J. writes:
We are expecting our second child, a little girl, Christmas day (please. PLEASE. please. come earlier) and would love some name advice. Our son’s name is Wilson (named after my grandfather). Our last name is Smith. We like classic names that are strong or make you think of strong women. We also like a family connection, but also want something that is not too common (we already have the most common last name there is).
My maiden name is Hudson and we are strongly considering it for her name. We like Hudson Kathleen (Kathleen was my grandmother’s name) but I am afraid it is too harsh for a girl and doesn’t go well with Wilson. Other names on our list are: Ayla Grace (Ayla means oak in Hebrew. Oak is a nickname I have for my husband. He is my oak tree–strong and dependable.), Grace Kathleen, and Anna Lee (our mother’s middle names). Anna is quickly leaving the list… Okay, it is pretty much off the list.
My husband loves Ayla. I like it but it sounds similar to our niece’s name Alana (pronounced: A-lane-uh). Grace has always been my favorite name. I think it is the most beautiful name in the world, but it is so common that I don’t know if we should name her that.Some other names we like are: Charlotte (My husband likes this name more than me. If we went with it we would most likely use the nickname Charlie), Violet and Olivia.
Naming this little one seems harder than I remember. Although, we didn’t actually name our son until we saw him. The original names we had for him (Grant and Scott) just didn’t fit. He came out looking like a wise old soul and naming him Wilson (after my grandfather) just fit. Maybe she will be the same.
So what do you think regarding the names we have? Do you have any other suggestions? Your help is appreciated!!
Smith is such a tricky surname! It rules out the common end of the spectrum (Jane Smith, Elizabeth Smith), but it can make highly unusual names sound comical, like that Monty Python skit about political candidates where it’s like Broomdiddly Rang-Rang Biscuit-Barrel Montgomery…Smith. And because it starts with an S, it blends with first names that end with the S-sound: Grace Smith sounds like Gray Smith; Iris Smith sounds like Ira Smith.
Hudson, for me, is neither classic nor strong woman. Even as a boy’s name, I think it would out-boy the name Wilson. I suggest using it in the middle name slot.
The meaning of Ayla is a good one, but it seems confusing that it reminds you of the nickname you use for your husband. A name that symbolizes someone whose strength and dependability you can count on is perfect for a spousal relationship, less perfect for a parent-child relationship. And without knowing the meaning, I would have put the name Ayla in the same category as names such as Kayla, Jayla, Braelee, etc.—good names, but not classic or strong.
I’m not sure I have a handle on what kind of name you’re looking for: “classic” and “strong woman” doesn’t fit for me with Hudson or Ayla; “not very common” doesn’t fit with Grace or Olivia. And for me, Grace and Violet are more like “gentle woman” names: a charm/virtue and a small flower.
Here are some names that make me think of strong women:
Anastasia
Antonia
Athena
Beatrix
Carmen
Claire
Claudia
Constance
Diana
Eleanor
Elena
Elizabeth
Esther
Fiona
Florence
Francesca
Genevieve
Georgia
Hazel
Iris
Jane
Julia
Louisa
Margaret
Minerva
Naomi
Nora
Penelope
Philippa
Philomena
Rosemary
Simone
Victoria
Wilhelmina
Winifred
This list would vary hugely from person to person: associations are so subjective. I’ve got Diana on the list because it makes me think of the goddess, but someone else might think of Shy Di. I have Julia on my list because of Julia Sugarbaker, but someone else may have never watched Designing Women. And maybe I’m thinking of biblical Esther and someone else is thinking of a frail grandmother, and so on and so on.
It influences me strongly that you think Grace is the most beautiful name in the world. There are two strikes against Grace: it’s commonness (because of the commonness of your surname), and the way the ending S-sound blends with the starting S-sound of your surname. But if your husband feels close to the way you do about the name, I think those issues are minor and my vote would be to use Grace. Wilson and Grace is a WONDERFUL sibling set (the sitcom Will and Grace doesn’t bother me, especially now that it’s over). Grace Hudson Smith would be my top pick, but other options are Grace Kathleen Smith and Grace Charlotte Smith. Kathleen Hudson Smith would be another possibility.
