Updated May 2023
Across 6 pages
of 6
Word name
A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.
French
"blackbird"
A sleek, smooth, understated name off the grid in the US but among the Top 100 girl names in Germany. In the US, it is a unisex name, while in Germany and the Netherlands, it is predominantly…
Aboriginal Australian
"black swan"
Maroochy Barambah, an Australian singer, brought this name into prominence in Australia.
English
"small fish"
This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters . Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie,…
English word name or diminutive of Araminta, English from Greek and Latin
"mint; defender; yielding to prayer"
You may be tempted to scoff at Mint as another wacky celebrity baby name — it was used by Dutch model Romee Strijd for her daughter in 2020 — but it's a far more legitimate choice than many would…
English, diminutive of Araminta, invented hybrid name
Minta is an eighteenth century short form of a literary beauty still used in England today, but yet to be discovered by American baby namers. It has a fresh and dainty feel. Virtually unheard today,…
English diminutive of Aminta and Araminta, Greek
"defender"
Minty isn't a fresh word name — it's an old-fashioned nickname for Araminta, the romantic smoosh name coined by playwright William Congreve in 1693.
French, dance term
Minuet is delicate, dancey, and lacy, with a Masterpiece Theatre feel. Is Minuet a real name? Not really, though similar-sounding French names such as Minette and Manette are.
botanical name
Marjoram is a herb and flower. With nicknames like Margie and Jo at the ready, we think that if Marigold can make a comeback, why not Marjoram?
Spanish, Music name
Can you hear the beat?
English word name
Mittens is a common name for cats with mitten-like fur patterns on their paws. The word actually has feline origins — it shares a root with mite , an Old French pet name for a cat. It became linked…
Musical name
Maraca sounds more like a name than Banjo, so why not? It's rhythmic and, well, musical, so might make an adventurous choice.
English, color and coffee name
Save this for your next run to Starbucks.
Mochi is an adorable feminine name with Japanese origins, derived from the sweet rice cake dessert popular in Japanese cuisine. As a given name, Mochi evokes qualities of sweetness, softness, and…
Music name
Manzie was an obscure one-person name until Woody Allen used it for his young daughter, named after jazz drummer Manzie Johnson. Johnson played with another jazz musician, Sidney Bechet, whose last…
Japanese
"peach child"
Momoko is a Japanese name meaning "peach child." It's also the name of a character in the popular Sailor Moon manga series.
Fruit name
Mango is one fruit name best left untasted, unless you're naming a cat or looking for a nickname for a name like Manuela or even Margaret.
French, musical intrument
Mandolin may seem like an outlandish choice for a name, but since BANJO has been used as a baby name, all the instruments in the band seem to be auditioning for a place on birth certificates. This…
"causing harm"
Disney turned Maleficent into a name in 1959, when it was used for the "Mistress of All Evil" in the film Sleeping Beauty . Prior to that, maleficent was a word meaning "causing harm," the antonym of…
"true, reality, hope"
Popular name in Japan in its own right, but also as a nickname for Miyako or Makiko. It appears in the visual novel Danganrompa , borne by the character Maki Harukawa. Succinct and simple, it can…