Kristin writes:
We are expecting our second girl in July. My husband and I have narrowed down our list to three main names and I would love your opinion–or if you have a similar option? We have a 2 year old name Tessa Faye. Our top 3 list is:
Lyla
Livia
PresleyWe like Kate as a middle name, but not sure if this would be TOO similar to our older’s daughter name.
Tessa, to me, is a sweet, old-fashioned, exclusively feminine name. For me, this would knock the modern surname name Presley right off the list. On the other hand, the sounds (separate from the associations, which of course vary from person to person) are compatible. If you were considering, for example, Leslie/Lesley, which is very close to Presley in sound, I would think it worked despite Lesley being at one time a man’s name (as were Anne and Evelyn, so I tend to think In The Now on this issue): Tessa and Lesley. And in fact I think that might be a nice one for your family: Lesley Cothron; Tessa Faye and Lesley Kate.
Livia also seems like a good fit, although it seems like the similarity to the Top Ten name Olivia might be a hassle to continually deal with.
Lyla or Lila is my first choice: to me it has the same sweet and old-fashioned feel as the name Tessa. Lila Cothron; Tessa Faye and Lila Kate. Myla would also be pretty.
I think it’s fine if middle names are similar in sound, and in fact I find it appealing; it makes me want to say “Tessa Faye and Lila Kate,” even though I would usually have just said “Tessa and Lila.”
Let’s have a poll, over to the right! [Poll closed; see results below.]
I agree with Swistle.
Going just off sounds, I like Livia best, though I’d like it better if it were Olivia, since I think she’d battle people on her name for her entire life if it were missing the ‘O’.
My first choice would be Lila, if you used that spelling, or Livia if the spellings are set.
And if you’re looking for new ideas, how about Lydia?
It seems like a cross between Lyla and Livia.
I prefer the spelling Layla because it has five letters like Tessa.
Look no further. Lila Kate is PERFECT. I’d spell it properly though (Lila, not Lyla) but Lila Kate is just lovely, and with Tessa Faye is so pretty. Like Swistle I’m pretty sure I’d call the girls their whole names a lot because it’s just so pretty and singsongy (Tessa FAYE and Lila KATE! It’s time to go to the PARK!)
Lyla (or Lila) Kate is darling! It’s a wonderful name!
Something similar to your current list is ‘Lorelei’… in which case, ‘Lila’ would be a reasonable nickname option.
All the best to you and your growing family!
Swistle,
I would be fascinated to know, statistically, how much your opinion sways the votes of your loyal readership. I’ve noticed that when you’ve made a recommendation, it’s usually that choice that wins the most votes. Is it because we all have impeccable (similar) tastes? Do you find that the polls you post without commentary line up with your own esteemed (but unexpressed) opinion? Or am I way off?
On that note, I agree with Swistle. Lila/Lyla and Tessa are a lovely match. Lydia is a good suggestion as well.
I actually quite like Tessa Faye and Presley Kate. Tessa and Presley are both similar in popularity too!
I do prefer the names Lila (this spelling!) and Livia to Presley, but with Tessa I like Presley the best (because it doesn’t end in ‘uh’).
I know sisters named Erin and Tessa, if you like Erin? Erin Kate is cute!
Love the name Tessa btw :-)
Anon May 22, 9:42 pm- Maybe we can convince a grad student to do a paper on it!
I like the name Lila or Lyla best from your list. I also like Lydia Lydie Olivia or Isla as suggestions. Congrats!
Hi!
I love the name Lila/Lyla Kate from your list. Presley to me sounds a bit like it could also be a boys name, what do you think of Paisley as an alternative?
Good luck!
I prefer Livia with Tessa. For me, Presley doesn’t go with Tessa at all, and Lyla is too trendy. 2009 combined spellings of Lyla (2010 rankings not yet available) placed the name as the 64th most popular girls’ name in the US:
#64; 5,180 total: Lila – 1,913; Lyla – 2,058; Lilah – 873; Lylah – 336
(On that list Tessa ranks 207 and Livia, 576.) http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/2009xx.html
Tessa Faye and Livia Kate are compatible sister names and yet distinctive; feminine (unlike Presley) and each with only one spelling in the SSA Top 1000 (unlike Lyla, Lila, Lilah, Lylah). I like the nn Livy for Livia too: Tessa and Livia and/or Tessa and Livy.
And on its own, Livia is a very appealing name:
“Baby Name Bible” recommends Livia as a “Best Bet — names we [the baby name experts from nameberry.com] find to be particularly appealing in a wide range of styles” and say of LIVIA: “…the distinctively attractive Livia has been an independent name since ancient Rome and is still commonly heard in modern Italy. Good Olivia alternative.”
Penguin Reference Dictionary of First Names (UK) reminds us that “Livia is featured as the name of a character in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and subsequently made a number of further appearances in English literature from the 16th century onwards.”
I like the Shakespearean connection of both Livia and Kate and would definitely go with Livia Kate, a grand name!
A concern with the LILA spelling is that it’s sometimes pronounced LYE-lah
and sometimes LEE-lah. BabyNamesPedia uses the second — LEE-lah — pronunciation, which you can hear on that website.
I like Lyla the best!
I agree with Patricia that Livia is best, but I’d add the info about how close Livia is to Olivia, and also that the popularity spacing between Lila and Tessa is closer than between Livia and Tessa.
I like Lyla, Livia or Lila with Tessa, and they all suit Kate as a middle name. Also suggest Lyndal Kate.
wait wait wait. How do most people say Lila? i’ve always said LIE-la.
Vanessa- I say it LIE-la, too. I hadn’t realized some people were saying it LEE-la—I think of that pronunciation as being spelled Leela, Leila, and Lela.
I love Lila it is so pretty and fits so well with Tessa Faye which is also a lovely name! a friend of mine recently had a little girl Lila but she spelt it Lylah! i think i prefer your spelling though. Tessa Faye and Lila Kate are prefect!! good luck! x
I love the combination of Lila and Tessa.
But I’m biased: I’m Tessa and our daughter is Lilah. ;)