Katie writes:
I came across your blog in my seemingly never-ending search for the perfect name for our baby girl due in November. This is our first baby and we are so excited, but can’t seem to come up with a name that we both love. About us: his name is Daxx k (yes, middle name is just the letter, lower case); mine is Katherine Elaine (I go by Katie) – needless to say, his parents were a bit more adventurous than mine! Our last name rhymes with Perry, and starts with T. If we have a son in the future his name is likely to be Daxx Turner – Turner is my dad’s middle name, and that is what we will probably call him, to avoid confusion and because we both love the name Turner for a little boy.We want Baby Girl to have a name that is a little different, not too common, and we don’t want her to share it with a lot of girls her age. My husband would love it if her name had a double letter in it (like Daxx, Kenn – his dad, and Lleyton – our nephew.) Names we’ve come up with:Elizabeth Kate (we would want to call her Eli Kate, but I worry that Eli is too boyish), love Kate as a middle name since my mom and I are both Katherine, I’m not sold on Elizabeth as it is SO popular, but I also love the nickname options and that she would still have a classic namePaisley Grace – we worry that Paisley is becoming too popular/don’t love the idea of naming our baby after a fabricEllodie Claire – I loved the name Ellodie, but after referring to her as that for a few weeks, it doesn’t feel right, and I hate that every time I tell someone “Ellodie” they say “Like Melody without the M?”Reagan – like it, but worry about it with our last name, seeming like she has 2 last names/people being confused about which is her first name vs. last nameRiley – he loves this, but I’m not soldHadley – I love Hadley, or even Hadlee (to incorporate a double letter), but worry it’s getting popularVivienne – I like Vivienne a lot, but I’m just not sure about itEverly – i love, but every time I say it, he says “Like Beverly?”Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated :)Thanks so much!
Let’s start by looking at the current commonness of each name on the list, according to the Social Security Administration:
Elizabeth: #11 in 2011, and has been hovering right around there for decades
Paisley: #195 in 2011, coming up rapidly from its first appearance in the Top 1000 in 2006
Ellodie/Elodie: not in the Top 1000
Reagan: #122 in 2011, rising slowly now after some rapid rising in the 1990s
Riley/Rylee/Rylie/Ryleigh: hard to figure out the popularity because of many spellings; the spelling Riley was #47 in 2011 for girls, and #111 for boys. Because it’s popular for both girls and boys, this increases the possibility of another Riley (girl or boy) in her class.
Hadley/Hadlee/Hadleigh: rising fairly quickly; the most popular spelling is Hadley at #178
Vivienne: #383 in 2011; it’s only been in the Top 1000 for three years
Everly: not in the Top 1000, but likely to get there next year; the #1000 name for girls was used 250 times, and Everly was used 222 times, and Everleigh was used 147 times
I think Eli would be a hard sell as a nickname for Elizabeth: it isn’t a familiar nickname for it, and the letters are the same but the emphasis and sounds are not—“EE-lie” vs. “eh-LIH.” It might work if you used Eliza, nickname Eli—though it would still be an unexpected nickname.
If you like Elizabeth, Ellodie, and Everly, I suggest Ellis. It has a double letter, it works with Kate and with Daxx. (I’d also mention Ellery, but I’m not sure it works with the surname.)
A similar suggestion is Hollis.
Similar in sound to Paisley is Hazel.
Similar to Riley: Kiley and Briley—or you could spell them Kylee and Brylee to get the double letter.
Similar to Reagan: Morgan, Teagan/Teegan.
Similar to Vivienne: Vienna.
More double-letter possibilities:
Annalise
Arabella
Braelynn
Brinlee
Brylee
Calla
Calliope
Camilla
Clarissa
Emlynn
Evelynn
Fallon
Gemma
Greer
Kaelynn
Karenna
Keelin
Keely
Kennedy
Lennox
Linnea
Mckenna
Noelle
Padgett (might be too much T with surname)
Quinn
Reese
Romilly
Savannah
Scarlett (might be too much T with suname)
Sienna
Stella
Willa
Willow
Wynne
How about Elizabeth with a nickname of Libby? Classic name and double letters for the nickname!
