Choosing a fitting first name for your baby girl can be tricky — but coming up with a beautiful middle name, well, that's the fun part. You can get a little more creative with a middle name to tie in with the first, whether it's something unique you've always been drawn to or a family name that you hold dear.
We've gathered up some of our favorite middle names to get you started.
Old-fashioned middle names
Traditional or old-fashioned middle baby names are a huge trend. Some parents choose these baby girl names because it is a family name that is passed down, while other parents decide to pair a unique first name with a more traditional middle name. As you can see, many celebrities have given their babies traditional baby names, with the most popular middles names being Grace, Rose and Louise.
Here are some traditional middle name options and first name options to consider
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Rose:
Flower names, such as Tulip or Daisy, also make great middle names. Rose is by far the top choice. Here are some examples:
- Myla Rose: Tennis champ Roger Federer
- Lucia Rose: Survivor's Rob and Amber Mariano
- Lyla Rose: Singer Lisa Loeb
- Seraphina Rose: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
- Adelaide Rose: Actress Rachel Griffiths
- Alabama Gypsy Rose: Drea de Matteo & Shooter Jennings
- Dolly Rebecca Rose: Actress Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O'Connell
- Charlotte Rose: Dylan McDermott and Shiva Rose
- Emerson Rose: Teri Hatcher
- Harper Rosie: Martie and Gareth Maguire
Louise:
- Paloma Louise: Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz
- Katie Louise: Actor Jim Gaffigan
- Anja Louise: Alessandra Ambrosio
- Olivia Lou: Comedienne and actress Wanda Sykes
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Other traditional middle names to consider include:
Virtue middle names
Another popular girl's middle name trend is using a virtue baby name, which is a word that describes a characteristic that you wish your child to attain. These virtue names were well-known in the Puritan era, and we've recently seen a spike in popularity.
Here are some celebrity examples of popular virtue middle names for girls:
- Heavenly Joy: Producer Rodney Darkchild Jerkins
- Megan Hope: Days of Our Lives actress Alison Sweeney
- Daisy True: Daughter of Meg Ryan
- Emery Hope: Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn
- Finley Faith: Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn
Other virtue names to consider that would make great middle names include:
Nature-inspired middle names
Whether it is a return to nature or the emerging hippy/boho trend, nature-inspired names are also a big trend — as are baby names that start with the letter H! Here are some fun examples:
- Joscelyn Skye: AJ Langer
- Heaven Rain: Brooke Burke
- Harper Willow: Dave Grohl
- Harlow Winter: Nicole Richie and Joel Madden
- Harper Moon: Eddie Vedder
- Violet Moon: Sarah Shahi and Steve Howey
- Jagger Snow: Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross
If you choose a longer first name, perhaps you should consider a short middle name to help balance the name. Picking a more unique middle name is a great way to get creative without sticking your child with an unusual name that he or she may or may not like. That's what Zooey Deschanel did with Elsie Otter, for example.
What is your favorite middle name for girls?
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
Originally published January 2013. Updated January 2017.