From my own strong-woman list, my favorites are:
Claire Hudson Smith; Wilson and Claire
Claudia Grace Smith; Wilson and Claudia
Eleanor Grace Smith; Wilson and Eleanor
Georgia Grace Smith; Wilson and Georgia
Julia Hudson Smith; Wilson and Julia
Louisa Hudson Smith; Wilson and Louisa
Margaret Grace Smith; Wilson and Margaret
Nora Grace Smith; Wilson and Nora
Rosemary Grace Smith; Wilson and Rosemary
Name update 01-15-2010! J. writes:
Dear Swistle and Readers,
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I can happily report that it was YOUR suggestions that helped us name our daughter… Eleanor Lynn Smith was born on December 20, 2009 at 7:07 pm- weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long. She is just perfect! We call her Nora, Nora Lynn, and Eleanor.
Actually, I think choosing a child’s name with such a subtle link to a parent’s name is quite appealing. We’ve considered Avalon for a daughter, as a way to link to husband’s name – Arthur. (Guinevere would be weird, but you’d have to think about Avalon to get the connection.)
And since Wilson has a family name, it would give Ayla the same.
The only drawback to Ayla is that she does sound quite a bit like Kayla, Jaylee, Hailey, Makayla, etc. But she isn’t – she’s got roots, no pun intended. :)
You might also consider the Hebrew spelling Elah, which gives you some distance from your niece’s name – but would have your daughter explaining that she’s Ayla, not Ella, forevermore.
Another option is to choose another tree name – Willow is too close to Wilson, but there’s always Linden or Juniper or Laurel – all of which are strong, feminine and unusual without being bizarre.
I do think Hudson is too much.
Juniper Grace Smith, Linden Charlotte Smith, Laurel Hudson Smith …
Best wishes!
Wilson gives me a Western feel. I think good sister names could include Sarah/Sadie, Mary/Molly. Other suggestions: Abigail, Stella. I like your husband’s pick of Charlotte/Charlie, too. If you want to go with the “last name” feel rather than Hudson I would go with Harper, Avery or something a little more common for girls. I think Grace or Ayla would be good middle names.
Btw, I like your strong women name list, Swistle! My daughter’s name is on there as are a few of the names on my short list if we have a daughter #2.
I second Abigail–it means a Father’s joy and makes me think of Abigail Adams, just as Wilson make sme think of Woodrow Wilson. Or how about Amelia (Earhart) and mean’s hardworking or Audrey (noble strnegth)?
From your list I like Charlotte the best. It seems to meet your naming guidelines the best. Although, I am not completely turned off from Hudson like others are, but I’m not so sure about it either, so maybe the mn spot would be a good choice. Not a big fan of Ayla. It just sounds incomplete to me and it is pretty close to the Alana. I thought of Audra as an alternative (same meaning as Audrey above.) I like the above suggestion of Laurel. I’ll throw in Darby, Hadley & Reagan as suggestions. And completely out of left field, I like the name Winter/Wynter. She is being born in winter, it sounds cute with Wilson, winter can be seen as a strong season, maybe, I don’t know, I just like it! I knew a Wynter in college and she was a cool chick, so I just have a positive association with the name. Good Luck and keep us posted!
Ayla does seem like a strong woman name to me, due to the lead character in the movie The Clan of the Cave Bear. But I agree with Swistle that the meaning conveys more about a spouse than the parent-child relationship.
Grace is very beautiful, and its meaning makes me think of willowy dancers and princesses. What about Emily, which means “full of grace”?
