Middle names for boys are traditionally family names – father's or grandfather's first name as an honorific, mother's maiden name, or perhaps a first name or surname from further back in the family tree, be it Charles or Lennox. 
 
But increasingly, parents are looking to their son's middle name as a way to honor a hero, symbolize a passion, or indulge a taste for a more unusual name they may not want to put in first place. 

Along with Charles and Lennox, other baby boy middle names common as first names in the US Top 1000 include Atlas, Cash, Fox, Henry, Maverick, Orion, River, and Sam. Middle names for baby boys that are more unique include Bravery, Drummer, Lior, and Yale.

More people are giving their baby boys two middle names, too, so one can be a family name and the other something more personal or fanciful. The names here are typically used as middle names for boys. For even more names that work in the middle, browse our master list of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">Middle Names</a>.

Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Anyone who's seen "The Book of Mormon" or visited Utah knows this as the title taken by male Mormon missionaries during their term of service. We'd advise anyone who lives somewhere with any significant Mormon population to avoid it for that reason. That said, Elder does have some history as a boys' name, especially in Latin America, where the stress is on the second syllable. The "el-" sound has become extremely fashionable, so we wouldn't be surprised if this started climbing up the charts.

Elder

Eleven didn't feel more namelike than any other number...until the (female) "Stranger Things" character came along. Now it seems like a possibility - albeit a rare one - for both sexes.
Other associations include the number of players in a football team, and Apollo 11, the spacecraft of the first moon landing.

Eleven

Epic feels like it could be the boys' version of Saga. Epic poetry tells some of our most celebrated stories - from Beowulf and the Odyssey, to the Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost. Despite being short, Epic is a lot of name, so it might be a choice for an adventurous middle name.

Epic

Similar in sound to Evan and Everett, Ever is an evocative word name that's currently on the rise. Used by Alanis Morissette and Souleye back in 2010, Ever was given to more than 200 boys in 2024, compared to 115 girls. 
 
As an English word name, it feels fresh and on trend, but Ever also have its roots in the Hebrew name Eber, meaning "the region beyond" and to the Germanic Eberhard, the source of Everett, meaning "wild as a boar".

Ever

Experience is a word name used by the New England Puritans but probably too joke-worthy for a modern child...or teenager. It does not have as direct a biblical reference as most Puritan names.

Experience

A bold word name choice for the intrepid baby namer who hopes her son will face the world with a sense of discovery. 

Explorer

 are traditionally family names – father's or grandfather's first name as an honorific, mother's maiden name, or perhaps a first name or surname from further back in the family tree, be it Charles or Lennox.

But increasingly, parents are looking to their son's middle name as a way to honor a hero, symbolize a passion, or indulge a taste for a more unusual name they may not want to put in first place.

baby boy middle names common as first names

 in the US Top 1000 include Atlas, Cash, Fox, Henry, Maverick, Orion, River, and Sam. 

s include Bravery, Drummer, Lior, and Yale.

More people are giving their baby boys two middle names, too, so one can be a family name and the other something more personal or fanciful.

Middle Names for Boys with meanings, popularity, and origins, including Fox, Maverick, and River, including top middle names for baby boys and unique middle names for boys (Page 25)