Dear Swistle,
My husband and I are expecting a baby girl in early February – our first and maybe only child. I’ve been nerding out on name blogs since before I got pregnant, but it’s hard to find one that works in reality. Neither of us want a popular name – nothing in the top 100 or so. However, we keep coming up with names that are relatively rare but perhaps too similar to popular names. Ideally, I’d like a longer, elegant name, with a two syllable nickname ending in the -ee sound to call her at home. I’m picky about nicknames – I don’t like ones that sound too common or sound like a boy’s name. Our last name sounds like Phl@th.
My husband really likes Lenora (ranked around #1600 in 2014), which I think is lovely, but the issue is with what nickname to use. He says Nora, but when you combine the number of girls named Nora (#49) and Norah (#163), the name “Nora” actually ranks in the top 25. So if we call her Nora, or if she decides she wants to go by Nora, we would have inadvertently given her a popular name. Other potential nicknames are Nori, or Lennie, which is also problematic because it sounds like the nickname for an old man Leonard. Some alternatives to Lenora we are considering are Lenore, which doesn’t flow as nicely, and Leona.
Our other top name is Mirah. Again, the name itself is fairly rare (together, Mira and Mirah ranked around #600). However, it sounds very similar to more popular names such as Mia and Mila, so I worry that Mirah would still seem trendy and not unique. I’m also having a hard time committing to Mirah because it’s only two syllables. We don’t want to lengthen to Mirabelle because someone close to us has that as a last name. We are considering Vera as an alternative, but we don’t like it as much, and Vivi might be too trendy of a nickname.
We considered Rosalie, until I discovered that when you add up all names that include some form of Rose, there are about 7,000 girls who could go by Rose/Rosie as a nickname, which is essentially in the top 25. We also like Violetta, pronounced Vee-oh-letta, but Violet is climbing in popularity, and it would be too annoying to us that it would often be mispronounced with a long i sound.
Other names I like that my husband vetoed: Felicity, Fiona, Melody, Miranda (another way to get to Mirah), Camilla
I would love to get some perspective from you and your readers about whether our favorite names come off as too popular or trendy.
Thank you!
Julia
Lenora makes me think of the name Linnea (lih-NAY-ah), nickname Linnie.
The spelling Mirah is not one I’m familiar with; I wouldn’t be sure how to pronounce it. My first guess would probably be like Myra, because the spelling makes me think of the name Micah. If I knew it was a short-I sound, I might think the emphasis was on the second syllable, like the words hurrah and mirage—not because I’d think that was likely, but because the puzzle-solving part of my brain would be wondering why the H was at the end, as I would if I saw the name Kirah or Emmah.
I think it’s normal to be attracted to the sounds that are currently popular, even if you’re looking for a less popular name. Lenora feels unusual to me, but the nickname Nora feels very current. Mirah, even with an unusual spelling, feels current to me, fitting in with Kira and Lilah and Aria and so forth. The best way to avoid names that are popular (or could become popular) is to choose sounds that are not currently in favor—but that means choosing a name many people won’t like the sound of, including you. I’m not sure it’s worth it.
Remember that if you restructure the rankings by adding up spellings, nicknames, etc., you have to restructure ALL the rankings. That is, if Rose and Nora are added to the Top 25, they kick out two names that are currently residing there. Or, perhaps they themselves get kicked back out of the Top 25, by other names that would join the Top 25 if we combined spellings/nicknames.
I think it’s excellent to use the available data and to make sure you’re not falling into traps—but a number that looks large when it’s national (such as 7,000 girls who could theoretically use the name or nickname Rose) can be hard to figure out at the local-school-classroom level. And there’s no way to predict the particular local classroom, either: we’ve had only one Rose and one Nora in all the kids’ classrooms combined, but another commenter could easily report that her child has had Roses, Rosalies, Rosies, and Noras in every single classroom and extracurricular.
I suggest asking yourselves this question: “Which name do we LIKE BEST?” Pretend for a moment that popularity is not an issue. Pretend it doesn’t matter if your daughter occasionally encounters another child with the same name, or if her name is occasionally confused with another name, or if other people think the name you chose is popular or trendy. When your minds are as clear as you can get them, think: “If we could use any name we wanted, which one would it be?”
