Taryn writes:
We are due at the end of October and are finding ourselves further and further away from a name that we like, boy or girl. Our last name is Nadeau (rhymes with play-doh) and we have a 2-year-old daughter named Finley Frances. We love her name and can not come up with a name, either gender that we love equally. We recently created lists with the thought that we need to have some names in mind when we get to the hospital, none that we are truly married to.
For boys we have:
Andrew (after my father and would be called Drew)
Trevor
Callahan
OwenFor girls we have:
Louisa (have not gotten a great response when floated this name with friends and fam but can’t help but be drawn to Lou-lou for n.n.)
Brenna
Annika
OliveThere have been other names we like but for certain reasons can’t use them. We love Francesca, but 1. Fin’s middle name is Frances and 2. I do not want to use the same letter to start Fin’s sibling’s name. Also, any name that ends with an o sounds funny with Nadeau. I also like a lot of names with a similar ending to Finley, but it sounds funny to me when I say the names together. It is important to us that the name have a good n.n. and that it is somewhat different without being outlandish. (although our boys list does not necessary reflect that)
We would love to hear some suggestions, as we have searched every list around and have yet to be inspired by anything!
Thank you!!
Because Finley is an androgynous name, I’d use this rule of thumb (which I’m pretty sure I got from Beyond Jennifer and Jason): similarly androgynous for a sister (or at least not distinctly frilly), clearly masculine for a brother. And with your surname, I find I don’t like the sound of first names ending in N, which cuts out a ton of options.
Darby Alice
Ellery Estelle
Ellis Ruby
Emory Eleanor
Hollis Harriet
Quincy Margaret (Fin and Quinn too much?)
(I included a number of names that don’t have nicknames, because I would have thought of Finley as nicknameless, too.)
I LOVE Louisa. I think it’s non-frilly enough to go okay with Finley, though it’s quite a different style. Louisa is the sort of name people might be “meh” about when you tell them about it, but then later it will grow on them so much they won’t be able to believe they ever felt that way. And the right middle name will make it fit better with Finley: Louisa Ruby is better with Finley Frances than, say, Louisa Elizabeth. Maybe: Louisa Hazel, Louisa Matilda, Louisa Harper, Louisa Ivy, Louisa Violet.
For boys, I find Owen too much O with Nadeau–and because it ends in N, it runs together. Owenado.
My favorite from your boy name list is Andrew, and I like that it’s a family name.
Name update 11-05-2010! Taryn writes:
We had a baby boy on October 29th! After he was born we took out our list and reviewed our names, and like many before us have stated, one name just seemed to stick out… We named him Kelton Terry (after my older brother) Nadeau. Although Kelton was a name not suggested for us, I did find it on your blog suggested as a boy’s name on a different post! Thank you for your ideas and inspirations :)
Louisa is my favorite name for a girl, and I get terrible reactions to it in real lfie. I don’t understand, because on name boards, everyone loves it. Sigh. But I think Swistle’s right. I think it’ll grow on people. How can it not? It’s so gorgeous!
I love Louisa Olive with Finley Frances. Great names!
For a boy, I love Callahan. Andrew Callahan is nice too.
Good luck!
I usually really agree with Swistle, but not to much this time. I don’t think of the name Finley (on a girl) as androgynous. I think of it as funky (as in funky cool not funky wierd). I think Olive would be a great sister to Finley.
I DO NOT like the name Louisa AT ALL. It might be because I knew a Louisa in middle school who was SO nerdy and turned out to be a complete looser. I do, however, love the NN Lou for a girl! What about Talulah? I LOVE that name. SO much character. Or Louise, Louren (a bit of a stretch in terms of how you pronounce it but not in spelling), Eloise? Eloise could be really cute with Lou for a NN.
I love Owen so much I am trying to convince myself Swistle is wrong about it with your last name, but I think she might be right. Andrew is a great name, too, and good meaning for you to boot. I think that’s my boy choice.
About Louisa, I have to disagree. I like it, but to me, it doesn’t seem to go with Finely at all. Annika would be my top choice, followed by Brenna. I also like some of the names Swistle suggested as middles like Ivy, Harper or Ruby. In fact, I think Harper is my favorite of the lot. (I seem to be ignoring the nickname criteria, though, don’t I?)
My own suggestion is Reese. Again, with the no obvious nickname. I will come back if anything else comes to me that’s has more nickname potential.
p.s. I spelled Finley wrong back there. Ooops.
