Updated October 2026
Across 23 pages
of 23
Dutch
"daisy"
Madelief is an uncommon name but not unheard of in the Netherlands, where 123 girls were called Madelief in one recent year. With its soft sounds and similarities to all those "Madeleine" type names…
Sanskrit
"ocean"
The Hindu princess and poetess Meera, was also known as Mira Bai. Mira Bai was a Rajput princess, the only child of Ratan Singh, younger brother of the ruler of Merta. Her royal education included…
Combination of Mia and Etta; diminutive of Mia
Mietta is either a diminutive of Mia (which in the tradition of many Romance language diminutives is longer than the original) or a "smoosh" name combining Mia and Etta. As combined names go it is…
Modern invented name
Mistelle is a modern invention combining Misty with the evergreen feminine suffix 'elle'. This name is occasionally seen in Australia.
Mapuche, Chilean
"golden flower"
A melodic and glowing name, derived from Mapuche, the language of the Indigenous people of central Chile, Millaray means "golden flower". It ranked in the Chilean Top 100 in the 2010s and remains a…
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?
Cornish
"a profit from the sea"
A medieval Cornish name which despite sounding similar to the French name Emeraude, is actually connected to the Welsh name Morfydd. Pronunciation rhymes with Herod -- and yes, the final d is…
Short form of Mozes, Dutch, Egyptian, German
"delivered from water; moss"
While some English speakers might read this a "moose" or "moos" (as in the sound a cow makes), it is in fact said with the strong O sound of "boat" or "nose". A popular choice in the Netherlands,…
American Place-name
Strong, spare, and highly unusual -- there were no babies recorded of either gender receiving this name in one recent year -- place-name referring to the northernmost state in New England. All state…
Italian hereditary title of nobility
Marchesa, pronounced with a K sound rather than a CH, fits right in with all those boys named Messiah and King. In Italy, a marchesa is the wife of a marchese. In France, the equivalent titles are…
Hebrew
"swift to the plunder"
Actor Mahershala Ali single-handedly put this Biblical name on the map. If you think it's difficult to pronounce and spell, consider that it's short for Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the longest name in the…
English
"flower name"
A beautiful smoosh of two stylish vintage girl names, May and Lily, but also the name of a pretty lily of the valley flower with small white blooms.
The name of a regular (if not central) character on Amazon's Catastrophe vaguely recalls Melanie, Melissa and Sandra.
Latin
"Star of the sea"
One of the many names for the Virgin Mary, this name is popular in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities.
Welsh
"loveable"
Mabli is the sweet Welsh variant of Mabel, first used at the beginning of the 20th-century making it a relatively modern choice. Cute but energetic with the appeal of other Welsh names like Cadi and…
Breton contraction of Mari and Gwenn
French actress and film director Maïwenn Le Besco uses only her striking given name professionally; it’s a contraction of Mari (the Breton form of Marie) and Gwenn ("white, fair, blessed"). The name…
Breton
"sea brow"
This Tolkien name is a variation on Meriadeg, a Breton name derived from Conan Meriadeg who was the legendary founder of Brittany. In Tolkien's novel, Meriadoc (shortened to the charming "Merry") is…
"midday / pinnacle"
In geography, a meridian is a line drawn around the curve of the Earth between the North and South Poles. The term comes from Latin meridianus, meaning "pertaining to midday", and the association…
American invented name
Part Hadley, part Madelyn, Madley might be viewed as either an invented smoosh name or an English place name. As a smoosh name, it could mean "field by the high tower" or "meadow of Magdala", while…
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.