The thing is, you CAN use any name you want. You can use the name you like BEST. And if other people also like that name, that’s happy! If other people think the name is trendy—well, I agree that’s annoying. But if you’d used a different name, other people might think the name was weird, or boring, or trying too hard, or silly, or any number of other things people think about names.
Name update!
Our daughter Mira Lark “Phl@th” was born earlier this month. We were still debating her name the day after she was born — we also considered Lenore or Miranda in the hospital, but decided to go with Mira because even though it’s not perfect, we kept coming back to it and it seemed more right than the others. I told myself to stop caring that it sounds trendy. The feedback from you and your readers about how the h confuses the pronunciation in Mirah convinced us to drop the h. We chose Lark because I like irreverent word names for middle names, my husband likes birds, and it flows well with the first name almost like a three syllable name. Interestingly, the scientific name for a genus of larks is Mirafra, which was a pleasant coincidence. Although we didn’t want to use Mirabelle as a given name, I’m using it as a cute nickname for her.
Thanks for the help!
Julia
I feel like this is exactly the type of concern I would have in naming a baby girl! Especially since several of your husband’s “Vetoed” names are ones that I would use myself! I agree on longer names with shorter nicknames.
That being said, I do like Mirah. I agree that you could end up with a nickname like Mia. However, I believe as long as the full name is not too trendy, then it’s OK if the nickname veers into that category, and while I know Mia is a top 10 name, it still feels less popular to me personally then say Emmy or Emma for Emmeline or Nora for Lenora (I too would not use Lenora because of Lennie; I very much dislike boys names for girls!).
Perhaps that is because I only know one Mia, so maybe if you don’t know of many in your town, the nickname would bother you less? Or you may realize with Mirah, you could have Mimi or Mamie or Miri for a nickname.
One of my favorite names right now is Cordelia; the name itself is barely in the top 1000; Cora is just outside of the top 100 but Delia is also pretty uncommon. Cori and Cordie are also cute nicknames for it.
You might also like Clara or Clarissa (nn Clara), Seraphina, Violet, Veronica (nickname Vera, though unfortunately also possibly Ronnie), Beatrice, Melinda (nn Minnie), Marielle (Elle, Mary), Sabrina (Bree), Adela, Martha, Louisa, Margaret (nn Daisy, Meg, Molly, Polly), Imogene,
Hopefully one of these help, or give you an idea for a name you like more. I do think out of your list, I’d go with Mira/Mirah. Perhaps a double first name would work to lengthen the name (I think Mirabelle is very pretty, though it does feel slightly trendy).
How about Genevieve nn Gigi (or Vivi if you decide it’s not too popular)? You could also call her Vieve, pronounced Veeve. I also like Marion nn Mimi or Minnie.
I do like Lenora with the nickname Nori. Would you consider Lenoria which adds a syllable and makes Nori a more natural nickname.
Have you considered:
Meredith. – nickname Meri
Honora – nickname Honey or Nori
Verity – nickname Vera
Came to suggest Verity
I use to be friends with a girl who spelled her name Lynnora so perhaps that’s an alternate spelling for your Lenora.
What about Avalee? That gives you your two syllable name and ends in “ee” per your wishes. It does still give you a popular name of Ava if you go by a nickname but it meets the other requirements.
Here are just some other random suggestions:
Sonnet (Sonny)
Jilliana (Jill, Jilly, Lana)
Penelope (Penny)
I forgot about Irelynn. Come up with your own nickname (Irie, Lynn, Lynnie, Irene)! :-)
I think Lenora with the nickname Nori is adorable. Nori is a name I considered as a stand-alone name for my second daughter–it’s not overused and can travel well in many countries, plus, at least to my ear, it has mystical undertones.
Mirah I’m not as on board with…..I think it may be the H at the end that’s throwing me–Mira springs to my mind as the more natural option.
Other ideas, taking seriously your preference for longer/feminine/outside top 100:
Katerina, you could call her Kitty.
Antonella, you could call her Nellie.
Roxanna, you could call her Roxie.
Dominica, you could call her Minnie.
Matilda, you could call her Tillie.
