These
names were used in medieval times.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Méliau m Medieval FrenchFrom the Latin
miles, meaning "soldier". This was the name of a Breton saint, known for sharing his cloak with a beggar, who was beheaded in the mid-6th century AD.
Melior f Medieval English (Rare)Older form of
Meliora, thought to come from Latin
melior "better". Melior occurs as both family name and given name in Christian inscriptions of the Roman Empire... [
more]
Mencía f Spanish, Medieval Spanish, GalicianSpanish and Galician name of unclear origin, maybe from Basque
mendi "mountain". It was born by many noble women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and revived in the 2000's.
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".
Merard m Medieval FrenchDerived from Old High German
māri "famous" (ultimately from Proto-Germanic
*mērijaz) and Old High German
hart "strong, hard".
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).
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).
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.
Meurwethen m Medieval BretonOld Breton name, derived from the elements
mor meaning "great" and
(g)uethen meaning "warrior, war".
Mezamir m Medieval Slavic, HistoryThe first element of this name is derived from a Proto-Slavic element that meant "boundary, limit, landmark", which later became
mežda in Old Church Slavonic. Also compare modern Russian
mezha, Czech
mez, Slovak
medza and Slovene
meja, all of which mean "boundary, limit"... [
more]
Mica f Medieval RomanianEither a contracted form of
Marica or a derivation from Romanian
mică, the feminine form of the adjective
mic "small, little".
Milovana f Medieval SlavicDerived from the elements "mil-" (dear, beloved) and "-ovana" (a suffix implying care or nurturing).
Miłowit m Medieval PolishFrom the elements
miło "nice" and
wit "lord, ruler". This is among the earliest recorded names in Poland.
Mirabel f French (African), English (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Medieval Italian, Judeo-Anglo-NormanDerived from Old French
mirable "wonderful; admirable", ultimately from Latin
mirabilis "wonderful, marvellous, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, amazing" (compare
Mirabelle).
Mirola f Medieval SlavicMirola is a Slavic feminine name, derived from "mir" meaning "peace" or "world," It likely means "peaceful"
Möge f Medieval MongolianOf uncertain etymology, name borne by a wife of Genghis Khan, and later of his son
Ögedei following Genghis's death.
Mojsław m Medieval PolishAn Old Polish name consisting of the elements
moj, meaning "my" and
sław, meaning "fame". This name was only recorded in the Ruthenian chronicle of Nestor and could have been a variant
Masław or
Miecisław.
Molaisse m Medieval IrishDiminutive of
Laisrén, derived from Irish
Mo Laisse "my Laise",
Laise being a short form of Laisrén. The 7th-century saint Laserian of Leighlin is also called Molaise or Molaisse; he lived as a hermit on Holy Isle in the Firth of Clyde, which is known as
Eilean MoLaise in Gaelic.
Monaud m Medieval FrenchFrench form of
Munuald, possibly via its latinized form
Monaldus. This given name is no longer in use in France, but it still survives there as a patronymic surname (albeit barely, as the surname is extremely rare there nowadays).
Monenna f Medieval IrishSaint Monenna lived in the fifth century. She was born into a noble family in County Louth, Ireland. She is often associated with the region around the town of Killeavy in present-day Northern Ireland.
Morella f Literature, Spanish (Latin American), English (Rare), Romani (Archaic), Medieval Scottish (Rare)Used by Edgar Allan Poe for the title character of his Gothic short story
Morella (1835), in which case he may have invented it by adding a diminutive suffix to Latin
mors "death". Alternatively, it may be derived from the name of the ancient Spanish city, the Italian name for the poisonous weed black nightshade (species Solanum nigrum), or from the Italian surname
Morello, all of them ultimately deriving from Greek μαῦρος
(mauros) meaning "black"... [
more]
Morgante m Carolingian Cycle, Literature, Medieval ItalianFrom the name of the eponymous character of the epic poem
Morgante (1478) written by the Italian poet Luigi Pulci (1432-1484). In the poem, Morgante is a giant who is converted to Christianity by the knight
Orlando and subsequently becomes his loyal follower.... [
more]
Nab m Medieval EnglishMedieval diminutive of
Abel. It used to be a medieval custom to drop syllables before a first name therefore “mine Abel” led to “Nab”.
Nabar m Medieval BasqueOf uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a derivation from the place name
Navarre and a derivation from Basque
nabar "multicolored".
Naerys f Literature, Medieval WelshCreated by George R.R. Martin for the character Naerys Targaryen, a historical figure, it is presumably of Valyrian origin but is most likely inspired by the Welsh elaboration of ner "lord, chief" thus changing the meaning to "lady, noblewoman."
Næskunungr m Old Norse, Medieval ScandinavianOriginally a byname meaning "king over a small area", from Old Norse
nės "ness, promontory, spit of land" and
konungr "king". The name appears on at least one runestone (as
niskunukʀ) and was later used sparingly (as
Næskonung) up until the late middle ages.
Nafni m Old Norse, Old DanishOld Norse name and byname, from Old Norse
nafni meaning "namesake" or from Old Norse
nafn meaning "name".
Najarra f Medieval BasqueToponym of medieval origin, linked to repopulation of the lands of Segovia in the 11th century, that describes a gentle descent in a sector of the Guadarrama mountains in the area called the “Espaldar of the Najarra" (massif and peak) in Madrid province, Spain.