B. writes:
We’re having our second baby in November, and we are looking for names. Our last names rhymes with Tower, but starts with BR, and our daughter is named Lucia (pronounced Loo-SEE-ah) although we call her Lucy at least half the time. Her middle name is my maiden name, which will probably be the same for the next one. We won’t find out if we’re having a boy or a girl, but we’re making progress on the boy name (prob will be Theodore or Maxwell). The issue right now is with a girl name. We both are leaning toward May or Mae.
My issue with this name is that I think it might be too short to hold up to Lucia. I know it’s traditionally used as a nickname for Margaret or Mary, but I don’t really like either of those names. But I do really like the idea of having a name that comes with a nickname, so that we can use both names for the child. So I’ve been playing around with other names that we might use for a full name with May as the nickname.
Some ideas:
Maeve
This is a name I would love on someone else’s baby, but I’m just not sure that I love it enough for my own.Maelys (Maa-ay-lees)
I think this is pretty. It’s very popular in France right now, which I think makes an interesting pair with Lucia which is very popular in Spain. But is it too out there for an American baby? I’m ok with a little confusion over a name (such as the Loo-see-ah/loo-sha questions we get) but is Maelys on a totally level? Also, does Mae even work as a nickname for this?Maelyn
Pretty, but I think this is too much like Jalen/Kaylyn for me. I know a ton of kids with these names . . .Maisie
Cute, but it already sounds like a nickname.Marie
I really like this name, but I don’t know that May fits it as a nickname.We don’t like Mariam, Marianne, and other similar names that sound like a form of Mary in some way.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Thanks!
At first my response was going to be essentially this: If the only reason you’re looking for a longer form for Mae is that you feel you ought to have more syllables to go with Lucia, and you’ve looked at a whole bunch of possibilities and you don’t like any of them as much as just Mae/May, then I think at this point you can stop looking. I too find it pleasing to have sibling names similar in length, but not to the point of choosing a name I like less—and Lucia is so short in number of letters, I think it’s just fine to pair it with Mae.
Then on re-reading, I noticed that it’s also that it appeals to you to have a name/nickname set, and that Lucia goes by Lucy at least half the time. Okay, then, that sounds like a fun mission instead of an obligation mission! But if we go through and list all the Mae-nickname names we can think of and nothing seems right, then I’ll go back to my original response about it being fine to go with just Mae. I think a nickname will evolve: in my house, I think she’d be Maeberry and Mae-mae and Maybe-baby within the first hour.
I think yes, Maelys is in a different category of pronunciation difficulty than Lucia. I listened to the Forvo pronunciation about a dozen times before I felt like I could remember how it was said—and that’s with the mnemonic of “It’s like ‘My Elise’, kind of,” and remembering the Elysian fields. And then on top of that, it’s supposed to have an umlaut over the E, and the Mae part is not pronounced like May. I think pronouncing it May for the nickname would considerably increase the difficulty others would have with the full version: if I got used to a little girl nicknamed Mae-pronounced-May, and then I saw her full name was Maelys, I’d pronounce it MAY-liss—like Marlys or Arlys.
My first inclination would be to go with a double first name. Ava May, or May Ella, or something of that sort. That does seem a little too Southern United States with Lucia, though.
Or Mayella could be a single name. It’s still Southern, and yet I like it with Lucia: the way they’re both three syllables with the accent on the second syllable ties them together a bit more, especially when I say them aloud.
There’s also Meagan, pronounced like MAY-gun. But that seems dated to me with Lucia, and the Mae nickname doesn’t feel natural for it.
Or Esmé (EHZ-may). That’s pretty with Lucia, and Twilight has increased the general familiarity with the pronunciation.
Mabel/Maebel/Maebella would be pretty too. Or maybe the B sounds are a little bumpy with the surname.
Maya is a possibility, though I always think of the MY-ah pronunciation first (I think because of the Mayans, and also because we know an Amaya pronounced ah-MY-ah).
More suggestions for long forms for Mae/May?
Name update! B. writes:
Sorry this update is so late . . . Life is a little crazier with two little ones. We had just about settled on using the name Mae for a girl. But we had a boy and named him Maxwell. Thanks for all the help!
