Middle Name Round-Up

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It's the last day of August, and sadly, the last day of our Middle Name Month. As I've shown you this month, almost any name makes a great middle name. In fact, many of us consider names for the middle position that we would never dream of using as first names. I've compiled a list of lists--all past posts of mine that include wonderful middle name options for boys and girls. Happy naming!

Nature Names
Nature names are widely appealing, and they make up some of the most popular middle names. These lists offer many more options beyond Rose, and they might even take you in an unexpected direction (fruit and veggie names, anyone?)

Fruit and Vegetable Names:
My favorite middles: Fig, Huckleberry, and Plum
Herbs and Spice Names
My favorite middles: Artemisia, Nigella, and Quassia
Squash and Pumpkin Names
My favorite middles: Cocozelle, Kuri, and Valenciano
Tree Names
My favorite middles: Ash, Birch, and Hickory
Unexpected Flower Names
My favorite middles: Anemone, Larkspur, and Petunia

Out-of-the-Box Names
If you're a more cautious namer, there's no better place for an out-of-the-box name than the middle. Out-of-the-Box Names are free-spirited and whimsical, and--in my opinion--make the cutest middle names.

Camera Names
My favorite middles: Kodak, Leica, and Olympus
Car Inspired Names
My favorite middles: Alfa, Lotus, and Tesla
Fashion Trends as Names
My favorite middles: Chevron, Dot, and Peplum
Holiday Names
My favorite middles: Holiday, Season, and Yule
Pattern Names
My favorite middles: Gingham, Grain, and Tartan
Royalty Inspired Names
My favorite middles: Baron, Noble, and Royal
Sports Names
My favorite middles: Cricket, Derby, and League

Virtue Names
Perhaps the most enduring middle name trend is virtue names. Nowadays we see plenty of girls with Grace in the middle, though in the past picks like Joy, Faith, and Hope were also popular. These lists offer some more modern choices.

Modern Virtue Names for Girls
My favorite middles: Divinity, Hero, and Virtue
Modern Virtue Names for Boys
My favorite middles: Candor, Reason, and Zeal

Word Names
Like out-of-the-box names, word names can be very playful when used in the middle. They range from conservative to offbeat, but all of them are delightful.

Beachy Names
My favorite middles: Dune, Marine, and Oceane
Calendar Names
My favorite middles: Season, Tuesday, and Winter
Day Names
My favorite middles: Asa, Dia, and Early
Nautical Names
My favorite middles: Beacon, Sailor, and Sea
Night Names
My favorite middles: Dream, Moon, and Story
State Capital Names
My favorite middles: Augusta, Helena, and Honolulu

Word Names

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Word names make great middle names. We see it all the time with celebrities--Charlie Ballerina, Sparrow James Midnight, Buddy Bear, etc. But you don't need to be a celebrity to go big in the middle. The best part about middle name is that they are just that: in the middle! They aren't used on a regular basis, so have fun with it. I've got 150 options here, ranging from the safe and easy to the truly outrageous. It's all after the jump.

10 Greek Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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Today is all about Greek names for boys, so lets get right to it! You know the drill.

Ajax- Ajax has two common associations: Ajax the Great and Ajax the cleaning product. If you can get past the latter, he is a strong and heroic Greek name, and a unique way to get to Jax.

Calix- Calix is one of the few male names that derived from a female one. In this case, he comes from Calixta, which means "most beautiful." If you're looking for a novel name featuring the letter "X," Calix is a wonderful option.

Castor- The ultimate astrology themed twinset? Castor and Pollux, obviously. They are the twins of the Gemini constellation. Castor is the more usable name of the two, especially in America. And if the oil association bothers you, just think--would it stop you from using Olive?

Ezio- Ezio is by far my favorite of today's list. He's pronounced EYH-tzee-oh, and is quite the hit in France. He means "eagle," making him the perfect name for a Greek-American.

Linus- Yep! Linus is a Greek name. If it weren't for the Peanuts association, Linus would be so darn popular (a la Silas, Elias and Jonas) that I wouldn't need to include him on this list. They seem to like him in Northern Europe though.

Nikos- A more handsome, contemporary version of Nick. Nikos feels much more Greek than the similar Nico, yet is still extremely wearable.

Osias- Is this some biblical name you've never heard of? Nope, though he sure sounds like it. Osias (also spelled Ozias) is right on trend, plus, he comes with the cool nickname Ozzie.

Pan- I love cute little short names, so yes, I'm falling for Pan. My only hesitation is that in America, where many people speak Spanish, he would literally mean "bread." Is that a deal breaker?

Ptolemy- The Pt- of Ptolemy might be hard for a kiddo to understand, but that's no reason not to use this name (I had trouble grasping the fact that a ph makes an "F" sound). The most famous Ptolemy (actually Claudius Ptolemy) was a jack of all trades, specializing in math, astronomy, poetry, and astrology.

Theon- Another name that appeals to mathematicians in Theon. He was a famous math teacher, and his daughter was the first female mathematician. He is also a character on Game of Thrones, if that's more your scene. Theon is similar enough to Theo so he feels familiar, yet different enough so he feels inventive.

