Boy Dog Names That Start With M

  1. Mortimer
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dead sea"
    • Description:

      Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice for the name of his mouse, until his wife talked him out of it.
  2. Mylo
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Milo, Latin or old German
    • Meaning:

      "soldier or merciful"
    • Description:

      Milo, Miles and even Myles are all well-known in the US, but the spelling Mylo is not widely used here though it ranks among the British Top 1000 names for boys. However you spell it, a friendly, jaunty name with authentic roots.
  3. Mathis
    • Origin:

      French and German form of Matthias or Matthew
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      Very popular in France and Belgium, this name -- pronounced mat-tees, like the surname of the painter Matisse -- might make an appealing new way to say Matthew here.
  4. Marc
    • Origin:

      French, Welsh and Catalan variation of Mark
    • Description:

      Designer (as in Marc Jacobs) form of Mark. An international classic, but long falling in popularity as a boys' name.
  5. Myron
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "fragrant, an aromatic shrub, myrrh"
    • Description:

      One of many M names -- including Murray, Melvin, Morton, Milton, and Marvin -- given to first-generation Jewish boys to replace the old-fashioned Moses. Now we'd pick Moses over any of them.
  6. Marin
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "of the sea"
    • Description:

      Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, pronounced with the accent on the second syllable.
  7. Madoc
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, benefactor's son"
    • Description:

      Also spelled Madog, which was the name of an early Welshman, Madog ap Owain Gwynedd, reputed to have been the first European to discover North America in 1155. Maddox, the name of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's oldest child, is a stronger and more familiar choice.
  8. Marvin
    • Origin:

      Welsh, variant of Mervyn
    • Meaning:

      "sea hill"
    • Description:

      Marvin has been neglected for so long that it's hard to believe that it has windswept Welsh roots. It also has some strong namesakes going for it -- singer Marvin Gaye, composer Marvin Hamlisch and boxer Marvin Hagler. It's the real name of both Neil Simon and Meatloaf. And let's not forget mention Marvin Gardens on Monopoly.
  9. Makari
    • Origin:

      Russian, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "blessed, happy; I wish"
    • Description:

      To those unfamiliar with it, Makari might have the sound, feel, and look of a modern inventions, similar to Amari, Jakari, or Makai. It is however a Russian name, derived from the Greek Makarios. Borne by two 14th-century Orthodox Russian saints, Makari can also be transcribed as Makariy or Makary.
  10. Maxton
    • Origin:

      English surname, elaboration of Max, Latin,"Maccas's homestead; greatest town"
    • Meaning:

      "Maccas's homestead; greatest town"
    • Description:

      Maxton is a new member of the ever-expanding Max clan of baby names, hitting the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011. It joined newfangled Maxon and stylish cousin Paxton, though it did drop out of the charts in 2023.
  11. Maceo
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Matthew
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      This semi-obscure historic name was recently chosen for their son by Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez.
  12. Montague
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "pointy hill"
    • Description:

      The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo has an effete, monocled image.
  13. Milos
    • Origin:

      Slavic
    • Meaning:

      "gracious, dear, beloved"
    • Description:

      Milos, typically spelled Miloš, derives from various names including the Slavic element, milŭ , such as Miloslav, Bogomil, or Milrad. Popular in the Czech Republic, the name is also used in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovakia
  14. Mel
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Melvin
    • Meaning:

      "council protector"
    • Description:

      Though most Mels are playing pinochle with Murray and Morris, there was a notable Saint Mel. He is one of the earliest Irish saints, a nephew of St. Patrick. He became a priest, then built a great monastery where he served as abbot.
  15. Marceau
    • Origin:

      French variation of Marcel
    • Meaning:

      "little warrior"
    • Description:

      Mime Marcel Marceau actually had two versions of the same name. Marcel, Marceau, Marcella, Marcus, Mark -- all are variation of the Roman mythological name Mars, the god of war.
  16. Makoa
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "brave man"
    • Description:

      One of the most popular native language names for boys in Hawaii, Makoa joins Nakoa and Koa as Hawaiian boys' names finding a wider audience in the US.
  17. Marmaduke
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "devotee of Maedoc"
    • Description:

      One of the ultimate teasable names, an Irish saint's name now associated with the oversized comic-strip dog. Scottish adventurer Bear (born Edward) Grylls took up the challenge when he used it for his son.
  18. Makoto
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "sincerity, truth"
    • Description:

      Unisex Japanese name more often given to boys.
  19. Mitsuki
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "full moon; beautiful moon; moonlight; snake vessel"
    • Description:

      Traditionally, this name is written with kanji that give it lovely meanings of "full moon," "moonlight," or similar. The character Mitsuki in Naruto uses kanji that denote the meaning "snake vessel," appropriate given he can summon magical snakes.
  20. Moby
    • Origin:

      Literary and nickname name
    • Description:

      Moby, the nickname of musician Richard Melville Hall, was thanks to his ancestor Herman Melville, creator of the infamous whale. You can imagine calling a child Moby as a cute nickname in honor of a grandfatherly Richard or Dick, but the ghost of a Dick would always follow the name around. In Melville's classic book, Moby was an invented word whose meaning has never been firmly established, though the best scholarship calls it a fictional place name that, in the custom of whaling ships of the time, helped identify the whale called Dick.