S. writes:
I came across your blog a couple of months ago and have loved reading your ideas and opinions on baby names. We are due to have our first baby girl the end of October! We currently have 3 boys which we love and adore, but are thrilled to be adding some PINK to our bunch. We are having one crazy time with choosing a name that will be just right.
Our boys’ names are Lincoln Judd, Grant Perry, and Eli Daren. Their first names are names we liked and their middle names are family names. Our last name sounds like mild, but starts with a W. We would like this baby’s name to “go with” her brothers.
Had this baby been another boy we would have likely named him Jude Jacobs, Jonah Jacobs, or Noah Jacobs. But since we’ve found out that this baby is a girl, we have not been able to settle on names that we both love.
We like very gender specific names that are recognizable, but not too commonly used. We’re not too much into the nicknames and generally like the given name to be what they are called, although that’s not a deal breaker. With this baby my husband and I seem to have very different likes! I would love to have an outside neutral opinion to help sort my thoughts of what sounds good and not…here are some of the names one or both of us are considering…
– Gwen – I like it, but not sure if I want to repeat an initial…would it be too different of a sound with Grant and we’d end up calling him Gwant?! Does Gwen sound right with our last name?
– Claire – I like it, but worry that it’s getting too popular
– Kate – I like it as a name by itself…I don’t like the possibility of her being called Katie
– Evie (Ee-vee)…possibly Evelyn as the given name – This is my husband’s favorite. I worry that Evie can’t be a given name and that Evie is too similar sounding to Eli.
– Celeste – I like it but don’t know that it really goes with the boys’ names
– Phoebe – I love this! My husband does not.
– Naomi – I love this! My husband does not. There’s a negative association with this name for him.
– Olivia – I like it but don’t like that there is a famous actor/model with the same name (first and last)
The rest of these names one or both of us like…we’re just not so sure…
– Charlotte
– Adalyn
– Marlee
– Lilah
– Layla
– LydiaMost likely the middle name, if there were one, would be Lyn or Elizabeth…again family names.
Please share your thoughts and advise. Baby Girl is due in just a few weeks and I feel like we’re ready, except for a name! I’d love to hear what you think…or any other names that you think might “go with” our other children’s names.
Many, many thanks!!!
It looks to me as if your list is nearly wiped out: there’s a good reason not to use every name on the list except Celeste. It can be easy in a situation like this to keep going around in circles.
What I’d do in your shoes is brainstorm a fresh list based on your current list. For example, you like Olivia and Naomi, so you could look for other names with strong O sounds such as Sophia, Fiona, Chloe, Carolina, Rose. Or Naomi might make me think of Miriam, because they’re both biblical and have similar sounds, or it might make me think of Ruth.
The new list might or might not be of names for actual consideration (if Claire is too popular, Chloe and Sophia likely are too; if you worry about avoiding Katie, you might worry about avoiding Rosie too), but more to freshen things up and maybe lead to new ideas and a new list (“Hm, I don’t much like Bronwyn or Wynne with the surname, but those remind me of Bridget and Brenna!”).
Gwen and Evie make me think of Genevieve. It still repeats an initial, but I don’t think you’ll confuse the two names.
Or if you want the nickname Evie, I might go straight to Eve—though Eve and Eli do seem too similar to me, as Evie and Eli do. (Lilah and Layla, too.)
Claire makes me think of Clara, Cora, Carys, Laurel, Meredith, Nora, Rose.
Gwen makes me think of Wren, Wynne, Rowan, Winifred, Bronwyn, Elowen, Brynn, Zoe, Gwyneth.
Kate makes me think of Lane, Jane, June, Faith, Hazel, Jade, Maeve, Paige, Tate, Faye, Grey.
Evie makes me think of Neve, Vivienne, Liana, Eleni.
Phoebe makes me think of Penelope, Chloe, Cleo, Fiona, Sophia, Beatrix, Philippa, Josephine, Daphne.
Naomi makes me think of Noelle, Miriam, Ruth, Nadia, Esther, Leah, Claudia, Delaney, Rose, Fiona, Romilly, Romy, Mina, Mira.
Olivia makes me think Livianna, Fiona, Sophia, Chloe, Felicity, Victoria, Violet, Vivienne, Genevieve, Silvia, Orianna, Evelina.
Or else I’d go with Celeste. I think it’s great with your surname and with the sibling names.
