Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Why did 5 sets of parents chose to name their sons Dock in 2016? We may never know.

Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored, but would not be easy for a modern boy to carry. Stick with something a little simpler than Fortitude, like Justice or True.

All names connected with royalty have become increasingly popular in recent years, and King variation Kyng is no exception. Some parents may feel that the Kyng spelling makes it more of a name and less of a royal title, but both names sound the same and have identical meanings, so why endlessly complicate spelling and pronunciation?

Is there any boys' name more loaded than Stonewall? It evokes, in two syllables, both the Stonewall riots of 1969, the foundational moment of the gay rights movement, and Stonewall Jackson, second in fame only to Robert E. Lee among Confederate generals.

Winner is an uplifting word name that can work for girls or boys. It was recently chosen by rapper Nya Lee for her daughter.

Booker and Author are being used as names (the former is best known care of Booker T Washington), so why not Reader? Reader certainly fits in with both these and other "doing" names like Ryder, Brewer, Fifer, Miller and Cooper.

More common as a surname, a handful of boys get this bovine equivalent of Shepherd each year in the US. It may gain more exposure as one of the occupational names that are one of the most popular classes of English names for boys.

Hiking enthusiasts might want to consider this nature name, though it also has the connotation of someone lagging behind.

This one's cutting right to the chase, but with such names as Justice and Peace on the rise, why not? And we guarantee your seven-year-old son will love it, though your 17-year-old, maybe not so much. Could be used as a middle name, as Talisa Soto and Benjamin Bratt did.

When actress Shannyn Sossamon dubbed her newborn Audio Science, it sent out some definite shock waves. We don't recommend Audio or Video for even the most intrepid baby namer.

Childish Gambino is the musical alter-ego of writer/producer Donald Glover, creator of the television show Atlanta. Glover got the name Childish Gambino from an online name generator.

One of the more unusual nature names, Maize is given to a dozen or so boys and girls each year and is almost completely unisex in terms of usage. Disclaimer: potential for "corny" jokes.

A video-game name ("Final Fantasy VII") with an unappealing sound and meaning.

Forget Patience and Charity: Here's a Colonial name (and sentiment) that seems perfect for modern times.

Third place on the sports field, but potentially more wearable than either Silver or Gold, Bronze feels modern and edgy.

As a personal name, it may not have much history, but it certainly suggests the subject.

A beyond-bold shooting-star name choice, sure to raise some relatives' eyebrows.

One Puritan virtue name unlikely to thrive in the 21st century.

The vowel ending tilts this sharply toward the feminine, and at this point Havana still has some political implications as well.

A new entry is the fashionable new occupational name category -- and a jolly job it must be -- with the added attraction of relating to the great early 20th century American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler, of "Whistler's Mother" fame.