User-created list
By lesliemarion · Updated May 2023
Across 5 pages
of 5
Scottish
"smooth-browed one"
An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the…
French, diminutive of Marie
Manette might be a fresh way to spin Mary or Marie, but popular French Manon has more grace and heft. Manet takes Manette in an artistic direction.
Filipino compound name, blending Maria with Delila, Adelaide, or Adelina
Similiar in style to Marilou, Marivic, and Marites, Maridel is blend of Maria with Delia, Adelaida, Adelina, or any other name containing the "del" sound. If it is Delia you had in mind, it could…
botanical name
Marjoram is a herb and flower. With nicknames like Margie and Jo at the ready, we think that if Marigold can make a comeback, why not Marjoram?
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
Maud, lacy and mauve-tinted, was wildly popular a hundred years ago but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose Maud again, especially as a middle. Maude…
French
"violet-colored"
Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel…
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
Hebrew
"God rejoices"
Most famously, the name of a 1920s alley cat.
German, Slovene, and Scandinavian diminutive of Margaret, Greek
A unique international short form of Margaret, now associated with Facebook and Instagram and with "meta" fiction, books, TV shows, and similar that are self-referential.
Diminutive of Margaret
Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.
Japanese
"green; beautiful bird"
In Japan, color names are used to symbolize human qualities, and the green hues of Midori name are said to represent fame. While it is a unisex choice in its native Japan, Midori is predominantly…
"delicate, dainty"
Charming French endearment, first used as a name by Goethe, that now makes an appealing choice -- though the proper feminine form is Mignonne. Note, though, that this is not actually used as a name…
Form of Mignon, French
Mignonette is kind of a diminutive of a diminutive. Mignon is the French word for cute, so Mignonette is more or less cutie.
Latin plant name
Adventurous parents are venturing deeper into the garden in search of fresh names, but remember that this also makes for an alcoholic brunch.
Chinese
"quick"
Puts the -min in diminutive.
"faithful defender"
Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.
English, diminutive of Araminta, invented hybrid name
Minta is an eighteenth century short form of a literary beauty still used in England today, but yet to be discovered by American baby namers. It has a fresh and dainty feel. Virtually unheard today,…
English diminutive of Aminta and Araminta, Greek
"defender"
Minty isn't a fresh word name — it's an old-fashioned nickname for Araminta, the romantic smoosh name coined by playwright William Congreve in 1693.
French, dance term
Minuet is delicate, dancey, and lacy, with a Masterpiece Theatre feel. Is Minuet a real name? Not really, though similar-sounding French names such as Minette and Manette are.
Scottish, poetic place-name
"the big gap"
In the Ossianic poems written by James Macpherson in the 1760s, Morven is the name of the Fingal's kingdom, Fingal being the hero, likely inspired by Fionn mac Cumhaill of early Gaelic legend. It…
