Mukami f KikuyuPossibly means
"the one who milks the cows" in Kikuyu.
Mukesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Muka" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given to him because he killed Muka, a demon in the form of a wild boar.
Mulan f Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
木兰 (mùlán) meaning
"magnolia". This is the name of a legendary female warrior who disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father's place when he is conscripted into the army.
Mulyadi m IndonesianDerived from Indonesian
mulia meaning
"noble, honourable", ultimately from Sanskrit
मूल्य (mūlya) meaning "cost, worth".
Mumba f HinduismFrom Marathi
महा (mahā) meaning "great" and
अंबा (ambā) meaning "mother". This is the name of a Marathi incarnation of the mother goddess
Mahadevi.
Mumbi f KikuyuMeans
"she who shapes" in Kikuyu. In Kikuyu mythology Mumbi was the wife of Gikuyu and the mother of his nine daughters.
Mumin m ArabicMeans
"believer" in Arabic, ultimately related to
أمن (ʾamuna) meaning "to be faithful".
Mumtaz m & f Arabic, UrduMeans
"distinguished, outstanding" in Arabic, derived from
امتاز (imtāza) meaning "to be distinguished". The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631).
Mun m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
文 (mun) meaning "writing" or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character.
Munashe m & f ShonaMeans
"with God" in Shona, derived from
ishe meaning "lord, God".
Mungo m ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from a Brythonic phrase meaning
"my dear". This was a nickname of the 6th-century Saint
Kentigern.
Munya f ArabicMeans
"wish, desire" in Arabic, related to the root
منا (manā) meaning "to tempt, to put to the test".
Munyaradzi m ShonaMeans
"comforter, consoler" in Shona, from
nyaradza "to make quiet, to console".
Mupitsukupʉ m ComancheMeans
"old owl" in Comanche, derived from
mupitsi "owl" and
tsukupʉ "old man". This name was borne by a 19th-century chief of the Penateka Comanche.
Muriel f English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Irish
Muirgel and Scottish
Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel
John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Murphy m & f EnglishFrom a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name
Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series
Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie
Interstellar (2014).
Murron f Popular CultureUsed in the 1995 movie
Braveheart for William Wallace's wife, who is murdered early in the film. In reality, Wallace may have been married to a woman named
Marion.
Murtada m ArabicMeans
"chosen" in Arabic. This is an epithet of
Ali, the fourth caliph.
Murugan m Hinduism, TamilFrom a Tamil word meaning
"young". This was the name of a Tamil war god who is now identified with
Skanda.
Musad m ArabicMeans
"lucky" in Arabic, from the root
سعد (saʿida) meaning "to be happy, to be lucky".
Muscowequan m Ojibwe (Anglicized)From Ojibwe
Maskawigwan meaning
"hard quill", derived from
mashkawaa "hard" and
gaaway "quill". This was the name of a 19th-century Saulteaux chief.
Mut f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
mwt meaning
"mother". In Egyptian mythology she was a mother goddess, the consort of
Amon and the mother of
Khonsu. She was sometimes depicted wearing a headdress with vulture wings.
Mu'tamid m Arabic (Rare)Means
"relying on, leaning on" in Arabic. Al-Mu'tamid was a 9th-century Abbasid caliph. This was also the name of an 11th-century Abbadid ruler of Seville, who was a patron of the arts and a poet.
Mutemwiya f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mwt-m-wjꜣ meaning
"Mut is in the sacred barque", from the name of the goddess
Mut combined with
wjꜣ "sacred barque" (a boat used to carry the dead to the afterlife). This name was borne by a wife of the pharaoh
Thutmose IV. She was the mother of
Amenhotep III.
Mutnedjmet f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mwt-nḏmt meaning
"Mut is sweet", from the name of the goddess
Mut combined with
nḏm "sweet, pleasant". This name was borne by the wife of the pharaoh Horemheb.
Mwangi m KikuyuMeans
"rapid expansion" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations. The
Mwangi generation started around the beginning of the 20th century and lasted for about 30 years.
Mwenya f & m ChewaFrom the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).
Myeong m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.
Myeong-Suk f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" combined with
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Myfanwy f WelshFrom the Welsh prefix
my- meaning "my, belonging to me" (an older form of
fy) combined with either
manwy meaning "fine, delicate" or
banwy meaning "woman" (a variant of
banw). This was the name of an 1875 Welsh song composed by Joseph Parry.
Myles 2 m Greek MythologyProbably from Greek
μύλη (myle) meaning
"mill". This was the name of a king of Laconia in Greek mythology.
