Amy writes:
My name is Amy, and my husband’s name is Dallaway, but he goes by his middle name, Jacob. We have 5 sons (!). Twins: Jones Milo and Dallaway Miller who are 8, Foster Henry, 6, Maguire Thomas, 4, and Lanham Grant, 3. We’ve gotten pretty good at naming boys, and assumed we’d probably be having a 6th boy and decided on Harrison Jonah. But to our surprise, we’re having a girl! And we’re completely lost! We are due in June, so we have some time, but it is really stressing me out that we have no where to begin! My husband’s family naming tradition kind of started our own thing. The Renyold tradition is that the first born son (who is my husband) name his first child his mother’s maiden name. Many people in his family go by middle names, such as my husband. So when we discovered we were pregnant the first time, we knew our child would be Jones Milo or Jones (Joannie) Katherine. At the discovery of twin boys, we had some issues. Baby A would be Jones…but what do we do with Baby B? We decided to continue the maiden name theme so the names were similar. It just kind of kept going through the 5 boys.. We’ve used Jacob’s mother’s and both grandmother’s middle names (Jones, Dallaway, and Foster). Then moved to my mother and paternal grandmother for Maguire and Lanham.
Now, we can’t decide if we should try to continue the last name theme with our little girl or just pick a name we like. She is likely to be our last (but we said that with the last 2. ; ) ) I would want her to have a family name in there somewhere.Useable family (not last names) names:
Katherine
AllisonHazelMollySusannahLast names that could be used:
Harrison (not for my daughter, ever)
KeetonBaily (our best bet for a girl with last name. This is my great grandmother’s maiden name).Names I like: (husband hates the first 3, but is open to use as a middle name. He isn’t particularly fond of any)
Jane
MillyRose/Rosie (not with Renyold, though)AudreyClaraJuliaNames he likes:
Sterling (I’m afraid it’s a bit too masculine seeing as we do have 5 boys. I don’t want her to get lost in the testosterone. But I like it.)
Felicity
Ella (too popular for me, but would consider Eleanor)
AmaryllisHyacinthZippora
(he’s kind of all over the place)We can’t seem to agree on anything! Right now, we have considered:
Clara Allison (my favorite)Hazel FelicityAmaryllis KatherineSusannah EleanorClara JaneBaily SterlingAmaryllis Keeton (husband’s favorite)Please help us!!
Name update! Amy writes:
Our little girl surprised us all by making an early appearance 2 weeks early. Our beautiful red headed blue eyed little gal came into the world May 18th at 6:43 p.m. weighing in at 6 lbs 3 ounces, 19 inches long. We had a few naming choices in hand at the hospital, and after seeing her, we knew she was our Felicity Keeton “Renyold”. We love her and her name, and her brothers are all smitten with their “Lissie”. Thank you and your readers for your help!!
Of your list, I agree Bailey is probably your best bet for a girl. It started out as more for boys, but is quickly moving all-girl. Once the SS name states are released for 2011, I expect it will be out of the top 1000 for boys (it was #995 in 2010). However, in a family of all surname firsts, I think it could easily get lost in the boys. If she’s going to go by her middle, that may not matter as much to you. I also wonder how much the surname tradition is reaching-Bailey is your great grandmother’s maiden name. I can’t help but wonder if some of the honor value of using someone’s maiden name doesn’t start to get lost once you go back more than a couple of generations. It would in my family, but maybe not for you? I also notice you haven’t used your maiden name. You could be saving it for your son, but I think it would be very appropriate in your case if you went ahead and used it now. Your son could still use it later if he wanted-I don’t think an Aunt sharing a first name with their niece/nephew would be problematic. And I really like the idea of the only girl/probably last child having your maiden name, seems like a nice thing for you to share as the only girls! Of your list of other family names, I think Susannah is a good match. It is familiar, feminine but not too common (not even in the top 1000) and it seems…sturdy enough to go with the surnames used for the boys. Susannah Bailey, Susannah Hazel, Susannah Claire. Taking your list and his into consideration, I’ll also suggest Verity, Lucy, Coral, Cora, Magnolia, Constance, Antonia and Gemma.
I would strongly be in favor of NOT giving her an overly-girly name. Sure, she could be a girly-girl, but with all those brothers she may be a tomboy and you don’t want to give her a name she feels out of place with. I really like the Bailey idea, but spelling it that way instead of without the E. She could go either way with that.
