Dear Swistle,
We are expecting our third (and last) child, a girl, in early July. We have two other girls who are older (there will be a 4 and 5 year gap) and about a year apart. They are Annabel Quinn and Lucy Colleen. Last name is Stuart spelled the other way.
With our first we quickly agreed on Annabel during pregnancy, and with #2 I was so sure that we were having a boy that I didn’t worry about girl names (baby boy would have been Asher, my husband’s pick, all three times). When #2 came I didn’t have time to stress and obsess over a name but I remember looking at her and being so certain that she was not a “Lila” (our top girl pick) but 100% a Lucy. The name suits her so perfectly it feels like a miracle that I was able to pick it out just minutes after giving birth. No name on our list feels like “the one” and I’m afraid #3 and whatever miracle happened with Lucy will not happen and I won’t know what her name should be.
This pregnancy also represents the first time we’ve found out the sex ahead of time. With this being our last baby I only wanted to imagine what he or she was and not imagine both possibilities for 9 months. However, coming up with another girl name has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I also think my anxiety about the natural imbalance of having three children is coming out in our naming process. I don’t want 2 names to have one trait that the other doesn’t have and thus someone is “left out”. (As if I can fix all future sibling problems by just picking the right name.) While I understand this is (a bit) irrational I’m afraid my crazy pregnant brain is making this choice carry way more weight than it should but I can’t seem to make myself stop overanalyzing. (Note, my husband has zero of these concerns and is mostly saying yes or no to my name ideas while letting me spin my wheels on all the implications of each name).
With all of that said, I am trying not to have too many “rules” about this name. The two most important are:
1) Can’t end with “s” sound because the sound gets lost with our last name.
2) Must be a new initial. No “A” or “L” names.
This is not a rule but I would prefer that the name also have a distinct sound from the two we’ve already named (especially the ending). This is hardest with Lucy as a lot of names I like end in Y.
To make things even more difficult we want the middle name to be Emily or Lee (All the middles are honor names and while I prefer Emily because that was her name, she was called Lee by everyone and my husband doesn’t care between the two). This middle has been somewhat difficult to work with. One name I love, Ivy, sounds awkward with Emily and Lee (Ivy Lee makes me think of Ivy League).
Names I love that husband has vetoed:
Violet – My favorite. This would be THE name but my husband hates it.
Tessa
Isla
Cora (Nora is also off the table as it is the name of a close cousin of the girls)
Mila
Matilda
Celia
Names my husband loves that I have vetoed:
Felicity
Names on our list:
Rosemary (Lee) – I worry that this is too old or too much of a name. (And Lucy’s name would seem so short in comparison to the other two names). We would use Rose but it sounds like Ro Stuart. This name is my husband’s favorite. She would probably be called Rosie.
Eliza (Emily/Lee) – Sometimes I love this name and sometimes I’m not sure because with the long E it feels a little hard to say. I love the spunkyness and the character history (Eliza Bennett, Eliza Doolittle).
Hazel (Emily) – I love the sound and that it goes well with Emily. I am not afraid of popularity but I don’t want something trendy and I think that comes with quick rises and falls of names. I am afraid this name is rising too fast (apparently due to a popular book).
Poppy – not sure if this works with Emily or Lee. Don’t love that it ends in Y like Lucy. Love that it reminds me of my home state of California. It’s very rare in the US and that worries me a little. Although my husband likes the name a lot he jokes that it sounds like “Papi”.
Emily as a first name – Again, I am not afraid of popularity but it seems like if there was going to be something close to a “Jennifer” of the last few decades this would be it. I am not sure if that would drive me (or this child) crazy. We know a lot of Emily’s.
Names ending in “A” seem to work best and it seems like there should be a lot of them and yet I swear I have looked at them all and nothing stands out. Perhaps I need to be pointed in the direction of names I’ve already seen but have overlooked or perhaps I just need reassurance that the list we already have is full of great names and my concerns are silly. This process is making me neurotic and I really want an objective third party opinion. Please help a crazy pregnant lady out.