Myra f EnglishCreated by the 17th-century poet Fulke Greville. He possibly based it on Latin
myrra meaning "myrrh" (a fragrant resin obtained from a tree). Otherwise, he may have simply rearranged the letters from the name
Mary. Although unrelated etymologically, this is also the name of an ancient city of Anatolia.
Myrddin m Welsh Mythology, WelshOriginal Welsh form of
Merlin. It is probably ultimately from the name of the Romano-British settlement
Moridunum, derived from Celtic *
mori "sea" and *
dūnom "rampart, hill fort". Prefixed with Welsh
caer "fort", this town has been called Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen in English) from medieval times. It is thought that
Caerfyrddin may have mistakenly been interpreted as meaning "fort of Myrddin", as if
Myrddin were a personal name instead of a later development of
Moridunum.
... [more] Myrna f Irish (Rare), EnglishAnglicized form of
Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).
Myron m English, Ukrainian, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μύρον (myron) meaning
"sweet oil, perfume". Myron was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek sculptor. Saints bearing this name include a 3rd-century bishop of Crete and a 4th-century martyr from Cyzicus who was killed by a mob. These saints are more widely revered in the Eastern Church, and the name has generally been more common among Eastern Christians. As an English name, it has been used since the 19th century.
Myrrhine f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μύρρα (myrrha) meaning
"myrrh". This is the name of a character in the comedy
Lysistrata by the Greek playwright Aristophanes.
Myrtle f EnglishSimply from the English word
myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek
μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
Na f ChineseFrom Chinese
娜 (nà) meaning "elegant, graceful, delicate" or other characters pronounced similarly.
Naa f GaFrom a Ga word used as a feminine royal title.
Naaji m ArabicMeans
"saved, safe" in Arabic, a derivative of
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in".
Naamah f BiblicalMeans
"pleasant" in Hebrew. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of
Lamech and a wife of
Solomon. Some later Jewish texts give Naamah as the name of
Noah's wife, even though she is not named in the Old Testament.
Naasunnguaq f GreenlandicMeans
"little flower" in Greenlandic, from
naasoq "flower, plant" and the diminutive suffix
-nnguaq.
Nabopolassar m Babylonian (Anglicized)From the Akkadian name
Nabu-apla-usur meaning
"Nabu protect my son", derived from the god's name
Nabu combined with
aplu meaning "son, heir" and an imperative form of
naṣāru meaning "to protect". This was the name of a 7th-century BC king of the Babylonian Empire, the first of the Chaldean dynasty.
Nabu m Semitic MythologyPossibly from a Semitic root meaning
"to announce". This was the name of a Babylonian and Assyrian god of wisdom, letters and writing.
Nada 1 f ArabicFrom Arabic
نَدًى (nadan) meaning
"dew, moisture, generosity", a derivative of
ندي (nadiya) meaning "to be moist, to be damp".
Nadab m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekMeans
"generous" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of
Aaron according to the Old Testament. He was consumed by flames and killed when he offered unauthorized fire to God. It was also the name of the second king of Israel.
Nadim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"drinking companion" in Arabic, derived from
ندم (nadima) meaning "to drink together".
Nadiyya f ArabicMeans
"announcement, call" in Arabic, derived from
نادى (nādā) meaning "to call, to announce, to invite".
Naenia f Roman MythologyMeans
"incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
Nəfəs f AzerbaijaniMeans
"breath" in Azerbaijani, derived from Arabic
نفس (nafas), ultimately related to the root
نفس (nafusa) meaning "to be precious".
Nagendra m Hinduism, Kannada, TeluguMeans
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.
Nagore f BasqueFrom the name of a Basque village where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary.
Nahor m BiblicalMeans
"snorting" in Hebrew. Nahor is the name of both the grandfather and a brother of
Abraham in the Old Testament.
Nahum m BiblicalMeans
"comforter" in Hebrew, from the root
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort, to console". Nahum is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Nahum in which the downfall of Nineveh is foretold.
Naiara f BasqueFrom the Basque name of the Spanish city of Nájera, which is Arabic in origin. In the 12th century there was a reported apparition of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby cave.
Naiche m ApacheMeans
"mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of
Cochise.
Naida f DagestaniMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from Greek
Ναϊάς (Naias), a type of water nymph in Greek mythology (plural
Ναϊάδες). Alternatively it might be related to Persian
Nahid.
Naila f Arabic, UrduFeminine form of
Nail. This was the name of the wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.