Miriam could get you Mirah as a nick name. Might be a stretch, but one of my favorite under-used names, Marianne, might work too. Also thought of Leona, close to Lenora but not as popular, nicknames Leah and Ona. Or even Leonie if you want that “ie” ending sound…. think it’s more popular up here in Canada but quite a pretty name with French pronunciation. YouTube has videos of both US and French pronunciation if you are interested.
Lenora makes me think of Lorenza. Lots of nickname possibilities: Lori, Enza, Enzi
Or Laurena/Lorena too.
If you’re trying to avoid Top 100 or trendy sounds, I think you’re right about all your picks. My daughter actually goes to daycare with a Violetta who got called Violet the first day and her parents just gave up.
But I think you have a bigger dilemma here. One I totally sympathize with, because I had similar hopes for my daughter’s name (not too popular or trendy.) I believe 75% of parents are aiming for that very goal, even if most people don’t do the number crunching we name nerds do. So you may find yourself surrounded by kids with names outside the Top 100 and even a duplicate of your kid’s name. I know 3 Cassidys and 3 Josephines for example, but only 1 Emma, 1 Sophie, no Isabellas. What I’m saying is there is no way to ‘beat’ the popularity game unless you choose a truly obscure or dated name.
The second part is to let go of what people will think of your choice. You can’t control that. You can only control if you love a name and what nickname you want to use. So if you love Lenora nn Nora, do it. You may not encounter another Nora until she’s in high school. Or choose a different nickname – Nelly, Ori, Leelee…
Exactly. I know a couple who were going through exactly the same thing for their soon to be son. A name the wasn’t too popular, wasn’t so weird that nobody would see it as a name. They ended up with Kaden which as we all know then became (along with Kaiden, Caden, Caiden, Aiden, Braiden, etc…) one of the top 10 for popular names. You can’t hardly throw a stick around here without hitting one. But at the time, nobody knew a Kaden. So pick the name you love. You won’t know if it’s the new Jennifer or Jason until your kid starts school and by then you will love name because you love your child and there really wouldn’t be anything you could do about it anyway.
I’m pronouncing Mirah “MEER-ah” and loving it. I think Miri is a very natural nn, unless you’re concerned about the movie Zach and Miri. Riri “Ree-Ree” is a nn I LOVE that could work with Mirah.
I agree with another commenter above that a more popular-sounding nn is not as huge of a deal. You will have given her a lovely, not-so-popular, and distinctive name. And when it comes down to it, what a person decides to do with their name as they get older is pretty much out of our control! So you may give her a beautiful and rare name, and she might go by her initials or decide on a completely unrelated nn. I actually find it extremely comforting. “I can only do what I can do, given the resources and information I have.” (Same goes for “What if my chosen name becomes super popular two years after naming my child?” and any number of work-related problems . :))
I’m think about Riri or Ree as a nn… Victoria, Rebecca, any name with an R basically could work.
Also, I see Camilla “Cam-ill-a” with the “ih” sound as vetoed. What about Camille, nn Illy or Milly?
*I haven’t checked popularity for any of these names since I am on my phone. Your mileage may vary. :)
Wonder if you’d like Lorelai nn Rory? Similar sounds to Lenora, but different nickname?
Here are some ideas, although they all fit the “nickname ending in -ee,” but maybe that’s a criteria you might give up for the right name!
Marilla
Gloria (nn Glory?)
Octavia (nn Tavy)
Winifred (nn Winnie or Freddie)
Lavinia
Lyra
Susannah (Susie)
Josephine (Josie)
Victoria (Tori or Vicki)
Jacqueline (Jackie)
Samantha (Sammy)
Savannah (Savy)
Good luck!
What about the nickname, Lena for Lenora?
I quite like that one. Very classic, very uncommon.
