Hi Swistle,
I’m writing on behalf of my sister and brother-in-law (with their permission, of course). I’ve been reading your blog for years and know you can help.
They are expecting their second daughter in July and are struggling to find a name they both like. Their first daughter’s name is Harvest and she often goes by Harvee. Harvest’s name has special meaning to them and they love it because it is very unique. Their last name rhymes with Tanley.
They would prefer another name that is as uncommon as Harvest. My BIL strongly does not want a name that appears on the Social Security list. They would love another name that starts with H, but it isn’t an absolute. A fun nickname is also important to them and they like words repurposed as names (like Harvest).
They have only really come up with three possible names, but can’t agree on them.
Haven – my sister’s favorite and has special meaning to them, but my BIL says it is too common
Holland – my BIL’s favorite, but my sister hates the nickname Holly and thinks it would be unavoidable
Henley – they both like, but it is too sing-songy with their last namePlease help, Swistle! My niece needs a name!
By “the Social Security list,” I will assume your brother-in-law means the Top 1000, rather than the entire list.
The most fun option to me was finding a repurposed H word, so that’s where I started. In fact, I spent a highly enjoyable 45 minutes or so going through the entire H section of the dictionary with William (14) and Elizabeth (9). I recommend this activity: not only do you create a list of actual candidates, it is surprising how long it continues to be fun/funny to call out the non-candidates: “Hyperbole!” one of us would say; “Perfect!” another would reply. “Honeybee!” “Hedgehog!” “Helicopter!” “Hydrochloric!” We all ended up in very good moods.
Here’s what we got in 45 minutes:
Halcyon; Harvest and Halcyon; Harvee and Hallee
Happen; Harvest and Happen; Harvee and Happy (William votes no on this)
Harmonic; Harvest and Harmonic; Harvee and Nicki
Heliotrope; Harvest and Heliotrope; Harvee and Leo
Henna; Harvest and Henna; Harvee and Hennie (would likely be confused with Hannah)
Heritage; Harvest and Heritage; Harvee and Harry
Heron; Harvest and Heron; Harvee and Harry
Hickory; Harvest and Hickory; Harvee and Kory
Homily; Harvest and Homily; Harvee and Millie
Honesty; Harvest and Honesty; Harvee and Nessie
Horizon; Harvest and Horizon; Harvee and ?
Hyacinth; Harvest and Hyacinth; Harvee and Hydie/Heidi
Hydrangea; Harvest and Hydrangea; Harvee and Hydie/Heidi
My favorites are Heron, Homily, Honesty, and Hyacinth.
And here are the ones we considered but then decided not to put on the list: Halo is a pretty sound, but the associations with angels and video games seem tough to handle. Harbor seemed good, and can be a synonym for Haven, but it’s probably too similar to Harvest, and I couldn’t think of a good nickname (Harby sounds too much like Harvee and Harpy). Harken had possibility (similar to the name Larkin), but again shares an entire first syllable with Harvest, and the nickname Hark seems harsh (and at our house, would lead to endless jokes: “Hark! It’s time for dinner!” “Hark! I see your shoes!”). Harlequin is pretty, but seems too steeped in meaning/symbolism; same with Harrow. Harmonica and Harpsichord might be too silly. Harp might be confused with the much more popular Harper, and the nickname seems like it might be the unfortunate Harpy. Hasten shares so many letters with Harvest, and I couldn’t think of a good nickname, and also I found that when I see it as a name I suddenly have trouble pronouncing it (it looks similar to Kristen). Heartily could be pretty, but a little sing-song with the surname; we also liked Hearten and Heartland, but the nickname Heart has an unfortunate crude rhyme. Helix sounds name-like, but also sounds like “he licks.” Holiday seems perfect, but has the nickname Holly.
The strategy we used today is the same strategy I’d recommend for adding non-H names to their list. The dictionary makes a daunting baby name book, but the H section went surprisingly quickly once we got into it.
[Edited to add: Trying to go to sleep tonight and thinking about this question, I thought of the name Orchard, nickname Orrie. Or Starling. Or Spring.]
