Hello!
I’m pregnant with our third (and final!) baby girl at the end of August. We have 2 girls, sister Brier Rhys, almost 4, & sister Kinley Elyse, almost 2 (and no, we didn’t mean for their middle names to rhyme!).
As you can tell we like names that are unique but not “out there”. My name is Heather & I hated growing up with a plethora of other Heather’s in the 80’s. My husband’s name is Lowell (a great unique name that we have only heard a couple of times on other people) but he didn’t really think too much about being the only Lowell, except having to constantly re-pronounce his name (“you mean Joel?”).
Brier is an old name, over 100 years, that means Heather in French & the second I heard it (in a movie surprisingly enough!) & found out it meant my name, it was perfect! Rhys has no special meaning, we just liked it & since it was a toss up at birth between Brier or Rhys we used it as a middle name.
Kinley is the name of a female rock climber & Elyse we just liked too. My husband & I love climbing & being outdoors hiking, canoeing, camping, etc so I looked for inspiration from strong outdoor females for her name & we settled on this one.
The Dilemma: I feel SO much pressure to name this girl something unique as well. Upon finding out it’s a girl, the main comment I get is “I can’t wait to hear what you name her! I love your daughters’ names! They’re so unique!”. So begins the search for something unique, but not out there…For a middle name I think it’ll be Rose or Rosanna (my grandmother’s name, she went by Rose but Rosanna’s her full name) but again, we really haven’t thought about it, I’m stressing out enough about a first name!
Here are my contenders for our little bundle in order of favorite to least (a word about my husband: he has never really offered up his opinions on names with the girls, he either just rejects a name or says he’ll consider a name on my list :p )
Thea (or Theia) – LOVE this name. Since both our girls have an “i” and “e” in their name, I’m unsure if I should continue the trend & spell it Theia instead…kind of have a thing for Greek names that are feminine sounding like Elena, Helena, Katerina, etc but i love the flow of this one best & it seems less common
Bronte (Brawn-Tay) – LOVE, LOVE this name! It appears to be a common girls name in Australia, but all the forums in North America have a greater percentage of people who dislike this name and think it’s masculine. If only I lived in Australia :)
Ellis – I love this name too! Unfortunately my daughter has a girl in her preschool class with this name so not sure how that would come across. I’ve also noticed on forums that it’s considered a male name, but since I’ve only heard it on a girl it sounds feminine & pretty to me
Jordyn – remember the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise?? That was the name of his love interest that I had chosen for a girl name since high school! Brier was supposed to be Jordyn, then Kinley was, but since we’ve started having kids it’s become so popular that I can’t bring myself to do it!Names that haven’t really made the cut but are open for debate (hubby is indifferent and hasn’t seemed too enthused about any of these, some he hates so they’re off the list):
Bronwyn – I personally think bronte sounds more feminine than this & I like Bronte much better, but this seems to be the name people are recommending to those who are considering Bronte saying it’s more feminine, but i don’t agree
Sloane – loved it a few years ago, now not too sure, but keeping it on the list…was on the list for baby #1 & #2
Blake – like it but not sure if it’s too masculine and I don’t think it flows well with our last name
Felicity – not sure if it’s not unique enough (and feels like a mouthful when you say Brier, Kinley & Felicity together). Was on the list for baby #1 & #2
Quinn – becoming too popular
Maelle (My-Elle)
Alyx (Alex)
Haven
Darcy – husband hates it
Adrianna – prefer Adrienne but was told it sounds like a boy
Elena – husband didn’t like
Katerina – husband didn’t like
Grae (because I loved Graysen for a boy & thought for sure it was our time to use it!)My husband offered up Vanessa with our last girl, but it’s too 80’s for me. The only Vanessa’s I know are ones I grew up with and it doesn’t flow with our girls’ names.
If this had been a boy he would have been Graysen Charles (Charles was my father & grandfather’s name), other names considered were Lincoln (nn. Linc), Dominic (nn. Dom), Hudson, Kesler, Dax, Beau.
What are your thoughts on the top 4 names (Thea – or Theia, Bronte, Ellis, Jordyn)? Or are there any names I haven’t considered? I can’t believe I’m having such a hard time this time around! Maybe because I know it’s our last! Any input is accepted openly & graciously!
Thanks in advance!
