Neutral names starting with M

An alphabetical list of neutral names starting with M, continued from the names page, which see for more information. These are neutral-gender names, otherwise known as unisex names. They are equally appropriate for girls, boys, and people of any gender. Nonbinary people don't have to have neutral names, and many notable nonbinary people have names that are usually either masculine or feminine. Neutral names can help make it safer for people to explore their gender expressions. In English-speaking countries, some of the most familiar gender-neutral names starting with M include Merle and Morgan. However, there are many more unisex names from around the world that start with M, more than 50 of them, as listed below. Previous page: neutral names starting with L. Next page: neutral names starting with N.

The list
Maacah (מַעֲכָה). Hebrew. Meaning "To press, to squeeze" and "Oppression." In the Hebrew Bible, this name is used for men and women: a son of Nahor, and one of King David's wives. Variants: Maachah, Maakah. In the USA, Social Security Administration (SSA) data shows fewer than 10 people with the name Maachah. Keywords: Biblical, extraordinary, gothic, political, two syllables

Maayan (מַעֲיָן). Hebrew. Meaning "Spring of water." In the USA, about 98 people have this given name, used as a feminine name about 99% of the time. However, in Israel, it is feminine about 75% of the time. Keywords: elements, feminine inclined, nature, places, two syllables, very rare, water

Machlah (מַחְלָה). Hebrew. Possibly meaning "Weak, sick," or "disease." In the Hebrew Bible, this name is used for men and women, including a Gileadite (whose gender isn't known), and one of Zelophehad's daughters. Variants: Maala (Μααλα, Greek and Latin Bible), Mahala (US SSA data shows it 100% used for girls), Mahalah (in the US, 100% feminine), Mahlah (in the US, 100% feminine), Mahalia (in the US, 100% feminine). Keywords: Biblical, extraordinary, feminine inclined, gothic, two syllables

Magic. American English. Modern. Meaning "Supernatural; the art of causing supernatural effects" in English. Made popular because of the athlete Earvin "Magic" Johnson. US SSA data shows about 230 people with this name, used as a masculine name 82% of the time. Keywords: magical, masculine inclined, mystical, two syllables, very rare

Mahari. African, Yoruba. Meaning "One who forgives" in Yoruba. US SSA data shows about 277 people with this name, used as a feminine name 51% of the time. Keywords: three syllables, neutral inclined, very rare, virtue

Maitland. English. From an English surname, from a Norman French place name. Possibly meaning "Inhospitable." US SSA data shows about 200 people with this name, used as a masculine name 66% of the time. Keywords: gothic, neutral inclined, two syllables, very rare

Makani. Hawaiian. Meaning "wind" or "ghost" in Hawaiian. US SSA data shows about 206 people with this name, used as a masculine name 83% of the time. Keywords: air, masculine inclined, three syllables, very rare

Makoto (まこと). Japanese. Gender neutral. Meaning "Trust" (信), "True" (真), "Truth, sincerity" (誠), "Fruit," (実) or other meanings, depending on how it is written in kanji characters with the same pronunciation. Keywords: three syllables, virtue

Mal. English. Short form of names such as Mallory, Malcolm, Maldwyn, and other names with this sound. The English masculine name Malcolm meant "Disciple of Saint Columba, who converted Scotland to Christianity" in Scottish Gaelic. A historical Scottish King Malcolm featured in Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth. The English feminine name Mallory meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. The Welsh masculine name Maldwyn was a form of the ancient Germanic masculine name Baldwin, meaning "Bold friend." Keywords: Christian, courage, friendship, gothic, luck, one syllable, saints. Notable nonbinary people with this name include Mal Blum.

Mandeep (ਮਨਦੀਪ). Indian, Sikh. Gender neutral. The meaning comes from manas "mind, intellect, spirit" and dipa "lamp, light" in Sanskrit. US SSA data shows about 402 people with this name, used as a masculine name 61% of the time. Keywords: light, neutral inclined, two syllables, very rare

Manpreet (ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ). Indian, Sikh. Gender neutral. The meaning comes from manas "mind, intellect, spirit" and priti "pleasure, joy, love." US SSA data shows about 533 people with this name, used as a feminine name 64% of the time. Keywords: affection, emotion, happiness, love, neutral inclined, rare.

