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Middle Names with Meaning

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Sat Apr 19 2025
Middle Names with Meaning

Middle names with meaning have become important to more and more parents, as middle names are seen less as connective tissue and more as a way to invest extra significance in your child's name. A middle name with strong personal meaning may be the name of a beloved friend or family member, a surname rescued from your family tree, or — in the case of the meaningful names here — a choice with an inspirational feel.

Of course, even the most common of middle names can be meaningful if they carry special significance. Be it Grace or Glimmer, Lee or Legacy, the most important thing is that it has a connection to you and your family.

Meaningful middle names for babies do much more than bridge the first name and the last. Get inspiration below from the names below, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Middle Names

  1. Grace

    • Origin:

      English, virtue name

    • Description:

      Grace, a simple and pure virtue name which originally referred to divine grace, is a fashionable classic. In the early 2000s, it seemed headed for the Top 10 but pulled back from the upward trajectory, which you may consider a very good thing.
  2. River

    • Origin:

      Nature name

    • Description:

      River shares the tranquil feeling of all the water names, and seems to have pretty much escaped its past strong association with River Phoenix and his unfortunate fate. Actor Joaquin Phoenix named his son with actress Rooney Mara after his brother River.
  3. Dream

    • Origin:

      Word name, English from German

    • Meaning:

      "cherished ambition or hope; thoughts and images experienced during sleep; ideal"

    • Description:

      A whimsical and serene feeling word name, bestowed to reflect the joy and perfection parents might find in their children and the ambitions they have for them. Once a fantastical and celebrity-only feeling option, Dream came into popular usage after Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna chose it for their daughter in 2016.
  4. Nova

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "new"

    • Description:

      Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.
  5. Danger

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "exposure to injury, pain, harm, or loss"

    • Description:

      Prime example of the aggressive word names that are an off-the-grid branch of the new macho names. Makes Cannon, Maverick, and Ranger feel almost soft and sensitive by comparison.
  6. Aria

    • Origin:

      Italian and Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "air; song or melody; lion"

    • Description:

      Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
  7. Maverick

    • Origin:

      American

    • Meaning:

      "independent, nonconformist"

    • Description:

      It's ironic that the name Maverick is not such a maverick anymore. Heard first in a 1950s James Garner western TV series, and then as the Tom Cruise character in Top Gun, Maverick symbolizes an unfettered, free spirit.
  8. Unique

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Meaning:

      "one of a kind"

    • Description:

      Finding a really distinctive name is probably a better way to make sure your child stands out, but then again, is choosing Unique really any different to parents choosing Saint, Messiah, Chosen, Dream, Miracle, or Blessing?
  9. Summer

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Description:

      The temperature is definitely rising for this popular seasonal name, which began being used in the seventies, and has been heard consistently ever since.
  10. Cash

    • Origin:

      Word name; also diminutive of Cassius

    • Meaning:

      "hollow"

    • Description:

      With the popular 'ash' sound and a contemporary feel, Cash is a widely used name in the US. Used occasionally before the 2000s, Cash really took off in 2003, following the death of American musical legend, Johnny Cash.
  11. Arcadia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "region offering peace and contentment"

    • Description:

      Arcadia, a name for an unspoiled paradise, makes an attractive secular alternative to Nevaeh or Eden. For parents who want an unusual name with a friendlier nickname, Arcadia has the advantage of cute Cady.
  12. Rain

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Description:

      Among a small shower of rain-related names, this pure version can have a cool, refreshing image.
  13. Hope

    • Origin:

      Virtue name

    • Description:

      Can a name as virtuous as Hope be cool and trendy? Strangely enough -- yes. But though this optimistic Puritan favorite is experiencing substantial popularity, Hope is too pure and elegant to be corrupted, a lovely classic that deserves all the attention it's getting.
  14. Sky

    • Origin:

      Nature name

    • Description:

      Sky is an ambigender nature name that was first legitimized as the character of Sky Masterson in the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls, played in the film version by Marlon Brando. It's a name we appreciate for its clear, wide-open feel, less hippyish than others like Rainbow and Starlight, and makes an appealing middle name possibility.
  15. Honey

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Description:

      Honey entered the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2024, following the lead of parents in England, who've elevated this nickname-name to the Top 300 girls' names in the UK. Honey's popularity in the UK can be credited to its status as a cute British celebrity baby name, used by actress Kate Winslet, chef Jamie Oliver, and TV presenter Fearne Cotton, among others.
  16. Faith

    • Origin:

      Virtue name

    • Description:

      Faith is one of the most straightforward of the virtue names popularized by the Puritans in the seventeenth century, many parents still choosing it as an indicator of their religious conviction. Faith peaked in 2002 at Number 48.
  17. Haven

    • Origin:

      Word name, English

    • Meaning:

      "a place of safety"

    • Description:

      Haven is a recently invented safe-harbor name that appeals to an increasing number of parents who don't want to voyage quite as far as Heaven.
  18. Reverie

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Meaning:

      "pleasant, dreamlike state"

    • Description:

      With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future. Similar in cadence to popularly Everly, it was given to around 80 girls in a recent year.
  19. Fable

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "a legendary story of supernatural happenings"

    • Description:

      Fable, like Story, is a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge. And soundwise, it would fit right in with the likes of Abel and Mabel.
  20. Sunny

    • Origin:

      English nickname

    • Description:

      Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile. You might want to use it as a short form for a more "serious" name such as Sunniva, but Sunny is undeniably, well, sunny.