Old New England Names from Maine

Malissie

Malissie is a feminine name that appears to be a variation of Melissa or possibly Malissa. It carries the sweetness of its root name Melissa, which derives from Greek meaning 'honeybee.' The added…

Meda

Meda is a feminine name with ancient roots. It's believed to originate from Greek mythology, possibly as a variant of Medea, the sorceress in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. In Romanian, Meda…

Medora

Greek

"mother's gift"

Medora is a Greek name much less common here than, say, Melanie or Melissa. It has some literary references, including as the beautiful and passionate heroine of Lord Byron's poem The Corsair, and in…

Mellie

Short form of Melissa, Amelia, Melanie and related names

Mellie is not Millie and it's not Nellie, though it will forever be confused with those too more familiar nicknames. It's cute, too, and while some of the names it's usually short for may be sailing…

Melvina

Celtic

"chieftain"

Melvina ranked in the Top 1000 for over 65 years in the US, coinciding to a large extent with the years its much more popular masculine counterpart Melvin ranked in the Top 100. Today, Melvin is…

Mertie

Mertie is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive form of Myrtle or Martha. Popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, Mertie has a quaint, vintage charm…

Milla

Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Hungarian

"young ceremonial attendant, gracious people"

Milla originated as a diminutive of names like Camilla and Ludmilla, but has since become well established as a name in its own right in several European countries. Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian-born…

Myrna

Irish

"festive; affection, endearment"

An anglicized spelling of Muirne, the name of the mother of Finn mac Cool in Irish legend, Myrna has a unique sound and two possible meanings, both of which are positive. Actress Myrna Loy was a…

Myrtilla

Myrtilla is a delicate feminine name with classical roots. It's derived from the Latin word "myrtus" or Greek "myrtos," referring to the myrtle plant, which was sacred to the goddess Venus and…