Nicole writes:
We’re expecting our first child, a girl, on 1/11/11, and cannot decide on a middle name. Our last name is Ogle. Her first name will be Reese, but can’t settle on a middle name that we both like and that flows nicely with our last name. The middle names we’ve considered are:Elizabeth – don’t want to use because of a family disputeIrene – my grandmothers’ names, but don’t think it sounds rightNicole – my nameRenee – my middle nameIsabelleWe’re not attached to using a family name but kind of liked the idea of honoring both great-grandmothers. We mostly just want a middle name that sounds good between Reese and Ogle.Any suggestions?Thanks!!
Similar in rhythm and sound to Elizabeth (but without the family dispute) is Felicity: Reese Felicity Ogle.
Another name with the rhythm of Elizabeth is Olivia: Reese Olivia Ogle.
I also like Reese Miranda Ogle.
Another possibility is a hybrid I saw recently: Elizabelle. It gives you Elizabeth and Isabelle, and it sounds very pretty with the other names: Reese Elizabelle Ogle. This does give the initials REO (as in REO Speedwagon), but I’m guessing a ’70s/’80s band isn’t going to be the kind of thing elementary school students will be familiar with. I mention it only because that’s the sort of thing I like to think through and accept in advance, rather than suddenly realizing it after the baby has been named.
The name Irene isn’t perfect as a middle name for Reese, but it’s good—and in fact, the more I think of it, the more I like it. I think if you don’t have a strong feeling about a particular middle name, you might feel pleased later on if you used a name that reminded you of both of your grandmothers. Then if anyone ELSE didn’t think the flow was perfect, they’d think, “Well, but it’s a FAMILY name”—an explanation that covers a great deal of imperfection. And it’s so rare for a name to be said in full. Yes, I think if I were you I’d use Irene.
Name update! Nicole writes:
We went with Reese Nicole. We just thought it sounds better together. But we’re planning on using Irene for our next girl’s middle name (assuming we have another girl, that is) :)
Thanks!
I love Reese Irene! I think the elision of the “s” and the “i” combined with the repeated “ee” sounds gives the name a lovely lilting sound. And I also love that you can honor two grandmothers in one pop. Beautiful!
Well my daughter’s middle name is Irene after her grandma and great grandma so of course i”m voting Irene. The name has REALLY grown on me. I only used it because of family significance and now I love it. My only teeny hesitation is future initial words. My daughter is now P.I.H. which is fine but she could marry and be PIG PIT PIS all sorts of crappy words. Yours could be RID or something. BUT that’s so far in the future and unpredictable it’s not really worth worrying about (even though I do).
IRENE!
I like Irene and the sentiment behind choosing it. However I don’t like the way it sounds with Reece. I find it a bit of a tongue twister to say Reece Irene together (comes out as Ree-sirene for me) unless each name is pronounced very slowly, with a pause between them. Could you add a second middle name before Irene?
Otherwise, I would give her your name as her middle name:
Reece Nicole. I like the two names together, and I think your daughter would like sharing a name her mommy.
I think your daughter would like sharing a name WITH her mommy.
What about a variation on Irene?
Reese Iren/Eiren Ogle
Reese Irina Ogle
Reese Irayna Ogle
Reese Irenka Ogla
I think Reese Irene has the kind of repeating sounds some people love and others don’t. Personally, I like it and it has good meaning for you.
Isabelle has the advantage of being related to Elizabeth, but presumably different enough to skirt the dispute. Elspeth is another possibility I’ve always liked.
Nicole sounds good with Reese, too, and it’s a nice family connection as well.
Have you considered using Reese in the middle name slot, but still have it be the name she goes by? As in: Irene Reese Ogle, goes by Reese?
That may help in choosing names with a better flow. I love Reese, but it is a difficult one to pair up!
How about…
Reese Aubrey Ogle (RAO)
Reese Elizabetta Ogle (REO)
Reese Vivienne Ogle (RVO)
Reese Chloe Ogle (RCO)
Reese Eva Ogle (REO)
Good luck, very adorable name!
I’m in the camp that thinks Reese Irene flows well. I just said it a couple of times out loud and it sounds great to me. My second mn choice would be Nicole.
Good luck!
I’m not so sure I like the combination of Reece Irene, but the more I say it the more it is growing on me.
I LOVE the idea of having the initials RIO, with the option of using Rio as her nickname.
Reece Ivy, Reece Isla, Reece Iris all work but you’re probably best to stick to Irene since it’s a family name.
Good luck.
Reece Irene Ogle, is kind of hard for me to say. Sorry! I love the sentiment behind it though, so I second the possibility of Irina (eye-ree-nah) as a middle. It makes the flow easier for me. Otherwise, I love the suggestion of Felicity. I like the multiple syllable names here; Alexandra, Olivia (as mentioned), Meredith, Antonia, Dominica, Cordelia, Frederica, Georgiana, Virginia, Valentina.
Good luck!
MY daughter is named Irene (after my deceased mother) and I vote strongly for Irene for you too!
Irene is pronounced /ee-REN/ in French, so that might be a possibility too.
Another idea is to think about saving Irene for a future daughter. If that’s not a possibility, how would you feel if you never had the opportunity to use the name? Sometimes looking at why or how attached we are to a name helps determine whether it’s the right fit, more so than the way it sounds.
When deciding whether or not to use Irene or Nicole or any other family middle name, I would ask myself if you plan to have any more kids and if you would use family middle names for those kids.
For example, if you decided to pick a middle name for Reese based on sound, such as Reece Felicity, would you want to use Irene as a middle name for a second daughter? If you did that, it may cause hard feelings between the daughters, such as “Why does she have the family middle name when I don’t?” or “How come my older sister has the hip, fashionable middle name, and I got stuck with the stodgy family middle name?” I don’t personally feel Irene is stodgy but I’m trying to look at things from a kid’s perspective
With all that said, I feel Nicole is the perfect middle name for your daughter. I find it fitting that the first daughter is named after the mother and I feel it sounds good too. You can use Irene for a second daughter if you have one.
Reese Renee both looks and sounds so darn appealing. And I love that its a name with a reason (same as Mommy’s) too. It has a peppy feel to it.
Good luck and I hope she comes on 1/11/11 – how cool is that!
I like Reese Marie Ogle
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon is the full name of the actress Reese Witherspoon, whose stage name Reese (her mother’s maiden name) has become a trendy girls name because of her popularity. However, Laura Jeanne (she grew up in the South so there’s a good chance she was called by her first and middle names) didn’t choose an androgynous name for her daughter, but named her Ava.
I think Reese work best with a name that doesn’t begin with a vowel, like Witherspoon. For your baby, I think Reese Nicole Ogle would be meaningful and sound well together.
What about Reese Evalyn Ogle? I know that name was not on your list, but it kind of just popped into my head.
Congratulations on your little Reese Nicole. Lucky girl to have her mommy’s name as her middle name — excellent choice.