L. writes:
The sounds of words and sentences has always been very important to me and this has translated to the name search as well.
My favorite rhythm for a name is when the second syllable of the first name corresponds to the first. For example, Amelia Martin.
We are having a baby girl in February and are hoping to find a name that works with our last name, which begins with an “F” and is three syllables. One name that I think works perfectly is Ophelia, but I think it’s off the list due both to its literary associations and potential nicknames.
Can you think of any other multi-syllabic names in which the second syllable is an “F” or a “Ph”?
Thanks so much for your help!
I found myself trying to remember the syllable-dividing rules of elementary school, and partly failing. Tiffany, for example: Is that F-sound in the first syllable or the second? If we were hyphenating it for a line-break, we’d split the two F’s: Tif-fany. So perhaps that means Tiffany has an F-sound in both the first and second syllable. Well, here are some names with an F-sound NEAR the second syllable:
Daphne
Delphine
Epiphany
Memphis
Raffaella
Saphira
Sapphire
Sofia/Sophia/Sophie
Sophronia
Stefania
Stephanie
Symphony
Tiffany
There are also a number of compound name options involving Sophie/a combinations: Sophianna, Sophiella, Sophiemarie. (I was a little surprised not to find an entry for Sophelia.)
I have a soft spot for Sophronia, nicknamed Phronsie in the book series about The Five Little Peppers.
Persephone doesn’t have the ph-sound right where you want it, but I suggest it anyway. I would love to see that name get more common.
Because F is the unvoiced V, I wonder if names with a V would also sound nice to you? Evelyn, Vivian, Ivy, Sylvia, Giovanna, etc.? I suspect, though, that those would not give the effect you’re looking for.
I love Daphne! I know it isn’t popular, but it is actually a beautiful sound and a nice Greek meaning. There are several nice name associations, too– the “Scooby Doo” character might be my favorite! It doesn’t lend itself to nicknames, which could be a good or bad thing.
I really like Daphne too.
And I noticed this same nice effect when I was naming babies, but I would have never thought to analyze it and explain it like that! Our last name starts with St, and I found myself loving the way that Anastasia sounded with it. None of our kids ended up with that name or another st-in-the-middle-syllable name, but I agree that it does make for a great and memorable name when it works out.
Another vote for Daphne.
Consonant usually goes with the vowel immediately following it. There are exceptions of course, but that is the general rule.
Tiffany: Ti/fa/nee
/your resident linguistics degree holder
See and when I pronounce Daphne, I say it as Daf-ne. I know it should be Da-fne, but when you actually break it down the -fne is difficult to pronounce quickly and I find I stick the F sound on the first syllable not the second. Although, it is a nice name. Whereas with Sophia, it is a very clear so-fia, F on second syllable.
Although I do prefer Sophia (was on our short list 7-8 years ago) it has become so popular, I would personally try to find another name… But it is very nice.
My favourite would be Rafaelle or Rafaella (or various spellings). Love this and think it is very under-used and had many spunky nicknames.
Good luck.
If I recall correctly from my phonetics classes (another linguist), when you have 2+ consonants together, you break the syllables depending on how well the consonants cluster together, so something like Anastasia would break with the “st” together, since that does happen naturally in English—a/na/sta/dja (better linguists than I, feel free to correct my misuse of phonetic symbols). But since the f and n don’t actually blend naturally in English, you split those consonants up when dividing the syllables—daf/ni.
You’re definitely right. (Also a linguist.)
The same applies to Delphine, for instance.
Orphia and Ralphina are other possibilities.
I know it doesn’t quite fit your specifications but I love Josephine.
Aha! I always thought the folk singer Josephine Foster had a nice-sounding name, now I understand why… I think the effect the letter writer is looking for still works for Josephine, even though the “f” is the third syllable.
I agree, I had also thought of Josephine.
I’m not sure what kind of names you’re looking for, so I’ve added a couple maybe-too-out-there names:
With ‘f’ at the start of the second syllable:
– Alfreda
– Daffodil
– Haifa
– Nymphadora
– Iphigenia
With ‘f’ but not in the second syllable:
– Josephine
– Winifred
With ‘v’ if you think that’s a suitable alternative:
– Davina
– Lavinia
– Novia / Nova
– River
Seraphina?
Serafina. I know the “f” is in the 3rd syllable instead of the 2nd, but with 4 syllables, I think it does work. Plus there’s an abundance of possible nicknames.
Oh–and Belphoebe!
(If you were rich and famous and uber hip, you could always go with iPhona :)
If Ophelia has a bad connotation for you, maybe you’d like Ofeibea (O-fay-bee-a), like the NPR anchor, Ofeibia Quist-Arcton. I think this is a gorgeous name connected to a strong and accomplished woman!
What about Saffron nn Saffy? So cute!
I know it doesn’t fit your criteria but Seraphie is a gorgeous name.
Love Ophelia! You should stick with it if you really love it. It’s one of those names that puts a smile on your face when you say it. It has some pretty good nicknames too. “O”, Fi, Fia, or Lia.
Have you considered any names that start with an “F”? There are so many lovely ones and sometimes, with the right combination, alliteration sounds fantastic. “F” names are so rarely used these days that any one of them will surely stand out in a crowd!
Fantine
Fenella
Feodora
Fiorella
Flavia
Fleur
Franca
Freya
Florence
Flora
Farrah
Francesca
Fabienne
Felicity
Fern
Fable
See what I mean?!!
And of course, there’s always the lovely Phoebe!
All the best!
Someone else suggested and noted that it doesn’t quite meet the requirements, but I love Josephine as well.
Other names with an f/ph sound (though maybe on the wrong syllable)
Winifred
Sephora
Afton
I too love Josephine and Seraphina!