Heather
I can definitely see how it adds pressure to have people looking forward to finding out what wonderful name you will choose this time around. Try to dismiss that issue from your mind, as much as you’re able to. What they are really saying is that they love your naming style. So if you choose a name that is your style (which you will do automatically by choosing a name you love), then the people who love your style will be pleased with this name as well.
And this is a place too where I would apply the “What is the worst that could happen?” coping thought: if you “fail” to choose a name that makes the eager crowds as happy as they felt with the first two names, they will register that disappointment for perhaps two full seconds. Some people do get very excited to learn a baby’s name (I am in that group), but they don’t deep-down CARE very much. If you chose, say, Charlotte, even the biggest and most excited fan of your daughters’ names would think, “Huh. That’s not what I would have expected,” and that would be the end of it: no crushing disappointment, no lingering depression, no writing “WHY?? WHY??” in a diary late that night. Give your shoulders a little shimmy and let’s find a name that is Your Style.
You asked for our impressions of your top four finalists, so let’s start with those.
1. Thea/Theia. This fits your preferences very nicely: not in the Top 1000, yet definitely not too out-there; easy to spell and pronounce. I definitely wouldn’t change to the harder to pronounce/spell Theia just to get the same two vowels as in your first two daughters’ names: it’s not something that catches my attention or seems like a trend. If it HAD caught my attention, reversing the two vowels would feel like a digression from the pattern.
2. Bronte. Currently very unusual in the United States: only 5 new baby girls were given the name in 2013 (it’s not in the data base at all for boys). It doesn’t seem overly masculine to me, I think because my association with the Brontë sisters is so strong. On the other hand, it reminds me of names such as Dante and Devonte and LeBron, which are more often used for boys. Interestingly, the Oxford Dictionary of First Names mentions that the use of Bronte as a first name seems to have originated with the 1990 movie Green Card. I didn’t remember that the female lead’s name was Brontë, but I did like that movie; I wonder if that adds to my feeling that it works perfectly well for a girl. One hesitation I have about the name is that it shares a Br- with Brier.
3. Ellis. In the United States, Ellis is currently a unisex name used more often for boys: the Social Security Administration reports 225 new baby girls and 496 new baby boys given the name in 2013. For perspective, the name Brier/Briar is similarly unisex: 119 new baby girls and 182 new baby boys named Brier/Briar in 2013. (Compare to the name Blake: 535 new baby girls and 5,601 new baby boys in 2013.) If you’re friendly with the mother of the Ellis in your daughter’s class, you could ask her if she’s had any trouble with that. Or Ellison/Ellisyn is another possibility: it’s currently used more often for girls.
4. Jordyn. The name Jordan/Jordyn feels past its peak to me: the more popular spelling Jordan was in the Top 100 for girls from 1989 (the year after the movie Cocktail came out) until 2007, and since then has been dropping steadily. I think I would add it to the list of middle name possibilities.
I wonder if you would like the name Laken/Lakin. It’s similar in sound to Blake, but used more often for girls (163 new baby girls and 95 new baby boys in 2013). It’s very unusual (not currently in the Top 1000), but doesn’t feel too out-there. Laken G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Laken.
Or Larkin. Larkin G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Larkin.
Or Gracen, the spelling of Graysen used more often for girls. Gracen G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Gracen.
Blake, Lincoln, Dominic, and Jordyn made me wonder if you’d like the sounds of Locklyn. Locklyn G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Locklyn.
Sloane and Beau make me wonder if you’d like names with similar sounds such as Rowan, Harlowe, Marlowe, Logan, Lola.
Maybe Emery. Emery G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Emery.
Would your husband like Darby any better than Darcy? Darby G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Darby.
Or Delancey? Delancey G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Delancey.
Hollis is similar to Ellis, but closer to fully unisex (98 new baby girls and 125 new baby boys in 2013). Hollis G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Hollis.
Or I wonder if you’d like Olive? Olive G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Olive.
Name update!
Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful ideas!
Our baby girl was born 5 days overdue in a quick 3 1/2 hour labour from start to finish!Ultimately it was between Thea (thee-a) and Sloane and while I love both, in the end we chose to call her Thea Maelle.
My oldest has been calling her “baby Thea” since I was 24 weeks pregnant when I had asked her which name she would choose for her little sister if she could, so I don’t know how she would have felt if she came to the hospital to meet a Sloane! (And hubby vetoed Rose as a middle name but we agreed on Maelle (my-elle) ;)
What solidified Thea as her name was that we thought how special it would be for her oldest sister to grow up knowing she helped pick her name! And the meaning “gift of God” is perfect since she’s our rainbow baby!