Maybe because of the name Paisley on your list…I thought of Posey, though I’m not sure if it works with the surname.
From someone with the same last name (it was my maiden name), I STRONGLY suggest a name that is definitely, no-doubt-about-it a first name and also definitely feminine. I was constantly having to correct people who switched the order of my names and/or thought I was male. I was a little sad to give up my maiden name (the feminist in me coming out!), but love that my married last name eliminated name confusion for me.
It doesn’t have the double letter, but perhaps you would like Waverly? I named my daughter that in 2010 after falling in love with it on this blog. It is distinctive and would remove the Beverly without the B problem of Everly.
Good luck!
Callista
Kenna
Merrin
I love Kate as a middle name. My niece is Meredith Kate after her mom who is also a Katherine.
Good luck!
If you like Hadley what about Finlee? Double letter name and not in the top 1000 as far as I can tell. I like Zooey as well (pronounced Zoe and a legit name with double letters). I can honestly say I’ve never come across a Zooey ever, except in a J.D. Salinger book :)
Ohh my gosh I forgot that Kate is your middle name, Zooey Kate is the greatest! Sorry, had to add that in :)
A name I have never suggested on one of these before (lest I look like I have a huge ego) is Michelle. No one is using it these days and that’s a shame, because it is a pretty name that reads strong on little girls. It has many variations (fancy ones like Michaella- pronounced ‘Mi-shella’) and even very vogue nicknames like Miche (pronounced ‘Meesh’) and Misha. I think Michelle and Turner sound great together.
When I first read “Eli Kate” from your letter, I said “Elly Kate” in my head. So I started thinking about that. I actually find Elizabeth a bit strange stylistically when paired as a sibling name like Dexx. But what about Ella Kate who you could call Elly/Ellie Kate? Ella still gives her a name that would grow well with her throughout her life while giving her cute nn options (Elly/Ellie, Ells, Elle). It also gives you the double letter and it goes well with Dexx and the surname.
With your last name I would go with a first name that doesn’t have the ending “ee” sound as well. And I would agree with the commenter who suggested a feminine name though with Dexx you would expect a sibling name with a little funk.
How about:
Jasmine nn Jazz?
Rebecca nn Bexx? (probably too close!)
I like your choice of Vivienne though I don’t know if it matches stylistically. I also like the suggestion of using Libby as a nn for Elizabeth. Lizzie would also work.
Oh, and from Swistle’s suggestions I really like Stella Perry-with-a-t. I also thought Stella had spunk.
Ooh, or how about Roxanne/a? Very cool but underused.
Poppy, Calla, Lillian/Lilly, Genevieve/Gigi (not technically a double letter, but I think it still works), Pippa, Willa, Quinn, Molly, Alyssa, Tess, Gabrielle/Gabby, Greer, Sierra.
Any of the “elle” names as well as the “ette” names could also work.
There’s also my daughter’s name, Oona. I have a glamouroua 1930s association with the name, not an Irish heritage association, so maybe it would have the edge you’re looking for. The double OO is a) a lot of fun for everyone and b) so easy for everyone to spell and write. Oona Kate. Sooooo cute!
This is an out of nowhere suggestion…but what about Rhianydd? Your nephew’s name makes me think you might be somewhat Welsh, and I think the double DD in Rhianydd is much more dramatic (like the double XX in Daxx) than a coincidental double letter like in something like Ella. Rhianydd also has a similar sound to Reagan, so maybe you’ll like it for that reason as well.
I love Vivienne and Everly.
I have a crush on the name Esti, and think it fits really well with Daxx or Turner. Esti Kate?
How about also considering:
Romane
Eleanor
Daisy
Simone
Elowen
Zoe
Poesie
Elise
Sylvie
My favorite suggestion for you so far is Ellis. It meets a lot of your criteria, sounds good with the surname and the potential sibling name, and has a double letter. I’d go with Ellis Katherine instead of Ellis Kate, though, because you’re planning to pass on your husband’s first name to a son, it would be nice to use your full name as well.
Or, how about Susannah? It’s surprisingly underused, has the double letter and sounds good with the surname. I think it works with Turner, too. Susie and Sukie are possible nicknames.
Elizabeth nn Libby was a good suggestion, too.
