Baby Names

Naming your baby is so exciting but it can take some research to find the perfect name combination.

Once you’ve chosen your baby’s first name, it’s time to pair it with a great middle name. The challenge is finding a middle name that works perfectly with your chosen first name.

Tips for Choosing Middle Names

There are a number of different tricks you can use to help you find middle names that will work well.

Using Names with Similar Sounds

Choosing middle Names that echo the sounds found in the first name. For example, you could use alliteration by choosing a middle name with the same first letter as the first first name. Weather this works will depend on how similar the names are. The alliteration effect can also be a bit too much if the last name begins with the same letter too.

You can also look at using a middle name that ends in the same sound that your chosen first name ends with. For example, you could choose a first and middle name that both end in the “A” sound or the “Elle” sound.

Even choosing a middle name that starts with one of the letter sounds that’s dominant in your first name will give a higher chance of the names working together.

Contrasting the Number of Syllables

If you have chosen  a first name with multiple syllables, a middle name with just one syllable can create a bold contrast that sounds striking. The more syllables the first name has, the more striking the contrast.

You can also paint two names with the same number of syllables go create sound repetition. This can work well with two and three syllable names. It can also work with four syllable names but it can create a bit of a mouthful.

Using Names with Similar Meanings or Origins

Another options is to find out the meaning of the first name you’ve chosen and pick a middle name based on that meaning. You could choose something with the same or a similar meaning or choose a meaning that combines significantly with your first names meaning.

Similarly, you could choose a name with similar origins to your first name, for example, two names with French origins or two biblical names.

Choose a Middle Name that is a Similar Style to the first Name

If you’ve chosen a classic name that has been steadily popular for many years, you could choose another classic for the middle name.

You could combine two very modern names for a current effect or two very unusual names for a unique effect.

If you like old fashioned names you could combine two to create an “old lady name” or a “Grandad name”, both of which have seen a growth in popularity in recent years.