Unique Names that Start With M

Maimuna

Arabic

"luck, good fortune"

A bright, celestial sounding choice with a lucky meaning. Violinist Maimuna Murashko and actress Maimuna Memon are notable bearers.

Maize

English

"corn"

One of the more unusual nature names , Maize is given to a dozen or so boys and girls each year and is almost completely unisex in terms of usage. It could also be short for Maisie/Maizie.…

Marita

German and Spanish diminutive of Maria

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Derived from Maria, the meaning of which is uncertain. Theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from…

Marvel

English word name

Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century,…

Memory

English word name

"recollection"

There's no reason why Memory shouldn't be a name — it sounds like Melody and Mallory, is a pleasant word, and has great nickname options (Rory! Mimi!). Plus, there's that earworm song from Cats .

Maisa

Finnish and Old Swedish form of Maria, Portuguese, Japanese, Georgian, Arabic

"beloved; drop of the sea, bitter; beloved and famous in battle; dance + sand; born in May; walking with a proud gait"

A truly international name with a multitude of origins. From Finnish and Old Swedish, it is one of many international variations of Mary and Maria, and can also be spelled Majsa (pronounced MIE-suh).…

Malone

Irish surname

"devotee of St. John"

A stylish sounding last name, similar to Marlowe in sound and Murphy in style, Malone is a gender neutral choice in the US that has leaned just slightly feminine in recent years. Adapted from the…

Miray

Turkish

"shining like the moon"

Very popular in its native Turkey (Top 20 since 2014), this beautiful, celestial name has international appeal. The meaning of Miray is occasionally debated, with "shining like the moon" as one…

Mylene

A combination name blending Maria and Helene

"sea + light; beloved light"

A compound name or a variant of Myla, associated best perhaps with musician Myleene Klass.

Mahala

Hebrew and Arabic

"tender"

An interesting and rhythmic name often heard in the Native American community; in fact,in the Gold Rush era in California and Nevada, it was so common that it became a generic English term for a…

Makeda

Ethiopian

"greatness"

The name of a wise and beautiful 10th century BC Ethiopian queen, probably the same person as the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon in the Old Testament.

Moksha

Sanskrit

"liberation"

With Bodhi one of the fastest-rising names, could other concepts from Eastern religions catch on as names too? Moksha can refer to various types of freedom and release, such as from ignorance and…

Maricruz

Spanish compound name, combining Maria and Cruz

"Mary of the cross"

Maricruz combines Maria and Cruz into a devotional name for the Virgin Mary. The name peaked in the 90s and early 2000s, popularized by Mexican actress Maricruz Olivier and the Mexican telenova…

Merlin

Welsh

"sea fortress"

Merlin is an ancient wizardy name still occasionally (and increasingly) used today. Thirteen baby girls were named Merlin in the US last year, and about seventy boys.

Mirren

Scottish

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Mirren is a lively and attractive Scottish name, popular in its native country but best known outside Scotland as the surname of the English actor Dame Helen Mirren. It is thought to be a Scottish…