Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Most Saturdays one reader’s name questions will be discussed.
Melanie writes:
My husband is the youngest of five kids, all with M names. My in-laws are Mary and Mitch, and they thought it would be fun (!) if they started a family tradition.
And, oh what a tradition it has become!
All four of my husband’s siblings have kids, each and every one with an M name. And I have an M name, too. Seriously! I didn’t think anything of our shared initial, until I met his family. And then it was too late!
Now we’re expecting our first, due on Thanksgiving, a delivery surprise. This will probably be our only child. I don’t hate the idea of another M name. I don’t love the idea, either.
There aren’t THAT many M names! We have nine nieces and nephews on my husband’s side, and we see each other pretty often, so repeating a name isn’t an option. The names that are taken are: Mason, Maya, Maggie, Madelyn, Maddox, Miles, Micah, Mia, and Maxwell. Plus, my sister-in-law is also expecting, due after me, and has announced that they’ll use Marley for a girl and Marcus for a boy.
So. Are we the ones to choose a random name from one of the other 25 letters of the alphabet? My husband would rather we stick with the M names, but doesn’t have any ideas. His only suggestion so far is Matthew Junior – but I’m not on board, and I don’t think he really means it, either.
Are there some great M names that we’ve overlooked? If we could find the perfect M name, I think that would be the end of the discussion. There aren’t any names I especially want to use, M or otherwise. Maybe I’m just stuck on the whole question of M names in the first place.
Our last name is two-syllables, sounds like Freeman, but with a B instead. Middle name will probably be my last name, Hunt.
Read on for my reply, and please leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Hi Melanie –
First, congratulations!
Second, wow! I’ve heard about families with shared initials. But yours is the first example I’ve found where the pattern actually continued into the next generation without exception.
I do think there are still plenty of great M names to consider. But before we get into the names, let’s talk about family traditions in general, and how to decide if you should continue an existing pattern, or go your own way.
I’m a believer in using family names if they feel right. And only if they feel right. Because there are just as many reasons to start fresh.
In this case, I think an M name might work nicely, and here’s why:
- It sounds like you don’t object to the tradition in any way. Maybe you wouldn’t have started it. But some families are all about oyster stuffing at the holidays. Some vacation at the same lake together every summer. And others? They give their kids M names. You shouldn’t be forced to savor the stuffing, or, you know, jet ski on the lake. But if it works for you, there’s no reason not to embrace the tradition.
- It also seems that you’re not sacrificing anything to choose the M name. If you’d always imagined naming your daughter Juliet and your son Andrew, then the M name tradition would be a monkey wrench. And it might be worth starting fresh, regardless of the consequences. But in the absence of a competing desire, maybe an M name makes sense.
That said, I don’t think you should feel like you must use an M name. But it feels like you’re stuck on should-you-or-shouldn’t-you? Beginning your search with M names at least gets you to a shortlist. The caveat: if you discover a name you love along the way, you’re completely free to use it instead.
M Names for Boys
Malcolm – Malcolm is one of those under-the-radar names. It’s familiar but regal. Literary and accessible. Tied to history and pop culture, too.
Macon – Mason is a chart-topper, and we’re all about place names. But somehow Macon is seldom heard.
Macallister/Mcallister – Yahoo!’s Marissa Mayer stuck with M names for her firstborn, son Macallister. It’s a long name, but it’s very friendly and upbeat. With babies named Sullivan and Elliot, why not Macallister?
Mathis/Matheson – Your husband’s name is Matthew, and you’re not keen on juniors – but maybe a name inspired by Matthew? Mathis and Matheson are surname options that might appeal.
Mateo/Matteo – Along the same lines, Mateo and Matteo are possibilities that put a romance language spin on the traditional name.
Miller – Yes, there’s the beer. But in an age of boys named Hunter and Carter and Parker, Miller fits right in.
M Names for Girls
Maisie – Maisie is a short, retro name in the key of Sadie.
Mae/May – Mae is, by far, the more popular spelling, but both are valid options. It’s a mini-name, short on sound, but without sacrificing style.
Magnolia – The opposite of Mae is the flowery Magnolia.
Margot – Normally I might rule out Margot, since Maggie is also a form of Margaret, and you’re trying to avoid duplicates. But when you’re working with one letter, I think that rule has to go.
Molly – There’s no Molly in your family! There might be a Marley. But see my comment above – just as you have to overlook connections like the Maggie/Margot/Margaret link, you’ll have to accept some duplication in sound.
