X, y, and z are the trendiest middle letters in baby names today.
X appears in the middle most often in boys’ names: all the Alex, Max, and Jaxon variations.
Y stands in for just about any other vowel, as in Londyn and Myles, and also can help clarify pronunciation as in Layla.
And z can either act as a zesty s or give classic names like Eliza or Ezra some subtle zip.
Here are some of the most popular names with x, y, or z in the middle today.
Bexley
Brixton
Jaziel
Pamela Redmond
Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.
Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.