M is one of those letters that just works for girl names.
Soft without being weak. Musical without being fussy. Names starting with M have a warmth to them that I find genuinely hard to explain but immediately recognizable. Mia. Margot. Maeve. Minerva. You feel it the moment you say them.
Whether you want something that is already well-loved or something genuinely rare that nobody in your daughter’s class will have, this list has both. All 200 of them start with M.
Popular M Names That Are Beloved for Good Reason
These are the M names parents have been choosing for years. Not because they are following a trend but because they are genuinely, timelessly beautiful.
If you are looking for something established and well-loved, start here.
- Mia
- Mila
- Maya
- Mara
- Mabel
- Margot
- Maeve
- Mae
- Millie
- Molly
- Maggie
- Madison
- Matilda
- Miranda
- Melody
- Morgan
- Meredith
- Miriam
- Monica
- Melissa
- Michelle
- Moira
- Maisie
- Meadow
- Marina
Unique M Names That Are Completely Underused
Now here is where it gets interesting.
M has so many beautiful names sitting completely untouched right now. Names with real history and real beauty that parents are not choosing because they do not know they exist yet. Your daughter could have one of these and be the only person in her world with it.
- Mehetabel
- Millicent
- Melusine
- Mathilde
- Mechtild
- Meriwether
- Morrigan
- Mordecai – works on a girl, unexpected and bold
- Muirenn
- Muirgheal
- Morag
- Morfudd
- Melusina
- Melisande
- Margherita
- Maricel
- Marisol
- Maravilla
- Marcellina
- Maximiliane
- Mehetabel
- Morwenna
- Merewyn
- Meribah
- Mirabel
M Names From Mythology and Folklore
Mythology is full of extraordinary M names for girls.
Medusa. Medea. Morrigan. These are not gentle, soft names. They belong to figures with real power in the old stories. And I find them completely extraordinary on a modern girl.
- Medea
- Medusa
- Morrigan
- Mab
- Melusine
- Medb
- Mnemosyne
- Morpheus – traditionally male but increasingly used for girls
- Minerva
- Maia
- Metis
- Moirai
- Melpomene
- Merope
- Maiandros
- Melinoe
- Macaria
- Megaera
- Moira
- Myrrha
- Marpessa
- Melanthe
- Melite
- Mneme
- Mopsus
Vintage M Names Ready for a Comeback
M has some of the best forgotten vintage names of any letter.
Names that were completely normal on grandmothers and great-grandmothers and are now sitting completely untouched. The window on these is open right now and it will not stay open forever.
- Mildred
- Millicent
- Minnie
- Mabel
- Muriel
- Myrtle
- Maud
- Maude
- Maxine
- Merna
- Marjorie
- Midge
- Mina
- Miriam
- Moira
- Mona
- Myra
- Mattie
- Maybelle
- Maudie
- Margery
- Madge
- Meg
- Metta
- Merle
Nature M Names for Girls
M produces some of the most beautiful nature names in any letter.
Meadow. Magnolia. Marigold. Moss. These names feel grounded and free at the same time, connected to the natural world in a way that stays beautiful forever.
- Meadow
- Magnolia
- Marigold
- Moss
- Mist
- Morning
- Moonflower
- Marigold
- Mulberry
- Mimosa
- Myrtle
- Myrrh
- Mistletoe
- Moth
- Maple
- Mangrove
- Marshmarigold
- Moonstone
- Malachite
- Marble
- Marina
- Mare
- Maren
- Mira
- Moana
M Names From Around the World
M is one of those letters that appears beautifully in almost every language on earth.
Irish M names. Italian M names. Arabic M names. Japanese M names. Each tradition brings something completely different and completely stunning.
- Maeve – Irish
- Muirenn – Irish
- Muirgheal – Irish
- Morag – Scottish Gaelic
- Morwenna – Cornish
- Merewyn – Old English
- Morfudd – Welsh
- Margherita – Italian
- Marcellina – Italian
- Marisol – Spanish
- Maravilla – Spanish
- Manon – French
- Marguerite – French
- Madeleine – French
- Mathilde – French and German
- Mechtild – German
- Magdalena – Latin
- Mirela – Romanian
- Mila – Slavic
- Milena – Slavic
- Malak – Arabic
- Mariam – Arabic
- Manal – Arabic
- Miku – Japanese
- Miyuki – Japanese
Short and Punchy M Names
Sometimes the best M names are the smallest ones.
Two letters. Three letters. Names that feel like a breath rather than a sentence. These short M names carry enormous warmth and presence in almost no space at all.
- Mae
- Mia
- Mab
- Mar
- Meg
- Mel
- Mim
- Min
- Mit
- Moe
- Mol
- Mon
- Mor
- Mos
- Moy
- Mia
- Mai
- Mei
- Mio
- Miu
- Moe
- Mop
- Mox
- Maz
- Mez
Long and Sweeping M Names
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum from the short names, these long M names sweep and settle and sound absolutely magnificent when you say them out loud.
- Maximiliane
- Margherita
- Marcellina
- Magdalena
- Mnemosyne
- Melpomene
- Misericordia
- Mehetabel
- Melisande
- Mathildegard
- Muirghealach
- Mariangela
- Mariacristina
- Mariadelmar
- Mariapaz
- Mariadelcarmen
- Marisabella
- Mariangeles
- Madelief
- Margrieta
- Mechtildis
- Metamorphosis – wildly bold name choice
- Miramonde
- Mirabilandia
- Moonflower
Wrapping It Up
Two hundred M names. From the simplest Mae to the extraordinary Mnemosyne.
What I love about M as a starting letter is how much range it has. Soft and warm at one end. Bold and mythological at the other. Ancient and completely modern at the same time.
Go back through the ones that stopped you. Say them out loud. I promise the right M name sounds even better spoken than it does on the page.