French names that start with the letter 'M'
The “M” sound is among the earliest sounds that infants learn to produce. And that is why in many languages the word for “mom” contains the letter ‘m’. For example, that word is “maman” in French. Even in unrelated languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, Swahili, and Quechua, this word is pronounced pretty much the same: “mama”.
Because the letter ‘m’ represents such a fundamental sound, there are many names that begin with this letter.
French girl names that start with m
Plenty of French girl names start with the letter ‘m’. The most quintessentially French of them is perhaps “Marianne” because it is the name of the personification of the French Republic.
There are also Madeleine and Magali, two names that come from Marie Madeleine (Mary Magdalene in English), a disciple of Jesus. According to tradition, Marie Madeleine found refuge in southern France.
Breton, a Celtic language from the western part of France, is the origin of a few French girl names that start with ‘m’, for instance: Maëlle, Maëlys, and Maiwenn.
- Marie: This has always been one of the most —if not the most— popular French girl names. In addition, many compound first names start with “Marie” (see the table further down).
- Martine: The name “Martine” is also the title of a series of French children's books by Gilbert Delahaye and Marcel Marlier.
- Monique: The French name Monique comes from the Latin name Monica.
- Michèle: This name can also be spelled as Michelle. In both cases, it is the feminine form of the name Michel.
- Madeleine: The name Madeleine comes from the name of a prominent biblical figure, Marie Madeleine (Mary Magdalene in English). The etymology of this name can be traced further back to the town of Magdala in Galilee.
- Marguerite: This French female name is also the name of a flower. In French, the word “marguerite” means “daisy”. There are two famous French writers with this name: Marguerite Duras and Marguerite Yourcenar.
- Marcelle
- Manon: This French girl’s name has connections to opera. “Manon Lescaut” is an opera by Puccini. And “Manon” is an opera by Jules Massenet
- Marine: The French name Marine comes from the Latin word “marinus,” meaning “of the sea”. It has the same origin as the English adjective “marine”.
- Marion: The name Marion is a diminutive of Marie.
- Mélanie
- Micheline
- Mathilde: This name appears in French literature within Stendhal's 1830 novel “Le Rouge et le Noir” (The Red and the Black). The character Mathilde de la Mole in the story falls in love with the protagonist Julien Sorel.
- Mireille: “Mireille” is also the name of a French opera composed by Charles Gounod.
- Marthe: This French name corresponds to the English name Martha.
- Maryse
- Magali: (alternate spelling: Magalie) Magali is a name that comes from the region of Provence, in the south of France. This name is likely derived from the name Marie-Madeleine (Maria Magdalena in Latin), a disciple of Jesus.
- Maelys: This name can also be spelled “Maëlys”. It is a name that has a Breton origin.
- Morgane: The name “Morgane” comes from Breton, a Celtic language from the region of Brittany in western France. The name is formed from the words “mor” (meaning “sea”) and “gane” (meaning “born”). This suggests that the name can be interpreted as meaning “born from the sea”.
- Muriel: (also spelled as “Murielle”) This name is of Celtic origin.
- Maeva: Maeva is a French name that comes from a Tahitian word meaning “welcome”. Tahiti is an island in French Polynesia. This name can also be spelled as Maëva.
- Mélissa
- Margaux: In addition to being a girl’s name, “Margaux” is also a famous wine-producing region in Bordeaux, France.
- Maryvonne: Maryvonne is a name formed by combining the names Marie and Yvonne.
- Mégane: This is the French form of the Welsh name Megan. In France, “Mégane” also refers to a line of automobiles produced by the French company Renault.
- Maryline
- Margot: This name is a contracted form of the name Marguerite. The historical figure Queen Marguerite of Valois was often called “Queen Margot,” a nickname that gained popularity due to a 19th-century novel by Alexandre Dumas titled “La Reine Margot.” An alternate spelling of this name is “Margaux”.
- Mauricette: This female name is formed by adding the suffix -ette to the male name Maurice.
- Maëlle: This is a French name of Celtic origin. The two dots show that the adjacent vowels are pronounced separately, rather than being merged together as a diphthong. This name can also be spelled as Maelle.
- Maud
- Marielle
- Mylène: The name Mylène is a contraction of the names Marie and Hélène. A well-known person with this name is Mylène Farmer, a French singer and songwriter.
- Marlène
- Marianne: Marianne is a girl's name formed by merging the names Marie and Anne. In France, Marianne is a personification of the French Republic. She is often depicted wearing a Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty, and she represents the national motto “Liberté, égalité, fraternité.”
- Marylene
- Méline
- Marinette
- Mailys
- Marilyne
- Maiwenn: Maïwenn is a feminine first name of Breton origin that combines two other names: “Marie” and “Gwenn”.
Many compound first names start with “Marie”. Here are some of the most common ones:
| Name |
| Marie-Christine |
| Marie-Thérèse |
| Marie-Claude |
| Marie-France |
| Marie-José |
| Marie-Hélène |
| Marie-Laure |
| Marie-Pierre |
| Marie-Claire |
| Marie-Françoise |
| Marie-Line |
| Marie-Louise |
| Marie-Paule |
| Marie-Noëlle |
| Marie-Jeanne |
| Marie-Ange |
| Marie-Odile |
| Marie-Madeleine |
| Marie-Chantal |
| Marie-Anne |
French boy’s names that start with m
- Michel
- Marcel: Marcel Proust was a renowned French writer known for his monumental work “In Search of Lost Time.”
- Maurice
- Maxime
- Mathieu
- Marc
- Mickael
- Maël
- Matthieu
- Mael
- Maxence
- Martin
- Marius
- Marceau
- Malo
- Morgan
- Manuel
- Mahé
- Maé
- Mikael
- Martial
- Marin
- Mickaël
- Michaël
- Maximilien
French last names that start with m
Below is a list of some of the most common French last names that start with the letter 'm':
- Martin
- Moreau
- Michel
- Morel
- Mercier
- Morin
- Masson
- Marie
- Mathieu
- Marchand
- Meunier
- Maillard
- Ménard
- Moulin
- Maillot
- Millet
- Monnier
- Maréchal
- Mallet
- Michaud
- Marin
- Martel
- Mahé
- Masse
- Morvan
- Maurice
- Maury
- Maillet
- Martineau
- Macé
- Maurin
- Merle
- Maire
- Martinet
- Mouton
- Merlin
- Marc
- Maurel
- Morand
- Marquet
- Mounier
- Millot
- Magnier
- Mignot
- Mangin
- Michelet
- Maître
- Montagne
- Monier
- Mauger
- Morice
- Michon
- Marais
- Magne
- Marteau
- Monnet