Eleri Katherine is beautiful.
I like Emmery
Instead of Ellodie, what about Ottilie? I’m not sure on the spelling but I know Swistle has mentioned it before. It was a name of a little girl in a book on CD that I listened too and I thought it was just beautiful. Ottilie Kate?
Ellis! I love that with Kate or Katherine as a middle name (I agree with the comment above on why to use Katherine rather than Kate and Ellis Katherine is awesome!) I love that name so much I would use it– so great! Ellis and Turner sound great together. Ellis Katherine and Daxx Turner. I’m just crazy about it…can you tell?! :)
I think you should concentrate more on a name that you both like instead of the double letter requirement. The uniqueness of your husband’s name is that yes, it can be spelled as Dax, but his parents added an extra x at the end. I don’t think you will be able to achieve this same scenario with a female name since most of the female names with double letters are (a) usually always with a double letter, and it would be weird to have it without the double letter (ie Michelle or Callie or (b) so unique that it seems wrong to add the extra letter in. Imagine all of your names on a Christmas card…Daxx, Katie, ??Turner?? And ___________
A female with or without a double letter would fit perfectly in the blank.
If you are set on the double letter thing, then I would suggest Hannah? It is unique in that it is a palindrome, so all the letters are doubled.
Similar to Ellis, how about Elliot? Elliot Kate.
What about the name Elliot for a girl? It’s become more widely used as a girls name and it has the double letter but similar in style to Elizabeth. Elliot Kate. And you can always go with Elli as a nickname.
I also like the name Stella Kate. So cute, but it seems like Stella is becoming more popular. You could always change it to Estella or Estelle. Estelle Kate is lovely.
I think the double letter in Daxx is so striking because it’s at the end of the name. For a girl, I like names like Brynn or Britt.
I like the idea a previous poster had of giving a classic or longer name with a nn that includes a cool double letter ending. Some ideas:
Juliette, nn Jett
Vivienne, nn Vivv
Alexandra, nn Lexx
I like the name Ellis, but not with your last name. It doesn’t “flow” to me and I think she’d get confusion as to which was her first and which was her last name and they are both unisex.
I love the suggestions of Susannah, Hannah, and Elizabeth with nn Libby. Susannah is probably my favourite. With your last name, I’m drawn to three syllable names that don’t end in the “ee” sound.
Oh, I also like Philippa, nn Pippa, Vivienne nn Vivv, Alexandra nn Lexx and especially Juliette nn Jett. That may now be my favourite!
This name may well be too far in left field for you, but I love the sound of Clementine with your last name! I know a girl with that name who’s nn is Lemen – how cute is that?! I also like the sound of the name Caroline with your last name, nn could be Caro, but there’s no double letter in either of these last suggestions.
You have such a lovely classic name. Why not name your daughters similarly and leave the double letter names for your son. Elizabeth Kate called Libby would be a classic name like yours. It would also have a double letter that you like in the nickname.
Using the name Daxx for a male with the last name of Perry with a “T” was brilliant on your in-laws’s part….
Of all the suggestions, my favorite is Pippa, especially if you arrive there via Phillipa–I think this connects a potential family unit of Daxx, Turner, and Katie quite well.
Other ideas that I like a lot are Calla, Camilla, Brynn, Gemma, Hazel, Linnea, Willa, and Willow. Oh! and Juliet nn’d Jett. Most of these would work with the middle name of Kate–although not Brynn or Calla, especially.
I like Swistle’s suggestion of Quinn… meets the double-letter criterion, and she’d have the initials QT (cutie). Quinn and Turner are great sibling names.
what about Talullah or Talitha)
I agree that Ellis doesn’t work too well with your last name. It’s not a very feminine name and I think your daughter could have trouble with your last name also being a male name. So I’d suggest going more feminine, which rules out a lot of names you mentioned above. But I’d also suggest feminine with spunk, because of a potential Daxx Turner!
I love Pippa and Willow for you! I’ll also suggest Pearl, Ruby, Sally and Thisbe. And just Elle. Elle Perry is beautiful!
(But if you do go with Pippa, it probably won’t work with Kate as a middle…..Pippa Kate…..). :-)