The word vintage might bring to mind doilies and tea sets from Grandma, but technically vintage is anything older than 20 years. That means, technically … the '90s are vintage. What! We know, we know. It's pretty impossible to believe, but everything that was cool in the '90s is basically completely foreign to ours kids. Luckily, when it comes to trends, what goes around, comes around — and that goes for baby names too. Parents who are looking for boys' middle names might even want to consider a vintage (ahem, '90s) name for their little guy because most '90s boys names are clean, classic, and don't sound too stuffy. There's no chance that these names will sound outdated.
Sometimes middle names are even harder to find than first names. That's why we think that really any vintage name — yes, even one from the '80s and '90s — would make a great pairing with any first name one could match with it. We decided to make things easy and have compiled a list of the top boys' vintage picks that will make a great middle name. Take a look at our lists and see if any of these names make the list!
MICHAEL
The first name on our list has been a monster smash hit since the 1950s and has never really stopped being popular. Michael is derived from the Hebrew mīkhā'ē'l, which means "Who is like God?" and flows with a ton of other boy names.
CHRISTOPHER
Popular all over the world, Christopher is a classic boy baby name. Originally the name comes from Greece and it comes from the name Christophoros, which is composed of the elements Christos, meaning "Christ" and pherein, "to bear." The steadiness of this name would make a nice balance for a boy with a more whimsical first name.
MATTHEW
Although it might seem that the name Matthew has been popular for forever, that's actually not true. The name spiked in popularity in the 1950s and remained on top well into the 2000s. The roots of the name come from the Hebrew Matityah, which is derived from mattīthyāh, meaning "gift of God."
JOSHUA
The first J-name on our list! Joshua comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua, which is from yehōshū'a, meaning "Jehovah is help, God is salvation." And in the Bible, Joshua was Moses' successor who led the Israelites to the Promised Land.
JACOB
Another name that really picked up in popularity through the last half of the twentieth century, Jacob is a name derived from the Hebrew Yaakov. It also can loosely be translated to "seizing by the heel, supplanting." It's handsome name that pairs well with any number of boy first names.
NICHOLAS
This name has a long and storied history, but we'll cut to the chase. Originating from the Latin Nicolaus, Nicholas is a compound name composed of the elements nikē, "victory" and laos "the people." It's not as popular anymore as a first name, but would make a great middle name.
JAMES
There pretty much isn't a place where James isn't a popular baby name: Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Tasmania … But that's pretty much because it's a good one. Similar to Jacob, James also means "supplanting, seizing by the heel."
DANIEL
Just like millennial movie star (i.e., born in the '80s), Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter), this name is loved far and wide. Originally it was taken from the Hebrew name dāni'ēl, Daniel has biblical roots and means "God is my judge."
TYLER
Is there any name that is more '90s than Tyler? We don't think so. Tyler was originally a surname derived from the Old French tieuleor, tieulier, which means "tiler, tile maker" and the Middle English tyler, tylere, meaning "a brick, a tile." It's still a semi-popular first name, so using it as a middle name would be a great compromise.
ROBERT
Meaning "fame" and "bright," Robert was originally introduced to England by the Normans and was taken from the Old High German Hruodperht. The name as fallen out of vogue as a first name, but would make a great middle name, especially if there's any family history of Roberts. Cute variations are Rob, Robbie, Bob, and Robby.
JASON
Another J-name! Although Jason was more of an '80s thing, it's still considered a vintage gem. The origins of the name come from the Latin and Greek Iāson, which means "healer" or one could loosely take it to mean "to heal."
BRANDON
Brandon might seem like its uniquely American, but it actually is a name that comes to us from across the pond. Loosely, the name means "dweller near the brushwood hill," and was a variant of the English surname Branton.
RYAN
Another name that should be familiar, Ryan was originally an Irish surname, O'Riain, and loosely means "descendant of Rian." It also was believed to be the diminutive form of rí, meaning "king" — so therefore one could say it means, "little king."
ZACHARY
If this name has you humming "Mmmm bop," that's probably because one of the Hanson brothers (remember them?!) name was Zac. Zachary also has Hebrew origins and comes from a derivative of zĕcharyah, meaning "God remembers, memory."
JUSTIN
Now, we can't tell anyone to name their baby after Justin Bieber, but… Justin just so happens to be on this list. Pop singers aside, the name is taken from the Latin Justīnus and is derived from justus "lawful, right, just."
WILLIAM
William is one of the handiest names on this list because it's the root of so many other great names like Will, Bill, Billy, Willy, and even Willie. All of these names from the Old High German Willehelm and means "resolute protector."
BRIAN
An Irish name of uncertain etymology, Brian is thought to have Celtic origins but there's no clear meaning. Some people believe it is derived from the root bri, meaning "force, strength," brîgh, meaning "valor, strength," or bruaich, meaning "a hill, steep, high."
ANTHONY
A name worth its weight in gold. Anthony comes from the Latin Antonius, which is an old Roman family name of unknown etymology. It's often translated to mean "priceless" and "of inestimable worth."
ERIC
A name for a late '80s Disney prince, Eric would make a great middle name for a baby boy. The name comes from Old Norse Eirìkr, and is compounded of the elements ei, meaning "ever, always" and ríkr "ruler," therefore it can be taken to mean "eternal ruler."
JONATHAN
Jonathan is one of those names that was uber popular a few decades ago, but isn't seem so often anymore, making it a perfect choice for a middle name. Taken from the Hebrew Yonatan, it is derived from the name yehōnātān, which can be taken to mean "Yahweh (God) has given."
