Mythological Names

Maat

Egyptian

"virtue, truth, justice, harmony"

Also written as Maʽat, this Egyptian goddess personified the virtues of truth, justice, harmony, law, order and balance, among others. She weighed the hearts of the dead to see if that person was…

Makaria

Greek mythology name

"blessed one"

Makaria or Macaria is the name of two figures in Greek mythology, neither of whom have very uplifting stories to inspire a baby name. One was a daughter of Heracles who sacrificed herself to save the…

Māra

Latvian

A goddess of childbirth in Latvian mythology. She is known to be the patroness of all feminine duties as well as economic activity, like money and markets.

Marama

Maori and Tahitian

"moon; bright"

The name of a male lunar deity in Maori mythology, Marama is nevertheless now used as a female name in New Zealand – no doubt because its warm sound lends itself to contemporary feminine trends. In…

Marzanna

Polish

A Polish goddess of seasonal rites and rebirth. She is known to be the bringer of death and the symbol of winter, and is the counterpart of the spring goddess — either Lada or Vesna.

Medea

Greek

"middle"

Mythological princess who killed her kids. Eternal no-no.

Megaera

Greek

"the jealous one"

Megaera is one of the Furies in Greek mythology — deities of vengeance. It's a better choice than Envy, which was given to 37 more baby girls than Megaera at last count.

Melia

Greek mythology name, diminutive of Amelia, or Hawaiian

"ash tree; honey; work; plumeria"

This is a rich, melodic shortening of the popular girls' name Amelia that can stand on its own. There are several figures in Greek myth named Melia, most notably a daughter of Oceanus. The Meliae are…

Melinoe

Greek

"having the color of quince"

In Greek Mythology, Melinoe was the daughter of Persephone, and fathered by both Zeus and Hades. She was one of two moon goddess, the other being Hecate, but was thought to be the bringer of…

Mellona

Latin

"honey"

This name — also seen as Mellonia — belonged to the Roman goddess of bees and bee-keeping, said to encourage the supply of honey.

Mena

Spanish, diminutive of Filomena

Actress Mena Suvari (named after an Egyptian hotel) made this name seem especially appealing. Mena is also a minor Roman goddess of fertility.

Merope

Greek

"bee-eater bird"

This obscure name from Greek mythology (Merope was one of the Pleiades) is better known from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series, as the name of Tom Riddle's ill-fated mother.

Milda

Lithuanian mythological name

"goddess of love"

The name of the Lithuanian love diety is a unique way to get to the nickname Millie. Milda has also been seen as a diminutive for names such as Matilda and Mildred. It appeared on the US Top 1000 in…

Minerva

Latin

"of the mind, intellect"

Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the mythology names for girls that might appeal to adventurous feminist parents.…

Mokosh

Proto-Slavic

"moisture"

A goddess of women, childbirth, weaving, and sheep-shearing worshipped in Slavic regions. She was the only female deity whose idol was erected by Vladimir the Great in his Kyiv sanctuary along with…

Moneta

Latin

"to remind, instruct; alone, unique"

Moneta was the name of two separate goddesses in Roman mythology. The first was the goddess of memory, equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne, and the second was as an epithet of Juno, mother of the gods.…