910+ Middle Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.

Seems destined to be the preferred short form of this old French name, with its brief, modern, word name feel.

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

With Levi in vogue and country names on trend, Denim could fit in among the Waylons, Walkers, Coltons, and Rhetts. As a boys name, it brings to mind the qualities of the fabric: hardworking, cool and versatile. Singer Toni Braxton chose this name for her son in 2001, and parents have been using it for boys and girls ever since.

Just like Flora is for botanicals, Jewel is the generic gemstone name, not used much since the early twentieth century, when it was seen as a symbol of how precious a daughter could be. The French version, Bijou, feels more modern, as do Pearl and Ruby.

Gage we get. Cade we get. But Cage? Not really, and yet, it was given to about two dozen baby boys in one recent year.

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls.

Clarity is one of the lightest of the newly rediscovered virtue names, with a bit of three-syllable sparkle, old-fashioned charm and a clear vision for the future. Clarity is a very desirable quality in this confusing world and it also, unlike some other newly coined word names, has real meaning and history as a name.

Glimmer is shimmery but a little too showy, as is Glitter, a character on a TV sitcom-- while Glimmer appears in The Hunger Games.

Winter, Summer, and Autumn are all mainstream names; this covers all bases.

Starr today is more fashionably the plain-spoken Star or the more obscured Stella, Esther, or Estella.

If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.

Serena in all its variant spellings is such a widely-used name that reducing it to its root word, Serene, might not occur to some. But like Pax and Clement, Serene is an excellent name for a calm child.

Lior connects with several factors stylish for Israeli names: It's short, it's unisex, and it has an uplifting nature theme. Lior might make a more modern spin on Leah.

Infinity is a name that could have a long, bright future ahead of it, with its bold meaning and fashionable sound. It's an awful lot of name to pull off, but if Destiny can do it...

Some names referring to expensive things -- Tiffany, Armani, Porsche -- are in fact declasse, but Price transcends that label with its simplicity and strength.

Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, almost too dazzling for an ordinary boy.