Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the usage is French; and the first letter is M.
gender
usage
letter
Madelon f French (Rare), Dutch
French diminutive of Madeleine, now more common as a Dutch name.
Maé m French
Variant of Mahé.
Maël m French, Breton
French form of Breton Mael meaning "prince, chieftain, lord". Saint Mael was a 5th-century Breton hermit who lived in Wales.
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.
Magali f French, Occitan
Occitan form of Magdalene.
Magalie f French
Variant of Magali.
Magrite f Walloon, Picard
Walloon and Picard form of Margaret.
Mahé m Breton, French
French form of Mazhe, the Breton form of Matthew.
Maïa f French
French form of Maia 1.
Mailys f French
Variant of Maylis.
Maïwenn f French, Breton
Form of Maiwenn using French orthography.
Malvina f Literature, English, Italian, French
Created by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to mhìn and pronounced with a v sound).
Manon f French, Dutch
French diminutive of Marie.
Manu 2 m & f French, Spanish, German, Finnish
Short form of Manuel or Emmanuel (and also of Manuela in Germany).
Manuel m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Emmanuel. In the spelling Μανουήλ (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.
Marc m French, Catalan, Welsh
French, Catalan and Welsh form of Marcus (see Mark). This name was borne by the Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Marceau m French
Old French variant of Marcel. A famous bearer of the surname was the French general François Séverin Marceau (1769-1796).
Marcel m French, Catalan, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German
Form of Marcellus used in several languages. Notable bearers include the French author Marcel Proust (1871-1922), French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and Austrian alpine skier Marcel Hirscher (1989-).
Marcelin m French
French form of Marcellinus.
Marceline f French
French feminine form of Marcellinus.
Marcelle f French
French feminine form of Marcellus.
Marcellette f French (Rare)
French feminine diminutive of Marcellus.
Marcellin m French
French form of Marcellinus.
Marcelline f French
French feminine form of Marcellinus.
Margaux f French
Variant 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.
Margot f French
French short form of Margaret.
Marguerite f French
French form of Margaret. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
Marianne f French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Combination of Marie and Anne 1, though it could also be considered a variant of Mariana or Mariamne. Shortly after the formation of the French Republic in 1792, a female figure by this name was adopted as the symbol of the state.
Marie f & m French, Czech, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Albanian
French and Czech form of Maria. It has been very common in France since the 13th century. At the opening of the 20th century it was given to approximately 20 percent of French girls. This percentage has declined steadily over the course of the century, and it dropped from the top rank in 1958.... [more]
Marie-Ange f French
Combination of Marie and Ange.
Marie-Christine f French
Combination of Marie and Christine.
Marie-Claire f French
Combination of Marie and Claire.
Marie-Claude f French
Combination of Marie and Claude.
Marie-Ève f French
Combination of Marie and Ève.
Marie-France f French
Combination of Marie and France 1.
Marie-Hélène f French
Combination of Marie and Hélène.
Marie-José f French
Combination of Marie and José, the names of the parents of Jesus.
Marie-Laure f French
Combination of Marie and Laure.
Marielle f French
French diminutive of Marie.
Marie-Louise f French
Combination of Marie and Louise.
Marie-Madeleine f French
Combination of Marie and Madeleine, referring to Mary Magdalene from the New Testament.
Marie-Noëlle f French
Combination of Marie and Noëlle.
Marie-Pierre f French
Combination of Marie and Pierre.
Marie-Rose f French
Combination of Marie and Rose.
Marie-Thérèse f French
Combination of Marie and Thérèse.
Mariette f French
French diminutive of Marie.
Marilène f French
Combination of Marie and Hélène.
Marilou f French, English, Spanish (Philippines)
Combination of Maria and Louise. In the Philippines it is usually a combination of Maria and Lourdes.
Marilyne f French
Combination of Marie and Line.
Marin m Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, French
Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of Marinus.
Marine f French, Armenian, Georgian
French, Armenian and Georgian form of Marina.
Marinette f French
French diminutive of Marine.
Marion 1 f French, English, German, Dutch
Medieval French diminutive of Marie.
Marise f French
French diminutive of Marie.
Marius m Ancient Roman, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, Lithuanian
Roman family name that 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.
Marjolaine f French
Means "marjoram" in French, from Latin maiorana. Marjoram is a minty herb.
Marlène f French
French form of Marlene.
