Dog Names That Start With M

Has followed mother name Maureen off the radar screen.

If you're looking for a Euro-chic alternative to Max, Mats is a strong possibility. It's a fading classic in Norway, but is popular in the Netherlands and Belgium, where short names are the height of style.

A pretty and little-known Spanish smoosh name, combining Maria with Celia.

Traditionally a masculine diminutive of Moses, Moe could work equally well as a short, sweet, gender-bending nickname for girls – perhaps from Ramona, Moana or Monroe.

What with Mason scooting up the charts, this attractive place-name, with its thick Georgia accent, could make a more distinctive alternative.

Moria was a nymph, sister of Tylus, who played a role in a very complicated story involving a serpent and a life-giving plant. It sounds like and will often be mistaken for the name Mariah, as in Carey.

If you're looking for a presidential first name, keep looking.

A little-known Hebrew name which ranks in the Top 100 in Israel.

Cool and bluesy southern city name chosen by musician-activist Bono for his daughter.

A handsome and romantic-sounding European option.

This version of Malia (as in Obama) peaked at Number 296 in 2009, though it has lost ground since then.

Mako is a name used for both genders in Japan, most notably for the granddaughter of the emperor who chose to leave the Royal Family to marry a commoner. It's a simple name that translates easily to English-speaking cultures, though many will try to pronounce the first syllable with a long a. Mako also means "shark" in Maori, and is the name of two shark species.

Mirko is a diminutive version of Miroslav but is now given as a full name.

Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.

The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca each year, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims are not allowed inside the city.

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

Mesa is the term for a flat-topped mountain, derived from the Spanish word for "table".

When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice, with the nice three-syllable lilt of of such other Irish surnames as Finnegan and Flanagan. It can also be spelled Morrisey.

Merritt is an English surname but spelled Merit it becomes a word name. Both variations are on the rise.