Cat Names That Start With M

There's only one. Okay, two.

A daring middle name possibility for classical concertgoers. Alternatives are Wolfgang and Amadeus.

Hipsters might consider reviving this old German name, though we're not so sure their sons wouldn't have preferred the classic Fred name Frederick. Manfred B. Lee (born Manford) was half of the team of detective story writers who used the pseudonym Ellery Queen; Manfred Mann was a British pop group of the 1960's, with Manfred Mann (born Michael Liebowitz) at the keyboard. There's also a wooly mammoth named Manfred, and nicknamed Manny, in the film Ice Age.

Disney turned Maleficent into a name in 1959, when it was used for the "Mistress of All Evil" in the film Sleeping Beauty. Prior to that, maleficent was a word meaning "causing harm," the antonym of beneficent. Its similarities to the familiar name Millicent made it an apt choice for the iconic Disney villain.

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.

You may be tempted to scoff at Mint as another wacky celebrity baby name — it was used by Dutch model Romee Strijd for her daughter in 2020 — but it's a far more legitimate choice than many would guess. Minty baby names for girls are having a style moment in Nordic countries — Mynte is a Top 50 name in Denmark, and Minttu ranks in Finland's Top 50. It's ultimately not so surprising that a well-traveled international star would choose to use the English variation of these names for her daughter.

As a name, it's linked to Sir Mulberry Hawk, a character in Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby.

The name of a genus of flowering plants commonly known as "forget-me-not", deriving from a Greek word meaning "mouse's ear", because of the shape of the plant's leaves. The Spanish form Miosoti is more often seen, though still very rare.

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.

Because of shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, this has become a generic term for pricey stilettos, as in "I must have those Manolos."

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.

Prime pert-teenager name in midcentury TV shows, replaced by Maggie.

German philosopher and revolutionary socialist Karl Marx will be most people's immediate association with this uncommon name. The author of The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital is widely considered to be the father of international communism.

What parent wouldn't love this meaning?

Maybellene is the true one-of-a-kind baby name that Taylor and Natalie Hanson chose for their daughter in 2020. It's a variation of Maybelline, which is itself an elaboration of the name Mabel. The Maybellene spelling makes it one step removed from the cosmetics brand.

Unusual and rhythmic, the feminine form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius, the name of several saints. The modern Spanish male version of the name, Macario, is used in the US.

For basketball fans, in honor of Magic Johnson. Or anyone who believes in magic.

Merilee and Merrilee were early respelled or word names, ahead of their time in some ways. Merrilee hit the Top 1000 for a couple of years in the 1940s, but last year no baby girls were given either version of the name in the US, which makes it more appealing.

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."