Andria writes:
We are in desperate need of your help! We are expecting our second and last child on July 16th. Baby girl Lutz (sounds like boots with an “L”) will be a little sister to Makenzie (Kenzie) Rose. To be honest, the name of our first child has no sentimental or familial meaning. We simply chose the name Makenzie because we liked it. For our second baby girl, we are brainstorming names we like that sound good with Kenzie or Makenzie (although not a deal-breaker if it doesn’t). We are also looking to avoid bad initials and bad first initial/ last name. For instance, we feel the need to steer clear of names beginning with “c”, “k”, or “s” in order to prevent reading “CLutz”, etc. ; ) This type of dilemma may not occur to the average person, but I am a nurse and sign my name on everything by first initial/ last name.
My husband and I do not easily agree on names, but we have come up with a few ideas that are possibilities. Girl names at the top of the list are:
Olivia (nn Livi or Liv) Grace
Olivia Marie (Marie is a family name)
Grace ____
Josie _____
Addison ____
I really like Grace and Marie as middle names. My husband loves Grace as a first name, which I also like but am unsure of how it sounds as “Grace Lutz” (a lot of “ssss”).The name list is short and very uncertain, hence why I am seeking out your help. Any suggestions, opinions, ideas are greatly appreciated. We would be thrilled to hear from you!
The name that leaps out at me from your list is Addison. Addison Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Addison Grace; Kenzie and Addy. That would be my top choice.
My second choice is Olivia. Olivia Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Olivia Grace; Kenzie and Liv. I hesitate with this one because I’m not as fond of the sound of Liv/Livi Lutz.
Grace seems to me like a mismatch with Makenzie as a first name, but perfect as a middle name.
More possibilities:
Avery Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Avery Grace
Brinley Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Brinley Grace; Kenzie and Brin
Devany Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Devany Grace
Ellery Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Ellery Grace; Kenzie and Ellie
Emerson Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Emerson Grace; Kenzie and Emmie
Macy Lutz; Makenzie Rose and Macy Marie
(I wanted to suggest Savanna and Shelby and Sydney, but remembered the S.Lutz issue in time. I wanted to suggest Delaney, but didn’t like the sound of Laney Lutz.)
Oh i really like Addison with Makenzie as well. They seem perfect together and the nickname Addy is adorable.
I will also suggest..
Allison nn Allie
Josephine nn Josie
Genevieve nn Ginny or Evie
Amelia nn Milly
Sunny is also a great less-used nn for Addison. (assuming the “s” is ok with you for nicknames, as with the “k” for Kenzie)….
I love the suggestion of Avery Grace! Other ideas: Delaney (“Lane” or “Laney”), Harper, Hadley, Berkeley, Aubrey, Kennedy (too similar to Kenzie?), Adalyn, Zoe (I know it’s not similar in style to Mackenzie, but I like the sound of Kenzie and Zoe together).
I think I like the spelling Zoey better with Kenzie, just wanted to add that!
Also wanted to add Landry and Jolie.
Do you like Dara? Makenzie Rose & Dara Grace, Kenzie & Dare
I liked the suggestion of Avery. I’ll also throw in Taylor, which is one of my favorite unisex names. Not that you necessarily need another unisex name. I think Olivia would be great, too.
I think you should avoid things that end in an s for a first name, I can’t help but hear Grace Lutz as “Gray Sl—z”. It bothers me less as a middle name since it’s so much less used, and more likely to be properly enunciated.
I also like Avery or Addison out of the names above.
Also consider:
Zoe
Peyton
Piper
Ashley
Aubrey
I also like Camryn/Cameron, if you decide a C. Lutz is okay.
I was just about to post the same — I would avoid Grace (and possibly other S-ending names) for that reason. Grace is particularly bad, because Gray is an adjective. I know it’s Lutz-rhymes-with-Boots and not -rhymes-with-Mutts, but the latter pronunciation would have been an immediate assumption if I had just seen your name… so S-ending names would be out for me, at least in the first name spot. I agree it that it is not as problematic in the middle slot, since the whole thing gets said so rarely.
I know your last name is pronounced like boots, but I kept reading it as rhyming with cuts…and I imagine that’s fairly typical. When I put Grace in front of it, I hear “Gray Sluts”. Maybe it’s just me, but I think I’d want to be aware.