Name update!
Hi Swistle,
My sister and brother-in-law welcomed Haven Elizabeth to the family in June. They took everyone’s comments to heart and we had such a good time going through all of the suggestions the post generated. In the end, they were encouraged that Haven isn’t too common; it became the front runner due to the special meaning for their family. The name fits her perfectly and nothing is sweeter than hearing big sister Harvest talk about Baby Haven. Thanks for all of the help! Attached is a picture.
Thanks,
Brittany
Oooh, I love this! I immediately thought of Hero. Hero was a female Shakespearean character, and used for women in Ancient Greece.
I rather like Halcyon too, but probably only because I read a book a long time ago with a (male) character by that name.
I’m very fond of Hyacinth! Reminds me of the lines from the TS Eliot poem.
Honor’s probably too common for your BIL, but I think it’s lovely and really very rare.
Are they Christian? If moving away from an H name is possible, I recently heard Psalms and kind of love it as a name (though it only works for a very religious family I think).
I’ve also met a Given (again, very religious family).
Truth be told, if it were me, the only one of these I’d want to be named myself is Honor. I think that’s the only one that would pass the Starbucks test for me too. (Starbucks test: Test what a name is like in real life by giving it to the barista next time you order at Starbucks or another place where you have to give a name. If you have to pause for more than a few seconds, or if you blush, or if you find you just can’t do it, it might not be the best choice to live with. Might be worth suggesting to your sister and BIL).
I thought of Hero too
Unfortunately, Honor sounds a lot like “On Her” which lends itself to a lot of really stupid jokes.
Love Swistle’s dictionary search idea! Might try it myself sometime.
Among her list my favorites are Hickory and Horizon. I’d suggest maybe using the nn Rizzo for Horizon.
I know someone named Hyacinth who introduces herself as that, but her work friends call her Flower, which is cute. Could also go with Cinthy/Cindy, but that might feel too common too
How common is Haven though? Sure it has a familiar feel to it because of Jessica Alba, but I’ve never met one in real life. If it has special meaning to them, that’s would I’d recommend.
I doubt one can do better than Swistle’s suggestion of Heritage. Hetty could be a more feminine nickname if the parents didn’t care for Harry.
Brilliant, Swistle, brilliant.
Heritage is my absolute favorite as well! I vote for nickname Hetty as well, as that is what I first thought of.
Heritage is my favorite s well!
What about a surname name that starts with an H instead of a noun? It would likely still feel in the same category? Although, may start to be in the too popular range?
Henley, Harrison, Heartland, etc.
I really like Holland. What about Lannie or Landie for a nickname?
Just for fun, what about Huckleberry/Huck? I love the name Huck.
As a teenager, I wanted to name my future daughters Harvest and Arbor. We are more of traditional namers in practice, but I still love those names. I know it doesn’t start with H, but maybe you like Arbor? I’ve also heard Harbour used as a name but it’s pretty close to Harvest. Let us know what you pick! Good luck :)
I wonder if they would like Hazley? You could call her Haze or Hazey. Or I love the suggestion of Hyacinth… Another option is Hollis, if you could call her something besides Holly. Harlan could work. Huntley is a suggestion, also. Can’t wait to hear what they choose!!
Hollis nn Lissa would be sweet.
If they can’t find a H name they love, how about:
Jacaranda nn Jackie
Brahminy nn Mina
November nn Nova
Domino nn Mina
Elysium nn Elly
Peridot nn Perry
Tanzanite nn Tanzee
I actually like Harken the best of all the suggestion! I’d be tempted to use Kenny as a nickname :) Since Harvee is retro and male sounding, Kenny would fit so nicely (I just love a nice, neat pattern). And Harken is very wearable with today’s Harpers and Larkins.
Harken Tanley! Poifect!
Harken called Kenny or Kenzie or Kenna (if you want to go in a more traditionally feminine direction for a nickname) is really lovely.
The only H possibilities I would add to the list are Henna nn Henni and Honolulu nn Lulu.
