Natalie writes:
I was hoping you could help us out with a sibling name for our 2-year-old, Isabella Marie.
We are having a baby girl in mid July and this will be our second child. My favorite names are Vivienne and Jocelyn, however my husband dislikes Vivienne. The middle name is going to be Diane after her paternal Grandmother. Isabella’s middle name, Marie, came from my mother’s middle name. I am looking for a classic, beautiful, strong female name. My first name is Natalie and my husband is Jason. Our last name is Gottwals, which is German. I am Irish and German and my husband is German not that we are looking exclusively for a name that fits our heritage, I just wanted to share that info with you! Baby Gottwals due date is July 29 but I will have a C-section, so she will be here July 22. Please help!
I think the name Olivia is strong, classic, and beautiful, and I think it’s a great sister name for Isabella: similar in style, but not at all matchy. I feel the same about the name Sophia: strong/classic/beautiful/similar/non-matchy. Olivia Diane Gottwals; Sophia Diane Gottwals.
Oh, and Angelica! I always think of Anjelica Huston. Isabella and Angelica is so nice. Angelica Diane Gottwals.
A step fully in the direction of Germany would be Wilhelmina. This is one of the names on my own list (though I’d spell it Willemina, which is the version used in my Dutch family tree), and I think it’s soooooo pretty. Cute nicknames, too: Willa or Mina, or I can picture her going by Will or Wills in high school. Wilhelmina Diane Gottwals. But maybe too unusual to pair with a name as popular as Isabella.
Still German but much more familiar: Anneliese. That’s how I’d spell it, too: two Ns, followed by an E not an A. I like to avoid certain situations. Anneliese Diane Gottwals.
More possibilities:
Abigail Diane Gottwals
Amelia Diane Gottwals
Charlotte Diane Gottwals
Genevieve Diane Gottwals
Madeleine Diane Gottwals
Violet Diane Gottwals
I noticed you said your husband didn’t care for Vivienne but you didn’t say anything about Jocelyn. Jocelyn Diane is very nice.
I like Charlotte best from Swistle’s suggestions. My contributions are Amelia and Rebecca.
Oh, I just noticed Amelia is on Swistle’s list, too. Maybe it’s a sign. I do like it a lot.
Similar to Jocelyn:
Caitlin
Geraldine
Joanna / Johanna (the latter being more German I’d think?)
Jolene
Josephine / Josefina
Julianna / Juliet
Other names that would go nicely with Isabella:
Adriana
Alexandra
Andrina
Magdalena
Susannah
Valentina / Valentine
I’m all about the name Anneliese. So beautiful and well suited to a girl or a mature young woman.
There are a bunch of spellings for this name, I think, including Annalise. You could have your pick!
The name Jacqueline could work here, and is so beautiful.
I love the suggestions of Amelia, Genevieve, Rebecca, Sophia, and Madeleine. You might also like…
Beatrice
Evelyn
Elenora
Ooh! I’ve got one for you! I have some friends with German heritage who named their baby girl Renata, which I absolutely love! Renata Diane Gottwals sounds fantastic, and I think Isabella and Renata go very well together.
– ((Julia)). Isabella and Julia. Julia Diane Gottwals.
– ((Jasmine)) Isabella and Jasmine. Jasmin is a German name, but I think it works better in the US with the E at the end. Jasmine seems similar to Jocelyn.
– ((Sofie)) – I really like Swistle’s suggestion of Sophia, but wanted to throw out this slight variation.
– ((Gretchen)) Isabella and Gretchen. Sounds like two adorable daughters to me.
Julia and Gretchen are my favorites.
– ((Julia)). Isabella and Julia. Julia Diane Gottwals.
– ((Jasmine)) Isabella and Jasmine. Jasmin is a German name, but I think it works better in the US with the E at the end. Jasmine seems similar to Jocelyn.
– ((Sofie)) – I really like Swistle’s suggestion of Sophia, but wanted to throw out this slight variation.
– ((Gretchen)) Isabella and Gretchen. Sounds like two adorable daughters to me.
Julia and Gretchen are my favorites.
I love Anneliese. I know a little girl who goes by equal nn’s Anna, or Annie from friends and family, but Anneliese on a frequent basis.
Genevieve is my other favorite.