Millie – Miller made the boys’ list, and there are a bunch of Mil- names for girls: Mila, Milla, Millicent, Mileva … or maybe just Millie.
If none of these feel quite right, may I offer another suggestion? If forgetting M names entirely feels like too much of a break, you might choose an M name for the middle. In particular, Mary and Mitchell might make great middle names – either in lieu of your surname or in addition to it.
Readers, let’s start with a poll, and then I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
There are lots of great suggestions here already! Abby’s Mcallister reminded me there’s lots of “McNames.” Know a/Love McCall for a girl (could work for a boy too) and Know a/Love McKay for a boy (could work for a girl too) OR what about Mack for a boy? I love Abby’s Magnolia suggestion… Magnolia Freeman with a B sounds like a southern belle in the best way! And I haven’t read all the comments but Maisie reminded me of Macy/Macie/Macey 🙂
I read a memoir recently called “The Tender Bar.” Its author grew up with a cousin named McGraw (who’s now a sports broadcaster in St. Louis – his last name is Milhaven). The name struck me as fresh and underused. In the book, McGraw’s mom explained her son’s unusual (for the 70s) name by saying that she was going for the most masculine name she could find, since McGraw had a bunch of older sisters!
Has Minna been suggested for a girl? I love it so. I also like Margaret and calling her by a nickname…so many to choose from. Mara, Milly, Marigold…lots of fun options for a boy.
I like Matthew a lot, especially with Hunter as a middle name. Merritt is nice for a boy. Milo is close to Miles, but I still like it. Morgan would work for a boy or girl.
I really, really like Minna, too – Jamie. Possibly more than Mina … though they’re both great names!
Milica could be an option it’s a slavic name meaning gracious and could be used as a long form for Mila/Milla (it’s the full name of Milla Jovovich) or Millie. The pronunciation could be an issue since its mill-eet-sah and could be a bit strange on a non-slavic child
Ooh, LOVE Milica! There was a professor named Milica in the history department when I was an undergrad, but she definitely pronounced her name mil-eet-sah … which I cannot imagine pulling off in the US, unless you were really, really, really determined!
There are a lot of Muh and My sounds (Matthew, Maya), so you may just be looking for a different vowel combo to break you out of the family tradition while still honoring it. M_r names like Marisol, Mark, Miranda, Morris, Muriel, Morena or long vowel sounds May, Mabel, Monique, Monet, Mimi, etc.How about Minuet?
I forgot two of my guilty pleasure names: Meridian and Magellan.
YES! Both are great – I think Meridian is many just barely wearable, but Magellan seems a little farther out-there. No pun intended …
Good observation about Muh/My … a slightly different vowel sound could make a big difference.
Also- add Murray for a boy. This name is kind of growing on me. “From the sea.” Love it!
I couldn’t think of any boys names that aren’t already suggested in other comments, but here are some thoughts on girls which hopefully haven’t been suggested…
Mallory
Macy
Marika
Or you could go with a non-M name and call her by an M nn.
Carmela nn Meli (though this is close to Melanie).
Another option would be to do the opposite. Name her an M name and give her a non-M nickname, such as all the Mc names.
McKenzie (Kenzie)
McKenna (Kenna)
McKinley (Kinley)
Michaela (Ally, Kayla)
Mallory (Ally, Lory)
Milagros – traditional in Mexico
Maelys – popular in France
Mariela – a Spanish smoosh (Maria + Elena)
Mariana – a timeless smoosh
Maria – a classic
Mariah – is this dated? I still love it.
Michonne – from the Walking Dead!
Melissa – the name of all my dolls when I was a kid.
All I can think of for a boy is Merritt or Michael.
My daughter is Margaret nn Maisy. You can get a lot of nickname mileage from Margaret.
Just seconding some of the suggestions.
I love Meredith, Meryl, and Miranda.
I love Merrick and Martin.
I really like nature names, so I thought of things like Misty and Meadow.
I like Merida too, as in the princess of Brave.
What about Micah for a boy? Surprised it hasn’t been suggested yet. I like the suggestion of Moses too. (I promise I’m not a Bible beater! Just like the names :))
For girls, I liked the suggestions of Mercy, Maren, and Meredith.
Gahhhhh I’m terrible. I see there already is a Micah in the family. Sorry, blame pregnancy brain!!
