(I have a number of questions in my inbox I’m not going to get to in time, so I’ll post them for anyone who would like to work on them.)
Catherine writes:
I’m due with a baby girl on January 4 and we’re still stuck on a name! Our first two children were easy to name – Delilah Caroline (4) and Benjamin Jacob “Ben” (2). This time around, we’ve used our favorite names and don’t want to use a “runner-up” from a previous pregnancy. (We want to love our second daughter’s name just as much as we love Delilah and Benjamin!) We have a few rules:
1. No word names. Our last name is Shore, so anything like Daisy Shore or Georgia Shore sounds like a beach.
2. No one syllable names – they sound choppy with Shore. I’m willing to bend this one if we fall in love with a great one syllable middle name, but we would like to avoid this if possible.
3. Nothing starting with a D or a B. We’d like each child to have their own initial.Here’s our current list:
Adeline
Noelle
Olivia
Jacqueline
IsabelWe’re not 100% sold on any of these. Popularity isn’t a big issue, but I’d like the name to “fit” with Delilah and Ben. I’d love to hear some suggestions, as well as opinions and comments on our current list. Thanks, Swistle!
Name update 01-05-2010! Catherine writes:
Adeline Olivia Shore arrived on January 2, 2010! We reconsidered our original list and fell in love with the name Adeline again. It fits her perfectly and we’re happy to have found a great name for her.
I do like both names, and Eliza might pair better with your older two. But I think it is a mistake to dismiss Esme. Isabella rose over the course of the 90s; I think Esme’s path is more comparable to Isabella than, say, Kaylee. Like Isabella, Esme has been quietly used by fashionable parents in recent years. I know two under five, and that’s not counting Michael J. Fox and Tracey Pollan’s Esme Annabelle. (I don’t know them. ;) )
So while I hear your hesitation with Esme, I find it a far more interesting name than Eliza, and it would personally be my choice.
Best wishes!
I love how your first 2 kids’ names have 3-syllables each so my suggestions are sticking with that theme.
Avery
Madeline
Vivienne
Lucia
Annabelle
Carolyn
Catherine
I love how Catherine sounds with Delilah and Benjamin but I think my favourite is Avery.
I think of Naomi when I hear Delilah and see your list. Naomi Adeline, or is that too close to Caroline in the middle?
Josephine -I think of her when I hear Jacqueline and Caroline. Is Josey Shore too silly sounding, though, if she gets a nickname?
Catherine -I love Hillary’s suggestion. Delilah, Ben, and Cate/Kate are a great set.
Rosalie -I don’t know if she’s too close to a word name, but Delilah, Ben, and Rosalie sound just right together, and I can’t explain why, but Isabel makes me think of Rosalie. I also like the repeating R and long O sounds of Rosalie Shore.
Amelia -She might be the next Olivia, but I really like the rhythm of Amelia Shore.
Tessa -I don’t know why, but I like the sound of Tessa Shore. I usually only like it as a nickname for Theresa, but I don’t care for Theresa with your other kids, or your last name as much.
Zoe -She sounds spunky and sweet and I love the repeating long O sounds. Zoe Shore.
Good luck!
Deliah and Benjamin are lovely names. Here’s what I came up with using your list as inspiration:
Abigail
Johanna
Liana (lee-ahna)
Louise
Sophie
(I had Charlotte up there too, but it doesn’t really work with Shore)
Abigail Louise Shore
Sophie Liana Shore
I really like Olivia on your list, even though I usually shy away from the very popular names.
Olivia Abigail Shore
Good luck!
I love Noelle and Adeline from your list.
Noelle makes me think of Naomi or even Noemi, the Italian version of this name.
Olivia is also beautiful, and if its popularity makes you hesitate, another beautiful option would be Lydia.
I love Adeline!
I like Isabel a lot. That would be my pick from your list.
How about Rebecca?
Two more I thought of after I sent the last comment: Rosalind and Judith.
I like Olivia and Adeline from your list.
I also like the suggestions of Avery and Naomi.
I love the name Rebecca, but I don’t think it’s as “flashy” as Delilah. I think you need something that is of equal fun to Delilah – Adeline seems like the best choice then (IMO).
I love Adeline from your list, and I think it’s a terrific fit with Delilah and Benjamin. Go for Adeline!
I also like Adeline and the three-syllable theme, and would add:
Pamela
Cynthia
Amanda
Amelia
Annabelle
Or, if you want to stick with the subtle biblical theme:
Lydia
Adina
Jemima
Julia
Tabitha
Susanna
Salome
Phoebe
From another Catherine (whose daughter was due last January 4th! though she arrived a few days early) – I love Adeline the best of the names on your list. Lots of other wonderful suggestions, but I do feel I must plug Julia as it’s my daughter’s name and sounds lovely here too. It’s a great name! I also like Vivian.
I like Olivia and Noelle best from your list and I also like the suggestions of Catherine and Amelia. You might also consider:
Juliet
Chloe
Clara
Alexis
Aurora
Adele
Stella
Fiona
I really like a previous poster’s suggestion of Phoebe. Phoebe Shore fits right in with your other children’s names, but also stands out on it’s own.
Like another commenter, I love Annabelle! I love the sib-set and it’s not horrendously popular.
“Delilah” is a strong-sounding name (and the Biblical namesake was a spirited woman), so I vote for a strong name, ideally with a Biblical association of someone on the feisty side. Lydia (business-woman and leader in the Bible) seems perfect, better than Tabitha which sounds softer … and MUCH better than, say, Mary.
Lydia, like Benjamin, doesn’t instantly shout “Bible Name!” Another mainstreamed Bible name is Rebekah — and she was a spunky Bible lady.
If you are looking to increase the Biblical connection, you could choose a name like Zipporah, a Biblical woman who definitely had … zip. And of course there’s Jezebel — but that would ramp up the “Bad Bible girls” image way too much, I’d say. Too bad, because otherwise the name itself sounds great, with good nickname possibilities.