Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames
Nickname Names
Across 44 pages
of 44
Marty
Short form of Martin, Latin
"warlike"
Marty is one of those Old Man nicknames that's just starting to sound cute again.
Maso
Italian, diminutive of Tomasso
"twin"
Appealing, lively, and distinctive.
Matt
Short form of Matthew
"gift of God"
Still one of the most appealing short forms, which goes a long way toward explaining the sustained popularity of Matthew. Matt is perennially the popular guy in high school, friendly, attractive, and…
Mattie
Diminutive of Matthew, Hebrew
"gift of God"
Mattie ranked among the Top 1000 for boys a century ago, in the heyday of the nickname-name. Today, few parents would dream of putting it on the birth certificate, preferring it as a short form for…
Magdi
Hungarian
"from Magdala"
Magdi is a cute Hungarian nickname name, short for Magdolna, the Hungarian form of Magdalene. While it isn't traditionally used on its own, its cute sound similar to stand-alone Magda or the familiar…
Maud
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
Maud, lacy and mauve-tinted, was wildly popular a hundred years ago but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose Maud again, especially as a middle. Maude…
Maude
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
Maude, also spelled Maud, is a lacy, mauve-tinted name that was wildly popular a hundred years ago, but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose it again,…
Maury
Diminutive of Maurice
"dark skinned"
Old-man name, soft as a fraying gray cashmere cardigan, that would be even cuter for a girl.
Mavi
Turkish, Spanish
"blue; beloved + victorious"
Mavi is both a gender-neutral Turkish name with a colorful meaning and a Spanish short form of the double name, Maria Victoria. Also the name of a jeans company, it would be pronounced as MAH-vee in…
Mavie
Diminutive of Mavis or Maeve, German, French, Spanish
"my life; bird song; intoxicating"
Mavie is cute as can be, and feels stylish today thanks to similar-sounding Maeve. A fairly recently invented name, it was used first in Germany, where it is alleged to be inspired by the French…
Max
Latin
"greatest"
If Sam can make it as a girl's name, why not Max? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's eldest daughter Maxima goes by Max, but you could also use it as a short form for Maxine, Maximilienne or even…
Maxi
Latin
"greatest"
Diminutive of Maxine, Maxima or Maximiliane
May
Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name
May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the…
Meg
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
Mel
Diminutive of Melanie
"black, dark"
Not one but two Spice Girls are named Mel, which led to it briefly being more popular for girls than boys in the 90s and early 00s, but it has now fallen out of favor for both sexes.
Mel
English, diminutive of Melvin
"council protector"
Though most Mels are playing pinochle with Murray and Morris, there was a notable Saint Mel. He is one of the earliest Irish saints, a nephew of St. Patrick. He became a priest, then built a great…
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…
Mick
English, diminutive of Michael
Most often associated with Rolling Stone Jagger, Mick is also used as a generic, and derogatory, term for an Irishman.
Mickey
Diminutive of Michelle or Michaela
Mickey is a nickname-name redolent of the mid-20th century and best-known as a mouse name. While this spelling works for either gender, the girls' version is more often spelled Micki.
Mickey
Diminutive of Michael, Hebrew
"who is like God?"
Pugnacious and spunky like the young Mickey Rooney and the original Mickey Mouse, but virtually never given to babies today.