Mar. Spanish and Portuguese word meaning "sea". Can also be a shortening of names such as Marie, Marius, Marco, etc. US SSA data shows about 556 people with this name, used as a feminine name 74% of the time. Notable nonbinary people with this name include historian Mar Hicks. Keywords: ocean, one syllable, sea, rare, water.

Marijn. Dutch. Derived from the masculine name Marinus, which in turn comes from the Latin word marinus, meaning "of the sea." According to the Meertens Institute, in the Netherlands, as of 2014, it is used as a masculine firstname 0.0750% of the name and as a feminine firstname 0.0201% of the time.

Marin. French, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian. In Croatia and France, this is a masculine name, but in the Netherlands and the US, it is more often feminine. From the Dutch masculine name Marinus, from the ancient Roman family name Marinus. Meaning "Of the sea" in Latin. US SSA data shows about 5,138 people with this name, used as a feminine name 85% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, sea, two syllables, uncommon, water.

Marion. English and French. From the French surname Marion, from the medieval French feminine nickname Marion, from the French feminine name Marie, a form of the feminine name Mary. Ultimately from the Biblical Hebrew feminine name Miryam (מִרְיָם). The original meaning of Miryam is uncertain, traditionally thought to mean "Sea of bitterness," or "Wished for child." The Hebrew name may have been related to an ancient Egyptian name M-R-Y, meaning "Beloved." US SSA data shows about 96,564 people named Marion, used as a feminine name 72% of the time. In many other countries, Marion is strictly a feminine name. The popularity of Marion as a gender neutral name in the US peaked during the 1890s to 1930s. Keywords: Biblical, common, Edwardian era, three syllables. The name Marion was originally considered a masculine name with French origins. Most notably is the actor John Wayne (popular for starring in many old Western movies, a "heartthrob"), whose birth name was Marion Robert Morrison. "Marian"/"Marianne" was considered the inherently feminine spelling and "Marion" was considered the inherently masculine based either in folk etymology or common misconception. It was common for immigrants named "Maria" to change their name to the Americanized "Mary-Anne"/"Mary"/"Marian" - thus immigrants by the name of "Mario" took on the Americanized spelling "Marion". Today there is still confusion about whether or not the swapped vowels are indicative of specific genders, leading the "o" form to be decidedly unisex.

Marley. English. From a surname, from a place name. Meaning "Pleasant forest," "Boundary forest," or "Marten forest" in Old English. US SSA data shows about 19,598 people with this name, used as a feminine name 86% of the time. The variant Marly is 99% feminine. Keywords: common, feminine inclined, forest, nature, plants, wood. Notable nonbinary characters in fiction with this name include a main character in the young adult apocalyptic novel The End by Nora Olsen.

Marlowe. English. From the surname, from the place name. Meaning "Remnants of a lake" in Old English. US SSA data shows About 1,879 people are named Marlowe, used as a masculine 53% of the time. About 1,707 people are named the variant spelling Marlow, used as a masculine name 78% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, two syllables, uncommon, water

Marquette. French. A form of Marquis, meaning "Land owner" in French. US SSA data shows about 1,794 people with this name, used as a masculine name 63% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, uncommon

Marvel. African American English. Meaning "A wonder" in English. US SSA data shows about 2,437 people with this name, used as a feminine name 81% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, magic, mysterious, mystical, two syllables, uncommon

Maryland. African American English. After the place in the US. US SSA data shows about 699 people with this name, used as a feminine name 77% of the time. Keywords: rare, travel, three syllables

Masami (まさみ). Japanese. Meaning depends on kanji spelling. Keywords: three syllables

Massey. English. From the English surname Massey, the name of several towns in France. US SSA data shows about 57 people with this name, used as a masculine name 65% of the time. Keywords: extraordinary, neutral inclined, two syllables.

Mateja. 1. Slovene, Croatian. A feminine form of the Slovak masculine name Matej, which is a form of the masculine name Matthew. 2. Serbian. A masculine form of the Slovene, Croatian, and Serbian neutral name Matija, which is also a form of the masculine name Matthew. Matthew originally came from the Hebrew name Mattityahu (מַתִּתְיָהוּ), meaning "Gift of the God Yahweh." US SSA data shows about 85 people named Mateja, used as a feminine name 73% of the time. Keywords: extraordinary, three syllables

Max. Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, German, Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish. A short form of names starting with Max, such as Maxwell, Maximilian, Maxine, and Maxim. US SSA data shows about 95,311 people with this name, used as a masculine name 100% of the time, but there would be many more people who go by it for short, not shown on official records. Keywords: common, masculine inclined, one syllable. In the off-Broadway play Hir, there is a genderqueer character by this name.