Thank you Swistle and everyone for your absolutely wonderful advice and contributions, there were so many great names! And in the end, Thea Maelle couldn’t be more perfect! 5 weeks later and I’m still loving the name of my little bundle!
I LOVE your name styling and have very similar names for my girls, and many of your names are on our list for our 3rd girl. I really like some of the suggestions that Swistle made. Love love Locklyn, Gracen, Emery, and Hollis. From your list I like Ellis the best. I will be so excited to see what you decide as your other daughters have beautiful names. I am sure whatever you decide your little girl will fit her name perfectly! Keep us updated!
I met a little Bronte last year and her mother lamented to me how she searched far and wide for a unique name. The night she was born there was a thunderstorm and that sealed Bronte as their choice, as it means ‘the sound of thunder’ in Greek. Her older daughter is Linnea – maybe you’d like that? It has your i+e trend and is very unusual. She pronounces it Lynn-A-ah. Sound like you’re feeling a lot of pressure, but I agree with Swistle that choose a name you love and you’ll never regret it.
What about Delta? I think it fit’s into your other choices nicely.
Out of your options, I really like Ellis. I don’t think it’s too masculine as it fits into the “last name first name” trend that’s pretty common on girls (Harper, Emerson…). She could also go by Ellie which would make it more feminine.
Some of your name choices are so unique that other people’s impressions of “boy” or “girl” are pretty irrelevant. For example, if you name your baby Bronte, most people who meet her will likely start to think of Bronte as a girl’s name. (Because it is exactly the name of a girl they have met!) I’ve seen a similar response to Quinn and other somewhat unusual/unisex names — if you’ve only met one person with that name, you think of it as being more associated with the gender of that person.
I really like the elegant simplicity of Thea and would encourage you to use this name and also to not change the spelling. Theia seems to unnecessarily complicate things, and I would not notice that it kinda sorta links her name to her sisters’ names.
I love the Laken and Larkin suggestions. Also, what do you think of Linden?
Maybe consider Ellery in place of Ellis? I know a girl in gr 9 named Bronte. And it’s very girly on her :) The only concern is pronunciation. Brontay or Brontee. Not a show stopper, but something to think on.
How about Portia?
Brier, Kinley, and Portia.
Portia Rose or Portia Rosanna.
I like Thea, Ellis (on our girl list too!), and Grae the best.
I wouldn’t want a B name because then there is two with B initials and one without but thats a silly thing.
Hadley is old english for “heather field” if you want to go that direction again.
or LuLu, Lola, Lovel for Lowell?
Out of your suggestions I absolutely love Thea Rose. Briar, kinley and Thea is great together.
I also thought of Lynelle and Linnea as possibilities.
Or Emrys, Anwyn or Talia all came to mind as beautiful names dust work with the sibling set.
I saw a name the other day that I just loved for a girl: Blayne. It was given to 17 girls and 110 boys last year. I’m usually a traditional namer, but this just struck me as very feminine and unique, perhaps because of its similarity to Lane. What do you think of Lane or Blayne?
Ellis (or Ellison?), Sloan/Sloane, Larkin, Graysen (I love the spelling of this name if used for a girl!). I love Harper but it’s so popular now…
I can’t help but suggest Wren for your sibset: Brier, Kinley, Wren.
Otherwise, I think Thea is a beautiful name. I wonder if you liked Ellis if you would also like Elle
It occured to me that you might like the name Sakia or Freya
I like Grae, but I would spell it Gray (unsex be damned) because when I see Grae I read it Grace and a typo.
Might you like Shelby or Colby?
I recently had a student come through my class who was Sienna, that could work well with your sibs.
Might you like Genia (or Jenya)?
Love the suggestion of Wren for this sibset!
I was also thinking Wren
Love Thea and Sloane from your list! What do you think of Carys or Sutton?
I was just going to suggest Sutton!
I like Thea and would spell it that way. I also like the suggestion of Hollis or maybe you would like Holland? Good luck!
I like Thea (extra “i” isn’t necessary – I didn’t even notice that you had an I and E in your other daughters’ names) and Ellis from your list. I also really like the suggestions of Hollis and Laney.
