Kim writes:
I’m writing for help again with a name for our third child (you helped us with our second here), due in July. We have chosen not to find out the gender this time around, but I feel pretty sure we are set on a name for a boy, so I’m mostly looking for help with a girl’s name.
Our last name is Berrisf0rd. Our son is Maxwell Lucas and our daughter is Vivian Josephine, nearly always called Max and Vivi.
For boys names, I like Eli, Miles or Milo, and Leo. Eli is the only one my husband likes, so as of now, that is the choice, possibly with the middle name Thomas.
I tend to like names that were most popular in the 1910s/1920s. Because we use “Vivi” so much as a nickname, I do not want a third name that ends in the “ee” sound as well.
For girls names, our current list is:
Kate – we both like this one, which makes it an obvious contender… BUT. I’m worried it is too popular. I like it as a nickname, however I don’t love Katherine, and Katelyn seems a bit new-ish to me as far as style. Just using Kate as the first name would work I suppose, but it seems choppy to me with any middle names I’ve tried.
Ada – this one is growing on me. My husband likes Ava, but we know a few Avas, plus have a lot of “v” going on with Vivi, so I suggested it as an alternative. It’s also the name of a place my husband vacationed as a child, which is a nice association.
Lila or Lily – I like Lila. My husband likes Lily better, but I still don’t know if I like the pair of ‘ee’ sounds at the end. Do you think I’m worried too much about how the names pair together? We don’t know that we’ll always call her Vivi, when she gets older it may be Vivian or Viv.
Serena – My husband added this one to the list, and I think it’s pretty. It feels long to me though, and I’m not sure how I’d shorten it for a nickname – Seri? Rena?
Brooke – we both like this one quite a bit. But, is it totally out of place style-wise? I do like the alliteration.
Other names I like the style of, but likely wouldn’t use for various reasons, are Nora, Cora, Camila, and Grace.
For a middle name, if it’s possible with the first we end up choosing, I’d like to use Yvonne after my maternal grandmother. Vivi is named after my husband’s grandmother and my paternal grandmother, and Yvonne is the only grandparent that is still living, so I’d like to use the honor name if I can. I’d be open to other suggestions if it doesn’t fit, though.
I’d love to hear any thoughts about our list or any other suggestions we may not have thought of. Thanks!
Kate can also be short for Katrina or Katerina, and that’s the direction I think I’d go: similar to both Kate and Serena. Katrina Berrisf0rd; Maxwell, Vivian, and Katrina; Max, Vivi, and Kate. But do you think you might start calling her Katie, and would that bother you since it’s another -ee ending?
Kate and Ada have a similar sound to me, so I wonder if we might find more names similar to those. Jade and Jada have the right sound, but don’t seem like the right style. Jane would work well, and I love Jane Berrisf0rd so much—simple and stylish. But is it too simple with Vivian? I don’t THINK it is. Maxwell, Vivian, and Jane; Max, Vivi, and Jane. But as with Kate/Katie, there is the possibility of Janie.
Or I think Kay/Kaye would work wonderfully. Kaye Berrisf0rd is lovely, and there’s no way to put an -ie on it. It’s much less common than Kate, and goes well with Vivian in style. Max, Vivi, and Kaye seems stunning to me. The main issue is that it doesn’t have a nickname like the others, but I think that would be okay. If your family is like mine, you may find that you make nicknames by adding rather than subtracting: at my house she’d be called Kaye Marie, Kaye Louise, Kaye-Bay, Kaye-la-la, etc.
I worry too about how names will go together. I try to stop myself from OVER-worrying (as people have pointed out, when we’re adults many people don’t even know our siblings’ names), but on the other hand you and your family will be thinking of them and talking about them as a group all their lives—and a big early chunk of those lives will be spent living in the same house and knowing the same people. To me, Vivi and Lily are too similar for comfort: not only do they have the exact same set of vowel sounds in the same order and with the same emphasis, but both of them have repeating consonants (two V’s for Vivi, two L’s for Lily). This is not to say you shouldn’t use them: if you were writing to say that the two of you loved the name Lily above all others and it was the perfect name in every way except the Vivi/Lily combination, I would be reassuring you that it was not a big deal and shouldn’t stop you. It’s important to me, for example, that Vivi is the nickname and Lily would be the given name: they’re not really Vivi and Lily, but rather Vivian and Lily—possibly to be called Vivi and Lil, or Viv and Lily, or Vivian and LeeLee, or who KNOWS what they’ll go by. So if you decide Lily is The Name, I’d encourage you to go for it.