Since you said names beginning with H wasn’t an absolute, I thought it might be helpful to consider noun manes that go nicely with Harvest and have nickname potential.
Bayou – nn Bay
Denim- nn Deni
Lyric – nn Ricki
Morning – nn Mori
Navajo-nn Navy
Ravine- Ravi
Myrtle- Myra
I would strongly advise against naming a kid Navajo if that isn’t your cultural background.
I knew a “Happy” once. Would that work, or would it feel nicknamey?
Is Harlow too common? Harvee and Lo is pretty adorable.
I also like Holland…nickname Andee? Might be a bit of a stretch though.
Good luck to them!
Ooh, letter-writer, you must make sure to give us the update for this one once there’s a decision!
As far as Horizon, I know (of) two people who are named or go by “Zonni” (they each spell it differently). [Zawn-ee].
I agree that Haven is probably too common for your BIL. However, I don’t think Holly is inevitable with Holland. Lynn and Lynnie both seem reasonable. I really don’t care for Henley at all, it reminds me of a henley T-shirt, which are often just called “henley.”
I realize it is probably too popular for your BIL, but I do really like Harmony with Harvest. They both have a peaceful feel to me. Hilaria, Honor & Honnora also come to mind (though they may be too popular).
History, Homily, Heart/Hart, Halo, Hibiscus, Haiku, Harlequin? Homily could be too much of a religious statement, but I love that it offers the nickname Mily/Milly.
I think they’ll really open up their options if they considered non-H words. I think I’d like a nature or virtue word with Harvest. Perhaps Verity, Evergreen, Prairie, Serenity, Wisdom, Meadow
I like Meadow.
Hypatia (I’m a physics teacher, so I love this!)
Hestia
Hue (pretty, but sounds like Hugh. deal-breaker?)
Hymn (also pretty, but sounds like “him”) or Hymnal
Or maybe Hope is so underused that it would appeal?
What about Beacon? I think Bea would be an adorable nn and Harvest and Beacon kind evoke the same feeling. Congrats!
I love this suggestion! Bea is such a sweet nickname and Beacon is lovely!
Great option!
Love Haven, Henna (Hennie), and Harken (Kennie/Kenna).
And I initially loved Morning, but then I realized it could be confused with mourning. So unfortunate, because I love the image of “morning.”
Not sure where these are on the SSA list, but here are a few ideas:
Glow (Lolo or Lowie)
Bloom (Lulu)
Breeze (Bree or Z)
Golden (Goldie) …too themey? I actually think I kind of love this name.
Petal (Tal or Tallie)
Wave (Avee)
I also know of a Season, but that might be a bit much paired with Harvest.
Autumn?
Also loving the suggestions of Hero and Honor!
What about a different route? Holland being on the list, what about other city names?
Hampton? Not sure of a nickname. Gives me the feel of Campbell.
Halifax? Hallie for a nickname. Or Allie.
Harbor?
Hartley?
Havana?
Hayden?
Hazelton?
Halliday?
Hickory? Kori as a nickname?
Hilo?
Hollis? May give the nickname Holly, but not necessarily.
Hudson?
Hunter?
Hyden?
I really like Harvest and Hayden. As well as Harvest and Havana.
Also, love the suggestion of Honesty and Harken.
*city or geographic like names. I went through a city list of H’s
If it helps at all, I knew a Holland growing up and it didn’t even occur to me until reading this post that Holly would’ve been a natural nickname for her. No one ever called her that to my knowledge, and I have a hard time imagining her going by Holly–she’s very much a Holland. So in that case Holly wasn’t inevitable.
It doesn’t have the H, but I love Amity. It’s got such a lovely meaning, and sounds like a name. Is that a possibility? It might be too sing-songy with the last name though.
Ok I’ll chime in with another tangent. What about playing up the fertility/garden/bounty connotations of Harvest? I like:
Eden
Persephone (Seph)
Demeter (Demi)
and wait for it…
Hestia (Hess, Tia, Essie)
I guess on second thought Hestia isn’t exactly harvest related, but I do think of home/hearth in the same frame as bringing in crops, nesting for winter, general cuddliness, etc
I vote for Honor, Halycon or Hartley (too sing-song with surname?).
