Leah writes:
We are trying to come up with a girl name for our second child due in February (if it’s a boy we will go with either Jonas Levi, James Oberon or William (Liam) James – we both love all 3 names just need to meet the baby first to see what fits :)). However we have a much harder time with girl names. With our first we had whole lists of boy names we both loved but did not like any of the same girl names. We took 3 days (after she was born) to name her and both absolutely love her name (Frances Cecily) it fits her perfectly and we love how it sounds. We call her Frances, Francie and Chezzy – we also call her by both names “Frances Cecily”. Her last name is Irish – Weilly but with an R. We plan to have at least 2 more children after baby #2, so we don’t want anything that eliminates one of our boy choices. My name is Leah, husbands name is Robert (Rob)Ok, on to our current list (in no particular order):Erin – family name, we both like it but worry it may sound “dated” or not fit well with FrancesJane – also a family name (and my middle), we could certainly use it as a middle, Rob is unsure of it as a first name.Charlotte – we both like it a lot, it is popular which doesn’t bother us in theory, however we know 3 baby girl Charlottes in our circles already…Elise – Rob’s long time favorite girl name, I don’t mind it, but am on the fenceMarlowe – another Rob favorite that has personal meaning to him, again I’m not sure about it and feel it doesn’t fit with FrancesSylvie – a new addition to our list that I like a lot and has grown on Rob.Sadie – A Rob favorite, I like it, but not 100% sold that it would fit our daughter…Helen – A family name, Rob likes – I don’t really but am seeing if it grows on meOther names that we tossed around:Louisa – we have a cat named Louis – would it seem like we named her after the cat?Georgia – both like, but don’t loveRegan – growing on us, but does it fit with Frances?Eliza – an alternative to Elise that I like better, but we know a lot of Ellies and if we do an El name maybe stick with Rob’s favorite?Genevieve – we both like it but don’t really like the obvious nicknames and I’m very much a nickname personHester – Rob loves, it could grow on me, but I’m not sure if this is too out there still?Thea – I like it, but feel it needs to be short for something longer – maybe Anthea?? Theodora isn’t really clicking for us.Combinations we both like but aren’t 100% sold on:Erin JaneSylvie JaneCharlotte EliseDo you have any ideas for us? Combinations to try? Do these names work with our boy choices as well as with Frances Cecily? Thanks a bunch!
The first suggestion that comes to my mind is Harriet. Frances Cecily and Harriet Jane.
The name Erin does seem like a Mom Name to me. It’s still useable now, but it’s different enough from Frances that I think I’d prefer it as a middle name anyway.
Marlowe doesn’t seem like a good fit with Frances, either. I’d put that one on the middle name list too.
Same with Regan: good middle name candidate, but I think it’s too different in style to be the first name.
Jane is one of my favorites. It’s great as a middle name but I love it as a first name. Frances Cecily and Jane Elise.
I think if you had a grandfather named Louis, Louisa would be a sweet honor name. But in the case of a cat named Louis, I don’t think a single person will think the name Louisa was chosen as an honor name. They might remark on the similarity of the two names (although as I reflect on my own circle of friends and family, I find I know very few of the pet names), but they won’t think you thought long and hard about which family member to honor, and in the end decided the cat would be the best choice. It helps that many people have had the experience of using a name for a pet and then later realizing that name falls within their naming style for children as well. It helps, too, that the names are so different in sound: LOO-wiss and loo-WEEZ-zah. They’re visually very similar, but the two names won’t typically be seen written down together. And if I may switch to a Delicate Tone of Voice, how old is the cat?
Eloise would take the name a step further from the cat’s name. Frances and Eloise.
If your husband likes Elise but you’re not quite sure, I suggest Alice. The sounds are almost identical, and I like the style of Alice better with Frances, too. Frances Cecily and Alice Jane, or Frances Cecily and Alice Marlowe, or Frances Cecily and Alice Regan.
If he likes Hester and you’re not quite sure, I suggest Esther. Esther Jane, maybe, or Esther Louisa
If Genevieve is not quite right, I suggest Josephine—very similar sounds, but a new set of nicknames to consider.
Thea could also be short for Dorothea or Althea. But I think of it as a stand-alone name, and I think that’s my favorite version of it.
A few more possibilities:
Beatrix (I think Beatrice is a better fit, but I’m not sure about the matched endings)
Eleanor
Evelyn
Hazel
Lydia
Mabel
Marian
Olive
Vivian
Name update! Leah writes:
We had our baby! We had a boy, as it turns out :). His name is Jonas Barnaby and he’s a total sweetheart.
Lots of great ideas on the table. Every single one of Swistle’s suggestions is spot on. If I had to choose just one, it might be Hazel, but really, any of them……
My mother-in-law is Frances, and her sisters are Florence, (nn’d Flicka) and Helen. Florence also has the adorable nn option of Flossie, but it does start with the same initial as Frances. (Her brothers names–Jonathan and Minot).