I like Callahan and Annika both because they are a little different without being strange!
My favorite on your boy list is Andrew. My favorite on your girl list is Brenna.
I don’t like the name Louisa. I think old fashioned and old. But that’s just me. For nicknames of Lou-lou what about:
Lucy (my fav)
Luanne
Luella
Lucille
Or Tallulah like the other commenter said.
Good luck!
I’m in the “I love Louisa!” camp. However, with Finley, I don’t know. Finley is quirky modern, I think, and Louisa is firmly oldie but goodie.
Now, you LOVE LouLou as a nn. My stepsis has a two syllable name that starts with L, ends in a “ee” sound. We call her LeeLee or LuLu all the time! (No -oo or -u sound in her name, btw.) Why not focus on semi-androgynous first names that start with L? That way, LouLou/LuLu Is still within reach.
Linden Elise
Landry Violet (A little like laundry when you read it, but the LAN In Landry is so audibly different from the LAWN in laundry)
Layne Elizabeth
Lainey Olivia
I had to put names with -n endings. Landry, Lainey, and Linden are my faves.
Just thought I’d throw out there that my name is Lindsay and my nickname has always been LuLu… I love both, and think it works well with Finley too.
I know a little girl whose name is Lucille Louise and goes exclusively by either Lucy or LouLou
I love Andrew! And I would pair it with Trevor as a mn. Andrew Trevor Nadeau.
Louisa / Louise is one of my favorite girl names. However, I don’t think it’s great with Finley. I like Olive very much for you, as well as Annika. Finley and Olive is cute!
I know someone called Malou (short for Marie-Louise), and I’ve always thought it’s a wonderful name on it’s own.
Finley and Malou; Fin and Loulou.
Good luck!
I love Malou! But I was actually thinking of Luca for a girl. You still have Fin and Lulu, but Finley and Luca seem more like sisters. Or brothers, which is the point, right?
Luca Lucille strikes me as a slightly repetitive but intriguing pair to Finley Frances.
Best wishes!
Did anyone suggest Eloise? (Spelled differently but has the same sound as Louise/Louisa.) You could definitely use the nickname Lulu for Eloise. Also Lucia (pronounced either Loosha or Loo-see-uh). That could also get you to Lulu. Ten years ago I would totally have turned my name up at Louisa/Eloise but I am now totally into them. Classic! Good luck
Your boy names are all great, solid, masculine names. Owen does blend a bit with your last name, but it’s still a quality sort of name.
For a girl, have you considered names like Maris or Della or Wren?
I do love the idea of ‘sweet Lou’ for a nickname (SO cute!), but I agree with some of the other comments above that Louisa doesn’t have the same vibe as Finley. And Brenna seems more feminine, Annika seems more exotic, and Olive seems more classic.
BUT…
You may really be on to something with the nicknames of Fin and Fran together. They are amazingly darling! Yes, Finley already has Fran in her middle name, but she might like a link like that to her sister. If Francesca doesn’t work, what about Francine?
Best wishes to you and your growing family!
I agree that another androgynous name for a girl or a strongly male name for a boy would fit best with your daughter’s name. I love Louisa and think it would make a fine middle name. Lindsey Louisa is very cute with Finley Frances and lends itself to “Lou-Lou” as a nn, but probably not one that your daughter would want to go by when she’s an adult. “Lou-Lou” could be her nn within the family; Lindsey, at school, etc.
Some other suggestions:
Avery Louisa
Aubrey Louisa
For a boy, Andrew “Drew” is perfect — totally male name with a family connection.
Best wishes!
I think Louisa works better as a middle name for you, since it is the same style as Frances. I agree with others who said you should go with a more androgynous girl name for the first name.
I like Callahan from your boy list and I think you could get away with using it for a girl too. Cal and Fin, or Cali and Fin. Cute.
Callahan Louisa?
I love the suggestion of Landry for a sister to Finley. And I also love Louisa. I like Louisa Laine. Making the sister’s monograms adorable: fNf, and lNl :).
Louisa Laine
Landry Louise
I like Andrew on your boy list.
I love Trevor, go Trevor! It’s great that Andrew is a family name, but AN-drew NA-deau is very sing-song-y to me.
we just named our 3 week old Finley. her older sister is named Lydia, just a suggestion!
ran across your site when looking up meanings and popularity of Finley
What a great name! I actually had to add it to my list of favourites :)
Congrats!