Tessa writes:
Hi Swistle!
I read your blog religiously & never thought I would be writing you about my naming indecisiveness. I have kept baby name “lists” since I was 9 years old, but it is so much harder when it’s permanent! I am 28 weeks pregnant with our second baby girl. My name is Tessa & my husband’s name is Tyson. Our last name sounds like Chaplin. Our first daughter is Lennox Elizabeth, named after my husband’s great grandmother’s maiden name. We are having a very hard time deciding on which name to choose for our final child. Help!Since Lennox is an honor name, we would love to continue that trend (but as the middle name instead). My great grandmother’s maiden name is McKenzie, which works well as a baby girl’s middle name. That much we have agreed upon. If we were to have a boy, our short list included: Miloh, Silas, Cohen & Atticus. Looking back, we probably would have the same naming conundrum if we were having a boy! As for our small list of first names for a girl, we have 4 names that we are completely deadlocked on. I seriously have no idea how to “give up” one on the list & it would be so much easier if someone (you!) would just give us that extra push for a solid front-runner.
With Lennox (nickname: Leni) having a masculine name for a girl, I feel like the the name list we had when we were pregnant the first time are too simple & “girly”. So, our new list includes:
1. Palmer
2. Tatum
3. Piper
4. ClaraPalmer is my husband’s favorite. Palmer McKenzie Chaplin. It is commonly a boy’s name & I believe it compliments her sister: Lennox & Palmer. All of the opinions that I have sought out (on google, baby forums, ect) point all advice on staying far away from Palmer as a baby girl’s name. Everything from teasing in school to it is the “ugliest name ever” have come up. Is sticking to a generally masculine name going to set my daughter up for cruelty later in life? (My name, Tessa, was very uncommon in the 80s & I still rarely meet anyone my age with it- but I embraced the individuality of it, rather than being envious of more popular names).
I am leaning toward Tatum. Tatum McKenzie Chaplin. I know that it has been in the Top 500 names for a decade, but I like that it is considered a unisex name. I love the nickname Tate- Leni & Tate. My husband associates this name to Tatum O’Neal & all of the negative stigma that comes along with her. The only question I pose with Tatum is: is it weird to have a Tessa, Tyson, Tatum…. and Lennox? We purposefully stayed away from “T” names the first time! What about having the exact same initials (TMC) as my husband?
Piper is an appealing name to both of us, but we fear that it is becoming too popular. Some days we think that it is a happy medium between Palmer & Tatum, but also don’t want to feel like we have to “settle” just because it’s common & “cute”. Piper McKenzie Chaplin.
Clara is my grandmother’s name & the only name that we have carried from our first pregnancy name list. We both love the name but it has never been #1. It is an honor name & it has significant meaning, but is it too simple because of Lennox’s naming style? I am not sure if Lennox & Clara fits well as siblings.
We are definitely open to other suggestions. The name Wren was #5 & recently taken off our list. Our decision would be a lot easier if my husband or I could easily cross off any of these names, but we can’t. I would really like to have a name picked out before the birth, for fear of having a nameless child for days after delivery! We kept Leni’s name a surprise, even though we were 99.9% sure beforehand. With this being my last child (& juggling two childen under 2yrs old), I just want to have everything done by the time the baby gets here :) Please point us in the right direction!
I would take Clara off the list, which pains me because it’s on my own list of top favorites. It’s traditional and old-fashioned and entirely used for girls, and it’s on its way up in popularity (#167 in 2010). It isn’t that sibling names must coordinate, but the clash with Lennox (modern surname name used almost entirely for boys and not in the top 1000 for girls) is startling.
I think Palmer, Tatum, and Piper all work fine, but with downsides to each.
Palmer is the most similar to Lennox for female/male name usage; Tatum and Piper are both used mostly for girls. Palmer is also the most similar in popularity: not in the top 1000 for girls, while Tatum is #335 and Piper is #144. Palmer is also the best match in name style: it’s another clear surname name, while Tatum and Piper now sound like first names. Because of its excellent coordination, I’d vote for Palmer—except that it doesn’t have a good feminine nickname like Lennox does in Leni. For me, that would be a huge issue, and it balances the advantages of androgyny/surname coordination. In fact, after thinking it over awhile, for me it takes it off the list. (I don’t have the same feminine-nickname requirement for Tatum and Piper, because both names are already predominately used for girls.)
I think it’s fine to have three T names and one L name in the family, because the L child came first. But it does put a small strike against Tatum for me.