I love Sylvie Jane. LOVE.
Or Alice Marlowe, from Swistle’s suggestions.
I’m going to suggest one of my all-time and sadly never used favorites. Edith.
Esther! That seems like a great fit.
Swistle, you thought of everything on this one…so many great names that fit I really can’t put in a vote for any one! I might toss in Miriam or Miranda because I think they are pretty and underused and sound nice with Frances.
I know two girls named Frances–one has a sister named Nora, the other a sister named Alice. I think both are lovely! Of your names, I like Louisa, Genevieve, Hester, and the best. Eve, Evie, and Gigi are cute nicknames for Genevieve.
My favorite combination is Charlotte Elise. I also like the suggestions of Alice, Eloise and Esther. How about Sarah? Maybe Sarah Elise. I’m a fan of using long-time favorites, so I’d like to get Elise in there somehow. Lydia Elise? Margaret Elise?
I think Charlotte Elise is just darling. I also like how Helen flows with Frances. I know two little Helens – one who is 2 and the other who is 10 – and the name is surprisingly spunky and sweet on a little girl.
If it helps at all, my sister was considering the name Frances for her little girl, and the other names she considered were Dorothy and Evelyn. She ended up going with Virginia, nicknamed Ginny. So maybe consider Virginia – it has lots of nickname potential, and it is absolutely adorable!
I have an aunt Frances (she goes by Nell because her middle name is Lanell) and my mom is Dorothea Evelyn. My other aunts are:
Eleanor Ann
Janet Kathryn
Judy Diane
Debra Darlene
Carol Delores
Just saying this because it proves that Swistle is brilliant. :-)
I love the suggestion of Eloise! The sound & charm of Louisa, combined with the El of Elise/Eliza.
You like nicknames, and Sadie isn’t quite right. Would you consider Sarah with Sadie as the nickname?
Some other ideas-Myra, Olive, Clara & Estelle.
“they won’t think you thought long and hard about which family member to honor, and in the end decided the cat would be the best choice.”
This made me laugh out loud. I love you, Swistle!
I love Alice with Frances. Eleanor and Lydia are also favorites from Swistle’s suggestions.
Frances and Louisa makes me think of two of my favorite authors, Frances Hodgeson Burnett and Louisa May Alcott…so may I suggest Lucy (for LM Montgomery), Agatha (for Christie), Josephine (Tey), and Georgette (Heyer)?
If you’re not sold on Helen, what about Helena?
I think Erin would be perfect! Erin Sadie, or Erin Louise.
Or Eden, Eden Marlowe- it keeps things open enough for your next children. If you pick something that matches Frances too much, it might put you in a difficult situation later on. I.e. Charlotte as a mn – would you then want C mn’s for your next children?
I also think Ramona could be really great- Frances and Ramona. Both are spunky names, not too frilly but adorable.
Felicity Jane!
I love all of Swistle’s suggestions, but I squealed at the person who suggested Agatha! Not necessarily because of the author connection, but because I think it’s a great name, a bit underused, and it goes great with Frances. Plus it gives you the darling nickname Aggie, sounds similar to Thea which you said you like, and I think it’s surprisingly flexible with the middle names.
I like all of Swistle’s suggested names. I do differ on one point- I actually like all of your favorites(that you felt didn’t ‘go’ with Frances) with Frances. But then I’m generally in camp ‘names don’t necessarily have to share a style to go together’. In particular, I like Jane, Charlotte and Helen, in part, because I think that they have the most in common with Frances- they are all classic names that are starting to feel fresh. Add the fact that they don’t repeat any phonics from Frances, they just sound good together. Between your favorites and all the names suggested, I don’t think you can go wrong here.
Louisa Jane. I LOVE it. i think it fits with Frances and you can still use Jane, which you also seem to love. I don’t think your cat’s name is an issue–they sound very different to me.
I don’t think there are any real clunkers on the letter writer’s list, and I like most of Swistle’s suggestions too. I am particularly partial to Louisa and Hester, though.
Your daughter’s name is gorgeous! And it sounds like your boy names are perfectly chosen. :)
But for another daughter:
Sylvia Elise is my favorite from your lists.
Do you like Fredricka?
Or Lillian? Frances and Lillian
(Maybe Lillian Jane or Lillian Elise?)
Agnes is HIGHLY under-used, but it comes with the nicknames of Nessa and Aggie. But perhaps it’s too close to Frances…
Do you like Estelle? Frances and Estelle? It reminds me of Helen. Estelle Jane would be classic.
There’s Cecilia (which is admittedly close to Frances’ middle name). Frances and Cecilia. Maybe Cecilia Elise? Or Cecilia Jane?
