Hi Swistle,
I need help again!
Most of the “regulars” will recognize my name and know that I am an avid reader of your blog and am also a fellow baby-name-nut!! You and the other readers helped us name our last child AND boy… do we ever need help this time!
This is our fourth, and last, child; we have a Juliet, Oliver, and a Rose. If this babe is a boy, we have a list of names that we both love – Charles, Louis, Wells, and George – so we aren’t so worried about choosing a boys name. It is, once again, girl names that are giving us trouble. The style of names we love: older/vintage names that are gender-specific. We do like names that are less common… although all three of our kiddos names are climbing up the charts. We also prefer names that are stand-alone rather than instantly shortened, but that isn’t a deal breaker.
Names that I like:
Pearl – Sigh. I love this name. I REALLY want to be able to use this name, however my husband isn’t sold, he’s not sure if he even likes it. I just feel like it fits in so well with the other three kiddos. I’m still campaigning on this one!!Esme – I also love this name; however, I feel like it will be mispronounced often. My husband feels that it isn’t really a stand-alone name, rather it seems like it is short for Esmerelda (We both like Esmerelda, but feel that it is too whimsical for our tastes).
Simone – I like that this is so uncommon. I don’t know if it really fits into the naming style of our other three children. This is one name that my husband does like. I’m also hesitant about the possible nn of Mona. But other than that, I really do like it.
Emilia – My husband also likes this name. I feel that it is not special enough… it is quite common (when you take into consideration the other spelling – Amelia). We like a bit of “wow” factor; I love that people are surprised when they hear that our girls are Juliet and Rose. Emilia just feels that it doesn’t stand up to that. That being said, I feel that it fits in better with our childrens’ names better than Simone. Thoughts???
I’ve tossed Georgia around in my head, but not sure how I feel about it. Too different of styles?
Husband vetoed: Vera, Lucia, Stella, Estelle
Names my husband likes:
Penelope – I really do not care for this name. I have vetoed it.Aria – I have vetoed it.
Emilia – see above
He also likes my suggestion of Simone.
Other names that we like but we cannot use due to close friends/family having children with this name:
Thea (would’ve likely chosen this name but my cousin, who we are good friends with and they also live in the same city, used Brea – just too close for me), Brigitte, Alisa, Eloise, Eliza, Nora.Names that we “like but not for us”: Eleanor, Florence (don’t like Flo and Flora is too matchy with Rose), Beatrice, Violet, Sophia, Isabel.
Names that we either don’t like: Cora, Claire, Celia, Cecily, Camille, Alice, Madelyn, Dahlia.Why are girl names so difficult? Thanks in advance for all your help!!
Kelsey D
I’m immediately drawn to Simone from your list. You both like it, it’s unusual enough to get a bit of wow factor, and I think it goes very well with the sibling names. I would not have thought to use Mona as a nickname for it; I’m hoping a Simone or a parent of a Simone can let us know if that’s an issue.
I like Georgia, too, and I think it fits fine with the other names, though I personally prefer the name Simone in this group.
The name Emilia doesn’t feel like a better fit to me: I agree with you that it lacks the wow factor. Emeline feels more the style of Juliet and Rose.
I wish you guys liked the name Cecily: that’s the one that came to mind when I was thinking about the sibling names. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Cecily. Good wow factor, good vintage factor, clearly girl, etc.
Perhaps Lydia? Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Lydia.
Or Sabrina? Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Sabrina.
Or Winifred. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Winifred. Hm. Suddenly I realize I’m not crazy about three kids having three-syllable names and one kid having a one-syllable name. I don’t THINK it will matter, but I think I would like even BETTER to find a non-three-syllable name. I wouldn’t rank syllable-count over name-love, though.
Gosh, it seems like all the names I want to suggest have three syllables. Minerva. Millicent. Naomi. Sylvia. Karenna. Bianca. Linnea.
Clara is probably out if you have Claire on your No list, but I will suggest it anyway, just in case. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Clara.
Ooo, maybe Celeste. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Celeste.
Or Noelle. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Noelle.
