Nicki writes:
Our baby is due in 2 weeks and we have yet to agree on a name…I would truly appreciate your help, even though we’ve kept all of our possible choices secret, even from family! While we had just one name all set and ready to go for a boy, we are indeed having a girl. Our last name is Parrott, so that rules out a few names (Polly especially comes to mind). My husband is not opposed to alliteration, but the more I think about it, I’m not sure…I mean, Baby Name Wizard mentions that it can sound like a cartoon character (the “Jenny Jumps” example), and a co-worker of mine whose preteen daughter’s initials are P.P. did admit that kids at school call her that, and she of course hates it. And what is the absolute favorite name of my husband’s, that would be mine if I wasn’t so worried about these things? Paige.
Loren is the middle name of my husband, his late grandfather (who was special to me as well), and first name of his great-great grandfather, so we plan to use it eventually–either middle name of our next child if it’s a boy, or now as a first name, with Evelyn as the middle name (my late grandmother). Having the middle name be after someone in the family, whether a grandparent or parent, is very important to me, and hubby agrees.
So, our top picks for first name so far:
Loren
Paige (hubby’s favorite)
Natalie (my favorite)
Parker
Makenna
Makayla
Ella
Mallory
Bridget
ClaireI like the idea of a name that can be shortened to a nickname, and both of us would prefer to stay away from the “Top 10” names. Some names we like that are already used by cousins are Madeline, Morgan, Carly, Lily, Julia. Speaking of cousins, one just had a baby earlier this summer with a similar name, Laurel Edith, to our plan of Loren Evelyn…would that be too weird? And am I obsessing too much about the P.P. thing? Because Paige Parrott does sound fun and playful, I just want to make sure she’s still taken seriously when she’s older, when she’s in the “real world”.
Thank you so much for such a fun blog! Looking forward to hearing from you!
One of the most useful things I read in The Baby Name Wizard was this question: “If you were starting life today, knowing everything you know about the world, is this the name you would want to represent you?”
The problem is that different people want different things. I don’t want a distinctive name myself, but I notice Faith Popcorn and Parker Posy and Picabo Street haven’t had theirs changed—and many people dislike their own plain names and even get them legally changed to something more distinctive. Still, the “would you want this name?” test is a good Thinking Exercise when considering names for a baby.
If I were you, I’d come down on the side of not using Paige/P.P.—but you might come down on the other side of it, as might your daughter someday. Perhaps a good “have it both ways” decision would be to use Paige as the middle name: she can use it as a nickname if she likes it, and so can you. You’ve said it’s important to you to use the middle name slot for a family name, and I’m in that camp, too—but what if you used a family name for the first name instead? Loren Paige Parrott has family significance, and also has the name Paige but without the P.P. problem.
I’m going to pretend, though, that I can see you shaking your head no: you want to use the middle name slot for family names only. From your list, then, my favorites are:
Loren Evelyn Parrott (LEP)
Natalie Evelyn Parrott (NEP)
Mallory Evelyn Parrott (MEP)
(I think it’s fine that a cousin has a baby named Laurel Edith. Even if you see each other all the time, the names are different enough that at worst they’ll cause minor, occasional confusion.)
Okay, everybody, let’s vote! Pick a name for Baby Girl Parrott! Poll to the right as usual! [Poll closed; see below.]
[Poll results (266 votes total):
Loren: 87 votes, roughly 33%
Paige: 17 votes, roughly 6%
Natalie: 74 votes, roughly 28%
Parker: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Makenna: 4 votes, roughly 2%
Makayla: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Ella: 11 votes, roughly 4%
Mallory: 44 votes, roughly 17%
Bridget: 7 votes, roughly 3%
Claire: 18 votes, roughly 7%]
I’d think twice about using Loren for a girl. I don’t know how I’d feel to be named after my great-great-grandfather, but I’m not sure I’d like it much.
My vote was for Loren. I really like the family significance and it’s a really pretty name. My second choice would be Natalie, which is actually on my own list of names I like.