Other names you might like:
Iris (but not with Rose/Rosanna – probably. I also wouldn’t do a Gray or Grae with Rose)
Aria (Arya)
Arden
Isla
Wren
Blythe
Assuming, you pronounce Brier like Briar (long I sound, “ar), maybe something like Greer
Yes…. Gracen. Perfection.
I like them in this order: Thea, Ellis, Bronte, & Jordyn. Or maybe Ellis first. Anyway, I think the first two fit very well into your family, the repeated Br does bother me a bit, though stylistically I think Bronte fits. (I’d be fussing with myself about whether or not to use the umlauts, too, if I were considering it.) Jordyn seems more like the name of a teen or adult to me, a bit past its peak, as Swistle said. From your second string, I like Sloane and Felicity best, though I see your point about the repeated endings of Kinley & Felicity.
I have a crush on Sloane: cool, sleek, feminine but not girly. Brier, Kinley, Sloane
Bronte is just awesome, but I would only use it if you love the Bronte sisters (you don’t mention the name’s literary vibe) because many people will assume you are honoring one of them. It would get old to hear “Bronte, like Jane Eyre” if you didn’t care for the book. Interestingly Ellis was one of the Bronte’s early pseudonyms,
Gray/Grey is better than Grae – I thought Grae was a typo at first too.
I’d like to suggest Thalia (or Talya) – one of the Three Graces in greek mythology. Brier, Kinley and Thalia. Zoe is also greek and fits with your other girls’ names. Brier, Kinley and Zoe.
Thea can also be a nickname for Althea, which I just love.
Sloane, Althea and Thalia are my favorites.
I think Thea and Sloane are great options.
My youngerst daughter is Felicity and we get great compliments on her name about it being unique and very sweet/girly all the time.
I also thought Delta right away for you while reading your letter.
Can’t wait to hear what you decide on.
I to LOVE LOVE your girls names. I have loved the names Briar/Brier and Kinley for a long time. I have two daughters named Hadley and Presley. Many of the names Swistle suggested are on my list for a future daughter. We are TTC our third now.
I immediately thought of Grayson for your girl since you love it and were hoping to use it for a boy. I would spell it Grayson or Gracen or Gracyn. I think Gray is great on its own as well.
My other faves are Lakin, Locklyn, Emery, Rowan, Marlowe, Harlow and Delancey – There is a barbie movie with girls named Blair, Hadley and Delancey…obviously we have it and love it. And the name Delancey is growing on me.
Other names I like are
Sterling
Channing
Leighton/Leyton
Oakley…not sure if you want another ley name. I obviously love them but hubby won’t let me use another one if we have another girl.
Saylor
Skylar
Sutton
Tatum
Keaton
Lincoln – I know this was on your boy list but ever sense Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard used for their daughter it has grown on me for a girls name.
Ellery
Grier
Hayden
Good luck and please let us know what you decide!
You do indeed have such a lovely naming style and I relate to it myself! My thoughts on your top choices: I like Bronte best but would hesitate only because you already have a daughter whose name starts with B. Next favourite is Thea, then Ellis. I agree with the others that Jordyn seems dated, and my personal opinion is that I dislike the “kreativ” spelling with the Y, and I suspect some others would probably think that too even if they were polite enough not to tell you.
I think Sloane sounds like it might be a great contender for a middle name for this baby.
A few other names that might work really well with your style (some of which have already been mentioned above, in which case I am seconding them!): Alba, Chloe, Linden, Lane, Paige, Delta, Maryse, Marlowe, Cambrie, Drew.
Since you like the outdoors, what about Lakelyn? Similar to Locklyn, obviously, but I’ve only ever heard it on one little girl.
I have a niece named Gracyn, so I’m partial to that spelling for a girl.
From your top four, I too like Thea the best with your other daughters’ names.
Graysen/Gracen Charlotte seems perfect to me!
I’m Australian and just wanted to confirm that it is established as a girl’s name here – it would be very odd to meet a boy with the name. This may be due to how we pronounce the name Bron-tee and ee sounds are generally reserved for girls. I have never heard it ‘tay’ though it is listed that way online sometimes.
Names with a similar feel to Bronte would be Bianca or Bridie.
what about ellowyn / ellowen? kind of a cross bw ellis and bronwyn. i met a 2 yr old ellowen the other day and realized how much i love it! it has the same soft yet tough vibe as a lot of the other names on your list.
Theia made me think of Thais (tie-EES) or Thaisa (tie-EES-ah), and I also wondered if you’d like Lyra?
