So my husband and I are having our first baby girl, she’s not due any time soon. It’s very important to me that I honor the matriarchs of my family, it’s crucial actually. But I feel like this first girl, being that none of her cousins has taken on a family name, we can’t leave a matriarch out, we must somehow include them all. We’re okay with two middle names. The most important name is Maggie, my dads mom, Margaret, always went by Maggie. I love Margaret, my husband does not. He’s fine with Maggie being on the birth certificate but I feel like she needs a more formal name. My great grandmother was Opal May, we both love both names. My moms mom is Nola, which we also love. My mom is Thia… So how do we incorporate all of these names? We live in North Carolina, I’m not from here, he is, I do love the southern names. The best we’ve come up with is Magnolia May Ellis (“Maggie” and Ellis being our last name) but also Nola and Thia are incorporated and May for Opal… My concern is southerners pronounce it Magnolya, I like the Eah sound better, but that won’t happen in the south.
Do you have any other suggestions of how to get all these names into one fabulous name? And no we can’t leave anyone out… They would be heart broken and so would I
Let’s unpick this a bit. I think it is very unlikely that all four matriarchs would be heartbroken if they were not ALL honored on ONE child. Could you ask one or more of the matriarchs about this? My guess is that they would be eager to reassure you that this is not a goal you have to shoot for.
Also, are you planning more children? If you use all four essential matriarch names on your firstborn, what is the plan for the names of subsequent children?
My feeling is that you have built up an impossible logic problem, and that the way to solve it is to remove the untrue elements (“we must somehow include them all,” “we can’t leave anyone out of they would be heartbroken”) rather than to drive yourselves crazy looking for a solution. Did anyone leap from a cliff when other babies in the family were not named after all the men/women in that family tree? No? Then you do not have to take this burden on yourselves. And my guess is that you will be glad, when naming future children, to still have good names left to use.
The usual plan for parents who like honor names is to use one or two honor names per child, so that everyone gets some, and so that the honorees have room to feel honored. The dilemma, then, is whose names to use first, and in what name order. There can be reasons to move a person’s name up in line: for example, if any of the matriarchs are elderly and you would definitely like them to know they have a namesake before it’s too late to tell them. Some names can honor more than one person: if, for example, you use your mom’s mom’s name, you are honoring both your grandmother (because it’s her name) and your mom (because it’s her beloved mother’s name, and represents her side of the family). And of course your own personal tastes will enter into it: if you have two people you’d like to honor, but you like one person’s name better than the other person’s name, that could alter your decision.
If Margaret/Maggie is the most important of the names, then I would make an effort to use that name for the firstborn child. But because you two love Opal, May, and Nola, and you don’t agree on Margaret/Maggie, I would use Margaret as the middle name and choose the most important of Opal/May/Nola as the first name for this child. So here are what your options would be if I were in charge:
Opal Margaret Ellis
May Margaret Ellis
Nola Margaret Ellis
I would give priority to Opal and Nola, since May is a middle name. I would also give priority to a name that comes from your mother’s side of the family, since Margaret comes from your father’s side. You don’t mention whether the two of you both love the name Thia; if you do, that’s a fourth option:
Thia Margaret Ellis
Then let’s say time passes and you have a second little girl. Pick the NEXT two most important names for her (based on family feeling, age of family member, etc.), and put the name you prefer first. Or if you have a boy, you may want to consider using the name Nolan to honor Nola. Perhaps this first child could be Opal Margaret, and the next could be either Nola or Nolan.
If you absolutely insist on honoring four women with one baby’s name, and if you don’t think anyone will be hurt by being a second middle name or having their names combined/modified, and you don’t mind having no honor names left for possible future daughters, then I think your solution works pretty well. I don’t see Thia in there, unless you mean the -ia of Magnolia, but you’ve got at least plausible references to everyone else.
I think if it were me I would prefer to use all the actual first names and just heap them up: Margaret Opal Thia Nola Ellis. I would not normally want to use so many names, but if I felt I HAD to, I think I would just go ahead and REVEL in it: “YOU get an honor name and YOU get an honor name and YOU get an honor name and YOU get an honor name!” The amusingly long name shifts the situation in my mind from stressful heartbreak-avoidance to a near-comical rejoicing in so many great women. And then look at them all in the list! It’s a loving family reunion of a name. I can picture everyone standing around laughing and crying at the same time—and without you having to explain who was honored by which part of which name.
