Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Menka f MacedonianMeans "a change". Usually given when a family gets few girls in a row. The newest baby gets the name in hope that it will cause a change, and that the next baby would be a boy.
Menka f Ancient EgyptianMeans "(my) ka shall be durable" or "(my) ka shall remain", derived from
mn "to stay, remain; to be established, steadfast" and
ka "soul". Name borne by a queen of the Second Dynasty.
Menkao f JapaneseFrom Japanese 面顔 (menkao) meaning "facial expression" or 面 (men), meaning "mask" and 顔 (kao), meaning "face." Other kanji characters can form this name.
Menleva f Medieval EnglishProbably from *
Meinliofa, an anglicized form of Old German
Megenlioba or
Meginliuba, derived from the Germanic elements
magan "power, strength" and
leuba "dear, beloved".
Meŋlijan f MariDerived from the Mari
meŋ meaning "birthmark".
Menma f JapaneseFrom Japanese 銘 (me) meaning "inscription", 夢 (n) meaning "dream" combined with 麻 (ma) meaning "hemp, flax, linen". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Menna f Welsh, Frisian, East FrisianVariant of
Mena in countries where that name is used (i.e., Germany, Netherlands,
Mena being a German/Dutch diminutive of various names beginning with
Mein, such as
Meinhild, where the meaning is "strength"), but Menna is also used regularly in Wales in modern times... [
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Menolly f LiteratureThe name of the heroine in Anne McCaffrey's
The Harper Hall trilogy.
Menorah f JewishIts meaning is "candlestick". To the Jews, the menorah is the candelabrum used at Hannukah, the Festival of Lights."
Menrva f Etruscan MythologyMenrva was an Etruscan goddess of war, art, wisdom, and medicine. She contributed much of her character to Roman
Minerva, when that culture evolved. She was the child of
Uni and
Tinia... [
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Mensje f West Frisian, Dutch (Rare)Feminine form of
Mense, perhaps via its variant form
Mens. This name is often mistakenly believed to be derived from Dutch
mensje meaning "little human being", usually by non-Frisians in the Netherlands.... [
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Meoohtse'e f CheyenneMeoohtse'e means "spring grass" in the Cheyenne language. Meoohtse'e, also known as Monâhtseta'e, was a Cheyenne woman who had a child with George Custer.
Mequita f SpanishPerhaps a variant of Mezquita, also called the Great Mosque of Córdoba or the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, a medieval Islamic mosque that was converted into a Roman Catholic Christian cathedral in the Spanish city of Córdoba, Andalusia.
Mera f TupiDerived from Tupi
mãra meaning "war".
Merak m & f AstronomyDerived from Arabic
al-maraqq, meaning "the loins (of the bear)". This is the traditional name of the star Beta Ursae Majoris, in the constellation Ursa Major.
Měrana f SorbianDerived from the Sorbian name element
měr, a cognate of both Slavic
mir "peace; world" and
mer "famous; great".
Meranii f JapaneseFrom Japanese 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout, shoot", 良 (ra) meaning "good" combined with 新 (ii) meaning "new". Other kanji combinations are possible.... [
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Merberta f Medieval FrenchDerived from Old High German
māri "famous" (ultimately from Proto-Germanic
*mērijaz) and Old High German
beraht "bright" (ultimately from Proto-Germanic
*berhtaz).
Mercédès f FrenchFrench form of
Mercedes. This name was given to a queen of Spain from the French royal House of Orléans.
Merci f & m French (African, Rare)Occasionally used in reference to the French word
merci "gratitude; thanks", as evidenced by combination names like
Dieu-Merci ("Thank you, God").
Merdeka m & f IndonesianMeans "free, independent" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit महर्द्धिक
(maharddhika) meaning "prosperous".
Merdekawati f IndonesianFrom Indonesian
merdeka meaning "free, independent" combined with the feminine suffix
-wati. This name was most popularly given to children born around the time Indonesia gained independence in 1945.
Mêrdîn f KurdishPossibly from the Kurdish
merdi meaning "generosity".
Meremere m & f MaoriThis name means "Venus as an evening star" and "star". This was the name of the Ngati Tama Chief of Kaingaroa, Meremere (d. 1860) who protected Moriori under him from other Maori chiefs during the Moriori genocide... [
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Meres-nip f Ancient EgyptianMeans "beloved of Napata", from the Egyptian element
mryt. Possibly the Egyptian personal name of the Nubian queen Pebatjma.
Meret-isesi f Ancient EgyptianMeans "beloved of Isesi" from Egyptian
mryt and Isesi, one of the names of the Pharaoh
Djedkare. Name borne by a fifth dynasty princess of Egypt (late 25th century to mid 24th century BCE).
Meretnebty f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mrt-nbtj meaning "beloved of the Two Ladies", derived from
mrj "to love" combined with
nbty, the plural form of
nbt "lady, mistress", referring to the dual goddesses
Wadjet and
Nekhbet.