I love the name Ellis – and I’ve always wondered how it ended up as a masculine name when its very similar cousin Alice is considered so feminine. Names are so funny like that. Anyway… I love it but wouldn’t use it because I don’t care for the nickname “Ellie” and that would be a tough nn to prevent. Just something to consider, in case that bothers you too.
My vote is for Thea. Lovely and unique… though, pronunciation might be an issue:
Tay-uh OR
Thay-uh OR
Thee-uh OR
Tee-uh
I love Thea and Ellis the best from your “list of four”. I like Bronte, but not so much with Brier.
I’d like to suggest Rozenn as a first name–it means rose in Breton. Rozenn Bronte?
My favorite Swistle suggestion is Marlowe. Favorites from others are Wren, Cambrie, and Lola.
I am also Australian and second the girl-only, established-name and pronunciation commenter re Bronte – Bron (as is Bronwyn) + te (a cup of tea), stress on the first syllable – rhymes with Monty!. This is also how Ann, Charlotte and Emily pronounce Bronte. Although maybe it’s a difference in American/Australian vowel pronunciation too?
My two cents is for Thea – Brier, Kinley and Thea. I would think of only one pronunciation for Thea – Thee-uh (unvoiced ‘th’ as in ‘think’).
I don’t have any suggestions but I wanted to let you know that I am Australian and my cousin’s little girl is BRONTE…Love Live Love her name. But I also wanted to let you know that in Australia we pronounce it BRON -TEE rather than Brawn-tay. Obviously you would pronounce it any way your liked but just wanted to let you know. Congrats on your gorgeous girls, I do love their names, so I’m sure number 3’s will be perfect once you decide too x
I really like Bronte and Ellis.
What about Carys?
Thea-definitely like this one the best out of the four, I feel like it fits well with Brier and Kinley. Don’t change the spelling just to match the pattern, I didn’t even notice it.
Ellis-my second favorite, but nothing come close to Thea out of the four. I’m still not sure if I see this as a more feminine or masculine name. Also I believe it is gaining in popularity.
Bronte-all I can think is Monte/Monty.
Jordyn-past peak and don’t think it is nearly unique enough to fit in with your other kids names
….
maybe you would also consider Talia/Thalia? Also I know someone who has named their kid Brynn which reminded me of Brier, so maybe you would also like their other daughter’s name Annika? Some other suggestions are Karin (pronounced CAR-in), Eurydice, Della, Hallie/Halle, Ileana/Iliana, Kiersten, Lyla, and Lylleonna (pronounced Lily-anna or Lily-ana)
With sib set I like
Thea
Then I like
Rowan
Wren
(Both might wreck plannef middle name though vount me firmly in team Thea)
Hazel?
My favorite by far is Thea. Don’t do the “Theia” spelling because it is unnecessary and I honestly didn’t notice the vowel connection to your other daughters’ names. Brier, Kinley, and Thea is absolutely adorable!
I think of Ellis as a male name; I think Ellery could be a good alternative for your daughter. Or maybe Elowen?
I seem to be in the minority as I’m not a fan of Bronte at all. Brier and Kinley are so pretty, and Bronte just feels clunky next to them. I also think it’s too close to Brier’s name.
Jordyn feels very dated and not on the same level as Brier or Kinley, so maybe you could use it in the middle name slot?
I think Gracyn or Felicity would be great choices as well. Maybe instead of Delancey, you’d like Delaney?
Oh! Also, when I saw Olive, I paired it with your last name and thought “Olive Garden” for some weird reason, so maybe avoid that one as well?
We have extremely similar naming styles so I wanted to offer up a few names we have thought about for a second girl if we are so blessed with another girl some day:
Maren/Marin
Ayla
Corinne
Briese
Brea (Bray-uh)
Carys
Cacia
Ansel
Seren
Gentry
Hartley
Jensen
Keelin
Keela
Noely
Nola
Belen
Reyna
Reeve
Tavia
Waverly
Adria
Aftyn
Aria
Baxter
Ansley
Fallon
Risa
Lexie
I wouldn’t worry about there being another Ellis in your daughter’s class. I like Ellis a lot with your other two.
Thea sounds good as well – I’d pronounce it THEE-ah, but obviously there are different pronunciations. You could also use it as a nickname for Theadora, although the name might be more frilly than what you’re going for. I’d leave out the extra i.
I think Bronte is too close to Brier. So is Grier.
