Updated October 2026
Across 16 pages
of 16
Spanish
"beloved star"
A beautiful combination of Maria and Stella. Marianela Núñez is an Argentine ballet dancer.
Combination of Maria + Angela
"Angel Mary"
A traditional smoosh name with a peaceful, religious feel.
English, modern invented name combining "May" and "Bree"
"Bree"
"May" is a hot sound in girl names — just look at the rise of Maeve — which makes it ripe for creative new inventions. This cheerful, breezy number has been low-key on the US charts since 2011.
Compound name, combining May, Mary, Margaret or Maya with Ella
"Maytime fairy; beloved fairy; pearl-like fairy; fairy mother"
A sunny sounding name, Mayella is a smoosh name with various meanings, depending on which etymological root you follow for May . The name is perhaps most associated with Mayella Ewell in Harper Lee's…
Modern invented name
Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.
Hebrew
"queen"
An alternative form of Milka, Melcha, Malka, and Malika, this Biblical name appears in the Old Testament as the wife of Nahor and the daughter of Haran and as one of the daughters of Zelophehad.…
Slavic, Finnish, Polish, Hebrew
"gracious, dear; rival; queen"
Used in Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Milka derives from the popular Slavic element milŭ , and is a diminutive form of feminine names containing that element such as Milena, Milanka, and…
Native American
"dugout canoe"
Missouri, the name of a tribe, a state and a river, derives from the Illinois word mihsoori meaning "dugout canoe". It became a somewhat popular American girls' name in the mid-19th century. Missouri…
Welsh
"maiden"
Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard…
Latin
"my lady"
There's only one. Okay, two.
Japanese
"sincerity"
Mako is a name used for both genders in Japan, most notably for the granddaughter of the emperor who chose to leave the Royal Family to marry a commoner. It's a simple name that translates easily to…
Medieval variation of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the…
"from the sea"
Marine was trending for a long time in France, but the far right politician Marine (born Marion) LePen has dampened the mood.
Merris is a feminine name with Celtic and Welsh origins, though it occasionally appears as a surname or masculine name as well. It likely derives from the Welsh name Meredith, meaning 'great lord' or…
Variant of Marcella
One of the many faux-Medieval names invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones . Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of…
Word name
A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.
Hindi
"jasmine flower"
Malli is one of those simple-yet-unusual names that are intrinsically fascinating. In the US last year, only seven baby girls were named Malli. English speakers may misunderstand this lovely Indian…
French color name
Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.
Variation of Mckayla, combination of Mckayla and Kaylee or Mckayla and Lee, English
"who is like God; + laurel, crown; + meadow"
A contemporary sounding choice, in the style of Mackenzie and Mckinley, Mckaylee can be viewed as a variation of Mckayla, itself a feminine form of Michael, or as a compound name, blending…
French occupational surname
"a merchant"
Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.