Cat Names That Start With M

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.

Overly trendy western place-name, as stated in the title of our book Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana.

Charming French endearment, first used as a name by Goethe, that now makes an appealing choice -- though the proper feminine form is Mignonne. Note, though, that this is not actually used as a name in France, where Manon would be the closest choice.

The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.

A handful of years ago, a judge in Tennessee ruled that parents could not name their son Messiah, "because there's only one." That decision has since been overturned and the name no longer looks out of place besides the growing number of Saints and Chosens.

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.

She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic names for Christmas babies.

Save this for your next run to Starbucks.

This rare name received national attention in 2021 when actor Frankie Muniz and his wife Paige named their son Mauz Mosley. The variation they used stems from the Hebrew word Mauzzim, literally translating to "fortresses" (mauz would be the singular, "fortress"). Some versions of the Bible interpret Mauzzim in context as "God's protectors."

Minta is an eighteenth century short form of a literary beauty still used in England today, but yet to be discovered by American baby namers. It has a fresh and dainty feel.

Mickey is a nickname-name redolent of the mid-20th century and best-known as a mouse name. While this spelling works for either gender, the girls' version is more often spelled Micki.

Move over Maia, Mia and Mara - there's a new melodious M name on the block! Maiara has a great meaning and a soft flowing sound which fits in with current trends.

Marty is one of those Old Man nicknames that's just starting to sound cute again.

There's only one. Okay, two.

The Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons, a Dutch leader of the Anabaptists. His name, which is a nickname of Meine, is still used today in the American Mennonite community.

A sweet and simple nickname for Marie that could serve to freshen up the outdated full form.

The sources that do list this name give it as a boys' name, but Woody Harrelson chose it for his daughter, and it does have a feminine lilt.

Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.

The African tradition of day naming—giving a child a name inspired by the day, time, or season in which they were born—has become attractive to Western parents as word names increase in use. Midnight is a relatively new addition to the pool—it was used as a middle name by Nicole Richie and Joel Madden for their son in 2009.

This eminent surname name belonged to one of the two leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the western part of the USA. The surname was originally given to someone with a sunny temperament.