Barb writes:
My husband and I will have our 3rd and last baby with a planned c-section on tues, May 21. In the past, we have decided on the baby’s name in recovery (partly because we did not find out baby’s sex before their birth). But we know this will be a girl. Our surname is like Hellger.
Our 2 older kids are Samuel David and Amelia Belle (4 and 2). Both first names are traditional names that we liked, and MN are family names. We are struggling a bit to finalize our name options, it is hard for me to make a final decision. We will most likely wait to see her in recovery and decide then again. But I thought I would still seek any advice and suggestions that I can in these final weeks.
On my mother’s side, my great-gramma was Olive Belle (the Belle used as a MN already). I like Olive as an option this time. Olive’s daughter (my gramma, who passed before I was born) was Mary Elizabeth. My MN is Beth. On my father’s side, my grandpa’s mother was Elizabeth. So Elizabeth or some form of it (Elise we like) is a very high consideration for this baby’s MN. We do not have any other family girl names that are suitable, unless we simply choose something not family-related (I have always liked the name Louise). Worried I will feel guilty if we do that, since our other 2 kids have family MN’s.
When our daughter Amelia was born, we were mulling Amelia or Emerson. I find a lot of negative feedback about Emerson, and it does not flow well with Elizabeth (or Beth). So we have pretty much ruled it out. I have also in the past loved Madeline, but it runs the risk of misspelling, and the common NN Maddy, and there is a Madeline in our fam now. My husband liked Sophia, but I do not want Top 10 names, too common. He also liked Natalie, but I am not fond of it. We have also mulled Lillian, Abigail, Evangeline, and Olivia. Many other names are out, due to family members or friends’ kids (Charlotte, Lily, Hannah, Grace, anything with Belle – ie. Annabelle, Isabelle, etc, Claire, Lydia). We are avoiding the first letters A, B, D, H, J, R, S, T. I also suggested Corinne, but he had never heard it. We don’t want something too out there…
So after lots of suggestions, my husband and I have narrowed it down. Here are the names we have:
Violet Elise or Violet Elizabeth
Caroline Elise or Caroline Elizabeth
Olive ElizabethI don’t know if Elise is refined enough to honor the multiple Elizabeth’s in our family tree, but it does seem more unique and short and pretty. But worried that Violet Elizabeth or Caroline Elizabeth is a mouthful! MN Beth, like mine is a bit dull. Is Olive Elizabeth too many vowels, too mushy to say? We also call Samuel “Sam”, and occasionally we call Amelia “Millie” – Millie Belle is easy and fun to say. My day’s mother was Mildred, so it is a subtle honor to her. But we do not like any NN’s for Caroline – Caro, Carol, Liney, etc. maybe we shouldn’t worry about NN options.
Any help is appreciated!!!
I prefer Elizabeth to Elise, mostly for the namesake reason but also because I slightly prefer the flow of it—but I think either one works. I don’t think Elizabeth is too long or too mushy with the first name candidates, unless you plan on saying them all the time as part of your usual name for her. If you’d like to make a nickname parallel to Millie Belle, Elizabeth shortens easily to Beth or Bette or Bess.
If you decide to go with something else as the middle name, I don’t see any reason for guilt. It’s quite common for parents to run out of good family names after a child or two. And while it’s nice to have a meaningful middle name, “I’ve always liked that name” is a good meaning too.
Because I only recently learned of them myself and in case you hadn’t heard of them yet either, I’ll mention the nicknames Rory and Callie for Caroline. I love Millie Belle and Callie Bess, or Millie Belle and Rory Beth.
It doesn’t seem like a good idea to add to the name list at this point, and I like your plan of making the final decision in recovery as you did with the first two. But perhaps it would be helpful to have a poll, to see if it brings you closer to one name or another beforehand.
My own vote is for Violet. I like the way it has the same number of letters as the other two names, even though I don’t think that matters at all; and I like the way all three names have an L and an E, even though ditto. I like the sound of it with your surname, and I like Amelia and Violet as sister names. I voted for Violet Elizabeth to get the family honor name and because I prefer the sound, but I think Violet Elise is very nice too (and mirrors the number of letters in her sister’s middle name, even though that doesn’t matter at all, it’s just fun).
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Name update! Barb writes:
I wanted to give an update on our new baby and the name we chose! Your feedback and poll helped tremendously, and I appreciate all of the suggestions to help us with such a big responsibility. We were debating between Violet and Caroline for first names (and Olive – but my husband couldn’t get past Olive Oyl); and either Elizabeth or Elise for a middle name.
