Carolyn writes:
Dear Swistle geniuses,
I am due with baby #2 on July 24, 2011 and if it is a girl, it is going to be nameless. It is going to be “Baby B Wiebe” and that is not something I would wish on anyone.
So here’s the scoop. Our surname is Wiebe, rhymes exactly with ‘dweeb’ which delights many many people. My children will grow up with ‘dweeb’ all their life and they will survive it but I certainly want to avoid any first names with equal torturing possibilities. On the flip side, Wiebe is a VERY common surname in Mennonite circles (which we are not but obviously, are related to about 7,845 Wiebes) and it is important to me that my children are not pinned with super common first names. For instance, there are a million Sarah Wiebes, I don’t want to add to the number. So for a first name I want something feminine, unusual but not too out there, and something that will not get mispronounced every day of her life.
Our first child is a girl and we named her Evanie Josephine and I love her name. It was the only girl’s name ever in the running during our pregnancy and I was so happy to be able to use it. We don’t know the gender of Baby B- if it’s a boy we’re naming him Rogan Nathanial and again, it is a name I love and can’t wait to use. So to think of having a second girl and just picking a “yeah I kinda like it” name out of a hat is very sad to me. I want to LOVE it. Maybe that’s too much to ask. The middle name of this girl will be Grace and thankfully, every first name seems to go with Grace.
One complicating factor is that we are in a rather large community of young families and the children are about 90% girls. So every lovely girl’s name has been used. (3 born in the last year went nameless for a week and a 4th had her name changed after 9 months….all of us are struggling!) Names I like that have been used are Jade or Jada, Avelyn, and Maci. Sadly those are off the list. Olivia and Vada are two other (pre-used) names I like but might consider because the families live further away and the girls are 4-10 years older than ours will be.
Our two most considered names are:
Lyla Grace …I lean more towards this one and I know there are other spellings of Lyla but I want to avoid any confusion, hubby gives it a 5 out of 10…
Autumn Grace …my husband likes this one but I’m unsure. Is it weird to name a July baby Autumn?Lyla seems feminine and fairly unusual and I think goes well with Evanie. I don’t see any terrible nicknames coming from it although my husband wonders if she’ll be “Lyla the Liar.” I’m super on the fence about Autumn, I think it’s pretty but it seems older and more serious. I can imagine a grown woman Autumn but not a baby or toddler Autumn.
Other names that have been ‘chewed on’ are Vienna (which is basically Evanie scrambled), Rylan, and Luci.
So there you have it, top names:
Lyla
AutumnPossible competitors:
Vada
Olivia
Vienna
Rylan
LuciOh, and I love Halle but it gets the big N-O from my husband!:(
I have no problem with you publishing my whole email but seeing as it is about 1000 words, you may not want to!:)
-Carolyn (usually pronounced Caroline) Wiebe (always changed to Dweeb)
and
I’m writing to update on a name that has recently joined the running in our giant name debate for baby Wiebe #2. My husband suggested Marlowe Grace. I think I could really like it but does it work with our first, Evanie Josephine?
and
And it’s me again.
I lay awake at night fretting about names and it doesn’t seem to be getting me anywhere. Here’s another name with more questions. Is Eden Grace all sorts of wrong with Evanie Josephine as a big sister? Do I pin myself to the dreadful Duggar Syndrome? We would like more children but have no set number of how many, so if we only have 3 and the third one DOESN’T start with an E…is that terrible? Because there is no way I would stick with the “E’s.” I am most firmly against this! Evanie J. also carries 6 syllables while Eden G. has only 3. And the style of the two names is fairly different from each other. ….I don’t see them working together, I just know I actually like the name Eden Grace and I’m getting desperate.
Also, Vada, Rylan, and Lyla from my first email are out.
I think.
Ohmygoodnessshootmenow.
I was happy when your first email came in the same day we did Baby Naming Issue: Month/Zodiac/Season Names, because I thought, “Ooo, we’ll be answering her question at the same time!” It looks like the general consensus was that we as a group DON’T think it’s weird to have the name not match up with the season: some of us prefer it to and some of us prefer it not to, but most of us could go either way on it with names that are already widely used as names: that is, we might feel differently if you were considering the name Spring—but Autumn is already established as A Name (just out of curiosity, I looked it up: 11 new baby girls named Spring in 2010) (3,476 new baby girls named Autumn).
