author in writing's list "Middle Names (besides Rose and William)" of 20 great name ideas: Cassandra - Ernest!

Middle Names (besides Rose and William)

The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. 
 
Cassandra was the name of Jane Austen's mother, sister, and two cousins. Cassandra Wilkins is a character in John Dos Passon's novel Manhattan Transfer, but in the 2007 Woody Allen thriller, Cassandra's Dream, Cassandra was not the name of a person, but a sailboat. Currently, Cassandra Wilson is a noted jazz singer; Charlie Sheen has a daughter Cassandra born in the eighties.
 
Nicknames include Cass, Cassa, Cassie, Sandra, Sandy.

Cassandra

Serene Irene, the name of the Greek goddess of peace and one of the most familiar <a href-="https://nameberry.com/list/624/gorgeous-greek-goddess-names-for-babies">Greek goddess names</a>, was hugely popular in ancient Rome and again in the United States a hundred years ago.
 One of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> of the Roman Empire and the name of several early saints, this originally Greek name (then spelled Eirene) represented a daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of peace. Often pronounced with three syllables, it spread throughout Europe in a range of variations and is a royal name in Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands. 
 Much of Irene's popularity in England stemmed from the character Irene Forsyte in Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga (pronounced eye-reen-ee). Americans identified it with the sparkling Irene Dunne of Hollywood's Golden Age. Irene was a Top 20 name from 1915 to 1925, remaining in the Top 100 until 1945. It still highly popular in Spain.
 Some other references include the eponymous early smash hit Broadway musical, famed ballroom dancer Irene Castle (portrayed on film by Ginger Rogers), the Hollywood costume designer known simply as Irene, the Uma Thurman character in Gattaca, Irene Denholm the Harry Potter student at Hogwarts School, and the lullaby-ready song Goodnight, Irene.

Irene

Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest, is still a recommended choice even though its popularity peaked in the 1990's, partially as an antidote to Amanda. But while Amanda now sounds dated, Miranda retains a good measure of its charm.
 
Derived from the Latin word mirandus meaning "admirable, worthy, marvellous", the name ranks in the Top 700 in the US, while in Mexico and Puerto Rico, it featured in the Top 100 in recent counts. Nicknames Mira and Miri keep it fresh, while Mandy and Randy may appeal to those who like a touch of retro. 
 
The name made a big impression in Sex and the City and The Devil Wore Prada, and there was also a Bond Girl in Die Another Day called Miranda. In the real world, Miranda has been notably borne by actress Miranda Cosgrove, singer Miranda Lambert, model Miranda Kerr, comedian Miranda Hart, and writer Miranda July.

Miranda

When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the mid-1980s and 1990s, never sounding quite as trendy as its predecessor, maybe because of its classic Shakespearean pedigree. 

Jessica fell out of the Top 10 in 2001 and has been heading straight downhill ever since, though she still ranks in the middle of the Top 1000. Our guess is that a lot of new moms who loved the name Jessica growing up are now giving it to their daughters, though it's far from a fashionable choice.
 Jessica seems to have been coined in this form by Shakespeare for the character of Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice, possibly as an Anglicization of the biblical name Iscah. There are several attractive Jessicas on the scene today, including Jessica Lange, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jessica Simpson, and Jessica Chastain.
 Many Jessicas, grownup as well as newborn, are called Jessie or Jess, which freshens up the name as one of the stylish boyish nicknames for girls. Other variations in use include Jessi, Jessy, Jesse, Jessa, and Jesslyn.

Jessica

Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl. Ellis Bell was the name chosen by Emily Bronte as her male pseudonym, and Ellis Grey was the mother of Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy.

Ellis

Gentle but solid, as much of a word as it is a name, Robin is a rising star in the US, and a favorite in Belgium, France, Czechia and Switzerland. With memorable namesakes like Robin Hood, Robin Williams, Christopher Robin, and Robin the Boy Wonder, a recent year saw Robin feature as a gender neutral choice in the US, ranking at #703 for boys and #704 for girls.

Traditionally used as a Medieval English diminutive of Robert, Robin is just as likely to bring to mind the bird, and it was likely this that led to its usage as a unisex choice. In the US, its high point for both genders was in the 1950s when it ranked in the Top 150 for boys and the Top 30 for girls.
 
A neutral choice in the Netherlands, it ranks either exclusively or more highly for boys in the UK, France, Switzerland, Estonia, and Belgium.

Robin

Magical and earthy, sophisticated but off-beat, Persephone appears as the daughter of Zeus by Demeter in Greek mythology. After she was kidnapped by Hades to be Queen of the Underworld, it was decreed by Zeus that she would spend six months of the year with her mother, allowing crops to grow, and six in mourning, thus accounting for the change of seasons. As such, she is both the goddess of the Underworld and of Spring. 
 