Lila does make a significant difference in similarity: no more matching vowels. And while Lily Yvonne probably doesn’t work, Lila Yvonne probably does.
If Lila isn’t quite right, there’s also Isla and Twila/Twyla.
I want to suggest another name, but I’ve had very little luck getting others on board with it. It’s Millicent, with the nickname Milly. Vivian and Millicent; Vivi and Milly.
Another option is Matilda, with the nickname Tilly. Vivian and Matilda; Vivi and Tilly.
I like Serena because it matches Vivian in letters and syllables—but I agree with you that then it feels like it also ought to match by having a nickname. Ree would work, or you could see what evolved naturally. I think too that Serena is a name that goes to more like 2.5 syllables with frequent usage: when I’m sounding it out I say it sah-ree-nah, but if I imagine directing a child getting ready for school (“Serena, do you have your lunch? Serena, go back and put on more appropriate shoes. Serena, it’s 5 minutes until the bus, finish your breakfast”) I think it would be more like S’rena.
Or Selina is a similar name but with the natural nickname Lina. Sally might evolve from it, too.
Brooke feels like a style clash to me. I think it would go okay with Max, but not with Max and Vivian.
Ada is my favorite from the list. It seizes me the way Vivian did when you wrote last time: it’s as if it leaps out from the list as the choice I want to be careful not to be too pushy about. Ada Yvonne Berrisf0rd; Max, Vivi, and Ada. As with Kaye, the issue is the lack of nickname; at my house she’d be Adabelle, Ada Marie, Ada Louise, Ada St. Claire, Ada May, Adie-cakes, etc.
Let’s have a poll! The list is a bit long, and it was tricky to decide what to include, but I think it’ll still be helpful. [Sigh: I keep trying to arrange it how I want it, but now “I can’t decide” is alphabetical instead of at the end. OH WELL.]
[yop_poll id=”4″]
I prefer the nickname Kit over Kate. I think that Max, Vivi, and Kit work well together. I know some people named Ekaterina who use the nickname Eka where the E is pronounced the same as in “fetching.” I think you could use the nickname Eka for Katrina. My personal favorite from the list is Selena with the nn Lena. Good luck!
Ooh, I agree! I love the nickname Kit. It makes me think of one of my favorite childhood books, “The Witch of Blackbird Pond.”
Ada immediately jumped out at me as well. It feels very 1920’s movie star like Vivian to me. I love it.
Love Ada, and I wonder if you’d like Kathleen as a full version for Kate? I’ve suggested this in a few other places and it’s really growing on me. It was the name of a minor character in Gone with the Wind (spelled Cathleen) and it struck me as being a good alternative for Katherine.
Ada is my favorite as well. Max, Vivi & Ada sound very vintage to me and I like that Ada is short & sweet like Vivi and Max, but with a totally different set of sounds.
If the fact Ada doesn’t have a natural nickname bothers you, maybe you’d like Adelaide with Ada as the nickname? Something like Adelaide seems like a great fit with the longer Maxwell & Vivian.
Ditto!
Definitely prefer Ada and 100% agree with the above suggestion: using Adelaide with nickname Ada. Maxwell, Vivian and Adalaide. Max, Vivi and Ada. Love it.
Oops. Spelling mistake above.
Maxwell, Vivian, and Adelaide.
Max, Vivi, and Ada.
I’m the original poster, thanks for all the suggestions so far!
It doesn’t bother me at all that Ada doesn’t have a nickname, although I hadn’t thought of using a longer version for the name instead and calling her Ada – I like that!