—
Rebecca
I know just what you mean about pregnancy-based over-analyzing, as I am/was a similar type. And so I don’t expect my words to carry much weight here, because I remember how words such as these bounced off of me when I was in your shoes. But I will say them anyway: most of the “two names share a trait, so the third name would be left out” concerns just VANISH after the baby is named. For example, three of my boys have the same number of syllables in their names; the fourth has a different number of syllables. This made me feel batty during pregnancy, but thinking about it at this point I had to think carefully about which name it was that was different, and why was it different: it hasn’t crossed my mind since, except as an example of how things that matter very much during the naming process can turn out to matter very little later on. Nor has this child come to me and said, “Mother, the number of syllables in my name makes me feel different from my brothers. Did you…love me less?”
I do think it’s nice, when possible, to avoid STARTLING differences. For example, if you went for Annabel and Lucy for your first two daughters and then wanted to name your third daughter Christopher, I would caution you to take sibling-name coordination into consideration for the sake of everyone involved. But if we are talking about two names ending in the same letter or starting with the same letter or having the same number of syllables, my experience (and current lack of pregnancy) has left me mercifully relaxed.
One exercise I’ve found useful is to think about other sibling groups I know, and consider whether I’ve ever noticed similar issues. For example, let’s say a friend of yours has kids named Aidan, Emerson, and Alex, and you’ve never noticed until now that two are A names and one is not, or that two are -n names and one is not, or that two are 2-syllable names and one is not. If you HAVE noticed, and always DO notice, then I take back what I said about pregnancy hormones and I think we should really work hard to find a name that is equally different from the other two.
Well. In any case, you will find me more than willing to play name-puzzle games: I may be in favor of letting such things go, but they’re still FUN. That is, as long as they ARE still fun: when they start getting stressful, let’s stop. For now, we are looking for a name that does not start with A or L, does not end in -s or -l or -y, does not seem a lot longer or shorter than Annabel or Lucy, does not share dominant sounds with Annabel or Lucy, and goes well with the middle name Emily or Lee. First let’s consider the names on your list.
1. Rosemary. Annabel, Lucy, and Rosemary. I think these go together just fine, and that the name Rosemary is neither too old nor too much. I am not worried about Lucy having a shorter name, particularly if Rosemary will go by Rosie. One thing you could say is that Annabel and Rosemary are both longer names, and Lucy and Rosemary both end in -y. Play UP the similarities, instead of playing them down.
2. Eliza. Annabel, Lucy, and Eliza. One of my own top favorite names, so I am rooting for this one. I love it with the sister names; I love it with your surname. It meets every single preference. If you said, “Swistle, please choose the name for the baby,” this is the name I would choose.
3. Hazel. Annabel, Lucy, and Hazel. I think this another good grouping, but I am still dazzled by Eliza. Also, this would give you two -el names (I don’t think this matters, but it does if we are solving this like a puzzle).
4. Poppy. Annabel, Lucy, and Poppy. Poppy feels lightweight to me. I wish it were the nickname for something weightier. Maybe Philippa?
5. Emily. Annabel, Lucy, and Emily. I love the name Emily, but/and I see the issue you mention of it being quite popular for quite a long time. It doesn’t feel dated to me, but it does feel like it has lost some freshness.
6. Ivy. Annabel, Lucy, and Ivy. It’s not officially on the list, but I’m putting it there in case it belongs there. I think Ivy Emily is pretty fun to say. I agree it wouldn’t be my first pick on sound/rhythm alone, but considering how important it is to use Emily/Lee, I think it works perfectly well enough to use, and not in a displeasing way at all. And I love Ivy with Annabel and Lucy.
Now let’s add to the list.
1. Eloise. I think of this name when I see the name Eliza, because the sounds are so similar. Eloise Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Eloise.
2. Daisy. This came to mind after seeing Rosemary, Hazel, Eliza, Violet, and Poppy: the Z sound of the first three, the nature sound of all but Eliza. It does end in -Y, but I don’t think of that as a problem except for the purposes of playing this like a game. Daisy Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Daisy.
3. Flora. Another nature-theme possibility, similar to Cora. Flora Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Flora.
4. Clara. I just love it with the surname and the sibling names, and it meets all the preferences. Clara Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Clara.