So glad that I am not the only one that has used the name Maguire! :) LOVE IT!
As far as your namining dilemma, I will say this…go girly.
I was the first girl after 3 boys and my parents were going to call me Taylor Christine. Although I love the name, my grandmother made a great point…”after SO many boys (and in your case many MORE) how could you give her a masculine name?” They decided on Katrina nn Katie. So thankful!
Not only was this perfect, but a great way to let me know that I was special.
I love Susannah, Felicity, Eleanor (Ellie, Elle) and Clara.
I like Baily and Sterling, but just feel like she would get lost in the shuffle.
Good luck!
I am opposite the second commenter and would be completely in favor of a super feminine name. Katherine is my favorite from your list. But I think Hazel goes best with your boys’ names. (I can’t pinpoint why, it just seems to flow with the last-name type names but still invokes femininity.)
I think I would choose something obviously girlish, to set her name apart from the boys’ names. His choice of Felicity seems to fit well stylistically with your choices of Jane, Clara, Audrey, etc.
I think since your husband’s family traditions have taken over all five boy names, it would be nice if you used something from your family for the girl name. Do you have any women on your side of the family you’d like to honor?
Do all five boys go by their middle names ?
I think her name should start with the letter A. The vowel will be a nice break from all of the other constant beginning names, and she is the first girl like A is the first letter of the alphabet. Possible A names: Arabella, Amelia, Adeline. Azalea. Another option would be to go with Eve or variation of it since that was the first woman in the bible world. Evette would be pretty as a variation of eve. Another names, some of which supposedly mean “first,” are wynona, Camille, Evangeline, and Lucinna. My fav from your list is felicity.
As Swistle says, a lot of people do different styles for boys and girls. The boy style has been all surname names, but that doens’t mean the girl style needs to match. I’d choose the name that would make me feel happiest about having a girl.
Do the kids go by their first or middle names?
What do you think of Carys? Obviously girly but uncommon. Or you could continue the last name theme and go with something like Kennedy.
I also like Felicity from your list. I think it’s ok to go with something you love for the first name and give her a family name for the middle name. But if you want to honor someone in her first name, I like Bailey. Can you spell it like that?
I think Clara Bailey has a nice ring to it…
I think whatever you do go girly. Even if not overtly girly, avoid surnames any names that are used, or could be used, for either girls or boys. And I would imagine that having all those boys around will make you baby girl even more feminine, not less so. I love Clara Jane.
Wow! Good job with your sons’ names! You two ARE good at that!
I agree that going feminine with your daughter is the right direction.
You’ve got great taste in girl names, too! Amaryllis is so, so fantastic I hardly know what else to say about it. She could have the nickname of Amy (classic, familiar, not especially popular right now) or Rilla. Hazel also is a winner… the nickname of Zella reminds me of both Ella (from your list) and Zippora (from his list).
You’ve given your boys the gift of distinction amoung the masses; I like that you’re trying to do the same for your precious daughter.
All the best to you and your growing family!!
I agree that the name should be girly or her name will get lost, but I think your hsould use a family name in the middle name slot for consistency. I like the idea of a flower name, because I think thi little girl will be a little flower in the midst of all the mud! :-) I’m not sure about Amaryllist because the short forms — Amy, Ama — are very similar to your name….? Hyacinth is pretty and different. How about Lily, Poppy, Azalea, Violet, Ivy or Peony? I also really like Felicity. It’s such a happy name. Good luck!
sorry — typing too quickly. I meant Amaryllis!
Y’know, this post reminds me an awful lot of the troll post about a month ago – 6th child, unusual naming pattern for the first five children, etc. And they would appear to have spelt their surname wrong throughout the letter. (Google “Renyold” and one of the top hits is this post).
However if I’m wrong then I apologise and my vote is for Baily Jane.
I can’t help but filter my ideas through the basic question of “Would I want this name?” Using that rubric, if I were a boy, I’d love having any of your boy’s names. Going through the potential girl’s names, not as many make this cut. I’ve always been grateful not to have a “girly” name, yet I have to say I’m so glad not to have been named Baily/Bailey. Yet I feel the same way about Amaryllis–it’s really cool and on trend, but I’d hate having this name. Ditto for Zippora and Felicity. The only names I unreservedly like are in your initial list of family names–Katherine, Allison, Hazel, Molly, & Susannah.
