Browse Names - Behind the Name

Manfred m German, Dutch, Polish, Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements man "man" and fridu "peace". It was borne by a 13th-century king of Sicily. Another notable bearer was Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918), the World War I pilot known as the Red Baron. This is also the name of the main character in Lord Byron's drama Manfred (1817).

Manuela f Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, Italian
Feminine form of Manuel.

Mareike f Frisian, German
Frisian and German diminutive of Maria.

Margret f German, English
Contracted form of Margarete or Margaret.

Margrit f German
German variant form of Margaret.

Mariele f German
German diminutive of Maria.

Marlene f German, English
Blend 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.

Marlies f German, Dutch
Combination of Maria and Lies.

Martina f German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Martinus (see Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.

Marzell m German (Rare)
German variant of Marcellus.

Mathias m French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Matthias.

Meinrad m German, Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements megin "power, strength" and rat "counsel, advice". Saint Meinrad was a 9th-century hermit who founded the Benedictine abbey at Einsiedeln in Switzerland.

Melanie f English, German, Dutch
From 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]

Melitta f Ancient Greek, German
Ancient Attic Greek variant of Melissa.

Michael m English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Miḵaʾel) meaning "who is like God?", derived from the interrogative pronoun מִי (mi) combined with ךְּ (ke) meaning "like" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Michael is one of the archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament he is named as a protector of Israel (see Daniel 12:1). In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies in the war against Satan, and is thus considered the patron saint of soldiers in Christianity.... [more]

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