Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 46 pages
of 46
word name
This name has many different connotations, from Tarot cards to a species of butterfly. It is related to the English word arcane, which means esoteric, mysterious, enigmatic.
Word name
Inspiration might inspire some as a middle name choice.
"integrity"
Integrity may be an outstanding quality, but Honor or True may work better as names.
English
"small island"
Isla is a contemporary gem, so why not Isle? As an English word name, it takes you straight to the literal definition — a small island — which could have an appealing, aspirational ring to it, for…
English word name
Refers, in literal terms, to a curved line -- as in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famed "arc of justice." Could also be used as a reference to Joan of Arc -- Arc being, there, derived from her father's…
French word name
"ballet position; ornate design"
Fanciful, edging toward bizarre.
English month name, Latin
"doorway"
Cooler than the older month names like April and May, and a highly unusual and eye-catching choice. The most famous real-life January is female – January Jones – but the month is named for the Roman…
"January"
Used in France as a male name, this would make an appealing and unusual choice, as would two other Gallic month names, Avril and Mai.
If Arrow is too straight for you....
"antiquity"
Your daughter will like this better at twenty than she will at fifty.
"token"
"young"
But what happens when Jeune grows vieille.
English word name or variation of Almund or Aleman, German
"almond; noble strength; German"
Almond may seem like a hippy modern name, but its use for American boys goes right back to the mid-nineteenth century. In these cases, it was either a variation of Almund, meaning "noble strength,"…
"twin or binoculars"
The French word for "twin," often used to refer to items found in pairs. Its plural form, jumelles, is the word for binoculars.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.
If Fable, Story and Saga are getting a look in, why not Allegory? Allegory offers the cute nickname Ally.
The part of the ship that gives it stability. A short, sweet, Old Englishy type name that has gone almost completely unused so far.
English, Irish
"bold, brave; battle"
Actor Mark Ruffalo honed this surname down to its basics when he chose it for his son. A more usable expansion might be the Irish surname Keenan/Keenen.
Kicker could be a great name for a cheeky kid, along the lines of Cricker, Striker or Becker. In literature the term Kicker is used to describe the twist or turn in a story.