(I tend to agree with the previous poster, and, likewise apologize if wrong).
I was assuming the spelling was to thwart search results, as parents often do on these posts.
We had (only) two boys, then a girl. I did keep the surname naming tradition but utilized the double name to make it obviously feminine – Blair Kathryn and we call her Blair Kate.
I like Keeton (nn Keely?) and Baily Katherine (Baily Kate!)
All great name, though!
Baily Kate or Baily Jane. Nice with your sib mix. Keep middle name girlie for sure.
i love Hazel! and you could call her Hayes, which would be more masculine, and more surnamey!
Hello! Thank you all for the comments! To the above posters questioning things, Renyold is NOT my actual last name. It is similar to my last name and used for online things that are not business related to stay private. I apologize for the confusion.
And thanks again,
Amy
After five boys, I would definitely use a name that says “girl.” I wouldn’t chose something overly feminine, but definitely not a unisex name. I would also continue the maiden name tradition. From your list, these would be my picks:
Jane Baily
Audrey Keeton
Katherine Baily
Allison Baily
Hazel Keeton
I think Bailey is a great choice for you, fitting into the surname theme, but one that’s mainly used for girls these days. But I also think it would be fine to depart from the theme as she is your first girl and Susannah is one of my all-time favorites. Good luck choosing.
I do like Hazel quite a bit, too.
Please use a surname that is a bit girl for your little girl, family name or no. How bout, Emerson, Avery, Harper, or my favorite is Sinclair (your hubby likes Clara)?
I would use Baily Rose or Keeton Rose
Nicely feminine, but not screaming “I’M THE ONLY GIRL HERE!” especially since some of the boys’ names could easily have been given to girls (Jones, for example).
How about Bellamy? Surname, yet still with a feminine edge.
Bellamy Katherine or Bellamy Hazel would be nice and incorporates a family name in there as well. Plus, it subtly incorporates your name in there, which I think is nice considering one of your sons is named for your husband.
Yes to Bellamy! Romilly, Darcy and Harper also work for girls. Felicity is just awesome, feminine without being too princessy to fit with the boys’ names. Kate, Hazel, Millie and Zipporah also fit that bill. Maybe it would be nice to use one of those with a surname-y middle name? How about:
Romilly Allison
Felicity Keeton
Kate Sterling
I agree – great job naming your boys!
I also think you should go feminine. I think girls names should be sweet and classic, something wearable for all stages in life – not more cutesy names such as Taylor, Zoey, etc.
That being said, I do love the above suggestions of Darcy and Harper. What about Ainsley, Harlow, Keely, Piper, Sonnet, or Winslow?
I love your choice of Felicity. More classic feminine names I like are Daphne, Gemma, and Honora.
Good luck!
Oh, I’m a bit stumped by this one! I agree, Bailey is probably the best bet for a girl, but it doesn’t seem to *go* with your name style. Keeton does, to me, but it seems like it will get lost with the boy’s names.
I like all of your usable family (not last) names, but it doesn’t seem like you’re too keen on them. I think nearly any combo you come up with of two names you both love/like with be fantastic from the lists you have going. I love Amaryllis Jane and Julia Sterling.
You mention both liking Sterling, but not wanting it to get lost with the boys. I’ve a friend named Starling – would this feminize it for you? It’s a name my dh would never go for because starlings are *nuisance birds* but what a great name!
I agree that you might want to make the name more feminine, but please also make it unique to some extent. Your boy names are all really unique. To have one child with an “everyday” name among all others with unique names sends a message. Hazel really seems like the best one to fit with your boy names. Obviously a girl name but could be someone’s last name (even if it isn’t it could be and therefore fits with the naming style PLUS it is a family name) and just fits in with the other names. Hazel Allison flows really well and that has a his choice name and a your choice name. But, you didn’t really say how YOU feel about Hazel and it’s a deal-breaker if you don’t like it. Jones, Dallaway, Foster, Maguire, Lanham, and Hazel. VS. Jones, Dallaway, Foster, Maguire, Lanham, and Clara.
Jones, Dallaway, Foster, Maguire, Lanham, and Starling. That could sound good too. But Starling Allison and Starling Clara don’t flow as well as Hazel Allison and I feel like you should have a name for your daughter that you love.
Yes, Anonymous! Bellamy!! It’s more interesting than Bailey, still feminine, and surname-y