I recently did a post on my top-10 boy names and my top-10 girl names and I decided to do my top-5 boy names and top-5 girls that i would use as a middle name for my adopted kids no matter if anyone else likes them or not, popularity, origin, meaning or association.
girls
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f]
[name_f]Arlene[/name_f] (pronounced ar-leen)
[name_f]Mildred[/name_f]
[name_f]Maple[/name_f] (it’s the name of a tree)
boys
[name_u]Jack[/name_u]
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_u]Ray[/name_u]
[name_m]Ross[/name_m]
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u] (I only prefer this name for a boys and not a girls names)
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] ~ 8/10 love it, seems earnest and friendly to me, vintagey and warm
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f] ~ 3/10 feels dated and slightly makes me think of ham sorry
the classic novel of the same name is hard work
[name_f]Arlene[/name_f] ~ 5/10 I feel like I should like this more, it’s got an old school charm, I think of [name_f]Arlene[/name_f] [name_m]Phillips[/name_m] the dancer
[name_f]Mildred[/name_f] ~ 8/10 fabulously clunky, pretty [name_f]Milly[/name_f] combined with that strong medieval -dred ending
[name_f]Maple[/name_f] ~ 6/10 makes me think of syrup before the trees but I do like the nature vibes, can imagine it being cute on a little girl and intriguing on an older child/adult
[name_u]Jack[/name_u] ~ 8/10 timeless, cheeky, forever fresh
[name_m]Felix[/name_m] ~ 8/10 sparky, lucky, raffish
[name_u]Ray[/name_u] ~ 3/10 dated but I love it in principle, it could grow on me
[name_m]Ross[/name_m] ~ 4/10 I like the sound but can’t get over the Friends association
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u] ~ 7/10 feels more unexpected on a boy to me, adventurous, dashing
1 Like
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there.
Here are my favorite to least favorite rankings:
Girls-
Maple-Sooo cute. It’s just playful and nature-y and feminine but not frilly. It feels vintage yet fresh. It’s easy to say & spell but not popular.
Ruth-I really like [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]. It’s just smart and warm & kind but bold. Simple & classic & not heard too often. The nn [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f] is natural and super sweet.
Pamela-I like it in theory more than the actual sound. I like how it’s unique & unexpected; I just don’t think that I like that ‘Pam’ sound for some reason.
Arlene-Meh, kind of same as above. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the mid-century vibe, but it just doesn’t have a pretty sound to me.
Mildred-I like the nn [name_f]Millie[/name_f], but [name_f]Mildred[/name_f] just reminds me of the word ‘dread’.
Boys-
Jack-Love [name_u]Jack[/name_u]. I wish that it weren’t so popular, but it’s timeless and sporty, smart spunky boyish & lovable.
Quinn-I very much prefer this for a boy. It’s very sweet & handsome. I wish that it weren’t popular for a girl.
Ray-I can’t figure out why I don’t like this more. I think maybe it feels sort of dated but also ready for a comeback. Has a cool fresh cowboy vibe.
Felix-I don’t mind it. It’s kind of cute & quirky; maybe I feel like it’s kind of trendy. Probably because I see it on Nameberry a lot.
Ross-This one doesn’t do much for me. It just feels kind of dull and frumpy and kind of 70s. It’s not a bad name at all; just my least favorite.
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. 
I’ll rate out of 10
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] - 6
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f] - 7
[name_f]Arlene[/name_f] - 7 (haven’t really thought of this one before, it’s kinda cool)
[name_f]Mildred[/name_f] - 2
[name_f]Maple[/name_f] - 7.5
[name_u]Jack[/name_u] - 6
[name_m]Felix[/name_m] - 9
[name_u]Ray[/name_u] - 7
[name_m]Ross[/name_m] - 7.5
Quinn-7
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] - Adorable! I love, love, love Ruth; such a strong sweet classic, and nn [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f] is precious. By far my favourite of your girls. 9/10.
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f] - All the Pams I’ve met have been 50 +, but I can actually imagine this being cute on a little girl. I liked a Victorian children’s book when I was a kid where the main character was a kickass [name_f]Pamela[/name_f] nn ‘Pammy’ so I’ve felt affectionate towards her ever since. 7/10.
[name_f]Arlene[/name_f] - I like the midcentury vibe and I adore the potential for nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u], but something about the ‘-lene’ sound isn’t that pretty to me? [name_m]Just[/name_m] preference though, and I think it’s a good balance of wearable and unexpected. 6/10.
[name_f]Maple[/name_f] - Very cute, but I’m not sure how comfortable it would be to wear; I feel like this is a name some people could pull off but not others - that said it is super pretty. 6/10.
[name_f]Mildred[/name_f] - I’m not convinced [name_f]Mildred[/name_f] is ready for reuse; the ‘Mil’ sound is pretty but all I can think of is ‘dread’. 3/10.
[name_m]Felix[/name_m] - Yes! [name_m]Felix[/name_m] comes on and off my top 5; to me it’s a perfect boys name - sweet, strong, familiar but not super used. 10/10.
[name_u]Ray[/name_u] - I like this a lot! I’ve met two Rays who were both lovely men, so in my head it’s a ‘good person’ name. 8/10.
[name_m]Ross[/name_m] - Objectively a good name, although I watched Friends much too young, so [name_m]Ross[/name_m] Geller is so firmly rooted in my mind I couldn’t really remove him. Still 7/10.
[name_u]Jack[/name_u] - Nothing really to be said against [name_u]Jack[/name_u], except that it’s so overused, in my county anyway; there’s a reason for that though - it’s a cute spunky classic. 6/10.
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u] - I just don’t like the sound of this one? And for some reason, even though I like a lot of 1 syllable names this feels a bit insubstantial. I do like it better on a boy though, more fun and unexpected. 5/10.