Being James Bond have published an interesting article about M’s name, following the revelation of the name of Judi Dench’s M at the end of Skyfall.
The article notes that M’s full name was not revealed by Ian Fleming until The Man With The Golden Gun, his last novel, but takes us through each incarnation of M from the novels to the films, weaving in the continuation novels of John Gardner and Raymond Benson until concluding with Skyfall (and beyond).
Source: Being James Bond
