Allyson writes:
Thank you for answering my previous question regarding the name Mackenzie. I am fairly sure we will go ahead and use it if we have a girl. Now, on to the middle name.
And now, a quiz- if I told you I was born in 1980, I bet you could figure out my middle name in three guesses or less. Around 95% of my friends have either Elizabeth, Marie, or Ann as a middle name (mine is Marie). Do you see where I’m going with this? I love the name Grace. It’s a great middle name because it goes with everything. It’s feminine and is perfect to offset the spunkier Mackenzie first name. Mackenzie Grace. Perfect, right? Except I’ve lost count of the number of baby girls I’ve come across in the past year or two with that middle name. It seems to be the go-to middle name of the 2010s. In 30 years, will little Mackenzie be saying “I was born in 2012, so of course my middle name is Grace”?
Thoughts?
I wish so much that the Social Security Administration would let us snoop around in the middle names as well as in the first names. I’m sure you’re right that Grace (along with Rose and Elizabeth) is one of the main middle names of this current generation of baby girls—but I’d love to know to what EXTENT we’re right. I suspect that although Grace and Rose are the Ann and Marie of today, they’re still not used as much as Ann and Marie were.
I think the attitude toward middle names has changed a little. I could be completely wrong about this (“feeling like” something is a certain way is what leads people to say that their child’s name got popular AFTER they used it, even when that’s not the case), but it seems like middle names didn’t used to get quite so much attention. It seems like they used to be more of a “tie the first and last names together” name from the “sounds nice” category—whereas now there’s more careful agitation put into the choice. There were PLENTY of people agitating over choosing meaningful interesting middle names for their kids in previous generations, and there are PLENTY of people choosing Rose and Grace as this generation’s sounds-nice bridge names—but I’ll bet if we had statistics (OH HOW I WISH WE DID), we’d see middle names doing what first names have been doing: spreading out from a smaller selection to a larger one. And if we could do a massive survey, I’ll bet the answer to “How did you choose the middle name?” would be more heavily slanted in previous generations toward “I dunno, it just sounded nice” than it is today.
All this is to say that although Grace is certainly a popular middle name for baby girls right now, I’ll bet today’s popular middle names are used for a much smaller percentage of baby girls than the previous batches of popular middle names were—just as the 2010 #1 name Isabella is used for a much smaller percentage of baby girls than the 1970s #1 name Jennifer was, or than the 1950s #1 name Linda was, or than the 1930s #1 name Mary was.
I do think that if I were choosing a common/current name as a child’s first name, I’d try to avoid a common/current middle name. There can be some fun in a shared name: my son William frequently has the same two other Williams in his classes at school, and they say “Hi, William!” “Hi, William!” to each other and crack up every time, and they’ll refer to themselves as “the Williams” and so forth. But for me, the fun dissipates if I picture saying to one of the other William mothers, “Oh, what’s his middle name?” and hearing it’s the same as my William’s middle name. It goes from the “We have such great taste, don’t we?” feeling of showing up at the party with the same dress, to the “I guess we both saw the same mannequin” feeling of showing up also in the same shoes and jewelry.
If your grandmother’s name were Grace and you were asking if you could go ahead and use it, I would be all for it. I’d remind you that even if there are lots of Mackenzie Graces out there, it’s not like she’ll be running into them every single day. I’d emphasize that I think it’s wise to let the love/meaning of the name trump popularity concerns. I’d mention that one-syllable bridge names are few and far between, and that they really do make a name sound great. And I will STILL emphasize those things: if you love it, if you WANT it, then USE it. But if you just like the sound of it, I suggest finding another, less common name you like the sound of.
I think Mackenzie Grace IS perfect, and you should use it because you love it. Surely your daughter will run into plenty of other little girls with the middle name Grace, but I agree with Swistle in that it won’t be QUITE the same as the Elizabeth-Marie-Ann (all middle names that are still very widely used, btw) debacle you’ve experienced. I can honestly think of more kids who have Elizabeth or Marie as middle names than Grace or Rose– and my middle name is Rose and my sister’s is Grace (we were both obviously born way before the 2000s or 2010s), so I’m really tuned into hearing those names on other people. A few Graces, maybe one or two Roses, but that’s all I can think of.
I do think Grace is popular right now, but it’s still one of my favorite names, and the name I will use for a middle if I ever have a girl. My middle name is Marie, a product of the 80s, but I have way more friends with Nicole, Michelle, and Lynn as middle names than Marie or Ann or Elizabeth. And, of all of those names, Anne and Elizabeth are still names I would use.
My concern of the week is that Chayse might become the new Grace, so I still find Grace refreshing and beautiful, and a perfect balance to Mackenzie.
I also think you are fortunate that Mackenzie is where it is on the charts now. It’s a perfectly normal name with an easy spelling that isn’t super common, nor is it made up. It meets most posters criteria exactly, AND you LOVE it!
Also, I think it has proven to stand the test of time, as I can think of several generations with this name. Also, I think Mac is a cute nn.
I’d probably opt for something more unusual. Grace and Rose do seem a bit overused. I don’t think Marie is used as much today, and sharing your middle name with your daughter would be special and cute too with the alliteration: Mackenzie Marie.
I love the name Grace, but I think if you’re just using it because it sounds nice, there are other similar, but less popular options. To wit: Jane, Faith, Joy, June, May, Mae, Belle, Blythe, Hope, and Paige, could all work out for you depending on your last name.
If you love the name Grace, after considering some other options, go ahead and use it!
Best wishes.
My middle name is Grace, so when I name my future daughter Grace, or give her the middle name of Grace, it will be despite it’s current popularity, b/c I’ve had designs on that name since I was like….four years old.
Also, I think Mackenzie Grace is lovely.