A mark against Piper is that it’s even more common than Clara: #144 in 2010, and rising.
The name Campbell came to my mind. Like Lennox, it’s a modern surname name; and like Lennox, it has a cute feminine nickname. Lennox and Campbell; Leni and Cammi.
Or Hollis. Lennox and Hollis; Leni and Holly.
Or Ellison. Lennox and Ellison; Leni and Ellie.
Or Winslow. Lennox and Winslow; Leni and Winnie. That’s one of my favorites.
Or Merritt. Lennox and Merrit; Leni and Merrie.
Or Maguire. Lennox and Maguire; Leni and Maggie.
Or Hatcher. Lennox and Hatcher; Leni and Hattie.
Or Padgett, which for me falls into the category of “I know it’s a girl’s name so it doesn’t need a girlish nickname.” Lennox and Padgett.
McKenzie would also be a good first-name fit, despite its relative popularity. Not only are Lennox and McKenzie both modern surname names (McKenzie is comfortably a first name now, but your spelling reminds people of its surname origins), and both great-grandmother surnames, but they sound wonderful together, all crackly and crisp. Lennox and McKenzie! I love it. You could use McKenzie Clara, and each girl would have a great-grandmother-surname first name and a traditional feminine middle name. But it sounds like you have already considered this and prefer it in the middle name slot, so I mention this only for the fun of discussing it.
I also recommend the post Choosing Between Two Finalists, which can work for more than two. Part of that post recommends seeing how you feel about the results of a poll, so let’s also have a poll over to the right for the original four candidates. [Poll closed; see results below.]
Name update! Tessa writes:
I was blown away by the awesome responses & baby name advice from your readers. You rock! I can honestly say that writing to you helped make our decision easier & we were 99% sure we had a name picked out only a few weeks after your input.
Tatum McKenzie was born one week early on February 24, 2012. She is now 2 weeks old & such a good baby!! And big sister, Lennox Elizabeth, loves her to pieces. We are so happy that we have our Leni & Tate, and our family is complete.
As soon as we started reading the positive responses about Tatum, we knew it was the winner. Also, the poll got SO many votes & we were pleased that Tatum was a favorite. We have gotten a few comments on the odd number of “T” names (Tessa, Tyson, Tatum…. and Lennox) but we are still very happy with it!
One of your readers suggested Harlow & I fell in love with that name immediately. Lennox & Harlow, Leni & Harley. I tried & tried to get my husband to switch, but I think he was already set on Tatum at that point. I loved the masculine suggestions that everyone came up with: Finley, Emerson, Harper, Rowan, and Bennett were some of my favorite “girly” boy names that we unfortunately couldn’t use due to knowing other children by those names. I also loved Hollis & Winslow (nn: Winnie) but my husband vetoed them. I cannot thank you enough for all of your advice!
A friend of mine recently named her baby girl Campbell, and I LOVE it. It’s not a name I was super-familiar with before, but I think it has a nice surname-y feel along with being feminine (the ‘bell’ sound, even though it’s not emphasized, has a nice ring [groan] to it, and also reminds me of the name “Belle”). That’s my vote!
I think Palmer is fine. You could easily use Pam as a nickname, and it fits so well with Lennox.
I feel that McKenzie as the first name is your best route to go with.
A friend recently named her daughter Bennett, also an honor name. Not sure they’re planning any nicknames, but I really like it for a girl.
I vote for Tatum McKenzie. I love the nickname Tate or Tatie. I also think McKenzie as a first name and Clara as a middle name is a nice combo. Good Luck!
How about “Polly” as the nn for Palmer? Very cute and goes well with Leni.
My vote goes to Piper McKenzie. Piper is much more popular than Lennox, yes. However I like that it has the same energetic, boyish feel.
Clara is too girly next to Lennox imo. If I heard the two names together I’d assume Lennox was a boy. Palmer feels very intellectual, which isn’t a bad thing. I just think Lennox is a little too bad ass for Palmer. Tatum could work but it isn’t my first choice.
I see absolutely no problem with Clara. My sister and I have extremely different styles of names (mine is long and unquestionably feminine, while hers is shorter and a surname generally used for boys) and it doesn’t seem strange at all. While she occasionally gets junk mail intended for guys, the differences in our names has never provoked discussion.
Go for the name you like best, whatever that ultimately is.
I recently watched a movie (Just Go With It) and one of the female leads was named Palmer, so I think it works for a girl. I actually like it better than Tatum and Piper. Clara would be my pick, but not with Lennox.
