Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
McKay m & f English (American)Transferred use of the surname
McKay. This name is mainly used in Utah among Mormons; it was the surname of David O. McKay (1873-1970), the ninth president of the Mormon Church (from 1951 until his death in 1970).
Mcnamara f EnglishFrom a Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Mac Conmara meaning "son of Conmara". The given name Conmara is composed of cú "hound" and muir "sea". It probably gained in popularity as a first name for girls inspired by other feminine names beginning in Mac or Mc such as
Mackenzie,
McKenna, and
McKinley.
Mecca f & m English (American, Rare)From the city of
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam. From there, it became a common noun for any place considered to be important to visit by people with a particular interest.
Meda f EnglishA short form of names ending in -meda such as Andromeda.
Medius f & m English (African), Eastern AfricanBorrowed from Latin
medius meaning "middle; half; moderate; indifferent." It is mostly used in Uganda where, compared to other surrounding countries, it is usually feminine in usage.
Meek f & m English (Puritan)Meaning, "quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive." Referring to Matthew 5:5.
Meghann f English (Modern), LiteratureVariant of
Megan. This name was used by the Australian author Colleen McCullough in her novel
The Thorn Birds (1977), which in 1983 was adapted as a TV mini-series.
Meikayla f English (Rare)Variant of
Mikayla. Meikayla Moore (1996-) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League and the New Zealand national team.
Melanchthon m English (Rare, Archaic)From the family name of Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), Protestant leader and associate of Luther. The name was originally
Schwartzerdt, "black-earth", in German, which was translated into Greek (using
melas (genitive
melanos) "black" and
chthon "land, earth, soil"), as was sometimes done during the time of the enthusiasm for Greek studies during the Renaissance... [
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Melbourne m English, Romani (Archaic)After the capital of the Australian state of Victoria. It is named for the British prime minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. His title comes from his estate, Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire, whose name means "mill stream"... [
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Meldrick m EnglishThis English name means 'strong mill'. Meldrick Taylor, a two-weight world champion in boxing, is a famous bearer of this name.
Mellida f Theatre, EnglishLikely coined by the playwright John Marston for his plays 'Antonio and Mellida'(1599) and 'Antonio's Revenge' (1601). It was presumably intended as a cross between
Melissa and
Phyllida.
Melodey f English (Americanized, Rare)Variant of
Melody. As a girls' name is of Greek origin, and the name Melodey means "music, song". Melodey is a version of Melody (Greek): first used in the 13th century.
Meloney f English (Rare)Meloney's origin is Old Greek, and its use is English. Meloney is a spelling variant of the Dutch, English, French, and German
Melanie. Meloney is uncommon as a baby name for girls... [
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Mem f & m EnglishShort form of various names containing the element
-mem-.
Memoir m & f English, African AmericanThe word “memoir” itself means memory or remembrance. In the field of literature, a memoir is a collection of the events that happened in the author's life, tied together by a certain theme.
Mena f Irish, EnglishCommon diminutive of Philomena, derived from ancient Greek/Roman sources originally and means 'friend of strength' or 'loved strongly'. Mena is the most common nickname for Philomena and it sometimes used as a forename itself.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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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Merriam f English (Rare)Variant of
Miriam derived from a Welsh surname which is derived from either the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of
Maurice, or ultimately from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark".
Merric m English (Rare)Variant of
Merrick. It was used by the author Tamora Pierce for a character in her 'Protector of the Small' fantasy series.
Merrily f English (American, Rare)Old English
myrge "pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, sweet; pleasantly, melodiously" from Proto-Germanic
murgijaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting."
Merwenn f English (Rare, Archaic), Medieval EnglishFrom the Old English name
Mærwynn which was derived from
mær meaning "famous" and
wynn "joy". This was the name of a 10th-century saint, the first abbess of Rumsey convent in Hampshire, England after its 967 restoration under King Edward the Peaceful, and the spiritual teacher of Saint
Elfleda.
Mescal f English (American, Rare, Archaic), LiteratureFrom the English word for the peyote cactus, from Nahuatl. It was used by American author Zane Grey for a half-Navajo, half-Spanish woman in his novel
The Heritage of the Desert (1910) and the subsequent silent film adaptation (1924), in which the character was played by actress Bebe Daniels... [
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Miami f English (Modern)From the name of the city in the American state of Florida. The city got its name from the
Mayaimi, a Native American tribe that lived around Lake Okeechobee until the 17th or 18th century.
Micolash m EnglishAnglicised form of Czech
Mikoláš, itself a variation on
Nicholas. "Victory of the People", from the Greek
nike meaning victory and
laos meaning people.