Girls middle names
- Kate
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name.
- Kay
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineDescription:
Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae.
- Kristine
Origin:
Scandinavian variation of ChristineDescription:
Christine was one of the first megapopular C-to-K baby names, from Scandinavian variations such as Kristine and Kirsten to Kris, Kristy, and Kristy. While Kristine retains its krisply lovely sound, it's lost much of its kool.
- Kye
- Kyra
Origin:
Feminine variation of Cyrus, PersianMeaning:
"throne"Description:
The girls' name Kyra sounds like the also popular Keira/Kiera, but has a different root. There are twice as many baby girls named Keira as Kyra, with Kiera in third place. Kyra now ranks at #590 and is most familiar via actress Kyra Sedgwick.
- Layla
Origin:
Variation of Leila, ArabicMeaning:
"night"Description:
A lovely musical name (remember the old Eric Clapton-Derek & the Dominos song?), Layla's seen a significant surge in popularity, partly partly all names with a double L are stylish, and partly because all the forms of the name push it into the Top 15 for girls.
- Layne
Origin:
Variation of Lane, EnglishMeaning:
"a small roadway or path"Description:
Currently gender-neutral in the US, although boys have the edge, as they do with Lane. The Y spelling makes it a bit more feminine.
- Lena
Origin:
English, Scottish, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian, diminutive of various names ending in lenaDescription:
This pet form of Helena and other ena-ending names, long used as an independent name, is attracting notice again as an option both multicultural and simple. Lena was a Top 100 name from 1880 to 1920.
- Lynn
Origin:
Diminutive of Linda or WelshMeaning:
"lake"Description:
Lynn arrived in the 1940s, spinning off from the wildly popular Linda, to become a top midcentury middle name. Now, Lynn's in limbo.
- Mae
Origin:
Diminutive of Mary or MargaretMeaning:
"bitter or pearl"Description:
Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood.
- Marie
Origin:
French variation of MaryMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
The ubiquitous French version of Mary came into the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. In the United States, Marie was a huge hit at the turn of the last century and for the ensuing fifty years, becoming the seventh most popular name in the country for three years, from 1901 to 1904.
- Rey
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"king"Description:
Rey, a Ray-soundalike that has ranked on the boys' side for the past 15 years, is about to get more popular for girls too, now that it's the name of the new heroine of the latest Star Wars movie. While the sound of the name is nothing new, the royal connection is, joining names such as Reign (Kardashian) and Charlotte (the new Princess) in an expansive definition of royal baby names.
- Rylee
Origin:
Spelling variation of RileyDescription:
This substitute spelling of Riley has been popular with parents for a decade. Rylee entered the charts in 1994, and is solidly within the Top 200 for the last 2 decades. Ryleigh is another spelling that has gained significant popularity. The "-Lee" ending is particularly trendy, and many parents are picking spellings such as Rylee (or Aubree, Everlee, and Marlee) over the originals.
- Sarah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"princess"Description:
Sarah was derived from the Hebrew word sarah, meaning "princess." Sarah is an Old Testament name—she was the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. According to the Book of Genesis, Sarah was originally called Sarai, but had her name changed by God to the more auspicious Sarah when she was ninety years old.
- Sky
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010.
- Sun
Origin:
KoreanMeaning:
"good, kind, virtuous"Description:
A simple and appealing unisex Korean name with many possible meanings, depending on the hanja characters used. Coincides with the English word "sun", which is a nice bonus.
- Tay
Origin:
English, diminutive of TaylorMeaning:
"tailor"Description:
Tay is occasionally used on its own, or as a nickname for the now fading Taylor.
- Valen
Origin:
Latin, feminine variation of Valentine; "strength, health"Meaning:
"strength, health"Description:
Variation of Valentina with the same pared-down appeal as Maren.
- Vera
Origin:
RussianMeaning:
"faith"Description:
Vera was the height of fashion in 1910, then was for a long time difficult to picture embroidered on a baby blanket. Now, though, it has come back into style along with other old-fashioned simple names such as Ada and Iris.