Our daughter was born last Thursday, May 16th at 1:09pm, weighing 9 lbs, 13 oz and 20-1/2 inches long. We decided to name her Violet Elise. We were scheduled for a C-section yesterday on May 21, but my water broke (unbeknownst to me, since that had never happened before!), so we had a crazy day of figuring out care for our other two kids (thank goodness for good neighbors!) and only 3 hours from realizing what was going to happen until her birth. But we are all healthy and adjusting well.
We truly loved the name Violet, and it seemed like the right fit to go with our other kids’ names, Samuel and Amelia. We actually didn’t decide on which MN until the following afternoon — it was still hard for me to decide. In the end, we liked the sound and shorter version Elise over Elizabeth, and we realize that Elise still honors our family members named Elizabeth, but it flows better. The poll you set up for me actually had about 40% of nearly 500 votes for Violet Elizabeth, and that weighed heavy on me. All names take time to grow on me! She’s a beautiful girl, so I hope her name does her proud. Here’s a pic or two of Violet and our family.
Thank you again!
If you reconsider Lillian the girls could be Millie Belle and Lillie Bette. Maybe too matchy, but it’s cute. You didn’t say whether your husband likes the name Louise. I like it as a first name or middle. Louise Elizabeth. Elise Louise. But truly your finalists are all lovely names. Maybe one will be obvious once you meet her.
I think you really like Elise and I think it really goes with Samuel and Amelia.
Elise Barbara
Elise Mary
I also like Fluffy’s idea of Louise as a FN.
And d’oh – if you like Elise and Louise, do you like Eloise? It’s beautiful and excellent with Samuel and Amelia.
Eloise Mary Hellger
Eloise Barbara Hellger
I like the previous poster’s suggestion of Eloise. Eloise Olive Hellger.
From your choices, I like Violet Elise or Violet Elizabeth.
good luck!
I voted for Violet Elizabeth but it was pretty much a tossup between that and Caroline Elizabeth.
I voted for Violet Elizabeth but I LOVE Karen L’s suggestion of Eloise. So many good names! Good luck & cogratulations :)
I voted for Violet Elizabeth, but I wanted to point out that Carrie and Caddie are also traditional nns for Caroline.
I love Violet with the nickname Lettie! Violet Elizabeth… Lettie Bess – so sweet with Millie Belle!!
I voted for Caroline Elizabeth because I love Swistle’s suggestion of Callie Bess as a nm. So cute.
I think it would be really nice for this baby to have a family mn as well. Both my siblings are named after family members (mn) but I’m not and even though it doesn’t brother me (because I love my mn) I have thought about it from time to time and I think it’s a nice gesture.
You could always use Carly, Rosie, Charlie, Cara, Cora or Kiki as a nn for Caroline. Or maybe something that isn’t really connected to the name. Or just call her Caroline.
Voted for Violet Elizabeth, but love suggestion of Eloise!
I think Elise is the perfect FIRST name for your fam! :) Best wishes!
Eloise Elizabeth – Ellie Beth
I love your names! I would actually go for Elise Mary – Elise because:
-you like it,
-it subtly honours people,
-it goes SO WELL with your sibset.
Mary because it was your gramma’s first name and a lovely way to honour her. Samuel David, Amelia Belle and Elise Mary. Sam, Millie Belle and Elise Molly :)
Best of luck!
Oh, and just a PS – my favourite nickname for Caroline (I don’t know if it’s legit but it seems to flow….) is Connie. Just so sweet and vintage. Samuel David, Amelia Belle and Caroline Elizabeth would be stunning too. Sam, Millie Belle and Connie Bess/Beth/Betsy
Have you considered Eliza as a form of Elizabeth? I know it doesn’t quite flow with Violet, Caroline, or Olive as well as Elizabeth or Elise. Violet Eliza, Caroline Eliza, Olive Eliza.
Concerning nicknames for Caroline, what about Cara? I once considered using Caraline (rather than the harsh Carol) so the nickname would be even more natural. Plus, it adds a bit more to the name. Samuel, Amelia, and Cara(o)line. Sam, Millie, and Cara. I think Caroline is my favorite, and both Elizabeth and Elise sound beautiful with it.
