Babies

Most middle names are picked in a hurry, on a clipboard, ten minutes after the worst day of someone's life.

Which is fine. The middle name is the one nobody hears. Forms ask for it. Strangers don't. The middle name is the one you wear for yourself.

So pick something good. Pick the one that does the heavy lifting when the first name has gotten a little tired by Tuesday afternoon. The middle should add weight, balance, or a tiny secret.

Below: forty-plus first names, each with twenty-six middles and a reason for every one. Click anything.