Also the name geek in me likes that all five of us would have names that are or can be shortened to three letters. ;)
I like the nickname Milly. You could name her Camille and nickname her Millie. I babysit for a little girl with that nickname and she is cute as a button.
I too think Ada is perfect and love the suggestion of Adelaide with the nickname Ada. Maxwell, Vivian, and Adelaide – love the way this sounds!
I love the name Ada. I think it’s absolutely perfect- have you also considered Adaline?
I also really like the name Kate. If you wanted a longer variant you could try Kathleen/Cathleen. It has a Gone With the Wind association and was the 105 most popular name in the 1910s according to the SSA.
I also really like the name Clara. Max, Vivi and Clara.
I think all of your choices are great though- you really can’t go wrong here.
I think Adaline is so perfect with Vivian. Plus then you can use the nickname Ada
My suggestion as well! I think Adaline (“line” not “leen”) sounds more sophisticated than Adelaide (milk maid?); therefore, it is a better fit with your other children’s names.
Maxwell, Vivian & Adaline
Max, Vivi, Ada
How about Cecilia? I think it goes well with Max and Vivi.
I love your taste.
Ada Yvonne is beautiful, and an obvious nickname to me is Addie.
Jane Yvonne is so elegant.
Serena might end up being Sera, but it seems like a different style from Vivian–Selina is closer.
Others’ suggestions of Clara and Cecilia are really lovely. Have you considered Celia? Sweet, a little glamorous, unusual-yet-familiar.
Maxwell, Vivian, and Celia. Celia Yvonne.
Kay and Kate are both nicknames I’ve heard for Katherine, Kathleen, Katrina, etc. I adore the sound of Katherine Yvonne, and Katherine’s a classic, so popularity isn’t as much of an issue (especially with an unusual nickname).
Maxwell, Vivian, and Kay.
For the record, I am totally on board with Millicent/Millie! Apparently the name is growing a bit in popularity, as I have noticed it emblazoned on some nursery walls in real estate listing photos. So your campaign has some followers, Swistle!
I think Kaye is a wonderful suggestion. I also love Faye. Max, Vivi, and Faye? Cute. Jane is also classic and lovely. You have lots of good choices!
Unrelated, but I’ve also heard Millie as a nn for Amelia!
Voted for Ada, but Jane was a close second. I like Katrina, too.
Love Ada! If you’d like a longer name, maybe Adelaide or Adeline, Adalynn ?
Ada is gorgeous. It stands on its own to the point where it really doesn’t need a nickname, though I’m sure one will manifest over time. I think a lot of people have it in their heads that a nickname MUST be a shorter, intuitive form of a longer name. In a lot of countries in Europe your nickname was significantly longer or quite different sounding. Gretchen for example is a nickname for Margaretha. It doesn’t feel intuitive but because German adds “chen” as a term of endearment, it roughly translates to adding “little” to a name, just as adding ie in english tends to make something sound young and cutesy. Vivi is a great little girl nickname for Vivian, but the rule doesn’t have to apply if the name you love isn’t a long one. Kate for example, could become Kit as someone suggested. She could also be Kay, Katie or Kat. There’s lots of flexibility with a shorter name I think. Kate Yvonne may sound like Katie Von, which is why I voted for Ada. Another name that feels incredibly similar but gets overlooked is Ida. I looove Ida. And the long I seems to stretch out the name to where it doesn’t feel as short as it is. Am I crazy? Ida Yvonne is lovely and I like the combination of the I and Y sounds. OOOH! If you use Ida, she can go by IVY if you combine her first and middle names into a nickname! Vivi and Ivy are pretty darn close but it’s one of those sister things where I think it might be fun for the two of them to have matching nicknames for very different names. Ok I’ve probably overstayed my welcome on here so I’ll wrap this up ;) I think you have a beautiful assortment to choose from and a great, solid style that will make for a nice sounding sibling set whatever you choose. Good luck!
I voted for Ada, but I love it even more as a nickname for Adelaide, Adeline, or Adela.
What about Lydia? It has some of the same sounds as Ada, and some of the feel of Vivian.
