{{Short description|Feminine given name, hypocorism}} {{Infobox given name |name =Muffy |image = File:A Little Book for A Little Cook, Muffins, image 09 02.jpg |caption = ''Muffins'', an illustration from the 1905 Pillsbury Company cookbook ''A Little Book for a Little Cook''. |gender = Feminine |meaning = Nickname for names starting with M |region = |language = English |related names = Moff, Moffet, Muffet, Muffin }} '''Muffy''' or '''Muffie''' is a primarily feminine given name and hypocorism. It originated as a feminine nickname for names beginning with the letter M such as Mary, Margaret, or Martha and came to be regarded in the 1980s as a stereotypical preppy nickname.<ref> {{cite book |last=Birnbach|first=Lisa|author-link= |date= 1980|title= The Official Preppy Handbook |url= |location= |publisher=Workman Publishing |page=19|isbn= 0894801406}}</ref><ref> {{cite web | url = https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a10002298/popular-baby-names-birdie/ | title =Why 'Birdie' is the New 'Muffy' | last = Krieger | first = Liz | date = 10 July 2017 | website = townandcountrymag.com | publisher = Town and Country Magazine | access-date = 8 October 2025 | quote = }}</ref> The name is sometimes associated with or derived from the word ''Muffin,'' an English term for an individual baked bun that is sometimes used as a term of endearment.<ref> {{cite web | url = https://nameberry.com/b/girl-baby-name-muffy | title =Muffy | last = Kihm | first = Sophie | date = | website = nameberry.com | publisher = Nameberry | access-date = 9 October 2025 | quote = }}</ref> In other instances, it might be derived from the English nursery rhyme ''Little Miss Muffet.'' == People == * Muffie Cabot (born c. 1936), American heiress and socialite * Muffy Calder (born 1958), Scottish computer scientist * Marianna Davis (born 1972), American Paralympic cyclist, sit-skier and mountain climber * Marjorie Fleming (1803–1811), Scottish child writer and poet * Alie Israel (born 1983), American sprinter * Esme Mackinnon (1913–1999), British world champion alpine skier * Muffie Meyer, American film director * Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (1818–1874), English businessman and politician, member of the Rothschild family * Muffet McGraw (born 1955) American Notre Dame University women's basketball coach * Muffy Styler (born 1973), stage name of American jazz singer, musician and performer Jenny Lee Mitchell
== Fictional characters == * Muffy, a character and a bachelorette in ''Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life'' and ''Harvest Moon DS'' * Nickname of the title character of ''Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson'', a 1993 anthology, and other short stories * Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire, in the children's book and animated children's television series ''Arthur'' * Muffy, a recurring character in the sitcom ''That's So Raven'' * Muffy B. Tepperman, in the 1982–1983 sitcom ''Square Pegs'' * Muffy Mouse, in the 1980s Canadian children's television series ''Today's Special'' * Muffy, in the 1986 horror film ''April Fool's Day'' * Muffy St. Jacques, in the R rated John Waters black comedy film "Desperate Living" * Muffy Keyes, a.k.a. Lady Baglady, in Chuck Palahniuk's 2005 novel Haunted ==References== {{reflist}} Category:Feminine given names Category:Hypocorisms Category:Nicknames