Twin Baby Girls Egan-with-an-L: Cora Jean and _________

44 Replies

Hi Swistle!

I am so excited to be writing to you because I had my baby names picked out & was almost disappointed that I couldn’t ask for help.

I am expecting a baby (now babies!) in March, I did my quad screen and got a strange result–which turned out not to be so strange since there are two babies in there. (I was doing a lot of freaking out and crying.) I had a feeling about twins, but I assumed boy/girl. The technician said it looks like girl/girl to her (of course, they can make mistakes), but I don’t have two girls’ names!

Our last name is “Egan” with an L in the front.

The girl’s name we are using is Cora Jean.

The boy’s name we love is Robert Kyle (named after my father–who died a few years ago, and a close cousin who also passed away). When I said Robert and Cora together, it sounded like I knew them from somewhere–of course, they are from Downton Abbey! When we found out it was likely two girls, my husband looked up the Downton Abbey cast list to look for other names! :) We do like names of that era (I know they are back).

At the moment, we like the name Gwen. But we aren’t 100% sold. It would also be wonderful if I could somehow integrate my dad’s name (Robert) into the name (he would be thrilled). I’d also love to integrate a family name from his side. Family names for girls on my dad’s side are Ann and Margaret (there’s an Ann or a Margaret every generation–my middle name is Ann, I have an Aunt Margaret, my grandma was Ann, her mom was Margaret), so I think it would be cool to incorporate that. Another very meaningful family name for me is Debby.

I’m not sure if that’s too much information or just enough to be a fun challenge. So, Downton-era first names (or something of that ilk) and a family middle name (or first–we’re open). We don’t want the names to be too matchy-matchy (Cora and Clara) but also not from two completely different styles or eras (like Cora and Britney–that doesn’t work for me!).

I would appreciate any help you could give. What a day!

Thank you SO much,
Heather

 

I went right away to see the Downton Abbey characters list! Here are some pairings I really like (keeping in mind I haven’t seen the show, so might have chosen combinations that would be awkward to people thinking of the names in the context of the show):

Cora and Rose
Cora and Violet
Ivy and Cora

I especially like Cora and Rose. I like a little extra coordination with twin names, so in addition to liking the way the names go together in sound and style, I like that both are four letters and both have R and O. And yet they’re not overly matchy or cutesy.

More possible names to consider:

Fern
Louise
Eloise
Eliza
Esther
Beatrice
Agatha
Winifred
Josephine
Millicent
Harriet
Frances
Iris
June
Jane
Fiona
Ruby

There were so many others I liked but wasn’t sure about them with the surname: Alice, Delia, Dalia, Pearl, Lydia, Hope.

Are Cora and Jean family names? I’m wondering about balance: if Cora and Jean are names from your husband’s side, for example, that would make me lean toward using names from your side for the other baby; or if one name is from your side and one from your husband’s, that would make me inclined to do something similar for the other baby; or if neither Cora nor Jean are family names, that would make me lean away from filling the other baby’s name with family names.

I think I would advise starting from scratch. That is, Cora Jean may very well end up being the name of one of the girls, but naming two babies instead of one is enough of a shake-up to reconsider the whole thing. For example, it might be fun to use Ann for one and Margaret for the other, either as first or middle names. Honor names may need to be re-distributed to cover two girls instead of one, and it may be a good opportunity to honor both sides of the family at once. If Debby is a particularly important honor name, it becomes more significant which twin you give it to—or would you want to use it as a middle name for both twins? And there are all the fun twin-name possibilities to consider, such as swapped initials (CJ and JC, for example) or coordinated middle names (Rose and Violet, for example, or Jean and June).

I love Cora and Margaret together. Cora Ann and Margaret Jean would get them both into the Ann/Margaret tradition.

Would you like to have more babies after these two? If so, I might recommend saving the name Robert Kyle for a possible future boy, and not attempting to find a way to name one of these two girls after your father. If you’re stopping after these two, Roberta is the fastest namesake to spring to mind; I’d use it as a middle name, and would probably use it as an excuse for the nickname Bertie/Birdy. Robin would be another sweet choice; again, I’d use it as a middle. Bobbi might work, especially if your dad went by Bob. Bobbi and Debby might make a nice set of coordinated middle names.

 

 

 

Name update!

Hey Swistle!

Our girls arrived on 2/23. We are thrilled, sleep-deprived, and so in love.

We decided on Cora Jean (Jean is a family name on both sides) and Margaret Rose (Rose honors my dad Robert & she also shares it as a middle name with my stepbrother’s daughter–I like the connection it creates. We did check in with them first!)

