Manon f
French: pet form of MARIE (SEE Marie), common in the 18th and 19th centuries. For the formation, cf. MANIA (SEE Mania) and Madelon (from MADELEINE (SEE Madeleine)). The name is familiar in the English-speaking world through the Abbé Prévost's story Manon Lescaut (1731), which was given operatic treatment by both Puccini and Massenet. In it the young Chevalier des Grieux elopes with the heroine, who supports them by becoming a courtesan, and is eventually deported to Louisiana, where she dies.
First names dictionary. 2012.