5. Fiona. Another I love with the surname and sibling names, and it meets all the preferences. Fiona Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Fiona.
6. Pearl. Pearl Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Pearl. Ends in -l, but the -rl blend makes it seem quite different than Annabel’s -el. I like the descending number of syllables: 3, 2, 1.
7. Georgia. Georgia Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Georgia. I heard this name on a little girl at the mall and was practically knocked over by how adorable it was.
8. Simone. Simone Stuart; Annabel, Lucy, and Simone. I don’t know why; I just thought of it and liked it.
Name update:
Hi Swistle!
After reading your response and the many comments we pretty much went into labor with Rose (yes just Rose) and Eliza as the solid frontrunners! I liked the simplicity of Rose vs. Rosemary and the comments overwhelming said they thought it would be fine with our last name. When we met her she was such a peanut (smaller than our other two), and the name Rose just seemed to suit her best. So Rose Emily, called Rosie it is.
The feedback provided was so valuable in clearing my head. Eliza was and still is my favorite name but just didn’t seem like the right name for her. Rose was my husbands clear favorite and I don’t mind at all that we ended with his favorite over mine. Thank you again!
~Rebecca, Aaron, Annabel, Lucy & Rose
Rosemary, Eliza, Flora, Clara, and Georgia all seem 100% perfect to me.
Rosemary’s my favorite, but I notice that Eliza has the same long-I-sound as Lila, a name you loved the last go-round.
Love ALL of these names; you really can’t go wrong here!
I will say, out of all choices, Rosemary is probably my least favorite. It WORKS, especially the Rosemary/Annabel and Rosie/Lucy, but I think there are better choices here. That being said, if your husband loves it, and you like it, and you picked the last name and are picking this baby’s middle name, then Rosemary might be nice for him. Then again, if it’s really NOT the name for you, then don’t use it just because of that!
My favorites are probably Hazel, Fiona, and Clara. I particularly think Clara was “made” for your sibling set!
My husband does love Rosemary which is why I would lean towards it (also one of my daughters has suggested Rosie). I think we co-picked the first kid’s name, I picked the second one. The middle name of this one is actually my husband’s grandmother but we both feel strongly about using it.
I really like Fiona but husband isn’t a fan. A lot of people in this thread suggested Clara and I wish I had put in the letter why we weren’t considering it. It does seem like a perfect name and I even considered it for Annabel. However, the girls’ close grandmother calls them Annabel and Lucy-bel and Lucy even refers to herself this way a lot of the time. I just can’t with Clarabelle (a nickname I am sure would happen). Some associations are too much to overcome :)
Scarlett, similar sound to Violet, and Juliet were the first names that came to mind.
Love Clara and Eloise! What about Rosamund or even Rosa? Annabel, Lucy and Rosa. So sweet!
Good luck!
If you love Ivy and Violet, I would suggest Isla or Eliza from your list. Perhaps you might like other names with a strong /i/ sound in the middle? Maybe Caroline or Evangeline with a long “i’ sound? I’ve heard of people changing the pronunciation of Viola (vi-o-la) to (Vi-la). Maybe your husband would like that better? My niece is named Violet and at 2 years old, in her attempt to say her own name she calls herself Vi Vi. It’s so charming, and I wasn’t a fan of the nickname Vi when she was born.
Also, Penelope could have the nn Poppy
Daisy as a nickname for Margaret!
Another vote for this! I was just coming to add it. Plus, Margaret meets the other 2 requirements. Doesn’t start with A or L and has a different ending.
all the ones you picked sound good. other ideas:
Charlotte
Irene
Faith (you didn’t like felicity but this has the same first initial and is also a virtue-type name)
Harriet, Georgina, Philippa (Pippa), Miranda (Andie) or Hannah.
Elizabeth or Eliza with the nickname Birdie is adorable!
Margaret nn Mattie or Sarah nn Sadie.
: – )
Eliza! It’s perfect!
I love Rosemary and wish it was used more. If you like Lee as a middle, would you like Rosalie?
Love them all. I don’t think you can go wrong!
