The top middle names for babies in 2025 were revealed and 'grandpa' names are popular choices
If you thought people got unique with first names, check out these middle names! 👀
Babies on a blanket.
When it comes to the top baby names, there are a few classics that always make the list.
But the most popular middle names can be unique, like grandpa and vintage names which are some of the top choices for this year.
Nameberry recently analyzed more than 1,000 birth announcements from 2024 to reveal the top middle names for 2025 along with baby naming trends.
"Unlike first names, which many parents hold to high standards of practicality and wearability, middle names offer freedom, flexibility, and fun," Nameberry said.
But parents are also thinking about the aesthetics of their baby's first and middle name combinations.
So, the ideal middle name contrasts the first name in syllables, style or uniqueness, according to Nameberry.
The top middle names for girls in 2025 are:
- Rose
- Grace
- Elizabeth
- Marie
- Jane
The top middle names for boys in 2025 are:
- James
- Alexander
- Michael
- Joseph
- Thomas
According to Nameberry, "grandpa middle names" are popular for girls right now.
That includes names like Charles, Clarke, Claude, Drew, Gene, George, Hollis, Jay, Lou, Monroe, Scott and Winslow.
Other baby name trends this year are:
- colour middle names — Blue, Silver, Gold, Gray, Marigold and Lavender
- modern single-syllable middle names — Boone, Lane, Jude, Sloane, Shea and Reese
- bold single-syllable middle names — Ace, Love, Reign, Dream, Knight and True
- new-wave spiritual middle names — Creed, Cross, Shepherd, Salem, Solace and Psalm
- iambic middle names — Capri, Celeste, Noelle Soleil, Estelle and Lenore
- nature middle names — Bear, Wolf, Storm, Dove, Bloom and Cove
- mythology middle names — Atlas, Itzel, Phoenix, Jove, Moon and Nyx
- multi-syllable feminine middle names — Elizabeth, Josephine, Marjorie, Catalina, Esmeralda and Juliette
- vintage middle names — Faye, June, Pearl, Clark, Dean and Royce
- honour middle names — Dorothy, Eugene, Joyce, Frank, Dawn and Todd
There is also a trend of last names being used as middle names for babies, Nameberry revealed.
The most popular middle names that are actually last names include Copeland, Davis, Ellis, Graham, Mccoy, Oakes, Rhodes, Santos, Sullivan, Townes, Vaughn and Wilder.