Here they are:

image1

Maggie on the left, Cora on the right. They are big for twins–15 lbs total! I can’t believe I carried them!

We still have a little Downton connection–can’t beat Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager! :)

Thanks again to everyone for your help!
-Heather

44 thoughts on “Twin Baby Girls Egan-with-an-L: Cora Jean and _________”

  1. Christine

    I like Rose, especially with Cora, but I’m going to vote for Violet because even though I only watched the first two seasons of Downton – I’m totally team Dowager Countess. Plus Violet Roberta is a pretty great name.

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  2. BSharp

    I notice you gravitate to names that I’d describe as simple & elegant. Easy to pronounce, not too long, not shockingly rare, familiar but not ultracommon.

    Debby, Jean, Roberta, & Ann feel midcentury modern to me.
    Margaret is one of the very few actually-timeless names I can think of; it’s unsurprising in medieval manuscripts and on Edwardian heroines and for every age group I can think of today.
    I like Gwen. Gwendolen is lovely, as is Guinevere, and the very-Welsh Gwenllian.
    Swistle’s suggestion of Iris is excellent.
    From the show, maybe Sybil.

    I quite like Cora Ann & Margaret Jean. (I adore the name Margaret.) Other possibilities:
    Cora Margaret & Roberta Ann

    Cora Jean & Margaret Robin (though Robin L3gan repeats ends)

    Cora Margaret & Gwendolen Ann

    Cora Jean & Guinevere Robin

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  3. Christine

    Other names you might like:
    Pearl
    Mary
    Rosamund
    Vera
    Della or Delia
    Vivian
    Etta
    Edith
    Minerva (MINNIE)
    Viola

    Good luck!

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  6. Elizabeth

    I know you’re not 100% for Gwen but if you both like it, I think it sounds great with Cora. Gwen Margaret is wonderful & keeps the Ann, Margaret, Ann, Margaret pattern going. I also like Rose Margaret — as Swistle says, they’re nicely connected but not overly matchy twin names.

    The only hesitation I would have is if Jean is *not* a family name. My preference is to keep siblings’ names balanced in that regard. For example, my siblings and I all have first names that our parents just liked, and family surnames for middle names.

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  8. Gracie

    I love Cora and Birdy – so precious and whimsical. Cora Margaret and Roberta ‘Birdy” Anne.

    I also love the nickname Greta for Margaret..Cora and Greta is awfully sweet.

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  9. Erin

    I love the name Cora. It would most likely have been my son’s name if he’d been a girl. Names that have a similar feel to me but that I don’t think have been mentioned yet are Amelia and Lily. Also, Jane, but might be too close if you’re using Jean for Cora’s middle name. Congrats!

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    1. Heather-original poster

      I love Lily, but it’s too alliterative with our last name. (Which is sad for me since there are lots of L names that I love!)

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  10. Heather-original poster

    Thanks everyone for your comments!! Jean is a family name on *both* sides (my maternal side & my husband’s paternal side). The others are all my paternal side (Margaret, Ann, Robert). Cora is just a name we like but ended up having some sweet connections to family as well. This is probably it for us kids-wise. I mean, you never know–but I think we’re a 2-kid family. So excited to be on Swistle. Great advice!! :)

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  11. Laura L

    Congrats! Just wanted to make a pitch for
    Margot — the name of my 3 week old daughter. She would’ve been Cora if I could’ve gotten my husband on board. I think Margot is a fun take on Margaret (which I also love).

    Here’s other names we were thinking of, since our taste seems to overlap:

    Matilda
    Louisa
    Naomi
    Joan
    Vivian
    Joanna
    Julia
    Violet
    Grace
    June
    Hazel
    Mae
    Julia
    Alice
    Jane
    Marjorie
    greta
    Audra
    Phoebe

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    1. Sheri

      Oh! Margot would be a beautiful way to give a new twist to an honor name and so sweet with Cora!

      Cora Jean Egan (name you love + honor name) and
      Margot Rose Egan (honor name + name you love, maybe? Also a slight nod to Robert?)

      They’re good companions with that long O, both kind of vintage classics – I could definitely see a Margot come for a visit at Downton! Two syllables followed by one. Not matchy, but a great set for twins <3 They sound great with your last name, too!

      Congrats on your sweet girls! Can't wait to see what you choose =)

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  12. Kay

    Fun question! Even though it’s really fun I honestly don’t think you need more possible suggestions, you have so many amazing meaningful names to work with already!

    I’ll start by putting in a vote for Deborah, since Debby is meaningful to you. It’s so uncommon now but a total classic. I also think it sounds good with your surname and with Margaret or even Ann as a middle name. There are also some cute, unusual Deborah nicknames– Dolly and Bee (Deborah means Bee). Combined with Cora, it at once makes Deborah seem more fresh and Cora less trendy. Really they complement each other very well!