I love Eliza from your list, and Clara and Fiona from Swistle’s. Say all of them with the middle name Lee. They sound so fun! Obvious bonus (already been mentioned): they all have different initials and endings from Annabel and Lucy.
I was going to say exactly this!
I actually know somebody with the name Rose Stuart (spelled the other way)! It’s her married name, not her maiden name, so she apparently liked the combination enough to choose it for herself. (She is not the sort of person who would necessarily feel obligated to take her husband’s surname.) It never occurred to me that her name runs together slightly, and I absolutely notice those kinds of things. Like Lucy, Rose is one of the great understated classic revival names, and Rosie is beyond adorable on a baby.
I love Eliza and Georgia and nearly all of the names on your list, so you can’t go wrong here. From the desperation at the beginning of your letter I thought you were perhaps going to have zero good ideas on your list, but in fact you have nearly a dozen. You will definitely be able to match exactly the right name to this baby, I have no doubt about it.
Also, you already have solid sibling coordination with honor middle names, so that issue is solved from the get-go. Good luck with your pregnancy and enjoy that new baby!
I’m pulling for Eliza, but I also like Harriet with your family. It has a similar ending to Violet, that you love, and she would have her own unique ending. Plus Annabel, Lucy, and Hattie is just adorable!
I LOVE the nickname Hattie. Love it. My husband seems a bit “meh” about Harriett which I suggested after reading all of these responses. We’ll see if it grows on him in the next month. I wish there were more clear ways to get to Hattie because I think it’s so cute but probably wouldn’t use it on its own. :)
I love Eliza Emily and Ivy Emily. I think they both sound lovely and fun, names I’d like to have myself.
I have similiar feelings about girls’ names that end in “A.” I love them on other kids, but for some reason, they really haven’t stuck out to me when I’ve been naming my kids. Your list of names is very similar to mine!
Here are a couple of others:
Evelyn
Emmeline (I like rhythm of this one, three-syllables, plus the “line” sound at the end of the name. Plus, maybe a way to get “Emily” in the first name slot with a little variation.)
I like Irene that another poster offered.
I would add Simona to the Simone that swistle suggested. Simona Emily Stuart
I would also add Miriam to the list (Miriam Emily Stuart, or Miri Stuart, Annabel, Lucy, Miriam)
This suggestion is so funny to me because my father in law has had a long standing deal that he will pay $5000 cash to any of his kids who name their daughter Miriam. He has 5 kids. This will be granddaughter #6 and so far no Miriams. I like the name but my husband is not a fan unfortunately (or else I guess we would already be $5000 richer). :)
I love the name, it was on the list for my second (and final) kid who also ended up to be son.
I love the name Miriam, nickname Miri. Tell your father-in-law that I will do it!
Rosemary is my top pick. I like what Swistle said about it having some similarities with each of the sister names, but it’s also a long-time favorite of mine.
I don’t care for Eliza with the middles, but I might dismiss it too easily because it’s always sounded incomplete to me.
Hazel would be my second choice, and as I notice you like somewhat off the beaten track botanical names, can I add Clementine to the list, or maybe Fern?
Also, I’ll throw Susannah into the mix, as it seems to fit.
Of your choices, I like Rosemary. I will throw out Francesca and Evanna.
What about Mira/Meara?
Mira Emily Stuart
Meara Lee Stuart
I love it!
Oh man, your names are so my style, I love them!
I know a baby Rosie right now and it is JUST SO CHARMING. I also *love* Eliza from your list, and Clara from Swistle’s.
I’m with Swistle too, that none of these seem to have “dealbreaker” issues from my side – and I’m another currently pregnant neurotic-about-names woman at the moment :)
Thank you! I think I just needed some reassurance from neutral third parties and I’ve definitely gotten it on this thread. My favorites after reading through are definitely Rose and Eliza. I am waiting and hoping she will come out and clearly be one of those. :)
So many great names here. I also have two girls – including one named Annabel. From your list, I love Rosemary. The nicknames Rose or Rosie are so sweet. We actually almost named our second daughter Rose! I definitely don’t think it’s a problem with your last name. Totally rooting for this one for you!