I think Palmer McKenzie or McKenzie Clara or Claire would be my pick from your list. I also love some of Swistle’s suggestions like Ellison, Hollis, and Maguire.
For some reason I thought of the name Meryl. It’s feminine, so I don’t know why it came to mind. I know a little girl spelled Merrill like a surname, so maybe that is why.
I love Palmer as a first name. Campbell would be a great option as well. What about Hatten, nn Hattie? Or Rowan, Emerson, Camden?
I think Lennox Elizabeth and McKenzie Clara are a perfect sibset.
I love Palmer for a little girl.
I think McKenzie would work really well for you in style matching – it’s been used for girls enough that I don’t think you would get any “too masculine” comments about it, and it goes nicely with Lennox, and lends itself to nicknames – Kenzie and Leni. Of your other choices, Piper is my favorite. I think Clara is too contrasting (seeing the pair together in print, I would automatically assume Lennox would be a boy). I personally find Palmer too masculine and Tatum has the automatic Tatum O’Neal connotations for me. I wouldnt’ worry about the popularity if you both love it. I think Leni and Piper or Leni and Pip are cute pairings. Good luck and I hope you write in with an update of what you end up choosing.
Could Pam or Pammie be a nickname for Palmer? I also like the suggestion of “Polly.” They’re both a bit of a stretch, but they’ll work if you make them.
Some skanky associations immediately come to mind with the idea of Palmer on a girl. Maybe not for little ones, but for a teenager, this could be problematic.
This is tough…but think I’m going to go with Tatum, with the nickname Taya. Tatum O’Neal has long ago sailed off into the sunset, I’m not even sure who she is/was.
Second choice for me would be the McKenzie Clara suggestion, even though as Swistle said, this is only for fun.
I agree with Swistle, Clara should be taken off the list, it’s too different from Lennox, and all three Palmer, Tatum and Piper go perfectly well with Lennox. I’d take Tatum off too because of Tatum O’Neil and also because of the initial “T”, I wouldn’t
go with three “T”s and one “L”.
I like both Palmer and Piper, but I think that Palmer is better for you. It goes really well with Lennox and is very unique. Pam is a good nickname; Leni and Pam. Palmer McKenzie Chaplin.I like it. I like the nn Polly too. Maybe Palmie?
Piper makes me think of Vesper. Lennox and Vesper.
I also like Swistles’ suggestions Campbell and Winslow. Campbell reminds me of Camden, which I also like, and Carson. Winslow makes me think of Willow and Harlow.
I think the more popular Reagan and Morgan go very well with McKenzie. Reagan McKenzie and Morgan McKenzie.
Of all these alternatives Winslow is also my favorite and I love Winnie! Leni and Winnie, so cute!
Share with us your thoughts and final decision!
I second Campbell! Leni and Belle or Leni and Cami works so well!
Brighton–Brighty
Farren
Teagan
Marlow
Jensen
Bay
Larkin
Maren
Sloane
Blair
Tamsin
I was just talking about the name Campbell nn Camp yesterday! I like Winslow with nn Win/Winn. I like Piper. You could do Cohen for a girl. I like that. I really like Rue–reminds me of Wren. I think Larue or Ruben could work for a longer name. I also like Paisley, Paige. Other Surname-y names: Wiley, Hunter, Andrews (nn drew), Riley, Skylar, nn Sky/Skye.
McKenzie Clara!!!
How about Spencer? There was a TV show with a female teenage lead named Spencer.
I also like McKenzie Clara.
Holland was a name my husband liked for our daughter.
I definitely think you should go with another last/androgynous name for your second daughter.
I think McKenzie Clara goes perfectly Lennox Elizabeth.
The name Palmer automatically makes me think of Palmers Skin care..
I vote Tatum second from your list.
Spencer is such a good idea! Spencer McKenzie. I also like Palmer nickname Polly.
Arbor
Auden
Collins
Sonnet
Astrid
Winter
Bellamy
Fallon
Aspen
Greer
Avalon
Liv
Briar
I like Lennox and Fallon the best, I think.
I’m glad gail said that, because I was thinking it too but wasn’t sure if my mind maybe went down a path no one else’s would. I thought of teenage/college guys making really crude remarks about a girl named Palmer.
My favorite is Winslow: it’s pretty much unheard of for boys now, but for a girl it has such a soft rich sound—like Marlowe/Harlow and Willow, but much less common.