But again, I urge you to reconsider the premises of this dilemma. DO you need to honor ALL FOUR with one child’s name? WILL everyone’s heart be broken if you don’t? It would be such a ludicrously unreasonable thing for a family to expect, it’s hard for me to work on the assumption that they do.
I agree with Swistle that it’s probably not necessary to try to honor so many women with one baby’s name, but if you insist on it, then maybe Magnolia Opal (or May) Cynthia would work. (I also think that Magnolia doesn’t seem to honor Thia very much.) Or I could see May working as a nickname for Magnolia, so maybe say that Magnolia honors Maggie, Nola, and Opal May, and find a middle name that incorporates Thia. Magnolia Cynthia doesn’t flow very well, but Magnolia Theodora (Theadora? Thiadora?) could work.
And for what it’s worth, I’m from the south and I pronounce Magnolia with all four syllables.
I LOVE Magnolia May! I think it is perfect. I have a clearly made up name which I love. It was derived from combining two honor names. The best we could do from our names for our daughter is rather like what you are considering…Mitchell and LaNell makes Michelle. A stretch I know, but she loves her made up common middle name. Rather like your Magnolia. Don’t worry about the pronunciation. Those who associate with her on a regular basis will pronounce it as she does. My DIL is Lauren pronounced with the “or” sound she likes. Her mother says “are”, her dad says “or”, and she finds that endearing. As for additional children…there are no guarantees. Name this child and you will find something appropriate for future children when and if you have them.
I think Magnolia alone covers all the bases. It actually came to mind for me before I saw it suggested.
Wow! I LOVE Nola and Opal, and the fact these names would be honor names for you is so perfect!! Both of these names are fantastic, and I think Margaret pales in comparison and makes a great middle name. I wouldn’t dilute the honor by combining names into new names that are only reminiscent of the honoree (although I like Magnolia). I also agree with Swistle that it seems unlikely there would be any expectation (and accompanying disappointment) if you did not honor all four women. For one thing, as far as I can tell from your question, your parents chose to honor none of these women when they named you. And apparently none of your siblings have seen a need to honor them. Surely there’s no expectation you take on the task of doing all the honoring with a single little girl! You also say this is your “first baby girl,” so I wouldn’t use up all the names in one fell swoop. If you had a second girl, I really think she’d feel left out and less than. Plus, don’t forget, there are generations yet to come. Thia would make a wonderful name for a granddaughter or great-granddaughter some day. :)
I am not from North Carolina but my husband is and his entire family still lives there. I’m not going to offer up any suggestions but I do want to point something out that you may not be thinking of. I do know that it is traditional for women in the south to take on their maiden names as their middle names once they get married. My mother-in-law kept mailing me stuff with with my maiden name as my middle name as she assumed that I knew North Carolina tradition and followed it. I am from the midwest and still live here so I did not know the tradition and kept my birth given middle name but took my husband’s last name. So, with that being said, you may think ahead and keep in mind that there’s a chance your daughter may forgo her birth given middle name later in life when/if she gets married so I would put more weight on honoring one person with the first name.
Yes- I am from NC and have been married 10 years and I still get mail addressed to me using my maiden name as the middle (I did not follow tradition). It depends on your child, of course, but they may not feel as obligated to keep all of the middle names when they are grown.
No, you do not have to honor all four in one name. I cannot imagine that they would truly be heartbroken if all names weren’t used. I think most reasonable people will understand that there are limits to the people who can be honored in a single baby name. People might feel a little sad, but will likely keep it quiet. Honestly, if anyone was the type to create drama about something like this, I would have to seriously consider if they were worthy of an honor name to begin with.
So, pick one name from your dads side and one name from your mothers side. If you feel worried about people feeling left out, simply tell them it’s important to you that all your children get an honor name and so you want to be sure you leave some for next time.
If Margaret is off the table, I think Magnolia is perfect. If the plan is to use Maggie as the call name, it really won’t matter how people say Magnolia anyway (though I must add that I am not from the south and have never heard said as you prefer). I can see a connection to Nola in Magnolia, but the connection to Thia seems a bit of a stretch. Perhaps you could then use a single middle, which would knock out 3 namesakes. A better option might even be to use a middle that honors someone from your husbands family, thus ensuring you will have 2 of your honor names for the next baby (so both kids will honor 2 matriarchs each).
You said you don’t mind more than one middle, so You could also do Magnolia Thia May or May Thia which provides a more obvious connection to Thia. But then what will you do for the next baby?
