Lori writes:
I have a 2 year-old daughter Piper Lynn (my maiden name) Davis. We wanted something perky, upbeat and a little tomboyish yet unique enough to go with (the-incredibly-common) “Davis” – I think we got what we wanted.
I am now due with our second (and last) child who is a girl, due May 13, 2013 and would like a name to compliment Piper. Middle name will probably be Anne (it would be a 4th generation middle name). Obviously longer and traditional names are out. I also want to avoid anything too trendy or popular. Letters to avoid: “D”, “K”, “P” (but not absolutely). I want to avoid anything like Kaylie, Kayden, Peyton, etc.I’m not a huge believer in astrology but she will be a Taurus and potentially be born on my mother’s birthday (with whom I had a very rocky relationship growing up), so a name that could “counteract” those qualities would be appreciated. We had thought of Skylar, since sky is the opposite of earth (Taurus is an earth sign) but it seems a little heavy-handed to me.I thought Tatum would fit perfectly with Piper but no one can seem to get Tatum O’Neal and her monstrous history out of their heads. We have also considered: Margo, Marlowe, Sloane, Willa. I love the name Wesley but it, of course, is a strictly boy name. I can’t quite figure out what in the sound fascinates me.
The name Wesley is very occasionally used for girls (in 2011, the Social Security Administration reports 2450 new baby boys and 33 new baby girls named Wesley), but with Piper I think it reads boy.
The first alternate suggestion that comes to mind is Lesley: it’s different from Wesley by only one letter, and currently used mostly for girls. I’m not sure Lesley is a good fit with Piper, though.
Presley is another rhyming option. In 2011, there were 1384 new baby girls and 123 new baby boys named Presley. Presley Davis; Piper and Presley. Starts with a P, but I’d still consider it.
Next I think of Waverly. I’m not sure about the repeating -av- with the surname, though, and the initials WAD would bother me.
Next: Paisley. I think this one has a lot of possibility. It’s very similar in sound to Wesley, but it’s used mostly for girls. I think it shares the perky, upbeat, tomboyish sound of Piper. Unfortunately it starts with P, which you’d prefer to avoid, but I still think it’s a good option. If you were planning on more children, I might worry that it would be hard to find a third name to go as well with those two names as they go with each other, but since you’re not, I think they make a very appealing pair. Paisley Davis; Piper and Paisley.
Or there’s Ainsley or Kinsley, though Kinsley starts with K and Ainsley might not work with Anne.
I don’t know enough about astrology to give specific advice, but I think if I were looking for a symbolic name in this situation, I would look for something from a sign compatible with Taurus rather than opposed to it. Using a name opposite to Taurus seems like it symbolizes an urge to cancel out something that she is, or else to symbolically put her in conflict with herself or with her grandmother. I think I might instead look for a name that represents your own astrological sign (to symbolize your hope that your relationship with your daughter will be more compatible than the one you had with your mother), or represents one of the positive qualities of the Taurus sign. Though actually, I think I would abandon this idea entirely: I think a name of this sort might cause you to reflect on your rocky relationship with your mother every time you think of your daughter’s name.
Tamsin shares sounds but not reputation with Tatum. Tamsin Davis; Piper and Tamsin. I’m not sure I like it with Anne, though.
Or Gemma would work well, I think. Gemma Davis; Piper and Gemma.
Or Romy, or Rory. Romy Davis; Piper and Romy. Rory Davis; Piper and Rory. I particularly like Rory, if the initials RAD don’t bother you.
Quinn may be more unisex than you’d prefer (in 2011, there were 1117 new baby boys and 1680 new baby girls named Quinn), but with Piper I’d be more likely to think girl. Quinn Davis; Piper and Quinn. Maybe not with Anne.
I think Cleo would be great. Cleo Davis; Piper and Cleo. The initials would be CAD.
Or Merrin. Merrin Davis; Piper and Merrin. Initials MAD.
Or Brin. Brin Davis; Piper and Brin. Initials BAD. Goodness, the __AD is a little tricky to work with!
