Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Perhaps too spicy for some, but this is a popular Gaelic surname that might appeal for those looking to honor a family branch or to fans of legendary British comedian Tim Curry.

Most familiar as a nautical term -- for the part of a boat that facilitate steering -- but also has an occupational sense (someone who tills the soil) and can refer to a part of a crossbow.

Wrecker is a new entry to the newly trendy group of badass baby names -- names mostly for boys that sound wild (or Wilder) and summon the kind of kid that races around (Racer), breaking things (Breaker), and yeah, why not, being a Wrecker while he's at it. Actor Cam Gigandet introduced this one, with a more phonetic spelling, when he named his son Rekker.

Sure it makes a big statement, but if you can call your child Wren, Robin or Falcon, why not also Hummingbird. This pint-sized jewel of a bird is a lovely connotation for the baby that's full of energy and spirit.

The lead character of the Captain America movies, played by Chris Evans, is occasionally called Cap, short for "captain," but even he has a real name. (Steve Rogers, ICYC)

A word name in the Puritan vein, à la Remember or Experience, which a few daring namers are beginning to consider.

With its ties to tranquil Walden Pond, and harmonious meaning, this could be a modern virtue name.

Blunt. Stick to Hunter.

While nature names, even those of fierce animals and mountain peaks, are used for children these days, architectural features like this somehow seem a bit cold.

Moroccan is a name newly minted by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for their newborn twin son. Meaning a person who lives in Morocco, Moroccan was used by the couple as a nod to the Moroccan Room in Carey's Manhattan apartment, where Cannon proposed to the singer. Place-name Morocco is another choice for either sex, as is music name Maraca.

Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Nameson the rise for both genders, but in this case mainly girls. About 85 percent of the babies named Loyalty are female and 15 percent male, but there's no reason this upstanding name can't work equally well for both.

Royalty is a super-hot name for girls, but there's no reason it can't be used for boys too. In fact it is, but only about 5 percent of the time, making it one of those unisex names whose usage is tipped so far toward one gender that it isn't truly unisex. But still, English words are usually not intrinsically gendered so Royalty is perfectly appropriate for boys as well as girls and is one of the fastest-rising unisex names.

Gruff is a name that gets used on a handful of boys each year, in both the US and the UK.

Cool, musical modern choice, especially as a middle name.

Kicker could be a great name for a cheeky kid, along the lines of Cricker, Striker or Becker. In literature the term Kicker is used to describe the twist or turn in a story.

A bold word name choice for the intrepid baby namer who hopes her son will face the world with a sense of discovery.

Far-fetched, but friends can always call him Phil.

Eleven didn't feel more namelike than any other number...until the (female) "Stranger Things" character came along. Now it seems like a possibility - albeit a rare one - for both sexes. Other associations include the number of players in a football team, and Apollo 11, the spacecraft of the first moon landing.

Wildly optimistic -- and unrealistic -- choice.

Wishful thinking.