Jennifer writes:
We are due on May 6th and are totally stumped thus far!!! Our daughter is named Adelie, and we call her Addie. We love the fact that it is classic and sophisticated, but with a manageable nickname. Our last name is quite cumbersome (three syllables) so the shorter name option is essential. It is important to us to avoid common names, but we still wanted a classic feel and Adelie fit the bill perfectly. Our leading choice for the new baby girl is Wyndan Rose. We would call her Winnie as a baby/little girl and she could switch to Wynne or Wyndan if/when she wants something more sophisticated. I think Wyndan sounds very elegant and graceful, but fear there is too much of a masculine association. I think it is officially a boy’s name, yes? I love the flow of Wyndan Rose, but am not crazy about the fact that Rose is such a common middle name. Our second choice (also a boy’s name?) is Quinlan (Quinn). We really don’t want to saddle our little girl with a name that is too masculine, however, and we are open to totally new suggestions that fit our criteria. Please help!!
I’m having trouble getting a handle on your criteria. To me, Adelie is a modern invented name and not classic at all. Wyndan is, as far as I know, not an established name (are you thinking of the boy name Wyndham?), so you’d be free to make it a girl name if you wanted to.
I say YES, Wyndan is a very good sibling name for Adelie. They’re both invented names; the nicknames Addie and Wynnie are great together; and I don’t think Wyndan is too masculine.
I think it’s nice to balance an uncommon first name with a more-common middle name, and I agree with you that Wyndan Rose has a nice flow. But I also know what you mean about Rose getting a little tired as a middle name these days, so perhaps we can find some other options. Jane is used pretty often but still sounds good to me. Joy, too: not uncommon as a middle name, but not overused either. Noelle. Kate. Eve. Joan. Ruth. Fay. Jo. I’d avoid any names that emphasize the “Wind in/and” sound of Wyndan, such as May, Skye, Rain, June. I think my favorites are your original Wyndan Rose, and also Wyndan Joy.
Name update! Jennifer writes:
We ultimately chose the name Piper as a sibling name over Wyndan thanks in part to the feedback we got from your awesome site.
I just wanted to add a quick comment about the name Quinlan. I think it’s a fine name, but if you’re worried about popularity the nickname Quinn is what concerns me. While not popular yet, I wonder if it will be rising in popular baby names soon enough. One of the main characters on the new show “Glee” is Quinn. With the shows popularity, I’m sure some of the names will start showing up in a few years. Just a little food for thought.
And I really like the sound of Wyndan Rose. I know a sister of my friend named Wynn.
I haven’t personally heard of Wyndan before but I’m loving it! Its a beautiful name choice and I think its great for a girl. The nickname Wynnie is lovely too (especially with Addie). My vote for middle name would be Ruth “Wynnie Ruth”. It still has that same flow as Wyndan Rose but is slightly less common. All the best to you!
I like Quinlan (/ Quinn). I looked it up and it is indeed a boy’s name, but it is so unique that most people will probably not realize it.
Like Swistle I’m not sure about your criteria, but you might also like:
Finley, Hollis, Mallory, Olive, Selma.
Good luck!
If you go with Wyndan, I think Rose sounds nice as a middle, but I like the suggestion of Ruth, as well.
If you’re looking for something unusual, here are some names from my daughter’s preschool class that I’d never heard before I met the girls in question:
Merichel
Riana
Zoli
Wyndan reminds me of Rowan, which I have a distinctly feminine impression of.
And I get that Adelie (I’m saying it “Ad-uh-lee”) sounds old-fashioned, like Adelaide. I agree with Swistle & Co. that it’s a made up name, but I feel like it has an old-fashioned flavor. Wyndan sounds more modern to me.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Rose being too common as a middle name. I have some friends who complain that their middle name, Marie, is too common. But that only comes up when I bring up baby names or names in general :).
I wouldn’t worry about a too-common middle name. My name, Carolyn, was not very popular in the 80’s among all the Jennifers, Laurens, Alisons, et al. I honestly felt a little left out, and enjoyed having the same middle name as more than half of my class did (Marie).
I love the name Wynne or Winnie with Adelie, but Wyndan does remind me very strongly of the very masculine Wyndham. Would you be willing to consider other full names to get to Winnie? I especially like Gwendolyn or Winona/Wynona as options, though others include Winifred or Gwyneth.
Other names that I think might go well with Adelie:
Cora or Coralie
Eloise
Elise
Elodie
Lila
Maisie
Tamsin
Nora
For short middle names, besides Rose and Ruth I also like Pearl or June/Jane.
Best of luck!
Just wanted to say that Adelie is a French variant of Adele/Adelia and is also the name of a penguin. See: http://muchadoaboutnaming.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/much-ado-about-adelie/ So, not really “made up”.
I’m going to dissent and say that while I like Wyndan, I don’t like it with Adelie. I actually prefer Quinlan, or Quinn. I like the other options given above too, and I don’t have a problem with the middle name Rose being too common. In fact, it’s lovely.
I think that if you’re looking for something a little more “classic” but still has a unisex feel, maybe Peyton, Quinn, Devon, and Caden.
Several years ago, we were considering Quinn as a boy name for our first child. You’re right–it is traditionally a boy’s name. But whenever we mentioned it as a consideration to people, the first reaction we got was “Isn’t that a girl’s name?” Since then, I’ve met several female Quinns, so you probably wouldn’t get too many people confused by the gender if you decide to go that direction
I love Wyndan Rose. If you’re looking for something more feminine maybe Winsome? Or maybe that’s too granny-ish. Or just Wynne or Gwen/Gwendolyn.
