Grace writes:
I’m writing because I’m due with a baby girl set to arrive on May 2, 2014. My husband and I live in the south, and our taste in names I would describe as traditional/Southern/vintage. Our last name rhymes with Nixon, but starts with a D. We have one other child, a boy named Hayden Mansfield. Mansfield was my husband’s grandfather’s first name.
I never imagined we would have such difficulty deciding on a girl’s name. It seems that nearly every first name my husband and I agree upon is wildly popular right now, which is something we’d like to avoid. We also intend to choose from a list of family names for the middle name; these include Catherine and Elizabeth, among others. Our top choices include the following: Olivia Catherine (or Olivia Kate), Emma Catherine (or Emma Kate), Annabel {Middle name not yet decided}, and last but not least Blythe Elizabeth. Other names that we like but have too many friends with daugthers of the same name include Ella, Ava, and Evelyn/Evie. Obviously, Olivia and Emma are very popular right now, which is making me shy away from them. Before finding out I was having a girl, I loved the name Blythe when I heard a childhood friend name her daughter that years ago, but now I’m tending to avoid it because I’m afraid it’s too “out there,” the exact opposite of Olivia and Emma. So, what is your opinion? What do you think of Blythe? Do you think it can be classic, traditional, and Southern, or too risky/strong?
Thank you for your input!
Blythe is a fantastic, charming name which I greatly prefer over Emma and Olivia because of their popularity. If I were child born today, I would rather be named the slightly out there Blythe than be one of 3 or 4 Emma’s or Olivia’s in every class.
That said, my favorite name of your top choices is Annabel. It is less popular than Emma and Olivia but familiar. It is versatile and offers many options for nicknames.. Anna, Annie, Belle. There is a Southern sweetness to the name as well as a sophistication.
If you’re looking for a classic/traditional name that’s not currently overly popular, then Annabel is your best bet of your first three contenders. Lovely name and with Kate as the middle, it meets your naming criteria: Annabel Kate.
I don’t see Blythe as a classic/traditional name. Oxford Dictionary of First Names says of Blythe: “Modern coinage, apparently an altered spelling of the vocabulary word ‘blithe’ — carefree. cheerful… ” The Great Big Book of Baby Names says of the name: “Despite its cheerful meaning and the positive notice given to it by actress Blythe Danner over the years, this name has never been common enough to make the SSA top 1000 list.” (Blythe Danner’s full name is Blythe Katherine Danner (b. 1943); she is the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow.)
Yet I wonder if Blythe isn’t the best of your possible names as a sister name to Hayden, which is a more modern name too (not classic/’traditional). Blythe Elizabeth or Blythe Katherine is very pretty, ‘classy-sounding’ and unusual. It could be a great choice for your daughter.
Blythe is, I think, a fabulous option for what you want in a name. It’s classic but underused, light and breezy, can accommodate some sass, and will sound especially pleasing when that middle syllable is pulled out even longer by a Southern drawl.
I am having a hard time telling if you just want opinions on Blythe or if you want additional suggestions, so I debated on whether or not to include this. If you do want suggestions, read on; if not, ignore!
Some clarification on what you mean when you say your style is “Southern” might be helpful, as to my interpretation there are at least two different definitions people apply to that adjective. There’s the “Southern belle” definition, which conjures up mental images of cotillions, sororities, plantations, pageants, and old-money affluence–names for this definition might be more skewed toward very traditional (Catherine, Elizabeth, Grace), family surname as first name (I know a girl I would place in this category named Carson; Collins from “The Blind Side” is another example), and/or a combination of the two (I remember hearing about an Ann-Hunter once).
Then there’s the “G.R.I.T.S.” (girls raised in the south) definition, which leans more toward polite-ish sass, farmsteads, down-home cooking, and hospitality–names I would put more in this category are flower/jewel names (Ruby, Pearl, Magnolia), “Southern-themed” names (Savannah, Delta, Dixie), and overall would say sweet with a bit of spunk. Naturally, there’s quite a bit of overlap here (I would class traditional-but-unusual names like Willa, Stella, Adeline in the middle), I’m just giving you examples as I tend to break it down in my mind.
To me, your choices fall more into the first category than the second, but it would be helpful to know your thoughts before suggesting additional names.
Helen Elizabeth. Helen & Hayden
I love Blythe! It’s my favorite of your choices!
You’ve got me on board with Annabel Catherine, aka as Annabel Kate. Classic, spunky, southern, accessible, not overly popular.
Blythe seems to me to be a grown-up kind of name, one that lots of children will have trouble pronouncing. (Yes, I understand they grow out of this phase). It does pack a ton of complexity into one syllable, though, and maybe this complexity is why I tend to see it as a grown-up kind of name.
