Unique Middle Names for Girls

A mash-up of popular name trends, French is all at once a place name, word name, and surname name. It's evocative of a favorite <a href="https://nameberry.com/fameberry">celebrity baby name</a> fad of using nationalities as names as opposed to places, as in Mariah Carey's Moroccan.

French

Anouk, made famous by French actress Anouk Aimée, is a singular name with a lovely sound and a Bohemian feel. Anouk Aimée was born as Francoise, but adopted the first name of the character she played in her debut film.
 Anouk, which is quite popular in The Netherlands, was the name of the young daughter in the French film Chocolat. (some other interesting character names in that movie are Vianne, Roux and Dedou.) The Belgian supermodel spells her name Anouck Lepére.
 Anouk is one of the most appealing of the An-starting names.

Anouk

If you want to move beyond Maya, you might consider this distinctive last name of poet Maya Angelou. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou was given the nickname Maya by her brother and adopted Angelou from her first husband, whose last name was Angelos.

Angelou

A sixties-style name that might work best as a middle.

Free

ALLEGRA is a delicate ballet-dancer name; ALLEGRO, which means a fast-paced movement in music, is stronger and more vibrant.

Allegro

A sweet, modern descriptive name, with a wholesome and winning feel, Winsome means "appealing, fresh, simple, innocent" or "cheerful and lighthearted." Some may find it a little too cutesy, but with Dolly, Birdie, Sunny, and Blessing on the rise, it could fit right in. Nicknames Winnie and Winn are an added bonus.

Winsome

Aldine and the related Alda are ocean-related names that are highly unusual in the US. No babies were given these names, though hundreds of baby boys were named Aldo or Alden. There were even a few dozen baby girls named Alden.

If you love the sound of Alma and Alba, then perhaps Alda or its elaboration Aldine will appeal to you.

Aldine

Leaf is a hippieish choice that, for girls, still retains an evergreen quality.

Leaf

An early day name worthy of consideration today for someone seeking a truly unusual name. 

Afternoon

A rare, astronomical choice, Deneb is a blue supergiant star in the "tail" of the Cygnus constellation. Derived from the Arabic dhanab, it is borne by Deneb Karentz, a Biology professor in the US.

Deneb

Israeli spin on Danielle is rarely heard here. 

Danit

A word name that's appealing when applied to a person boogying or doing ballet; a different story in the context of Santa's reindeer. 

Dancer

Cruise

A romantic rarity, derived from the Old German name Chlotichilda, meaning "famous in battle." Saint Clotilde was a Frankish queen, wife of Clovis I, who played a role in the spread of Christianity.

Clotilde

This hip Parisian neighborhood name would make a delightful middle for a baby girl.

Marais

 appeal to even more conservative parents, who may look for an unusual middle name to set their little Emma or Elizabeth apart. These 

may be unusual first names or can also be nature, word, or surname names.

 — such as Elizabeth, Rose, and Marie — are single-syllable or stress the second syllable, which flows well with almost any first name. Names including Anouk, Jubilee, Marias, and Shalom follow this pattern as well.

When sifting through unique name choices for the middle, try to find one with personal meaning.

Unique middle names for girls include uncommon options such as Blythe and Cecile, with origins, meanings, and popularity. (Page 6)