Some other ideas:
Gelsey (Gelsey Kirkland is a famous ballerina)
Giselle
Faith
Isla
Flora
Cora
I love Julia, Eleanor and Rosemary. Nora for short with Eleanor is darling or Ellie, but I tend to shy away from that cause I’m Kelly. Good luck!
I too like the subtle connection of Ayla to the husband’s nickname. I see it as more of a naming-after than as a reflection of the relationship between the parent and child. And the idea of oak definitely conveys the strong woman idea to me. Not many people would know the meaning, though.
My first thought about Hudson when paired with Wilson was Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. Especially if you pair Hudson with Kathleen. Just something to think about.
I didn’t even think of the Ayla-Kayla connection until Swistle mentioned it. I think it’s a beautiful name and I don’t think it’s too close to your niece’s name to be a real problem. If they were siblings, yes, but not cousins.
Congrats and good luck!
Like many others, I’m not feeling Hudson for a girl. Maybe as a middle.
I have a good friend whose husband and daughter have the last name Smith. The girl is named Gwendolyn Elizabeth. I thought it was a good name for Smith. I think they had Sarah and Charlotte on their list for a second daughter, although they never had one.
For you I favor Grace, because you love it so much. Grace Kathleen Smith would include a family name. I think this is my top choice for you. Or you could put Grace in the middle slot and use both names. It works with almost anything. I know two girls named Anna Grace and one named Amelia Grace. All three are called by their first and middle names.
I don’t know about some of the more common picks with Smith. There must be a lot of Abigail Smiths out there, as well as Grace Smiths, Emily Smiths, Olivia Smiths, etc. Ayla I like a lot, and I like the suggestions of other tree names like Juniper and Laurel. I don’t feel like it goes with the Kayla group as strongly, It sits on its own well. Charlotte goes wonderfully with Wilson also. My best friend was strongly considering Charlotte for her daughter, and ended up going with Annabelle instead, which you might like considering its less popular and you (used to) have Anna on the list.
I tend to favor (from Swistle’s list) names like Genevieve, Claudia, Julia, Fiona, Victoria, and Naomi. All are a great deal longer (save for Olivia) than the names you were considering, although I think thats fine with a last name that is short and easy. Good luck!
I love the suggestion of Laurel. If you love the “Oak” idea, you could go with Oakley/Oaklee. Too obvious?
Names that make me think of strong women:
Eleanor
Colette
Marisol
Cora
Victoria
Danielle
Danica
Quinn
Margaret
Naomi
A friend of a friend recently named her baby Gracelynn (too close to Graceland, IMO, but more unusual than Grace). Quinn might be a good match – it has a similar feel to Grace (one syllable) and, for some reason. Wilson and Quinn are adorable together!
Eleanor is an obvious choice. Eleanor Roosevelt’s first name was actually Anna … but Anna Smith is, um, a bit boring and goes into the Anna Nicole Smith association. (And Anna Lee runs into the Anal-ly issue as well, yes, please, I beg, skip Anna altogether.)
Genevieve is another good suggestion.
I like Hudson for a boy’s name. I’d save that for any potential third babes or give it as the middle name slot for this girl.
Quinn is my favorite. Quinn Hudson Smith is perfect … in my opinion :)
I think Grace is great! I think it ages well, too- it appropriate on a little girl or a woman. And although popular, I don’t think it’s TOO common!
What about Lila Hudson Smith? Lila sounds great with Wilson and sort of sounds like Ayla.
I think you should go with Grace. You love it and it goes SO WELL with Wilson.
I also like Kate. It’s always had a strong feeling to me, and you could choose Katherine if it’s too nickname-y for you.
From Swistle’s list I love Eleanor, I also like Georgia and Margaret.
Good Luck!
Libby
I’m with Swistle on this one – the guidelines you state don’t seem to fit with the names you say you like (I think Hudson is a dreadful idea for a little girl – even for a boy, if I’m honest, as I’m really not into the “surname-as-name” thing).