I love all of switsle’s suggestions. What about Maeleigh or any other spelling of the same name.
I find the name Mae so refreshing and pretty on its own, in the way that Rose or Jane is as a first name. I don’t think it’s worth putting forth the effort to make up a longer version. Also I much prefer the spelling May, though I know I’m probably in the minority here; Mae has always felt very southern to me. Best of luck.
I love Maeleigh! Mae is my middle name and my husband’s is Lee. We have considered “Maelee” she would be Maelee Lucille. Thoughts? This would go with brothers Frank and Maxwell.
I like Mae. I think it’s very pretty!
“Maelys (Maa-ay-lees)” – I think this would be a lifelong uphill climb to get people to pronounce in the French manner, plus there’s the umlaut issue, plus “May/Mae” is not actually the shortened version of that name’s sound, so I’m entirely with Swistle here, that you’d really struggle against “May-liss”.
I like Maple personally, but with Lucia I think Mavis could work well. She’s not as boring and fusty as she used to be after appearing on a teenager in the movie ‘Hotel Transylvania’ last year!
I’d go with Mae with Maeby as a nickname, myself. But then, I’m pushing for a Mae for my own kid, if this one turns out to be a girl, and I’m biased. I just think it’s such a great name.
I know you didn’t like Mary or Marie, but maybe you’d like Maria nn Mae? Maria and Lucia do end the same way, but they’re both common Spanish names and Maria “Tower” sounds lovely. You could probably use “Mae” as a nickname for any name that beginning with “Ma…” though. Matilda, Matilde, Madeleine, etc. Although you would have to accept the possibility that she chooses to go by a more common nickname associated with those names.
Good luck!
I know a girl (actually a college student now) who is Madeline called Mae. I also like your idea of Marie and the suggestion of Maria.
I love the name Mae/May! Mabel is a great choice and sounds great with Lucia.
With Mae/May being a nickname for Margaret too, what about Margot?
Other suggestions:
Michaela (love this!) Lucia nn Lucy and Michaela nn Mae. Adorable!
Marlena
Marianna
Marina
Marion
All the best!
If you already like May/Mae and Maisie, why not flip the priority? May as a first name, with nn Maisie? Then one daughter has a long name, short nn and the other has a short name, longer nn. I love May/Mae as a first name!
LOVE this idea!
Of all the possible options suggested so far, I like Mavis, Esme & May with the nickname Maisie the best.
However, I think May is just fine on its own. Lucia & May do seem a little off as a set, but Lucy & May are just about perfect together (I do prefer May over Mae. I think it’s prettier visually).
I think almost any name that starts with Ma- or Me- could work as a logical longer name for the nickname Mae/May.
Ones that come to mind: Madeline/Madeleine, Maddalena, Magali, Mahala, Mattea, Maura, Mazarine… Also Amelia or Amalia, though that’s a stretch. But not impossible.
My favorite from your selections is Maeve, though. I think it is a great name and pairs nicely with Lucia/Lucy.
From the ones, I mentioned, I think Mattea (pronounced muh-TAY-ah) is nicest with Lucia and your surname, and somehow Mae is a very easy nickname from that to my ears.
I love Swistle suggestion of Esme! Beautiful sibling set with Lucia!
Mavis.
I like the ideal of using Mae/May on it’s own but I also think that it sounds kind of short when said aloud with Lucia which is a stronger sounding name. From your list, I really love the name Maeve- it’s just like Mae but with a few extra letters. I think it’s also robust enough to hold it’s ground next to Lucia.
Side note, if I had a daughter Mae, we’d call her Maeby in a heart beat- I’ve always liked that nick name since watching Arrested Development.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Mabel! Mabel Tower, Mabel and Lucia, Mae and Lucy.
I love Esme! I also really like the suggestion of May as a given name, with Maisie as a nickname. I came over to suggest looking for something with M/A as the initals, much like a guy I grew up with who went by Jace, a smooshed version of JC, for Jeremy Charles. If you really like Marie, maybe Marie Alice? Marie Antonia? Marie Amelia?
