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M-names
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The names
Melody
Greek
"song"
A melodious choice big in the 60s, Melody is now starting to pick up tempo again. It cracked the Top 100 for the first time ever in 2024. Melody is also the name of Ariel's equally curious and more…
Magnolia
Flower name, from French surname
"Magnol's flower"
Magnolia, a sweet-smelling Southern belle of a name made famous via the iconic Edna Ferber novel and musical Showboat , is one of the latest wave of botanical names, along with unexpected blossoms…
Matteo
Italian
"gift of God"
This attractively energetic Italian version of the classic Matthew is primed to move further and further into mainstream American nomenclature. Mateo is technically the Spanish version, but many…
Marco
Italian and Spanish form of Mark
"warlike"
Simple and universal, Marco is a Latin classic that would make a much livelier namesake for an Uncle Mark. It was used for her son by actress Jill Hennessy and goes well with surnames of any…
Moses
Egyptian
"delivered from the water"
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's choice of this white-bearded Old Testament name helped bring it into the modern age, along with brethren Elijah, Isaiah and Isaac. User-friendly nicknames include…
Morgan
Welsh
"sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"
Morgan, once split evenly between the sexes, is a strong and attractive Welsh favorite, still a common boys’ name in Wales. Morgan is now more often a girls' name in the U.S. – about 2000 girls were…
Makayla
Variation of Michaela
"who is like God"
Now the best-selling version of this infinitely varied name, Makayla incorporates the also-popular Kayla. Makayla and Mikayla have now left the original Michaela far behind.
Murphy
Irish
"sea warrior"
This jaunty Celtic surname — one of the most common family names in both Ireland and the US — is totally viable as a first. The arguably most famous Murphy is TV's Murphy Brown, and indeed the name…
Michaela
Feminine variation of Michael, Hebrew
"who is like God?"
This most proper form of the name shot up the charts in the nineties, only to sink just as precipitously, supplanted by upstarts Makayla and McKayla ad infinitum. The Michaela version retains some…
Monet
French artist name, from diminutive of Simon
A new favorite of the bohemian set, brought to light by actress Monet Mazur, daughter of the artist who designed the Rolling Stones' mouth logo.
Mischa
Russian, diminutive of Mikhail
This was a 100 percent boys' name till the willowy Mischa Barton of TV's "The OC" made it unisex, a la Sascha.
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…
Marceau
French variation of Marcel
"little warrior"
Mime Marcel Marceau actually had two versions of the same name. Marcel, Marceau, Marcella, Marcus, Mark -- all are variation of the Roman mythological name Mars, the god of war.
MATTEAH
Marilla
Latin
"shining sea"
Marilla is a names that's familiar via its resemblance to Mary and variations, but also distinctive: It hasn't been on the Top 1000 since the 1800s and was given to only 27 baby girls last year.…