36 Middle Name Ideas That Your Child Will Thank You For

18 December 2019

Everybody wants to write lists. I like lists, too. Short ones. Who has the time to wade through a dossier, now that you’re pregnant? You’re busy trying to cold turkey the Sauvignon blanc, take the right prenatal vitamins, and avoid undercooked foods. I got you.

Here are thirty-six middle name ideas that your child will thank you for one day. And I’m making it really easy, because these will work for a boy or a girl. By going with one of these, you’re giving him or her a leg up. Consider it an insurance policy. If you blow it with their first name, they can always use their middle name. It can also be used as a nickname. And I’m not just giving you the name. I’m also giving you the why behind it. Isn’t everything about the why these days, anyway? And no, I’m not trying to sell you any cosmetics. You’re welcome.

In mostly alphabetical order, here we go:

• Andy. As in Dufresne. As in The Shawshank Redemption. Get busy living or get busy dying.

• Ash. It means happy.

• Beau. Handsome. Geste. Gary Cooper. Period.

• Carter. Troy. Sara. Helena Bonham. Jimmy “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something.… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

• Cash. Think Johnny.

• Charlie. Who has a wonderful, kind spirit and, as a result, gets the chocolate factory? Augustus? Veruca? Violet? Mike? Nope. Charlie does.

• Danny. Zuko. You know what happened to Daniel in the lion’s den, right? Exactly. This is a great name. Faith and courage in the face of anything. Let’s listen to Jackie Wilson sing Danny Boy.

• Davis. Ossie. Viola. Sammy. Miles. Geena. Bette.

Fences - The Same Spot As You: Rose (Viola Davis) stands up against Troy's (Denzel Washington) excuses after he reveals he is having an affair.

• Eliot. One L.

“If space and time, as sages say,

Are things which cannot be,

The fly that lives a single day

Has lived as long as we.

But let us live while yet we may,

While love and life are free,

For time is time, and runs away,

    Though sages disagree.

The flowers I sent thee when the dew

    Was trembling on the vine,

Were withered ere the wild bee flew

    To suck the eglantine.

But let us haste to pluck anew

    Nor mourn to see them pine,

And though the flowers of love be few

    Yet let them be divine.”

• Franky. Look, this one is usually an affectionate name given for Frank or Francis. So think Capra. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and It's A Wonderful Life. Two of AFI’s top ten most inspiring films of all time. Or go with Francis as the middle name. Think Bacon. And science. Or Coppola or Sinatra or Fitzgerald or the dude who wrote the national anthem. You can also go with the “e” like for Frances. Think McDormand. Whichever way you go here, you’re getting creativity, charisma, and lifetimes of inspiration.

• Hart. A rebel heroine of the American Revolutionary War . “I am an angel. I was sent here from God to heal.”- Kevin Hart.

• Hudson. Can you say triple threat?

Jennifer Hudson performs "Memory" from her new movie "Cats" during The Voice Live Finale, Part 2 2019.

• Jackie. Chan. Gleason. Collins. Robinson. Wilson. Breaking through barriers. Laughter and strength. Prolific. Unstoppable. 

• Joe. Cool under pressure. Or Jo. It means God is gracious. J. K. Rowling. She calls herself Jo.

• Kelly. It means warrior. Or Grace.

• Kian. Or Kyan. It means wise.

• Kris. Me and Bobby McGee. Or Bryant. After 108 years, the Cubs win!

• Kyrie. Lord, have mercy.

Kyrie Irving hits the huge three pointer to give Cleveland the late lead in game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals.

• Lynn. Think Redgrave. Think Swann. Think work ethic (Redgrave’s theater, film, and TV credits go on for pages, and Swann’s unusual dance background enabled him to make catches other receivers couldn’t). From Oscar nominations to Super Bowl rings, you can’t go wrong with Lynn.

• Owens.  "Wo ist Jesse? Wo ist Jesse?” "I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible.”

• Ray. It’s like one of the best ever. Your baby is, like another Ray sings, the best thing.

• Rhys. Reese. Reece. They all mean enthusiasm.

• Ryan. Illustrious. Longevity. He appeared in MLB games in four different decades. Nobody is close in strikeouts.

• Shane. Or Shayna. Means beautiful. What have you heard, Shane?

• Sian. Gift of God.

• Sidney. It’s a combination of artist, revolutionary, humanitarian, and diplomat.

• Sky. “I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” – E. E. Cummings

• Steph. Here’s why. And this.

• Sue. Think Johnny. And Shel Silverstein.

• Sun. It gives off energy as light.

• Taylor. Think Chuck. Think sneaker pioneer. Think Liz. Think president of the U.S. Or Duran Duran. Or the woman who wrote “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Or Kool & the Gang. Celebrate this name.

• Tyler. The Creator. Liv. The Lord of The Rings. Bonnie. Holding Out For A Hero.

• Turner. J.M.W.

• West. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

• Wilde. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken”

• Megan Rapinoe. Boy or Girl. Use both names as their middle name. That’s a gangster move.