I love the suggestion of Miriam nn Mira. The -ah ending seems to be everywhere nowadays, so if you want to avoid trends, I would suggest Mira, which reads both modern and vintage to me. Rosalie is wonderfully versatile — it’s a full name yet also sounds sweet and casual, so I don’t think you need a nickname with it. There’s also Rosalind, which could be nicknamed Lindy. Some other names that popped into my head were Odetta (which avoids the mispronunciation issues of Violetta), Athena nn Thena , Althea nn Thea, and Octavia (nn ??? but I love it so I’m suggesting it. :) )
Despite not wanting a popular name, you and your husband do seem to like the popular sounds. That makes things more challenging, but it also means that the name you eventually choose will probably get you the best of both worlds: unusual, yet still fresh. And as for nicknames , I would advise not ditching a great name simply because it doesn’t have an obvious nickname. Nicknames can develop on their own and be completely unrelated to the given name. My daughter’s name is Daphne, yet we regularly call her Beebee (because she spent most of her third year adamant that she was a honeybee, and if I tried to call her Daphne, she would say, “Me is not a Daphne. Me is a BEE.”).
I love Miriam, nn Mira!
Lenora is a lovely name. I knew a Lenora years ago with the nickname Lenna. More to your liking perhaps? Helena or Elenora with the nicknames Lenna or Nellie are similar options.
Mirah is nice but, as Swistle mentioned, could be confusing for others to pronounce. What about with the spelling Meara? Meara also reminds me of Maura or Mara. What about Mariella?
I’d also like to suggest Susanna nn Susie. Susie is such a sweet nickname and rarely heard in classrooms these days.
It’s a shame your Husband has vetoed Miranda. I love it with the nickname Andie!
Good luck!
I have a granddaughter named Miranda but mostly called “Mira”. Love the name! It’s pretty and sophisticated, in either form, fairly unusual, and has two great options in the given name and the shorter form.
When I saw the name Mirah, I was pronouncing it “meer-ah” in my head. It reminded me of the name Miriam. I know a baby named Miriam but goes by Miri (meery). That would get you the “ee” ending sound you’re after. You could still have that nickname with Mirah. Unless I’m pronouncing it wrong ;) I really like all your name choices!
Naming popularity is so flattened, I wouldn’t worry too much about the top 100. We named my oldest Henry in 2004 when it was around 160 on the SS list. It’s now top 50 or 40 and there are three boys named Henry is our whole school system. Mine is the oldest at 11, next one is in 2nd grade, third one is in preK. Boys names that begin with Ty are super popular here and they peaked in 1990 nationally. There are 4 in my son’s grade which has 25 boys total.
I agree with Swistle… Choose the name you love.
I really like Lenora, but if you prefer nn that end -ee sounding, what about Eleanor nn Ellie?
I may be biased but I love Rosalie. We have a Rose. We have yet to come across another Rose. My pick would’ve been to name her Rosalie, as you have many more Nickname potentials but my husband preferred Rose.
I really like Violetta. What about Julietta? You wouldn’t get the mispronounciation. You still have Juliet, Jules, Etta.
What about Otilia or Otillie or Otelia? Nickname Tilly? I came across this name a couple years ago, a little girl was named after her grandma. It was surprising and elegant and sweet at the same time. She went by Tilly. It definitely isn’t a popular name and yet it still gives you a nn with -ee sound. You could also pull out several other nn as well if you wanted.
Good luck and keep us posted.
I was going to suggest Meredith, as someone else did above. It happens to be my own name, and I think it fits a lot of the parameters you want. I have never really gone by a nickname, but some people call me Mer, others have also used Meri. I very, very seldom meet another Meredith, let alone a child named Meredith.
Another one that came to mind is Calliope, with Calli/Callie as a nickname.
Miriel, Mariel, Miriam all spring to mind for the Miri/Mari/Mira type of nickname. All are so pretty and classic, yet not overly popular.
What about Georgianna or Georgina, with Georgie for short?
Mariel is a favorite of mine. Meredith and Miriam are so elegant.
Mirah is the name of a musician I have loved for ages. I pronounce it as “Meer-ah” and I think it’s a great fit for you. I like Mimi as a possible nickname or maybe Irie (which has a great meaning and I’ve never heard it used as a nickname before).
Lenora is lovely. Have you considered Eleanora? Might be too close to Eleanor, which may be too popular for you, but also opens the door for other nicknames like Ellie, Ella, Elle, Nell, etc. I love Swistle’s suggestion of Linnea..I would perhaps use Nea as a nickname there.
If you like Violetta, I wonder if you would like Viola?