Palmer makes me think of those awful pseudo-chocolate candies sold at holiday time, made by the Palmer company. I would also shy away from using such a masculine name with no feminine nickname for a second girl. There’s no way to make the name cute for a little girl, as you have with Lennox. Any nickname is quite a stretch. . .Mercy? Palmie? As the mother of four girls, I fielded a lot of questions about “trying for a boy.” Naming your second and last girl a solidly boy’s name might give the impression – to other people, and later on to your daughter, that you wish you’d had a boy.
Either Piper or Tatum would be wonderful with Lennox, and I love the idea of McKenzie as the first name. Or given your liking of the name Atticus, what about Harper? Harper and Lennox are good sibling names.
I like Tatum and Piper. Piper got my vote.
But what I really really like for you is McKenzie in the first name position. Lennox and McKenzie. Leni and Kenzie! McKenzie Clara Chaplin. Love.
Good luck!
Here is my list of favorites, in order:
1) McKenzie Clara.
2) Winslow McKenzie.
3) Ainsley
4) Paisley
5) Campbell
Yikes. I was starting to get in the Palmer camp until someone above noticed the gross tease potential as she were to get into her teenage years… now it’s ruined for me.
I like Piper with Lennox. It’s more common, sure, but I’ve never met a Piper, nor have I ever known anyone with a child (or any other family member, for that matter) with the name. Piper McKenzie is great!
I LOVE Swistle’s suggestion of using McKenzie Clara – it jumped off the page at me and it seems that many other commenters love it, too. It’s beautiful, goes incredibly well with Lennox Elizabeth, and has wonderful feminine names to use for her, as well as the spunkier full first name. You both like Clara a lot but it’s not number one, which I think makes it an excellent choice for a middle name. Of course, you said you wanted McKenzie as the middle name, and without knowing your reasoning for that, I don’t know if you’d be willing to reconsider.
If you want to keep McKenzie as the middle name, my favorites of the first name suggestions are Reagan (Rae), Morgan, and Holland (Holly). I’m excited to hear what you and your husband decide for your daughter!
Of your original ideas I must veto them all. Clara is way too different, Palmer has no NN and also way too tease-able, Tatum and Piper are too popular and girly.
I LOVE Winslow. NN Winnie. OMG SO MUCH LOVE. I also like:
Campbell (Cami)
Hollis (Holly)
Sutton (doesnt have a nickname but I like it anyway)
Leander (Lea, and I like the idea of you and your husband both being Ts and the girls both being Ls)
Larkin (OH THIS IS MY TOP CHOICE. Lennox and Larkin!)
Linden (this is my OTHER top choice. Lennox and Linden! No wait, this is too close).
Merris (Merri)
Sawyer but it needs a nickname. HMM.
let us know!
I like Swistle’s suggestion of Campbell but like Cameron even more!
From your list, the augmented idea of McKenzie Clara seems like the best fit.
From mentioned above, Vesper is WONDERFUL! Leni and Ves, Lennox and Vesper. So perfect!
If you’re still taking other suggestions, do you like Mellor? Perhaps Maddox? Leni and Madi?
Beattie (nickname of Bea)? Oh, what about Schaffer/Shaffer? She could have the nickname of Shea/Shay. Leni and Shea.
Best wishes to you all! Please let us know what you decide!
I love Clara! I think it works because they (Clara and Lennox) are both uncommon but in totally opposite ways. And with only two children neither will be outnumbered in the future.
Winslow is also really nice.
Look there’s no way to sugar coat this – where I come from “Mrs Palmer and her five daughters” is an expression relating to masturbation. You CANNOT give your daughter the name Palmer.
A unisex name I would consider is Kendall. I also like the earlier suggestion of Leander.
I love them name McKenzie and it would go perfectly with Lennox, Leni and Kenzie very sweet. I also really like Regan!
Palmer is a nice name but i do agree with the other commenters that she is being set up for high school bullying, i used to go to school with a girl who’s last name was palmer and she was teased prety badly! she is now married and thrilled to have changed her last name!
Congrats and good luck
I think your daughter has a beautiful name, and interesting. I would suggest you go with Palmer. I think it best matches with Lennox’s name and style. To give her a girly nick name, why dont you try useing her first and middle. Like calling her Palmer Grace…. or you call her Polly. I think that Tatum would not be a bad choice either… its a bit more GIRL then Lennox and Palmer, but it does read SURNAME to be first. I would not go with Piper or Clara – they are obvious girl names, with Clara being complete and total GIRL. Good Luck!
I was going to suggest Vesper. I thought I was being so creative and yet, it’s already on here. I do so like Vesper with Lennox!