I think you should only use an M name if you find one you really like. That being said, I find it kind of a cool challenge to find an interesting not overused M name. AND- I think most of the names that have been used for your nieces and nephews are a bit too mainstream for my taste. (SOME, not all.). Off we go, then…
My favorites for GIRLS:
*Mireille
*Maeve
*Meara
*Mireya
*Mamie
*Mercy
LOVE Mary + a more unusual middle name, for example:
*Mary-Adelaide
*Mary-Evelyn
*Mary-Violet
*Mary-Amelie
My favorites for BOYS:
*Marten
*Mateo
*Milan
*Meade
*Morse
*Mace
*Mick
*Morrison
*Mathias
Since you didn’t happen to mention your style, here’s a variety of names from nature to classic to rare:
Maren
Madrigal (amazed someone already mentioned this! It’s a guilty pleasure name for me.)
Melisande
Marina
Minnie
Melody
Monterey
MacGarvey
MacGregor (and can call him Gregor!)
Marlin
Murdoch
Marvel
Mitchell
Congrats and best wishes as you welcome your little blessing!
I think in this circumstance, without a name of a different initial I really loved, I would strongly consider an M-name.
Malcolm I liked best of the boy’s suggestions, followed by Macallister.
I also like Mack, Moss, Malik, Macarthur, Michael, Malachi, Malachy, and Mordecai.
In terms of fun and games with nicknames, I would like call a Mordecai, Cai… but you could also call a Cormac, Mac? Is it better to follow the tradition and then have a distinct nick, or to break new ground but still have the same sound in day-to-day?
Of the girls I liked:
Mae/May, Magnolia, and Molly.
I also like:
Marguerite, Marceline, Millaray, Morwenna, Maybelle, & Mariamne, which I haven’t seen mentioned yet.
and
Meredith, Megan, Morgan, Mira, Mara, Matilda, Marigold, Miriam, Maeve, Mirabel and Minerva which have been.
Some not mentioned…
* = form of Matthew or Melanie
boy:
*Mads, Malone, Marek, Marian, *Mats, *Matson, *Mattison, *Mattson, *Matz, Meade, *Melano, *Melino, Mercy, Merit, Meriwether, Merlin, Merry, Milan, Montgomery, Mordecai, Morris, Mortimer
girl:
Malena, Malia, Malin, Malina, Mariska, Marissa, *Matea, *Mattea, Medina, Mei, *Melaina, *Melantha, *Melinda, Mercy, Merit, Merry, Milena, Mirena, Moira, Morgaine, Morgana, Morrigan
My personal favourites from your suggestions are Mabel, Margot, Magnolia, Melody & Maxim, Marcel, Martin, Malachi.
Other ideas:
Macsen
Mael
Mario
Marvin
Mathias
Maximo
Melvin
Montgomery (nicknamed Monty)
Morris
Maelle
Maeva
Mafalda
Magali
Malena/Marlena/Marlene/Marla
Malia
Malou
Malvina
Mamie
Margaux/Margau
Marian
Marion
Marisol
Marnie
Martine/Martina
Melisande
Melrose
Merewen
Milana
Milena
Minerva
Mirella
Moana
Moira
Monica/Monique
Morena
Love Margot, Maisie, and Mae
Maelys, Maely, Maebry
Maeve/Maeva
Mara
Matilda (nn Millie or Tillie)
Meredith
Like Malcom, Mathis, Matheson best of the suggestions, think boys are harder.
Mack
Marshall
Maverick
Good luck!
My husband’s family is all K names and we bucked the tradition-it’s been fine. That said, I love M names and think they’re lovely. Others have made good points about feeling left out with family you see frequently.
I love the suggestion of Meredith for a girl. Meredith Hunt sounds so sophisticated. And Meri is a sweet nickname.
We almost named our daughter Meara. It’s not quite Mira, but almost, if you like a more romantic sound.
I’ll add Mattias to your boys’ list as yet another variation of Matthew to consider. Something more modern: Marshall. Something rare that I love: Merrick.
It seems like most of the names already in use by the nieces and nephews are fairly on-trend. I second the opinion already given that this could be a chance to go with something really off the beaten path, but still beginning with M. Picking a more unusual name might let you feel like you’ve still got a bit of independence from the family tradition.
More suggestions (sorry for any repeats)
Boys: I like the already suggested Malcolm and Mathis and would add Mercer and Moses to the mix.
Girls: Mercedes, Madrigal, Mavis, Muriel, Mairead, Maeda
I love Milo for a boy! Not too close to Miles especially in this situation. Other boy names I like (but not sure of your style) are: Monroe, Marlon, and Murray.
My favorite M girl choices are Myra, Mira, Mirabel, Miriam, Matilda and Maeve – but there aren’t any more mainstream girl names left if these aren’t your style – except Michaela, Mackenzie, Mckenna type names but those feel a little dated to me.