I wonder if the movie has been gone long enough for us to use Juno? Juno Davis; Piper and Juno.
My middle name is Lynn and my younger sister’s is Ann! What a fun connection.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Juno, how cute. Would you like Juniper/June? And I love the name Gemma!
I’m really liking the two “P” names for your daughters, which you may not prefer. But they are just so sweet!
Piper and Penny
Piper and Paisley
I love your short list as well. Margo and Marlowe (but I prefer the spelling Marlo) are my favorites from your list.
My cousin has a little girl named Sloane (which I love, but I don’t think it goes with Anne). Her sisters are named Quinn and Bailey. Would you like Bailey?
My friend has a darling little girl named Tatum and they call her Tate. She’s a cute little redhead. I think the Tatum O’Neal connection is getting weaker and weaker as the generation that knew her as an actress ages. Many of my friends hadn’t even heard of her (I was born in 1982).
Here’s my list of names:
Juno
Juniper/June
Penny
Paisley
Margo
Marlo
Bailey
Beatrix (nn Bea or Trix)
Tatum (nn Tate)
Hazel
Gemma
Best wishes on your new daughter’s arrival!
Oh, I REALLY love Rory. I think that it hits on the unusual-but-familiar, and it’s girlie but also tomboyish, and even though it’s used as a nickname for other, more feminine names (Lorelei, Aurora) it still works perfectly on its own and doesn’t feel like a nickname-name. And it’s definitely perky and upbeat, and it goes beautifully with Piper. Piper and Rory. The RAD initials don’t bother me as much. OH! And then your older daughter’s last letter would be your second daughter’s first letter, which is a really sweet connection, but not too matchy-matchy.
Larkin
Linden
Maeve
The Romy suggestion reminds me of Ramona, which I love generally but also because it reminds me of the spirited Ramona Quimby from the Judy Blume books. I think Ramona with the nn Romy would be fantastic on its own and with Piper. Ramona Ann Davis.
I was going to suggest Harper, too, unless it ending in “-per” like Piper is a problem.
Oh, I love the suggestions of Paisley and Penny. Both sound so cute with Piper!
I like Juniper a lot. Marlowe is also nice (though I also prefer Marlo) as is Tamsin.
I’ve always had a secret crush on Piper & Harper as sister names. Same styles, musical meanings but not as in your face as something like Harmony & Melody. Maybe you’d like Harper?
Another girl’s name that feels a little like Wesley is Esme.
The idea you had for the Taurus daughter isn’t bad, but I agree with Swistle that you don’t want a name that will try to cancel out her Taurusness. Instead, I’d look for something that will compliment her sign and yours at the same time. For example, if you are a water sign, I might suggest Isla. Isla is a feminized version of Islay (an island off Scotland). An island being the place where earth & sea come together.
You could also think of the positive traits of a Taurus and choose a name that will help emphasize one of those traits. Taurus women are said to be independent, loyal & artistic. The loyal made me think of Cordelia, a great literary example of the loyal daughter.
Interesting! I actually know a lot about astrology, and I would say, put your mind at ease– Taurus will only be her sun sign. In “real” astrology (vs. just the simplistic kind you get in sun sign/horoscope columns in magazines), your personality is made up of much more than your sun sign. There is also your ascendant (the sign that is rising at the time of your birth), as well as your moon sign and the signs for all the other planets as they were at the time of your birth, and the way they interact with each other. Your sun sign is just one aspect of your larger personality. And your sun sign sometimes doesn’t even matter much. For example, I’m an Aries, but I don’t have very many classic Aries traits because most of my other planets are in Pisces. I’m much more Piscean. I took a quick look at the ephemeris for mid-May of this year, and it looks like your daughter will have many more planets NOT in Taurus than in Taurus (though she will also definitely have Mars in Taurus, which is actually a really beneficial placement- very strong). Also, it’s probable that your mother didn’t have that many planets in Taurus, either. Your difficult relationship with her could have come from her moon in, say, Scorpio, or her having a bunch of planets in Aries squaring your planets in say, Cancer, or something else entirely. At most, your daughter will share a sun sign at the same degree or near it to your mother, but that is not such a big deal.