Middle Name Survey

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Hello everyone! Today's middle name post is more of a middle name survey. In fact, that's exactly what it is. Please take the quick survey below--with enough responses I can glean some statistics from the data. Feel free to submit other forms with the middle names of your children, parents, siblings, etc. Thanks so much! I'll see you back here on Wednesday for Greek Names for Boys.



*UPDATE* This survey is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated--I was blown away with hundreds of responses!

The Best Middle Names for Girls

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As I mentioned on Monday, the best middle names are those of which the second syllable is stressed. Some of the most popular nicknames for girls follow this pattern--think Marie, Nicole, Louise, Michelle, etc. This list contains all of the girl names I could think of that fit the description, though I'm sure I missed a few. Let me know your favorites (I'm partial to Marais).

Abril
Adele
Aldine
Aline
Amor
Anouk
Berlin
Bernice
Boheme
Brianne
Brielle
Calais
Camille
Capri
Caprice
Cecile
Celeste
Celine
Cerie
Cerise
Chanel
Chantel
Charlene
Charlize
Ciel
Citron
Clarice
Clotilde
Colette
Colleen
Danielle
Danit
Delphine
Deneb
Eileen
Elaine
Elise
Estelle
Faustine
Geneve
Georgette
Giselle
Harpreet
Helaine
Iman
Ione
Irene
Janelle
Joanne
Jolie
July
Justine
Kathleen
LaRue
LaSalle
LaShay
Leanne
Louise
Lourdes
LuAnn
Lucille
Maelys
Malone
Marais
Marie
Marin
Marine
Matisse
Maureen
Maxine
Michelle
Miel
Molloy
Monet
Monroe
Nanette
Nicole
Pauline
Quebec
Raquel
Renee
Rochelle
Roisin
Rosette
Sabine
Serene
Shalom
Shirin
Simone
Siobhan
Solange
Soleil
Tabit
Tamar
Therese
Unique

10 Greek Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Greek names are some of the most beautiful--though I might be biased: Sophia is Greek. Nevertheless, I do really like the list I've created today, so take a look, then tell me what you think.

Beta- Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet and a widely used tech term. She's synonymous with being second, making her perfect for child number two. Add a syllable and you get Beata--another pretty European name.

Circe- Circe is one of my most favorite C names (behind Clementine), and it's always surprised me that she's not used more often. She means "bird," which I think is just adorable.

Cybele- Cybele (that's SIB-el-ee, though I've also heard sib-EL-ee) is the best name for a strong, powerful, feminine woman, as she means "mother of all gods." She's the goddess of fertility, health, and nature--quite the trifecta for a baby girl.

Eleni- Much like the more familiar Elena, Eleni originally comes from the name Helen. She is quite popular in Greece, and I hope to see her catch on in the United States. With Elena poised to break the top 100, it's quite possible people will begin to look for alternatives--my pick is Eleni.

Evanthia- Evanthia is the Greek version of Evanthe, and she's absolutely stunning. It's difficult to find much information about her. You can seldom find her in a baby name book. Maybe she's meant for those who like a little bit of mystery in their lives.

Hero- I feel like I rave about Hero all the time. There's just something about her. She strikes me as a feminist name, i.e. Hero not Heroine, and girls can be heroes too! Catch my drift?

Lilika- While she might seem like a variation of Lily, Lilika actually stems from Evangelia. That doesn't mean that you can't use Lili as a nickname though, infact, that would be pretty cute.

Petra- There are plenty of ways to honor a Peter (some I've profiled lately), but Petra is one of my favorites. She's definitely a pan-European choice--Petra is most popular in the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Sophronia- Sophia for brave namers. Sophie seems like the obvious nickname, though Phronsie and Frona are two more unique options. I'm very intrigued by Sophronia--anyone else feel the same way?

Theodosia- Theodosia is another name I've talked about before. She is a mouthful, but I actually think she is usable. In part due to her nicknames: the androgynous Theo or cutesy Dot.

The Best Middle Names for Boys

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What makes these the best middle names for boys? The secret is in the syllable pattern. Two syllable names with the second syllable stressed flow with any name--long or short. This makes them some of the most popular options for middle names, though many people can't articulate what makes them like a particular combo or middle name (like I said, it's the syllable pattern). I've listed as many options as I can think of here. Any that I missed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Abdul
Ahmad
Amir
Andres
Aziz
Cadell
Cornell
Darnell
Durand
Duval
Emile
Eugene
Hamal
Hakim
Haroon
Hasan
Ivan
Jamal
Jerome
Joaquin
Jose
Khalil
Lamar
LaRue
Lorenz
Luis
Maguire
Malone
Manuel
Marcel
Mathis
Maurice
Maxim
McCoy
Miguel
Monroe
Nadeem
Pascal
Pascoe
Pierre
Quebec
Quennell
Ramon
Raul
Samir
Sandeep
Stefan
Tariq
Terrell
Tomas
Tullier