Great Middle Names for Girls

  1. Bess
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Elizabeth
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      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.
  2. Bijou
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "jewel"
    • Description:

      Bijou is a name that lives up to its definition -- a real jewel. Warning: not unheard of on poodles' dog collars. Actress Bijou Phillips is its best known bearer. It can also be spelled Bijoux.
  3. Elka
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian, pet form of Adalheidis
    • Meaning:

      "noble one"
    • Description:

      Much more manageable than the full form of the name. Possible international alternative to Ella.
  4. Emilienne
    • Eugenie
      • Origin:

        French form of Eugenia, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "wellborn, noble"
      • Description:

        Eugenie enjoyed a major dusting off when Fergie and Prince Andrew chose it for their daughter, restoring a patina of royal sheen it hadn't had since the time of Napoleon III's glamorous empress--who spent much of her life in England. It was also borne by Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, after whom Prince Andrew's younger daughter was named.
    • Fern
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "plant name"
      • Description:

        Of all the botanicals, Fern has been one of the slowest to move back from the front parlor into the nursery, despite the appealing girl character in the children's classic Charlotte's Web. Fern was most popular from the turn of the last century through the 1940s, reaching a high of #152 in 1916. We can certainly see her rejoining the long list of popular greenery names.
    • Grainne
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "grain or love"
      • Description:

        Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a heroine of the seas.
    • Gray
      • Origin:

        Color name
      • Description:

        This color name, spelled either Gray or Grey is rapidly catching on. Actress Jenny von Oy recently called her daughter Gray Audrey.
    • Holiday
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Meaning:

        "holy day"
      • Description:

        Free and fun name if you don't want to be pinned down to Noelle, Pasqua, or Valentine.
    • June
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "young"
      • Description:

        June, a sweetly old-fashioned month name derived from the goddess Juno, was long locked in a time capsule with June Allyson (born Ella) and June Cleaver, but is rising again especially as a middle name.
    • Klee
      • Origin:

        German and Jewish surname
      • Meaning:

        "clover"
      • Description:

        The whimsical quality of the work of Swiss artist Paul Klee is somehow reflected in his name, although many would mispronounce it to rhyme with key. Say it like clay.
    • Lake
      • Origin:

        Nature name
      • Description:

        This body of water runs deep; the best of a group of new possibilities that includes Bay, Ocean, River, and the more established Brook. It has received attention via the actress Lake Bell. Lake would make a particularly cool and refreshing middle name, as Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady did for daughter Vivian.
    • Maelie
      • Origin:

        Breton
      • Meaning:

        "Princess"
      • Description:

        The French Miley? This trendy choice from Brittany, which is pronounced either as Miley or May-lee, is related to the traditional (male) saint's name Mael, traditionally feminized as Maelle.
    • Maelle
      • Origin:

        French or Breton
      • Meaning:

        "chief or prince"
      • Description:

        This feminine form of Mael has the distinctive "aelle" ending found in Brittany. In the French spelling Maëlle, it is a Top 100 girls' name in France.
    • Maisie
      • Origin:

        Scottish diminutive of Margaret or Mary
      • Meaning:

        "pearl or bitter"
      • Description:

        Maisie, a charming name long popular as a nickname for Margaret or Mary, entered the Top 1000 as itself ten years ago and continues to rise. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams helped propel the name back into the limelight, along with the that of her character, Arya.
    • Merielle
      • Millie
        • Origin:

          Diminutive of Mildred or Millicent
        • Meaning:

          "gentle strength; strong in work"
        • Description:

          Millie is back. It's a Top 100 name throughout much of the English-speaking world, though not yet in the US. Millicent would be an appealing long form, but many people are using Millie all by its cute self -- so many, in fact, that it returned to the Top 500 in 2015 for the first time since World War 2 and continues to climb.
      • Olive
        • Origin:

          English, from Latin, nature name
        • Meaning:

          "olive tree"
        • Description:

          Though greatly overshadowed by the trendy Olivia, Olive has a quiet, subtle appeal of its own -- and is now enjoying a remarkable comeback. Olive is one of only four girl names starting with O on the US Top 1000. Cool couple Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for their daughter, reviving the name to stylishness, and now Drew Barrymore has a little Olive too, as has country singer Jake Owen.
      • Ottilie
        • Origin:

          German, French
        • Meaning:

          "prosperous in battle"
        • Description:

          Ottilie is trending in the UK, where the pronounced T helps the name sound pretty and delicate, rather like Amelie and Elodie. Ottilie is less popular in the US, where many Americans pronounce it as a near-homonym for "oddly".
      • Pepper
        • Origin:

          English from Latin, Sanskrit, "the pepper plant; berry"
        • Meaning:

          "the pepper plant; berry"
        • Description:

          With its bubbly sounds and stylish feel, Pepper joins a small but distinctive group of names inspired by the spice rack: Saffron, Juniper, Cassia, Sage, Ginger, and Rosemary. Enough like Pippa, Piper and Penelope that it feels usable, Pepper has appeared every year in the US stats since the 60s.