McKinley. English. In the US, this was a masculine name during the 1890s to 1960s, and then reappeared as a feminine name in the 2000s. From the surname. Meaning "Son of Fionnlagh." US SSA data shows about 10,888 people with this name, used as a masculine name 55% of the time. Keywords: common, neutral inclined, three syllables

Mel. English. Short form of names such as Melvin, Melanie, Melissa, and other names starting with Mel. US SSA data shows about 2,985 people with this name, used as a masculine name 91% of the time, but there would be many more people who go by it for short, not shown on official records. Notable nonbinary people with this name include Mel Baggs. Keywords: masculine inclined, one syllable, uncommon

Memphis. English. From the place name in the US, from the place name in ancient Egypt, from the Greek form of an ancient Egyptian word meaning "Enduring beauty." US SSA data shows about 4,077 people with this name, used as a masculine name 82% of the time. Keywords: appearance, beauty, feminine inclined, travel, two syllables, uncommon

Merit. 1. English. Meaning "Virtue" in English. 2. Estonian and Swedish. A variant of the names Maret or Marit, which are forms of the name Margaret. Meaning "Pearl" in Latin and Greek. US SSA data shows about 154 people with this name, used as a feminine name 71% of the time. Keywords: treasure, two syllables, very rare, virtue

Merle. English. As a neutral name in the US, this name's popularity peaked from the 1880s to the 1940s. From the English masculine or neutral name Merrill, and the feminine English, French, and Irish name Muriel. Merrill and Muriel both come from the Irish feminine name Muirgel, meaning "Bright sea" in Irish. Merle also means "blackbird" in French. US SSA data shows about 17,160 people with this name, used as a masculine name 69% of the time. Keywords: air, birds, common, Edwardian era, one syllable, Victorian era, water

Merlyn. English. A neutral variant of the English masculine name Merlin, from the Welsh name Myrddin, meaning "Sea fortress." Merlin was a wizard in the Arthurian legends. The name may have been influenced by the Welsh word merlyn, meaning "Pony." US SSA data shows about 2,417 people with this name, used as a masculine name 67% of the time. Keywords: animals, magical, mystical, neutral inclined, two syllables, uncommon

Merrill. English. From the English surname, and then from the Irish feminine name Muirgel, meaning "Bright sea" in Irish, or perhaps from place names meaning "Pleasant hill." US SSA data shows about 7,023 people with this name, used as a masculine name 84% of the time, Keywords: masculine inclined, two syllables, uncommon, water

Merritt. English. From an English surname, from a place name. Meaning "Boundary gate" in Old English. US SSA data shows about 3,778 people with this name, used as a masculine name 76% of the time. Keywords: rebirth, travel, two syllables, uncommon

Micah (מִיכָה). Biblical Hebrew. Traditionally a masculine name, but since the 1980s, it has started to be feminine as well. In English, Micah or the variant Mica is also a short form of the feminine name Michaela or masculine name Michael. The Biblical Micah as well as Michael ultimately comes from the Biblical Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), meaning "Who is like God?" The implied answer of this question is that there is no other being like God. Michael is an important angel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These religions all traditionally believe that angels are neither male nor female, because they are not mortals. Micah was also a prophet who wrote one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. Other Biblical figures named Micah include a man in the Book of Judges. Micah was a popular Puritan name. Unrelatedly, mica is the English word for a type of crystalline mineral valued for its transparent, sparkly qualities. The mineral is used in construction and electronics, and also to make cosmetics shimmer. US SSA data shows about 83,959 people named Micah, used as a masculine name 87% of the time. SSA data shows about 3,107 people named Mica, used as a feminine name 79% of the time. Keywords: angels, Biblical, common, two syllables. Notable nonbinary people with this name include Micah Bazant and Micah Visser.

