Girls Names K Through O

Maayan

Hebrew

"spring of water"

Many Americans will misunderstand it as Maya, but Maayan (also stylized as Ma'ayan) is a popular Israeli name used for both sexes.

Maaza

Amharic

"aroma or essence"

Pronounced mah-zah, Maaza means a pleasant scent, usually from a yellow daisy popular in Ethiopia. Hot young Ethiopian-American novelist Maaza Mengiste introduced the name to our shores.

Mabli

Welsh

"loveable"

Mabli is the sweet Welsh variant of Mabel, first used at the beginning of the 20th-century making it a relatively modern choice. Cute but energetic with the appeal of other Welsh names like Cadi and…

Mabs

Diminutive of Mabel

"beautiful lover"

You can just hear some sassy dame in a 1930s movie using this name. We prefer the original -- or even its original, Amabel.

Mabyn

Cornish, from English

"youth"

This rare sixth-century saint's name has a modern, merry feel.

Maca

Croatian, Serbian, and Slovene diminutive of Marija

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

In Slovenia, Maca is more common as an independent name than its parent name Marija.

Macaria

Spanish from Greek

"blessed, happy"

Unusual and rhythmic, Macaria is the feminine form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius. It could be an unexpected way to get to cool nickname Mac, without using Mackenzie,…

Machiko

Japanese

"fortunate child"

What parent wouldn't love this meaning?

Macrina

Latin

"thin or long"

An ancient alternative to the modern Mac- names, this name was borne by two early saints.

Maddox

Welsh

"son of Madoc"

The possibility of the nickname Maddy (or the even spunkier Moxie) makes this have some potential as a modern, unisex name for a girl - if you can get past the strongly masculine meaning.

Maddy

Maddy is a feminine name that functions both as a diminutive and as a standalone given name. Most commonly, it serves as a nickname for longer names such as Madeline, Madison, Madeleine, or Matilda.…

Madel

Madel is a feminine name with possible German and Hebrew roots. As a variant of Madeline or Madeleine, it derives from 'Magdalene,' referring to Mary Magdalene in the Bible, ultimately from the town…

Madelaine

French variation of Madeleine

"high tower"

This spelling gives the name favorite an Elaine spin.

Madelief

Dutch

"daisy"

Madelief is an uncommon name but not unheard of in the Netherlands, where 123 girls were called Madelief in one recent year. With its soft sounds and similarities to all those "Madeleine" type names…

Madhavi

Feminization of Madhava, Sanskrit

"of the springtime"

An epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi — the personification of fertility, prosperity, and wealth.

Madigan

Irish

"little dog"

An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.

Madonna

Latin

"my lady"

There's only one. Okay, two.

Madrigal

Latin

"song for unaccompanied voices"

Madrigal might be a pretty and highly distinctive choice for a child of a musical family--or for the parent looking for a less conventional path to the nickname Maddie than Madeline or Madison .…

Maebry

Variation of Mabry, English and Irish surname

"mud hill"

A nouveau take on Mabry, an English and Irish surname that derives from Mayberry. Undoubtedly, some parents are using Maebry as an invented name, a combination of the stylish name Mae and versatile…

Maella

English, French and Breton

"prince"

An elaboration on the Breton name Maël or Maëlle, or an English combination of Mae and Ella.