I know a Maryanne who goes by Mae because of M for Mary A for Anne is MA somehow equals Mae
Aimee?
Esmé would be so lovely with Lucia and lends nicely to Mae as a nickname! Maeve is pretty too!
You could also push the Mae nickname by spelling Megan Maegan – it could also encourage people to pronounce it with the May instead of the Meg first syllable
There’s also Maren (MAH ren); (MARE ren), which was the love interest in Braveheart. Lovely character, but with a tragic end.
I know a Maya, but where it’s pronounced May-ah (not My-ah). This would work well.
What about
Malise
Maeja/Maya
Mamie
Mayna
Macy
There’s a dancer named Malece on So You Think You Can Dance this season, pronounced like May-leese. I think that could be really pretty. I’d maybe spell it Maelise.
Lucia and Maelise/Malece. Lucy and Mae. (I prefer Mae, it’s more name, less noun to me.)
Marguerite seems like a plausible way to get Mae. MA-rguerit-E. Maybe a bit of a stretch, but it’s a name I find very elegant and European-sounding like Lucia. Lucia and Marguerite make a lovely sibling set!
I think Mae is a beautiful name and there’s no need for a longer version. It’s like a Rosalind nn Rose or a Janell nn Jane–unnecessary unless you really love the long form name because the shorter version is a wonderful name on it’s own.
If you are really gutsy (or a celebrity), you could go with Maybelline. It would fit with Clementine and Josephine, along with the “bel” names such as Isabel, and it’s only a matter of time before someone uses it.
Our youngest would have been named Maisa (mesa) with nn Mae and Maisie. Instead he is Maxwell.
my personal favs of Swistle’s suggestions are Mabel/Maebel/Maebella. i too agree that you don’t have to lengthen the name if May / Mae is the one you really love, though.
i could also imagine a name ending in -mae.. such as (let me just make one up real quick) Annamae.
another idea that appeals to me is to name her Mae + another name, as Swistle suggested. do you have any runner-ups in your name list that might pair well with Mae?
I think animé is the reason Annamae springs so easily to mind.
This reminds me of the Japanese animation style also called Anime short for animation.
I know a little toddler named May – she is just the sweetest thing and the name suits her perfectly.
I also LOVE Esme – that was actually my first thought!
Another idea: Mabel/Maybelle
Good luck!
What about Mariel? (MARE-ee-el.) I think it’s a gorgeous but under-used name. Ernest Hemingway’s daughter is named Mariel.
A good friend of mine just named her daughter Mariella, I was going to suggest that! My favourite suggestion of Swistle’s is Mabel, but I do think that’s a lot of B sounds with the surname so perhaps not.
Maelle
Mable
Mayeda
Maebry
Maelona
Ismaela / Ismae
Seconding Mattea! It sounds perfect with Lucia!
I think I’m in the just name her Mae/May camp, but Esme was my favorite suggestion. I like Margaret best from your original list of possibilities.
A name I discovered recently as being a top name in Quebec is Maely. I thought that was cute but wondered if it sounded made up. But it can’t be now since it is in the top ?20? or so. I am partial to Mae as well. My parents intentionally found an “A” middle name for me between my M and E first and last names. I have always considered it a secret nickname for myself!
Esmé is a French boys name. The feminine form is Esmée (the emphasis is on the last syllable). And Maëlys is pronounced “mah-eh-LEES”.
I agree that May (this spelling only ) can work on its own — it’s a word/nature name, like April or June.
Love the suggestions of Maeve and Madeline/Madeleine. Too bad you don’t like Mary, it’s such a great (and now undersued) name. Full names for May (any “M” name would work, really):
* Mabel / Mably / Maybelle
* Isemay
* Romaine
* Richmay
* Mattea
* Matilda
* Mirabella
* Magdalena
* Maysant, Maynell (Old English names)
* May-Rose, May-Lily (word names)
Double names:
* May-Louise
* May-Helen
* May-Emma
* Lily-May
* Sophie-May
* Anna-May
Esme is so perfect! Lucia and Esme. Lucy and Mae. Gorgeous!