Merewenne f Medieval Cornish, Celtic MythologyMerewenne is listed in the 12th-century Hartland list as one of the daughters of
Brychan. While she is sometimes considered identical with
Morwenna of Morwenstowe, another daughter of Brychan, Merewenne and the variants Marwyne and Merwenna appear in medieval records referring to the patron-saint of Marhamchurch near Bude (a church dating back to 1086 which is situated in north-east Cornwall).
Merewyn f LiteratureVariant of
Mærwynn used by Anya Seton in her historical novel
Avalon (1965). In the story Merewyn is a niece of Merwinna, abbess of Romsey Abbey.
Merey m & f KazakhMeans "fame, prestige, glory, honour" in Kazakh.
Meri f JapaneseFrom Japanese 愛 (me) meaning "love, affection" combined with 里 (ri) meaning "village". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Meribah f English (American)From an Old Testament place name meaning "quarreling, strife, contention" in Hebrew. This occurs in the Old Testament belonging to one of the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt.
Meriç m & f TurkishMeans "Maritsa River" in Turkish. The river between Greece and Turkey.
Mericke f Manx (Archaic)Of uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a transcription/reading error of
Avericke, an adoption of the Yorkshire name
Merica or a transferred use of the surname
Mericke (which shares its source with the English surname
Merick).
Meridel f EnglishThis was the name of communist and feminist writer Meridel le Sueur (1900 - 1996), possibly taken from her mother's nickname "Mary Del."
Meridian f & m LiteratureFrom the English word, which is directly from Latin
meridianus meaning "of midday, of noon, southerly, to the south". It was used by Alice Walker for the heroine of her novel 'Meridian' (1976).
Merilee f Popular Culture, EnglishVariant of
Merrily, ultimately from English "merrily" meaning "showing happiness or enjoyment".
Donnie Iris released a song called "Sweet Merilee" in 1981.
Merili f EstonianOf uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a borrowing of
Muriel and a contraction of
Meri 1 and the syllable
-li-, most commonly derived from
Eliisabet.
Merina f JapaneseFrom Japanese 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout, shoot", 里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Merion f WelshWelsh - feminine form of Meirion, the Welsh name of the county of Merioneth. Other feminine forms are Meiriona and Meirionwen.
Merisa f JapaneseFrom Japanese 愛 (me) meaning "love, affection", 梨 (ri) meaning "pear" combined with 沙 (sa) meaning "sand". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Merit f Ancient Egyptian, Arabic (Egyptian)From Egyptian
mryt meaning "the beloved one", the feminine perfective relative form of
mrj "to love, to have affection for, to be fond of" as well as "to want, to wish, to desire".
Merjana f ArabicA version of
Marjana, from the Arabic, ultimately meaning "coral". This is linked via language borrowing to the African name
Marjani.
Merkada f Judeo-SpanishDerived from Judeo-Spanish
merkado or Spanish
mercado, both meaning "market". This name literally refers to the fact that the child in question was sold by its parents.
Merliah f English (Modern)A combination of the prefix ‘mer’ and the suffix ‘lia’. This name was used in the movie “Barbie in a Mermaid Tale” where Barbie plays Merliah Summers, a surfing teenager who is half mermaid and half human.
Merneith f Ancient EgyptianThe name of a consort and potential queen regent during the First Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Her name means "beloved of
Neith".
Mernua f MeroiticMeaning uncertain. Name borne by a Kandake of Kush (fl. 600 BCE), known solely from her burial at Meroe.
Mero f JapaneseFrom Japanese 愛 (me) meaning "love, affection", 雌 (me) meaning "feminine, female" or 夢 (me) meaning "dream" combined with 蕗 (ro) meaning "butterbur, bog rhubarb", 路 (ro) meaning "path, route, road, distance" or 露 (ro) meaning "dew, tears, expose"... [
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Merodi- f JapaneseFrom Japanese 奏 (merodi-) meaning "play music, complete" or from 美 (me) meaning "beautiful" or 和 (me) meaning "harmony" combined with 音 (rodi) meaning "sound".... [
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Meroë f English (Rare), LiteratureThe name of a witch in Lucius Apuleius's 2nd-century Latin novel 'The Golden Ass', who murders a man named Socrates with her accomplice Panthia. It was probably taken from the name of an ancient city on the Nile.... [
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Merofleda f Germanic, HistoryDerived from Old High German
mâri "famous" combined with
flâdi "beauty, respectability." Merofleda was one of the wives of Charibert I, a 6th-century Merovingian king of Paris.
Meron f JapaneseFrom Japanese 奏 (me) meaning "play music, speak to a ruler, complete", 愛 (me) meaning "love, affection", 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout" or 萌 (me) meaning "sprout, bud" combined with 音 (ron) meaning "sound", 論 (ron) meaning "argument, discourse" or 倫 (ron) meaning "ethics, companion"... [
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Meronym f Literature, Popular CultureThis is the name of a character from the book "Cloud Atlas" written by David Mitchell, which was adapted to film (with the same title) in 2012. The author of the book probably derived the name from the English word
meronym, which is a linguistic term used to refer to a part of the whole... [
more]