Other suggestions:
Louisa, nickname Lulu
Isadora, nickname Izzy
Helena, nickname Lena
Aurelia or Aurora, nickname Auri or Rory
Cassandra, nickname Cassie
Came here to suggest Nea (nay-a) as a nickname for Linnea too. My 2 year old son has a girl named Linnea in his daycare class and he calls her Nea. I’m not sure if it’s a nickname that her parents use, or if he started it on his own, but either way it’s really cute.
My daughter is a Linnea, and we had imagined calling her “Linnie”. But… So many little kids (without prompting) call her Nea (including her brother)! It stuck and we think it’s cute.
Yes, we love Mirah too which is where we got the name idea from, and why we wanted to spell it with an h. We even chose a Mirah song as our first wedding dance!
We considered Linnea but I don’t like Nea that much as a nn.
-Julia “Phl@th”
I know a Muriel, nickname Muri…might be a name to consider. best wishes!
I agree with Swistle that perhaps your focus on popularity could be relaxed a little and it might help you to find the right name. I actually really like Lenora for you, have you considered it with the nickname spelled Leni? That seems more feminine to me than Lennie. Or what about Elenora nn Ellie?
From your list, I also LOVE Rosalie, and think it’s so charming that it’s a less common version of all the Rose names. Plus I think Rose is quite common as a middle name but actually pretty rare as a first name. And if you want Mirah/Mira, maybe it could be a nickname for Almira/Almyra.
A few others you might like:
Antonia nn Toni or Annie
Carlotta nn Lottie or Carrie or Carly
Cassandra nn Cassie or Sandy
Dorothy nn Dottie or Dotsy
Georgianna / Georgina nn Georgie or Georgia or Gina or Gianna
Jessamine nn Jessa or Mina
Lorena nn Lori or Rena
Matilda nn Mattie or Tillie
Mariella nn Marie or Ella
Lorelei nn Rory or Lori or Rylie/Riley
Rowena (not sure about a good nickname though!)\
Wilhelmina nn Mina
I agree with all of this. I was going to suggest Leni and Mina as well, and also Dory as a nn for Dorothy and GiGi as a nn for Georgina and Minnie as a nn for Wilhelmina/Mina.
A few others:
Marjorie nn Maggie or Peggy
Suzette nn Susie or Etta
Deidre or Diana nn DeeDee
Jillian nn Jill(y)
Melinda, Melina or Melanie nn Mellie
June nn Junie
Jocelyn nn Josie
Edith nn Edie
Elaine nn Lainey
Theresa nn Tessie
Gwendolyn nn Wendy
Also, you might consider a name that is already an -ee name as the full name:
Poppy
Sadie
Betsy
Tansy
Maisie
Hallie
One other thought: you could spell it Leonora and call her Leonie as a nn, or even Lana as a nn.
I like this final thought–Leonora. My great aunt was named this back in the day, so it’s got a little history to it. Sounds pretty and Leonie as a nickname is cute as well. This is my vote for sure.
I love Lenora, and I’d use Lena as a nickname but Nora is also sweet. Just so elegant.
Lorelei and Suzanna are great reccendations. I like Suki better than Suzie.
There are so many long girls names. I’m partial to Evangeline with Evie, Evan, or Linnie as nicknames. Victoria mm Tori or Beatrice nn Bea or Trix. Neither are popular but both are familiar and easy to spell
I would also advise you not let the popularity of a name or related names have so much sway in your decision. It seems to be stopping you from using names that draw you otherwise and would probably work just fine. And just to use to two examples Swistle mentioned, I’ve encountered only one Nora (now a teen) and one Rose (now 10) among my kids’ peers. My teenage son has a name that was in the top 30 when he was born and has spent some time in the #1 slot since, but he’s rarely encountered another one in his classes.
I liked the idea of using Mira(h) for a nickname for Miriam or Miranda. I also read a book series with a character named Mira, short for Miracle, but that might not be your style. Good luck!
Oh, I just noticed Miranda was on the vetoed list. Maybe Mireille? I have friends who named their toddler daughter that, though I often forget how it’s pronounced as they call her Mimi most of the time.
Mireille is a lovely French name. Meer-ay.
