Baby Girl, Sister to Lilly and Kira

Katherine writes:

We are having a baby girl due September 29, and we’re still really stuck on the name! We currently have two little girls- Lilly Samantha and Kira Madeline, who we had no trouble naming. Their last name begins with a C and ends in -ing. We want our baby girl to have a shorter first name and a longer middle name like her sisters. I’m leaning toword two syllables, to go with her sisters, but I’d be fine with one as well. Right now we are thinking about Alexandra and Charlotte for a middle name, but the big issue is the first name. My top two are probably Maya and Faith, but I don’t totally love either of them. I also really like the name Halle (I like that spelling rather than Hallie) but I’m worried it sounds to similar to Lilly. I love the name Hunter as well, but I don’t think it really goes with our others. Some other names we’ve considered are:

Bryn (my husband likes it, I don’t)
Abby (It seems too much like a nickname to me, and I don’t love Abigail)
Taylor (not sure if it goes with the others…and I don’t love it)
Nina
Leigh ( I LOVE this name, but I don’t like the idea of having two kids with the first initial)
Lea/Leah (same problem as Leigh)
Becca (I like Becca, I hate Rebecca, and Becca feels too much like a nickname)

I also love Allison, Hannah, and Natalia, but these all seem too long to go with Lilly and Kira. I want them to be about the same length. I also love the name Niamh, which is Irish, and both my husband and I have Irish backgrounds, but I worry about naming my daughter something so uncommon that so few people will be able to pronounce.

I love the names Veronica and Victoria, though I think both are too long to go with Lilly and Kira.

I love Sydney as well, but again it seems to long for me, visually.

Thank you so much!!

I leaned heavily on the “Short and Sweet” section of The Baby Name Wizard (still linking to old edition because it seems like I need to link SOMEHOW to the book—but what the hey, Amazon.com? Ever going to list the second edition?), and then added a handful more your list brought to mind:

Alia
Anya
Ayla
Beck
Beckett
Bria
Britt
Cleo
Esme
Eva
Mia
Mila
Romy
Tessa
Tia

My favorites from that list are Alia, Bria, Britt, Mila, and Tia. I love the names like Anya and Eva and Romy, but I wonder if those sounds are a little heavy with Lilly and Kira (the book listed Roma instead of Romy, which is even heavier).

Name update 09-28-2009! Katherine writes:

Eden Alexandra arrived Friday, September 25, at 9 am. She is a beautiful, delicate little girl and her name fits her perfectly. Thank you so much, all of your suggestions and the comments from the readers helped to narrow down what we really wanted and it was a comment from a reader that put Eden in our head and made us fall in love with it. Thank you!!

28 thoughts on “Baby Girl, Sister to Lilly and Kira

  1. Carolyn

    What about Brynleigh? That way it could combine your and your husband’s favorites. Or maybe Breelyn?

    Another idea is to play with the long “i” sound, such as Isla, or Violet, since Lilly and Kira have different pronunciations of the letter “i”.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    I’m guessing mom isn’t big on names with nicknames. Alia is a great suggestion, but may be too much “L” with Lilly; likewise Mila. I know it’s really popular, but I think Ava is a great name for this family.

    Reply
  3. erin

    I vote for a non a or non y ending, since your other girls have that already, and a new first letter as well. A name that I love for your sibset (and it means dream or vision in gaelic) is Ashlyn. I love Lilly, Kira and Ashlyn together!

    Other names with a different ending that might work are:

    Megan: Lilly, Kira and Megan
    Haden/Hazel: Lilly, Kira and Haden
    Bridget: Lilly, Kira and Bridget
    Teagan: Lilly, Kira and Teagan
    Elise: Lilly, Kira and Elise
    Taryn: Lilly Kira and Taryn
    Nicole: Lilly, Kira and Nicole
    Violet: Lilly, Kira and Violet (two flowers though – but cute!)
    Brooklyn (too long)?

    But I think Ashlyn is the best. From Swistles list I would favor Tia, Eva and Bria, although again, it sounds (to my ear) too much like Kira and not enough like Lilly…just my two cents.

    Reply
  4. tracynicole22

    The first name to pop in my head was Mia, I like that and Romy from Swistle’s list. I personally think you should stick with same style and go with a short and sweet name. Some others:
    Avis
    Dawn
    Elsa
    Macy
    Nora
    Good Luck!

    Reply
  5. Clare

    I like Niamh. People will get used to the spelling. I also like Ashlyn, but in the Gaelic spelling: Aisling (pronounced more like Ashleen). Or Aiofe (pronounced E-fah).

    Reply
  6. Katie

    What about Britta? I like the combo of the Bria and Britt (and would suggest Brita but for the water filter) and it sounds similar to the other girls without being weird.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    I was attracted to the names with different endings than your two girls – Bridget, and Esme. I also think Isla is a sweet name that fits the “style” of your girls’ names and is different enough from them even though it shares a similar ending.

