Girls Names Beginning With M

Britney Spears' little sister Jamie Lynn was one of the first to put this nickname on the birth certificate. Cute for a child, but we recommend giving her the option of the full name for later use.

This spelling gives the name favorite an Elaine spin.

Madeline, a lovely name with a soft and delicate image, is an old-fashioned favorite that returned to favor in the 1990's, combining a classic pedigree with a cute nickname option: Maddy.

There's only one. Okay, two.

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 . Definitely more striking than Cadence or even the increasingly popular Aria.

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

This feminine form of Mael has the distinctive "aelle" ending found in Brittany. In the French spelling Maëlle, it is a Top 100 girls' name in France.

Another feminine form of the old saint's name Mael. Spelled Maëlys, it is a very popular name in France today.

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.

Maeve is a short and sweet name that has become one of the most stylish Irish names for girls in the modern US. Maeve would make an excellent first or middle name choice, with more heft than Mae/May and more modern charm than Mavis.

On "Sex and the City," Magda was the elderly nanny from the old country -- which is what this name sounds like. While Magdalene and Magdalena are enjoying fresh life, Magda still feels dated.

The Finnish form of Magdalene, sometimes contracted as Matleena.