However, I’ll also suggest my other daughter’s name, because it fits all of your criteria, sounds great with your last name and in the sibling set, and is just lovely (if I do say so myself!) — Mae. Each girl would get their own initial, a unique ending sound, and a different number of syllables. Perfect, right? :)
Thank you for all the nice comments! I think I just needed to hear from people that these are not awful choices. I was so nervous sending this letter in…it felt like I was exposing a part of myself. Haha.
Other names suggested here on the “already nixed by husband list”. (I totally forgot some).
Flora, Mira, Irene
I might have to add Rose back on the list! Maybe the “s” problem isn’t so bad.
I thought of Clara when we were naming Annabel but we both just loved Annabel so much it got pushed aside. It’s not a contender now because my mother-in-law calls the girls Annabel and Lucybel (And 4 year old Lucy actually calls herself Lucybel when people ask her name). I am not a fan of Clarabel (the inevitable nickname). Just can’t get over the cow association.
You have so many great choices, I think you’re letting yourself get bogged down in stuff that doesn’t really matter. Rose Stuart sounds fine to me — Rose is a very familiar name and I don’t see it being mistaken for Ro, a non-name. I might advise against Ivy if Lee were the last name, but she’ll hardly ever be called by her first +middle, and there’s nothing bad about “Ivy League” anyway. I’m not sure what you mean about Eliza having a long E — I pronounce it something like “ih LY zuh or eh LY zuh”, never ee LY zuh. Is it supposed to be ee LY zuh?
Of the names on your shortlist, I like Hazel and Rose best, and I like Poppy as a nickname for Penelope. I like Penelope A LOT with Annabel and Lucy, and I like that all the names will have an L in them, yet they’ll have a different numbers of syllables. I actually like Rosemary quite a bit, but not so much with this sibset. Emily is a fine upstanding name, but I do agree that it sounds a little less than fresh next to Lucy and Annabel.
Other suggestions: Beatrice/Beatrix, Sadie, Stella, Eleanor-called-Eleanor (rather than Nora or Ellie), Naomi, Lydia, Julia, and Daphne (yes, I’m including Daphne because it’s my daughter’s name. It’s still a great name :P). I know someone with a daughter Annabelle, and her sister’s name is Juliet, which I think goes well with your daughters, too.
From your own list, I’m loving Rosemary and Eliza (also one of my top-favorite names that I will most likely be unable to use). However, on Swistle’s list, Georgia struck me as amazing and perfect for this sib set, and it meets all your criteria.
Camille or Camilla popped into my head for sounding nice with Annabel and Lucy:
Annabel, Lucy, & Camille.
Or Caroline:
Annabel, Lucy, & Caroline
Annabel Quinn, Lucy Colleen and baby sister:
Vivian Rose
Grace Rosemary
Celia Lee
Phoebe Rose
Beatrix Lee
Olivia Emily
Personally, I like Rosemary best for you. I love that it’s longer like Annabel and ends in Y like Lucy, like she’s getting 2 things in common with each big sister, right off the bat! If Rosemary isn’t quite right, then perhaps Rosa? Or would Rosalie work as a nod to your Emily/Lee namesake? If so, that’d leave you open to picking another middle name.
Eliza is my 2nd runner up-I agree with everything Swistle said about it.
Violet makes me want to find something similar for you. Viola? Vivian? Or perhaps another purple/floral name? In that case, I love Iris for you. Annabel, Lucy & Iris-oh this sister-set is swoon worthy.
Nora & Cora are off the table, but what about Clara? Annbel, Lucy & Clara.
Sylvia—Annbel, Lucy & Sylvia
Cecilia—Annbel, Lucy & Cecilia
Gemma—Annbel, Lucy & Gemma
Eliza or Flora seems perfect to me (I enjoy the alliteration of Eliza Emily, even though I am not normally an alliteration person, and Flora Emily or Flora Lee works nicely). My suggestion (as suggested a couple times already) is Rosalie, which already incorporates the Lee honour name, so you could go wild with the middle name! I know it ends in the same sound as Lucy, but I think it goes SO nicely and the matching endings don’t bother me at all (and I AM one of those people who notices when 2 of 3 siblings have -en names and the third doesn’t).
