Middle Names for Girls (with Meanings & Popularity)

Explorer is one occupational name destined to seek and find greater things.

Gives the message that you want your daughter to keep her eye on the prize.

Spunky old vaudeville era nickname name suddenly sounds new again.

If Fable, Story and Saga are getting a look in, why not Allegory? Allegory offers the cute nickname Ally.

In 2014, six little girls in the US were given the name Starlit. Starlit has a sweeter meaning than the similar Starlet, and a better ring than Starlight.

Fresh, evocative choice.

Lyric is a name given to over 1000 boys and girls each year in the US. Could the more feminine Lyrical (given to only 20 girls each year) become more popular as parents look to find less common alternatives to this musical name?

A sixties-style name that might work best as a middle.

Kerr, a simple, unusual unisex middle-name choice, can be pronounced either car or kehr.

A word that's been used, very infrequently, as a name for hundreds of years. Interesting sound and meaning.

Doss is Doris's cute, spunky, younger cousin. If Doris is wearing tan stockings and curling her hair, Doss is wearing skinny jeans and using a flat iron.

Straightforward yet romantic, this is one newly minted name with long-term appeal, especially as a middle name. It was used as such for Tea Leoni and David Duchovny's Madelaine, whom they call West. Definitely ambigender, it was chosen by Marley Shelton for her daughter. 

Straightforward yet romantic, this is one newly minted name with long-term appeal, especially as a middle name. It was used as such for Tea Leoni and David Duchovny's Madelaine, whom they call West. Definitely ambigender, it was chosen by Marley Shelton for her daughter. 

The definition of quirky.

While Hill reads as a nickname for Hillary, adding an S puts it in the same category as plural nature names like Rivers and Brooks. It also softens the name's image: one hill is an obstacle, but many together form a lovely landscape. Hills are also a recurring image and metaphor in both the New and Old Testament.

Reminiscent of Puritan and Pilgrim name choices, Sincere is a relatively modern virtue name. Though it is predominantly used on boys - almost ten times more often - Sincere is still given to around 50 girls each year.

A lot to handle, but it does give a sense of openness, joy, and awe.

Eloquence feels right at home with names like Cadence and Rhapsody.

Warm and open, but way too much teasing potential.

If you like such uplifting New Age word names as Peace and Justice, the evocative and pretty Imagine should definitely be on your short list.