Campbell is also good but I’d offer it with a slight warning: it’s a family surname for us and pronounced more like Camel. Could be a regional thing or particular to our family but just an FYI. I still like it though!
Of your list, Piper is my favorite.
Polly is a good nn for Palmer, but I wouldn’t use the name because of its unfortunate connections with…well…Palm. Her.
Anywhoooo…I really like McKenzie as a first name. Especially with Lennox.
what about Madden nn Maddie, Madi or Maddy?
What about Parker or Harper?
Here is a list of suggestions of surnames that I think would an adorable little girl name…
Anderson, nn Andi or Andie
Marlow, nn Marley
Sidney
Wilkins, nn Wilkie or Willa
Ellison, nn Ellie
love the family connection with McKenzie Clara and the suggestion of Winslow or even Winston with the nn Win. Leni and Win. In my oppionion the name Palmer in the first name slot just doesn’t have a great sound compared to lennox. At first Lennox was a shocking name for a girl, but after I thought about it I would even love to have that as my name. I do not have that feeling with Palmer. Merrill is cool too. good luck!
McKenzie would be great with Lennox.
If it needs to be a middle name,
What about Reese? Reese McKenzie. Lennox & Reese. It’s a really great name.
Since you seem to like the letter “P”, what about:
Paige McKenzie
Prisca McKenzie
Paloma McKenzie, Leni & Lola
Philo McKenzie
Prue McKenzie
Other ideas:
Maris McKenzie, Leni and Mari
Hollis McKenzie, Leni and Holly
Harlow McKenzie, Leni and Lola
Ariel McKenzie, Leni and Ari
Rowan McKenzie, Leni and Row
Skylar McKenzie, Leni and Sky
Addison McKenzie, Leni and Addy
Arden McKenzie, Leni and Ari
I love the family connection with McKenzie, esp since Lennox also has that family connection. Lennox Elizabeth & McKenzie Clara are equally wonderful names! If McKenize is too common to your ear, you could call her Kenzie for short, which seems less common. Lenni & Kenzie!
I’d also forgo Palmer as a first name for a girl. It just does have the lovely sound or *moxie* that Lennox does. And there are those aforementioned teenage nickname possibilities! (Though, I have a name that was easy to add a sexual connotation to as a teen [ the sound “Lay” in name] & I got over it!) It’s mostly that I don’t think Palmer is as attractive a name as Lennox.
Some of the suggestions from others I really like are:
Winslow – Win, Winnie
Harlow – Lo, Lola
Marlow – Mari, , Marly, Lo
Rowan – Ro
(apparently I like the “o” sound!)
Maris – Mari
Padgett – Jett!
Linden – Lindy (maybe too close to Lenni?)
So many great options! Let us know what you choose!
Tatum is my favorite of your choices. Tatum Clara.
Out of Swis’s suggestions McKenzie is my favorite.
I also like: Linden, Marlo(w), Harper, and Marin.
Good luck!
I implore you to PLEASE not use the overdone Mckenzie for your second daughter’s first name at least when your first daughter has a freaking fantastic name. I am firmly in the Palmer camp and I believe the if kids are going to tease they will do it no matter what. I also believe that if they grow up knowing her as Palmer teasing will not come so quickly to mind. In this day and age there are so many names out there that kids are less likely to give names a second thought. I also would not do a “T” name and leave Lennox out but thats just me. I do love the suggestion of Winslow nn Winnie. Good luck!
For those who think Polly might be a stretch as a nn for Palmer, I was going with the English/British pronunciation I heard for Polly, a main character in a Masterpiece Theatre film. It sounded closer to Paul-ly with the syllables about equally stressed. And as for possibly negative connotations with the name Palmer, it’s surname name in our family tree and that has never occurred to me. I wouldn’t be concerned about that if you really like the name. It seems there is always ‘something’ of possible concern if you think about any name long enough… (That said, I do prefer Palmer as a boy’s name, while absolutely adoring the name or nn Polly.)
This one has really got me thinking. Still thinking. I commented earlier, somewhere near the top. I agree with the anon poster who said “freaking fantastic” to describe Lennox. You really are in the “hard act to follow” category.
Donovan, nn Dove?
Reverie, nn Rev?
Larkin, nn Lark?
Casper, nn Perri? (a celeb just used for a girl).
Dante
Narayan, nn ?
Morrow, nn Roe?
Love McKenzie Clara for the FN. I also really like Marlow, Graysen or Devon.
