Name Spellings, Initials and Sounds
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
Diminutive of Vernon, English
"place of alders"
Until recently, Vernon and its short form Vern seemed like grandpa names not ready for revival, but now we can see it happening. Never the popular, Vern works particularly well as a middle name.
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…
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.
River name and color name
"dark blue, indigo"
Cool, serene name of the Egyptian river can make a fresh choice for a girl. The origin of river name Nile relates to the Arabic and ancient Hebrew word for dark blue or indigo; in ancient Egyptian,…
English word, Old English
"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…
Tree name
Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree. The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator…
English
"peacock"
Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe. As a first name, it's radically underused, given last year in the US to only five…
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.
"valley"
An early unisex nature name that has been surpassed by others, Dale is still a simple, sylvan and serene option. Most of Dale's recent best known bearers – father and son race drivers Dale Earnhart,…
English word name
"day"
A bright and optimistic middle name choice.
Scottish and English from French
"someone who lives on an island"
Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola. With its cool island related meaning, derived…
Diminutive of Felicity
"good fortune, happy"
Gentle yet sassy, Fliss is a short form of Felicity that has the spark of Flick, the softness of Lissy, and the cutesiness of Fifi.
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.
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…
Scottish diminutive of Simon
"the listener"
The Biblical Simon has been rediscovered and this appealing short form, an alternative to Sam, might be a way to make your Simon even more special.
Literary name
Puck was Shakespeare's mischievous pixie who'a had a few television incarnations in more recent years. A popular name in The Netherlands but nowhere else, from what we can tell. We love Puck for its…
"dune"
Dune is a haunting and evocative sandy-beach name, which also has sci-fi connections. Dune is a science fiction franchise that was launched by Frank Herbert's 1965 novel. Some interesting Dune…
Nature name
We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.
English, diminutive of Taylor
"tailor"
Tay is occasionally used on its own, or as a nickname for the now fading Taylor.
Word name
This nature name hasn't escaped the hippie dippy air of others like River or Sky.