    I also think Roberta is cute, especially with Birdie as a nickname as Swistle suggested.

    If Jean has no family meaning, I think I’d let it go right now, and do something like this:

    Deborah Kyle (Kyle works totally fine as a female middle name, I think)
    Cora Margaret

    or:

    Deborah Roberta (pleasingly rhythmic to my ear, though everyone’s different!)
    Cora Margaret

    or:

    Deborah Margaret
    Cora Roberta

    or:

    Roberta Margaret/Margaret Roberta
    Cora Debby

    Margaret would make a fantastic first name, too; Margaret and Cora are lovely together.

    I also think Cora Debby is an adorable and unexpected combo– way more distinctive and less common than Cora Jean, and it sounds like perhaps more meaningful as well. Personally I’d love to be named Cora Debby.

    Looking forward to the update! Good luck :)

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  14. Candice

    I vote for Gwen Margaret or Margaret Rose. If I was you I’d definitely want to keep the Margaret or Ann tradition going.

    Robina is another feminine form of Robert. Or you could choose a name with the same meaning as Robert. It means ‘Bright Fame’.

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  16. Kim

    My oldest is Gwen(dolyn) and my youngest’s middle is Robin after my grandfather Robert. So Gwendolyn Robin sounds lovely to me. I also do love the name Margot.

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  17. namenutt

    Congratulations on your twins!

    Cora is my number one choice and my own mn is Jean.

    I’d like to suggest…
    Cora Jean & Margaret Rose (Cora & Margaret Margie/Daisy/Meggy etc)
    Cora Jean & Gwendolyn Rose (Cora & Gwen)
    Cora Anne & Margaret Rose
    Cora Anne & Margaret Jean
    Cora Rose & Margaret Jean
    Cora Rose & Margaret Anne
    Cora Jean and Anna Rose. (Anna & Cora) ★
    Cora Jean & Rose Anne★
    Cora Jean & Rosanna Margaret ★ (Cora & Rosanna)
    Cora Jean and Roberta Anne ★
    I also like Swistle’s suggestion of Debby & Bobbi as middles.

    All the best! Looking forward to the update :)

    Reply ↓
  18. Kas

    I love the name Cora, we had it on our list had our son been a girl I also think Gwen is a beautiful name and perfect with Cora. I have a friend with two girls Gwen and Neve which I love, Cora and Neve could work?

    Ivy and Edith ( both already suggested) are beautiful and I love them both with Cora, the nn Edie is very cute!

    But to be honest I think you’ve already got two great names Cora Jean and Gwen Margaret are perfect twin names!

    Congratulations on your beautiful girls, excited to here what you choose x

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  19. StephLove

    I like the idea of using Ann and Margaret as middles until you wrote that Jean is also a family name. So maybe Cora Jean & Rose Margaret? I like that. I like Gwendolyn, too, though.

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  20. reagan

    While Gwen is a favorite name of mine, I agree that Rose with Cora is fantastic. I also think that the Ro of Rose can be nod to your father, Robert. Cora Jean and Rose Margaret work well together. That said, I do also like Cora Jean and Gwen Margaret.

    If Cora Jean wasn’t already the name of one baby, I think I would go in a different direction though. Roberta Jean and Margaret Kyle make for a lovely pair.

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  21. Jd

    What about Robert for a middle- Cora Robert and Margaret Jean. Balances the name length nicely and makes the honor clear! With a first name like Cora no one will question her gender!

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  22. Sheri

    I just replied up there with a vote for Cora Jean and Margot Rose, but kept on reading and had another thought.

    I love Margaret, especially with all of the sweet nicknames, but having that length and the nickname options kinda makes me think it gives Cora short shrift?

    I wonder if you’d like Coraline nn Cora – it’s a made-up modern name Neil Gaiman came up with, I think, but it has the classic feel of Caroline, while giving you Cora as a nickname.

    Coraline Jean nn Cora and
    Margaret Ann nn Daisy – I also love Margaret Rose, but love the nickname Daisy so much and Daisy Rose might be a touch too floral? =)

    Still have fingers crossed for Cora Jean and Margot Rose, though!

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  24. eclare

    My votes:

    Cora Jane and Margot Jean

    Cora Jean and Gwenyth Ann

    Cora Jean and Margaret Jane

    Cora Margaret and Jane Catherine

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  25. Kelsey D

    Yaya, twins!! Congratulations!