Or, if it is not an H name, I vote for Merry.
Another idea might be to name the bub for the day of the week they are born on. That would give it special meaning, and all the days would work well as unusual and unexpected, but not unheard of, first names.
What about Holliday nn Day or Daisy? Or Holland nn Andie? Homily reminds me of Romilly, which I really like with Harvest. I also like Heaven/Heavenly, Hope, Honor, Heather, and Hunter (love this for a girl!). Hartley and Haven are nice, but too close to Harvest in my opinion. How about Greenlee, Lark, or Lake?
Also wanted to suggest Marigold.
I think Henna is fantastic; best option up there. Also vehemently agree with the perfectness of Hestia. Looking at other ideas…
Honalee (after the magical land in “Puff, the Magic Dragon”)
Halla (an Icelandic name; not sure of the meaning)
Hesper/Hespera (goddess of the evening stars in Greek mythology)
Halona (a Native American name, either Zuni or Iroquois or both — not sure of the meaning; possibly “good fortune”?)
Hadrian/Hadriana (like the emperor — might be an interesting girl’s name, a bit like Adrian.)
Hariana (a state in India)
Hathaway (after Shakespeare’s wife)
Helia (feminine version of the Greek god of the sun)
Hawke (surname and hawk reference)
Heraclea/Himera (names of ancient Greek cities)
Hawise (a mediaeval name; name of countless duchesses)
Hawthorn/e (after the plant)
Hamada (after the desert landscape)
Halesia (after the snowdrop tree)
Hannon (a surname; rhymes with Shannon)
Honorine (a French name)
Hetty (nickname for Henrietta; very rarely used anymore)
Hope that helps a bit?
Hillevi (a Swedish name meaning “happy battle”)
Heulwen (a Welsh name that has caught on, for some reason, in Australia. Pronounced either HALE-wen or HYLE-wen; you can choose)
I love Holland and think the nickname Andy/Andee/Andi would be a great alternative. Or Olly. Also like Ophelia, Easton, and Briar for you if you move away from H names.
I have a friend who named her daughter Halston.
I also think the previous suggestion of Beacon was rather brilliant.
Non-H ideas:
Junia
Merritt
Brightly
Larkin
Alder
Lake
Sitka
Sable
Salem
Vale
Navy
Oh, and I must say I think Holland is a beautiful name, and I think Holly would be avoidable.
I can’t help to think of the jokes if this baby was named Orchard. “Hey are you going to Harvest Orchard?”
From the H names I like Haven, Henna, Heron, and Hazy. I also like the suggestion of Merry, which could be short for many different words.
Aside from H names I’d like to suggest AUBURN, which has never been a top 1000 name. May be too matchy with Harvest but I think it sounds great.
Harvest and Auburn
Harvey and Bernie
I LOVE Auburn. It has a lot of what makes Autumn great, but without the popularity.
Are they likely to have other children? If so with requirements this tricky I would move away from h now before they box themselves into a corner (and my boys all have the same initial).
My first thought was Hensley versus Henley
Hartley
Harte (Heart)
Hattie
Hyla
Harleen
Harlee
Harlynn
Haydee
Hollow
Haven
Briese
Seren
Baxter
Linden
Jennika
Chanton
Halliday
Hiranni
Havana
Hawaii
Hydra
Heike pronounced hiker
Harmony
Honey
Himilaya mn Laya
Hummingbird
Hinterland
Hillier
Hobby/Hobbie
Honesty
Hopetoun pronounced Hopeton
Other H names that aren’t words but may be a little rarer
Heidi
Hazel
Harriet
Heather
Or maybe some other nature /season names like
Autumn
Lark
Juniper
Daisy
Summer
April
Ocean or Oceanne
Pearl
Marigold
Dandelion
Magnolia
Luna
Soleil
Celestial
Valley
Meadow
Halimede – moon of neptune
I haven’t looked through the comments but I was just thinking of Hyacinth as a name this morning, so that gets my vote. I love it. It’s a flower, but not a common flower name, and Heidi is a cute nickname for it (or Hydie?) Also, not rhymey with the last name.