I almost hate to point this out, but if you do select Olive AND your last name actually starts with “Hel” or “Hell” in the spelling, then your daughter might face a childhood of having things labeled as “O. Hellger”, which when read out loud sounds like “Oh hell” (and perhaps even like “Oh, hell girl”). I do think this is all dependent on the spelling, and the sound, and perhaps too the circumstances. Where I grew up things were often first initial last name, but I can also see first name last initial being equally common and thus no longer an issue….
whatever your choose will be the perfect fit for your little girl though! I had a hard time choosing between Violet and Caroline (a name on our list!) but cast my vote for Violet in the end…
congrats!!
you like corrine and have caroline on your list so what about Coraline? Coraline Elizabeth, Coraline Elise. Also Cora is an adorable nn :)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and provide me with feedback and suggestions (and so positive too!). Naming a child is a huge responsibility! I appreciate your thoughts. A few notes – my older sister is named Rosemary (and sadly, she is alienated from our family), in addition to a first cousin named Mary — so the Mary is already represented in our family. I felt Elizabeth would cover more bases with 2 great/grandmothers and myself. I am not fond of my name Barbara enough to use it either. I still struggle with the NN / shortened names for Caroline. Callie is OK, makes me think of Grey’s Anatomy character. Ha! I had a crazy great-aunt named Cora, so I would probably think of her whenever I would use Cora. I have thought of Coraline, it is a bit more off the beaten path, and my husband, the traditionalist, might veto it. Worry about my child having to spell (or correct) her name all of her life. Caroline is more mainstream. We would most likely call her Caroline all the time, as we generally call Amelia her name 90% of the time. Had not thought about Eloise much. It is an E name, which makes it more difficult to use with Elizabeth or Elise. I am 99% sure we will use a family name for MN, and thank you to the commentor who did not get a family MN when her siblings did. We had noticed that our 2 kids’ names have 6 letters (and 3 syllables) in FN, and 5 letters in their MNs. This was not on purpose, but it is a trend. Our last name does not start off “Hell” so O. Hell would not happen with Olive, but bless you for considering that and pointing it out!! We are most likely going to go with Violet-it seems sweet, is still a bit rare, but is on the rise in popularity, and I do like Lettie or even Lottie for NN. I just worried it sounds too old. You had good comments on the Elizabeth vs Elise debate. We have not shared our choices with anyone, so I truly appreciate outside neutral perspective, and voting!!! I will keep an eye on the votes, and let you know in 2 weeks what we decide!!!! Thanks again all. :)
Hi,
I voted for Violet Elise (it has more spunk that Violet Elizabeth), but I acutally like Olive way more as a first name…but every time I try to say it out loud, it comes out Olive Elizabiff…so that tipped me over to Violet! ;o)
I had to vote ‘Violet Elizabeth’ as my daughter’s name is ‘Lauren Violet Elizabeth’. My love baby ;)
my name is Caroline Alise!! (said the same way as Elise, but spelled with an “A” for family significance) I love my name and get a lot of compliments on it! If you don’t choose Caroline Elise, I really love Violet Elizabeth.
I voted for Violet Elizabeth. I LOVE Violet!! But all the names on your final list are great.
Betsy would be the PERFECT first name!!!!
I’d like to suggest Matilda, nn Mattie, as it is similar to Madeline but has the more traditional feel of Samuel and Amelia. Matilda Elise is pretty too!
The first names that came to mind when I read your post were Sylvia, nn Sylvie, and Lucy. Too cute!
Samuel, Amelia and Sylvia
Samuel, Amelia and Lucy
Sylvia Elise and Lucy Elizabeth are very nice!
Also, my grandmother’s name is Elizabeth but goes by Elsie, similar to Elise but more old school. I like Elsie Olivia.
Personally, I think both Elizabeth and Louise are such lovely, feminine names, much like Amelia, and would lean towards those two. More so towards Louise I think as it’s such a pretty, underused name.
Samuel, Amelia and Louise
Louise Elizabeth is gorgeous!
All the best!
As I was reading the sibling names together with each of the first name options, I realized that each of the options gave the set a different feel to me. I thought I’d share my impressions.
Samuel, Amelia, and Violet: Sweet and Old Fashioned
Samuel, Amelia and Caroline: Deep South
Samuel, Amelia, and Olive: Hipster-ish
Ooh, Violet Elizabeth, and you can call her Lettie Beth!
Congratulations!
I think you have some great names in there to choose from. As a first name, I like Violet the best. I would, however, just through it out there, that my sister Caroline goes by Cara, which I think is a great nickname because it is a real name just like the nicknames Amy and Mia for Amelia
I do not like the sound of Violet Elizabeth because I sense some kind of a rhyme-y feel. I also do not think Violet Elise sounds super but it is better.
I think Olive is darling!
As your kid, I would much rather have you tell how much you love my name, than the fact that I am honoring a person none of us know, with a name that isn’t totally right.
I hope you figure everything out!
I love Violet and I like how the el/le is repeated in all three names :) Violet Elizabeth is very classic and goes well with the other names. Vivi could also be a nn- Vivi Beth.
I love Violet, and I love another commentor’s suggestion of Eloise–and I wonder if you would like the nickname Caddie for Caroline. I also love Swistle’s suggestion of Callie as a nickname.
I love the name! Great choice! Side note: Did you notice that Olive and Violet have all the same letters except for the T? That’s cool.