filler middle names

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

I feel like every girl my age has one of the following middle names:
-Lynn
-Ann
-Marie
-Rose
-Elizabeth

More recently, I've heard "Grace" being used a lot as a middle name (or similar things like Joy and Hope). For boys, I think Joseph, Michael and James are most popular.

Now, I get that some of these names might have a family significance for you... but for most people, everyone has them because they just "go" and sound good with almost everything. What "filler" middle names do you like best? Do you think you would use one or would you try to find something less popular, even if it might not flow as well? I bring this up because I was looking at my list today and noticed I have "Elliott James" and "Nolan Michael" on there... I don't even particularly like James or Michael (though, I don't dislike them) and realized I only have them because they sound good and were extremely easy to come up with.

On a related note, what names do you like but would only use as a middle name? Any reason why you wouldn't use it as a first name?

Comments

[jenufa.livejournal.com]

Well, my kiddo's middle name is David, because so is his daddy's! :) My middle name is Lynne, and if we ever have a girl (doubtful) she'd have Lynne as her middle name.

I like the name Andrew, but we're planning to use it only as a middle name for our second. It's in honour of both of my grandparents' dads, but is very close to my grandma's name. I don't like the idea of using a first name of someone still living, it seems creepy to me. Even if it's just one letter off, too close for me.

Plus then people would want to call him Andy. Yick.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

My FIL and his grandson are both named Alex. Just Alex, not Alexander. I really have no idea WHY my SIL did that. Although I think both my SIL's are, I dunno, uncreative maybe? The older SIL named her daughter Kyla...her name is Kylene. Kind of like my aunt.... So Pamela Christine named her daughters Pamela Kristine (pronounced Kuerstin) and Edith Pamela (Edith being her grandma's name)

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

I think I like Elizabeth more as a first name, but it does go with almost anything (and there are tons of nicknames for it if used as a first name.. so versatile!).

[sunshinefleur.livejournal.com]

when I was younger, I hated my middle name because (a) I had two, and (b) because it wasn't Lynn or Marie or Anne, etc. now, I'm extremely thankful that they're unique (one more-so than the other) and actually mean something.

the only name on my list that would be strictly a middle name is Deanna. it's my grandmother's name, but she would be pretty pissed off if I flat-out named a child after her, for some reason. using it as a middle name is okay (one of my middle names is her middle name) but first name? nope. she'd kill me. I was almost named Deanna and she freaked out.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

I always liked having two middle names:)

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

My middle names are Wavie Marie. Wavie is a long story, but my mom added Marie so it would flow better. My daughter ended up with Rose Marie. Rose was a namesake and Marie made it flow better. Definitely filler names.

I've noticed it, too, though, there definitely seem to be just "filler" middle names. My grandma's middle name is Rae, my FIL's is Ray. Half the girls I meet seem to have Marie as a middle name, but around here Elizabeth is more of a first name than a middle name, although it is my SIL's middle name, only because it's my MIL's first name.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

Mm, I see Elizabeth more as a first name too, for the most part. However, it seems like for a lot of girls with short middle names (say, Anna or Jane) will use it to lengthen the name so it will flow better.

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I would use Kathleen and Catherine (both after my mother, Katherine) as middle names only.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

I love Catherine and would use it for a middle name because
a) I think it's really pretty
b) I'm not hugely fond of any of the nicknames for it

[fangirlism]

Elizabeth is my favorite filler name, and I'd be using it... if my top first name wasn't Adele. (Adele Elizabeth just runs together into one name.)

Nickolas is one of my "names I could only use as a middle name" because everyone who knows me would guess I was using the name because of Nick Carter.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

Haha oh man, I can only imagine you at least used to be a huge fan of him? Otherwise, that certainly wouldn't be the first thing I think a lot of people would think of. I like it as a middle name, but could never use it because it's my grandfather's middle name (and my parents already used it as a middle name for my brother) and it happens to be my boyfriend's brother's name. Nicholas, though.

[relevancedenied.livejournal.com]

my middle name is ann (after my aunt) and my mother's middle name is lynn. lol.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

Haha, we've got it reversed.. and my family added "e"s. My middle is Lynne and my mom (and aunt.. grandparents were a little uncreative there..) is Anne.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

Ahh yes, I love Atticus but couldn't see it used outside of a middle name.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

I really like Simone as a first name. I think it goes with almost everything.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

durr I meant as a middlr name.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

I guess there are lots of names I would use- but, only as a middle
my son's middle name is Joseph- (but, that's after my deceased grandfather) and my daughter's middle is Rhiannon(just cause we liked it)

[pinkslit.livejournal.com]

I really like Faye as a middle name. It goes with a lot of names and seems to flow well wit multi-syllabic first names.

