Irish Names Starting with M

From an old Irish name Madb, “the cause of great joy” or “she who intoxicates.”

Maeve in Irish is Maebh, pronounced MAYV, meaning “the cause of great joy.”

The name that was used in Ireland for Our Lady was Muire and interestingly, her name was so honored that it was rarely used as a first name until the end of the fifteenth century.

Mairéad is the Irish form of Margaret, from the Latin Margarita and the Greek margarites, “pearl.”

Maolisa is a simplified spelling of the Irish Maolíosa (Old Irish Máel Ísu), from maol “devotee, servant” and Íosa “Jesus,” so “servant of Jesus” or “devotee of Jesus.”

Margaret in Irish is Mairead, pronounced mawr-AID, meaning “pearl.”

Mary in Irish is Maire, pronounced MY-ra.

Meara is usually explained through the Irish mara, the form of muir, “sea,” that means “of the sea” (it is also the plural, “seas”).

Melissa in Irish is Maolisa, pronounced mail-ISSA, meaning “follower of Jesus.”

Meryl in Irish is Muirgheal, pronounced MUR-el, meaning “bright as the sea.”

Miren in Irish is Muireann, pronounced MUR-in, meaning “sea white, sea fair.”

Moirin in Irish is Muireann, pronounced MUR-in, meaning “sea white, sea fair.”

Muadhnat “little noble one” is one possible source of the name. The Normans brought Monique, “giver of advice,” or it could refer to Madonna, “lady” as in the Mona Lisa.

Morna in Irish is Muirne, pronounced MIR-ne, meaning “high-spirited, festive.”

Means “sea white, sea fair.” The very appropriate name of the 6th century mermaid caught by a fisherman in Lough Neagh.

Muirgheal comes from the Old Irish Muirgel, from muir “sea” and geal “bright,” so “sea-bright” or, as Patrick Woulfe put it in 1923, “fair one of the sea.”

Muirne means “high-spirited, festive.” Muirne loved Conall who was from an opposing tribe.

Muriel in Irish is Muirgheal, pronounced MUR-el, meaning “bright as the sea.”

Myrna in Irish is Muirne, pronounced MIR-ne, meaning “high-spirited, festive.”

A name with two sources, St. Malachi (1095-1148 AD) was the Bishop of Armagh who adopted the name from the Hebrew prophet “Malachi” whose name means “my angel” or “messenger of God.”

A name with two sources, St. Malachi (1095-1148 AD) was the Bishop of Armagh who adopted the name from the Hebrew prophet “Malachi” whose name means “my angel” or “messenger of God.”

From muir “sea” and ceardach “skilled” implying “skilled in the ways of the sea.”