I love the suggestion of McKenzie Clara. My second choice would be Piper.
But I came in mainly to suggest Sinclair/ Sinclaire, which might be a nice way to get the Claire/Clara nickname.
Yes, I was coming here to suggest exactly what Janelle suggested.
If you use Sinclair you can get Claire / Clara as a nickname. This seems like a win-win to me.
But I love the other suggestions.
Winslow / Winnie is darling.
So many great suggestions! I am not going to add to the list, but I will give my opinion… From your list, I like them in this order: Piper, Tatum, Palmer, Clara
Ooh! I love the name Lennox for a girl. Plus, it’s cool the name has meaning for you. I really like Piper for you. Lennox and Piper. Adorable! With Piper I think the middle name Clara and Tatum sound good. I especially like Piper Clara.
Frim Swistle’s list I REALLY like Campbell. I think Tatum sounds best with that: Campbell Tatum and Lennox Elizabeth. I also like Hollis and Merritt. I think all the names on your list sound like good middle names with those.
More suggestions:
Rowan
Finley
Leslie(to similiar to Lennox?)
Gail/Gale
Gage
P.S. For a nickname for Palmer I think Polly would work. Not sure how you would want to spell Polly though…. Anyway, Good luck and congrats!!
I meant ” from Swistle’s list”, not Frim.
Such a fun style of sibling names! I’ll suggest Sutton and Presley- both subtly feminine last-name style names I’ve heard over the years. Also love Campbell! From your list, I LOVE Piper, would use it on my own daughter, except I know a 3 month old Piper already :( Such a cute and spunky name!
I love Palmer for you, and I especially love a previous commenter’s suggestion of “Polly” as a girly nickname. Lennox and Palmer, Leni and Polly. Adorable!
I’m going to vote no on Tatum based on the “too many Ts” issue. It’s a good fit for your naming style, but I think if you avoided T names last time around I might avoid them again.
I agree with Swistle that Clara doesn’t seem like a good fit stylistically. Piper is super cute, but I think if you aren’t very into it, don’t use it.
My vote’s for Palmer – I don’t get a bad vibe from it at all. It’s a nice name, has cute nickname potential, and it goes with Lennox. Palmer!
I know a 5 yr old girl named Maddox. Maybe to close to Lennox, or maybe nicely compatible? She goes by Maddi most of the time. Her sister’s name is Lexi, which reminds me of Leni which is why I mention this name to you.
Sinclair is interesting and it gets you Claire. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking of a name from my family, Morley. I think Orley would be a cool nickname. Maybe it doesn’t go great with Leni. Orla…well I am interested to see what you choose.
Rowan!!!
Agatha Christie used Lennox on a female character (in Mystery of the Blue Train) way back in the ’20s. Because of that, the name sounds reasonably feminine to me. My vote is for Clara. I too am not a fan of Palmer, and Piper’s quite common nowadays. Tatum would work too I guess, although I’m somewhat oldfashioned, and if I saw the name Tatum McKenzie Chaplin written down I’d probably think, “Oh, a boy.”
My sibs and I have drastically different names in terms of style, along the lines of Lisa (modern), Kayleigh (kre8iv), and David (old world). Lennox and Clara work for me. Lennox and McKenzie (or just Kenzie) have a bit more spunk. Someone suggested Meryl, a feminine form of Merle, which I find intriguing.
Wynn or Pascale
I was totally onboard the Palmer train…until the unfortunate connotation was mentioned and now I can’t go there. Paulie might have been a cute nn to go with it, though.
Clara is way too feminine in my mind to go along with Lennox/Leni. McKenzie is way too common versus the unique and spunky Lennox. Tatum and Piper are nice, but just don’t sound right to my ear. And, the “too many T’s” thing is an issue for me.
I love the new suggestions Winslow/Winnie, Larkin/Lark, Harlow/Lola (Leni and Lola is a super cute combo!), and Campbell (Cami or even Callie…this one is on my own personal favs list! :-).
I’ll add these to the list:
Bronwyn/Winnie
Abbot/Abby
Windsor/ Winnie
Aris/Ari
Let us know what you think!
My surname is Palmer. I raised several daughters and sons and never once did any of them say they were teased about our surname. I doubt that the two word slur mentioned here is widely thought of when the name Palmer is heard. I’ve never heard it before. But as has been said many times, it’s possible to come up with a negative connotation to just about any name. I don’t especially like the name Palmer for a girl, but think it would be all right as a boy’s given name, particularly if the parents have a connection to the name.