If Thea is out, I wonder if you’d like Thora? Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Thora.
Or Tessa? Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Tessa.
Or Willa. Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Willa.
But my top favorite is Simone.
Name update:
Hi Swistle, I finally have an update for the Dum0nt sibling that I wrote to you back on the summer!!
Thank you Swistle and all the readers for your responses and opinions! Everyone made me feel that the name Simone would, in fact, fit in with our other children’s names. However, as my due date approached, both myself and my husband felt that the name didn’t feel “right”. My husband actually re-brought up the name Esme, which I had previously loved, saying that he had fallen in love with it too. So, we went to the hospital with the name Esme Noelle Irene Dum0nt. Then, our baby BOY was born and surprised us all!!! Juliet, Oliver, and Rose love their new brother Wells Leo Bruce Dum0nt (middle names after our grandfathers).
Thanks everyone for the help over the last few years! Our family is now complete.
Kelsey D
I have a friend named Simone, and close friends and family call her Monie or Mones. I believe these two nicknames look pretty awful just written here with no wonderful person attached to them, but they are cute in real life!
I really like Simone, but man oh man do I wish Estelle wasn’t vetoed!
I agree with Swistle that I didn’t think of Mona as a nickname for Simone, until you pointed it out. But, if you and your husband really love this name, I would go for it. I think it does go well with your other children’s names.
I also really love the name Celeste with your children’s names. It sounds beautiful with all your kids names, but in particular with your other daughter’s names… Juliet, Rose and Celeste.
I looked at the suggestion of Thora next to Rose and immediately thought Rose and Thorn. Just an observation! :)
From your list, I really like Simone. Simple, beautiful, and classy.
My other suggestions would be:
Louisa
Helen/Helena (I LOVE Helen in this sibling group)
Edith
And I vote George for a boy, for what it’s worth :)
I didn’t think about Helen/Helena — love it!
I LOVE your baby names! In fact, because of my serious love for how great your names are, I’m just not that into Simone. It’s “fine,” but to me it doesn’t have the panache or the similar feeling of EEK. Juliet and Rose particularly feel like a mix of classic elegance; Simone feels more chic sophisticate.
That being said, if you LOVE it, I do think the French similarities of Juliet and Simone will work. So if it’s THE name, then a bridge between the names can be made!
I would say Lydia or Sabrina feel a bit more in tune with Juliet and Rose.
Bianca would also have a nice flair.
I agree with Swistle on Clara. Camilla may also be nice.
My personal favorite name is Fiona so I’ll make a push for it here as well. Hazel would also be a sweet name; it matches more with Rose than Juliet in my book, but it would be a contender with Pearl potentially out of the picture. #TeamPearl (PS definitely use Pearl as a middle name if at all possible).
For your boy names, I love all of them! Great choices and you can’t go wrong with any!
I get the same feeling with Simone being more “chic sophisticate” and Juliet & Rose as more “classic elegance”.
I’d also suggest Ava, Grace, and Audrey.
Thanks! My husband and I both have talked about Fiona in previous pregnancies… Odd that it hasn’t come up yet this time. Do you think Fiona is a good fit with my kiddos names? I worry that it isn’t feminine enough against Juliet and Rose. Thanks for this!! I think I will add it back to the list!
I was going to suggest Louisa too. Or Sylvia which reminds me of Simone but more vintage feeling. From your list, I love Pearl so much.
Other ideas:
Vivienne
Hazel
Margot
Tess
Evelyn
Lucy
Jane
Harriet
Ooo Margot! love it! I think Vivienne was a contender for her last baby; it would still work well for this one!
I was going to suggest Margot too. It goes so perfectly with Rose and Juliet!
Can I get you to reconsider Thea? Thea and Brea aren’t necessarily too close — I think you’d know which one you meant in a shouting-at-a-distance voice. It might be a nice connection between the youngest cousins, rather than a downside.
Emilia is actually pretty striking to me, though I do know a few. It seems distinct from Amelia — and upon googling, I find they have very different origins. Emilia comes from the same Latin roots as Emily, and Amelia comes from the Germanic roots of Amalia.