Ada has been a personal favorite of mine for many years (from the opera Aida), so that gets my vote!
I thought it would be lovely with Lynn as a middle name. So Adalynn, as a single name, is a favorite as well, even though the “Ada” sounds different between the two.
Love ALL of these names! (Your already-named-children, your suggestions, Swistle’s suggestions, and the suggestions in the comments!)
I will also throw out Amelia (nn Millie) and Sabine/Sabina (doesn’t quite fit style-wise as nicely as others, but I adore this name, and it is similar sounding to Serena…)
Okay, so now I’m starting to wonder… how does everyone pronouce Ada/Adaline/Adeline/Adelaide?
I pronounce Ada as in Aiden, without the ‘n’. AY-duh.
However when I pronounce Adeline or Adelaide, the ‘Ade’ part is more like ‘Add’ – as in Adam, without the ‘m’. Add-uh-line, or Add-uh-laid. So then it would seem if Ada was a nickname for those, it would be pronounced ADD-duh? Or should I be using Adaline instead, pronounced like ‘AY-duh-line’?
I pronounce them the same way you do, so to me Ada doesn’t seem like a natural nickname for Adeline/Adelaide (most people use Addy for those).
I pronounce Adeline/Adelaide as you do (Add-uh-line, Add-uh-layde). And I do think Addie/Addy (Add-ee) would be the more traditional nickname for both. However, I don’t think using the nickname Ada (Ay-duh) would raise THAT many eyebrows. It’s not so far off. And just because it’s not what MOST do with the name, doesn’t mean it’s crazy, bizarre or off-limits.
I might consider spelling the longer variation such that “Ada” presents itself more naturally — Adaline, Adalaide. I don’t think either is the commonly accepted spelling, but certainly it’s not unfathomable. And I think those names are likely ones that will always get a gentle “How do you spell that?” either way.
I pronounce them as you do. I think Ada is a perfectly acceptable nickname for Adelaide, Adeline or Adalynn though.
Other examples of nicknames without the same sound:
Margaret/Maggie
Anthony/Tony
Elizabeth/Eliza
Dorothy/Dot
I know a girl named Adelaide, nicknamed Ada. I think the nickname Ada is pulling from the sound of the last syllable, “aide”, just as in Drew for Andrew….
What about Sylvia or Hillary? Of the ones listed, I like Ada best
I have a daughter named Vivian! Ada is a wonderful sister name to Vivian. I liked Swistle’s suggestion of Jane (I am in love with that name) but I too worried it was a bit simple next to Vivian. I was also going to suggest Clara as another option…Clara Yvonne. Max, Vivi & Clara. Best of luck!!
Of course I am going to pick Katrina, since that is my name, BUT i also think it goes very well with Maxwell and Vivian. Beautiful. With that said, it wouldn’t be hard for you to push the nickname towards Kate vs. Katie. I go by Katie, but there are a few people (my brother) who calls me Kate and I love it. I may start moving towards that as I get older….
Anyway, my vote would go towards Katrina or Ada. Both are classy and beautiful!
Full names for Kate: Kathleen, Katharina, Katherina, Caitlin, Kathlyn, Katalin.
You seem to be fond of short, vintage names with a strong “a” sound (Kate, Ada, Grace):
Jane
May
Freya
Daisy
Mabel
Avis
Hazel
Abigail
Leila
Elaine
Based on names you like:
Adela
Selena
Lucy
Lucille
Leonora
Seraphina
Clara
Bridget
Cecily
Lyra
Nola
Mila
Calla
Lydia (Liddy)
Elizabeth (Lizzy)
Alma
Glad that lots of people are suggesting Adelaide! I was thinking the same thing. I feel that it goes so well with the names full length and as nicknames, Maxwell, Vivian and Adelaide so perfect! Max, Vivi and Ada/Addy/ Aidie so good.
May I also suggest Lilia as a Lil name suggestion but I do also like Millicent as it has a longer length that works better with the other children’s names at full length.