I knew a young woman with the same surname as yours named Antonia. I see this as an underused classic, one that could be shortened either to Annie or Toni and fit the rest of your criteria.
Good luck with everything.
Annabel Catherine is my personal favorite too — love it!
I really prefer Emma or Olivia to Blythe. Emma gets my vote over Olivia becasue I don’t love the initials OD. Popularity is so dependent on your area. I live in Dallas and I actually don’t know any Emmas under five. If you don’t have any Emmas in your circle, yours may be the only one. had a great aunt Emma Catherine, and she went by Emma Catherine as a double name. That has a Southern/vintage feel and will help her have her own name, in case there are others in her class. Emma Catherine, called Emma Cate, is also lovely.
Oh yeah– good catch. OD would be a deal breaker as initials for me, so no Olivia.
Well, I’m afraid “ED” is not devoid of meaning either. Some people wouldn’t notice it, but I would if you were just using the initials of the first and last name without the middle initial.
I love Blythe and don’t find it too “out there” at all. However, my favorite for you is probably Annabel. I think it strikes just the right balance of fitting in and not getting lost in the crowd.
I do like Olivia and Emma and think some of the popularity issues are lessened since you plan on calling her by first & middle. If you do this consistently, I don’t think her name will stand out a bit more.
My favorite with Hayden is Blythe. Actually, I would probably like it the best regardless.
I love the name Blythe. It’s sophisticated and spunky and charming and… I just love it so much. I also like the way it sits with Hayden (if that matters to you). Blythe Catherine or Blythe Elizabeth? Love it.
Blythe is gorgeous. Other ideas: Annika, Greer, Audrey.
If you’re concerned about Emma and Olivia being too popular and Blythe being too out there, Annabelle might be a nice compromise. But I do like Blythe and don’t think it’s too out there. I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with popular names per se. As Swistle often says, they’re popular precisely because they’re appealing. So I’d try to set aside issues of popularity and pick the one you love the most, if there’s a clear choice between the four.
Like others, I think that Blythe is actually the best stylistic match to Hayden of the bunch!
I agree, I too love Blythe for you. I don’t necessarily get southern classic charm with Blythe like I do with Annabel (my second fav), but with Hayden, I think it’s a perfect sib set. Hayden is a more trendier name vs. old classic and that’s how I feel about Blythe.
Hayden and Blythe. So cute!
Good luck!
Hmm, I think you should pick your favorite regardless of popularity because popular doesn’t mean what it used to, and none of your favorites are “trendy” feeling (like Madison, Addison, Harper could be). Emma and Olivia were in steady use for decades before ascending to the height of the charts. Olivia would be out if I were you, though, because as someone mentioned in the earlier comments, OD is not the best set of initials. For me, they are a deal breaker on the level of BS or FU.
As far as hitting the sweet spot between common and unusual you seem to be aiming for– I think Annabel is the best of your choices in that regard. It’s familiar but not super popular. Your Blythe might never meet another one her age (unless it has a sudden popularity spike, but that’s hard to predict) and there may be some confusion over spelling, pronunciation, etc. when people first hear her name as there are probably many (non-name aware!) people who have never met or heard of a Blythe before. (Blythe Danner was never exactly a house hold name…) That said, I love Blythe and Hayden together! And I love Blythe with your surname. It really works.
Only issue– coming back to the pesky problem of initials– Blythe Elizabeth D—- spells BED. Not horrendous, but not great. I think I’d try to avoid spelling BED (especially in the monogram-heavy South!). What about Blythe Catherine? Or even Blythe Mansfield? What are your other middle name family name options? Is your maiden name a possibility?
I’m not sure if you are looking to expand your list of possibilities– but have you considered:
Vivian or Vivienne
Violet (Vi or Lettie are cute nicknames)
Scarlett
Stella
Julia
Juno (a bit out there but nice with Hayden)
Mirabelle
Jessamine
Also, is this likely your last child? What was your #1 pick for a boy? Do any of your girl choices rule out a favorite future boy name? All stuff to consider. Good luck!!!
Another vote for Blythe! It’s perfect. Have you considered Arabella as an alternative to Annabel?
Hands down, Annabel Kate!
Annabel Kate …. love love love!
I love the name Blythe Elizabeth Hixon.
I’d go with it. The only thing I’d point out is the initials – BED.
Not bad enough to bother me so just depends.
Blythe Catherine would be neat just because BCD is in order
Brynn/Brynne is similar to Blythe and is derived from a Welsh name like Hayden.
Hayden and Brynn/Brynne
Brynn Catherine and Brynn Annabel are cute!
I am a bit biased though, my daughter is Brynne Elizabeth.
All the best!