While some may find the mythological connects murky and unfavorable, Persephone has a light and lyrical aura, along with pleasant associations with springtime and the harvest. Persephone was seen in the Matrix movies, played by Monica Bellucci, and could make an interesting replacement for the overused Stephanie or vintage Penelope. 
 Persephone's meaning is in dispute: While some sources give it as the worrisome "bringing death," others indicate that's it's associated with shades of dark blue or with speaking. Persephone was called Kore in childhood while in Roman mythology, she is Proserpina.
 Persephone is popular on Nameberry, ranking in the Top 100, while in the real world, it has featured in the UK Top 1000 since 2013 and in a recent count, ranked at #520 alongside Gaia, Fleur, Bobbie, Soraya, and Iona. In the US, it made its debut on the charts in 2019 and has since risen to the Top 800 where it ranks next to Ramona, Lacey, Valery, and Kenzie.

Persephone

Credit the award-winning single-named British singer for taking the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> Adele from a quiet semi-retirement back into currency. Adele reentered the US Top 1000 <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular baby names</a> in 2011 and has remained there ever since. 
Adele is both a saint's and a royal name, having originated as the French version of the German Adela. It's one of the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl names starting with A</a>. 
Molly Ringwald chose Adele for one of her twins, and Fred Astaire's first dancing partner was his older sister Adele.
 Historically, Adele was the name of the youngest daughter of William the Conquerer. Music lovers might associate the name with a character in Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus, while a prime literary reference is Jane Eyre's young charge.

Adele

Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern. Derived from the Latin Caelius, it means "heavenly".
 Shakespeare has been credited with introducing Celia in As You Like It, and it was to Celia that the poet Ben Jonson penned the immortal line, "Drink to me only with thine eyes." Other literary Celias have appeared in works ranging from George Eliot's Middlemarch to T. S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party to Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin</em.>
 
While Celia has a similar sound to Cecilia, and may well be used as a short form of the longer name, the two have different roots. Cecilia comes from the Latin caecus meaning "blind", while Celia is from caelum meaning "heaven". 
 
Familiar but not overused, Celia has been in the US Top 1000 since records began in the 1880s, however, it has been outside the Top 500 since the 60s. Also in the England and Wales Top 1000, it is a favorite in Spain, France, and Belgium. Said as SEE-lee-uh or SEEL-yuh among English speakers, in Spanish, it may be pronounced THEHL-ya or SEHL-ya, depending on region. 
 
A bit of trivia: Celia is an anagram of Alice, meaning it could potentially work as an honor name.

Celia

Strong but gentle, Keith is one of the Scottish surnames that, along with Douglas, Craig and Bruce, were considered the epitome of cool in the 1960s and early 1970s, when it was a Top 40 choice.
 Keith made his debut in the nineteenth century and was borne by a long line of Scottish nobles. In the recent past he's been represented by musicians Keith Richards, Keith Moon, Keith Jarrett and Keith Urban, as well as actor Keith Carradine, TV guy Keith Olbermann, artist Keith Haring and baseball star Keith Hernandez.

Keith

A growing number of high-profile (and other) parents are choosing to honor their musical idols, such as Hendrix, Presley, Jagger, and now Lennon. 
 
Lennon first came to notice when Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit used it for their son in 1999, and singer-musician Adam Pascal followed their lead in two years later. Thanks in part to female singer and actress Lennon Stella, it's now used about four times as much for girls than for boys.
 Lennon made it onto the popularity list in 2008. 
 In addition to its obvious Beatles connection, Lennon has a nice lemony feel.

Lennon

Though it sounds like a chopped-off variation of Olivia, which means olive, the distinctively attractive Livia has been an independent name since the days of the ancient Romans, when it belonged to Livia Drusilla—the powerful wife of the Emperor Augustus—and is still commonly heard in modern Italy. 
 Livia was a literary favorite from the sixteenth century, appearing in the plays of John Fletcher and Thomas Middleton, and playing a minor role in Romeo and Juliet. Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.
 Livia entered the US Top 1000 in 2004 but unlike its popular sister Olivia, it's never risen that high in the ranks. But Livia is a Top 100 girls' name in many other countries, including France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria.

Livia

Flynn, a charming Irish surname, is still used only quietly, despite its easygoing, casual cowboy charm, unlike Finn which is a star of this genre. Flynn was the choice of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr for their baby boy, and is also the middle name -- used as his first -- of a son of Miranda's fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson, of Gary Oldman's son Gulliver and Marley Shelton's daughter West.
 Flynn Rider (born Eugene Fitzherbert) is the dashing animated hero of the Disney film "Tangled." On TV's "Breaking Bad", Flynn was what young Walter Jr. tried to rename himself. The name was long associated with the swashbuckling Errol Flynn, inspiration of the phrase "in like Flynn." Some may connect this name to controversial former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
 Flynn entered the U.S. Top 1000 in 2011, and is a highly popular choice in Australia and New Zealand.

Flynn

A favorite in England and Wales, Darcy is a unisex option with delicacy, grace, and strength. Associated with classic literary and courtesy thanks to Jane Austen's hero, Mr. Darcy, and Bridget Jones's Mark Darcy, its image was partly transformed by English ballerina Darcey Bussell, who helped popularize it for girls.
 
