Finding a Unique Middle Name for Madelyn

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.

A UNIQUE MIDDLE NAME FOR MADELYN, JUST LIKE MOM

Jasmine writes:

I have a middle name that I have never heard on anyone else before: Lullaby. It’s kind of a joke that stuck. My dad misheard my mom’s last name as Lullaby and asked a mutual friend to introduce him to so-and-so Lullaby. It was incredibly embarrassing at one point, but I’ve grown to really love it.

Now I’m pregnant with a daughter, and I’d love to find something equally interesting and meaningful, something that can be all my daughter’s own.

Her first name will be Madelyn, which my husband suggested, so he’s on board with almost anything for a middle name as long as it’s not “crazy,” which I know is pretty vague.

The problem is that I don’t have a name with a good story. But I feel like so many kids have different names now that I have permission to choose something really unique, even if it’s not really a name.

I’ve considered:

• Arabesque – saw it on a discussion, love it but I’m not a dancer or anything like that
• Alouette – from your bird list
• Azure – because my favorite color is blue
• Lioness – sort of obsessed but maybe this is too much
• Persimmon – love the way this sounds, but maybe not with Madelyn
• Promise – I just like the way it sounds
• Terpsichore – goddess of dance, Arabesque sort of led to this one, maybe too complicated to pronounce even as a middle name
• Valancy – found this on your site and I really like LM Montgomery, plus I like the way it ends with a Y like Lullaby

I feel like I’ll know it when I hear it.

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

CREATIVITY PLUS MEANING

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your daughter!

My first thought: why not hand down the middle name Lullaby? I like it with Madelyn. It’s a great story. And it’s an even better story because now it’s a family middle name, too.

If not a Lullaby encore, I think there are two general directions to consider:

• A name with deep personal significance to you and your husband. I wonder if this list might inspire some fresh ideas?
• A word name that points to the natural world, virtues, or some other universal quality or experience.

I can’t guess at the former, so I’m going to focus on the latter. I do think Promise is, well, promising.

It sounds great with Madelyn. It’s different. And yet it’s an open kind of virtue, a flexible and positive meaning that’s very forward-looking.

UNIQUE MIDDLE NAME SUGGESTIONS

AMORET

Poetic word name ultimately from the Latin amor, meaning love.

BRAVERY

Avery plus BR, but with all the bravado of Lioness.

BRIO

A musical term meaning spirited.

EVERMORE

An enduring promise of a word name, even better if you’re a Taylor Swift fan.

FABLE

Literary word name that reads like Faye plus Mabel.

KESTREL

Another bird name possibility.

SONNET

If Amoret and Fable are close, but not quite, Sonnet might appeal.

VESPER

The evening star, a night sky name with mythological roots.

Overall, I really love the idea of handing down Lullaby to your daughter. It’s almost a family name on your side, right? And it preserves that story well into the future.

If not Lullaby, I think Promise from your list is pretty much perfect.

And if I had to pick from my suggestions, I’m drawn to Madelyn Vesper.

One thought: you haven’t shared your daughter’s surname, but saying these together might help determine which rhythm is best.

Readers over to you! What would you suggest as a unique middle name for Madelyn?