On the subject of repeating initials, I think IN GENERAL people can give the first two children the same initial and not the third, without anyone thinking anything of it. I think the third child tips it: if THREE children have the same initial, you’re committed. (I mean, not REALLY. But the PRESSURE builds to a point where it feels like you’re committed.)
I do think Marlowe would work. It’s more of a rich sound to Evanie’s light sound—but I still think it would work. I wonder if Harper would be somewhere in between? Or Piper? Or Marley, I think, would lighten it. Marlie might be even better.
I think Evanie and Lainey would be pretty together—though they duplicate so many letters (as well as the -nee ending), I wonder if they’d be hard to tell apart. Maybe Delaney instead? That gives you an extra syllable, too. Delaney Grace; Evanie and Delaney.
Evanie and Kiley would be pretty too. Kiley Grace.
Or Keelin: Keelin Grace; Evanie and Keelin.
Ooo, Madigan, maybe? It’s lighter than Marlow, and I love it with Evanie: Evanie and Madigan; Madigan Grace. But if you want to use Rogan in the future, you might not want two -gan endings.
Instead of Olivia, would you like Livia? I’m on the fence with this name because it seems like it might be constantly mistaken for Olivia—but if it isn’t, it’s a way to give you a name similar to Olivia without duplicating a friend’s choice. Livia Grace; Evanie and Livia.
Or for something a little longer, Liviana. Liviana Grace; Evanie and Liviana.
Or to widen the gap in the sounds of the names, Lilianna. Lilianna Grace; Evanie and Lilianna.
Or Iliana. Iliana Grace; Evanie and Iliana.
Or Eriana: Eriana Grace; Evanie and Eriana.
Or a little bit like Rylan: Ryanna. Ryanna Grace; Evanie and Ryanna.
Instead of Vada, would you like Vayla? Vayla Grace; Evanie and Vayla.
Erissa would be pretty: Erissa Grace; Evanie and Erissa. (It could be spelled Arissa to avoid the initial E, but I so prefer it with the E.)
If you like Eden, I wonder if you’d like Haven? Haven Grace; Evanie and Haven. The styles are a little different, but the van/ven sounds help tie them together.
Or Emerin? Emerin Grace; Evanie and Emerin.
Out of left field: Flannery. Flannery Grace; Evanie and Flannery.
Hm. I am finding this one difficult to match. Geniuses, over to you.
Name update! Carolyn writes:
In May I sent you our naming dilemma for baby Wiebe of unknown gender, due July 24.
She arrived July 17 with lightening speed and we named her Marlowe Grace. Though we had finally settled on this name a few weeks before her birth, I still had just a hint of uncertainty. But when we put the name to this tiny little face, it fit and I can’t imagine her by any other.
Thank you for your help.
I like Lyla and Marlie. More suggestions:
Carys or Carissa – too close to Carolyn? But I so love them with Evanie.
Jocelyn
Henley – too out there? It’s not on the SSA list at all.
Great suggestions, Swistle!! But, I must admit that when I saw Ryanna, I thought that when you shorten Ryanna and Evanie, you have Ryan and Evan–two names traditionally given to boys…
I add: Teagan, Yardley, Fallon, Staycen, Ilah, Josselyn, Asli, Perri, and Emilin.
The suggestions of Liviana made me think of Lavinia. Evanie and Lavinia sound really pretty together. I like the repeat of the V sound. For that matter Haven works too. What about Vivienne? I think I’m stuck on the V sound.
Maybe it is just me, but if I were Eden Grace, little sister to Evanie Josephine, I would be J-E-A-L-O-U-S. All those syllables! So many nicknames!
Plus, even if you’re not the nicknaming type, once they hit school, chances are that they could be Evie and Edie … which would craze me.
I love Marlowe, but if you would use Rogan for a boy, I wonder if you’d find it too close – Evanie, Marlowe, and Rogan – plus, then it feels like Evanie is the odd one out. That’s even more true with Rylan.
