My favourite girls names beginning with M, N, O & P
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- Maeve
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"she who intoxicates"Description:
Maeve is a short and sweet name that has become one of the most stylish Irish names for girls in the modern US. It joined the Top 100 for the first time in 2023 and now ranks at Number 75.
- Ophelia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"help"Description:
Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in the US Top 300, could Ophelia one day become the next Olivia or Amelia?
- Matilda
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"battle-mighty"Description:
Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.
- Maisie
Origin:
Scottish diminutive of Margaret or MaryMeaning:
"pearl or bitter"Description:
Maisie, a charming name long popular as a nickname for Margaret or Mary, entered the Top 1000 as itself ten years ago and continues to rise. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams helped propel the name back into the limelight, along with the that of her character, Arya.
- Natalie
Origin:
French variation of Russian NataliaMeaning:
"birthday of the Lord"Description:
Natalie — a Franco-Russian name — became Americanized years ago and is one of those surprising names that's always ranked among the girls' Top 1000 names in the US.
- Natalia
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"birthday [of the Lord]"Description:
Natalia was derived from the Latin word natalis, meaning "birthday." It refers to the birthday of Jesus Christ, and thus originated as a name for girls born on Christmas Day. Related forms include the French Natalie, Portuguese Natalina, and Russian diminutive Natasha.
- Maggie
Origin:
Diminutive of MargaretMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
Maggie is a cute, earthy short form that has been in style for several decades now, still sometimes used as an independent name by such parents as Jon Stewart. First used in Scotland, it got a large bump in popularity via the 1971 Rod Stewart hit song "Maggie May." Today's Maggie might just as well be short for a more adventurous name such as Magdalena or Magnolia as for the classic Margaret.Maggie Gyllenhaal was born Margaret.
- Maeva
Origin:
TahitianMeaning:
"welcome"Description:
Though it sounds like a variation of the Irish Maeve, Maeva actually hails from Tahiti, and is currently enjoying a wave of popularity in France, where it ranks in the Top 100, possibly via popular French folk singer and actress Maeva Meline.
- Megan
Origin:
Welsh diminutive of MargaretMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
Megan originally evolved from Meg, which itself derived as a nickname for Margaret. Margaret ultimately comes from the Greek word margarites, meaning "pearl." Megan is no longer a common nickname for Margaret—it is most often used as a full name. Other spellings include Meghan, Meagan, Megyn, and Meaghan.
- Maria
Origin:
Hebrew or EgyptianMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
As a highly popular girls' name in all Spanish-speaking countries, this saintly Latin variation of Mary retains a timeless beauty. Through the centuries, Maria remains one of the most widely-used girl names starting with M.
- Paisley
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"church, cemetery"Description:
For a name related to a Scottish town, a patterned Indian fabric, and a country singer named Brad, Paisley has seen remarkable success. After appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, it is now an American favorite.
- Morgan
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"Description:
Morgan has long been a traditional Welsh male name, a variant of the Old Welsh name Morcant, from the Welsh elements mor, meaning "sea" and cant, "circle." The female Morgan is unrelated to the male version—it is a name from Arthurian legend created for Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and famed sorceress. Her name comes from Morgen, an Old Welsh name meaning "sea-born," and is related to the Irish name Muirgen.
- Primrose
Origin:
English flower nameMeaning:
"first rose"Description:
A quaint and quirky flower name, until recently considered a bit too prim for most American classrooms but brought back to life in recent years by the attractive character of Primrose "Prim" Everdeen in the Hunger Games series. In the Top 300 girl names in England and Wales and on Nameberry, Primrose remains rare in the US, but is made more accessible by a raft of sweet nickname options, including Rosie and Posy.
- Norah
Origin:
English, ArabicMeaning:
"woman of honor, light"Description:
The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative transcription of the Arabic name Nura, from Nur/Noor "light".
- Polly
Origin:
English variation of Molly, diminutive of Mary, HebrewMeaning:
"bitter"Description:
An alternative to the no-longer-fresh Molly, the initial 'P' gives Polly a peppier sound, combining the cozy virtues of an old-timey name with the bounce of a barmaid.
- Myra
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"sweet-smelling oil"Description:
As with many grandmother-y names, this choice may be coming back into style.
- Mariana
Origin:
Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, RomanianMeaning:
"related to the god Mars"Description:
Mariana is that unusual name that is more than the sum of its parts. While Mary or Maria and Ana or Anna are both perfectly nice classic names, Mariana achieves a lyrical elegance that transcends them.
- Myla
Origin:
Spelling variation of Mila or feminine variation of MiloMeaning:
"soldier or merciful"Description:
Myla can be seen as a female variation of Milo or a different spelling for popular Mila. Though frequently unnecessary in alternate spellings, the "y" here does connote a specific pronunciation.
- Marielle
Origin:
Dutch and French diminutive of MaryMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
Mariel Hemingway made us aware of the more abbreviated spelling of this charming name, which dates back to the nineteenth century.
- Marcy
Origin:
Diminutive of MarciaMeaning:
"Mars, god of war"Description:
Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the seventies, but is starting to attract attention again across the pond, where soundalikes like Macy, Marnie, Maisy, Darcy and Lacey are already popular.