Baby Name Consultant Reveals The Middle Name That’s The Modern Equivalent Of “Marie”
The middle names *everyone* had in the ‘80s and ‘90s are out.
What's your middle name? If you were born in the '80s and '90s, it might be something wildly popular like Marie, Lynn, Elizabeth, or Kay. But the push to find names for a baby that won't be duplicated on every class roster has weeded out many traditional options you probably grew up hearing. And while the same kind of statistical data available for first names isn't available for middle names, one TikToker contends there's a new crop of trendy middle names taking hold.
"What is the modern day 'Marie' of middle names? Like 80-90% of girls born in the '80s or '90s had Marie or Elizabeth as a middle name," starts Colleen Slagen, who's made a name for herself by, yep, naming babies. "I wish we had middle name data to get an accurate answer."
While the Social Security Administration keeps tabs on trending first names each year, they don't have a registry of middle names. Instead, baby name experts rely on first-hand knowledge and experience from people who see the full names of babies and kids.
Slagen, a nurse who has undoubtedly filled out a few hospital birth certificates in her tenure, is one such individual. In a now-viral TikTok video, she highlights the middle names she's seeing most often.
James
"So, what's the new 'Marie,' in terms of trendiness? It has to be James," says Slagen. "Everyone is using this. I hear it everywhere with every type of name style. Sutton James. Everly James. Amelia James. Grace James. It works with everything. While I'd love to hate it, it just sounds too good. It's like instantly adding the shiny top coat to your child's name. It's also a family name for so many people, so, like Marie, you get that significance."
A Hebrew name from the Bible, James was one of Jesus' first followers, an apostle. The name, which means "supplanter" or "may God protect," has been in the Top 20 American baby names for decades. The modern twist is, of course, that James is now a popular gender-neutral pick.
Mae, Lou, or Belle
"In terms of the modern-day equivalent to Marie, so more feminine, traditional. I think it's these one-syllable, sort of Southern Belle-type names. Like Mae, especially, and then Lou and Belle," shares Slagen.
Southern names are usually short, sweet, and almost sing-songy. These shorter, one-syllable names often work best with longer first names, like Tallulah, Evelyn, or Matilda. Other short, sweet Southern names that would make marvelous middle names? Bea, Faye, or June.
Grace, Rose, or Jane
"I still hear my fair share of Grace, Rose, and Jane in the middle," says Slagen. "All of which I love."
While Grace could easily fit in both as a Biblical name or a Southern name, something Grace and Rose have in common is that they're not just names but also words — like the always trendy additions of Hope or Love.
Bucking Trends
"It is more in vogue now, just like with first names, to give your child [a] stylish and stunning first and middle name combination that will be printed on an Etsy banner above their crib," shares Slagen.
These "aesthetic" names usually come from further down the baby name lists and play on what's popular. For example, Frances Ferne optimizes many trendy naming tropes — i.e., alliteration, adding an -e to the end — but doesn't pick currently trending names.
Still stuck on a middle name? Slagen is a nurse by training but is now one of the many people you can hire for a baby name consultation.
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