Hi Swistle,
We are looking for a name for our fifth child, due at the end of February. We won’t know the gender until he or she is born. We are pretty decisive about the boy name choice (Orion Wilde), but we are having problems deciding on a girl’s name. We do have Wilde Grace chosen for a middle name for a girl. Our last name is Starkey. Siblings’ names are: Carter Elliot, Holden Oliver, Harper Lucinda Amelie, and Everly James Irie.
Names that we’ve considered include:
Tallulah
Callalisa
Rosalind
Aurora
LorelaiPlease let me know what your suggestions are! I look forward to hearing your opinion!
Thank you,
Rebecca Starkey
What I notice is that all four of your children have modern surname names, but your girl-name list this time is mostly older ultra-feminine names. As the sibling group increases in size, coordination seems less important, but I’d still be reluctant to change to a new style after four names of very well-coordinated style.
With a larger sibling group, I focus mostly on siblings of the same sex as the new baby. So if this baby were to be a girl, the sister set is Harper, Everly, and ______. If you had asked for suggestions without telling me your current list of favorites, I would have gone for this sort of list:
Aubrey
Braelyn
Brinley
Campbell
Delaney
Devany
Ellis
Finley
Gracen
Hadley
Hollis
Jensen
Keelyn
Kinsley
Lane
Leighton
Lennox
Linden
Quincy
Quinn
Rilyn
Rowan
Tambry
Teagan
But if your style HAS changed, I don’t see any particular reason not to go with it. It’s such an easy explanation: “We just used our favorite name each time.” And the middle names will help. I think my favorite option from your list is Aurora, though it may rule out using Orion later. If you’d like to save Orion, I think my next favorite option is Tallulah: it’s an older name, but I think of its current usage as more modern.
Is Everly a girl? I know it usually is but the middle name James is making me wonder and I’m not familiar with the second middle. Anyway, I do see the appeal of keeping the surnames trend going. I like Swistle’s list, particularly Campbell and Delaney. From the under consideration names, I like Tallulah best, followed by Rosalind.
I think I like Lorelai the best from your list. I’ve always considered Lorelei/Loreley (the original German spelling of the rock) as the original form of the name, and Lorelai a modern elaboration spurred by Gilmore Girls. For that reason it seems more in vogue with the names Harper and Everly, both which have come into use more recently. There’s also the Gilmore Girls-inspired nickname Rory that meshes well with Harper and Everly. Aurora would be my second choice.
I think you could go more “girl” than “surname” for a 3rd daughter, but then a modern slant would fit better with Harper & Everly. I’m thinking names such as: Lola, Isla, Luna, Willow, Ruby, Orla, Daisy, or Coco. Something that reads more current than Rosalind. Instead of Aurora, I’d simply go with Rory. Until you have a first name nailed down, I’d maybe loosen up on Wilde Grace for the middles–in case those names might be limiting the first names your considering. Though if I were naming? I’d go with Coco Wilde Grace.
Yes!!! Coco Wilde Grace….LOVE it!
Brynn Wilde Grace
Harper, Everly & Brynn are very complimentary. Also works with the boy names.
Another idea is Ainsley.
My favourite from your list is aurora and lorelai.
Would you like Roslyn as a variation of Rosalind? It feels a bit more modern and more in sync with your girls’ names. Plus I like that all girls have six letter first names. Roslyn Wilde Grace.
Is Wilde Grace set in stone? I think “wild grace” which might be what you like about it, but I try to avoid double noun names where it sounds like a descriptor generally. If “wild grace” isn’t what you’re going for, I think putting Grace first then Wilde helps.
I really love Lorelai. It’s unique but familier, feminine timeless and modern. I think it fits nicely: Harper, Everly and Lorelai. To me they work because they all feel a bit modern while Talulah, Rosalind, Aurora are all distinctly old fashioned. Great names but different from their siblings style. Lorelai Wilde sounds awesome.
If you want something a bit more surname like I’ll suggest: Piper, Quinn, Ainsley, Winslet.
Do you like Calixta? One of the names on your list reminded me of it: it means “most beautiful”, basically a variation of Calista, or whatever the original was. There’s Calix too, but that’s often cited as a masculine name, and you seem to be leaning toward obviously feminine ones.
My first thought, though, was why not use Wilde as the first name?
I think your style is modern names that sound vintage with a little nature vibe. from your list I like Aurora. I like the suggestion of Brynn! What about:
Blythe
Blaire
Wren
Phoebe
Gwendolyn
Rowan
Fiona
Laurel
Romilly
Remington
Felicity
Dahlia
Tess or Tessa
Vera
Juniper
Willow
Fern
Ivy
Caro
I think Wilde as a first would be very hard to live with, or hard to live up to. Cool middle name, terrible first name
LOVE the suggestion of Coco!
Wanted to throw Aveline into the mix….
