Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Greek
Lachesis is one of the three Fates of Greek Mythology. She and her sisters determined life from birth to death—Lachesis controlled the length of one's life. We think her Roman name, Decima, is more…
Latin
Laverna was the Roman goddess of thievery, cheating, and the underworld. The original meaning of her name in unknown, however, there are several theories. One such theory states that Laverna is…
"oblivion"
In Greek mythology, Lethe was the name of one of the five rivers in Hades, the underworld. Lethe was also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river was often…
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…
Pashto
"sad, grieved"
This name has a hauntingly appropriate meaning for its most famous bearer, Pakistani women and children's right activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousefzai. The name itself is derived…
A beautiful girl name with a melodic sound, Malalai is best known for Malalai of Maiwand, a woman who is considered a national folk hero in Afghanistan. She was a 19th-century freedom fighter,…
Feminine form of Manius, Latin
"born in the morning"
A pretty Roman name, but unfortunately also the English vocabulary word mania. Spelling it Manya would avoid the issue.
Manius is one of the lesser-used Roman forenames, far less popular than Lucius, Marcus et al, both in ancient times and today. Its meaning is actually uncertain: another possible origin is from manes…
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.
Irish place-name
"yew-tree plain"
When ordering a baby name, hold the mayo.
"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…
"mint"
The mythological story of Minthe goes that she attempted to seduce Hades, god of the underworld. In an act of revenge, his wife Persephone transformed Minthe into the mint plant. In Ancient Greece,…
Slovak, Macedonian
"brown haired"
Morena is the goddess of seasonal rites and rebirth worshipped in Central Europe.
Literary name
The eponymous character in an Edgar Allan Poe ghost story, gothic Morella was likely based on Latin mors ("death") or Greek mauros ("black"). It’s also a subtle nature name, being an alternative name…
Mort is a masculine name with multiple cultural roots. Most commonly, it's a diminutive of Morton or Mortimer, both of Norman-French origin meaning 'dead sea' or 'still water.' In French, 'mort'…
Lithuanian variation of Martha
"lady"
The Lithuanian form of Martha. Also associated with Morta, the Roman goddess of death.
English
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Mortmer is a masculine name of Old French and Germanic origin, a variant of the more common Mortimer. The name derives from 'mort mer' meaning 'dead sea' or 'still water,' or potentially from 'morte…
Morty is a masculine name primarily used as a familiar diminutive of Morton or Mortimer, both of which have Old English and French origins meaning 'dead water' or 'still water.' With its friendly,…
English word name
"grief, sorrow"
Mourning was recorded as a name among enslaved people in 19th-century America, where other names that capture the atrocities of slavehood — such as Suffer, Misery, and Hardtimes — were used as well.