I agree that Jordyn seems dated, but what about Dylan?
I love the suggestions of:
Carys
Wren
Arden
Alternatives to Larkin and Laken: you could just use Lark or Lake. I know a late-20s Lark and I love the name.
Or what about Sage?
I have not read the comments above yet, so forgive me if this has already been suggested…
How about Bellamy? It feels a LOT like both Briar and Kinley. It works with your surname, and sounds lovely with Rose or Roseanna as a middle name. Bells makes a darling nickname, too.
Best wishes as you welcome your newest blessing!
Would you like:
Cambria – an old name for Wales
Malin (can be pronounced ‘Mah-lin’ in the Scandinavian fashion, or ‘Mallen’ rhymes with allen like Malin Head in Donegal, Ireland)
Tamsin – feminine form of Thomas
Clae – because you liked Grae.
Love Thea and Wren!
What about Adair, Airlie or Tanith?
Brier, Kinley and Tamsin sound nice together. Great suggestion!
Other suggestions:
Reeve
Ryann
Ainsley
Penna
Snow
Aven
Vale
Lake
Marlo
Veda
Good luck!
Jules, Arden, Asta, Starla or Petra?
Spencer, Tansy or August?
Forgot one, what about Isla?
Brier, Kinley and Isla
Love your daughters’ names and all the great suggestions you’re getting!
From your list, I love Thea – it’s unique and great with Brier and Kinley =) Rozenn suggested earlier would be a great twist as a middle name that honors your grandmother! Thea Rozenn
If you’re just not sure about Thea but like the sound, Veda (also already suggested) would be lovely. I’ve always loved it since the movie My Girl – what a spunky little girl that character was!
I also love Bronte, but I’m in that camp that prefers to have everyone with a different first initial (our Christmas stockings have first initials on them, silly as that is!). If you don’t care about that and you appreciate the literary connection, Bronte Rose is lovely!
I’m really partial to the unique no-frills naming style for girls – my daughter is Afton Rhys (hooray for Rhys for girls!)! If I was lucky enough to have another daughter, our short list would be Freya, Carys or Tamsin. I saw suggestions for Carys and Tamsin for you already, so maybe Freya? Freya Rose Brier, Kinley and Freya
How would you feel about Linden or Rowan? Looks like they were already suggested, too! Beautiful tree names =) Maybe Laurel? Not quite as unique, but pretty underused these days. Brier, Kinley and Laurel
Good luck to you! You’re going to choose something perfect – don’t worry <3
I am Australian. I agree with fellow Aussie Shan about the pronunciation of Bronte, ie in oz the ‘e’ is pronounced ‘ee’.
Other oz names:
Belinda?
And Jordana “jor-daaaar-nah” the latter I think blends better with your current daughters’ names than Jordyn.
I look forward to hearing your choice!
I think Bronwyn is so cool. Bronte could be a nickname for it. I think the femininity issue just means people associated it with the traditional feminine category rather than the sound of the name.
Thea (spelled this way) all the way! It’s beautiful, unique, and goes well with your other daughters’ names.
I don’t care for Bronte and agree with Swistle’s description of it. Even though it doesn’t seem overtly masculine, it reminds me of other male names. I love the literary association – just don’t love the name itself.
Ellis is nice. Jordyn seems 90s to me.
Liking the suggestions or Laken, Larkin, Ellery, and Gracen.
Thea (spelled this way), Bronte, and Sloane are all great choices. Bronte gains points for getting a “Love Love ” from you but loses points (in my mind)for starting with the same first letters as Brier.
My favorite sib set from the names on your list is Brier, Kinley, and Sloane.
I love Ellis from your list. My son also has a girl named Ellis in his preschool class. I worry it’s too close to Elyse though. I also like Sloane from your list, but have to say I LOVE Swistle’s suggestion of Gracen best of all!!! You get a lovely, usable name and an awesome nickname in Grae!
Brontë/Bronte is very cool, unique, and definitely female in my mind. And sounds good with Rose. So fits all your criteria.
My only drawback (besides having a 2nd Br-, which I don’t think is fatal… for twins, yes; for 1st and 3rd children, no), is that your other daughters’ names have a subtle–but present–mountain-y and nature bend, but Bronte doesn’t (although I am now remembering a comment about thunder? Not an association I was aware of.). How do you feel about that?