Whew. Now onto names! Of all Swistle’s suggestions, I like Tamsin the best. In fact, I love it! It’s uncommon yet classy, a name that reads “girl” yet it’s tomboyish. Excellent!
I also love Skylar with Piper, and I think the name Sky Davis (as a nickname, if you are OK with those) is really nice. In fact, I’d be tempted to just go with Sky or Skye. I guess Sky Anne is a little awkward, but I am okay with it. Sky Davis is a great name.
Good luck!
What about Skye rather than Skylar? I know a Skye who loves her name, and it seems like a good match to Piper.
I also like the previous suggestion of Isla, or I think Aspen could be good (trees connect earth with air?). From Swistle’s suggestions, I like Tamsin the best.
Or out of completely left field…what about Gwen? Or Whitney means “white island” and has some similar sounds to Wesley.
Oooh, I love Juno or Juniper too! Maybe even more than Skylar/Sky and Tamsin. Davis as a surname makes almost everything sound good.
I know a Sloane/Piper sister pair so they seem to go well together for me. I go back and forth between really liking the sound repetition in Sloane Anne and thinking it’s too much.
I liked the suggestions of Presley, Paisley and Tamsin. And I was going to suggest Juniper before someone else beat me to it. The -per ending of Piper and Juniper also makes me think of Harper, but I think I like Juniper better. With 3 syllables the matching ending is more subtle and pleasing.
Previously suggested that I endorse:
Paisley (do the PAD initials bother you?)
Juniper
Quinn
Tamsin
Rory
Tatum
I REALLY don’t think the Tatum O’Neal connection is an issue, except maybe for some parents and grandparents, so likely not something your daughter or her peers will ever really notice.
Have you perused the “Favorite Unisex Baby Names” post? You might get some good ideas there.
Other possibilities (some from that post) that don’t make obvious weird initials with _AD –
Avery
Emery/Emoryge
Tessa
Indigo/India (Piper and Indie? Adorable)
Wow! What GREAT names options you have! I am even a bit envious of your last name – my girlfriend just named her baby Davis, and I really like it!
My favourites from the group are Paisley, Romy, Rory (my niece is Rory and it is darling!), and Isla and Esme from the commenters.
Best of luck to you!
Tatum is fine, the association is really old so won’t be an issue.
Some ideas:
Rowan
Lucy
Wylie
Willow
Sage
Zoe
Scout
Bryony
Lark(in)
I love the suggestion of Tamsin. This name is sounding increasingly fresh and spunky to me lately.
Tamsin Anne Davis is really great!
I really like the Gemma suggestion, as it is an earth name but signifies the sparkling and rare aspects of the earth rather than the common aspect. Another way to put a twist on the astrology is to choose something that fits the light and growth of May. A nature name, maybe, like Hazel, or one that means light like Orly/Orli. I wouldn’t worry too much about having a Taurus, though. I’m a Taurus myself and have never felt bogged down by the earthiness/stubbornness attributed to Taurus.
I LOVE Skye. I also like the suggestions of Harper, Ainsley, Presley and Romy. How about just Tate instead of Tatum? How about Westerly instead of Wesley? I also knew a girl named Weatherly (though she didn’t like it and went by LeeAnn, Ann being her middle name.)
Hollis
Holland
Campbell
Halsey
Wren
Good luck!
Oh, I just LOVE Lorelei Anne, nn Rory. The initials -AD did indeed pose quite a problem so I thought about which initial combinations would bother me. For me, this eliminated a first name starting with any of these letters: BCDMPSW. You also said you didn’t want the name to start with D K or P.
Some slightly tomboyish names that start with remaining letters that you might like:
Ainsley
Alma
Ellis
Finley
Hadley
Grier
Lorelei (nn Rory)
Linden
Raina
Riley
Taylor
Zoe
Also, re: the Tatum connection, I think with your daughter’s generation they’d be more likely to associate it with Channing Tatum than Tatum O’Neal.