Annabel, Lucy, and Rosalie
Annabel, Lucy, and Eliza
Annabel, Lucy, and Flora
All amazing choices!
My fav of your list is Violet (I really think this is an amazing name and works with tying both older sister name styles together). Next I like Eliza and lastly I like Hazel.
If your husband can’t see how perfect Violet is!!! Maybe Vivian Emily Stuart !? Other ideas.
Emalyn Lee
Maelle Emily
Roslyn Emily
Eliza Emily and Eliza Lee both sound great! Rose Emily and Clara Lee are also very nice with your last name.
I seem to have gotten the idea that you like the letter l, and that feels like a potential connection between your daughter’s names that might help even out differences. With that in mind, do Rosalind or Rosalyn feel like more of a match to you?
I like a lot of the suggestions here–a few that I didn’t notice being mentioned above are Vera Elise and Florence.
I haven’t read all the comments, but I just wanted to stop and say that I think Clara is PERFECT. I love it so much with both sisters, and it makes the best sibset. Clara Emily Stuart or Clara Lee Stuart are both great.
I also liked Fiona and Eloise from Swistle’s suggestions. None of your names were particularly popping out to me, but they would all work, and I like them. I do like Emily with the sisters’ names, but it does feel less fresh and current. Eliza is probably my favorite.
What about Juliet/Julia?
Or Margaret (nickname Maggie)?
Congratulations and good luck!
I have very similar name tastes as you, and my favorite name is Rosalind. So maybe you’d like that? You could still use Rose or Rosie as a nickname. Good luck to you! You’ll find the right one. :)
For some reason the name Martha has been stuck in my head lately, I think it is so cute and would suit all the vintage names of today without being overly popular, Martha Emily or Martha Lee both work and Annabel,Lucy and Martha sound great together.
From your list I love Ivy, From Swistle suggestions I think Pearl is beautiful and rounds off your girls name nicely, Annabel, Lucy & Pearl is perfect!
I love love love Eloise and Clara. Madeleine is a pretty combination here as well, I think. Then everyone has an L in their name!
I had to comment as I have a daughter named Annabel (she’s 8 weeks old and darling–love the name so much!!). My other four daughters are Miriam, Emeline, Harriet, and Clover.
Which leads me to Emeline. I think it might work perfectly for you. It has the honor name built in but isn’t as popular as Emily. Then you could use one of your other favorites in the middle spot. Emeline Rosemary or Emeline Clara. You could use Emmy as a nickname so it would be similar to Lucy.
All the names you have picked out are lovely. Blessings on the rest of your pregnancy.
Love the idea of Emeline as the honor name, then freeing up the middle name spot! Maybe Emeline Ivy! I also love Emilia as another variation!
I like Rosa and Rosalie
Just had to comment on this one as… We have the same last name; I have three girls; I completely and utterly agonised over our youngest’s name. I wish I’d asked for advice here last year!
Also, Swistle’s first suggestion – Eloise – is my middle daughter’s name… Pretty biased on that one :)
Hazel – beautiful. Georgia is too. In fact, I like all your names! Ivy is lovely. Hazel and Rosie are my favourites. Best wishes! Look forward to your update.
I’m glad I’m not the only one! Naming a third girl has been so much harder than I thought it would be. I really love the name Eloise! My husband likes it okay so we’ll see!
Eliza Emily S…t is lovely. I am not a big fan of Rosemary. What about Rosetta instead? Rosetta Lee St…t.
I also really like Hazel.
I like Rosemary Lee. I think Rose Stuart sounds fine. It doesn’t run together when I say it. Plus Rosie and Rosemary don’t run into Stuart, so that makes it fine too.
It’s also sweet that it’s your husband’s favourite name – that would make a sweet story to tell your daughter one day.
I may be biased, since I have a 10 year old Rose. :P We did consider Rosemary for her, especially since my MIL is named Mary. But we went with the shorter version.
I do like Eliza too, but prefer Rosemary.
Rosemary (Lee) – I worry that this is too old or too much of a name. (And Lucy’s name would seem so short in comparison to the other two names). We would use Rose but it sounds like Ro Stuart. This name is my husband’s favorite. She would probably be called Rosie.