Congratulations on the newest niece!
My top H names from suggestions thus far:
Haydee (I-Day) not a repurposed word name, but unusual & beautiful with Harvest.
Henna
Honor (Nori?)
Harken (Kenny)
Hesper (Perry)
Kudos to the place names of Himalaya, Havana & Honolulu–all of them exotic, but all of them a lot longer than the names on this family’s short list.
I’ll add Hallow, nn’d Hallie or Hal. I don’t think of this as super-religious, more as in hallowed ground, which relates to the soil/fertility/sacredness of a harvest. In thinking this over, I’ve been impressed by the near total positivity of the word harvest, and thought one avenue to explore would be other words that evoke such positive imagery. Chewing on this a bit, I thought of:
Presence nn’d? Harvest & Presence
Wonder nn’d Ondi? Harvest & Wonder
Image nn’d Immy or Ginny? Harvest & Image
Flourish nn’d Rishi? Harvest & Flourish
Spindle/Spinner nn’d Spinney? Harvest & Spindle
Maybe these are too out-there. Maybe others can pick up the “positivity” thread…..
Oh, yikes, NOT Homily! It means sermon!
I like Hestia and Hespera.
My first thought was October nn Toby. I saw this once and just loved it!
Harvest and October
More:
Emerald nn Emmy
Evening nn Evie
Twilight nn Twila
Saffron nn Saffy
Peregrine nn Perry
Indigo nn Indy
Calypso nn Callie or Calla
Silver nn Sylvie
Good luck!
I love October with the nickname of Toby. What a great idea!
From Swistle’s list, I really like Homily, but you’d have to be comfortable with the religious association. I also like the suggestion of Henna. If your family is religious, in Song of Song’s there is a line, “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms…” Actually, if your family is religious, Song of Songs is where I would start for name ideas.
I second, third, fourth, the suggestion of Hestia.
I love the suggestion of Beacon.
Valor
Arbor
Aureate
Merit
Vesper
Lucent
Arrow
Jubilee
Myrrh
Veil
Jewel
Yes from the list I thought Homily and Henna the most usable.
I have a friend with a daughter named Harlow nn Lo so that’s my suggestion for an H name. My Non-H name suggestion is Sonnet with the nn Sonny (or Sunny if you prefer)
Harvest and Sonnet
Harvee and Sonny!
I think there are some great H-name suggestions here! Apart from the H names, here are some that I think would be nice with Harvest:
Prairie
Meridian
Amarynth
I also love the suggestion of Arbor!
I immediately thought of Hestia, goddess of the hearth as well. Here are some other ideas, all of which make me think of the earth and bounty and beauty:
Halliwell (Hal/Hallie)
Haslett/Hazlett (Lettie)
Hastings (Hasey like Casey)
Heatherly (Heath)
Hesper (Hespie)
Hallow (Hal/Hallie)
Love the suggestion of Vesper and Jubilee!
What about Season, nickname Sonny? Harvest and Season, Harvee and Sonny.
Other names that I think evoke the same kind of feeling as Harvest:
-Poet, nickname Po
-Ever, nickname Eve
-Fable
-Clarity, nickname Clare
-Mercy, nickname Merry
-Petal
-Valentine
-Prudence, nickname Pru
-Temple
-Winsome
First off, I LOVE the name Harvest. It’s on my list too. Never met anyone with the name, sounds like they have great taste in naming :P
I think what is needed here is for everyone to learn more about the special meaning Harvest carries, and use that info to suggest other names. Otherwise, we may end up with random-words-as-names.
My husband sounds a bit like your BIL in that he only likes super rare names, or words that are not names at all. The first name was decided, but the middle name took us forever to figure out.
I suggest abandoning the H-rule in favor of finding a name that carries a similar special meaning.
