By Linda Rosenkrantz

In the past, most boys were lucky enough to avoid the  generic-connector-middle-name syndrome the way girls did, when Ann and Lynn and Beth were pretty ubiquitous. For the most part, boy babies were given double classics, so there were a ton of them dubbed Steven Michael or Michael Steven, David Robert or Robert David.

Now, the middle name landscape for both genders has changed as more attention is being focused on them, to the point where firsts and middles have almost equal weight. Family names play a bigger part, for one thing, as do meaning and individuality–plus many parents are taking this place as a chance to let loose and be inventive .

Yet a strong, single-syllable middle is still often what’s called for, and so we’ve categorized for you some of the most interesting new-style possibilities—of course feel free to use this as a starting point.

NATURE NAMES

ANIMALS

SURNAMES

INTERNATIONALS

VINTAGE NNs

COLORS

WORDS

FULL NAMES

ASPIRATIONAL

What names would you add to this list? Did you use a one-syllable middle for your boy? Stay tuned–we’ll be providing this service for girls too, soon.