If it’s that important to honor all of them, then just give your daughter all four names. I think it’s fun and will provide great stories down the road.
I don’t think combining names into a name like Magnolia really honors anyone because the original names disappear. It seems like by trying to honor everyone, you honor no one. I think name combining only works if you can keep the names distinct. For example, my sister was Rosemary for both grandmothers, who were Rose and Mary. My mom also gave my sister her first name as her middle, so I’m a second daughter who got no honor names because my mom used them all.
I like the idea of Margaret as the middle and then a first name on your mom’s side. If you choose Maggie as the first, and want to use two of the names, I’d hyphenate them.
I had to draw a chart to figure this all out. I hope I’ve got this right: all the potential female honorees are from the baby’s mother’s side:
Mother’s mom — Thia
Mother’s maternal grandma — Nola
Mother’s paternal grandma (her dad’s mom) — Maggie (Margaret) — “The most important name ”
And a non-specified paternal?/maternal? great-grandma — Opal May.
It sounds like Margaret “Maggie” and Opal May are no longer living. ???
While I’m very much in favor of family honor names, I wonder if naming one baby/person after so many people is too much. It seems that the new individual’s needs for her own identity are coming in second to creating a “monument” out of her name.
Since Margaret/Maggie’s name is the most important, I would use that as the first name; I would use your mother’s name as the second:
Margaret Thia Ellis “Maggie”
Or include both paternal– Maggie — and maternal –Nola — grandma’s in the first name with mother’s mother’s name as the middle
Magnolia Thia Ellis “Maggie”
(I don’t see how Thia would be honored with Magnolia; it doesn’t seem to honor the mother’s mother at all to have 2 letters of her name “represented” by a name that clearly honors Mag(gie) and Nol[i]a) — that combines those two names.)
That would leave great-grandma Opal May’s name for a future daughter. “And no we can’t leave anyone out… They would be heart broken and so would I.” But it sounds like great-grandma Opal May has passed, so that statement wouldn’t apply to her.
Magnolia Thia Ellis “Maggie” seems to be the best solution: it clearly honors both your paternal and maternal grandmas and your own mother. It would seem that everyone would be pleased!
Another thought after reading the comments above: it may be that Nola might not feel so honored to have her name meshed with Maggie’s name (Magnolia), and maybe naming this little girl after both of your grandma’s separately would be more meaningful. Both your dad’s mother and your mom’s mother would be honored equally:
Margaret Nola Ellis “Maggie” after your two grandmas: simple and sweet.
If Little One’s matriarchs are charted out to her great-great-grandmothers, then there are at least:
2-grandmothers (Thia and MIL)
4-great-grandmothers (Nola, Maggie, and mother of MIL, mother of FIL)
8 great-great-grandmothers (Opal plus seven others)
for a total of
14 women.
In this schema, not even all of OP’s matriarchs are represented, which leads me to a question that I fear will upset the OP, but I will ask anyway: why these four matriarchs and not the ten others? Are you feeling pressured by somebody in particular to do this? Was there a comment like, “Ah, poor Opal, she never had a namesake, and neither do I?”
Because that sort of pressure is BS, and it is easy to carry that mantle of heartbreak for someone else without even noticing it. (I am a people pleaser by nature).
Now, if you want to honor them all, luxuriously, then do as Swistle suggests and just put them all in there, in whatever order suits you. If Magnolia is your favorite name, use it! And let people mispronounce it (I get called Jessie May routinely, particularly in the South. It grew on me.)
Best of luck, and please consider whether expectations are your own or someone else’s.
I love Maggie. I have one :) She’s three and is Margaret Rose, almost always called Maggie or Maggie Rose.
I think Magnolia is really pretty and to me it does honor both Nola and Maggie. I’m not sure how to work both Thia and May in there…although I guess Magnolia Thia May Ellis isn’t too much, at least I don’t think so. Magnolia Opal Thial Ellis ?
You could go with Margaret but call her Maisie (or Maysie) instead to honor May?
I was first interpreting four matriarchs as meaning your two grandmothers and your husbands two grandmothers…but the fact that you’re mostly concerned with women from your side of the family I think makes it easier (as long as your husband is fine with that). You can think of Opal May as likely being honored by the fact that you’re using one of the names that she chose for her daughter, or your grandmother being touched that you named your child after her mother.