Next, I suggest branching out and looking at foreign language dictionaries to find a word with a great meaning in a different language.
Aside from the dictionaries, we also used Wikipedia a bunch.
How to use Wiki for a name search: Ask the parents to think of what Harvest means to them. Ask them to think of favorite topics. Maybe they like nature-themed names. Maybe they like a subtle season theme. Then, I would check Wikipedia for lists of stuff.. Lists of holidays and festivities related to seasons, for example. Or a list of plants that grow in the state they live in. Wiki is full of great lists, and you never know where that next inspired word name might come from!
Good luck and please give us an update :)
I also thought of Hestia as a good sibling name for older sister Harvest. Another possibility is Hester, which can be either a last-name-turned-first-name or a form of Esther. As Harvest is on the SS database (given to 7 people in 2013), perhaps you’d like to peruse the “beyond the top 1000” H names on the SS database?
I like the Danish word Hygge.
How about French? Hirondelle, pronounced ee-ron-dell, nickname Hiro or Della? Hirondelle means swallow, as in the bird.
Or back to English: Harbinger. Maybe not great with the Har- beginning.
As a bonus, swallows are strongly associated with spring/summer, so Hirondelle would create a nice dichotomy with Harvest.
Wanted to share the most unusual H- name I’ve come across: Hattan. It’s the name of a 4-yr-old girl whose parents met in New York. It’s a reference to Manhattan. Hattie would be a darling nickname!
Congratulations to your sister and brother in law. Harvest is a pretty cool name, it will be hard to find something as good. I agree that it might be helpful to know why it is so meaningful to them.
Helios is the Greek god of the sun. Maybe Helia or Helene? I personally love how Cleopatra & Marc Antony named their twins Alexander Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).
Possibly similar in meaning to Harvest are:
Foster (as in to raise a crop for harvest)
Equinox nn Noxie (for the change in seasons)
I love how Harvest’s nickname is an old man name. Some good ones have been suggested and the only other thing I can think of is Marvel nn Marv. Harvest & Marvel. Maybe too similar.
Your letter also reminds me of lots of other posts looking for similar word names. Maybe some of these will provide inspiration:
https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2010/06/16/baby-boy-or-girl-sibling-to-holiday-phoenix/
https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2011/07/06/baby-girl-or-boy-biondini-sibling-to-meadow-alexis/
https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2012/06/12/baby-girl-wreath-with-a-c-sister-to-trlln-are-the-sibling-names-too-close/
https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2013/08/30/baby-name-to-consider-vineyard/
From those I like:
Harvest and Serenity
Harvest and Paisley
Harvest and Melody
Harvest and Sonnet
Please let us know what they choose.
I would encourage you to use a non-h name, because I feel like an h entirely unpopular noun name paints you into a corner such that you may get see very odd meanings in your names.
What about Wren nn Bird or Birdie?
I agree that perhaps an non H name would be better as it will get harder to name future children
Please excuse my excessive interest in this word name puzzle. How about:
Hosta (fits with Juniper, Sage, etc.)
Hyssop (an edible plant with medicinal properties, used in ancient times for purification and mentioned in Psalms)
Hopper (Used by Sean Penn and Robin Wright for their son to honor Dennis Hopper, but seems more feminine to me along the lines of Cricket/Piper if you consider it a nature name, i.e. grasshopper).
Love Cricket and Piper may I add Skipper and Pepper
Ohh, noooo, not Homily. It is far too close to “homely” for my comfort. I do really like Verity from the comments. Harvest and Verity; Harvee and… Vera? It has definite potential, I think.
I suggest:
Honor
Hamilton
Hollis
Hollyn
My favorite of these is Hollyn. For some reason, it seems less likely to lend itself to the “Holly” nickname.
I know a little girl named Halcyione (Hal-SIGH-uh-nee) nn Hallie and I think it’s adorable. Harvest and Halcyione.
I also know a little girl named Sparrow which I think is just so cute! Harvest and Sparrow, love it!
