Rebecca writes:
My name is Rebecca and my husband and I are expecting our third daughter on the 23rd of June! Our girl’s names are Hadley Kate and Mia Brynn (both middles names are family names), we love both of them so much, and we want to love this babies name just as much. Oh and our last name is Campbell.
We have a long list of names, but I’m not sure that any of them are ‘the name’, probably because I love them all and can’t make a decision. I was hoping that you could either make some suggestions based on our favourites OR maybe you could try convincing us what names work the best!
The names we like are kind of all over the place, some are very feminine, some are unique, some are unisex etc. I think that is our problem!
Anyway here is our list (in no particular order). Her middle name will be Reese – unless it doesn’t flow, then her middle name will be Scarlett.
Scarlett Reese – *Probably* our favourite, both names are family names, I love it but I’m not 100% convinced.
Elise Scarlett – Doesn’t flow very well, but we love Elise.
Sage Scarlett/Reese – Either middle is okay, but I’m not loving the flow of them.
Lane Scarlett – Love Lane/Laney, but not sure it goes well with Hadley and Mia?
Jillian Reese – This is MY favourite, but can’t seem to convince the hubby. Another problem is that I want her to be ‘Jillian’ and not ‘Jill’ or ‘Jilly’.
Reese Scarlett – Also love this one, but not 100% convinced as we know a boy named Rhys.
Eden Reese – I’m not religious, but my hubby’s parents are. They have implied that they don’t like Eden at all.
Jetta Reese – My hubby LOVES Jetta, I like it too, but is it too uncommon when we have a Mia?
Elodie Reese – I think that Hadley and Elodie are too similar sounding…in a way?
Rowan Scarlett – I love Rowan, but is it too masculine?
Savannah Reese – We both like, but don’t really love.
Tatum Reese – Same as above! Also have a bit of trouble saying it with our last name.
Peyton Scarlett – I like it with Scarlett to make it more feminine…is Peyton too masculine?
Wren Scarlett – Too uncommon maybe? Too similar to Brynn (Mia’s middle name)?
Juliette Reese, with the nickname Jette
So we have an overload of names! Thanks heaps :-)
I think the main issue is that SOME of the names go well with the sparky and slightly boyish surname-name Hadley, and SOME of the names go well with the sweet and light and totally girlish name Mia—but it’s hard to find a name that goes with BOTH.
Peyton, for example, goes wonderfully with Hadley (I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more perfect sister pair), but I feel like then Mia’s name stands out as being too different. And Elise goes wonderfully with Mia, but I feel like then Hadley’s name stands out as being too different.
So my first choice from your list is Scarlett. It’s got sass and spirit, but it’s also got hoop skirts. It’s purely feminine, but with enough backbone to balance Hadley. It adds a completely different sound to the grouping, which helps keep things from feeling like “two of one, one of another.” And then all three girls have a 2-syllable first name and a 1-syllable middle name; that’s not important, but I admit it pleases me when that works out. Hadley Kate, Mia Brynn, and Scarlett Reese.
My second choice from your list is Laney. The name Lane is used more often for boys, which tips the name toward the Hadley end of things—but adding the Y makes it purely feminine and tips it toward Mia too. (I was thinking Delaney might work too, but then Hadley and Delaney would both have surname names and Mia would be left out.)
And my third choice from your list is Wren. Wren isn’t like Hadley and isn’t like Mia, so it gives each girl her own distinctly-styled name. The fact that they are all so different from each other ends up tying them together: the uniting theme ends up being the parents’ tastes. I’ve found this same thing happening with wall art (if I may make a slightly ODD comparison): if I just keep buying what I like without worrying about things going together, it turns out everything DOES go together.
A name that strikes me as hitting that same “three different styles” mark is Piper. Hadley, Mia, and Piper: all very different, so there’s no “2 against 1” problem. And Piper Scarlett is so great I can’t stand it.
[New: poll at right!] [Poll closed; see results below.]
Name update! Rebecca writes:
My baby girl was born on the 21st of June (sorry for taking so long to let you know), and is doing great. Hadley and Mia couldn’t be more in love with her!
Anyway, my husband and I read the post over and over again (thanks so much to you all), but we could not agree on a name. I found myself favouring Piper Scarlett, and he favoured Scarlett Reese. We ended up deciding to just wait until she was born to see what she looked like. I figured that after she was born my hubby would just give in and she would be Piper Scarlett, so I wasn’t too stressed out about it all.
As soon as I held her, I knew her name was not Piper. The doctor asked if we had a name for her and I immediately replied “Scarlett Reese”. She suits her name to a T and I (and my husband!) couldn’t be happier!