My daughters go by variations of their middle names because their first names turned out to be way trendier than I ever expected. Kayleigh James was named from both grandma's middles (Kay and Leigh) and we had no idea how popular it is. She goes by Jimi. Scarlett June goes by Junie most of the time....or Juju. Scarlett wasn't my pick, it was just what we could agree on when the hospital wouldn't let us take her home without a name.

[fangirlism]

I love the name Kayleigh, it's on my list but I'd probably never use it (my sister is Kayla)

[stummyflies.livejournal.com]

my middle name is marie, but it definitely wasn't just a filler in my case. marie came from a girl my dad knew. :)

[fangirlism]

That's how my sister got her middle name (it's also Marie), kind of.

My dad's best friend's wife was pregnant at the same time my mom was... the friend and his wife were planning on naming the baby Marie if it was a girl, but they lost it, so my sister became Kayla Marie in honor of the lost baby.

[soul-inside.livejournal.com]

And all that is unfortunate for me because my grandma on mom's side's middle name is Joy.. my grandma on dad's side's first name is Hope.. and my mom and I have the middle name Elizabeth!
I might give a future daughter the middle name Elizabeth if it works out.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I love Rosalind and Ruby as middle names. Ruby is becoming popular and Rosalind sounds great as a middle name. I would use Gwendolyn but it's a bit long and Gwendolyn has a beautiful nn of Gwen so that's a good first name.

[bugwife.livejournal.com]

my middle name is Elizabeth, and I love it. yeah, it is a total filler name, but my parents picked it in case I wanted to use it instead of my first because of all the nickname possibilities.

[satunian.livejournal.com]

I didn't get one of those. My MN was almost Rachel but my parents decided they liked Rae better at the last minute, and I have to agree that I like it more than Rachel. I hate the idea of filler middle names and I hate when they are used as such, but I actually happen to really like Lynn (love the sound and the meaning) and Rose on their own, yet they don't sound full enough to be first names for me...
I'm not a fan at all of Grace (i actually like it better as a first name) but I DO love Jane or June as middle names - probably going to use one of those.
So Jane, June, Rose and Lynn are probably my faves for middle names, but I could never use Lynn because the last name would be Flynn, and that'd just sound goofy!

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

My daughter's grandmothers' middle names are Marie & Lynn, respectively.

To honor them both, I combined these names and her middle name is Marilyn.

It was between that, and Lynn Marie as a double middle name. I just hated the thought of my daughter having two of the most boring/overused/filler middle names ever, even though they do sound nice.

I love Elizabeth and I hope to use it someday. My SO hates it, though. :(

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

I really hate the term "filler" for middle names. My middle name is Renee, and I'm not named after anybody, my parents just picked it because they thought it sounded good with my first name. They could have easily picked Elizabeth or Marie instead. I don't really like the idea of naming children after someone (too many people to ignore if you chose just 1 or even 2 or 3) so ALL of the names I chose are chosen because they sound good, and usually regardless of popularity. I don't think it is right to call a name filler merely because its been picked because it sounds good. A lot of effort has been put into the names I've chosen. The was a long winded way of saying that I don't think you can say a middle name is filler just because it sounds good.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

Oh, no I'm not saying that middle names need a meaning or anything... heck, every middle name on my list (except Scott) was created simply because of the way the names sound. I did forget the quotes in the title, but used them in the entry. I don't think it's really fair to call them filler names either, but that's just the term I've heard.

In your case for example, Renee isn't used ALL the time, so I would never consider it a "filler" name. There are certainly combos that sound great, but a lot of parents choose to go the "easy" route and use Lynn/Ann/Marie/etc. They just go with everything. Another personal example.. I have Atticus as a potential middle name. Certainly is not after anyone or anything, but I would hardly consider it filler. I'm not big on naming after people either.. the only reason I have Scott is because it flows well and I'd like to use it to honor the uncle I never met. I think my dad would really appreciate it. But, I would never use it if I didn't like the sound myself (does that make me a bad person?).

[loanwords.livejournal.com]

If I have a girl, her middle name will be Marie. But not because it "goes." Because it was my grandmother's middle name and the one she preferred to be called, and she was a supremely amazing woman who I miss very much.

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

My middle name is Lynn, my mom's is Marie. The only name I'd use from the list above is Elizabeth, either as a first or middle name. Michelle is another common middle name for my generation.

I used to dislike the name Jane, but now I'd use it as a middle name.

[kort-ni.livejournal.com]

My middle name is Ann but it is also my grandmother's and great grandmother's middle name...so I don't feel like it is filler, but it's definitely a common middle name.

names I would only use as a mn- Renee (it was my mom's middle name but since her second divorce she had her name legally changed so that it is her last name and I think it would be weird as a first name for a child whose grandmother had it as a surname.) Matthew (but only because it's my husband's name and my brother's name and it would be too much to use as a first name for our child as well.