User-created list
By lesliemarion · Updated May 2023
Across 5 pages
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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,…
English
"woman from Magdala or high tower"
Biblical name long associated with the fallen-yet-redeemed Mary Magdalen, now rising improbably into the ranks of the fashionable among parents hungry for classic yet distinctive girls' names. The…
Diminutive of Mary, Miriam, and others
Sweet, nicknamey name belonging to the tragic heroines of both La Bohème and Rent . Mimi might feel too slight for many parents to use on the birth certificate, but as a short form, it's one of the…
Spanish
"blackberry"
Intriguing derivation, though people will assume it's a simplified form of Maura.
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.…
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
If Maude isn't vintage enough for you, you may try Maudie, an antique nickname for Matilda last popular at the turn of the 20th century. Actress Maude Apatow introduced her name to a new generation…
"lighthearted, happy"
She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic names for Christmas babies .
Color name
Magenta is a vivid Crayola color name, that could make a vivid, colorful choice. It was named in 1859 after the Napoleonic Battle of Magenta, a town in Northern Italy. One of J.K. Rowling's…
Greek botanical name
Long in our category of so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out category, once seen as a gum-cracking 1940's telephone operator, we think it's time to reassess Myrtle, and look at is as a nature name, a…
Modern invented name
Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.
Welsh
"maiden"
Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard…
Hebrew
"drawn from the water"
Feminine spin on Moses and European river name that's also the name of a wine.
Medieval variation of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the…
French color name
Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.
Irish, English
"intoxicating"
An Anglicized form of Medb borrowed by both Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley for the of queen of the fairies. Perfect if you want something both adventurous and simple - though you could use it…
Place-name, Portuguese
"wood"
Madeira is an off-beat place name, notably appearing on the map as an island off Morocco, famous for its Madeira wine. Also the name of a city in Ohio (named for John Madeira, a 19th century…
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…
Diminutive of Margery or Margaret
A super diminutive nickname name, and sometime Madonna nickname – it was how the British tabloids referred to her when she moved to London in the 1990s, which she found annoying until then husband…
Magdala is a feminine name with profound historical and biblical connections. It derives from the ancient town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, most famously known as the home of Mary Magdalene, an…
Spanish place name
Pronounced my-ORK-a, the name of this lovely Balearic Island, located in the Mediterranean, is one of the prettiest and most feminine of place names. The Spanish spelling is MALLORCA.