I’m not much a fan of the P names or names that end with a hard T sound (like Bridget, or possibly Natalie if you decided to call her Nat for short) because they seem to clash a bit with the last name. It doesn’t flow as well.
I like Loren Paige Parrot.
My absolute favorite from your list of favs is Loren. I think it’s a beautiful tribute to those special family members. I wouldn’t be concerned about naming a girl after male family members, especially now that Loren/Lauren is much more often used for females than males.
I know Nicki personally and recommended this blog to her ~ she’s the second of my friends who have been featured! I am famous by association!
Okay, Nicki, I voted for Loren, although I know 2 male Lorens, so I might vote for spelling it Lauren. It still has the same family significance in my book.
I am pretty anti-alliteration, although I do love love love the name Paige and I also love Bridget (was my vote for my baby #3, but my husband used his veto).
I like Claire, but it has a rhyme to it with the AIR sound in both first and last names.
They’re all great names, though. You guys have terrific taste!
I think Loren Paige Parrot would be great.
Lauren Paige Parrott is lovely.
I haven’t voted yet because I can’t decide which name I like the best, and often after voting I change my mind anyway. So here are the three names I like, in no particular order:
Why not Evelyn Loren? Evelyn can be shortened to a nickname, which you wanted (Eve or Evie) and both names are family names so nothing is lost by switching the order.
Lauren Evelyn. If you want to use Loren as a first name, then I would have to agree with Linda and spell it Lauren for a girl – for practical reasons. If you don’t feel it is honoring when spelled the more traditional way, then I would put Loren in the middle.
I also really like Natalie Evelyn and Mallory Evelyn.
I love Bridget, but agree, it doesn’t sound that great with your last name.
Opps, I guess there are actually 4 names I like: Evelyn Loren, Lauren Evelyn, Natalie Evelyn and Mallory Evelyn.
I think any name that ends with a “t” (Nat, Bridget) sounds too harsh with Parrott. I love the name Paige and sound-wise alone, I think it works, but I agree with some of the others that “P.P.” is too great a temptation to school-age teasers, and I don’t think I’d want it even as an adult. Loren (Lauren) goes well with Parrott and the family connection is great. It seems like such a girl name, that I think either spelling is fine, whichever you prefer. (If it were the other way around, naming a boy for a great-grandmother named Lauren, I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic or so flexible with spelling!)
I would save Loren for a boy, especially since it’s a significant MALE name in your family. There are so many girl’s names out there, so I always think we should leave boy’s names for boys. At least, if you use it, please use the female spelling (Lauren or Lauryn).
I voted for Natalie Paige Parrot.
I voted for Loren, but also agree with others, that it is easier for the child if you use the traditional spelling, Lauren. (I have a friend, Steffenie, who HATES it spelled that way, not only did she never get things with her name on them, she always has to spell it.)
I love how Lauren Paige looks and sounds!
ps. I have another friend named Paige Parker, and she never had the P.P. problem. Now she is married, and it is forgotten altogether :)
Susan – If the girl were named Natalie, she could go by Natty and avoid the double “t” sound you talk about. I think Natalie and Mallory are both excellent names, though I think Mallory Evelyn has a slightly better flow. Plus, I love that name because it reminds me of The Baby-sitters Club. :)
I have a last name with P, and had to give up the fabulous name of Paige. I just couldn’t do the P.P. initials. And I wasn’t too keen on the alliteration. I do wish that I had used it as a middle name for one of my girls, cause I really like that name. I’m hoping one of the girls will name my grandbaby Paige. They say they will, but I’ll let them name their own babes. I also had to veto Preston for a boy, and Peyton.
I voted for Loren, but I, too, would change the spelling to Lauren.
You have a lot of great names! I really think Mallory, Bridget, and Mallory are less common girl names. And I like the idea of Evelyn – nickname Evie.
Oops, I meant I think Mallory, Bridget, and NATALIE and less common girl names.
The name Loren is so extremely uncommon for boys now, I don’t think “Loren” is “the boy spelling,” and it wasn’t only for boys even in the ’70s when I was named. I think the name Loren is in fact over for boys now that Lauren is so popular, like the names Allison and Ashley are over for boys now that they’re so popular for girls.