Oh, I just love Celeste. It is currently my number 1 choice, but it also doesn’t ‘match’ DD’s name… tough decisions!
Our number 2 choice is Celia at moment, maybe you’d like that one too!
The first name that came to mind after reading your excellent boy names was Iris!
Iris Elizabeth “Mild”.
Lincoln, Grant, Eli, and Iris… they all sound so CLASSIC!
Even on the first day of school when they call role, “Mild” Iris just sounds cool.
Otherwise, do you care for Geneva? You could have the nickname of Evie still (or Genna), and it reminds me of Gwen… it does, however, repeat the same inital as Grant.
Hmmm… let’s think… oh, how do you like Florence? There’s lots of nickname potential in this one (Flossy, Wren, Flora, Essie).
Please let us know what you decide to bestow on your sweet bundle of feminine charm! Best wishes to you and your growing family!
I don’t think Celeste is that bad with your sons’ names. I know a lot of families who have slightly different styles for boys and girls.
Of Swistle’s suggestion, I really love Chloe, Genevieve, Clara, Nora, Daphne & Paige for you.
Some other suggestions you might like- Gemma, Ava, Alyssa, Cecilia, Audrey, Julia, & Ruby.
Daphne Elizabeth sounds lovely.
I don’t see a stylistic clash with Celeste and the boys’ names, but I also like Charlotte and Lydia from the second string list.
How about Margaret (nn Maggie)?
I’d suggest Cora, Coralie, or Cyra (Seer-a) as good matches with your sons’ names. I also really like Swistle’s suggestion of Cleo, Fiona, or Eleni. Maybe Noemi instead of Naomi?
Another name similar to Celeste is Estelle.
Swistle’s general idea of brainstorming and free association is really good.
Your boy names seem very Americana/Wild West/pioneer to me, in a really great way. Swistle seemed to cover other names similar in sound to the ones you already like but can’t use for some reason…on the style front, it seems as far as boy choices go you like gently old-fashioned, frontier kinds of names.
I like the suggestions of Cora, Rose, June, Jane, Laurel, Clara, Violet. Those really seem to go with your boy names.
Other names to consider… Antonia, Nellie (can be short for Helena, Penelope), Annabel, Marguerite, Caroline, Molly, Lucy, Ivy, Josie (Josephine), Georgia, Cecily, Daisy, Athena, Vera, Petra, Alma, Adelaide.
I would definitely avoid Olivia with your last name. Maybe if she was Olivia Smith…but your surname is too distinctive. If you do decide on Olivia, I think you should pick a middle name that sounds REALLY good with the rest of her name in case she wants to use it professionally down the line. Olivia Lyn “Mild” seems a little choppy to me and Olivia Elizabeth is a mouthful.
Is there any way your husband could get some new associations for Naomi? I can’t think of any movies with a Naomi heroine but I’m sure they’re out there…maybe it would at least plant some new associations in his mind in time for the birth?
I think Evie is too close to Eli, and Gwen too easily confused with Grant. I would also rule out Lilah and Layla because they share sounds with Lincoln. Lydia is easier to differentiate because it has 3 syllables. I don’t think Marlee or Adalyn fit with your boys’ names easily. Have you considered Adelaide or Marin/Merrin/Marina/Miranda? Or Mallory?
Best of luck!
PS– My fave suggestion from earlier posts was Iris. Iris “Mild” is such a fantastic name.
I would avoid Eve, Evie and Evelyn. Too close to Eli. For some reason Vienna popped into my head as a bit ‘Vivienne’ a bit ‘Gwen’ a bit ‘Sienna’ and a bit distinctive.
But my favourite thought is this- you loved Noah for a boy, so what about Noa for a girl?! Noa Mild is lovely! Noa Elizabeth Mild. If not, Nia/Niah/Nyah are also very nice.
And remember that girls names and boys names in the family do not necessarily have to match stylistically. That is, the different genders can have different styles.
If you like Naomi but that particular name has a negative association for your husband, what about Noemi? It just switches the first two sounds, and when I first heard the name I thought it was so pretty.
Your boy names have a very western sound to them. Since she will be in a family of boys, I would go with a name that is clearly feminine. I like Abigail, Annie, Celeste, and Savanah. Sarah is another option…one of those names you used to hear all the time but rarely now. Then, she will have the initials SEW. You can also use Elizabeth as her first name and call her Betsy, or I would just name her Betsy since none of her brothers use a nickname.
