Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 46 pages
of 46
English
"a female deer"
Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls. The Ballad of Baby Doe is a modern American opera based on the story of Elizabeth…
Scottish
"living near wet ground"
Kerr, a simple, unusual unisex middle-name choice, can be pronounced either car or kehr.
Scottish, river name
Traditionally a male name, Leith now can make a highly unusual, strong but soft, and intriguing girls' possibility.
Scottish nature name
"estuary or arm of the sea"
Highly unusual water name -- and actor Colin surname -- with a Scottish burr. Firth derives from the Old Norse word fjord.
Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
"pure"
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
English word name
"month name"
Along with August, March is one of the month names perfectly suited to boys. This brisk single-syllable name – which derives from the name of Mars, the Roman god of war – is worth considering as…
March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January to December, Sunday to…
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…
Swedish, contracted form of Birgit
"high goddess"
Brisk but rather brittle. Britt Eklund was a Bond Girl in the 1974 The Man with the Golden Gun . Britt is a contracted form of Birgit, but be aware that it does come with the strong possibility of…
Word name
Not most people's favorite day, but a pretty name.
There are many lovely day/month/seasonal names -- and this is one of the most intriguing.
Moroccan is a name newly minted by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for their newborn twin son. Meaning a person who lives in Morocco, Moroccan was used by the couple as a nod to the Moroccan Room in…
Moroccan might be thought of as a boys' name purely by virtue of its having been used for their newborn son by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, who transformed this nationality into a first name. But…
"grace"
Ayn is a nonconformist name associated with controversial Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, (born Alisa) author of The Fountainhead , who adopted it when she moved to the US in 1926.
A musical name without much rhythm or harmony.
Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.
French word name
Better for a perfume.
Word name or short form of Ignacio
Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
Diminutive of Winifred or Winslet
Win might be an upbeat short form for a girl named Winifred or the new-fangled Winslet, or can stand on its own. The Welsh name Wynn feels more complete and sounds the same.
We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.