For a better meaning-match (vs. style-match), I love:
Petra Rose; Brier, Kinley, & Petra
Laurel Rose; Brier, Kinley, & Laurel
Yarrow Rosanna; Brier, Kinley, & Yarrow
Isla Rose; Brier, Kinley, & Isla
Tansey Rosanna; Brier, Kinley, & Tansey
Fern Roseanne; Brier, Kinley, & Fern
Petra is by far my top (the rock meaning, with mountain-y Kinley and wild Brier). Isla is 2nd for similar reasons (islands=mountains).
Or any of the lovely tree suggestions… Linden, Larch, etc.
I vote Bronte.
Thea and Felicity are both characters on Arrow, which made me think of another character, Laurel.
I love Brier and Kinley, especially with the stories behind them. I like Thea, but stylistically, it seems old fashioned next to the other two. Gracyn is way too close to the ubiquitous Grace. Laken went zing! for me – love it. Larkin, too, but Laken -zing!
Brier, Kinley, Laken. Best sibset in town.
Arliss?
Brier, Kinley and Arliss
I have to agree that Laken and Larkin do sound great with your daughters’ names.
On a side note, I know a girl named Grayson and I think it sounds great on her!
Another Australian here…again confirming that Bronte is definitely a girls name here obviously because of the Bronte Sisters.
For some reason Americans when referring to the sisters pronounce it Brontay and Australians follow the British and correct pronunciation of Brontee. The sisters are English and Brontee is how they pronounced their name.
However if you live in America then perhaps it is best to go with the Brontay pronounciation as that is what most people say, even though it is incorrect.
I think that the Brontee sound is definitely softer and more feminine sounding.
FYI – There is a famous and beautiful beach in Sydney not far from Bondi called Bronte Beach.
My vote is for Bronte however you would like to pronounce it. I do also like Thea please don’t add an ‘i’! and also like Ellis but unfortunately Jordyn sounds dated and wrong with your sibset.
Good luck
What stuck out to me the most in your naming stories was that both names have a connection and inspiration to you. To me personally, it seems more awesome to pass on that tradition than any other. Can your husband’s middle name be connected to a name, like Brier is to Heather? I was trying to think of a way to use Lowell but couldn’t. What about another famous female explorer? Or mountains you love? Favorite tree?
In my reading of your letter, I got the impression that you were most concerned on finding a unique and awesome name for this baby. But with the other two you found a name that meant something special to you that also happened to be unique and awesome. So the connection and meaning was the priority. I’m just wondering if starting there might help.
Suggestions: Sage, Annapurna, Agate, Oakley, Cam, Neva (snow),
Awhile ago I read a blog post (I can’t remember where) that said to take your favorite outdoor sports and activities and go through the lingo. Like Aerial for skiing”. Cam for rock climbing, eddy for river sports, rider for biking, axle for biking, keel for canoeing, and so on.
Good luck!
Thea all the way! Love this name and love it with these sisters! I also love similar sounding names Talia (“tall-ya”) and Thora. I had an arbitrary rule that we wouldn’t repeat initials in our family, which took these three off our list. But I love them!
Wow. I love this thread and so many of the suggestions!! First of all, Thea is lovely. Go for it. If you’re looking for more options, I wanted to second some of the suggestions already put forth:
I thought of Maren/Marin as well. The connection to water would work (you all like canoeing). Elowen is another beautiful nature name. Great suggestion. I love names that don’t share an ending with your other daughters’ names. Freya, Tamsin, Tatum, Ellery–love all these suggestions as well. Can you all be there when I accidentally get pregnant with my next child and need to be reminded of such amazing options?!? What fun to get to choose from such great possibilities.
Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful ideas!
Our baby girl was born 5 days overdue in 3 1/2 hours in September 2!
We chose Thea Maelle as her name because we thought it would be really special for her oldest sister to grow up knowing she helped pick her name! And the meaning “gift of God” is perfect since she’s our rainbow baby
Oh yeah and I guess I should say that it was between Thea (thee-a) and Sloane and that my oldest has been calling her “baby Thea” since I was 24 weeks pregnant when I had asked her which name she would choose for her little sister if she could, so I don’t know how she would have felt if she came to the hospital to meet a Sloane! LOL! (And hubby vetoed rose as a middle name but we agreed on Maelle (my-elle) ;)
Just wanted to let you know that I named my daughter Brier back in ’98. There aren’t many out there and she loves her unique name.
Congrats on your new one :)