PS. Later on my husband did admit that he was going to give in and say we could name her Piper Scarlett. How funny?!
I love Wren, but not with either middle name. Wren Reese is a tongue twister and Wren Scarlett is sound like a bird name or description.
Similar problem with Sage Scarlett, two colors.
I love love love Jetta. I’ve never met a Jetta, but it sounds adorable! I can totally picture her. I think Elise Scarlett Campbell is great too.
I think Scarlett is my favorite, too. It’s just the right amount of spunky yet girly to go with Hadley and Mia.
I think Piper is perfect!
Scarlett Reese; Hadley, Mia and Scarlett. Sage Reese: Hadley, Mia and Sage. Both combos sounds great; Scarlett and Sage are definitely my favorite.
I suggest:
Brooke
Elsa
Ivy
Quincy
Good luck!
The simple answer: go with Scarlett because it’s your favorite (or Jillian, if husband comes around to it). I almost always advise going with your heart, plus they are both family names. Bonus!
The more complicated answer starts with a question: how much do you care about the three girls’ names being stylistically similar? Maybe you do; maybe you don’t. Because if you do I think Swistle’s right that this could be what makes this hard, though I part ways with her in thinking Scarlett is the name that bridges the gap. For me, none of the names on your list really do, but some of them get on the other side of Hadley instead of in between Hadley and Mia, thus making Hadley the bridge name.
Hadley a surname that definitely tilts female when used a given name and Mia is a female given name. Maybe if you choose another name that tilts female but not quite as much as Hadley does (Sage, Reese, Peyton) you’d achieve a different kind of balance. I’m somewhat reluctant to recommend Rowan or Lane because they still tilt male and I’d like to leave some names for the boys.
Another option that Swistle suggested is to choose a name so different from the other two there is no pattern. Her example was Wren. I think Jetta would work in a similar way.
Which brings us to another point. You asked if Jetta and Wren were too uncommon with Mia. I ask back, how important to you is it that all three girls have names that are comparable in popularity? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. If so, I’d back away from Wren and Jetta and go back in the Reese/Petyon direction, since they fall in between your daughters’ names in popularity.
Goodness, I have written a lot without giving you any firm answers.
Before I read Swistle’s comments (or finished reading your question, even) I thought Scarlett Reese was the way to go. Only further confirmed by the rest of the information. Fits great with both Hadley and Mia (which, as Swistle pointed out, is tough) and you love it. Done deal, if you ask me.
Quite a puzzle finding a name that goes with both Hadley and Mia. I consulted Baby Name Wizard’s online Expert Name MatchMaker and here are the first four names that came up:
Avery
Lily
Aubrey
Piper
Swistle seems to have hit the mark with Piper.
Scarlett came up on the second page of suggested names.
Personally, I prefer Piper to Scarlett, especially as a first name. (I don’t love the word “scar” in Scarlett; also I find Scarlett too close to starlet.) Piper Reese Campbell would get my vote.
But since Scarlett Reese is your mutual favorite and both names are family names and you love the name, I can’t think of any reason not to name Hadley and Mia’s baby sister Scarlett Reese.
I think that Eden would be the best choice for a bridge name. It is not as feminine as Mia but not as androgynous as Hadley. It has both its own style and its own sound, which would be a plus. I would think the grandparents would eventually come around to liking it once they got used to it being used apart from a religious context. Lastly, it pairs well with Reese, which seems to be the preferred middle name.
I love Scarlett. It’s sweet and sassy, just as Swistle said. Hadley, Mia and Scarlett. Very cute!
Piper Scarlett was a really excellent suggestion too!
Since you love Elise, what about Scarlett Elise instead?
I like Zoe for you. Zoe Scarlett. Hadley, Mia and Zoe. It goes with both Hadley and Mia, has two syllables, the letter Z is always a fun surprise.
Scarlett Reese is wonderful!
Thinking of a good sibling name to Hadley and Mia, what about:
Sasha Reese
Tessa Scarlett
Juliet Reese
Jocelyn, Josie Reese
Phoebe Scarlett
Geneva Reese
Sadie Reese
Thanks soooo much for putting this up Swistle!
Would you please be able to put up a poll with the names Scarlett, Jetta, Wren, Elise and Piper (LOVE Piper, thanks for suggesting it!)?
Thanks to all the people who have commented. I’m having fun reading them all!
Rebecca :-)
My vote goes for Scarlett Elise or Scarlett Wren. (I like the two-syllable-one-syllable balance of Scarlett Wren that matches your other girls).
Piper is an appropriate fit, too.
