This is a list of submitted names in which the usage is American; and the pattern is *a.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Mcnamara f EnglishFrom a Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Mac Conmara meaning "son of Conmara". The given name Conmara is composed of cú "hound" and muir "sea". It probably gained in popularity as a first name for girls inspired by other feminine names beginning in Mac or Mc such as
Mackenzie,
McKenna, and
McKinley.
Mecca f & m English (American, Rare)From the city of
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam. From there, it became a common noun for any place considered to be important to visit by people with a particular interest.
Meda f EnglishA short form of names ending in -meda such as Andromeda.
Meikayla f English (Rare)Variant of
Mikayla. Meikayla Moore (1996-) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League and the New Zealand national team.
Mellida f Theatre, EnglishLikely coined by the playwright John Marston for his plays 'Antonio and Mellida'(1599) and 'Antonio's Revenge' (1601). It was presumably intended as a cross between
Melissa and
Phyllida.
Mena f Irish, EnglishCommon diminutive of Philomena, derived from ancient Greek/Roman sources originally and means 'friend of strength' or 'loved strongly'. Mena is the most common nickname for Philomena and it sometimes used as a forename itself.
Miahna f AmericanThe history of the name Miahna is from a crazy mother who has an awesome daughter.
Millvina f English (Rare)Possibly a variant of
Melvina. This name was most famously used by Millvina Dean (1912-2009) the last survivor of the Titanic before she died in 2009... [
more]
Minetta f English (Rare)Latinate form of
Minette. This is also the name of an underground stream in New York City, which is claimed to derive from
Manette meaning "devil's water" in a Native American language; a street and a lane in Greenwich Village are named for the buried Minetta Brook, which flows beneath them.
Minnesota f American (Rare)From the name of the state in the United States of America, which came from the name of the river "Minnesota River". Thus, the river got its name from the Sioux Indian word "Minisota." That word comes from the words
minni, meaning "water", and
sotah meaning "sky-tinted" or "cloudy." Therefore, Minnesota means "sky-tinted water" or "cloudy water".
Mongolia f English (Rare)This name derives from the country of Mongolia, located in east-central Asia. It is derived from 'Mongol' (as in the Mongol Empire) which is said to originate from Mongolian
mong/монг meaning "brave."
Mordelia f EnglishThe name of Baz Pitch's sister in Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.
Morella f Literature, Spanish (Latin American), English (Rare), Romani (Archaic), Medieval Scottish (Rare)Used by Edgar Allan Poe for the title character of his Gothic short story
Morella (1835), in which case he may have invented it by adding a diminutive suffix to Latin
mors "death". Alternatively, it may be derived from the name of the ancient Spanish city, the Italian name for the poisonous weed black nightshade (species Solanum nigrum), or from the Italian surname
Morello, all of them ultimately deriving from Greek μαῦρος
(mauros) meaning "black"... [
more]
Moria f English (Rare), TheatreModern instances of this name may be misspellings of
Maria or
Moira. In the case of the character in Ben Jonson's satirical play
Cynthia's Revels (1600), who 'talks anything of anything', it was probably intended to be a feminine derivative of Greek μωρός
(moros) meaning "simpleton".
Morinda f English (American, Archaic)From the genus of flowering plants. The generic name is derived from the Latin words
morus "mulberry", from the appearance of the fruits, and
indica "of India".
Myika f African AmericanMy mother's middle name was supposed to be this but spelt like Michael. So she change the spelling to this and now its mine.
Myrcella f Literature, Popular Culture, English (Modern, Rare)Created by author George R.R. Martin for a character in his series
A Song of Ice and Fire (1996) and its television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019). At the beginning of the first novel, Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of king Robert Baratheon and queen Cersei Lannister... [
more]
Myrinta f English (American, Rare)Possibly a combination of
Myron or
Myra and the suffix
-inta, or a variant of
Miranda, this uncommon name reached the height of its popularity during the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and Canada.
Myrrena f English (Rare, ?), ObscurePossibly an altered form of
Myrrhine or
Myrina. This is borne by American film director Myrrena Brakhage (1958-), a daughter of Stan Brakhage, who is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th-century experimental film.
Myrrha f EnglishOver the centuries Myrrha, the girl, and myrrh, the fragrance, have been linked etymologically. The Modern English word
myrrh (Old English:
myrra) derives from the Latin
Myrrha (or
murrha or
murra, all are synonymous Latin words for the tree substance)... [
more]
Nakia m & f Popular Culture, African AmericanBriefly charted on American popularity lists due to the short-lived television police drama series 'Nakia' (1974), which starred Robert Forster as a Navajo deputy sheriff. Since then, it has been used as an African-American name (both femenine and masculine), interpreted as a combination of the phonetic elements
na,
kee and
ya Nakita f English (Modern)Possibly an English variant form of the Russian masculine name
Nikita 1, which is commonly confused for a feminine name in English-speaking countries.
Naldera f English (Rare)From the name of the town Naldehra in Shimla, India. Borne by Lady Alexandra Naldera Curzon, daughter of the viceroy of India.
Nandina f English (Rare)From the species of flowering plant, also known as heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo.