How to choose a baby name beginning with M
Get to know the M name ‘families’ for girls and boys. You may have noticed that a lot of the baby names on this list have similar meanings. That’s because many of them stem from a handful of original M names. We’ll explain them below.
Love the sea? Consider choosing one of the many beautiful names which stem from the mother of all M names: Mary. This biblical classic means ‘star or drop of the sea, bitter or beloved’ and some of the names in its family include Manon, Marianne, Marion, Marissa, Miriam, Molly and Miri.
Want to give your baby girl a jewel-themed name? Look at Margot, Maggie and Mamie which all mean pearl and are derived from the classic Greek name Margaret.
How about the family of baby girl names derived from another biblical name, Magdalene? These include Madeleine, Maddy and Magda, which all have the same meaning - woman of Magdala or high tower.
Do you like boy names stemming from the ‘Michael family’ of names? These include Mika, Micah, Mikey and Miguel, which all mean ‘Who is like God?’
Or you might prefer names derived from the classic name for boys, Matthew, which means ‘Gift of God’. Matthew, Mathis, Matias and Matty fit the bill on this score.
Jump on the cool, short baby names trend. Plenty of M names fit in with this including Mia, Maya, Mina and Milo. There's also Musa, which entered the ONS top 100 for boys in 2022.
Choose a unisex baby name inspired by nature. How about Moss, Marlow (which means driftwood) or Monroe (derived from Scotland’s River Roe)?
Check out other Mumsnet articles for inspo on popular baby names, boy names and girl names beginning with M.
What are some unique M names for girls and boys?
Unique M names for girls and boys, which don’t appear in the official most popular lists but are still liked by Mumsnetters include: Madeleine, Monty and Morgan (which can be used for both baby girls and baby boys).
What is the most popular M name for girls and boys?
The most popular M names for girls and boys appear in the ONS lists of top baby names for England and Wales. Some also appear in the official most popular baby names lists for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. These names include: Mabel, Maeva, Maeve, Maisie, Margot, Maria, Maryam, Maya, Mila, Millie, Mirren and Molly (for girls) and Macsen, Michael, Milo, Mohammed, Muhammad, Murray and Myles (for boys).
Max was also in the top 100 list for boy names. We’ve included it within our gender-neutral baby name list as it can also be used for baby girls, although it is much less frequently used as a girl name.
What famous names for girls and boys start with M?
There are oodles of M names with celebrity sparkle and sheen. In fact, how about Welsh actor Michael Sheen for starters? Other famed Michaels include Michael Caine, Michael Fassbender and Michael Owen.
Then there’s pop star Miley Cyrus, whose birth name is actually Destiny but she was nicknamed Miley because she was such a smiley baby. Or how about emulating the Barbie girl herself, Margot Robbie?
For old school glamour, you could choose Marilyn or Monroe, in homage to the iconic Hollywood star. Football fan? The unusual name Messi could work for your very own little striker, in honour of footballer, Lionel Messi.
Be inspired by Disney heroine, Moana, who is sure to be on everyone’s minds when the sequel film Moana 2 is released later this year - or how about those famous mice, Minnie and Mickey?
And finally, the classic name Marjorie has found new popularity with Taylor Swift fans after the megastar released her song Marjorie - a tribute to her opera singer grandma, Marjorie Finlay.
About the author
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise Baty has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby.
By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.