Michaiah (מִיכָיָהוּ). Hebrew. A neutral form of the masculine name Michael. Michael comes from the Biblical Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), meaning "Who is like God?" US SSA data shows about 423 people with this name, used as a feminine name 81% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, three syllables, very rare

Mickey. English. A diminutive, neutral form of the masculine name Michael, or the feminine name Michelle. Michelle is also derived from Michael. Michael comes from the Biblical Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), meaning "Who is like God?" US SSA data shows about 25,586 people named Mickey, used as a masculine name 79% of the time. For the variant Micky, SSA data shows about 2,669 people, used as a masculine name 80% of the time. For the variant Mickie, SSA data shows about 3,412 people, used as a feminine name 86% of the time. Keywords: Biblical, common, cute, light-hearted, two syllables

Mika. This name is masculine in some cultures, and feminine in others. 1. Finnish. A masculine name. A short form of the masculine name Mikael, which is a Finnish form of the name Michael. Michael comes from the Biblical Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), meaning "Who is like God?" 2. (みか). Japanese. A feminine name. Meaning depends on the choice of kanji characters with the same pronunciation. Some options include "beautiful fragrance" (美香 ), among others. US SSA data shows about 5,522 people named Mika, used as a feminine name 85% of the time. Keywords: beauty, Biblical, two syllables

Milan. 1. Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Russian, Slovak, and Slovene. Traditionally masculine. Meaning "Gracious, dear," in Slavic languages. 2. From the name of the city in Italy. US SSA data shows about 9,913 people with the given name Milan, used as a masculine name 60% of the time. For the variant Mylan, SSA data shows about 938 people, used as masculine 72% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, travel, two syllables, uncommon

Min. Chinese. Meaning depends on the characters with similar pronunciations chosen to write it. Some options for meanings include "quick, clever, sharp" (敏 Mǐn), or "people, citizens" (民 Mín). US SSA data shows about 588 people with this name, used as a masculine name 61% of the time. Keywords: intelligence, neutral inclined, one syllable

Ming. Chinese. Meaning depends on the characters with similar pronunciations chosen to write it. Some options for meanings include "bright, light, clear" (明 Míng), or "inscribe, engrave" (铭 Míng). US SSA data shows about 434 people with this name, used as a masculine name 65% of the time. Keywords: light, one syllable

Mischa. Dutch, German, and English. Gender neutral. From the Russian masculine name Misha (Миша), which is a diminutive of the Russian masculine name Mikhail, which is a form of the name Michael. . Michael comes from the Biblical Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), meaning "Who is like God?" US SSA data shows about 1,453 people with this name, used as a feminine name 88% of the time. Keywords: Biblical, feminine inclined, two syllables, uncommon

Mo. English. A gender neutral short form of many masculine, feminine, and neutral names starting with this sound. This includes Maureen, Maurice, Molly, Morris, and so on. Molly and Maureen are both forms of the feminine name Mary, which comes from the Biblical Hebrew feminine name Miryam (מִרְיָם). Miryam have originally had meanings such as "Sea of bitterness," "Wished for child," or "Beloved." Maurice and Morris are both English masculine forms of the Roman masculine name Maurus, meaning "Moorish, dark-skinned." Keywords: appearance, cute, one syllable

Mohana. Hindu. Meaning "bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods Shiva, Krishna and Kama) and the feminine form मोहना. Keywords: beauty, three syllables

Montana. American English. This became a gender neutral given name in the 1990s. From the name of the place in the US. Meaning "Mountainous" in Latin. US SSA data shows about 9,589 people with this name, used as a feminine name 73% of the time. Keywords: light-hearted, travel, three syllables, uncommon

Moon. English. Meaning "The moon" in English. US SSA data shows about 83 people with this name, used as a feminine name 80% of the time. Keywords: extraordinary, feminine inclined, moon, mystical, nature, night, sky

Mor (מוֹר). Hebrew. Meaning "myrrh" in Hebrew. US SSA data shows about 16 people with this name, used as a feminine name 82% of the time. Keywords: extraordinary, feminine inclined, one syllable

Morgan. English, French, and Welsh. Traditionally masculine, this name became popularly gender neutral in the 1970s. From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant. Possibly meaning "Sea circle" in Welsh. US SSA data shows about 235,038 people with this name, used as a feminine name 84% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, mystical, two syllables, very common

Murphy. English. From an Irish surname, anglicized from Ó Murchadha. Meaning "Descendant of Murchadh" in Irish. Murchadh means "Sea warrior" in Irish Gaelic. A widely familiar adage called Murphy's Law says, "Anything that can go wrong, will." There is no clear association between this adage and any one person named Murphy, so it was attributed to Murphy by mistake. US SSA data shows about 4,537 people with this name, used as a masculine name 87% of the time. Keywords: battle, gothic, luck, masculine inclined, two syllables, uncommon, water