Aveline Wilde Grace – Harper, Everly, and Aveline
Like Lorelei or Aurora, but with the nickname of Rory, which seems more in line with your other kids. Or, like another suggested, you could just do Rory. I do feel like names more like Hadley, Campbell, etc. fit a little more, but no reason not to go with a name you like more! I do like your options. Lorelei is very pretty, and I love Tallulah and Rosalind, although they seem even more removed from your current style. Good luck!!
I’ll second Aurora!!! My favourite off your list. Next would be Rosalind. A ton of beat nicknames can be pulled out of Rosalind.
I LOVE Blythe as well.
I also like Rowan for you. What about Margo? Or Aria? Both your daughters names are heavily vowel and “r” sounds, Aria fits in well with the sib set.
I love Aurora with your sibling set…next up would be Lorelei/Lorelai. Other ideas: Addison, Emerson, Hadley, Campbell, Paige, Tamsyn, Cambry, Kensington, Maisie, Reagan, and Quinn (perfect for baby #5). :)
I agree that your current girl list seems much more feminine than Harper (I assume Everly is boy based on the middles). Since Harper is more unisex, my concern would be that in a group of Harper, Holden, Carter, Everly & Aurora, it will be assumed by some that Harper is a boy & she may not care for that. In looking at just the girl names, something like Harper & Lorelei/Aurora/Rosalind makes the non-Harper name seem very princess-y. Of your list, I think Tallulah works best, though it doesn’t feel quite right.
Perhaps you’d like surname names that skew more feminine? Delaney, Addison, Holland, Jordan, Adair, Piper, Bellamy. These mostly have definite female nicknames, which could still give you the all-girl vibe you seem to want, but without the full name seeming so jarringly different from the sibling names.
If, like Swistle has suggested, your girl name style has changed, I would suggest something traditionally feminine with the possibility of a more masculine nickname. I think this could help Harper feel less masculine & would give the younger sister something more gender-neutral to fall back on if she wants to fit in better with the sibling group. Charlotte/Charlie, Josephine/Joey, Maxine/Max, Francesca/Frankie. I think Tallulah/Lou could also be an option here.
I assume Everly is a girl, because the girls have two middle names and the boys have one.
I love Delaney with the sibset. Or, to build off one of Swistle’s suggestions, I love Ellison – a modern spin on Allison.
If they are moving away from surname names: Afton, Eden, or Winslow.
If they decide to keep up the trend, my favorites, mostly mentioned already: Kinley, Paisley, Delaney.
Or just go with the names they already have picked out, regardless of gender:
Wilde Orion Grace
Gracen Orion Wilde
Orienne/Orianne Wilde Grace
I know a little Halle which could work?
I’m still chewing on this a bit–realized I skipped right over your list of current favorites in my earlier comment. One of my recurring thoughts has been “if they had used the spelling Everleigh, that might have lessened any style change–I could then pretty easily make the hop to Lorelai, say. But enough of what ifs.
My main thought about Callalisa –would you consider simply going with Calla? Pretty elegant and modern, soft syllables that fit with your other kids’ names. Main thought about Talulah–would you like Talia or Thea or Lula? (So sorry I want to simplify. Because it might be irrelevant–with my first pregnancy I felt quite strongly that my baby herself was guiding my choices. If there’s any credence to this kind of thinking, that could be why you’re being drawn to longer, more feminine names). Main thought about Aurora–it’s so tricky to say this name! I love the meaning and the imagery, but can’t quite imagine saying it over and over for a childhood. Could be just me. Main thought about Rosalind–I like this name a good deal, along with Rosamund. I also like the Breton name Rozenn–one of my name crushes, I’ve never known anyone to use it.
Final thought is a variation on Quinn. I think it’s a pretty cool name for a 5th child, and it brought to mind the name Quintana, a bit longer like the other names you’re considering. Joan Didion used this name for her daughter, Quintana Roo.
I ran into my neighbor’s child Willa. That seems like a compromise between the very feminine names you seem to be into this time and the surname/modern names your kids have.
Willa is a fantastic suggestion.
Since this is your fifth child, I wouldn’t be able to resist Quinn for a daughter. It fits right in with the siblings and means “the fifth.” My only issue is that I do not think it flows very well with the middle name Wilde Grace…I want a longer name to pair with the one-syllable Quinn. Quinn Tallulah Wilde or Quinn Aurora Wilde seem like great options. I also like Quinn Lorelai Grace.
Other names I like for you: Adair, Auden, Brynn, Emerson, Sloane
I think Quinn is an awesome suggestion!
Fits the trendy surname theme you have going and the meaning of 5th is great!
Are the Middle names Wilde Grace locked in? You could have variations on these two names to come up with alternatives for a girl or boy. Wilder or Grayson/Gracen with a combination from your list for middle names.
Wilder Orion or Grayson Orion
Gracen Aurora Rosalind
Gracen Lorelai Tallulah
I’s also like to suggest Miller, Hunter, Beckett, Emmett or Spencer for a boy. Holland, Madison, Ellison, Emerson or Scarlett for a girl.
Good luck!
I saw something along the lines of this comment above: From your list, I love Aurora and Lorelai. Both could use the nn Rory which I think goes very well with the sibling set.