Although the name you choose is secure at the end, there is much less pressure when it comes to a middle name. There, all bets are turned off, and you have more flexibility to go wild with your choices knowing that you won’t have to shout that name 1000 times a day when trying to make your sweet baby become a destroyer – toddler to listen to you.
You can use this place to honor a parent, pass on your maiden name if you changed your last name, or find something a little more “there” than you would like for a first name. These female names are all in fashion – they’re part of the Social Security Administration (SSA) ‘s 50 most popular names, or they’re growing in popularity – and they’re as creative as they are beautiful like your little one.
In addition to keeping track of the most commonly used baby names, the SSA keeps track of names that have made big leaps in popularity. This year, the best names are understandable – like Meghan, after Meghan Markle – but things get really interesting if you go further down the list. This is where you find interesting names which are not unknown, but which will not be exaggerated in a few years. Some climbers include:
- Kamilah (up to 261 places in the popular names ranking, with Camila also climbing)
- Anais (up to 241 places)
- Berkley (up to 226 places)
- Zora (up to 212 places)
- Kehlani and Melani (both up to 177 places)
- Antonella (up to 161 places)
- To promise (up to 159 places)
- Xiomara (up to 130 places)
- Saoirse (up to 128 places)
- Sunny (up to 114 places)
Judging by this list, we seem to be heading from names that end with an “a” sound (Emma, Ava, Sophia, Mia) to names that end with an “e” sound (Berkley, Kehlani, Sunny), if you want to be ahead of this trend.
Opt for a trendy middle name.
Baby naming site Nameberry can track user interest in names, as can BabyCenter. These lists give you a more up-to-date overview of the names that parents are currently interested in (as opposed to the SSA, which compiles which babies were actually named in a given year and publishes its list the following spring). Some of the current favors from those users who have not yet made the SSA top 50 include:
- Maeve
- Isla
- Ophelia
- Eloise
- Cora
- Geneviève
- Aurelia
- Maya
- Ivy
- Alice
- Iris
- Amaliya
- Nova
- Everly
- Gianna
- Eliana
- Paisley
- Elena
- willow
Find a name that honors your heritage.
If you are hesitant to have a “junior” or if your baby shares his first name with a parent, you can use a middle name to honor your family. It could also give you a familiar name, because vintage names like Beatrice, Josephine, Margot, Ruby, Pink, Willa are all gaining popularity. Or, you can insert an old last name (after all, last names as first names are a trend, like names like Ainsley, Eden, Ellis, Hayden, Kennedy, and Piper can attest). And if that doesn’t work, you can try using a name that celebrates your family’s legacy – international names, like these climbing names below, are also hot:
- Alessia
- Alma
- Freya
- Gem
- Louise
- Luciana
- Malia
- Mariam
- Valentina
Choose one of the most popular baby names for girls.
According to the SSA, these are the reigning champions of the girls:
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Isabelle
- Sophia
- Charlotte
- Mia
- Amelia
- Harper
- Evelyn
- Abigail
- Emilie
- Elizabeth
- Mila
- Ella
- Avery
- Sofia
- Camila
- Aria
- Scarlett
- Victoria
- Madison
- Luna
- Grace
- Chloe
- Penelope
- Layla
- Riley
- Zoey
- Nora
- Lily
- Eleanor
- Hannah
- Lillian
- Addison
- Aubrey
- Ellie
- Stella
- Natalie
- Zoe
- Horrible
- Hazelnut
- Purple
- Dawn
- Savannah
- Audrey
- Brooklyn
- Bella
- Claire
- Skylar
Marisa LaScala
Parenting & Relationships Editor
