Names That Start With M
Here are the names that start with M that families actually use, taken from US birth records: 5,280 girl names, 2,297 boy names and 20 names often given to both. Each column below shows the 25 used most often, with the number of babies given the name since 1880.
Mary and Margaret sit at the top of the girls' list, and Michael and Matthew do the same for boys. M is a big letter: some 5,300 names for daughters, 2,300 for sons.
The M sound is soft and humming, so these names feel gentle even when they are long. Mason is a newer favorite for boys. Milan and Marion are unisex options.
Nicknames are easy to find: Meg, Molly, Mike, Matt. A short M name like Mark balances a long surname. A one syllable surname often suits a longer pick. Girls and boys each have their own M page.
- Girl names
- 5,280
- Boy names
- 2,297
- Unisex names
- 20
- Last names
- 12,552
Most popular names that start with M
Top girl names
- Mary 4,123,200
- Margaret 1,246,649
- Michelle 809,254
- Melissa 753,166
- Martha 548,387
- Maria 543,324
- Marie 536,143
- Mildred 450,608
- Megan 436,520
- Madison 373,651
- Marilyn 370,302
- Marjorie 272,235
- Monica 247,888
- Melanie 243,792
- Michele 223,047
- Mia 216,490
- Morgan 212,458
- Marion 188,255
- Madeline 184,547
- Molly 163,300
- Minnie 158,775
- Maureen 143,985
- Marian 140,349
- Myrtle 136,448
- Melinda 135,031
Top boy names
- Michael 4,350,824
- Matthew 1,590,440
- Mark 1,349,865
- Martin 306,299
- Mason 270,859
- Marvin 250,531
- Melvin 242,402
- Marcus 229,002
- Mike 204,377
- Manuel 183,203
- Miguel 174,565
- Mitchell 161,535
- Micheal 153,395
- Max 148,090
- Mario 144,018
- Marc 138,964
- Maurice 134,120
- Milton 116,796
- Marshall 90,413
- Maxwell 90,110
- Micah 89,475
- Miles 78,005
- Mathew 74,971
- Marion 71,994
- Morris 70,233
M names popular right now
Girl and boy names starting with M in the 2017 top 1,000, with their rank.
- Mia #6 girl
- Mason #7 boy
- Michael #12 boy
- Matthew #16 boy
- Madison #17 girl
- Mila #30 girl
- Mateo #42 boy
- Maya #61 girl
- Madelyn #63 girl
- Maverick #85 boy
- Melanie #90 girl
- Mackenzie #99 girl
- Madeline #100 girl
- Micah #107 boy
- Miles #110 boy
- Maria #111 girl
- Mary #126 girl
- Max #126 boy
- Margaret #132 girl
- Maxwell #133 boy
- Maddox #136 boy
- Melody #143 girl
- Morgan #152 girl
- Malachi #153 boy
Unisex names that start with M
Names where at least a quarter of babies were girls and at least a quarter were boys.
| Name | Girls | Boys | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | 72% | 28% | 260,249 |
| Merle | 33% | 67% | 45,146 |
| Mckinley | 49% | 51% | 18,344 |
| Milan | 38% | 62% | 16,414 |
| Michel | 25% | 75% | 13,815 |
| Montana | 70% | 30% | 10,642 |
| Marlo | 68% | 32% | 9,407 |
| Marlyn | 74% | 26% | 8,926 |
| Maxie | 46% | 54% | 8,563 |
| Michal | 50% | 50% | 7,396 |
| Merritt | 25% | 75% | 7,278 |
| Merlyn | 32% | 68% | 4,938 |
| Mikah | 37% | 63% | 3,826 |
| Micaiah | 36% | 64% | 3,442 |
| Marlowe | 58% | 42% | 3,408 |
| Myrl | 59% | 41% | 3,091 |
| Montie | 36% | 64% | 2,607 |
| Marlow | 30% | 70% | 2,597 |
| Marvis | 56% | 44% | 2,461 |
| Micha | 53% | 47% | 2,118 |
More letters: unisex names A to Z.
Names that start and end with M
- Miriam
- Malcolm
- Mariam
- Maryam
- Maxim
- Menachem
- Malcom
- Myriam
- Maksim
- Meriam
- Miryam
- Maram
- Markham
- Meryem
- Maksym
- Marium
- Merriam
- Maryum
- Maham
- Magnum
- Mariyam
- Mirriam
- Milam
- Mahum
Common last names with M
- Miller
- Martinez
- Moore
- Martin
- Mitchell
- Morris
- Murphy
- Morgan
- Myers
- Morales
- Murray
- Marshall
- McDonald
- Mendoza
- Mason
- Meyer
Questions people ask
What are the most common names that start with M?
For girls, Mary, Margaret, Michelle, Melissa. For boys, Michael, Matthew, Mark, Martin. These have been given to the most babies in US records.
How many names start with M?
US birth records list 5,280 girl names and 2,297 boy names starting with M.
What are gender neutral names that start with M?
Names often given to both girls and boys include Marion, Merle, Mckinley, Milan, Michel, Montana.
What names start and end with M?
Miriam, Malcolm, Mariam, Maryam, Maxim, Menachem, Malcom, Myriam.
Source: US Social Security baby name records for every name given to at least 5 babies in a year, from 1880 to 2017; last names from the US Census surname list (every surname shared by 100 or more people).