For most expecting parents, choosing their soon-to-be-born child’s name is one of their first pleasurable chores. Mom and dad envision an adorable baby girl or boy blessed with the perfect moniker. A first-middle name combo carefully pairing modern, old-fashioned, unusual, or family names.
Middle names can accentuate the first name, honor a relative or ancestor, serve as poetry, accentuate an ethnic background, or express their family’s individuality. It can take an entire term of pregnancy to find the best names for our children.
While you’re perusing, researching, and imagining, we’ve put together some great combinations of choices for middle names. Fifty of today’s most common names are paired with names that are complementary, easy to use, and even easy to spell.
Take a look through our suggestions and see if you agree.
Middle names for a girl named Brooklyn
It would be great if we could meet our little ones and get to know them before we stick them with a lifelong name. What if our anticipated little Lillibet Angelique becomes an Air Force general? We suggest you match the middle name to the first in both sound and meaning. Here are some of the most popular names this year.
- Brooklyn Ada
- Brooklyn Adele
- Brooklyn Alexa
- Brooklyn Avery
- Brooklyn Bailee
- Brooklyn Blair
- Brooklyn Cali
- Brooklyn Cara
- Brooklyn Drew
- Brooklyn Eden
- Brooklyn Ellie
- Brooklyn Elora
- Brooklyn Emmie
- Brooklyn Evie
- Brooklyn Faith
- Brooklyn Gia
- Brooklyn Hannah
- Brooklyn Harlee
- Brooklyn Ivy
- Brooklyn Jane
- Brooklyn Kaiya
- Brooklyn Kaylie
- Brooklyn Maci
- Brooklyn Mae
- Brooklyn Nora
- Brooklyn Olive
- Brooklyn Paris
- Brooklyn Penny
- Brooklyn Phoebe
- Brooklyn Queen
- Brooklyn Ramona
- Brooklyn Rayne
- Brooklyn River
- Brooklyn Rose
- Brooklyn Ruth
- Brooklyn Sage
- Brooklyn Savanna
- Brooklyn Sky
- Brooklyn Sofia
- Brooklyn Summer
- Brooklyn Thea
- Brooklyn Vera
- Brooklyn Violet
- Brooklyn Wren
- Brooklyn Wynter
- Brooklyn Yara
- Brooklyn Zara
Our favorite in this list of possible middle names has to be Ivy. There’s a nice poetic rhythm to Brooklyn Ivy without being a sing-song nursery rhyme title.
Why a great middle name is important
Since you haven’t yet met your daughter, a solid middle name choice will give her the widest possible choices to be called by others, whether she’s 3,15, or 40. The middle name should complement and enhance the first. This will allow her to choose to be playful, intriguing, mysterious, or serious. Your name choice for her should suit her well, whether she becomes a senator, an artist, an athlete, or an active mom.
Honor an ancestor, relative, or a public figure
Our daughters’ names can be memorable. Her name should either reflect her personality or be made suitable for that purpose. It could honor a grandparent, a great-great-aunt, or the founder of your dynasty from the ruling throne of a country long ago and far away.
Perhaps she’ll have a godparent. These important, lifelong guardians-in-spirit often play important roles in a girl’s life. They’re responsible for spiritual guidance and stand-in for parents from time to time. Honoring a godmother by giving her name as your daughter’s middle name is both a fitting and traditional act.
Perhaps you admire a politician, actor, or scientist, and would like your girl to acquire some of their qualities. Make sure, however, that you let her know why she now has the name. My mother hated her name, Dora. In the 1930s and beyond, Dumb Dora jokes were the rage. She was even angry about her middle name, Elinor, not being spelled traditionally, as Eleanor. She never caught on that each name was given to honor her two grandmothers.
Don’t assume that your girl will put two and two together. Make her aware of the honor and significance of the names.
Use her middle name as a nickname.
Middle, or second, names can vary to suit. Maybe she doesn’t like Brooklyn while she’s young. If you’ve chosen a middle name that can be changed to fit, it could become her nickname.
This is where you can get to know your daughter and her unique personality. Often, a very young sibling will have difficulty pronouncing the name. My sister, Beth, became Boosie that way. It was what the family called her for decades.
A budding prima ballerina might prefer Evie Aveline. If your girl is a rough little tomboy, Ev might serve her well. If she is the founder of a successful business, then E.A. might be a ticket to avoid casual gender judgments.
Are the names ‘yell-able’?
Parents often need to let a girl know that she’s wanted now, and not later, or at her convenience. She might become separated from you in a store or park. You need a full name that you can remember, say in one breath, and get her immediate attention.
Go ahead – pick your ‘name’ candidates and shout them aloud. You shouldn’t need to struggle with a long name or something hard to pronounce.
Remember, too, that if you use an unusual spelling for either name, your daughter will be spelling it out for the rest of her life. It gets tiring after a few decades!
Wrapping up
Naming a child is a huge responsibility. You’re labeling a human being whom you don’t yet know. It can also be a lot of fun. Most parents research, consider, ask for advice, and finally decide on a suitable and lovely set of names. Take your time and have as much fun as you can.
A popular radio personality in the early 1960s asked his listeners to submit a ‘perfect’ name for his expected daughter. One of my friends won the contest. Her entry was Bambi. I hope his daughter liked it, though, in truth, I’d have picked a more flexible middle name that might have served her better in the future…
