Baby Girl M____en, Sister to Hyte, Hayes, Gray, and Lula

Jessie writes:

I am 25 weeks pregnant with my 5th child and I am runnin out of name options -especially bc it’s my 4th girl!!

My kids names are:
Hyte James (boy)
Hayes Veronica (girl)
Gray Lucille (girl)
Lula Jewel (girl)

We have tried to use family names on the first or middle name of all of our kids, but it doesn’t have to be the first name.

Our last name starts with an m and ends with -en sound. 2 syllables .

Here are some of the options we have discussed
Betty opal (number 1 on my list, but I can’t commit for some reason)
Floy Rebecca (husband hates)
June (I like the old feeling and she’s due in June)

Other family names include:
Alma
Ida
Iva
Gertrude
Mildred
Elizabeth
Vernabelle
Eva
Alice
Betty and floy are also family names.
So… As you can see our options are kinda limited!

I don’t like trendy names or names that end with -en. I want it to be feminine, but not overused!!

Can you help me?!? Thanks!!

The challenge here is that the girl names in the sibling group made a sudden swerve after the first two. In 2010, the name Hayes was used rarely, and almost exclusively for boys (214 boys, 15 girls). Gray is harder to track, because many children were named Grayson/Graydon/etc. and perhaps add to the number actually called Gray; in 2010 there were 202 boys and 50 girls named Gray/Grey—more unisex than Hayes, but still used much more often for boys. But Lula, while unusual like the others (67 girls in 2010) is very feminine, and exclusively a girl name in the U.S.

The first step, I think, is to determine whether you’d like to veer back toward your original plan of unisex/boy names for girls, or if you want to keep Lula from feeling like the exception.

Possible names to fit more with Hayes and Gray:

Blake
Brett
Bryce
Cael
Case
Drew
Ellis
Flynn
Lennox
Lowell
Teague
Winslow

But I think my inclination would be to keep Lulu from feeling like the odd one out. Betty seems like a good choice for this: Lula and Betty sound like a good pair, as do Hayes and Gray. Alma, Ida, Iva, Opal, and Mildred also seem like good fits with Lula.

I love the name June, but I think it’s too familiar and common (and its popularity is rising) to go with the rest of the sibling group. It works beautifully as a middle name, however: Alma June, Ida June, Iva June, Betty June.

21 thoughts on “Baby Girl M____en, Sister to Hyte, Hayes, Gray, and Lula

  1. StephLove

    I agree June would make a nice middle. I like Alice June, Alma June, Ida June and Opal June for you. (And I feel compelled to mention my daughter June was named for her great grandmother Ida June so there’s precedent there).

    Ida makes me think of Ada, which could work for you, and Mildred makes me think of Millicent, which I can’t believe Swistle did not suggest because she loves it so. Millicent June’s not bad.

    Reply
  2. Lauren

    I love Betty but you should consider whether you want the initials BM. Not a dealbreaker for everyone but you don’t want to realize it later if it bothers you.

    Reply
  3. bunnyslippers

    I like Alma or Gertrude (Trudy) with something super girlie or old fashioned. You already have a precious stone daughter, maybe it’s time to go with a botanical or bird name.

    Alma Iris
    Alma Fern
    Alma Fleur
    Alma/Trudy Linnea
    Trudy Rose
    Alma/Trudy Dove
    Alma/Trudy Paloma
    Alma Sparrow
    Alma/Trudy Wren

    Reply
  4. Life of a Doctor's Wife

    I love your kids’ names – beautiful!

    And I agree with others that June would be perfect in the middle name slot.

    Betty June sounds wonderful to my ear!

    And… Ida and Iva and Alma make me think of Alva and Alba and Isla.

    Isla Floy. Alba Floy. Alva Floy.

    Congratulations and good luck!

    Reply
  5. Carolyn

    I like June for the reason that it has the /oo/ sound of Lula, connecting the names as both feminine and similar-sounding. Hayes and Gray are connected by the long /a/ and the unisex styles.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    I second the poster above. I think June would fit in beautifully with your other children, and since she’s due in June it’s a nice tie-in. It may be on the rise but it certainly doesn’t seem like it; I’ve never met a little June. (Heck, I’ve never met ANY person named June!)And I always say if you love it, use it – at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.

    Reply
  7. Heidi

    I vote for June as first name! Lovely! Not a big fan of Betty, as I don’t like diminutives as first names, without the option of the bigger name the diminutive derives from (for instance, I don’t like “Jack” alone but like it when it’s a nickname for John or Jackson or something else).

    Reply
  8. Natalia

    Since Opal is a gemstone, what about Ruby? Ruby Elizabeth sounds pretty! Or Ruby Alice!

    Betty June is a great suggestion!

    Betty made me think of Etta and Greta. I like Etta Floy.

    Maybe instead of Betty you can use Beatrice: Alma Beatrice

    I agree with Carolyn, Hayes and Gray share the /a/ sound, so it’d be nice that the baby girl shares something with Lula. Maybe the ending -a. You already have Alma, Ida, Iva and Eva to choose from, but what about Becca instead of Rebecca? Becca June or Becca Floy are so nice!

    Other ideas:

    Cora
    Gemma
    Alana
    Freya

    Good luck deciding!

    Reply
  9. Anonymous

    I assumed you only had one girl, so it’s hard for me to commit to a favorite option, but I do agree that I would probably go more feminine on this one so that Lula isnt left out. What about Pearl? I like Opal, also.

    Reply
  10. Stephanie Jean-Louis

    My grandmother used her middle name Cozette, with friends calling her Cozy and family calling her Coco. I found out later that her first name was actually Aleta, which I think is pretty! On the other side of the fam, my grandfather’s fraternal twin sister passed away in infancy and her name was Elnora.

    Reply
  11. Gail

    Wow, your taste is even more outlier than mine….you are using names that others have maybe never even heard for girls, much less considered. I think you’re having a hard time committing to Betty because it’s becoming trendy in a NYC kind of way and none of your other names are trendy in the same way. I would follow suit with your first four kids by using a short first name, and reserve any of your longer family names for the middle. Ida, Iva, and Alma are the only short family names you have that are as rarely used as any of your other kid’s, so I’d start a list with them:

    Alma
    Ida
    Iva
    Valo
    Svea
    Runa
    Nori
    Plum
    Lumi
    Alba
    Ever
    Meno
    Poe
    Zaia

    Of your mn options, I love Vernabelle or Betty or June. If the fn is going to be offbeat and/or obscure, I think the mn should be more recognizable, feminine, and usable should your daughter later decide she’d like that option. Not sure Mildred, for example, makes the cut when viewed this way.

    Not sure what I think of Floy, but if your husband hates it, then I think it’s out. What about Flow?

    Best of luck (and ease!)

    Reply
  12. Nichole

    Your kids names are beautiful and original! I agree you should pair Lula up with another feminine name. I very much like some of Natalia’s suggestions:
    Cora
    Gemma
    Freya

    I also like Ada.

    Good luck! Can’t wait to hear what you choose.

    Reply
  13. Sarah.Jane

    What about Bette (pronounced like Betty) to keep with the unusual factor your names seem to have.
    Juno or Juna could work as an alternative to June.

    Reply
  14. Anonymous

    You probably don’t want to mess with a family name, but what about Floyd instead of Floy?

    Floyd Elizabeth
    Floyd Rebecca

    Or Florence, with the nickname Floy?

    Alma Florence
    Tegan Florence
    Troye Florence

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.