    Isla Charlotte
    Esme Charlotte or Esme Alexandra
    Bridget Alexandra

    Good luck!

    Reply
  8. Karen

    Tessa, Isla, and Avis are my favourite suggestions so far.

    I can’t quite get a grasp on the style. Lilly and Kira are both fresh and short but Lilly feels much more old-fashioned to me. Every name I think of seems to match Lilly or Kira but not both.

    Without worring about matching endings, how about:
    Janna. Lilly, Kira, and Janna
    Jenna. Lilly, Kira, and Jenna
    Ada. Lilly, Kira, and Ada
    Maeve. Lilly, Kira, and Maeve
    Daphne. Lilly, Kira, and Daphne
    Mona. Lilly, Kira, and Mona
    Jada. Lilly, Kira, and Jada
    Brea. Lilly, Kira, and Brea

    Reply
  9. Anonymous

    I like the idea of each name having a different ending and beginning sound from the others.

    I like Brooklyn, Hazel and Elise from the suggestions so far.

    Reply
  10. Steph the WonderWorrier

    Love Maeve, Isla, Esme, Ava and Tessa from suggestions so far.

    Ashlyn is also a favourite of mine from the names suggested. Recently I’ve been hearing the name Aislyn, which traditionally was pronounced “Ashlyn”, but now is being used with the pronounciation of “Ace-lyn” or “Ayz-lyn” (so, phonetically, pretty much, rather than gaelic). It’s growing on me.

    Lilly, Kira and Aislyn.

    Or maybe:

    Gemma. Lilly, Kira and Gemma.
    Chloe. Lilly, Kira and Chloe.
    Moira. Lilly, Kira and Moira.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous

    My favorite suggestions so far are Mia, Isla, and Gemma. Gemma, especially – so pretty! Gemma Charlotte sounds fabulous. I’d also like to suggest:

    Cora
    Paige
    Brooke
    Zoe
    Remy
    Hanna / Hana (potential alternatives to Hannah)

    Any of these appeal to you?

    Reply
  12. mechi

    Niamh is gorgeous. I love Niamh Alexandra, and it’s nice that it links to your heritage. If you’re worried about people mispronouncing it (which will happen), try spelling it in an Americanized way. Neev, Neve, Nieve, or Neave.
    My favorite (besides the original Niamh, which is my ultimate favorite), is Nieve. Nieve Alexandra is pretty.
    And Lilly, Kira, and Nieve sound very good together. It has the right sound, and it fits well with your other daughters names.

    Reply
  13. legitbabenames

    I don’t think a lot of the names on your list go too well with Lilly and Kira. Lilly and Kira are feminine and classic, while names like Bryn, Halle, Hunter etc are trendy and masculine. I can’t really see them in the same sibset. From your list, I think Nina goes the best. Its a very sweet name like your other two daughters’ names. I would definitly go with that.

    Reply
  14. Katie V.

    I really like Hanna with your sibset and I think taking off that extra H makes it look short and sweet like the others.

    Lilly, Kira & Hanna
    Lilly, Kira & Ada/Adah
    Lilly, Kira & Rory
    Lilly, Kira & Ruby
    Lilly, Kira & Sadie

    What do you think?

    Reply
  15. Anonymous

    I’m not sure if someone has suggested it , because ihavent read the comments
    but i really think Isla would fit well!
    Esme or Isla… looooooove them:D
    good luck!

    Reply
  16. Frazzled Mom

    From your list I like Nina the best. From Swistle’s list I like Tessa the best. When I was reading your letter, the first name that popped into my head was Cora. And then I saw that someone else suggested it. I say pick Cora! Pick Cora! The only problem with Cora is that it doesn’t go that well with the middle names you listed.

    I will suggest:

    Cora Felicity
    Cora Genevieve – hate to suggest this because I’m stealing it from another Swistle reader who chose this for her baby, but I never forgot it because I love it.
    Cora Penelope

    I would also consider the longer names you like: Allison, Hannah, Natalia, Veronica, Victoria as possible middle names, but none of them go with Cora.

    Perhaps:
    Nina Victoria – a little sing-song-y but not too bad.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous

    What about Ariel? It’s short enough and I think it goes well with Lilly and Kira. Or Eden.

    Lilly, Kira, and Ariel

    Lilly, Kira, and Eden

    Good Luck,
    Libby

    Reply
  18. Erin

    oooo, I love Eden for this sibset, good pick. I also agree about the spelling of Aisling, though if Niamh is too much. I think Esme is great too, if much less common than the other girls names. Cora I think is too close to Kira, though a nice name in and of itself.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.