I also like a lot of Rita’s suggestions above especially Hazel. I think it is because of the use of the more obscure letters that are at the end of the alphabet. Your children already have an ‘x’ and a ‘v’ I think it would be good to have a ‘z’ or a ‘y’. On that basis I might throw in a few more suggestions like
Yolanda nn Yoli
Zinnia nn Zinni
Zoe
Yasmine
Xanthe
Zara
Jasmin nn Jaz
Lucy using Lucette as the long version it is French and sounds good with Vivian
Lydia
Elizabeth nn Eliza or Lizzie
Or use Yvonne as the first name and have Yvie or Yve as nn.
Still think Adelaide is my favourite.
Good luck
I voted Jane, but i am def biased on this. Our firstborn is Jane (no nicknames) and our second is Vivian that goes by Vivi. We love the name pair together. I relate to your concern about reusing the -v- sounds and other names/nicknames ending with the -ee sound, we are currently hunting for a third baby girl name (due this month no less) and avoiding the same thing. Ada would get my second choice. My concern with that name is the popularity of Ava may lead to frequent need to correct people (“no, my name is Ada with a ‘d’ not Ava with a ‘v’).
I love your name style. Think Swistle gave her suggestion of Matilda the short straw by not including it in the poll because I like that quite a bit. Voted Ada though
I seem to share a similar naming style, so I’ll share some of the names that we’ve considered that may also fit well.
Eva, Amalia, Rose or Rosalie, Audra, Iris, Elaina, Noemi, Mara and Lydia
Absolutely love the name Ada. I like the name Adelaide too but prefer Ada just on its own.
Max, Vivi and Ada.
Kate is also such a pretty name and Katia, Katerina and Catalina all make great alternative to Katherine. Catalina also has the nickname Lina.
Other suggestions:
Adriana nn Ada
Beatrice nn Bea
Helena nn Nel
Marina
Miranda
Juliet
Good Luck!
I know a little Adah, with an h, and it’s absolutely charming.
I have a Serena, and we sometimes shorten it to Reena. She has friends who call her Ree-Ree. Most often, though, we call her Boo, a shortened version of her baby nickname of Serena-Boo. You spend all that time finding the perfect name for your child, but nicknames sometimes develop organically and stick. It *is* pretty adorable to hear her little nieces and nephews call her Auntie Boo, though.
I think you have the winner with Ada! It works so well with your other 2 children’s names, and it’s a beautiful, unique choice. Although, I’m a bit partial to it because it’s my late grandmother’s name. She was Ada Cecile, which I think is a pretty good first/middle combo and is in line with your naming style. Just putting that out there :)
How about Blythe?
I love Katrina and was surprised to see that it is, so far, ranking second in the poll. I have a young adult granddaughter Catrina and see the name so rarely — more with a K than a C, but not very often either way. Katrina “Kate” goes so well with Max and Vivi, and as for her sometimes being called “Katie”, I don’t think that would matter.
Our Catrina Jane “Cate” went through a “Catie” period when she was very young, but after starting school was almost exclusively “Cate” or “Catrina”. Her mom wavered between the K and C spellings before choosing Catrina because of it’s similarity to her name Catherine. Besides being a variant of Katrina, from Katherine, Catrina is also the pronunciation of the Scottish form Catriona.
Maxwell, Vivian and Katrina – Max, Vivi and Kate – would make a charming sibling name set.
My top choice is Katrina – the nickname could be Kate but also Kat, Kit, Trina, or Rina.
Kate could also be short for Kathleen.
Ada is too country for my taste.
I also like Serena a lot, with Rena/Rina as a nickname.
I DO think Brooke works with the others, but “Brooke Yvonne” sounds choppy.
I agree that “Lily and Vivi” are too similar.
I think Lila Yvonne is charming, though.
Matilda Yvonne is nice, but Maxwell and Matilda are a little too similar.
Of the commenters’ suggestions, I like:
Juliet!
Helena
Cecelia [nn Cia, Cece, Celia, or Lia]
Celia
Blythe could grow on me — it does sound good with the other siblings.
What about Liza???