Another idea is Josette. Josette Sylvia. Frances and Josette.
Best of wishes to you and your growing family! Please let us know what you decide!
“And if I may switch to a Delicate Tone of Voice, how old is the cat?”
HA! Swistle! My thoughts exactly.
My vote is for Eloise. So perfect with Frances and just an all around lovely name. It would be on my Girl Name List if it were a better fit with my last name. DO IT!
I also love Erin with Frances! Yes, it was quite popular from the mid 70’s – early 90’s, but it only fell put of the Top 100 in 2005. I don’t think it’d seem outdated to hear it on a baby girl. Frances and Erin seems so cute together, especially with the Irish last name!
That being said, I also swooned when I read the suggestion of Agatha! I think it’s such a great name. I also loved the suggestions of Alice, Beatrix and Edith.
If it were me, I’d stay away from Charlotte. Frances is ranked at #789 and seems relatively stable, for now. Charlotte is ranked at #27 and seems to still be climbing. I think names outside of the Too 100, more underused, fit best with Frances. Good luck!
I love Eleanora or Margaret as sibling names for Frances. But another idea is Winifred nn Winnie. I think Winnie is the ultimate in cute nicknames :)
I like Gretchen. At first I was unsure of this name, but I met a little girl who wore it so well.
Frances and Gretchen…lovely.
Now, you would think that Erin would be an “easy” choice, but be prepared to correct people when they spell it Aaron. Also, it could be my southern accent, but people always think I am saying Ann if talking via telephone. I love Evelyn and was hoping I could beat swistle to the suggestion. I also like Ellen as a variation of Helen (although Helen is a lovely name I can personally never get past the “hell”). Also, with Ellen you get the nickname “Elle.” I love Jane because there is only one way to spell it, but it doesn’t leave you to any nicknames. There is always Margaret which leaves you with plenty of nicknames.
Just to throw another into the lists, one of my favorites that I’m too chicken to use and DH hated – Calla.
Be careful with Esther and Hester. A few times now I’ve heard kids teasing with “Hester the molester”
I love the suggestions of Eloise, Vivian, and Agatha. Beautiful! I would also advocate for Thea – I know a Thea (not a nickname) and I think it works.
One of very favorite old-fashioned names: Gloria.
Ooh, and what about Agatha with the nickname Thea?
Sylvie…….fits perfectly w/ Frances and is such a sweet, wonderful name. I love it!
Oh my goodness, I have aunts named Jane, Helen, Frances (Fran) and Genevieve (Gen)!
Of your and Swistles combos, my favourites are: Jane Elise and Alice Marlowe.
Good luck – and keep us updated!
p.s. if you do choose Elise or Alice with Frances, would you still want to use Jonas with a subsequent boy, should you have the opportunity? The repeating “s” sound at the end doesn’t seem as prominent with James. If you are aiming for 3 or 4 kids, maybe play with complete sibling sets (only if it’s fun, not stressful!)
Love all the suggestions ventured already but here’s a few more:
Augusta
Constance
Clara
Eleanor
Eva
Felicity
Honor
Margaret – plenty of nickname potential!
Martha
Mary
Matilda
Henrietta
Imogen
Isadora
Julia
Juliet
Pearl
Rosalind
Ruth
Serena
Susannah
Tabitha
I am enjoying all of the suggestions from swistle and other commenters, so good. I will add Lorraine, Collette, and because of this: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sister-Frances-Read-Book/dp/0064430065, I must suggest Gloria.
I like Arden and Eleri with Frances.
I love Audrey and Sybil with Frances.
Audrey Elise
Sybil Jane
I’d also like to suggest Margot, June, Bridget, Judith and Constance.
Frances and June nn Junie or Constance nn Connie are just lovely.
June Elise
Constance Jane
Hope this helps and good luck!
How about Helena instead of Helen? It is similar to Louisa without the cat problem (although I don’t see that as much of a problem), and goes well with Frances, I think.
Regarding nicknames for Genevieve, I know a darling little girl who goes by Vivi.
If you like Sadie, it’s a nickname for Sarah. Perhaps Sarah (Sadie) Jane or Sarah (Sadie) Elise and Frances Cecily?
Have you thought about Eloise? Still fits the old fashioned feel that you seem to be going for. It’s at the top of my hypothetical baby name list, I think it’s completely precious.
Another alternative to Hester is my name, Hesper. It’s greek for first evening star. It’s certainly unique and I get a lot of compliments, but I do have to correct a lot of people. I just think it is prettier than Hester or Esther.
From the list, here are my favorites with Frances:
Eliza
Lydia
Georgia
Charlotte Elise is my favorite combo.
Jane is a good middle name for Eliza or Lydia.
What about June for a first name?
I like Sylvie Helena or Sylvia Helen.