I’m going toendup repeating some comments – I skimmed through them.
It seems like the parameters are really tight on this one. I think it’s worth remembering that by the time a name is in the 500-1000 range on the list, there are very very few children using those names. Repurposed words is a great category, but limiting it to H’s makes it really, really hard. My feeling is that Harvest must have been very menaningfulto them and/or pleasing to their ears. That seems like abetter guideline than matching initials AND not in the top 1000 AND repurposed word. Maybe 2 out of 3?
Haven seems perfect – Harvest and Haven, Harvee and Ven, Vennie… I live in a coastal California town, about hippy/Bohemian as it gets, and I’ve spent the last 6 years immersed in co-op preschools. I know 1 Haven and she is at least a decade older than this child would be.
Personally, I would go seasonal. Summer seems too obvious, but Soleil, Solange, Ocean, Kaia, Mer, Forest, Monarch (thinking butterflies here,) Lake, Aspen or tree name of your choice. Summer says nature to me, but there might be other things that it means to them. Soiree? Or repurpose a word in a language that’s meaningful – like Soleil, but you could go further afield than French or even Europe. Kai means ocean in Hawaiian, or so I’ve been told. What about Wave? Where could you go with that?
Or pick something unrelated, a la Fable from Girl Gone Child, a cool sound with a word that is meaningful in your life.
None of those are going to be terribly common. Besides, having an uncommon name that’s not quite unique – that automatically makes you part of a very cool club.
PS Homily seemed to be getting a lot of love, but for me, it has unpleasant associations -,homely, hominy, and even it’s own meaning has a preachy connotation, more pilgrim than hip.
Please update us!
For a non H name, I thought of Fern and Fawn. I knew a little girl named Fawn, and it was quite adorable.
One of my favorite actresses is Honeysuckle Weeks from Foyle’s War.
Honor is the given name of the main character in Robin McKinley’s Beauty (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast).
Halcyon is a word I love.
Holiday can be Daisy. If she’s expected in July, what about Independence (Indy), or Declaration (Clara), or Liberty (Libby)?
Not an H name and it does have a religious origin/meaning which may be a plus or a minus depending on your leanings, but I have always loved the idea of a little girl named Epiphany, nicknamed Pip(pa).
Not an H, but I thought of Girl’s Gone Child’s daughter, Fable. Harvest and Fable seem nice together.
Hanaway?
I know a 10 year old named Hanaway (like Hannah-way). It’s a family name for them, but it might work for your sister and brother-in-law. They sometimes call her Hannie or Hannah, but not very often.
Hmm…a lot of these don’t pass my own personal Starbucks test. In particular, as a rather hairy lady, I would not want (and would not have wanted as a child) ANY name with even the remote possibility of the nn Harry.
I also think that the name given to this second daughter will either work to normalize (for lack of a better term) the slightly left-of-center name “Harvest” or have the effect of taking it far-left-of-center. FWIW, I like the name Harvest and think this is a word totally works as a name, but paired with another unusual, begins-with-H word-as-name name, the pair could quickly verge into super quirky territory.
My own favorite name that seems to sort of (?) fit the bill here is Merritt, nn Merry.
Will be very interested to see an update on this one!
Baby is due in July. How about the flower for July: Larkspur, nn Lark….Harvee and Lark
You could look at you State flower and tree and bird for other nature names with some significance tied to your location?
I like Bronwyn, nn Wyn or Winnie.
What about Sunshine nn Sunny? Winslow nn Winnie?
Harvest and Sunshine
Harvest and Winslow
Domino or Brighton?
Harvest and Domino
Harvest and Brighton
Harvest and Domino is pretty cool!
