Mark, Maria, Melissa, Michael … There are so many beautiful baby names that start with M. Here is a great list of popular and unique options to get your wheels turning.
- Mia — Mia is baby named beloved by celebrities. Actress Kate Winslett has a daughter named Mia Honey, and actor Ian Ziering's daughter's name is Mia Loren.
- Mikalah — Mikalah derives from the Hebrew name Michael. In the Hebrew Bible, Michael was an archangel who is an intermediary of God. He is said to lead the forces of Heaven in the Book of Revelation.
- Malique — Malique as a given name is a variant transcription of Malik. Al-Malik is one of the 99 names of Allah in the Islamic religion.
- Mazikeen — Mazikeen is a baby name that may hold more popularity among comic book fans thanks to the DC Comics character made more famous by actress Lesley-Ann Brandt’s portrayal.
- Marlin — Marlin comes from the Welsh name Myrddin, which is also the original name of Merlin from the King Arthur stories!
- Martez — Martez may sound familiar to Star Wars fans. That's because there's a family with the surname Martez in the Star Wars universe. Trace and Rafa Martez are sisters who were orphaned when their parents died during a hostage situation.
- Maleni
- Manny
- Maizie
- Matheus
- Malika
- Malinda
- Mirna — Mirna as an Irish given name comes from the name Muirne. Muirne Muincháem was the mother of Irish mythological hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.
- Mekayla — Mekayla as a given name derives from the Hebrew name Michael. Michael is a Biblical name that means “who is like God?” and is the name of one of the archangels.
- Myriam
- Maverik
- Mehki
- Muhammed — Muhammed is one of the most popular names in the world. However, this spelling is considered relatively rare.
- Mirian
- Marah
- Moana — Moana as a given name came to popular attention thanks to the 2016 Disney animated film “Moana” and the titular heroine.
- Malayna — Malayna is a rare name that refers to buoyancy, lightness, and freedom.
- Makalah
- Maleigha
- Mahi
- Malea
- Maliha
- Maddilyn — Maddilyn is one of the newest variations of the name Madeline. Some experts believe that this variation arose from the popularity of other alternative spellings during the 21st century. For example, the variation Madelyn has ranked among the top 100 baby names for girls since 2008. Madelyn was the 66th most popular baby name for girls in 2020.
- Marwa — Marwa as a given name comes from the name of one of the hills outside of the Islamic holy city of Mecca and literally means “white stone”. This makes Marwa a common name among Muslim people.
- Mariska
- Madelynne — Madelynne is a beautiful baby name currently in popularity among girls. Some etymologists attribute this trend to the popularity of literary figures like Madelynne Grayburn (a character in George R.R. Martin's flagship fantasy series).
- Makaylee
- Makenzy
- Michael — Michael as a name, had a historic run as the most popular name of the 20th century in the United States. From 1954 to 1998 it was the number one baby boy name, with the sole exception of 1960 when it came in second to "David". It fell out of the top five names in 2011, the first time since 1949.
- Matthew — Matthew has consistently ranked among the top 50 names for boys since the 1960s. It is also the namesake of numerous popular songs (such as "St. Matthew" by The Monkees or "Matthew & Son" by Cat Stevens).
- Maya — Maya surged in popularity as a baby name in 2002, ranking 90th for girls born that year and remaining on the top 100 list ever since. Maya is also the namesake of popular songs, including "Maya Love" by George Harrison and "Veils of Maya" by Cynic.
- Madeline — Madeline came to be one of the most popular names for girls in the 1990s because of one of the possible nicknames. This nickname is "Maddy."
- Maria — Maria is a feminine name but it is occasionally given to boys as a middle name in countries like Germany, Italy, and Poland to honor the Virgin Mary.
- Mohamad
- Maira — Maira is likely a spelling variation of the Greek Myra. Some believe, however, that it is the Spanish version of this baby name.
- Mathis
- Marta — Marta ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls born in the United States from 1932-1986. It is also the namesake of the songs "Marta" by Ricardo Arjona and "Marta Rambling Rose of the Wildwood" by Arthur Tracy.
- Madelyn — Madelyn is one of a variety of names that all mean "woman of Magdala." Another popular name with the meaning is Madeline.
- Marla
- Malek
- Mackenzi — Mackenzi has never been a top 1,000 baby name, but the more common spelling, Mackenzie, has ranked as high as number 40 for girls. It's been on the list for girls since 1976 and last ranked at number 119 in 2020. For baby boys, it made the list between 1985 and 2001, though it wasn't quite as popular.
- Mickey
- Mayrin
- Marlo — Marlo dates back to old England and old Hollywood. In modern times, however, it is popular among trendy parents. Dooce and Rob Corddry gave the name to their daughters, for instance.
- Marlow — Marlow is the more masculine version of this name. Most parents use Marlowe for girls as it has a softer appearance.
And of course, if you'd like to discover more gender-specific names, you can check out baby boy names that start with M and baby girl names that start with M.