Kristina f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, German, Slovene, Czech, Lithuanian, Serbian, Croatian, Albanian, Faroese, English, BulgarianForm of
Christina in several languages. It is also an English variant of
Christina and a Bulgarian variant of
Hristina.
Laetitia f Late Roman, FrenchOriginal Latin form of
Letitia, as well as a French variant. This name began rising in popularity in France around the same time that Serge Gainsbourg released his 1963 song
Elaeudanla Téïtéïa (this title is a phonetic rendering of the letters in the name
Lætitia). It peaked in 1982 as the fourth most common name for girls.
Laudine f Arthurian CyclePossibly a derivative of
Lot 2 (or derived from the same place name). It was used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for a character in his romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Also called the Lady of the Fountain, Laudine married
Yvain after he killed her husband.
Laura f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late RomanFeminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant
"laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
... [more] Leatrice f EnglishPossibly a combination of
Leah and
Beatrice. This name was first brought to public attention by the American actress Leatrice Joy (1893-1985).
Leo m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, English, Croatian, Armenian, Late RomanDerived from Latin
leo meaning
"lion", a cognate of
Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled
Лев in Russian, whose works include
War and Peace and
Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.
Leocadia f Spanish, Late RomanLate Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of
Leucadia or from Greek
λευκός (leukos) meaning
"bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name). Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.
León m SpanishSpanish form of
Leo and
Leon. This is also the name of a city and province in Spain (see
León), though the etymology is unrelated.
Letitia f EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Laetitia meaning
"joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.
Liberatus m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"freed, released". This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr.
Liberius m Late RomanLate Latin name that was derived from Latin
liber "free". This name was borne by a 2nd-century saint and a 4th-century pope.
Liborius m Late RomanPossibly a variant of
Liberius, or possibly a Latinized form of a Gaulish name. Saint Liborius was a 4th-century bishop of Le Mans.
Lina 2 f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Lithuanian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, SloveneShort form of names ending in
lina.
Lohengrin m Arthurian CycleFrom the earlier form
Loherangrin, derived from
Lothringen, the German name for the region of
Lorraine. It appears in Arthurian legend, initially in the 13th-century German poem
Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, belonging to a son of the knight
Parzival. The tales were adapted by Richard Wagner for his opera
Lohengrin (1850).
Lori f EnglishDiminutive of
Laura,
Lorraine and other names beginning with
Lor. This name rapidly rose in popularity in the United States in the 1950s and 60s, peaking in the 8th spot for girls in 1963.
Lorraine f EnglishFrom 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.
Lot 2 m Arthurian CycleFrom the name of the region of
Lothian in southern Scotland, of unknown meaning. A king of Lothian by this name appears in early Latin and Welsh texts (as
Leudonus and
Lewdwn respectively). He was inserted into Arthurian legend by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, who makes him the father of
Gawain.
Mab f LiteratureUsed 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 EnglishMedieval 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).
Mabelle f EnglishVariant of
Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase
ma belle meaning "my beautiful".
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.
Mae f EnglishVariant of
May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Magnus m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"great". It was borne by a 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after
Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name
Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.
Maisie f Scottish, EnglishScottish diminutive of
Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series
Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.
Malcolm m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Máel Coluim, which means
"disciple of Saint Columba". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing
Macbeth, the usurper who had defeated his father
Duncan. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy
Macbeth (1606) is loosely based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.
Margaret f EnglishDerived from Latin
Margarita, which was from Greek
μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning
"pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language. 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] Margaux f FrenchVariant 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.
Margherita f ItalianItalian form of
Margaret. This is also the Italian word for the daisy flower (species Bellis perennis, Leucanthemum vulgare and others).
Margriet f DutchDutch form of
Margaret. This is also the Dutch word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
Marguerite f FrenchFrench form of
Margaret. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
Marjorie f EnglishMedieval 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.
Marquis m African AmericanFrom a noble title that derives from the Old French word
marche meaning "march, borderland". The title originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm.
Marshall m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted a person who was a marshal. The word
marshal originally derives from Latin
mariscalcus, itself from Germanic roots akin to Old High German
marah "horse" and
scalc "servant". A famous bearer is the American rapper Marshall Mathers (1972-), who performs under the name Eminem.
Maurice m French, EnglishFrom the Roman name
Mauritius, a derivative of
Maurus. Saint Maurice was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Egypt. He and the other Christians in his legion were supposedly massacred on the orders of Emperor Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thus, he is the patron saint of infantry soldiers.
... [more] Maurus m Late RomanLatin name meaning
"North African, Moorish", of Greek origin. This was the name of numerous early saints, most notably a follower of Saint Benedict.
Max m German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Czech, Russian, French, CatalanShort form of
Maximilian or
Maxim. In English it can also be short for
Maxwell, and it coincides with the informal word
max, short for
maximum.
... [more] Maxine f EnglishFeminine form of
Max. It has been commonly used only since the beginning of the 20th century.
Maxwell m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning
"Mack's stream", from the name
Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name
Magnus, combined with Old English
wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
... [more] 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.
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.
Mégane f French (Modern)French form of
Megan. This name rapidly climbed in popularity beginning in the late 1980s, though it fell out of favour after the French car company Renault used it for one of their vehicles in 1995.
Meghan f EnglishVariant of
Megan. A notable bearer is Meghan Markle (1981-), the American-born wife of the British royal Prince Harry.
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] 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.
Meurig m WelshFrom Old Welsh
Mouric, possibly a Welsh form of the Latin name
Mauritius (see
Maurice). This was the name of a few early Welsh kings (such as the 5th-century Meurig ap Tewdrig).