    I really love the names Cora and Rose. I know I am biased, because we have a 7 month old named Rose, but we really do love her name. Her full name is actually Rose Margaret Grace ______. So I wonder if Cora Jean and Rose Margaret suit you?

    I also absolutely love Cora and June. I would LOVE to use the name June but we already have a Juliet so they are too matchy for us.

    I realized I am very much a visual person, so I prefer names that both sound and look nice together. Particularly for twins (more so if it’s two girls) I personally prefer names that have the same number of letters, so the above two are a double bonus for me (I love the names and the looks together!)

    Other names:
    Stella
    Lucy
    Thea
    Ruby
    Freda

    Juliet – we also have a Juliet, we also absolutely love her name
    Violet
    Margaret or Margo or Margot
    Brigitte
    Emilia

    Good luck and keep us posted!!

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  26. Deborah

    You are really close – you have great options to work with – it’s just a matter of finding the right combination you like best. Here are a few ideas (apologies for any repeats):

    Cora Jean and Rosanna Margaret
    Cora Jean and Margot Robin
    Cora Jean and Berta Ann
    Cora Jean and Margaret Rowan (or Roanne)
    Cora Jean and Gweneth Rose
    Cora Jean Margaret and Gwen Roberta Ann (why not just use them all!?)

    A few other thoughts:

    I don’t love Cora and Rose as much as everyone else because my mind changes Cora to Coral next to another “pink” name. Rosalie/Roseanne/Rosemary don’t have the same effect, though.

    As a Deborah, I can sadly assure you that no form of the name is ready for a comeback. It’s great as a middle (in which case I would use the full Deborah), but I expect it will be at least another 20 years before we hear it in preschools again.

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  27. Brooke

    Cora Jean feels a lot like Norma Jean, so I thought you might like other names similar to those from the time when Marilyn Monroe was born. I’m scanning the list (http://www.weddingvendors.com/baby-names/popular/1926/) for inspiration. (Rose and Margaret are on this list, which jives with what Swistle posted).
    Mildred makes me think Matilda, Barbara makes me think Aria, Thelma make me think Thea (and another favorite of mine, Thula), Edith and Edna make me think of the more modern Eden, Audrey is on this list and works well as a modern name, Beverly makes me think Everly,
    Below I’ve posed many of these names with the middle name Gwen, which matches the syllable pattern of Cora Jean, Charlotte is on this list, Vera is on this list and I know a sib-set with Cora and Vera so that might appeal, Ellen makes me think Ella

    Matilda Gwen,
    Aria,
    Thea Gwen,
    Audrey Gwen,
    Everly Gwen,
    Vera Gwen,
    Ella Gwen

    I especially think Matilda, Thea, or Vera would work well with Cora.

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  28. TheFirstA

    I also thought of Roberta, though it does seem a bit heavy next to Cora. Perhaps Margaret or Ann as a first, with Roberta as the middle? If there is some flexibility, I think Anna & Cora would be very sweet. Or perhaps a variant of Margaret? Margo & Cora perhaps?

    I know nothing about Downton Abbey as I’ve never seen it, but I like all of the names Swistle suggested. From the non-D.A. names, I like Ruby, Iris & Agatha best. I’ll also suggest Lucy, Molly, Hazel, Opal, Pearl, Audrey, Olive, Alice & Julia.

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  30. TB

    Wow so many great names.
    I thought of Cora Jean & Lucy Ann
    (I think it works with your last name. I wouldn’t worry about l names)
    I love Cora & Rose together too. I think sticking to 4 letter name is nice for the twin connection but not being too matchy.
    I also like the idea of making the names longer and going by short form nicknames.
    Coralee Jean & Gwenyth Ann Cora & Gwen
    They both have a modern vintage vibe and both names are very unique but not unknown.

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  31. Meg

    Some truly beautiful suggestions already! My daughter was born on my brothers birthday (he’s Robert too) so we went for bobby (spelt like Enid b did)
    She’s Winnie bobby violet
    Enid funnily enough is a gorgeous name
    Enid bobby and Cora Jean <3
    Etti and cora
    Kitty and Cora
    Primrose
    Olive
    Astrid
    Blythe
    Cleo
    Nora
    Betty
    Ivy makes a lovely middle name with these too?
    Seeing if being from ye olde downton abbey land helps with a Brit twang !

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  32. mary anne

    We have 2 year old twins: Cora Lorraine and Evelyn Beth. Cora and Evie….so much joy and so much work! Congrats!

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  33. Nieke

    I love Cora and Margot, I would pick Margot Robina. A few more suggestions:

    Daisy Roberta
    Gwen Marguerite
    Marjorie Ann

    Reply ↓

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