Jetta is an awesome sports car (Volkswagen); I’m not sure if that makes a difference. After all, people use Portia/Porche. For me, it would be a deal-breaker.
All the best to your growing family!
Scarlet Reese is my favourate it goes so well with your other girls names and its great they are both family names!! all the best x
I think Piper is a brilliant suggestion. That is my favorite. I think either middle name would work well. And I like the idea of having all three having a family name as the middle name.
Rebecca, a poll might be helpful, but do you want to know which name readers prefer or which they think goes best with your older girls’ names? I think Piper — as suggested by Swistle and babynamewizard’s matchmaker — is the best fit with Hadley and Mia of the five names you listed above. However my personal favorite is Elise.
I’m concerned about naming a girl Jetta. I’ve never heard it before as a given name, and I can’t see its appeal. I looked on nameberry.com to see what baby name authors/experts Rosenkrantz and Satran have to say about Jetta and see they aren’t in favor of it either:
“Jetta
Gender: F
Origin of Jetta: English, “jet”
Although this is a legitimate name, most people would associate it with a line of Volkswagens — you’d be better off choosing a Mercedes.”
(I’m puzzled as to why they call Jetta a “legitimate name”.)
Wren is cute for a little girl (and has occasionally been used as a nn for Karen), but I think it would work less well for an adult. I mentioned my concerns about Scarlett above.
Thus, for your family my vote would be for Piper, which sounds well with both Hadley and Mia and seems to tie the three names together.
Best wishes!
For me, Jetta brings immediately to mind the “bad girl” on Clifford the Big Red Dog. She’s used to demonstrate the wrong way to behave.
To me Hadley is an exclusively feminine name so I don’t share any concerns about one girl becoming the “odd one out” in this situation.
I like the way Hadley, Mia and Elise sound together. Elise Scarlett Campbell is a lovely name.
Piper Scarlett is fantastic, I think.
kimma is right! Hadley is almost exclusively a girl’s name. The only Hadley I’ve known is a boy, so I’ve been thinking of Hadley as an androgynous name. But SSA stats show that in 2010 Hadley was given to 1430 baby girls, while only 34 baby boys were given the name. Hadley has been in the girls SSA Top 1000 since 2000 and steadily rising in popularity as a name for girls since then, currently ranking 216. Hadley hasn’t been in the boys Top 1000 since it made a brief appearance in 1908 and 1909. Nameberry authors say of Hadley, feminine: “Hadley…is more sophisticated, professional, and modern than cousins Heather, Haley, or Hayden. …Hadley could become this generation’s Haley.”
My perception of Hadley has changed. Rereading your letter, Rebecca, I see that Elise is a name that you and your husband love. Elise is a lovely name (my favorite by far of the 5 in your ‘poll’), and kimma is right that Hadley, Mia and Elise sound well together. I’m changing my ‘vote’ to Elise. :)
Kimma and Patricia: I used the words “slightly boyish” to describe Hadley not because of how often the name is/isn’t used for boys, but because of the surnamey, non-frilly sound of the name. It’s a style issue, not a usage issue.
Hadley is nearly-exclusively used for girls—but it is nevertheless on the less-feminine end of the girl-name spectrum. Because style can be so subjective, it may sound frilly and lacy and girly-girl to your ears—but to me it seems like the perfect choice for someone looking for a girl name that isn’t “too girly.”
Hadley, to me, also has a modern, surnamey sound—whereas a name like Elise is more in the timeless/classic/French style, and of course non-surnamey.
Swistle, it was my own incorrect perception of the name Hadley as androgynous and not just what you had written about it being a “slightly boyish” name that caused me to overrate that quality of the name when thinking about names that would sound well with both Hadley and Mia. Hadley doesn’t sound “frilly and lacy” to me, but it does come across differently after reading the stats on its usage. If Hadley and Mia are both perceived as names firmly in the girls’ column, then I think Elise, a favorite of the parents, would work with this ‘sister-set’: all three names are fairly short, 2-syllable, familiar girls’ names. Elise is closer in style to Mia, but, for me, Piper seems closer to Hadley, although Piper leans more to the middle than Elise. I think either sounds fine with Hadley and Mia.
(For future reference, here’s a ranked list of names that *are* being widely used for both boys and girls: http://www.babynamesgarden.com/unisex-names/2009.aspx)
I vote for Scarlett Reese but I did have a suggestion for Jillian if you just love it that much: Spell it with a “G” instead of a “J” and you won’t get the nicknames.
We have two daughters, Mia is 3 years and Hadley is 6 months! Great combo, as I’m sure you know!