Katherine writes:
hi there. my husband and i are expecting our fourth baby on october 2nd. we have two girls and a boy and decided for the first time to not find out the sex of this baby. we have a boy name picked out already, but are having a hard time with a girl name. my husband is convinced this baby is a boy, so we don’t even really talk about girl names anymore, but i think it would be wise to have one just in case he’s wrong : ) our children’s names so far are kaitlyn margaret (margaret after my husband’s grandmother), sydney nicole, and jackson david (david after my husband). if this next baby is a boy, his name will be william kerry (kerry after my dad) and we will call him liam. somehow, we’ve managed to have all two-syllable names, so i’d like to stick with that for this last baby, even if it’s just the nickname.
our two top names at the moment are – sophia, and we would call her sophie (my husband’s pick) and nora (my pick) my mother’s middle name is jean, and so is my mother-in-law’s, so i like the idea of doing nora jean. i don’t think my husband is completely sold on jean, though, so i really don’t know where we are on this…
other names we had on our list are:
olivia
penelope (call her penny) – started as kind of a joke, but it’s still on the list
whitney (maybe not, with sydney?)
abigail
ansley
neriah (i LOVE the meaning of this (lamp/light of the Lord) but don’t think i’m bold enough to use it)
i wish there were more biblical girl names that i liked – i considered esther, but i don’t like it with our last name, parker.
ok, so there you have it. i’m sorry this is so long! any help you have would be great.
thanks so much!
I love Nora Jean, too, and I was thinking it seemed like such a natural fit, and then I realized why it sounded familiar: Norma Jean was Marilyn Monroe’s real name. Well, but that’s not a very strong association—I only know it because of the Elton John song “Candle in the Wind” (“Goodbye, Norma Jean / Though I never knew you at all…”), and that song is, what, 35 years old?
I can add a few more biblical girl names to consider:
Jordan
Junia (2-syllable nickname Junie)
Lydia (2-syllable nickname Liddy)
I think Jordan is particularly nice with Kaitlyn and Sydney. You could still use Kerry as a middle name: Jordan Kerry Parker. Or you could put Neriah there, since you love it but feel a little nervous about using it: the middle name slot is excellent for slightly-too-nervous names. Jordan Neriah Parker. Or Jordan Whitney Parker would be nice, if you love Whitney but think it’s too close to Sydney for the first-name slot.
Or perhaps Lydia, since then all your girls would have a Y and everyone would have different initials. Lydia Jean is nice. Or Lydia Kerry.
I guess my own first choice would be Lydia Jean, but I’m unduly influenced by liking to give everyone a different first initial (it’s so handy in my household for labeling things). If it weren’t for the initials thing, I think my first choice would be Jordan Neriah.
Name update 10-05-2009! Katherine writes:
hey there! thanks so much for all of your help… we had decided about an hour before the baby was born that if it was a girl, she would be named nora jean. however, our little boy, william kerry parker, was born on october 1st and we couldn’t be happier. : )
thanks again!
Nora Jean so you don’t repeat initials. It isn’t so much about liking the name Jean, it’s about honoring two family members.
The name Sophie doesn’t need to be a nickname for Sophia – I actually prefer Sophie and think it sounds a lot spunkier with sisters Kaitlyn and Sydney – Sophie Jean Parker sounds great.
I love Nora! Also Layla kind of seems to fit with the suggestions…I love Layla so much! It feels biblical to me though I am not sure if it really is?
I also like Nora with this sibset, and another biblical name that I think works perfect in your sibset is Leah. Caitlin, Sydney, Jackson and Leah, and Leah Jean either totally works together or is too close together depending on your tastes. Nora sounds a little quieter and more grown up then Sydney and Caitlin and Jackson to my ear, but Leah doesn’t. There is always Elizabeth in your back pocket too, with a host of two syllable nicknames…
Here is a link of (many) biblical names for girls if you feel like taking a look: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search/0/biblical.
I think Neriah is a beautiful name and I have heard of it being used once or twice recently. I can’t think of a two syllable nn for it but maybe the more creative types can? Sarah is another beautiful biblical name imo but it might not be right for you.
Follow-up: have you considered Abigail? I think it goes nicely with your other children’s name and Abby is a sweet nickname as well. (Abigail was King David’s wife).
Moriah (or Moriah) is the name of the mountain where Abraham came close to sacrificing Isaac.
Oh, I love Abigail, I think it really fits well with Kaitlyn, Sydney and Jackson.
Also love Ainsley (I’d spell it this way, with the I between the A and N, gives it the “ayn” sound at the beginning rather than an “Anne-sley” sort of look).
I love Jordan Whitney. I think Jordan is a nice compliment to Sydney and Kaitlyn. Lydia is my second favorite.
Sophia and Nora are both great picks. But if neither of you is wowed by the other’s top pick and you need to start fresh, here are some of my favorite Biblical girls names:
Hannah
Leah
Rebecca (Becca)
Ruth (Ruthie)
Susannah (Susie)
I like Swistle’s suggestion of Lydia quite a bit, too.
What about Eleanora or Leonora? Norah as a nickname.
Oh I just read a book where a character was named Noriel but called Norah….?
If you are looking for something biblical, please don’t use Leah. She was the one that Jacob was tricked with–the older sister that he had to marry to get to the one that he really loved (Rebekah). Why would you want to name your daughter after a biblical character who was the unloved plural wife with her beloved younger sister? Eww.
Anon- Leah was probably still a perfectly nice girl despite her awful biblical circumstances. Her God-given situation doesn’t reflect poorly on HER, surely? It’s not like using Jezebel.
Plus, in Leah’s defense, it is a great name. And I wouldn’t take biblical characters or meanings too seriously, assuming it is the style you are after and you are not actually naming your kid after a saint or, well, a “good” wife.
My daughters name is Lael pronounced Lay-el. It means belonging to God. Maybe that would work for you?