Andrea writes:
We are expecting our second child, a girl, May 6. We have gone back and forth on naming her. Our first is also a girl we named Lilly Savannah and although we love it I regret not spelling it Lily. What we love about Lilly is it seems suitable at any age to us but still whimsical and cute. The only other name we considered for Lilly was Naomi but my husband hated it and still does.
My name is Andrea and my husband is Dan. This pregnancy we first decided on Ella Violet but I decided I didn’t like Violet and Ella was too popular, his two favorites have been Lucy and Olivia. Neither seemed right to me but I do like them. After I vetoed Ella we settled on Molly Rose, which I still like but there is a little voice nagging me that its too cutesy. Other names on our list
Chloe too popular
Magnolia (Maggie) too cutesy
Juniper, I don’t like Junie and I want a nickname for this one
Ruby, again not quite right
Penelope (Penny) too popular
Tallulah, husband hatesI think the kind of name we like is fresh and cute but can still mature pretty easily.
Thank you!
To me, many of the candidates sound SO CLOSE to Lilly: Lilly and Ella, Lilly and Lucy, Lilly and Molly all have so much in common. But then, I have trouble reading a book in which two characters’ names start with the same initial, so I am not sure I am a reliable indicator of Name Similarity.
I think your choice of Molly is great. It repeats the -lly of Lilly, but the different initial and different vowel sound keeps it separate. I don’t think it’s too cutesy: I have no trouble imagining a college-aged Molly, a mother named Molly, a grandmother named Molly, etc.
If you wanted to tone down the cute, you could use a different middle name: Molly Margaret or Molly Samantha or Molly Caroline has more weight.
Another option for cuteness-toning-down would be Holly.
You’ve got Penelope (#252 in 2009) listed as being too popular, but Molly is #92 and Lilly is #117 (and the spelling Lily is #18). On the other hand, Molly has been hovering right in that area for DECADES, whereas Penelope is shooting up at an alarming rate (from #946 in 2001 to #252 in 2009, and I expect another big increase when the 2010 data is released next month). This makes a huge difference in PERCEIVED popularity, which I think is even more important than actual popularity: it may feel as if the name Penelope is suddenly everywhere, whereas Molly feels steady and not very common (as it should: at #92, the name Molly is given to only 1 in 576 baby girls).
More possibilities:
Bridget (a little difficult to say with the surname)
Calliope
Clara
Clarissa
Cleo
Elodie
Felicity
Flannery
Imogen
Josie
Joy
Melody
Mina
Sadie
I also liked Piper, but thought it might not work with the repeating -er in your surname, and also might be too much of a change from Lilly: Lilly seems more soft and feminine, and Piper seems more sparky and energetic. Similar problems with the name Paige, though to a lesser extent (and no -er, but I still don’t think I like the sound of Paige Drucker). And I considered names such as Ivy and Rosalie and Calla, but wasn’t sure you’d want to start a botanical theme (Holly is also botanical, now that I think of it).
First, I just want to say that you shouldn’t regret your Lilly’s spelling. I have a Lily…and we went back and forth on the spelling, ultimately deciding on Lily instead of Lilly because we thought it would be the more popular spelling. She is now 4 1/2, and I think that 80% of the time people spell it Lilly. So I think you just can’t win with this one ;)
I think Molly is fantastic. To me it matches the name Lilly wonderfully…and I think I know enough Molly adults that it doesn’t seem strange as a grown up name at all.
Best wishes!
I like Penelope and the only one I know is an adult. That’s my favorite from your list. Lily and Penelope is a nice sister pair. Or how about:
Lily & Annabel
Lily & Jane
Lily & Sarah
Lily & Theresa
I personally love the name Molly and the girl I used to babysit is named Molly. She is now a junior in college and smart, worldly and beautiful–the name fits her and I don’t think it’s too cutesy.
I also love the name Clara from Swistle’s suggestion.
Cleo is a nice alternative to Chloe, but I’m not sure what nicknames you can get from that.
Laurel, which hasn’t risen very high on the SSA list, unlike the similar Lauren, which has been in the top 50 for about 30 years. Also, Laurel may start both a L theme and botanical theme.
Jocelyn, nn Joss, Jossie, Josie
Carissa, nn Carrie
Elise, nn Ella or Ellie
Alice, nn Allie, Lissie
Delilah, nn Della
Annabel would be cute, with nn’s Annie, Anna, or Belle as she gets older.
Other ideas:
Carissa
Margaret nn Meg
Amelia
Louisa
Phoebe
Since Molly is close to Lilly, I wonder if you would like Hollis instead? To me, it’s the same style but not as matchy with the illy and olly sounds of Molly and Lilly. Also, I suggest Bella whether as a given name of NN. Best of luck :)
I like Mabel with Lily. But that might just be because I’m currently pregnant with a boy (who would be Mabel if he was a girl.)
I like Molly for all of the reasons everyone else listed. It’s a great little girl, teenager, and woman’s name. It’s professional and whimsical at the same time. I think I would pair it with a different mn name than Rose tho. Esp. since Lilly has Savannah. How about Molly K/Catherine, Molly Elizabeth or I liked the earlier suggestion of Molly Caroline. Pretty.
-mc
I find Molly a little too close to Lilly, with the same 3 last letters in each name. I don’t love Magnolia with Lilly either, but I think Maggie — just Maggie, as Lilly is just Lilly (and not short for Lillian)–is darling and pairs well with Lilly. Maggie is cute for a little girl, while also a strong name for a woman. I think Maggie Rose would be an excellent name for Lilly’s little sister.
Some other suggestions:
Tessa
Anna
Gemma
Clara
Best wishes!
My name is Josie (just Josie, not Josephine) and I am a 28 year old professional. I have loved my name my whole life and get many compliments on it. It is whimsical and cute, but can be taken seriously as an adult, and unexpected but not strange. My 26 year old sister’s name is Maggie and I think she would share a similar opinion of her name.
Other suggestions:
Thea
Alice
Adria
Mia
Sophie
Claire
Eva
I love Molly, especially with your surname! despite having the same three last letters as Lilly’s name, I don’t find it too close in style at all. The names invoke totally different feelings in me, yet they still sound great together.
I agree that pairing Molly with a longer, more “grounded” middle name will help you get over the “too cutesy” feelings. I suggest Molly Guinevere!
Maybe Polly instead of Molly? Polly is very cute with Lilly and makes an unusual pairing since Polly isn’t in the top 1000 names. Polly works just as well as Molly for a woman, yet it’s “fresher”.
Polly Rose
Polly Magnolia
Polly Juniper
Lilly and Polly
Or how about Daisy? You mentioned four botanical names you’ve considered, so you may like Daisy too.
Lilly Savannah
Daisy Penelope
Lilly and Daisy
Nickname for Juniper: June. Soft, fresh, feminine.
Have you considered Rosemary? It’s botanical without being hi-I’m-a-flower. Nickname could be Rose or Rosie.
Lilly and Rosemary.
Both have that same, bright, cheerful feeling without being age exclusive.
Excited to hear what you and your husband choose! Best wishes!
I really like Molly Rose, it’s very cute.
Lilly and Molly sound good together. Some other ideas:
Lilly and
Susannah (if you don’t mind the same meaning)
Arabella
Alice
Isabel
Louella
Rosalie
Twylla/Twilla
Have you considered Adelaide nn Addie? I think Addie Rose would be pretty without being too cute. It also goes well with your last name.