I hadn’t caught that, but you make a good point. Even with the last name said correctly, I think Gray Sloots should be avoided. Sloots is getting some not so great slang usage.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sloot
Thank you to Swistle and everyone else who posted such brilliant name ideas and suggestions. We really appreciate the time and thought you spent helping us! First off, I am really digging the sound of “Addison Grace” right now. I have also added some new names to the list, thanks to your ideas. Amongst some of the add-ons are: Macy Marie, Genevieve “Evie”, Delaney “Laney”, Aubrey, and Adalyn. Tk and Kimberly- I totally agree with your thoughts about avoiding the “sss” sound! Lutz is most oftentimes mispronounced like it rhymes with cuts, instead of boots. Our last name is a bit tricky! ; ) Thanks again everyone!!
I also really like Addison with both your last name & your daughter’s name.
Olivia is lovely, but I don’t care for Liv/Livi Lutz at all. Grace feels off to me as a first name with Makenzie/Kenzie. I do like Josie, but it feels more like a nickname to me. I think I’d like something like Jocelyn, Josephine with Josie as the nickname better.
I second the suggestions of Avery, Emerson & Delaney and will also suggest Sydney & Madison.
Btw, I really love the sound of Avery Grace and Emerson Grace (both such beautiful names). However, those first names have been represented by others I have known, thus I do not feel drawn to them as options for my child.
I like Addison best from your list, too, but it is pretty popular where I live (northeast US), I don’t know if that matters to you or not.
I like the previous suggestion of Delaney a lot too!
Some other names I like with Makenzie/Kenzie:
Quincy
Quinn
Hollis/holly
Holland/Holly
Tobin/Toby
Piper
Campbell
Good luck!
I second Swistle’s suggestion on Devany Grace. Beautiful name!
I also liked Addison Grace for you, right away and before I read Swistle’s comments. It strikes me as a perfect sister name for Makenzie Rose.
Definitely like Grace in the mn spot.
For firsts, Addison or Adalynn. Now that you mentioned Adalynn I happen to like it a bit more than Addison. Good luck!
Love the delaney suggestion.
What about:
Evelyn/Evie
Adaline/Addie
Harper
Amelia/Mia
Abigail/Abby
Madalyn/Maddy
Isabella/Izzy
One more: Everly/Evie. I just loooove Evie with Kenzie and I think mckenzie and Everly go really well together. Good luck!
Ok really one last.
Lexington
I just read it on a blog. Lexi as a nn
Mckenzie and Lexington. Kenzie and Lexi.
Oh yes! Lexi is really sweet with Kenzie. Good suggestion Zoe! Lexington is very cute or you could also name her Alexa, Alexia, Alexandra or Alexandria. Grace is a beautiful middle name with any of these names.
My favorites are Everly nn Evie and Delaney nn Laney.
Other suggestions:
Finley
Kelsey
Presley
Teagan
Hadley
Riley
Campbell
Ainsley
Reagan
Mallory
Courtney
Morgan
Dylan
Rowan
Good luck!
My favorite off your list is Josie, though I’m a bit biased since it’s one of my personal favorite names! Would you consider naming her Josephine and calling her Josie for short? I like how Josephine and Makenzie each have three syllables and Josie and Kenzie each have two; plus there’s the advantage of having Josephine to use as a “professional” name when she gets older. I hardly think it matters, though, since Josie is such a great name on its own!
Other suggestions:
Madison/Madeline, nn Maddie
Rosalie, nn Rosie (my FAVORITE name)
Harper
Alexa/Alexis/Alexandra, nn Allie or Alex or Lexi
Mabel, nn May (or just call her Mabel)
Adeline, nn Addie
Audrey
Isabel, nn Izzy or Belle or Bella
Amelie, not sure about a nickname (Amie?)
Piper
Quinn
Reese
Callie, not sure about a “long” version of this name (Calliope? Calista?) but how cute would Kenzie and Callie be?
Magnolia, nn Maggie or Nolie or Lia
Oops, I take back my suggestion of Callie. Forgot about the C. Lutz thing.
I also like Addison a lot with McKenzie, but I’m less fond of the nn together. Olivia seems a style mismatch to me, I’d suggest Livinia as an alternative to get your nn Livi which I think goes wonderfully with Kenzie. Unlike some other commenters I think Livi Loots is adorable.
Josie is adorable with Mackenzie although Josephine Marie or Jocelyn Marie sounds slightly better than Josie Marie and gives the option of Kenzie and Posey. I die!
Everly or Reverie seem to fit with Mackenzie’s modern style, as well sharing sounds with Olivia.
If you wanted to stick with gender neutral names, how about Adair, Finley, Bronte or Sidney?
I love all of your ideas. Makenzie Rose was one of my top names when I was pregnant. I fell in love with the name Kenzie but I wasn’t sure if my boyfriend would like it as more than a nickname. I also love the name Everly Grace. I think Kenzie and Everly go cute together =] hopefully I’ll get my boyfriend to like one of those names if we ever have a girl. Good luck choosing =]