Middle names for girls used to be limited to the same basic options. For decades, it seemed like every baby girl got the middle name Ann, Marie, Lynn, Sue or Elizabeth.
The good news is that the list of middle names for girls has expanded quite a bit with time.
Popular middle names for girls
Pamela Redmond, baby name consultant and founder of Nameberry, told TODAY Parents that the middle name Rose has gained popularity.
"Everyone has an ancestor with Rose in their name, but it feels too simple for many to use as a first name and works well in the middle," Redmond said.
Nature middle names for girls
Redmond said the "Rose trend" has expanded to include a lot of other nature names, including: Rue, River, Sage and Lark.
Virtue middle names for girls
"Grace has been another recently popular middle name for girls, and you can expand that to other virtue names, such as Hope or Justice," Redmond told TODAY.
Gender-neutral names for girls
Another popular trend? Masculine middle names.
"The boys’ name James has become a popular middle name for girls and started a trend for traditional masculine names in the middle," Redmond explained. "This might be a way to honor a male relative or hero in your daughter’s name without 'feminizing' it."
Redmond said that creating gender neutral names can add gender fluidity to a daughter's name.
"So a conventionally feminine name such as Olivia might be balanced out by a unisex name in the middle, such as River or Zephyr," she said.
Honor names
Redmond told TODAY that honor names might be more important for girls now than in the past.
"These might include mother’s or grandmother’s surname or a heroine or female ancestor’s name, though sometimes made more contemporary," she said. "Grandma Mary or Maria might have a contemporary namesake with the middle name Mae or Maeve."
Top 5 middle names for girls overall:
1. Rose
2. Elizabeth
3. Grace
4. Jane
5. Marie
Top 5 trendy middle names for girls:
1. Pearl
2. Violet
3. Josephine
4. June
5. Beatrice
Top 100 middle names for girls
Still searching for the perfect middle name for your baby girl? You aren't alone.
"Parents today see the child’s entire name, including surname, as a package deal," Redmond said. "They look to the middle name to do everything the first name and last name haven’t done — represent one parent’s ethnic heritage, for example, or make the overall name more exciting or down-to-earth."
Here are the top middle names for girls, according to Nameberry.com:
- Maeve
- Alice
- Wren
- Rose
- Willow
- Mae
- Sage
- Claire
- Nova
- Grace
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Margaret
- Rue
- Harper
- Aria
- Briar
- Frances
- Elise
- Catherine
- Faye
- Arden
- Jade
- Birdie
- Blythe
- June
- Eve
- Pearl
- Nyx
- Blair
- Scout
- Ruth
- Alma
- Rain
- Mary
- Indigo
- Neve
- Rae
- Avalon
- Gwen
- Lennon
- Belle
- Louise
- Hope
- Zora
- Winter
- Coco
- Brooke
- Bea
- Echo
- Lux
- Arya
- Rumi
- Honey
- Paige
- Raven
- Fleur
- Kate
- Reese
- Summer
- Anne
- Faith
- Maude
- River
- Joy
- Liv
- Kai
- Kit
- Tess
- Fern
- Blue
- Dove
- Bee
- Venus
- Marie
- Lark
- Reign
- Arcadia
- Peyton
- May
- Shea
- Alba
- Shay
- Sunny
- James
- Bree
- Moon
- Kennedy
- Zephyr
- Sierra
- Ellen
- Lou
- Jean
- India
- Maple
- Rio
- Love
- Greer
- Bryn
- Joan
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