What about Willow instead of Willa?
Did not even think of PAD as initials! So far my favourite suggestions are:
Piper and Linden Anne
Piper and Rory Anne
Piper and Aspen Anne
Piper and Tatum Anne (who the feck is O’Neil?)
Piper and Esme Anne
Piper and India Anne
Piper and Grier Anne
Piper and Sydney Anne (SAD?)
Piper and Carys Anne
Piper and Arden Anne
Piper and Eden Anne
Piper and Alexis Anne
My favourites are Tatum, Rory and Arden.
Well, I have a twin sister named Skye Ann but she has never liked her name because when she tells people what her name is they think she’s saying Scott. Oddly enough, her daughter (my niece)’s name is Arden and I was actually going to suggest Arden. My sister gets TONS of compliments on Arden’s name and I think it’s a name that can stand the test of time as it is fitting for a baby all the way up to an old lady.
I LOVE the suggestions so far of Tamsin, Carys, Clio and Arden. A few more you might like:
Thea Anne Davis, Piper and Thea (TAD)
Maia Anne Davis, Piper and Maia (MAD)
Noelle Anne Davis, Piper and Noelle (NAD)
Olive Anne Davis, Piper and Olive (OAD)
Lila Anne Davis, Piper and Lila (LAD)
Fiona Anne Davis, Piper and Fiona (FAD)
Maude Anne Davis, Piper and Maude (MAD)
I think Riley Anne is a great sister name for Piper Lynn.
Other suggestions:
Bellamy
Campbell
Kendall
Noah
Holland
Sawyer
Monroe
Kennedy
Carlisle
Parker
Hollis
Finley
Auden
Aubrey
Autumn
Huxley
I love the name Sloane too. You could have Sloane Anna if two one syllable names bother you. Blythe Anna is pretty too.
If you really like the name Tatum I say go for it as, like an above poster said, it would more likely be associated with Channing Tatum these days.
Good luck!
Gemma is such a great suggestion, especially with Piper and Davis. Also means “gem” which is such a perfect name for an earth sign. Also, any plant name would give a subtle tie to the earth. Being grounded is a great quality.
I like Darby & Riley. Darby Anne Davis!
Wellesley instead of Wesley? nn Elle?
How about
Cassidy nn Cassie, Cassidy Anne, Piper and Cassidy, Piper and Cassie?
Darcy, Darcy Anne, Piper and Darcy?
Bridget, Bridget Anne, Piper and Bridget?
I don’t think the continuation of Anne as a middle name should be limiting so many great potential first names! Unless there’s a name you absolutely love from the remaining lot that wouldn’t create awkward initials, or sound awkward (as in Sloane Anne), better to be flexible in the middle.
I always think of Piper and Harper together.
How about Frankie for a girl? Is tomboyish and it has spunk!
Juno would be perfect! Harper is nice, but maybe too matchy. My top picks would be…
Piper & Juno
Piper & Margo
Piper & Harlowe
Piper & Mazzy
Piper & Juniper (or Clover?)
For some reason the name Tessa came to mind. Piper and Tessa. Or Ellery. I do really like other suggestions of Marlowe and Juno.
Just adding one more –
Pip and Low: Piper and Lois or Lorelei
I once bought a really cute Talbots Kids dress on consignment and on the label was written ‘Tabor (last initial)’. I bring it up here because I thought it was an interesting name and has since then reminded me of Tatum. I think Tabor Anne would go well with Piper Lynn. It’s spunky and shares cadence with Piper Lynn.
I know sisters named Piper & Poppy.
Hadley/Hadliegh
Layne/Laney
Payton
Ashtyn
Shay
Paige
Reese
Saige
Rylee
Skye
Harlow
Teagan
Taytum
Rylin
Graicyn
Karsyn
Brekkyn
Elliot
Rory
Emmerson
Kylen
What about Harlan? Piper and Harlan. (could also vary the spelling, Harlyn, Harlen, etc).
I think you have some amazing options. My favourites:
Piper and Presley
Piper and Juno
Piper and Harper
Piper and Olive
Piper and Hollis
Make sure you update us!
