Nothing Less Than Wow

Magic

Word name

A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.

Mairead

Irish, shortened fom of Mairghread, variation of Margaret

"pearl"

Pronounced MAW-rayt or ma-RAYD, Mairead is close enough to Maureen to be accepted here. The name became popular in Ireland due to admiration for the saint of that name. Peig and Peigi are its…

Makepeace

English surname

A virtuous surname which has occasionally been used as a unisex given name, as in the case of Vanity Fair author William Makepeace Thackeray.

Marvel

English word name

Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century,…

Matisse

French surname

Though it's close to the German and French form of Matthew, Mathis, this name of the great artist can work as well for girls.

Medusa

Greek

"protect, rule"

In Greek myth, Medusa was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, with live venomous snakes in place of hair and the ability to turn people to stone with just a glance. In later myths, Medusa was…

Merit

English word name, variation of Merritt, variation of Marit and Maret, Ancient Egyptian

"good and worthy; boundary, gate; pearl; the beloved one"

Short, concise, and cheerful, Merit is a name with several possible roots. From its English origins, it could be viewed as a virtue name, celebrating commendable good behaviour. Equally, it could be…

Minnow

English

"small fish"

This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters . Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie,…

Minthe

Greek mythology name

"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,…

Moonglade

English

"the bright reflection of moonlight on water"

Morningstar

English from German

"morning star"

As a name, Morningstar is the English translation of Morgenstern, a German-Jewish surname. The planet Venus is called Morningstar when it is visible before sunrise. Several brands are associated with…

Moxie

English slang

"aggressive energy, know-how"

Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe.

Nabby

Diminutive of Abigail or Gobnait

"my father is joyful; honey bee"

Cutesy nickname Nabby has two possible origins — it has been used as a nickname for Biblical Abigail as seen with the daughter of former president and founding father John Adams, Abigail "Nabby"…

Nefeli

Greek

Modern Greek variant of Nephele.

Nelson

English

"son of Neil"

Nelson on a boy is a steady, somewhat formal classic. On a girl, it's fresher, less expected, and could be shortened to Nell or Nellie.