a variant of Melanie.

Milivojĭ m Old Slavic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Slavic reconstruction of Milivoj.

Milvi f Estonian
Coined by Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson in 1914, of uncertain meaning.

Mimi f English
Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with M.

Mimmi f Swedish, Finnish
Diminutive of Vilhelmina or Vilhelmiina.

Minakshi f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
From Sanskrit मीन (mīna) meaning "fish" and अक्षि (akṣi) meaning "eye". This is the name of a Hindu goddess associated with the Tamil city of Madurai. She is considered an incarnation of Parvati.

Minali f Hindi
Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.

Min-Ji f Korean
From Sino-Korean 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" combined with 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or 知 (ji) meaning "know, perceive, comprehend". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Miri f Hebrew
Hebrew diminutive of Miriam.

Mirjami f Finnish
Finnish form of Miriam.

Misaki f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 咲 (saki) meaning "blossom". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.

Misi m Hungarian
Diminutive of Mihály.

Miski f Quechua
Means "honey" in Quechua.

Misti f English
Variant of Misty.

Mitsuaki m Japanese
From Japanese 光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and 昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Mitsuki f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon". It can also come from 光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope", as well as several other kanji combinations.

Mitzi f German
German diminutive of Maria.

Miyuki f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with 幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Mizuki f Japanese
From Japanese 瑞 (mizu) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other kanji combinations.

Moerani m & f Tahitian
From Tahitian moe "sleep" and raʻi "heaven, sky".

Mohammad-Ali m Persian
Combination of Mohammad and Ali 1. Though usually transcribed into Latin characters with a dash or a space, it is not written with a space in Persian.

Mohini f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Means "perplexing, enchanting" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a beautiful female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, a form he took in order to trick the asuras (demons) into relinquishing the amrita (elixir of immortality).

Moisei m Old Church Slavic
Old Church Slavic form of Moses.

Momi f Hawaiian
Means "pearl" in Hawaiian.

Mordecai m Biblical, Hebrew
Means "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.

Mordechai m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew מָרְדֳּכַי or מָרְדְּכַי (see Mordecai).

Mosi f & m Swahili
Means "first (child)" in Swahili.

Moti 1 m Oromo
Means "leader" in Oromo.

Moti 2 m Hebrew
Diminutive of Mordecai.

Mowgli m Literature
Created by Rudyard Kipling for a character in The Jungle Book (1894) and its sequel (1895), in which Mowgli is a feral boy who was raised by wolves in the jungle of central India. His name, given to him by his adopted wolf parents, is said to mean "frog" in the stories, though Kipling admitted the name was made up.

Muhammad Ali m Arabic, Urdu
Combination of Muhammad and Ali 1.

Muhammadali m Uzbek, Tajik
Combination of Muhammad and Ali 1.

Muhammed Ali m Turkish
Combination of Muhammed and Ali 1.

Mukami f Kikuyu
Possibly means "the one who milks the cows" in Kikuyu.

Mulyadi m Indonesian
Derived from Indonesian mulia meaning "noble, honourable", ultimately from Sanskrit मूल्य (mūlya) meaning "cost, worth".

Mumbi f Kikuyu
Means "she who shapes" in Kikuyu. In Kikuyu mythology Mumbi was the wife of Gikuyu and the mother of his nine daughters.

Mundi m Old Norse
Short form of Old Norse names ending with the element mundr "protection".

Munyaradzi m Shona
Means "comforter, consoler" in Shona, from nyaradza "to make quiet, to console".

Murali m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi
Means "flute" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, given to him because he played the flute.

Muthoni f Kikuyu
Means "mother-in-law" in Kikuyu.

Mwanahamisi f Swahili
Means "child born on Thursday" in Swahili.

Mwanaidi f Swahili
Means "child born during the festival" in Swahili.

Mwangi m Kikuyu
Means "rapid expansion" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations. The Mwangi generation started around the beginning of the 20th century and lasted for about 30 years.

Mwayi f & m Chewa
Means "opportunity" in Chewa.