Have you thought about Genevieve nn Gigi? You could also use Vivi if you decide it’s not too popular, or Vieve (pronounced Veeve). I’d also suggest Marion nn Minnie or Mimi.
I imagine you’re pronouncing Mirah as “mee-ra” – that’s how my friend’s mother pronounces it, and how I would pronounce it.
Honestly, I’d just go with what you like best and try not to worry so much about the popularity of the nickname. Lenora is lovely as is Mira(h). I wonder if you wouldn’t like Dorothy (Dottie) or a Francesca (Frannie, Frankie, Francie).
I think you should go with Lenora, and trust that nicknames will work themselves out. Lena is elegant and sweet, and you could play with sound combinations for a nickname: Lira, Lela, Nina, Nona, Nola—not because it’s intuitive in writing, but because it happens, when little ones are learning to say their own names, or when you’re repeating sounds, that something “sticks” or feels right.
Here are a few other suggestions that might work:
Cecily (Ceci)
Valeria (Val, Vivi, Ria)
Junia (Junie, JJ, Nia)
Susanna (Suzy, Sanne)
Colette or Cosette
Marianne (Mari, Mimi)
Rosanna (Sanna)
Greta for Margaret
Julienne, Juliana, Julia
Monica (Mimi)
Oh! Or Theodora, one of my favorites. Thea, Theo, Teddy, Dora, Dottie, Dorrie
Reread about boys’ names. So not so much Theo or Teddie. But, Thea (Thee-a or Thay-a are valid pronunciations) and Dora and Dottie and Dorrie are all very cute, and transition well as she gets older.
We have very similar naming preferences from what I read above! We named our daughter Meara (pronounced MEE-ra), and Fiona was our second choice (with Felicity in there as an option as well). I have had a few people say they know other Miras but have not yet met any a few years in. Before they see the spelling they usually ask if my husband is Jewish or Indian, thinking the name is Mira not Meara (the Irish girl’s name). We picked the name thinking that there wouldn’t be any nn options (as we don’t like nicknames), but have found that our daycare providers at two different centers have casually used “Mimi”, which I can’t stand. There is a Mia and Mila in her daycare classroom, which does make it sound a little less common. But, its nice that people can pronounce it and understand what we are saying when introducing her. What about the name Amira, with the nn Mira? I don’t have the SS rankings in front of me but it may be less popular. Others we considered were Lydia, Cora, Dessa, Cecilia, Dalia/Dahlia, Audra, Leona. Maybe Swistle’s response to my naming questions will help. Look up baby girl C00ke-meara in the archives, and the post before that where we discuss Mira/Meara pronunciation.
My parents are actually named Lenora and Leonard (and neither are 60). My mom has always gone by Lynn as a nickname for Lenora, which is another option for you.
I like Lenora! I think the nickname Leni (spelled that way) is very girly. Agree with previous poster who said that kids often come up with their own nicknames. I’ve shared this before, but my 2 year old Katerina has called herself Nina ever since she was old enough to talk. It’s not a name I ever would have chosen, but it’s so sweet on her.
We have very similar naming preferences from what I read above! We named our daughter Meara (pronounced MEE-ra), and Fiona was our second choice (with Felicity in there as an option as well). I have had a few people say they know other Miras but have not yet met any a few years in. Before they see the spelling they usually ask if my husband is Jewish or Indian, thinking the name is Mira not Meara (the Irish girl’s name). We picked the name thinking that there wouldn’t be any nn options (as we don’t like nicknames), but have found that our daycare providers at two different centers have casually used “Mimi”, which I can’t stand. There is a Mia and Mila in her daycare classrooom, which does make it sound a little less common. But, its nice that people can pronounce it and understand what we are saying when introducing her. What about the name Amira, with the nn Mira? I don’t have the SS rankings in front of me but it may be less popular. Others we considered were Lydia, Cora, Dessa, Cecilia, Dalia/Dahlia, Audra, Leona. Maybe this will give you more ideas: https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2013/04/04/baby-girl-c00ke-meara/
Wow that’s crazy how similar our name preferences are! I also like Leona, Lydia (husband vetoed) and Dahlia (though I don’t like nn Dolly). I think it’s cool you chose to use the Irish spelling for this. Thanks for sharing your post, it was helpful to read through.
