Middle Names with Meaning

  1. Seven
    • Origin:

      English word and number name
    • Description:

      This number name first came to public attention when Erykah Badu and Andre 3000 chose if for their son, Seven Sirius Benjamin, born in 1997. Over a decade later, David and Victoria Beckham used it as their daughter's middle name, and now in these days of unisex word names, it's rising for both sexes. It's certainly one of the most name-like numbers: after all, it's only a letter away from Steven.
  2. Dune
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "sand hill"
    • Description:

      Dune is a name of several layers. It's a modern nature name, like Ocean, Bay and Reef, although rarer, conjuring up images of breezy sand dunes on summer beach days.
  3. Valor
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "courage and bravery"
    • Description:

      This modern virtue name gives a nod to ancient chivalry and could also work as an updated form of the classic Victor. A bold choice, but one that an increasing number of parents have been making in the last decade.
  4. Rain
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Among a small shower of rain-related names, this pure version can have a cool, refreshing image.
  5. Storm
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Windswept and dramatic, but perhaps asking for trouble. Quite popular in Denmark and Sweden, where it derives from Stromr, which is a fairly common surname. Storm Thorgerson is a famous bearer of the name - he designed iconic album covers for Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Cranberries, Anthrax, and Pink Floyd.
  6. Holiday
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "holy day"
    • Description:

      A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting for a winter baby, but totally sunny too, it comes from the Old English hāligdæg meaning "holy day" as it was originally used to mark religious festivals and celebrations.
  7. Halo
    • Origin:

      English, word name
    • Description:

      Halo is a glowing word name that's both cosmic and spiritual, and with its shiny imagery and bright sounds, it was one of the fasted rising names in 2023.
  8. True
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "true"
    • Description:

      Many parents seeking a return to more basic values and a simpler lifestyle are turning to such virtuous girls' names as Grace, Faith, and Hope, but there are a handful that work just as well on boys, including True.
  9. Harmony
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "harmony"
    • Description:

      If Melody and Lyric are on your style sheet, the peaceful Harmony, popularized by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, should be too. Girls names starting with the "Har" sound like Harper, Harley, and Harlow have been trending in recent years. This musical choice fits right in, and it is no wonder that Harmony has been in the Top 200 since 2014.
  10. Arrow
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Words are not always easy to translate into baby names, but the implications of being straight and swift lend this one great potential as a name. It also has the popular o-sound ending, which brings it further into the realm of possibility. Rising rock star Aja Volkman pulled a gender switch when she named her daughter Arrow Eve.
  11. Jubilee
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "ram's horn"
    • Description:

      Jubilee has a joyous and jubilant aura, but it wouldn't be an easy name to carry, what with all that pressure to be a living, breathing, 24-7 party. Jubilee was the name selected by television's Duggars for their miscarried child.
  12. Justice
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "the quality of being just, impartial, or fair"
    • Description:

      Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and remained in the charts until the 2020s. While it has fallen out of favor in more recent years, it remains a fresh but solid feeling option.
  13. Ever
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "always, eternally, constantly"
    • Description:

      A simple, unusual word name with an evocative meaning, Ever feels similar enough to Eva, Evelyn, and Everly that it shifts easily into name territory. Actor Robert Carradine was ahead of the trends when he named his now grown-up actress daughter Ever back in the 70s, while more recently, it was used by both Milla Jovovich and Owain Yeoman.
  14. Quill
    • Origin:

      Irish, diminutive of Quillan or Quiller; also English word name
    • Meaning:

      "lion, scribe, writer with a quill pen"
    • Description:

      Quill is a unique possibility for the child of writers -- even if they do use computers rather than pens; could also serve as a rhyming tribute to an ancestor named Gil, Phil, or Bill (or Jill).
  15. Whimsy
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "whimsical or fanciful"
    • Description:

      Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers' fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey, whose middle name was Death?), we see this as more fitting for a middle than a first name.
  16. Zen
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "meditation"
    • Description:

      A spiritual word name used by actor Zoe Saldana for her son as well as more recently Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott for their late son. Zen has been trending in recent years along with other spiritual names such as Bodhi and Zion, and recently entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.
  17. Hero
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "demi-god"
    • Description:

      Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.
  18. Lyric
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
    • Description:

      Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it and joins the likes of Melody, Harmony, Cadence, and Aria as musical names that have become baby names. A unisex name, it is currently three times more popular for girls in the US where it sits in the Top 600. It has declined in use since its 2014 peak, but was still given to around 560 girls in a recent year.
  19. Journey
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "passage from one place to another"
    • Description:

      One of the new word names, appealing to parents attracted to the idea of a spiritual -- or even an actual -- voyage. The Journee spelling is also being used. Unisex alert: Jenna Jameson used Journey for one of her twin boys, as did the Black Eyed Peas rock musician known as Taboo.
  20. Petal
    • Origin:

      English from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "leaf"
    • Description:

      Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News. With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic — has its own appealingly distinctive style.

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