Love Winnie as a nickname. Just watch out for her being called Winnie the Pooh or Whiny Winnie.
There’s Winifred, too.
But back to middles. Wyndan Rae could work.
Oh, I think Adelie is such a lovely name! I really like both of your other choices (somehow I think Wyndan Rose goes better with Adelie, but I’m not one who knows “classic” or backgrounds or anything else…I thought they were both classic and sophisticated. Hmmm.) Anyway, best wishes with the baby and I can’t wait to hear what you name her! :)
Adelie is a beautiful name and not at all modern or made up: French originating from the German name Adelia meaning “noble.” It sounds very French and old fashioned but fresh as well. When I see Wyndan I don’t feel that it has any of the same qualities as Adelie but rather, as Jennifer wrote, quite masculine in feeling. Gwendolyn nn Winnie would be much more fitting. Other ideas to go with Adelie:
Beline nn Belle/Bella
Brigitte nn Gigi
Cecile nn Cici
Celeste nn Celi
Cherice nn Cherie
Colette nn Coco
Dorothee nn Dot
Estelle nn Stella or Elle
Frances nn Frankie
Gisele nn Gigi
Isabeau nn Isa
Lisette nn Lise, Lisi
Louisa nn Lulu
Lucette nn Etta
Lucienne nn Lucy
Maelle/Maelys
Margot
Marine
Noelle
Sidonie
Simone
Zoelie nn Zoe
Well, Wyndan is definitely outside of my comfort zone but I’m going to give it some serious consideration for the sake of this post.
I agree with those who said that Adelie sounds classic/vintage whereas Wyndan sounds modern/”made-up”.
HOWEVER, I’m not of the camp that says that the categories MUST match between siblings. I think that these two names sound great together.
If you are looking for a more classic/vintage name, Gwyneth with Gwen as a nn gets my vote.
If you love Wyndan, I say use it! Nns are a bit difficult… but I’ve been saying Wyndan Kate over and over as I write this and I think I like it the best – I like the contrast of the hard K sound after a first name of soft consonants and vowels. But Wyndan Rose is still perfectly lovely and feminine, and if you’re in love with that then use it.
I think that Wyndan is masculine and doesn’t fit with Adelie. Adelie is feminine, classic, uncommon but familiar, and certainly sophisticated.
Lorna. How about Lorna? It’s feminine, classic, and sophisticated. Plus, it’s not too long, so it should work with your last name. The only thing I’m worried about is that it doesn’t have an easily derived nickname. Lorna and Adelie.
Lanie – I love the name/nn Lanie, Laine or Lainie with Addie. Addie and Lainey. It’s a great stand-alone name. You could also use it as a nn for Madelaine, Jillaine, Delaney, Alaina, etc. My younger relatives love the American Girl collection of books and dolls. Addy and Lanie are both characters. How cute would it be to see two sisters carrying dolls with matching names?
I will eat my hat if the current usage of Adelie is connected in any way to the ancient French/German. My guess is that comes from Addy + Lee, or possibly from Natalie – N.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a modern invented name (I don’t like “made up”—I think it’s unnecessarily derogatory). EVERY SINGLE name starts out as a modern invented name, and every generation comes up with a new batch of them—ALMOST ALL OF THEM based on variations of established names (how else would it be done? random letters?). Whether a name becomes classic depends on time and popular usage.
Let’s say Adelie IS connected in some way to the ancient French/German, it still has not had the popular-over-time usage to make it a classic name.
I think perhaps there is confusion with the words “classic” and “classy,” and with thinking that if a name isn’t classic that means it’s not classy. This is not even slightly the case.
I read Adelie as Adel-i… rhyming with Lorelei, but it seems most everyone else read it Adel-lee. Adel-i seemed more the classic version and Adel-lee the more “invented” version. Now I’m really curious to know which way it is intended?!
Anyway, I like Quinn better than Winnie, but it is probably more common. Wyndan Rose has a beautiful ring to it, it’s just different and sounds more invented to me.
For me, and just for me and my taste, Wyndan sounds like someone with a speech impediment trying to say Lyndon (as in LBJ).
Thanks for giving some love to my name: Joy! Why isn’t it used more often??
I’m not sure if Adelie is connected at all to French / German, but I do know that the Adelie Penguins were named for the wife of the scientist who discovered them so while the name is rare, it is somewhat established. I also know an adult Adelie in her 30’s who goes by Addie as well.
With that said, there is nothing wrong with modern invented names; I imagine that Adelie could also be inspired by Addy + Lee or Natalie. I have heard of people who were proud of their “made-up” name, only to learn that the name really existed! Aren’t names fun?
I personally love Adelie but truthfully Wyndan I don’t care for. I suggest Silvestra (feminine form of Silverster) with the nickname Silvie.
The penguin is pronounced ah-DAY-lee, as in “a daily special.” I’m assuming that the name in this post is the name ADD-ah-lee, which is spelled the same but not the same name.
Even if I’ve misunderstood and the name in the post IS the French name a-DAY-lee, it’s definitely not a classic in the United States.
Adelie is actually of hebrew origin (ADELEE) its in the bible. it means “God is my refuge.”
Shelby- Do you have book/verse on that Bible thing? I’m not seeing it.