Helen from a previous commenter’s list would be pretty perfect.
And that makes me think of Susan, as in Pevensie.
If not Lucia, Lucille? Lucilla?
I’m not sure about Swistle’s Karenna, but Corinna or Corinne would be awfully sweet.
I love Simone. It’s on my own list these days,tried to convince a good friend to use it. I think it’s an awesome name, with the wow factor. From Swistle’s suggestions and the comments, I also like Helen, Winifred, and Minerva. Good luck!
How about a different gem name if not Pearl?
Opal or Ruby?
My daughter is Rose. Other names we liked (a lot to f which were mostly family names) were Fiona, Arabella, Holland, Alice…
My niece is Elspeth, I think that fits well with Rose & Juliet. Good luck!
Simone! I always wonder why this lovely name isn’t used more. I know several of different ages (3- 35) and from a variety of countries, and it works well for all of them. FWIW, I’ve never heard any of them called “Mona” or “Mone”, and it wouldn’t occur to me to do so. Simone is only 2 syllables, so it doesn’t cry out for a nickname. I don’t care that much about matching sibling groups, but I think Simone really splits the difference between Rose and Juliet in a nice, unexpected way. Emilia and Amelia I hear a lot; they don’t have the same wow factor as your other kids’ names do, and they seem frillier. Otherwise, there are a lot of wonderful names on your list, so you can’t go wrong. Pearl is also fabulous, but you may have to say goodbye to it if your partner doesn’t get on board.
Lillian, Claire
From your list I like Esme and Simone. I think people will learn how to say Esme correctly. I think Simone and Juliet go together because they both seem French to me.
I have a friend Simone. She is always Simone, no nickname. It’s a beautiful name. Her sister is Renee.
Simone is my favorite. I also really like Tess and Ruby.
Have you considered Zelda as an option? We share much the same naming style, and I chose Zelda for my daughter. It’s feminine, easy to spell and pronounce, NO nickname, and familiar but completely uncommon. People absolutely love it too- in 3 years, we haven’t received one less than favorable opinion:)
From your list, Simone is such an outstanding choice!!!!
Simone sounds great and fits well. I love Pearl, too, though I think it’s so close in style that I personally would confuse sisters Rose and Pearl. Perla?
I love Simone with your sib set. And I just want to point out that one nickname for Florence is Flossie. FLOSSIE! I love it so much. I can see that it may not fit in with your style, I just want to put it on the record in Swistle’s comment section.
I second Margot, Vivienne and Lucy if Simone and Pearl end up going off the table. Other British-y favorites: Verity, Tamsin (Tamsy!!!), Imogen (nn Mo? Almost like Mona?)
I have a stepcousin named Simone and, honestly, she was teased throughout high school by immature, randy boys about the “moan” sound in her name. It completely put us off using that name as a result. It’s lovely otherwise though…
Your name style is very similar to ours! My tastes run towards longer, multisyllabic names (Rosalie in lieu of Rose), but I thought you might want to consider Georgiana or Clementine. I also like the suggestion of Vivienne.
Yes, please reconsider Thea!!
It was almost a coin toss for us between Rose and Thea, and Thea won out by a small margin. It has the vintage wow factor you’re looking for, and it’s always received well! (Can you tell I love it?)
But if not, then maybe:
Marie (beautiful underused first name, I think)
Alice
Therese
Cora
Celine
Felicity
Isla
(I also love Tessa and Willa from Swistle’s list)
I know right?! I love Thea.
Simone is great with the sibset and I wouldn’t have thought of Mona as a nickname. My suggestion (and name for another baby if I was to have another, which I am not :( ) is Imogen.
What about Welles for a girl? Just met a little baby girl, full name Wellesley, but they call her Welles most of the time, I feel it could be a stand alone name.
I am also casting a yes for Simone!
I love Simone with the rest of this group. When you say all the names in order, the rhythm is quite nice! Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Simone. I don’t think there’s any particularly obvious style match between any two of the first three names that ISN’T present between Simone and any of the others. That totally works for me.