Maven?
http://nameberry.com/babyname/Maven
This is a tough one. So let’s look at this from a different angle, the angle of other men’s names popular in the 1880s that are unusual now:
Walter
Ernest
Herbert
Grover
Clyde (the name I have championed here for years)
Chester
Harold
Bernard
Norman
Maurice
Marvin
Harley
Vernon
Wilson
I think you could use Earnest or Grove / Grover pretty easily. You could do Verdant -> Vernon -> Verdi -> Birdie ->Verda and that’s got a nice parallel to Harvest. My grandma called a couch either a Chesterfield or a Davenport and those have good nicknames. I’m free associating here, obviously, right? I personally would choose Wilson off this list, but even better is Woodrow. If you went with Wilson, then you’ve got an Phish song with a fun story to sing at your kid until they die of embarrassment you old fogey. WIL SON duhnuh duhnuh WIL SON.
Good idea. Not sure if any of these work…
Hibernia nn Bernie
Herbal nn Herb / Herbie
Clarity nn Clarry
Avon or Clover nn Vern
Quilt nn Wilt
Waltz nn Walt
Marvel nn Marv
Morning nn Morrie
Has anyone suggested Hebrides or Hebridee yet?
I ran across a word today on Appellation Mountain who linked to this site: http://themetapicture.com/for-the-word-lovers/ The word was PETRICHOR. The smell of rain on the earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor This would be a beautiful name and a nice parallel to Harvest. Harvest and Petrichor. Awesome.
Some other names have come to mind.
– Chord. I agree with Swistle that Harpsichord is too much. Chord by itself is quite nice though.
– Temperance. Harvee and Tempee seem like a cute sister pair.
– Dulcet
– Amulet
I really like Harvest and Hunter together with their hunter/gatherer connection.
Hunter nn Honey is sweet (excuse the pun). Harvee and Honey.
Hunter and Twilight are nice. Nickname Tilly, Twilla or Twila.
I saw Bramble today but I’m not quite sure about that one. Harvest and Bramble nn Bell perhaps?
Persephone nn Percy/Persy is cute too. Harvee and Persy.
More:
Aspen nn Penny
Lotus nn Lottie
Harmony nn Honey
Opal nn Opie
Equinox nn Quinn
Starla nn Star
Hester nn Hessie
Throwing in Penrose, a small village in England, just because I like it. It also has the bonus of either using Penny or Rosie as nicknames. Harvest and Penrose.
:-)
I really like Hyacinth, maybe because it’s the name of the Pioneer Woman’s best friend, so it feels more familiar to me and less “out there.” (Her nn is “Hy” for what it’s worth).
I also liked the suggestion of Honeysuckle, nn Honey. Honey and Harvee is really cute!
I could see Hyacinth working really well–other nicknames could be Heidi or Cindy.
Has anyone mentioned Solstice? I think that’s a great name for a summer baby. Sol, Sally or Stacey could all work as nicknames. Harvest and Solstice are a bit of a tongue-twister together, but Harvee and Stacey are so cute together!
Also, has Huckleberry been mentioned? Berry would be a great nickname.
These are all repeats, I believe, but this would be my culled list. It does seem wise to bid adieu to the H- requirement and also to steer clear of things to closely associated with a harvest, since that really paints them into a corner for any possible future children.
Beacon/Bea
Vesper
October/Toby
Sonnet
Clover/Cloe
Prudence/Prue
Twilight/Twila
Equinox/Quinn
I think all of these have positive connotations and make sense as a sibling to Harvest!
What about Tanith?
The Phoenician Goddess of love, fertility and the moon.
Harvest and Tanith
I love Holiday and the suggestion of the nicknames Day or Daisy! I also thought of Liddy – similar to the short form of Lydia. So many fun options!
I know a young Harvest, her sister is Rae.
Hildy is an adorable nickname. It could be short for Hildegarde or Hilde. It makes me think of hillock.
Tilly or Tilda remind me of the earth, too, although they are probably on the top 1000.
Heather would be a neat “bring it back” candidate, especially with their interest in H names.
What a fun challenge! Would love an update when the time comes!
Wow. I’m the original poster and I’m blown away by the great names here. I just spent all evening going over this list with my sister and BIL. They came away with a lot of good ideas and other ways to continue brainstorming. Thanks to Swistle and all. I will definitely send an update when they make a decision!
What a beautiful baby! Congrats to your sister and BIL!