I love Mackenzie Grace!!! Use it. I think when it comes to middle names not much changes over the years. Short names like Rose, Mary, Ann, May, Joy, etc. have been and will always be popular middle names.
Why not use two middle names? I don’t see why that would be a problem: Mackenzie Grace Marie or Mackenzie Grace Mae, etc.
I’m a 1980’s girl with Ann for my middle name. It’s my mother’s and grandmother’s middle name as well. I always thought it was fun to run into other girls with the same middle name!
Mackenzie Grace is adorable. I say use it if you love it.
Swistle, the top middle names in Scotland *are* made public, and its interesting to see what they were in 2010:
Girls:
Elizabeth
Louise
Rose
Grace
Jane
Anne
Margaret
Mary
Ann
Catherine
May
Marie
Jean
Isabella
Helen
Sarah
Mae
Christina
Lily
Maria
Boys:
James
John
William
Alexander
David
Robert
Thomas
Andrew
Michael
George
Joseph
Peter
Scott
Paul
Ian
Jack
Daniel
Patrick
Christopher
Alan
British Baby Names blog has a 3-part discussion of middle names that may be of help to Allyson and others:
http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2011/04/middle-names-part-1.html
http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2011/04/middle-names-part-2.html
http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2011/04/middle-names-part-3.html
There’s also a discussion of “Alliterative Edwardian Siblings”, including sisters Millicent Mary, Margaret Maud and Martha Muriel.
My suggestion of Mackenzie Marie has the antique charm of Edwardian (turn of the century) naming patterns and sounds fine today too.
It might be interesting if you asked your readers to list the middle names of their children and the year or decade in which they were born.
I have my own personal statistic to contribute on this topic. In my last alumni magazine, I noticed how many of the alumni baby girls had the middle name Grace, so I had to do an official count: 7 out of 17 baby girls! To be fair, it is a Christian college, and in general, I’m sure I’m hearing this middle name a bit more in Christian circles than it would be in the population as a whole because of the faith connection, but it is undeniably everywhere.
Nevertheless, it is beautiful, traditional and feminine, and I like it a lot more than the Anns and Maries (and I’d add Lynn – that’s mine and it’s everywhere, too!) of our generation. You just have to ask yourself if the popularity bothers you. I can’t say it’s ever bothered me having a popular middle name.
Ooh, I LOVE Kacie’s idea!
I think while previous generations tended to use “nice-sounding” names like Ann and Marie, people now tend to use honor names instead, which leads to a lot more variety.
Mackenzie Grace is a really appealing name and therefore it’s not surprising that those two names are a popular combination. I googled “Mackenzie Grace” and saw a lot of very cute little girls with that name. I can see why the two names together appeal to you. If you don’t mind your daughter having what could be the most popular Mackenzie + middle name combination, then you should use it.
However, I have the impression from your earlier letter that you’re engaged and aren’t pregnant now, but just thinking of baby names for later on. It could be that by the time you do have a baby girl (and I hope you do someday) Mackenzie Grace will no longer be your top name. That happens a lot.
just a a fun FYI, both of my grandfathers (maternal and paternal) were William Francis, and now, as their granddaughter and as they have passed, I rather love that I had not one, but two wonderful William Francis men in my life.
So sometimes, it’s not so bad… :)
Sadly, if I meet someone who has just had a baby girl, nine times out of ten, the middle name is Grace or Rose (I like names, and I’m nosy, so I always ask). They ARE lovely names, but it takes some of the speicalness out of the name when so many people have it.
In elementary school, we had a game. A girl would say her middle inital, and everyone would guess what her middle name was… it was the 70s, and we all felt like mind-readers. A for Ann, E for Elizabeth, L for Lynn, M for Marie (or May), N for Nicole, R for Rene, etc.
It was neat for girls to have a ‘middle name twin’ or a ‘first name twin’, but it was abhorent to have a ‘first AND middle name twin’. And for the poor dears with Johnson, Brown, or Smith for a surname… yeesh! They were always saying, “No, she’s the OTHER one.”
Having said all that, I’m in the camp of nudging you to choose another middle name (or a second one like suggested above). If you still want something feminine, what about your favorite flower? Something personalized? The month she was born or her birthstone. Something with a story? The name of the place you met/fell in love/got married.
Imagine if when she’s in the second grade, the middle name game is played… and when her middle inital of G is said, she can smuggly keep them guessing with ‘Genevieve’.
I’ve heard Grace a lot as a middle name. I’d recommend a different middle name, if possible. Other monosyllabic girl names are:
Belle
Bess
Blanche
Blythe/Blithe
Brynn
Cass
Elle
Eve
Fawn
Faye
Fern
Fleur
Gwen/Gwynne
Hope
Jill
Joy
June
Lark
Lise
Maeve
Pearl
Rue
Ruth
Wren
Wynne
I feel like every other baby i meet is Grace in the mn position and agree that if you love the sound it might be good to find another name.
Before I give you a little list, my favorite nickname for Mackenzie–which I’ve only ever heard on the gymnast Mackenzie Caquatto–is Macko. Tell me that is not THE CUTEST THING EVER. And i really want someone else to use it!
anyway…
Mackenzie Mae (I love this)
Mackenzie Joy
Mackenzie Kate (I like the repeating K sound here)
Mackenzie Lyric (for no reason, I just like it!)
Mackenzie Jane
I was born in 1980. My great-grandmother’s name was Grace and my parents chose it for my middle name. It was essentially unheard of for the first 20 years I had it… then it started to pick up. Now, I’m sad it’s become the Ann/Marie/Lynn of this generation. It seems like one of those “filler” middle name given to girls when they feel like they should give a name, but don’t have a real strong opinion. If it’s a family name, go for it!! My sister is using it for her girl and I couldn’t be prouder, but it loses effect with it being so common.