Anna writes:
My husband and I are expecting our second (and last) child this fall. So far, the baby name game has been a bit of a disaster. Our last name starts with “sch.” Our first daughter is named Ava, which we love (even though it is common, it suits her perfectly). Her middle name has four syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. That creates a rhythm that my husband adores: dat da da dat da da “sch.”So, after consulting your post about 4 syllable names with the stress on the second syllable, we have been considering the following for a girl:Stella PenelopeStella AlexandraBut we aren’t 100% sold on Stella. We also like Ella and Clara (Clara to a lesser extent). We like names that end in “a” but that aren’t too sweet sounding. I love Fiona, but my husband is less sold on that one… but I figure with a three syllable middle name with the accent on the second syllable he still gets his “rhythm!” Anyway, between looking for a particular rhythm and trying to find a feminine yet strong/fun name – not to mention a last name that is a bit harsh sounding – we are in a pickle.For boy names, well, we can’t even begin. I LOVE the name Jack, but that is an absolute non-starter for potential teasing reasons. If our first child was a boy, she would have been Ryan David – not because we loved the name, but because we couldn’t come up with anything we liked better. I also like the name Joshua, but we have too many relatives with that name in the area. We tend to like strong, somewhat traditional (but not too traditional) names for boys and rhythm doesn’t matter to my husband on this one. Surprisingly, we both like Finn, but feel like it is too much with our last name.Here’s hoping you have encountered rhythmic namers before and can help!
The first girl name that comes to mind is Lila. Ava and Lila. I like Lila Penelope.
From your list I like both Stella and Ella (Stella seems to me to better fit the strong and not too sweet preference), but (St)Ella Penelope gives me an “(St)Ella Penella” rhyme, and (St)Ella Alexandra has an (St)Ella-Alla, neither of which are dealbreakers (and in fact may tie the names together nicely), but I think I’d go back to the name list for something like (St)Ella Magnolia or (St)Ella Victoria.
I’d also suggest Ruby. It doesn’t end in the A sound, but I think it hits a similar style mark as Ava: more sass than sweet. Ava and Ruby.
Eliza is one of my favorite sass names. Ava and Eliza.
If you like Finn for a boy but it’s not quite right with your surname, would Griffin work better?
If you like Joshua but there are too many in your family already, I wonder if Jonathan would work. It has a similar sound and rhythm.
If what you like about Jack is the snappy sound of it, I wonder if you’d like Declan? It takes away the teasing, and I think Dec Sch___ is far enough away in sound that it doesn’t bring it to mind.
Or Eric might work. Or Alec.
Or maybe something more like Sam or Joe? Joseph would be a nice alternative to Joshua.
Or instead of Ryan, Owen or Liam or Ian or Gavin? I like how Ian is another three-letter-two-vowel name like Ava, and I like how Gavin repeats Ava’s V-sound.
I like Stella Penelope and the matching “ella” sound is nice to my ear. I don’t care for Stella Alexandra much at all-the ending A on Stella just mashes with the start of Alexandra in a way I don’t care for and I’m also not a big fan of 2 A endings for first & middle. I like Stella more than Ella, Stella has a lot more spunk while Ella is a little too sweet. Ella and Ellie are also very overdone where I am but I’ve yet to meet a little Stella, so it seems fresher to me. Swistle’s suggestion of Stella Victoria is also very nice. Another possible middle would be Felicity, Stella Felicity.
Ryan made me think of Jason and Swistle’s suggestion of Declan in place of Jack made me think of Cormac which can be a bit of a rhyme with Jack, but without the problem. Or perhaps Jake, Zeke or Mark? These have less of the feel of Jack, but I’ll also suggest Drew and Nate.
Griffin instead of Finn is a great suggestion-maybe Griffin Jack? Jack should be less problematic in the middle since you wont’ use it every day.
I like Stella with both of the proposed middles. Penelope a bit more. Clara’s nice, too and I liked the suggestion of Lila. I suggest Violet, which most people pronounce as closer to two syllables than three (maybe 2.5). Violet Penelope is a great name.
Griffin, Owen and Ian were great ideas. How about Jesse or Josiah instead of Joshua?
Alec or Alex are great with Ava. May I add Mia to your girls list? Mia Penelope Sch sounds lovely with Ava and with the surname, and is a strong pretty girls name.
For boys, I would offer also Flynn. Or Aiden. Best of luck.
For a girl, I vote Vera Alexandra. Feminine but fun. Tyler Alexander for a boy.
You might like Calla. That was almost my daughter’s name if my husband didn’t prefer our other choice.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Ruby. I also like Calla and Vera. May I suggest Mila, Leah or Isla?
Also, I have a friend named Alexandra – I’ve always heard it pronounced with the emphasis on the 3rd syllable. I wasn’t sure if this was a deal breaker. I really love Victoria as a middle. Ruby Victoria, Leah Victoria. I’ll also suggest Persephone and Calliope as middles with emphasis on the 2nd syllable.
Eva.G- Oh, how funny, I did that whole post without once noticing that Alexandra doesn’t meet the rhythm!
Do you like the name Fenella?
I like Stella Penelope.
Or Ruby Magnolia.
For boys, if Jack is a non-starter but you love the sound, what about Jake? Or Mark?