My apologies for repeats
Marjorie
Mira
Marin
Mabel
Melody
I feel like the tradition gives you more leeway to go with something a little crazy like Madrigal or Majorelle
Favorites for boys: Marius or Mateo
I think the M tradition is cool and fun! Really lovin it:) Some of the M names I love include:
Abby’s suggestions of Mcallister and Matteo, Maisie, and Magnolia.
Mabel
Mackenzie
Maren
Marianne
Marigold
Marisa or Marisol
Matilda
Meredith
Michaela
Moriah
Madden
Merrick
Michael
Miles
Milo
If you can’t find an M name you love, then don’t use one. I would recommend the previous suggestions of having the name end in m or using an Em name instead:)
Sorry, I forgot Miles was already used.
I think unless you find a non-M name you love, stick with the pattern
What about…
Matilda (possible nn Mattie), Maven, Melina, Myrtle, Meryl, Merryn
Or
Marco, Marcello, Martin, Miro, Milo
So many M names, lots of choice in style!
Oh, my goodness, what fun! And definitely much easier for a girl:
How about:
Macaria, Madwen, Mara, Marcella, Marina, Martha, Mathilda, Matthea, Maud, Maura, Melody, Meredith, Merial, Michaela, Milia, Miranda, Murial
Magnus, Marcel, Martin, Maynard, Maxim (though only if ‘Maxwell’ isn’t called ‘Max’), Michael, Morgan, Murdoch
Oooh, how about “Mireille”?
Another idea could be to use a name that contains an m but doesn’t start with one? Like Emma, Emily, Emilia, Emmett, Emerson, etc all have a prominent “M” beginning sound even if not truly an M starting name.
Or, maybe even do the opposite and chose a name ending in M, like William, Tatum, Callum, Graham, Abram, Blossom, Sam, Kim, Cam… Could be a really fun twist on the tradition!
Remy, that’s a brilliant suggestion!
Also Magnus. Your family sounds pretty mainstream with naming, but there are wilder options out there too. Do you have any surnames in your family that start with M?
This is the sort of family tradition I think they have to continue, regardless. The child will feel left out without the M name and the family will look askance if you don’t continue it. Even if they only joke about the only M-.less family member now and then, it will be a pain. Mabry, MacKenzie, Makenna, Mallory, Marcella, Maren, Marika, Marina, Maryam, Marissa, Maura, McKinley, Mercedes, Merit, Mette, Michaela, Michelle, Mikaya, Mina, Minka, Misha, Monet, Morgan, Myra.
Macintosh, Macdougall, Malachi, Marshall, Martin, Masters, Matthias, McGee, Merrick, Mitchell, Murphy.
I love the idea of continuing the Ms. There are so many unused M names. Personal faves are Maeve and Miranda. What I’d love to suggest for you for a boy is Matthew Hunter and you could call him Hunter! A compromise that honours your family in a strong way too, but only if you like the name Hunter.
Hunter for the middle and then just calling him that is GENIUS. …if it’s a boy 🙂
If Melanie and her husband don’t end up finding an M-name they love, maybe an Em-name would work?
Emma, Emily, Emil, Emmeline, Emerson, Emilia, Emmy, Emmett, Emory, Emmanuel
These are suggestive of the M-name tradition, even if they don’t follow it explicitly.
Three girls’ M names in my extended family that I absolutely love:
Mira (given name Miranda)
Mabel — so spunk, just like our Mabel!
Milla (given name is Camilla, but you could go with Milla, which has been a top name in Australia)
For boys:
Marshall would have been the name had Milla been a boy
Friends have Mark, Michael, Melinda, Meredith, Marshall, Megan and Molly
Especially since you think this will be your only child, why not join the “M” cousins crowd and the M-name fun!
On the other hand, you might want to be open to using a name beginning with a different letter, especially if your baby is a boy. Looking at the M sections in a couple of baby name books, I saw several other possibilities for a girl (Maisie, Matilda, Marina, Maeve…) but not many beyond what your family has already used for a boy. If you can’t find an M name you like, I hope you’ll feel free to choose a non-M name. Somewhere along the line this “tradition” will be broken, if not in this generation, then in the next. Or you could take a new direction right now.
Friends with the M named children mentioned above (and Meredith is a girl, btw) had a late, surprise baby and did exactly what Swistle suggested — gave him an M middle name, but the first name they loved most of all:
Joseph Maxwell
That would really open up your name search:
____________ Matthew
or
____________ Melanie