I didn’t see Esme. It seemed to work with a lot of your rules.
I love, love, love Hazel and I’m not sure why because its not the type of name I normally love. I did check and it is a 107 for 2014 but it has been in the top 1000 since 1998 so it hasn’t been a shoot to the top rise. A spelling of Annabel is at 57 and Lucy is at 66 so it doesn’t seem like you would have an issue with a name at 107 or so. Hazel Emily Stuart or Hazel Lee Stuart I really like them both. Annabel, Lucy and Hazel. all classic feminine names.
I think the reason that Hazel felt like it was rising fast to me was that it rose 50 places just between 2013 and 2014. I was waiting to see how it did in 2015 the the stats just came out and now it’s #63! Apparently I’m not the only one who likes it :)
I love Eliza for you because of how it starts with the sound that Lucy ends with which gives you Annabel, Lucy and Eliza. Lucy ends with the sound that Annabel ends with and Eliza begins wit the sound that Lucy end with. There’s your connection. I love it so much!
It just occurred to me that with Eliza ending in an A, it brings the whole thing full circle back to Annabel!
Charlotte !
Hmm. Is hubs totally opposed to Matilda? Matilda with the nn of Mila works well. I’m wondering if he just didn’t like the nn Tilly.
Eliza is my favorite from your list.
Sylvie or Sylvia also seem like a nice pairing. I also like Beatrice/Beatrix with the nn Betty or Bix.
Cora is so beautiful and perfect. I wish it worked. I’m on a total Cora-kick right now, though.
Clara is fantastic as is Rosemary. I had a student named Rosie and it is so darling and unexpected. I just love it!
All of the nature names made me think about Marigold. Lucy. Annabel, and Marigold. (maybe Cora made the Downton Abbey connection for me) Seems sweet, vintage, spunky, and strong. Or Edith–Lucy, Annabel, and Edith.
I notice that a lot of the names we’re considering have L in the middle–I think this is a nice subtle tie-in between the sister names: Annabel’s ending, Lucy’s beginning, and baby sister’s in the middle. Given that preference on my part, I would choose Eliza, Eloise, Helen, Claire/Clara, Caroline, Rosalind, or another L-in-the-middle name if it was me.
That said, I do want to add that I love the name Ivy and that to me Ivy Emily has a pleasing little skipping sound to it and is fun to say.
I love the idea of a name with an L and think Caroline is perfect! I also like Clarice and Amelia (which starts with A, but can be adorably shortened to Mia) I wonder if you would find inspiration in a name that has French influences? Bridget, Beatrice, Meredith, Josephine, Elizabeth.
I know I’m late, I hope you get to read this.
I have two daughters, one is Juliet and the other is Rose. I have to say, I am so happy I choose both their names. We get so many positive comments on their names. Juliet, we call Juliet and Rose is often called Rosie. It is so sweet hearing the two older kids call her Rosie. We almost named her Rosalie after suggestions from this group but my husband preferred the simpler Rose. I still think Rosalie is pretty :)
My other favourites:
Stella. I know it starts with an S but I still think it sounds good with your last name. Or you could go with Estelle.
Esme. If we have another girl, this is my top name.
Emilia.
Georgia. So sweet.
Brigitte.
Vivienne.
Vera
Good luck and keep us posted
Rose is my favourite for you! The S in Rose is a Z sound so i think it sounds very separate from your last name. i love the 3-2-1 syllables and that it meets all other criteria. Rose Emily Stuart.
I think you have a lot of great options. My favorites are Hazel, Emily (as a fn), Fiona and Pearl. From the comments I love Gemma and Vivian.
I’ll add Magnolia nn Maggie or Nola, as another botanical that meets all requirements. And Savannah because I like the sound with your ln.
I also want to suggest that if you use Lee as a middle name, you say it out loud with the first name you choose to make sure it really works. Clara Lee Stuart, for example, sounds like Clearly Stuart. While not offensive, it would bother me.
What about Starla or Starlyn?
Belated but I just had to comment to add – what about Eleanor? I think it’s so lovely with the other two names and it has the different initial and ending. Annabel, Lucy and Eleanor.