A name with multiple meanings, Darcy can be considered an anglicization of either d'Arcy, a French name associated with the town of Arcy, or of O'Dorchaidhe, an Irish surname meaning "dark one". It can also be spelled as Darcey, Darcie, and Darci too, all of which have featured in the England and Wales Top 1000 at least once since the 90s.
 
Darcie is currently the most popular spelling in the UK, appearing in the Top 100, while Darcy ranks in the Top 150 and Darcey in the Top #400. There's also Darcie-Mae in the latter half of the charts, along with Darcie-Rae, Darcie-Leigh, Darcie-Anne, Darcie-Rose, and Darcia which are all given to a handful of girls each year. 
 
In Australia, Darcy leans masculine and frequently appears in the Top 100 for boys, while in the US, Darcy recently re-entered the popularity characts girls after a 30 year absence.
 
Notable Darcys include the character Darcy Olsson of the TV show and graphic novel series, Heartstopper, the actress Darcy Rose Byrnes, and young social media star, Darcy Jane Pentland.

Darcy

Johanna is the version of this name used in Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia. The extra h makes Johanna a slightly more dignified version of Joanna. 
 A notable namesake is the author of Heidi, Johanna Spyri. There are Johannas in Sweeney Todd, The Hunger Games, and the Bob Dylan song, "Visions of Johanna."

Johanna

Hollis is a rugged, gentle and quietly used name, given to over 200 boys and 150 girls each year in the US. In 2023, it became one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000, where it fits in with the surnames-as-first-names trend, and other familiar choices like Ellis, Silas, and Holden. 
 
Derived from the English surname meaning "near the holly bushes", it has a number of notable connections. Hollis Thompson is a professional basketball player; Hollis Watkins is a Civil Rights activist in Mississippi; Pete Hollis was a community folk hero; and "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a popular Bob Dylan song.
 Combining woodsy sounds and outdoorsy vibes with a surname-y and smart style, Hollis feels sleek and preppy, but adventurous and spirited too.

Hollis

This ancient name, also spelled Caspar, is finally shedding its ghostly image and moving into the 21st century. Popular in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where it's sometimes shortened to Cas, Casper could ride the style coattails of cousin Jasper.
 
Already catching on in the UK where it ranks in the Top 200, Casper can also be considered a Christmas inspired name, as it was borne by one of the Three Magi who brought gifts to the infant Jesus along with Melchior and Balthasar.
 Some notable Caspers are one-time Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger (called Cap) and actor Casper Van Dien, whose son is Casper Robert Van Dien III. Claudia Schiffer and Jenny Frost both used the names for their boys, while Jason Lee did a gender switch when he called his daughter Casper (sister of Pilot Inspektor).
 Casper Goodwood was the persistent suitor of the main character, Isabel Archer, in Henry James's novel A Portrait of a Lady.

Casper

Attractive Scottish and Irish surname name of a seventh-century saint, associated with the illusionist and escape artist David Blaine.

Blaine

Viola has plenty of positive elements going for it: the rhythm of the musical instrument, the association with the flower, the trending 'Vi' beginning and its leading role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. With a touch of international flair, it also avoids the violent/Violet some parents have. 
 In the Bard's gender-bending comedy of identity and disguise, Viola is the appealing, passionate heroine, while later takes on this tale include Shakespeare in Love, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps and She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes. The most distinguished current real-life bearer is Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis.
 Viola was a Top 50 name in the US from 1899 to 1911, falling off the list in 1972, but is still popular in other countries such as Italy, where it's in the Top 30 and Finland where it's in the Top 20. More recently, it has entered the England and Wales Top 1000, joining other Shakespearean favorites like Ophelia and Imogen.
 
And in the US too, where Violet is now a mega-star, strong Viola is climbing up the ranks again, with more than 230 girls given the name in a recent year. 
 
The name does have a number of different pronunciations depending on preference and location. English speakers might say it with the long -i- sound in Violet, making it vye-O-luh or VYE-uh-luh, though vee-O-luh is used too. Elsewhere, it may be heard as VYAW-la (Italy), vih-OO-la (Sweden), vee-O-la (Spanish, German), VEE-aw-la (Slovak), and VEE-o-law (Hungarian). Occasionally, it might even be said with two syllables, VYE-luh, missing out the o sound, as you might in Violet.

Viola

Ernest is one of those sober, so-far-out-they're-beginning-to-be-reconsidered Great Uncle names. Ernest recently received a big style boost when Britain's Princess Eugenie chose it for her second son.
 
Ernest was a Top 40 name from 1880 to 1926, and despite trending downward from there, hung onto the Top 1000 until 2019. But we may see the rise of Ernest again before long.
 Ernest is probably the only name a whole play was based on—Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest—in which one character says, "There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor woman whose husband is not called Ernest."
 The most famous bearer of the name is novelist Ernest Hemingway—unless you want to count Bert's friend Ernie.
 Changing the spelling to Earnest makes it a male virtue name.