What about Juniper with the nickname June or Junie?
A comment on Rose and her variations. My Rose is 10 and in 5th grade. Her name was mid 300s when we picked it. Never had another Rose in her class ever…until this year she is in a 5th-6th grade split class and there is a Rosa and a Rosalyn in the 6th grade. Rosalyn goes by Rosie, so there is now Rose, Rosa and Rosie in the same class! My name-nerd nightmare! ;) But my daughter is actually ok with it, even though she’s not always sure who the teacher is calling on at times. And I still really love her name and I’m really glad we picked it. So the conclusion would be that I agree that you should pick a name you love and it likely won’t be a huge deal if she does have to share her name with a classmate or two over the years.
Since you appear to like ‘M’ names, I was going to suggest ” Marianne”. Although I see it has already been mentioned I will add to that with the nickname suggestion of “Emmy”, a play on the initial ‘M’. Of course, this could apply to any name starting with ‘m’!
I also see that Cassandra has been recommended. If you spell it with the original Greek ‘k’, then you have ‘Kasey’ as a nickname option, again, a play on the first initial.
Three as yet unmentioned names I can suggest are:
‘Stephanie’ (Steffie) Natalie (lee or nattie) and ‘Alison’ (Ali).
PS ‘Leonore ‘ is a variant spelling option?
Best wishes, and please send an update once she arrives!
What about Cecelia (nn Celia)?
What about Edith (nn Edie)?
Or Helena (pronounced Hel-AY-na) could be nn Laney or Lena (LAY-na).
I’d like to cast a vote for Leonora nicked Leni. The nn comes off as feminine to me and reminds me of Eleni (Greek girls name). Nori is also a great option.
I wonder if you’d like the name Kiera/Keira/Kyra. I know someone with that latter spelling who goes by the full but Kiki or Ree could be cute options for home.
I love Miranda with the nickname Mirah or Mira. I do think you’ll run into pronunciations questions a lot more with MIrah than MIra. Congratulations!
From your list I like Lenore and dont think you’ll need a nickname since its just 2 syllables. Super unique. I read Mirah as Myra which I love. Both Myra and Mira are great and don’t feel popular, but I would go with those spellings and dont think a nickname would feel needed.
New ideas from your preferences:
Matilda, nn Tillie
Josephine, nn Josie
Penelope, nn Penny
Ideas based on names you like:
Alma
Zelda
Margot
Susanna/Susannah with the nickname Sunny is adorable!
Cecelia nn CeCe?
I have a niece named Lenora; it’s such a sweet name! She is frequently called Len or Lenny, which I think are very spunky nicknames. All the names on your list are great, and I love the suggestion of Miriam nn Mira. I also like Genevieve nn Ginny, Cordelia nn Cordie or Evangeline nn Evie.
I have to chime in here because I have a daughter named Miriam (age 12) and we’ve never met another one. I don’t like nicknames for my kids so she goes by Miriam but Mira would work beautifully.
I actually think, though, that you should stick with Lenora since you love it. It is totally underused, lovely, and ageless. The nickname Norie is adorable.
If I did nicknames I would have named one of my girls Magnolia–just to get to Nolie. I love that nickname.
A word on nicknames: as a parent you really do control the nicknames until your kids are older. I have an Emeline and was so worried that people would try to call her Emma or Emmy, but I’ve always introduced her as Emeline and it has never been a problem (she’s 9). I have a Harriet and she’s never been called anything but Harriet. Then along comes lucky #7, Clover, and we all call her Clovie or Clover Leaf, or just Leafy. She’s only one so maybe she’ll revert to Clover as she ages. I just can’t be firm that she’s just Clover when Clovie is so darn adorable. :) Since I call her Clovie, the rest of the family feels free to do the same. If you like a certain nickname–Norie–that will be the nickname she goes by, not Lenny. At least until she’s in high school. My brother, Ethan, became Puma when he hit high school. Some things you can’t control or predict.