For “strong, classic names” I’m going to give you my daughters’ names: Carla (means “strong”, from German) and Lydie (means “geographical region of Ancient Asia Minor” (yeah!) or “Saint who sold purple dyes”, so yeah, the meanings aren’t great, but I love the name, or it’s English equivalent, Lydia).
Otherwise, I like the tree suggestions and would add Rowan to that list.
Good luck with the name choice – my husband and I were stupid enough to choose the only two girls’ names we liked for our older daughter and Lydie ended up having no name at all till she was 3 days old… Which reminds me, their middle names are classic and strong too: Noémie (the French version of Naomi) and Rebecca…
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To me, “strong women” names tend to be the classics, and as has been pointed out, they may seem a little blah next to Smith (mind you, it is always nice to have a recognized last name, so that’s a big plus for Smith). I like them though, even if they don’t pop how you think they should.
The other great thing about Smith, is I think ANY name goes with it, I really do.
However, as was also stated above, what I think of as “strong females” will be totally subjective based on my personal experiences with those names. So, I say: just pick what YOU love!
Here are Nymbler.com suggestions after using Grace, Ayla and Kathleen as “inspirations”:
Clara
Ava
Kiera / Kira
Charlotte (which you already like, and I love)
Lena
Ella
Shauna
Katelyn
Amelia
Meghan
Brenna
Colleen
I also don’t care much for Hudson as a girl’s first name.
I like Ayla. It’s sweet to name her after her father in such a subtle, personal way.
The cousin’s name isn’t close enough to be an issue, I don’t think. It’s not like one’s Alice and the other Allison. If you’re worried about older relatives mixing up the names, that will likely happen anyway regardless of how (dis)similar their names are.
My first impression was that Ayla sounds more modern than classic.
I like most of the names on Swistle’s list, but feel Georgia stands out the most. If you want to go on the Georgia theme, there’s also Virginia.
Ayla sort of made me think of Aida (ah-EE-dah), like the Food Network Show, ask Aida. And behindthename.com says Aida is a variant of Ayda – very much like Ayla. Of course Aida and Ayda don’t have the meaning you like. But I’m suggesting Aida because, while it sounds modern and is similar to Ayla, it was used in an old opera, called Aida from like 1870’s, which gives it some old cultural roots and IMO some classic credibility. And for some reason the d sounds is stronger to me than the l sound and thus Aida seems like a stronger name to me.
This is all subjective of course. The Food Network show might make it seem too pop-cultural in some people’s opinion, but I don’t think that should take away from its history. Especially since I don’t think Aida Mollenkamp (Ask Aida) is nearly as big as Rachael Ray. In fact I had to google “Ask Aida” to find the woman’s last name, and I found a Wikipedia entry that was only one paragraph long
This is AWESOME! You are all AWESOME!! Your suggestions are awesome!Can I saw awesome anymore???
Keep ’em coming… We had never considered some of the names until now. We especially like Eleanor or Nora. We only see using Eleanor as an offical name if we went that route and would most likely call her Nora and or Ellie. What do you all think for a middle name for Eleanor? If we use it…
Thank you! J
I’m thinking Eleanor Hudson.
Eleanor Hudson Smith
It sounds like a baroness or something. Regal.
I like Eleanor Kathleen. Kathleen is my mom’s middle name, and I’ve always thought it was perfect because of the stress on the second syllable.
Other ideas:
Eleanor Grace (I know a little girl named Ellie Grace, and it just flows so well.)
Eleanor Olivia is a fun tongue twister
Eleanor Kate (you could call her Nora Kate for short :) )
As a Hebrew speaker, I have to jump in here to make a few corrections. Ayla does NOT mean oak- the girl’s name that means oak is Alona. Eila (how I would write it), is a wild pistachio tree. Ayala means deer-like, and is a very pretty and popular name (our son is named Eyal, the masculine equivalent). In Hebrew it’s pronounced Eye-ah-LAH.
In any case, it doesn’t look like you’re going with that name. Good luck!