I also love Ophelia but as my husband pointed out “oh-feel-ya or I-feel-ya” and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. I wonder if you would like -th sound? Othelia is very nice and gets away from the “feel ya” teasing. The -th and F sound nice together as well. I also really like the suggestion of Ofeibia.
I also love the suggestion of Seraphina. Seraphina F- sounds really nice to the ears!
My first thought was Sophia,
Is this plan going to cause problems for future children? Just asking (as someone who backed themselves into a naming corner!)
No one has suggested Delphinia yet? Four syllables but the right effect. And another vote for Ofeibia here. Love the name and the reporter.
I also heard Delphinium recently. It is a very out there choice, but maybe would work for the right family.
What an interesting question! Does it matter to you whether the emphasis is on the second syllable? How about these:
Euphemia
Effea
Ophira
Zapharra
I like Winifred & Afton as already suggested.
I don’t like the idea of names that start with an f because I dislike alliteration with names, but that’s just me.
New suggestion: Elphaba
Saffron is gorgeous! I know a Saffron nn Saff or Saffie and she always gets compliments on her name.
Saphira or Saphire is another alternative.
Aphra is so under-used and has a great literary connotation.
I love the name Daphne, and would seriously consider it myself.
There are some lovely suggestions above, and if your definition can be expanded to f sound in third syllable of 4 syllable name, I love Josephine for you! Also wanted to thank you for articulating why I love the idea of Audrey so much with our surname which starts with a D.
If I have to vote, I’m loving Afton. But I’m Irish so… :)
What I do want to ask is this, though- I’m intrigued by this linguistics rule of thumb but wondering if there is a site or way I can search for the right letter/name combo. Anyone know of such a tool or is it just a pure luck/hard work that you find the right name deal?
There’s the baby naming wizard tool where you can search for names with certain letters or letter combinations, http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/advanced-name-finder is that what you needed?
I’ll try that! Thank you, Sarah!
Similar (VERY) to Daphne but I went to college with a Daphna and always thought her name was lovely.
Love this!
That name reminds me of Daphnia (the aquatic crustacean). Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just a thing.
I know an Israeli Dafna. I think Dafna is relatively common there. Maybe an option, especially if the letter writer has Jewish heritage?
This is such an interesting criteria for a name! Unfortunately not really an option for me because my last name begins with a weird letter/sound.
I don’t have any new names for you. I love the name Daphne… but I am not sure it gives the effect you want with the Daf – Nee (so the f is in the first syllable…). I also love Delphine/Delphina/Delphinia, but again not sure it really gives you the sound you want with that “L” in their mucking things up.
I agree!!! Unfortunately our last name is hard as well because it starts with a D and ends in a T, so almost all names ending in a hard letter don’t sound good. Which sucks, because my favourite two names are Etta and Ada but sound terrible with our last. Take advantage of this neat finding if you can!
Love Seraphina with an F sounding last name!! Jealous!
Another way to get this effect would be to do a double-barrelled or hyphenated name (or just plan to call her by first and middle) with a one-syllable name followed by a name beginning with F- or Ph-.
For instance:
Anne-Fleur
Wren Phoebe
May Phyllis
Eve-Frances
Jane Florence
I kind of love this.
Rose Phoebe
Anne-Felicity
Sophie-Anne (I know Sophie already works, but this has a nice flow)
June-Frances
Pearl-Frances
Mary Flora (3rd syll, but sweet)
Kate-Fiona
Does the reverse combination work, where the first sound of the first name matches the second syllable of the last name? The only example I can think of is Christopher Walken.
You know, the name Ophelia’s really grown on me. For nicknames there’s Effie, Lia, O, Fi, Fia and really anything your tongue can twist around; I’d probably start by calling her Fia and end up with Flicka or Flip.
The whole Hamlet thing is a bit unfortunate, but there have been other Ophelias in literature and pop culture, and I think it’s wearable.
Ophélie is a nice twist too.
I read a book recently with a Dymphna in it.
Other ideas that I don’t see listed, with varying degrees of wearability:
Adelpha / Adelphia
Aphrodite
Aoife (Eefa)
Jennifer / Gwenhwyfar / Guinevere / Ginevra
Josepha
Seraphine / Seraphima
Stefanida
Theophania (the origin of the name Tiffany)
Theophila
Zephyrine
With the F in the front:
Faith
Faye
Felicia
Fiona
Francine
Frederica
Freja
Frida
Phaedra
Philippa
Phillida / Phyllida
Philomela / Philomena
Philothea
I came up with a couple more, albeit courageously out-there.
Dolphin
Camphor
Camphor… lol. I would personally refrain from naming a child after a terpenoid.
“Because F is the unvoiced V” sounds like a wonderful t-shirt logo, or tagline for a commercial. So, long as you don’t pick my husband’s first suggestion for our baby girl years ago. Aphasia. It sounds like a disease because it is :)
Ophira Eisenberg is the host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, and I love her name.
Ofeibea is a terrific name, too.
Sophia (or just Sophie) is lovely, as is Delphine. I knew an Alphabea when I was a kid.
Also, don’t give up on the “f” sound later in the name. Jennifer F… has a good rhythm, especially if your last name starts with an “Fr” sound.
My favorite “soph” variant is Sophina. Familiar but with a fun twist :) Added bonus of “Phina” as a nn.
I really like Ophelia
Love all these suggestions! I’m in the exact same boat!! Her name will be Palmer _______ Forbes. Want a girly longer middle name to offset the first.
I’d have no problem naming a girl Murphy or Murphie.
So interesting, we have a Daphne and a Tiffany 😉 We didn’t even put planned it but they go so well together. I was looking for a boy name with an f/ph sound similar to the girls names, which is how I found this post.