Also, I know a few Simones, and not a single one goes by Mona. I would never think to shorten Simone to Mona–they are almost style opposites, in my opinion. So that wouldn’t particularly worry me, I don’t think.
Is the problem with Esme that you think people might say either Esmee or Esmay? I would very much assume the latter, and would be surprised to learn the parents were going for the former. If you’re going for Esmay, you could always add an accent: Esmé.
I am also going for the Ez-mae pronunciation … I can just see our parents and older family members (aunts, grandparents, ect) not catching on as the pronunciation doesn’t match the spelling…
LOUISE OR LOUISA
Nick names can be such a deal breaker- we have a Simone in our circle and her nn has turned out to be “Simoney Baloney.” Not what her mother had ever thought possible. Still a beautiful name though…
And to she who suggested Wellesley/Wells… YES!!! That was our girl name (family honor name of sorts) but we had a boy first so it went to the middle!
I’d like to suggest Genevieve.
Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Genevieve.
Emilia and Lucie/Lucia/Lucille were on the top of our girl list, so I love your naming style.
How about Willa?
Or Natalie?
Or Abigail?
Or Margaret with the option of using Pearl as a nickname?
34 years as Simone and no one has ever called me Mona. Various 2 year olds throughout my life have sometimes had trouble with the S sound and shortened it to ‘Mone’ for a bit but I feel like toddlers get a pass for that kind of thing.
It’s a good name, I think! I’ve been glad it’s mine. Reasonably uncommon but familiar to most people.
I have not come across a Simone in real life, but there’s an American gymnast named Simone. And it’s likely she will dominate at the summer olympics. Not a bad association at all more of an FYI.
Yes! I’m an ex-gymnast so I still follow gymnastics closely! Although, I live in Canada, so I suspect the potential for rise in the name will be slightly less than what you may experience in the USA. Good point though!!
Yes! I love this post! Your list has so many duplicates from our current list for #2. Our daughters name is Sylvie, and our top boy name is George. Simone and Pearl are front runners for us, but the upcoming popularity of Simone Biles makes me hesitate. Others we have are Lydia, Louisa, Eliza, Mae, Fiona, Felicity.
LOVE your kids’ names!! Simone is also on my list and I disagree that Emilia is not special-sounding. I think the fact that it starts with an E makes it a little less common and surprising in a good way. Both choices are great.
I get a slightly Shakespearean (but un-fussy) vibe from your kids’ names and list of possible names. A few others that I think would go nicely with this sib-set:
Bianca
Audrey
Mabel
Sabine
Ariane
Carina
Marina
Sophie
Delphine
Antonia
Natasha
Cassandra
And I vote Wells for a boy, FWIW. :)
I was going to suggest Sabine too!
Juliet, Oliver, Rose and Sabine.
Perfect!
Yes! Also logging in to suggest Sabine as a mean between Simone and Sabrina.
My other thought was Esme or Esmée as a nickname for Elisabeth.
You have a lot of good options! We have some overlap in name preferences, so maybe you’ll like a few names that are towards the top of my list. I was thinking Willa would be cute and then sure enough Swistle suggested it!
Faye
Belle
Eve
Adele
Amelie (maybe more distinct than Emilia?)
I was also thinking Celeste. Would love it with your other kids’ names, and live the name itself!
I also really like Swistle’s idea of Emeline, if Emilia is not Wow enough for your taste.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Bianca. Goes well with the Shakespearean sib names of Juliet and Rose (Shakespeare wrote a Rosaline and Rosalind, Bianca is a character in Taming of the Shrew).
I also love Cecily or Celeste!
A friend of mine has a Simone, called Mona. It’s the first time I’d heard the nickname, and WOW does it feel FRESH and ADORABLE on a very small girl! I was very surprised to find myself liking it so much.
Lots of good suggestions but want to throw in Caroline. Rose, Juliet, Oliver, and Caroline.
Caroline will be a middle name (honour name). :)
I second Sabine.
Aurelia
Glory
Evangeline
Nella
Delia
Grace
Fiona
Zara
Nina
Mila
Mira
Alessia
Louisa
Clara
Camille
Elise
Luna
Lola
Celia
Lena
And Susannah!