I love the suggestion of bird names. They go so well with Piper.
Wren (but I don’t like it with Anne), Lark, Robin, Phoebe (yeah, it’s a “P”, but it sounds like an “F”!).
Lark Anne Davis. Piper and Lark.
Robin Anne Davis. Piper and Robin.
Phoebe Anne Davis. Piper and Phoebe.
I second Swistle’s suggestion of Quin! I love that name and think it is so pretty with Piper. You could even call her “Q” for a fun nickname. I also like:
Juliet (Juliet and Piper), Juliet Ann Davis
Ansley (as opposed to Ainsley-I like the soft A sound better)
Felicity (this sounds great with Piper)
Reagan (have always been a fan of this name)
I love Swistle’s advice about the Taurus sign and how to handle it!
Use Wesley! Wesley is on my list of girl names. I love it for a girl. I would never have thought of it this way until I met a Wesley. She’s a college student and the name fits– it doesn’t seem odd or unusual at all.
I like Greer and Rowan best.
Romy
Edie
Tatum
Winslow
Rowan
Phoebe
Harley or Marley
Barrett
Georgia
Olive
all seem like great options to me and I also think Paisley would be cute with Piper – though I don’t always go for the sibling common initial I think it would be cute here.
and p.s. I love the suggestion of Darby… think it is great for a girl!
I’ll toss in:
Tegan
Madigan
Dagny
Laken
Holly
Acadia
Acacia
Laurel
Winslow
Eily (rhymes with smiley)
Brogan
Alix
My suggestions in no particular order:
Billie
Darcy
Dempsey
Bobbi
Cassidy
Juniper
Hollie
Morgan
Miki
Jamie
Penny
Delaney
Mackenzie
Asher
Sage
Hazel
Fable
Story
Scout
Blaise
Thoughts on the the suggestions made:
Willa- love love love
Skye – love this name but sounds like a double barrel name with anne so I am not sue if it works best.
Sloane-I think could look like slow Anne on paper and again doesn’t quite look right with the repetition of ane plus I find it hard to say. But sloane Davis is fine
Tatum – I love this particularly Tate for a nn. I was born in 83 and had to google Tatum oneil. I had heard of her name but didn’t know who she was.
Wesley – if you like it do it! Or perhaps Waverley or willow or whistler!
P.s love the name Piper so I am very interested to see what you choose.
Good luck
Tallulah! Tallulah Anne Davis. Piper and Tallulah. The meaning of “jumping/leaping water” is so wonderful. It is perky, upbeat, and unique.
Sloane! Piper and Sloane. Love! I do agree that Sloane Anne is choppy – and initials spell SAD. Is Anne negotiable?
So many wonderful suggestions! I particularly love Harper, Juno, Juniper, and Willow for you. And I don’t know why, but I’m kind of in love with other ‘p’ names with Piper. Piper and Penelope, Piper and Phoebe, Piper and Paige…..so sweet as sister names. Again, the initials spelling PAD would be problematic.
I also wanted to add Lane, and Tera or Terra (“earth” – to tie in with Taurus).
One of my favorite bloggers, http://baseballstobows.blogspot.com/, has a daughter named Wesleigh. I think it is a beautiful name! Maybe the -leigh feels more feminine to you than the -ley? Either way, if you love Wesley/Wesleigh, I woudln’t count it out!
Of all the names suggested, I would vote for Romy. Romy & Piper is adorbable! Also love Paisley! When I read the suggestion “Merrin,” the name Merrick came to mind. I know an awesome girl named Merrick. I also have an acquaintance with 2 girls- Sloane & Leighton. Seems in the same naming “category” if you will. Just a few others to think about. I don’t ever comment b/c Swistle always does such a fabulous job but these few came to mind. Good luck:)!
Piper and Harper are good. Angel also fits with the theme. So does grace and faith although not sure with Anne.
Florence Anne Davis is pretty.
But with piper I think it should be something musical or angelic.
Everlie is good too.