So I have a few more suggestions …
Adelaide Grace
Penelope Grace
Juliet/Juliette Grace
Juniper Grace
Cordelia Grace
Leocadie Grace
Magnolia Grace
Lucienne Grace
Ghislaine Grace
Another option might be to stick with Lyla Grace, but add another name – Lyla Autumn Grace, Lyla Luci Grace, Lyla Eden Grace.
I wanted to add Violet, but when I paired Violet with Wiebe, I immediately thought “violent dweeb” – so, maybe not.
My favorite from my list is Juliette Grace Wiebe – Evanie and Juliette. They’re both poetic, different, but related to current sounds and popular choices, so they’re not totally out there.
Best wishes!
I have a question about pronunciation of Evanie.
Is it EH-van-ee (like Ebony with a v), emphasis on the first syllable? Or is it eh-VAN-ee (like…well my only ‘like’ reference is the University of Nebraska Basketball Arena, Devany, but that’s clearly not universal, so I don’t know), with the emphasis on the second syllable?
Because pronunication of Evanie makes a difference in what sibling names I like best with it.
And also, sorry I’m an idiot for not knowing!
I knew a little girl named Autumn who lived in my neighborhood years ago–she was a spunky, sweet little thing and because of her, I’ve always loved that name. So, yes, it can be used on a toddler! Personally, I love Lyla, but, that’s because it’s on my “top ten” list of names of my children–I think Lyla Grace is perfection.
Congratulations!!
From your list I like Lyla (though I prefer the Lila sp.) and Marlow for you. I think Marley is a good suggestion, too.
How about Ava, Carmen, Felicity or Willow? These are stylistically diverse, I think because I’ve never heard of Evanie before and I don’t have a set style to pair with it.
I actually cheered to see our debate on your blog!!!! Thank you thank you!
Yes we have made baby #2 difficult to pair with Evanie but I LOVE the name Evanie so no regrets. Just have to find something beautiful to go with it.
Evanie rhymes exactly with ‘ebony’ which has confused the odd person but I make it clear the first time around and that usually ends it.
I like Haven….I’ll see what my husband thinks.
I like Juliette but there’s no way she’d get away with NOT getting called Julie. :( I am pretty anti nn and so far Evanie hasn’t inspired any that stick.
Marlie has been mentioned early on in the game….needs some extra mulling over.
THANK YOU for your suggestions. I’m super excited to get help from naming geniuses!
I like Autumn Grace the most from you list. Now I will try to suggest names that maybe all those little girls in your town don’t have.:)
Devon and Evanie
Sylvia and Evanie
Tessa and Evanie
Iris and Evanie
Astrid and Evanie
I love Lyla Grace. It’s my favorite of your choices. If Lyla isn’t quite right, my friend has a daughter named Lilia, which is really pretty and would work well with Evanie.
Other names you might like:
Ainsley
Cambria
Coraline
Kinley/Kenley
Linnea
Magnolia
AND
Thea and Evanie
Livia and Evanie
Breah and Evanie
Blythe and Evanie
Ione and Evanie
I have to put in my vote for Autumn :) One of the reasons I hesitate to put it on *my* top contender list is that there’s no real potential for nn’s, and I am a HUGE ‘choose-a-name-with-a-nn-I-already-love-so-no-one-else-comes-up-with-one-I-hate’ kind of person’ So, it seems right up your alley!! To me, Autumn is a girl’s name in it’s own right, and I wouldn’t question what time of year she was born in at all.
I love Lyla as well – I would suggest Layla, or Lola, or even Leela as similar sounds.
Other names I think pair well with Evanie…
Lorelei
Harlowe
Hollis
Hadley
Gemma
Callista
Calliope
Ashlyn
Asha
Coral
Isla
Aurora
Aurelia
Alethia
Anneliese
Colette
Norah
Can’t wait to see what you eventually decide!
I like Lyla from your original list, Haven from Swistle’s and Juniper and Cordelia from a pp.
Annabel! Annabel Grace; Evanie and Annabel.
