“Filler” basically means a super common name that’s used so often it feels as though any special significance has been lost. Middle names such as [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and [name_f]Joy[/name_f] are in this category due to often getting used because “we didn’t have any ideas and it sounded good”. This isn’t to say you can’t use these type of names out of genuine appreciation or with meaning (I honestly really love [name_f]Rose[/name_f] for many reasons), it’s just that when you hear them you kind have a “of course that’s the middle name” kind of reaction because it’s been done a million times before.
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I love this terminology! So good 
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Just adding on to what I previously said, my middle name would be considered a filler by lots of people but my parents had it picked out before my first name. It is not an honor name, just a name they both loved and wanted to use. I have met many people with it, but I still love it.
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They’re super common middle names like [name_u]Marie[/name_u], [name_u]Anne[/name_u], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], etc. They’re called filler names (I think) because when you can’t think of anything else you just use it. Plus they flow well with any name so they always work.
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Fillers are names that fit with a huge variety of names and end up being used a lot for middles, such as lynn, lee/leigh, leann, [name_f]Ann[/name_f]/e/a, [name_u]Marie[/name_u], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Robert[/name_m], ect.
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I hate the concept. [name_f]May[/name_f], [name_u]Anne[/name_u], [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_u]James[/name_u] are all family names for me and I love them all! But they are highly predictable mns.
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While boys’ names are commonly passed down generations without anyone batting an eye, girls’ names that are commonly used are called “filler names” for being too common. The reason they are frequently used is because people like them, but also quite often because they honor someone. Names like [name_u]Marie[/name_u], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] are very common middle names, but why is that considered uncreative when many Moms, Grandmothers, and Great-Grandmothers share these names? It’s insulting to say parents didn’t put any thought into a middle name when it’s very likely they know someone else with this same middle name and want to honor them. If you think about it, it’s also a little misogynistic when the “uncreative” or “boring” label is typically applied to girl names, but rarely to boys’.
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Yes I never see it on boys!! [name_u]James[/name_u] a common middle name and I never see people calling it a “filler”
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This. It’s generally a term used to imply little thought is put into a middle name choice, which is a bit harsh (almost like judging a book by it’s cover, I guess?) because that name could be a family name, or even just a name someone really likes. I LOVE [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and both are family names for me, so if I use them in the middle spot, it’d be because I like them, not because I couldn’t be bothered to find anything else in the way that the term “filler” implies.
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Right - [name_u]James[/name_u] is called “timeless” or “classic,” while [name_f]Grace[/name_f] (also a timeless classic) is “filler.” Such a double standard.
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Same with [name_m]John[/name_m] and [name_m]William[/name_m], see those a lot in the middle and they’re never referred to as “fillers”
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To just further this discussion on common/filler names… I’ve been doing some serious family tree mapping in the last few days and I have found families upon families who gave their kids the same names over and over again. Names the occur over three times in one family line include:
Mary (8+)
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] (6+)
[name_f]Ann[/name_f]/Anne (5+)
[name_f]May[/name_f] (3+)
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f] (3+)
[name_f]Eva[/name_f] (3+)
[name_f]Elsie[/name_f] (3+)
[name_f]Grace[/name_f] (3+)
[name_f]Nora[/name_f] (2+)
For boys they were even less adventurous…
[name_m]John[/name_m] (8+)
[name_m]William[/name_m] (8+)
[name_u]James[/name_u] (5+)
[name_u]George[/name_u] (5+)
[name_m]Donald[/name_m] (3+; on account of one side of the family being settlers to the [name_f]Isle[/name_f] of [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], which terrifyingly means I am probably related to Trump given their last name was Macleod which was his mothers maiden name)
So if I was going to honour any of my family members born before 1900 I wouldn’t have much to choose from 
I wonder where all the new names come from after that!?
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