MadiniafEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Meaning uncertain. Dr John Dee gave it to his daughter in 1590, allegedly naming her for one of the Enochian angels ("the spiritual creature who on 28 May 1583 appeared to Dee and Sir Edward Kelley and entered into a mysterious conversation with them", according to Méric Casaubon in his 'True & Faithful Relation…' (1659)).... [more]
MagentafEnglish, Theatre Named for the mauvish-crimson colour. The dye to make the colour was discovered and named shortly after the Battle of Magenta in 1859 (the town is situated in northern Italy). The colour may have been inspired by the colour of the uniforms worn by the French troops, or by the colour of the land soaked in blood after the battle... [more]
MagmafEnglish Derived with the English speaking word “magma”, which is another word for lava in a volcanic eruption. Would most likely mean “hot, smouldering”.
MagpiefEnglish Diminutive of Maggie and Margaret, from the English word for the common European bird, known for its chattering, before c.1600 known simply as pie... [more]
MahlonmBiblical, English (Rare) Meaning uncertain; sometimes misinterpreted as a variant of Mahlah ("weakness, sickness" from Hebrew Machlah). In the Old Testament this was the name of the son of Naomi and first husband of Ruth (Ruth 1:2,5; 4:9-10)... [more]
MahoganyfEnglish From the English word mahogany, a tropical tree of the genus Swietenia, valued for their hard, reddish-brown wood; or after the color of the wood. Ultimately from Spanish mahogani, perhaps of Mayan origin.
MaifWelsh (Rare) Welsh form of May as well as a direct adoption of Welsh mai "(month of) May".
MaidafEnglish, Literature This name became popular after the Battle of Maida (1806), which took place near the Italian town of Maida and ended in a victory for Britain. In 18th- and 19th-century America it was used as a diminutive of both Madeline and Magdalena... [more]
MaidiefEnglish (Rare), Scots Variant of Maida, used as a British given name 'reasonably frequently until 1930. Resurfaced again briefly in the 1960s, but is a rarely used name', according to Dunkling & Gosling (1983)... [more]
MainemEnglish There is no definitive explanation for the origin of the name "Maine", but the most likely origin is that the name was given by early explorers after the former province of Maine in France. Other theories mention earlier places with similar names, or claim it is a nautical reference to the mainland... [more]
Makepeacem & fEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Makepeace. A famous bearer is William Makepeace Thakeray, English novelist and author of Vanity Fair.
Malachitem & fEnglish (Rare) From the name of the mineral. The stone's name derives from Greek μαλαχίτης (λίθος) (malachíti̱s (líthos)) meaning "mallow stone," which is, ultimately, from Ancient Greek μαλαχή (malakhḗ) meaning "mallow." The mineral was given this name due to its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant.... [more]
MalamhìnfScottish Gaelic Most likely coined by James Macpherson (1736-1796), the Scottish antiquarian poet who published works allegedly translated from the ancient Gaelic bard Ossian. Macpherson seems to have based the name on Scottish Gaelic mala "brow, eyebrow" and mìn "smooth, soft", intending it to mean "smooth brow"... [more]
MalibufEnglish (Modern, Rare) From the name of a beach city in California, which is derived from Ventureño Chumash Humaliwo meaning "the surf sounds loudly".
MaluciafEnglish (Rare) A possible play on words for the English word ‘malicious’. This name was used in the movie “Barbie and the Secret Door” as the name of the antagonist of the plot, Princess Malucia, a spoiled young girl who is the first of her bloodline to be born without any magic.
MalvernmEnglish (British), English (American, Rare, Archaic) From the name of the Malvern Hills in England, which is probably of Brythonic origin, meaning "bare hill" (from the equivalent to Welsh moelfryn "bald hill"). In Britain it was occasionally used as a personal name during the 20th century; 'earliest example noted is in 1912, but none recorded after 1951.'... [more]
MalvoliafEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Feminine version of the masculine name Malvolio; derived from Italian, it means "ill will". This name has always been rare, but reached a peak in popularity in the mid-19th Century in Great Britain and America.
MantonmEnglish, Irish Manton is derived from various place names throughout England. In Ireland Manton is the anglicized form of the Gaelic "Ó Manntáin", or "descendant of Manntán", a personal name derived from a diminutive of "manntach" ("toothless").
MarahfEnglish (Rare) Variant of Mara 1, in reference to one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites during the Exodus.
MarbellafSpanish (Mexican), English (Rare) Possibly from the name of a resort town in southern Spain, which likely derives from Arabic مربلة (Marbal·la) and resembles Spanish mar bella "beautiful sea" (also compare Mar)... [more]
MarchelinefEnglish (Rare) This is perhaps best known as the name of Marcheline Bertrand (1950-2007), the mother of American actress Angelina Jolie, in whose case it was invented by combining her given names, Marcia and Lynne (with Marceline a likely influence)... [more]
MarchetafEnglish (Rare) Perhaps an elaboration of Marsha. Some sources claim it to be related to Margaret, but provide to evidence to support this claim.
MargalofEnglish (Rare) In the case of English-born American actress Margalo Gillmore (1897-1986), it appears to be a combination of Margaret and Lorraine, her given names (compare Marga, Lo)... [more]
MargaritefEnglish (Rare) Anglicized form of Marguerite. This is the name of a calcium-rich mineral as well as a late Old English word meaning "pearl" (which was from Late Latin margarita).
Maricourtf & mEnglish (British, Rare) From the place name Maricourt, located in the Somme department in northern France, first used during the First World War and last used before the Second World War.
MarigotfEnglish (Rare) Origins in a West African language, meaning "creek" in reference to a side stream or tributary rivulet. This word was brought to the Caribbean and is currently used as names for multiple (six) French-Caribbean populated locations, and thus may be used as a word or location name.
MarixiefEnglish (Rare) Likely a combination of a given name that starts with Mar- (such as Mary) with a given name that ends in -ixie (such as Trixie).
MarleafEnglish (Rare) Diminutive of Marlene, first appeared in the early 1900s, used most frequently during the 1940s in the U.S. Variants were Marlee, Marley, Marlie, all used in roughly equal numbers, and all of which seem to have faded in the 1950s.