I’m with Swistle – it sounds like you’re overthinking it. My daughter is in third grade, and i think there are maybe 10 overlaps in her entire social circle, including her younger sister’s kindergarten and preschool friends. There are three Zoe’s, 4 if you count preschool, but I’m not sure that Zoe is even in the top 25, much less 10. And the most prevalent boys name in their crowd is Hudson, which is on trend, but certainly not Jacob-like in popularity. They introduced 40 new students by name at an assembly at the beginning of the year. There wasn’t a single duplicate among them.
In the long run, you have so little control over what other people decide to name their kids that it’s not worth losing names that please your ear. You may very well end up with the only Nora in the school, or you may end up with a nickname you never anticipated.
Seconding Wilhelmina (nn Minnie) or Clementine (nn Clemmie). How popular is Penelope/Penny?
What about
Mirella (nn. Mira or Mirah)
Noralie (nn. Nora of Nori)
Norabell – Norabella – Norabelle (nn. Nora, Nori or Bell, Belle, Bella)
Norlia – Norliah (nn. Nora, Nori)
Alinora (nn. Allie or Nori)
Honora (nn. Nori) I don’t like nn. Honey of Honni
I think you are on track with your name Lenora. Unique and pretty. I think Lena is a girly nickname that works well. Popularity is so hard. My daughter name was chosen to be unique and she has 3 Ainsley’s in kindergarten at her school. The nice thing about having a longer name and a nickname is that you can choose what name you use in different settings. So let’s say there is another Nora in her class then she goes by Lenora.
Some other names I feel match your style are
Arletta Rose. Letty
Gwendolyn or Gwyneth
Karina
Ivaleen. Iva.
Rosalyn
Lynelle
Cynthia
Cordelia
Maelle
Marlowe. Marly
Vivianne. Via
OH I love Arletta. I’ve never heard it before but it’s very feminine and I love the nn Lettie.
I just wanted to add another voice saying to ignore popularity beyond the top 10. Both of my boys have unusual names (family names not even in the top 1000), and I think because they are unusual we get more comments on their names (“Oh, I know someone else with that unusual name…”) than we would if they had more common names. While we personally haven’t met anyone else with either of their names, we do get comments on their names at least once a week. (Since they were named for family members, this “popularity” doesn’t bother me at all.) And honestly, I think so many people are going for “unique” names that the “unique” names no longer seem very unique.
I’m not sure of the pronunciation of “Mirah.” People mispronouncing my child’s name would drive me far more nutty than hearing of others with the same name. I also value my kids’ names being easy to spell/understand. You don’t want to constantly have to spell/explain your kiddos’ name.
Good luck!!
Lots of good ideas here! A few more:
Kathleen or Katherine nn Katie
Beatrix nn trixie
Mariel nn mary or ellie
Margaret nn Maggie
Carolyn or Caroline or Carolina nn Carrie
Names everyone knows, but not super popular
What about Ivy or Lily?
There has to be a name you have loved since childhood, right? A name that as soon as you heard it, you thought, “Wow. I love that. I wish that were my name.” I would throw all the popularity statistics out the window – I know, it’s hard! – and just get as still as possible and try to think what names, over the years, have really and truly struck a chord with you. If this is your first and only daughter, you want to choose a name that resonates with you, not one you picked mainly because it was #391 on the Social Security Administration list. Whatever you choose, it will work, because it’ll be “her,” HER name, and you’ll be too busy and overjoyed to even think about name statistics when she finally arrives.
Oh and if she is born next month, the birth flower for February is Violet…perhaps a sign? :)
I’ll throw my own name in the ring: Cameo. I was often called Camie as a child. I still don’t know anyone else with my name but have never felt like it was hard for others to catch onto. I love it and have never understood why it’s so rare (though I like that it is!)
Thanks for everyone’s comments! It was helpful to read about how the h confuses the pronunciation in Mirah, so we are currently leaning toward Mira without an h. We have less than a month before the baby arrives, so we will be sure to update you then!
Also wanted to point out that I’m not trying to avoid a popular name because of what other people will think about the name, but more because I liked not having a common name growing up and want to share that experience with my child.
This also just prompted to me to look up the popularity of my own name, Julia – and I see that my name has ranked consistently in the top 90-30 since I was born, yet it doesn’t feel that common to me, so I guess that’s good to know.
Congratulations, great choice, thankyou for the update!