EEE… I just got home from a very long day at work at saw that my question was posted!! Thanks again everyone!!
You have all made me feel so much better about Simone, that it does in fact fit in well with my other children’s names. I still love Pearl as my #1, but I’m almost 100% sure that even if I convince my husband to “like” it, he won’t love it and that wouldn’t be fair to him. Now I feel happy with Simone!
Also, I love Swistle’s suggestion of Noelle (or Noella) and it’s quite fitting as we are some serious Christmas nuts!!
I’ve also seen a couple suggestions of Fiona. Which I had replied above, we had discussed in previous pregnancies and it hasn’t come up this time … thoughts, does it flow well with sibling names? I worry that it isn’t feminine enough next to Juliet and Rose.
OH… I also like the suggestion of Willa.
Thanks guys :) I love this group!!
the name that I thought of when I heard this sibling set is Gwenyth (with the adorable nickname of Gwen and Winnie). I think Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Gwenyth sounds good and the name is definitively feminine.
I really like Simone but it does feel a little different than sibs but its very slight and won’t matter in the long run. Otherwise, I like Daisy, Isla, Hazel or Lila for you guys.
Other names I didn’t see mentioned; Maeve, Amalia (Ah-molly-ah). Moira, Aliza,
I also like the suggested Willa, Simone or Simona
I love Simone! And Tessa which means “fourth born” which is perfect! Others I love: Georgia, Georgina, Willa, Lorelai, Betsy, Beatrice.
With your last baby, you considered Lucy, and I think that’s perfect with this sibset.
Lucia Dumont. Swoon.
Juliet, Oliver, Rose, and Lucy. Double swoon.
Have you considered Andrea? It has the classic simplicity of Juliet and a similar feel to Simone. I had a friend use this name and I was surprised at first as it is rarely used but it wears really well, particularly as there are few Andrew’s being born at the moment.
Other names that go with Juliet and Rose (in my head!)
Sarah
Jane
Jemima
Anne
Miranda
May
I also love Simone….
Juliet and Rose are such feminine, romantic names. I love Simone, and the only one I’ve ever known does not have a nickname. I like that it would give you girls that had a 3-, 2-, and 1-syllable name. I like everything about Simone. It’s feminine without being flouncy. You said your middle name for a girl will be Caroline, and I think Simone Caroline is really nice, too. I’m sold on Simone. I can’t wait for your update.
I know a Simone that has one friend who calls her Moni. It’s more of a pet name for her than a nickname. I’m sure using Mona could be discouraged if it ever came up as a child.
I really like Georgia for you and Thea. It may be close to Brea but the history and feel of the names is completely different. Knowing a Brea wouldn’t discourage ME from using Thea. I also like Eliza for you, too bad it is out!
It sounds like you are pretty sold on Simone, and it is a lovely name. I also really like Celeste and Louisa from the suggestions.
If you are still looking for new ideas, I will add Esther.
Good luck.
Pearl is our daughter’s name- it is such a great choice:)
If you like Noelle, Natalie also means Christmas (and happens to be my name, so I am biased ha!). I also get a Shakespearean vibe from your sibset. Suggestions:
CORDELIA (Cordelia Caroline is pretty fabulous). Juliet, Rose, Cordelia- great sister names!
VIOLA (watch Shakespeare in Love if you need convincing!)
BEATRICE- I love this with your other children’s names- Juliet, Rose, Oliver and Beatrice. Swooning.
Best of luck!
Oh, I love this post, and your naming style! This is the first post in a while that has prompted an immediate stream of consciousness of names in my head: “Clara, Cora, Georgia, Sylvia/Sylvie, Sadie, Margot, Cecilia, Savannah, Gabrielle, Eliza, Elise, Alice…” Please keep us updated with whatever you choose!
It does sound like you’re circling in on Simone. You both like it, it fits in with the siblings. Sounds like a winner. Georgia’s nice, too, though.