Chiming in as a mom to a 19 month old ball of giggles named Blythe- pronunciation can be an issue (ours is Blythe-rhymes- with-tithe, some people pronounce with soft-th), and I have family members who still make it rhyme with Goliath- (Ba-lye-ith.. what?) not sure how that happens, I was pretty sure it would be common knowledge pronunciation, since Anne of Green Gables (Gilbert Blythe).
And because of Anne, it feels like a bit of an old-fashioned name (books written in early 1900’s), even though it was a surname…
I am still in love with her name. We get compliments all the time. It’s pretty much nickname proof, though we do call her B at least half of the time. Her older brother figured out the proper pronunciation by age 3. Her name is charming and sweet and so perfectly suited to her… and it will carry well all through her life. So if it’s your favourite, go for it!
If I were a child born today, I agree that I’d much rather be named Annabelle or Blythe than Olivia or Emma. I was a child of the late 80’s and grew up with SO MANY Jessicas and Ashleys. And I was always SO THANKFUL I wasn’t named either of those names. Now I was given a name that was in the Top 50 for my year of birth, and I’ve always known a few other ladies with my name – but it’s not out of control and it’s always pleasant to meet a person I share a name with. I just checked and the number of Averys born in 2012 is comparable to the number of my name the year I was born. So well known, but I only know a couple Averys.
I realize that Jessica and Ashley was a major epidemic of the 1980’s! The number of Olivias and Emmas born are still much less! But I just wouldn’t want to be one of many Emmas, and be called Emma D.
I really have a soft spot for Blythe, and think it’s lovely and absolutely do not think it’s too weird. We do live in the age of babies being named everything under the sun! So don’t let that discourage you.
Good luck with your choice!
Emma is very sweet, especially when combined with Kate! You should read some of Swistle’s posts on the popularity of names and how it means much less today than it did in the past.
I like the suggestion of Audrey that another commenter offered. That sounds very classic, Southern, and spunky to me!
I like the matching “y” in Hayden and Blythe.
Have you considered Elyse? Elyse Catherine
Or Charys? Charys Elizabeth?
Or Wynne?
Annabel Kate is my favorite (Annabel would have been on my list if I had ever had a daughter). It is in style right now but not wildly popular (I have no problem with popular names – Emma and Olivia are great names – I always advise to pick your favorite). I do not think Blythe is too out there. I would not call it classic, maybe slightly old-fashioned but that’s not a bad thing. I am not sure what names are considered Southern except for something obvious like Dixie or certain double names. To me a Southern name would be one that is much more popular in the south than anywhere else in the country, but a lot of the names I hear described as southern are popular everywhere else too.
Name popularity is a funny thing: If you don’t happen to meet many (people with a very popular name) you don’t think of it as all that popular, even though the statistics may say otherwise, and in fact, may say it is very popular in the area where you live. My cousin Nancy (born in the 50s) does not think Nancy is a very popular name in her age group because she has not personally met many. However, Nancy is certainly one of the most popular names in the 50s, and particularly in the northeast, where she is from. I’m a little younger and I have met and heard of plenty of Nancys born in the 60s and earlier.
Blythe seems perfect for you, she stood out the most to me on your list. Since she is also a surname (like Hayden is) she feels southern to me. She also has a bit of a vintage feel and is defiantly uncommon. With Blythe I would use a more traditional middle name, I’m not a fan of Blythe Elizabeth or Blythe Catherine however due to the repeating -th sound. I’m not sure what other family names you have to work with, but one Blythe combo I really like is Blythe Caroline, southern, vintage, and traditional all rolled into one :) My second choice on your list would be Annabel.
I know a baby girl Blythe. Someone misheard her name and thought it was Dwight.
I have to chime in and urge you to not worry about popularity of the name, and just go with the one you love. My daughter has 3 Annabelle/Annabellas in her grade at school and just one Emma (out of 5 first grade classes). My son Michael has never been in any class with another Michael, but there were 2 Carters and 2 Owens in his class of 14 at pre-school. Your name will seem popular or unpopular based on your child’s peer group…and you have no real way of predicting what that will be. So go with what you love…and it won’t matter if there are many of them.
Hello! While Annabelle is not as popular as Olivia or Emma here in the Northeast, is is neither uncommon. My 8yo daughter is Avery, and recently was thrilled to tell me there’s another Avery in her school-a kindergartner! Blythe won’t have that; Annabelle will have another IN her class. I love the suggestion of Audrey-love it w/ Hayden and your surname. If not for Hayden, I’d suggest Ainsley, but the two ‘ay’ sounds are too much together. No one’s gone there but what about Margaret? Maggie’s a lovely nn, as is Meg. I’d avoid Maisie/Daisy w/ the hard ‘ay’s. Margaret Ainsley Nixon w/ a D sounds very southern to me. I also think of Claire. Claire Catherine, Hayden and Claire. Just some ideas… best wishes!
Blythe is my 25 year old cousin’s name. I’ve always found it very beautiful.