I’d like to pour one out for Vada, because that name would have been great!
I really love Autumn and I think you should use that! :) I have known young girls with the name and it’s adorable on them.
Or how about Arden? Kind of like Eden without the “E” thing!
From the suggestions, I really like Ainsley. Ainsley Grace. Evanie and Ainsley.
Some other suggestions w/ no nn’s:
– Ellis Grace. Evanie and Ellis.
– Lorna Grace. Evanie and Lorna.
– Georgia Grace. Evanie and Georgia. I suppose Gigi is a possible nn, but I like it and it seems like sort of a stretch.
– Ariel Grace. Evanie and Ariel.
Some suggestions w/ possible nn’s:
-Veronica Grace. Evanie and Veronica.
– Adeline Grace. Evanie and Adeline.
– Aquinnah Grace. Evanie and Aquinnah.
Good luck!
I feel like Marlo is a lighter version of Marlowe and in fact I like it best with Evanie. How is her name pronounced? Anyway, Marlo Grace is really nice, although its true that it is much fewer syllables.
More suggestions:
Harlowe
Aubrey
Veda (VEE-dah, I know a little girl with this name and its very nice)
Keely
Livia is good, as is Liviana
Magnolia pops into my head, probably from Swistle’s Madigan
Danica
Cassidy
Good luck!
I only have three other suggestions for your new daughter:
Vanessa Grace and Evanie Josephine
Lalenya (la-LAYN-ya) Grace and Evanie Josephine
Deliah (DEE-lee-ah) Grace and Evanie Josephine
You’ll find the perfect name. And we’re all excited to hear what it is! All the best to your growing family.
I had to comment, because I too get people constantly confusing my name with Caroline! (Try watching 16 Candles–throughout the movie, various actors pronounce the name two different ways! Craziness!)
Ahem…
It seems like you like the /v/ sound in names, and I wonder if you’d like another unique sound such as /x/ or /z/ for daughter #2
Eliza
Alexa
Beatrix
Maisie
Callie
And I also love Summer as an alternate to Autumn.
Oops, I realize Callie doesn’t have a z or x sound, I just liked it with Evanie, and as an alternate to Halle.
I love Marlowe for you! I think it works with Evanie, although it sounds less feminine, perhaps. Maybe Marlo would work better, as someone already mentioned.
Evanie reminds me of Everly, which makes me think of: Avril, Hazel, Olive.
Or: Daphne? Mila?
Good luck!
Auden. (My 4-year-old niece’s name) Sounds like Autumn or Audrey, but so much fresher. Unique but not wacky.
Auden Grace.
Evanie and Auden.
Do it!
I love the suggestion of Aubrey. Evanie and Aubrey sound wonderful together.
I’d also suggest Valerie. Its got the v sound that Evanie, Olivia, Vada all share.
Evanie Josephine is lovely!
Some suggestions…
Finley Grace
Adele Grace (may not flow so well with grace, but pretty with Evanie… Evanie & Adele)
Eloise Grace (I know… the two ‘E’s)
Rosabel Grace – Evanie & Rosabel (too easily nicknameable to Rose or Rosa??)
Delilah Grace
Love the suggestion of Arden.
Rogan is lovely too. All the best!!
Out of nowhere my husband fell deeply in love with Summer Grace….
…
…what do people think?
How about Amelie Grace or Jessamie Grace?
Evanie is adorable. From your list, I like Lyla. Evanie and Lyla. For me, Summer is a no.
Or what about …
* Sienna Grace. Evanie and Sienna.
No real nickname potential I can think of, and it’s similar to Summer but feels fresh!
* Jacinda Grace. Evanie and Jacinda. Nn potential – maybe Jaci, Cinda, Jace?
Best of luck!
I love Evanie! Some suggestions, sorry for possible repeats,
Evanie Josephine and
Leora Grace
Ramona Grace
Romany Grace
Calanthe Grace
Thalia Grace
How about Nelida? (Nickname Nellie). (Pronounced Nel-LEE-Dah).
How about Cianna (sea anna) or Ciana (sea are na) they mean the same as Evanie.