My vote is for Celeste :)
Why is Claire being disgarded? Some of the other names on the list are also popular. Claire is great with the sibling names.
Suggesting a new one….Vera Elizabeth “mild”
If you like Noah for a boy what about Nora for your daughter?
Celeste is a great name and I don’t think it clashes at all with the boys’ names…but if you really like Naomi, what about Niobe (nye-oh-bee)? Personally I like it even more than Naomi
I was struck by your potential boy names: Jude, Jonah, and Noah. Perhaps Judith, Joan, or Norah would work for a girl. Joan and Norah seem like especially good fits.
Lincoln, Grant, Eli and Joan.
Lincoln, Grant, Eli and Norah.
You also seem to like girls names that have a hard E sound (Ee-vee, Phoebe, Naomi). I wonder if you would like the name RUBY.
I also think JANE and CORA would work well.
Good luck!
Based on your described criteria (and not your list), the first less common, gender-specific, recognizable name I thought of was Louisa. I think Louisa Lyn sounds lovely (despite the already having a boy with an L name AND the fact that I immediately thought of NPR reporter Louisa Lim).
Working away from that and avoiding repeating first letters, what about Amelia? I think it’s excellent with your boys: Lincoln, Grant, Eli, Amelia. Eli’s name is found within Amelia, but the sounds are different. Amelia Elizabeth.
Your Biblical-leaning boy list makes me think of Esther, Rebecca, and Martha. Martha Lyn “Mild” – unexpected, but so sassy.
Olivia is VERY common in my area. Olive is not. Nor is Vivien(ne).
Celia, as suggested above, has a lot of the same sounds as Celeste, but seems to match the boys’ style better.
Good luck!
Your boys have great names!
I really like Gwen, Lilah, Evie, and Lydia. But I think last two are too close to Eli and Lincoln:
Fiona seems like a good solution to Phoebe and Naomi. Fiona Lyn or Fiona Elizabeth. It sounds so good with the boys:
Lincoln, Grant, Eli and Fiona- yes!
Or…
Philippa Lyn
Wren Elizabeth
Carlotta Lyn
Flora Elizabeth
Gemma Lynn
Aida Elizabeth
I also get a Western vibe from your boy names, which weirdly enough makes me think of Zoe (like from Firefly). Zoe Mild would be fantastic!
I also like the suggestions of Cecily, Norah, Claire, Sarah (oh, Sarah Lyn would be so sweet!)Irene, Elaine, Estelle
I like Celeste a lot. How about Penelope?
I am loving the suggestions of Vera, Cora, Zoe, and Gemma. I also thought since you like Gwen maybe add some length to Gwendolyn (although Gwen seems different enough from Grant for me…I think if you were considering say Garnet, I might say they were too similar in sounds).
If I’d been a boy, I would have been Noah or Jonah and my name’s Elizabeth Amy!!!
Oh my, so many great suggestions I hardly know where to start!
Someone beat me to Geneva. I think it’s so perfect for you and has the nickname Eva (Ee-vuh). The repeating ‘G’ seems mute as Geneva has a ‘J’ sound. Vienna is also great. And I love Clara, Daphne, Norah, Paige and Ruby.
I’d also like to suggest:
Blythe
Pearl
Sloane
I”m pretty sure we have almost exactly similar name styles. My list is so similar it is scary! Here are some I have that you don’t:
Eden
Hope
Violet
Molly
Cecily
Ruby
Tabitha
(Seriously! We have Gwen, Claire, Naomi, Phoebe and possible MN Elizabeth.)
Kate is sooo lovely and I think you could avoid the Katie nn. Kate Elizabeth *M*ild. wow. Love it.
Or what about going with Anne Elizabeth? Classic.
Celeste and Claire are great too and as she is the only girl it doesn’t matter if it’s a slightly different style. It’s not like you’re all of a sudden going for Keeley or Mackenzie you know?
Some ideas, sorry for repeats–
Clara/Clary > less popular than Claire
Rachel/Rachael > this is not that popular anymore but goes so well with your sons’ names.
Mae > short, sweet, classic (nn could be Mamie?)
Genevieve > Ginny, Genny, Evie
Elena > Laney, Ellie, Ena
Viola, Violet > Vi
Alice > classic!
Emmaline > Emmy and Eli?
Oooh, just thought of one! Tessa!!! Love it!