Marthe f French, Norwegian
French and Norwegian form of Martha.
Martial m French, History
From the Roman cognomen Martialis, which was derived from the name of the Roman god Mars. The name was borne by Marcus Valerius Martialis, now commonly known as Martial, a Roman poet of the 1st century.
Martîn m Norman
Norman form of Martinus (see Martin).
Martin m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish
From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.... [more]
Martine f French, Dutch, Norwegian
French, Dutch and Norwegian form of Martina.
Marylène f French
Combination of Marie and Hélène.
Maryline f French
Combination of Marie and Line.
Maryse f French
French diminutive of Marie.
Maryvonne f French
Combination of Marie and Yvonne.
Matéo m French
French form of Mateo or Matteo.
Mathéo m French (Modern)
French form of Mateo or Matteo.
Mathieu m French
French variant form of Matthew.
Mathilde f French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish
Form of Matilda in several languages.
Mathis m German, French
German and French variant of Matthias.
Mathurin m French
French form of the Latin name Maturinus, a derivative of maturus meaning "mature, ripe". This name was borne by a 3rd-century Gallo-Roman saint.
Mathurine f French
Feminine form of Mathurin.
Mathys m French (Modern)
French variant of Matthias.
Matis m French (Modern)
French variant of Matthias.
Mattéo m French
French form of Matteo or Mateo.
Matthias m German, French, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From Greek Ματθίας (Matthias), a variant of Ματθαῖος (see Matthew). This form appears in the New Testament as the name of the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. This was also the name of kings of Hungary (spelled Mátyás in Hungarian), including Matthias I who made important reforms to the kingdom in the 15th century.
Matthieu m French
Variant of Mathieu.
Maud f English, French, Dutch, Swedish
Medieval English and French form of Matilda. Though it became rare after the 14th century, it was revived and once more grew popular in the 19th century, perhaps due to Alfred Tennyson's 1855 poem Maud.
Maude f English, French
Variant of Maud.
Maurice m French, English
From 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]
Mauricette f French
French feminine form of Maurice.
Max m German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Czech, Russian, French, Catalan
Short 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]
Maxence m French
French form of the Roman name Maxentius, a derivative of Latin maximus "greatest". This was the agnomen of an early 4th-century Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, a rival of Constantine. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint from Agde in France.
Maxime m French
French form of Maximus.
Maximilien m French
French form of Maximilianus (see Maximilian).
Maximilienne f French (Rare)
French feminine form of Maximilian.
Maximin m French
French form of Maximinus.
Maylis f French
From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of Marie and lys.
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.
Mélanie f French
French form of Melanie.
Melchior m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Possibly from the Hebrew roots מֶלֶךְ (meleḵ) meaning "king" and אוֹר (ʾor) meaning "light". This was a name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus. According to medieval tradition he was a king of Persia.
Mélina f French
French form of Melina.
Méline f French
French form of Melina.
Mélisande f French (Rare)
French form of Millicent used by Maurice Maeterlinck in his play Pelléas et Mélisande (1893). The play was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).
Mélissa f French
French form of Melissa.
Mélodie f French
French cognate of Melody.
Mélody f French
French variant of Melody.
Michaël m Dutch, French
Dutch and French form of Michael.
Michel m French, German, Dutch
French 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.
Michèle f French
French feminine form of Michel.
Micheline f French
French feminine diminutive of Michel.
Michelle f French, English, Dutch
French feminine form of Michel. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the former American first lady Michelle Obama (1964-).
Mickaël m French
French variant form of Michael.
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]
Milann m French (Modern)
French variant of Milan.
Mirabelle f French (Rare), English (Rare)
Derived from Latin mirabilis meaning "wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Mireille f French, Dutch
From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).
Modeste m & f French
French masculine and feminine form of Modestus.
Modestine f French
French diminutive of Modestus.
Moïse m French
French form of Moses.
Monique f French, English, Dutch
French form of Monica.
Morgan 1 m & f Welsh, English, French
From 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-).
Morgane f French
French, either a form of Morgan 2 or a feminine form of Morgan 1.
Muriel f English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Irish Muirgel and Scottish Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Murielle f French
French variant of Muriel.
Mylan m French (Modern)
French variant of Milan.
Mylène f French
Combination of Marie and Hélène. It can also be used as a French form of Milena.
Myriam f French
French form of Miriam.