I voted for Loren, but would rather the spellin of Lauren. Considering Evelyn, what about Evelina? I even like it as a first name – Evelina Paige Parrot. Evelina Lauren Parrot. Lauren Evelina Parrot. Just some ideas!!!
I had never thought about the harsh “t” on “Nat” with our last name…especially since my husband’s name is Matthew & goes by Matt!
Thanks for everyone’s input so far :)
I am an alliteration fan, and so I don’t think Paige Parrott is all that terrible. Especially if the middle name is Evelyn. Paige Evelyn Parrott gives the fun initials of PEP, which could be used as a nickname — Peppy or Pepper, to avoid the PP issue.
I vote for Paige Evelyn.
My second choice would be Loren Evelyn.
I voted for Mallory, I think because I like how it looks with your last name with the double letters repeating. I also like the name – it’s under-used, but not uncommon.
I also have to disagree that if you chose Loren it should be spelled Lauren. I had a girlfriend growing up named Loren, and it never seemed to bother her that this is the “boy” spelling. With the popularity of Lauren, Loren for boys is hardly being used anymore.
Also, I like Paige Parrott. I have a friend who got married a few years ago, and now her initials spell PEE, but she chose to keep her birth middle name and take her husband’s name instead of the alternative of taking her maiden name as a middle name and her husband’s last name, which would have made her initials PSE. So clearly, even when given the choice, she did not think it was a big deal. And I think P.E.E. is worse than P.P.!
Sorry this comment is so long!
I voted for Natalie, but mostly just because it’s a favourite name of mine.
I’m torn on the Loren debate. On the one hand I love the idea, because I do love the name Lauren/Loren.
BUT… my mother’s middle name is Clare… and she HATED it growing up because she’s named after her grandfather, Clarence. She viewed it as a boys name for so long. Now as a grown-up she has obviously moved on, but as a kid she said she never wanetd to tell people her middle name. And Clare is a perfectly lovely, feminine name…but she just had such issues with it knowing that she was named for a male.
So I’m torn. Loren is a wonderful, popular girls name…so there shouldn’t be an issue…but when she knows she’s named after a male family member rather than a female one, that could bother her a little bit… perhaps.
Yup, I’m torn. LOL. I love Natalie though!
Oh, save Loren for a potential son’s middle name. Is there any reason Evelyn can’t be the first name? Evelyn Parrot nn Evie is really nice and has better flow than most of the names on your list.
Good luck!
My personal favorite is Amelia but I really do love Natalie and there are so many sweet nicknames for it.
Tally
Talia
Addy
Allie
Alie
Ally
Tallie
Lily
If you decide to go with Loren, here’s an idea on nicknames. Usually it’s Laurie, etc. My cousin is a Lauren and goes by La, and it sounds a little awkward at first but can grow on you and become a pretty nicknames.
My two cents : )
I really like Evelyn as a first name. Evelyn Loren Parrott. Or Evelyn Paige Parrott. I think if you use Loren for your girl you shouldn’t change the spelling. It keeps it original!
Another vote for Evelyn (though on the poll I chose Claire)! Natalie is nice, too. I thought it was interesting that most of the names you like aren’t easily made into nicknames though you like the idea of them. I think Laurel and Loren are too close, and would also stay away from PP.
I’m late but I’m pleased to see others suggested my first thought: Evelyn Loren Parrott!
Can I add another suggestion?? My favorite girls name right now is Alivia. Like Olivia but with an A.
You could call her Ali or Liv or Livy.
Just throwing it out there..
Umm, just had a thought. Any body watch Veggie Tales? Well there is a character on there called Laura Carrot, and that is remarkably similar to Loren Parrot!!! I am changing my vote to Natalie Parrot, but I still like Evelina the best. Also, we were thinking of naming our baby due in April Natalie if it is a girl, but it seems to be ever-increasingly popular…anyone know how high on th popularity list it is? TIA!
F8hful_lo– The Social Security Administration says the name Natalie was #17 in 2007.