Naira f AymaraFrom Aymara
nayra meaning
"eye" or
"early".
Naja f Greenlandic, DanishFrom Greenlandic
najaa meaning
"his younger sister". It was popularized in Denmark by the writer B. S. Ingemann, who used it in his novel
Kunnuk and Naja, or the Greenlanders (1842).
Naji m ArabicMeans
"intimate friend" in Arabic, a derivative of
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in". This can also be another way of transcribing the name
ناجي (see
Naaji).
Najwa f ArabicMeans
"secret, whisper, confidential talk" in Arabic, from the root
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in".
Nala 1 m HinduismMeans
"stem" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a king of the Nishadha people in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Nala 2 f Popular CultureThe name of a lion in the animated movie
The Lion King (1994). Though many sources claim it means "gift" or "beloved" in Swahili, it does not appear to have a meaning in that language.
Nālani f & m HawaiianMeans
"the heavens" or
"the chiefs" from Hawaiian
nā, a definite article, and
lani "heaven, sky, chief".
Naliaka f LuhyaMeans
"born during the weeding season", from Luhya
liliaka meaning "weeding".
Nan f EnglishOriginally a diminutive of
Ann. It may have originated with the affectionate phrase
mine Ann, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nan. It is now also used as a short form of
Nancy.
Nana 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and/or
奈 (na), a phonetic character. The characters can be in either order or the same character can be duplicated, as indicated by the symbol
々. Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also be used to form this name.
Nana 3 f GeorgianMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 4th-century queen consort of Georgia who is regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church.
Nana 4 m & f AkanFrom an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.
Nanabah f NavajoMeans
"returning warrior" in Navajo, derived from
nááná "again" and
baa' "warrior, heroine, raid, battle".
Nanabozho m New World MythologyMeans
"my rabbit" in Ojibwe, derived from
waabooz "rabbit". In Anishinaabe legend Nanabozho (also called
Wenabozho) is a trickster spirit.
Nanako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Nanami f JapaneseFrom Japanese
七 (nana) meaning "seven" and
海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Nancy f EnglishPreviously a medieval diminutive of
Annis, though since the 18th century it has been a diminutive of
Ann. It is now usually regarded as an independent name. During the 20th century it became very popular in the United States. A city in the Lorraine region of France bears this name, though it derives from a different source.
Nándor m HungarianOriginally this was a Hungarian word referring to a Bulgarian people that lived along the Danube. Since the 19th century it has been used as a Hungarian short form of
Ferdinand.
Nanook m Inuit (Anglicized)Variant of
Nanuq. This was the (fictional) name of the subject of Robert Flaherty's documentary film
Nanook of the North (1922).
Nao f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" or from a combination of
奈 (na), a phonetic character, and
央 (o) meaning "center". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Naoise m Irish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with
Deirdre, who was due to marry
Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.
Naoki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of different kanji with the same pronunciations.
Naoko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Naomh f IrishMeans
"holy" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Naomhán m IrishMeans
"little saint", derived from Irish
naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Naomi 1 f English, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
... [more] Naomi 2 f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" (usually feminine) or
己 (mi) meaning "self" (usually masculine). Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Naphtali m BiblicalMeans
"my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew, a derivative of
פָּתַל (paṯal) meaning "to twist, to struggle, to wrestle". In the Old Testament he is a son of
Jacob by
Rachel's servant
Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Napier m English (Rare)From an English and Scots surname meaning
"linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French
nappe "table cloth".
Napoleon m History, EnglishFrom the old Italian name
Napoleone, used most notably by the French emperor Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), who was born on Corsica. The etymology is uncertain, but it is possibly derived from Old German
Nibelungen meaning
"sons of mist", a name used in Germanic legend to refer to the keepers of a hoard of treasure, often identified with the Burgundians. Alternatively, it could be connected to the name of the Italian city of Napoli (Naples).
Napoleone m Italian (Rare)Italian form of
Napoleon. Besides the French emperor, it was borne by the Italian cardinal Napoleone Orsini (1263-1342) and the writer and politician Napoleone Colajanni (1847-1921).
Naram-Sin m AkkadianMeans
"beloved of Sin", from Akkadian
narāmu and the god's name
Sin. This was the name of a 23rd-century BC ruler of the Akkadian Empire, the grandson of
Sargon.
Narasimha m Hinduism, TeluguMeans
"man-lion", derived from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" combined with
सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". This is the name of a lion-headed avatar of the god
Vishnu who kills the evil king Hiranyakashipu.