And I still like a lot of the names on your list from your previous pregnancy: Lucy and Violet in particular, unless having 2 flower names is a problem. (It isn’t for me. I kind of like how it would tie all 3 sister names together with the -et ending and the flower meaning.)
That is an interesting point I never thought of. I did really like Violet with my last pregnancy, since then we’ve encountered a girl in Juliet’s with this name, it ended up being enough of a bad association that we haven’t even really discussed it this time around. I still love Lucy. Last time, someone had suggested Lucia which I LOVE but husband does not.
I really like Simone and I think it is lovely with your other names. I would never have assumed Mona for Simone. Even if people do, a simple correction will be all that’s needed. I find that people don’t really assume or default to nicknames the way they used to. I also really like Pearl, but if your husband isn’t on board it will probably have to be eliminated. Georgia is also very nice, and I don’t think it’s too different of a style.
I’ll suggest Celeste, Vanessa, Audrey, Claudia, Molly, Hazel & Gemma
It seems to be that your names all have strong links to Shakespeare (Oliver in As you like it, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and whilst there is no Rose, just Rosalind and Rosaline, Sonnet 54 is all about a rose and Juliet says
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”), and therefore perhaps you might want to think about other Shakespearean names such as:
Beatrice, in Much Ado About Nothing
Bianca, in The Taming of the Shrew
Celia, in As You Like It
Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra
Cordelia, in King Lear
Cressida, in Troilus and Cressida
Desdemona, in Othello
Gertrude, in Hamlet
Goneril, in King Lear
Hermia, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Helena, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hero, in Much Ado About Nothing
Hermione, in A Winter’s Tale
Imogen, in Cymbeline
Isabella, in Measure for Measure
Jessica, in The Merchant of Venice
Julia, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Juno, in The Tempest
Katherina, in The Taming of the Shrew
Lavinia Andronicus, in Titus Andronicus
Miranda, in The Tempest
Ophelia, in Hamlet
Portia, in The Merchant of Venice
Regan, in King Lear
Robin, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Silvia, The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Titania, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Viola, in Twelfth Night
(there is a long list here: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1025991/baby-names-inspired-by-shakespeare)
A lot of the names are a bit over the top and long compared to your other choices, but what about Portia, Regan, Robin, Jessica, Viola, Beatrice, Bianca or Imogen?
Good luck with the baby!
Someone upthread suggested Miranda, which I love with this sibset and which is a Shakespearean name like Juliet.
I also love Simone and Pearl for you. Beautiful names, all of them!
What about Eve? It has a similar simplicity + wow + romance factor to Rose and Juliet.
What about Athena with the nickname Thea?
Juliet, Oliver, Rose and Athena
Love Susanna with your sibset! Alice and Cora are also favourites.
Zara, India, Ada or Serena perhaps? Ada is such a great name!
Good luck!!
Simone is beautiful. Do you like Sabine? It is similar in style. There is a sweet pro tennis player named Sabine, which first drew me to the possibility of that name.
What about Saffron? I love this name and Saffy is such a cute nickname!
Juliet, Oliver, Rose and Saffron. Sweet!
i vite Simone. It’s about to get more recognition because gymnast Simone Biles is about to win the Olympics, which I think works in your favor: there may be a slight uptick in actual babies with that name thus matching popularity of the other kids more, but even with no uptick it will get more familiar like the other kids names. I don’t think it lends itself to an automatic nickname at all. And you both like it and it sounds great with the other kids and Simone Biles is the best gymnast of all time so it’s really a win win win :)
I love Simone, and I think it goes with the sibling names. I also really like the suggestion of Sabine.
Thanks everyone!!! You’ve made me feel like we actually have options! You all have just boosted my confidence in Simone, which is still the front runner. We love the suggestion of Noelle (we are talking about using it perhaps as one of the middle names). It was nice to see Esther suggested; I’ve always had mixed feelings on that name, loving the uniqueness of it but not loving the look of it.
We also really love Thea but still feel it’s too close to my cousins babe, when we know they would be growing up together. We do also really like Fiona.
Thanks again and will update you!!
Louisa!!!!
Juliet, Oliver, Rose and Louisa