You've got the first and last name settled, but what about the middle? A good middle name is the glue in a great handle for your child, and gives you the opportunity to get a little creative in your choosing. You can learn to pick the right name that matches up with the first and last name you've already selected, finding a creative and appropriate name that'll fit your child like a glove.
Choosing the Right Name
1Pay attention to the way the name will sound. A middle name can be used in all kinds of different ways: to pay tribute to a family name, to reference a creative or personal element of the child's history, but whatever you're considering as a middle name you must make sure that it sounds good to say. When you've settled on the middle and last names for your child, practice saying the middle name with it to make sure it sounds correct, it sounds good, and is easy to say.
- Choose a middle name that begins with a different vowel sound than the last syllable of the first name. Names like Angela Anne or Denice Savannah are somewhat difficult to say, because the repetition of vowel sounds at the end of words end up sounding jumbled in the mouth.
- Try using consonant sounds that aren't pronounced in the forename. Lena Grey or George Randolph or Thomas Stearns sound nice together because we get a full range of different sounds.
2Choose a name of the right length. If you have chosen on a longer first name, choose a shorter middle name like Alexandra Grace or Christopher Owen. If you've chosen a shorter first name, you've got room for a longer missile name: Kate Elizabeth or Ross Anthony.
- Count the syllables of the names to help you get a quick reference. If you've got a first name of two or fewer, use a middle name of two or three syllables.
3Check how it will look written. Write out names that you're considering and try to see if they'll look attractive written out, if they'll be easy to pronounce, and will represent your child well in the world. A good name should look good on paper and sound great in the ear. It can also be a fun exercise to imagine your kid's name written out, imagining their signature on the world.
4Give older siblings input. One excellent way of easing the transition of a new child into your family can be to give the older sibling or siblings input in the choosing of the middle name. If they're old enough to understand the choice, give your other kids a chance to help choose the name. You could either present them with a list of choices all of which you're happy with, and then let them choose, which will help you avoid having a child named Brian Robot. Choosing together can help bring the family close.
- Alternatively, let the kids experiment and come up with their own list. Maybe the kids will come up with unique, strange, creative names you'd never have thought up. Maybe Steven Velociraptor is the perfect name? Well, the choice is still up to you.
1Consider choosing a family name. One of the most common ways of selecting a middle name involves using it as an opportunity to pay tribute to a close member of your family. Choosing a grandparent's first name as the middle name for your child can be a great and moving way of paying tribute to your forebears.
- You can go recent into your family tree, or you can go way back. Look at a genealogy report and find distant relatives for interesting and unusual historical names that are part of your lineage.
- If someone is giving up their last name as part of a marriage, it's also common to use that name as the middle name for a child.
2Use a name from your religious or cultural heritage. The middle name can be an excellent opportunity to select something spiritually or culturally significant, giving your child a sense of history and significance. Naming a child after your favorite saint, martyr, cultural icon, or other religious figure from your tradition can lend a gravitas to a name.
- Think of names that are significant to sharpening your view of the world and your own morality. Pop culture names are perfectly applicable, especially if they sound good. If Johnny Cash means a lot to you, naming a child Carter Cash might be a great way of paying tribute.
3Choose a classic or historical name that's out of favor. It's sometimes popular to use the middle name as an opportunity to go way back and choose a retro or historical name that's less common than common names. Names like "Rosemary" or "Orville" are unusual in digital age, which might make them excellent and unique names to pick for the middle of your child's name.
- Go through old romantic novels from 100 years ago and check out the names. Keep a running list to go by and experiment with to see how you like older names.
4Use the birth month or other coincidental. Use a coincidental word or name at the last minute to give your child a middle name. This can be an excellent way of using chance and coincidence to pick a name, which can actually be quite unique and moving for some people. Use the month the child is born to pick the middle name, like Alex June or Christian May. You could also use the day on which the child is born: Jacob Wednesday or Christa Monday.
- Consider using the town in which the parents met as the middle name. Names like Joshua Brooklyn or Mary Paris can have a nice ring to them, as well as a reminder of roots.
- Consider naming them after a significant noun during the day the child is born. If you drove to the hospital in your old, beat-up Volvo, a car that's gotten you through some rough times, consider picking "Volvo" as a middle name. If it means something, it's not wrong.
1Do no harm. In a world with more than 7 billion people, almost all of whom have names, originality is plenty desirable. But there's something to be said for an old classic, especially if you're considering naming your child Crystal Shanda Leer or Justin Time. Try to resist the urge to make jokes, choosing goofy names that'll stick your kid with a lame middle name for the rest of their life. Pick something sincere, something meaningful, and something creative, not a one-liner.
2Make sure the initials don't spell anything inadvertently embarrassing or crude. Francis Underwood Kensington sounds like a nice name until the monogrammed towels come in. Just as you need to make sure the name looks nice spelled out, the name should also look appropriate when shortened into initials.
3Don't tell people the name once you've settled. So, you've got it locked in: Joshua Corey is the perfect, most meaningful, best-sounding name you've got. Then you let the name slip to a coworker or a friend, who scrunches up their face and tells you a sob story about a terrible high school boyfriend named Corey who was a horrible person. Now suddenly you feel like it's a bad name. Great.
- If you love a name, keep it to yourself and ignore other people's "feedback," none of which should affect the way you pick a name. If you want to tell a few select people while you're considering names, that can be great, but if you're totally settled on a name, don't give yourself the chance to stress after the fact.
- Your parents, a very close friend might be able to help you go over your choices, but they might give you unsolicited associations with the name that'll change the way you feel. If you do share the name, let people know that you don't need to hear about other people named "Corey," or whatever name you choose.
4Use the correct spelling of common names. If you like the way a name sounds, spell it the way it's spelled, don't replace letters with "similar" letters and expect that people will pronounce it the same. If you want people to pronounce "Angela," you can't spell it "Anjeeleh." There are pronunciation rules, and breaking them is frustrating for everyone. It's spelled that way for a reason.
- Some parents think this helps to give a signature flare to an otherwise common name, but it's far more important to pick the right name, not a goofy spelling of a traditional name. "Anjeeleh" should be pronounced differently than "Angela," because it's spelled differently. There's a line between "unique" and "ridiculous," and you don't want to cross it with bad spelling.
- It's true that it's not necessary to choose middle names at all, and you might elect to avoid giving your child one.
- Avoid complicated names that will make it difficult on your children. Popular names are popular for a reason. Simplicity isn't always a bad thing.
Sources and Citations
In other languages:
Русский: выбрать второе имя, Deutsch: Einen zweiten Vornamen wählen, Français: choisir un deuxième prénom, Español: elegir un segundo nombre, Italiano: Scegliere il Secondo Nome, Português: Escolher um Nome do Meio, Bahasa Indonesia: Memilih Nama Tengah
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 6,734 times.