How about Maris or Marisol? I love how Marisol sounds with Lucia. I also agree that “plain” Mae/May is adorable too. :)
I know a family with a Maelie. Very cute.
Maelle (pronounced My-elle) is a beautiful name, that complements Lucia, and has the nickname “Mae” built in!
I love Amaya (ah-may-ah), I would pronounce it like this if I first saw it.
Lucia and Amaya, Lucy and May!
Amaya Tower.
All sounds lovely to me!
There is the name Maera, daughter of Atlas, from Greek mythology. Quite pretty!
The name Maelona, meaning “princess”, from Welsh mythology. Really like this and Lucia and Maelona sound made for each other!
Also the name Maette. Lucia and Maette is cute!
Hope this helps and good luck!
Maeve was on our short list for a girl, too. Had you considered Mavis (or Maevis)?
I think Mabel/Amabel would be a perfect sister for Lucia. I also adore Mae by itself. I also like Esme with Lucia. Good luck!
My grandmother’s name was Masel so I want to recommend that as an alternative to Mabel that solves the problem of having too many B sounds with the last name. Although maybe now there are too many S sounds with Lucia.
What about Mairead (Marade), the Irish name? Or, we have a little friend named Ella-May?
Ella May Tower.
Esme! I love Esme, especially with Lucia! Lucia and Esme. Lucy and Mae. So gorgeous and sweet.
However, I also think May or Mae works just fine on its own. Mae nicknamed Maeby like Arrested Development. (Love the show AND the name Maeby!). Maple or Mabel were also cute suggestions.
Another name that popped into my mind was Mireille. Pronounced mi-RAY, it’s been getting a lot of buzz lately on some name blogs. It’s a little stretch to visually get to Mae, but aurally it seems like it could work. It would be so beautiful with Lucia! Lucia and Mireille. Lucy and Mae. Here is a link to more info on it: http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2013/03/mireille.html. One of the nicknames mentioned is May!
What about Maven? I’ve seen lots of suggestions of Mavis, but I really prefer Maven/Maeven. Though I like the first spelling better because the word “even” in Ma”even” jumps out at me for some reason. But either way you still get the “May” sound in the beginning.
My grandma’s name is Rosemary and she has always gone by Mae (because of Mary).
I really like the suggestions of
Esme
Mavis
Mabel
They all fit nicely with Lucia, to me. I don’t think Mabel Tower-with-Br sounds like to much B, personally. Mabel is probably my favorite, and in that spelling, too. The other spellings look obnoxious to me.
I really dislike the idea of pronounced Maya as “may-ah”. In Hindi/Nepali, Maya means “love” and is pronounced more like “my-ah”. Not to mention that pronounciation seems more common in the US, too.
No one is suggesting the name we are planning to use as a full name for the nn May, and I think I’ll keep it secret since I honestly don’t feel like it works with Lucia. (*name hogging*)
Mallory
Marney
Malaya
Mavia
Maeda
Macey
Manya
Marcey
??????? :)
Has anyone suggested the name Mayra? I think that Lucia and Mayra are cute together!
What about Maron/Marin/Meryn? Or I know a little girl named Mabrey (pronouned MAY-BREE). May/Mae would be a cute nickname!
I disagree with those suggesting Maeve (as a Mom of a Maeve and lover of the name). Lucia reads very Italian or Spanish to me, and Maeve reads very Irish. You’d need a good cultural reason for that kind of switch. Also, before she was born, I detested the potential of Maevey as a nickname. Now its all Maevey, Maevey-Bean, Maevey-Bee, all the time and its great.
Mae (my preferred spelling) stands fine on its own. I think it will age well.
Swistle’s suggestion of Esme is genius.
I would definitely just stick with Mae as the full name. Why make it more complicated? I think it’s refreshing. Also, I personally like the length contrast between Lucia and Mae. Rolls off the tongue nicely!
What about choosing any M-name for the first name, then giving her a double middle name to spell out Mae? like Mary Anne-Elizabeth … or something like that
and I think Mavis is awesome. Mabel too.
I recently heard the name Mayfair recently. At first, I wasn’t so sure, but in about 5 minutes I fell in love. What a unique name!