Dog Names That Start With M

Mavi is a gender-neutral Turkish name with a colorful meaning and a trendy feel, that is also the name of a jeans company, and a Spanish short form of the double name, Maria Victoria. This is one we expect to hear more of as an alternative to Maeve.

Interesting multi-cultural option.

Relaxed western place-name that still has some masculine punch, but be warned: this whole posse of similarly trendy names, like Sierra and Dakota, will soon ride toward the sunset.

Used especially in Latin America, this would make a funky spin on Maria.

A combination of vintage Mae with popular suffix -lynn, Maelyn feels reminiscent of glamorous Marilyn and contemporary Raelynn. In use since at least the 80s, Maelyn practically doubled in popularity 2019 after singer Maelyn Jarmon won that year's season of The Voice. Given to around 180 babies in 2023, when you combine this with the 215 girls with the alternative -lynn spelling the same year, that makes for nearly 400 Maelyns.

An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.

A sleek, smooth, understated name off the grid in the US but among the Top 100 girl names in Germany. In the US, it is a unisex name, while in Germany and the Netherlands, it is predominantly feminine.

Both the Spanish Marcelo and Italian Marcello would work well for children of any backgrounds. The name has been in the US Top 1000 consistently since the mid-90s and has been steadily climbing upwards. Deriving from the Roman family name, Marcellus, itself a diminutive of Marcus, Marcelo currently ranks above Marcello and Marcel in the states.

Classic Irish surname with a lot of character and some interesting associations: the title character of a Samuel Beckett novel and basketball great Karl Malone. Malone is a popular name for baby boys in France.

Mio is a lovely Japanese name for girls that has migrated beyond its native country. One Berry reports several young girls named Mio in Australia, and the name has potential in the rest of the English-speaking world for parents who want to move beyond Mia and Maya.

An Asian name not widely known in the West.

Marine is an extremely popular and fashionable name in France that's virtually unknown here — and is ready to set sail. Marine feels more contemporary than Marina and less hippie-esque than Oceane, another popular name for girls in France.

Mabli is the sweet Welsh form of Mabel; like its English cousin, it’s starting to make a modest comeback in Wales as part of the trend for vintage baby names from a century ago.

This Maori name, often heard in New Zealand, is an attractive, evocative choice for lovers of the ocean made famous – perhaps too famous – by the Disney heroine. Moana was also an alternate name for the heroine Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth. Moana may also be a color name for a deep ocean blue ("lanu moana"). Moana and other Disney Princess Names are the subject of a featured blog.

Still one of the most appealing short forms, which goes a long way toward explaining the sustained popularity of Matthew. Matt is perennially the popular guy in high school, friendly, attractive, and comfortable with a baseball. Matty or Mattie are cute for a younger boy.

Favored by first-generation Jewish families from the affluent Guggenheims to criminal-producing Lanskys; now Meyer is pretty much relegated to poolside gin games in Boca.

Muffy is one of those nickname names that flourished in the Baby Boom era -- or was it only on television? -- and now is rarely used. Strictly speaking short for Muffin, few girls have been given Muffy as a proper name in any era, and when it was used, it was usually as a nickname for Mary or Margaret or some other traditional name.

Minuet is delicate, dancey, and lacy, with a Masterpiece Theatre feel. Is Minuet a real name? Not really, though similar-sounding French names such as Minette and Manette are.

Sweet Japanese choice.

Mirren is a lively and attractive Scottish name, popular in its native country but best known outside Scotland as the surname of the English actor Dame Helen Mirren. It is thought to be a Scottish derivative of the name Marion, from Mary.