Middle Names for Girls (with Meanings & Popularity)

Chrysalis

Nature name, English word name

"a quiescent insect pupa, of a butterfly or moth"

Chrysalis is a girls' baby name derived from the state of a butterfly or moth between larva and adult. A chrysalis is a hard-shelled pupa in which the transition of the butterfly or moth takes place.…

Bess

English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I — Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy.

Christmas

English word name

Christmas is a day name long and quietly used as a name for babies born at Christmas . Prettier and more modern than Noel or Noelle.

Christian

Greek from Latin

"follower of Christ"

Long used as a masculine name, when you think about it there is no reason this word name can't be used on a daughter as well as a son. Only about 1 percent of the baby Christians born today are…

Beloved

English word name

"beloved"

Toni Morrison, the modern master of literary names, made this one famous as the title character of a novel. But things didn't work out so well for that Beloved.

Cherish

English word name

So sweet it makes our teeth hurt. It has appeared in the US Top 1000 every year since 2006, though it dropped a significant 136 places from 2014 to 2015, and kept dropping to Number 974 in 2016.

Charity

English word name

"charity"

Charity is one of the Big Three abstract virtue names, along with Hope and Faith, though far less widely used than the others. But as Faith, Grace and Hope grow more common, some parents are…

Belle

Short form of Isabelle or French

"beautiful"

Belle has nothing but positive associations, from "belle of the ball" to "Southern belle" to the heroine of Disney's Beauty and the Beast . As if this weren't enough good things, Belle is also one of…

Charisma

Word name, English from Greek

"charisma, grace"

Trying to imbue your child with charisma at birth involves a certain degree of chutzpah. It was brought into the mix by ex. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Charisma Carpenter, who was named after…

Chanel

French

"dweller near the canal"

Fans of the classic French designer would now more fashionably choose Coco.

Bell

English and Scottish occupational name

"ringer of the bell"

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

Antiquity

English word name

"antiquity"

Your daughter will like this better at twenty than she will at fifty.

Chan

Cambodian

"sweet-smelling tree"

Common Asian surname also works as a first, as with the singer Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power (and born Charlyn).

Chambray

French word name

"fabric with white weft and colored warp"

Derived from French, Chambray is the name of a smooth, light, colored fabric, interwoven with white thread. It took its name from its place of origin, Cambrai (originally Cambray) in the north of…

Bee

Animal name or English diminutive of Beatrice, Latin

"she who brings happiness"

We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha…

Ceil

Short form of Cecilia or Celia

"blind or heavenly"

With the growing popularity of Celia and Cecilia, this vintage canasta-playing nickname name could be due for a comeback. Ceil had a few years of recorded popularity in the first decade of the…

Cedar

English from Latin tree name

"cedar tree"

A fresh and fragrant nature name, Cedar is one of the new tree/wood names that parents are starting to consider. While it is currently more popular for boys, it sounds similar enough to Selah, Celia,…

Beck

Short form of Rebecca or English

"one living beside a small stream"

Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.

Cayenne

Word name, English from Tupi

"pepper"

Spicy.