You may know quite a few women with middle names like Anne, Elizabeth, Lynn, Sue or Marie. For decades, middle names for girls used to be limited to the same basic options.
The good news is that the list of middle names for girls has expanded quite a bit with time.
Pamela Redmond, baby name consultant and founder of Nameberry, tells TODAY.com 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 says.
Redmond said the "Rose trend" has expanded to include a lot of other nature names, including: Rue, River, Sage and Lark.
"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 tells TODAY.com
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 explains. "This might be a way to honor a male relative or hero in your daughter’s name without 'feminizing' it."
Redmond says 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 says.
Redmond tells TODAY.com that strong middle names for girls that honor a loved one 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 says. “Grandma Mary or Maria might have a contemporary namesake with the middle name Mae or Maeve.”
The top five middle names for girls overall are Rose, Elizabeth, Grace, Jane and Marie. Redmond says the top five trendy middle names for girls are Pearl, Violet, Josephine, June and Beatrice.
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 says. "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."
The top 100 middle names for girls, according to Nameberry.com, are:
- 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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