I think Magnolia May is great. Both Maggie and Nola are obvious nickname options, and although I don’t personally get the Thia connection out of it, you know your mother better than I do and anyways…the woman is already getting a granddaughter named after her mother and grandmother.
Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! My sister is Magan to honor Margaret, and I am Erika which my dad claims is derived from Margaret, although I don’t see the connection, I have my moms middle name Lorraine, which is a family name (from Lawrence). So family names or forms of them are a tradition. There is zero pressure from anyone in my family, it’s only pressure I am perhaps un-fairly putting on my self. In fact I’ve only discussed names with my mom and husband. My mother Thia is the one that made the connection with the -ia- at the end of Magnolia, so I just let it be. Margaret and Opal have both passed, and I figured for a futer daughter we still have Opal, Lorraine, and Magan Rebecca (my sisters name). I hadn’t considered just using all four names and I actually like that idea. I’ll have my husband read everyone’s thoughtful comments and I’ll update when we have a decision. Thank you so much!
I have a daughter named Magnolia and we have lived in the South and the Northeast. The name kicks ass everywhere. We get both pronunciations regardless of location. Despite mostly calling her Magnolia, some nicknames have emerged in the last eight years, including: Maggie, May-may, Mag-Mag, Lia, Olia, Meena, Yia-yia and my personal favorite, Guacamolia. We don’t hear Nola. Most of these are playful names given by friends and siblings but MANY grownups assume she goes by Maggie. Best wishes.
If you went with all the names, and made the order ‘May Opal Nola Thia Ellis’ then her initials spell Monte, which could be an adorable nickname. I think spreading out the honor is a great idea though if you plan for further children. As a mother, is been honored if somebody used my beloved daughter’s name instead of mine. It would mean someone else saw how beautiful it is.
Personally, I’m all about the mash-up names, and I believe that the person who is doing the honoring gets to decide how it’s done. If Magnolia works for you, then go for it!
However – as pleasant as both Magnolia Opal or May sound to me, I’m with Swistle – finding Thia in there is a stretch. I might go in an entirely different direction, depending on whether Your mom truly expects to be honored.
My husband read all of the comments and he is set on Magnolia May, I feel more confident after all of the wonderful support and as a few suggested, let it be pronounced however… My husband himself says Magnolya. This little girl is going to be amazing, thank you everyone!
Love these updates! Can’t wait to hear when you see her face to face!
Magnolia Thia-May
Margot Nola Thiamay
Maggie-Nola Thiamay
It may also be that one of your matriarchs would prefer it if you used her daughter/mother’s name. MIL was far more excited when we named our son after her brother than when we named our daughter after the same great-aunt MIL is named for. (So daughter shares a name with her grandma and her great-great-aunt)
What struck me about this is that you said YOU would be heartbroken if all the names weren’t used, so other people’s expectations aside, that is important in and of itself.
My favorite for you then is Magnolia Thia May. Magnolia as an honor for Maggie and Nola isn’t a stretch for me, and I’m usually rather literal when it comes to what does and doesn’t seem to honor. It’s a lovely name!
Add another vote for just using all the names in a row, if indeed it’s “crucial” to you that you use them all! If you want to use all the names, then there’s really no other way, is there? Personally, I would think it was kind of cool to have all those names–but I would also feel less of a special connection with each matriarch, as the number of them would dilute the meaning of each one (especially in the cases of the two relatives I would never have met, in this scenario). The more names were involved, the less I would feel as though I had been named after any particular person. Still, Maggie Nola Thia Opal May Ellis really packs a punch! (Magnolia is cool too, but in my opinion only marginally honors Thia–Maggie and Nola slightly more.)
Respectfully, though, the matriarchs who are no longer with us cannot be “heartbroken” by your decision not to use their names–and since unfortunately we can’t ask them how they WOULD feel, maybe we can assume they’d be understanding and appreciate that you tried. Technically, therefore, you’re off the hook for both Margaret/Maggie and Opal May (if your use of past tense indicates that both women have passed away)–but it seems as though those are the names you like best, which is a good enough reason to use them if you want to! All of this is to say–hopefully all of this is fun, and not just undue internal pressure!
I like Magnolia May for you. I agree with others that it doesn’t honor Thia, however, I think that’s perfectly fine. Especially if you plan on having any other children. You can always tell your mom you plan on naming little brother or sister after her. What awesome sibling names:
Magnolia + Theodore
Magnolia + Theodora
Magnolia + Dorothia
I can’t really improve on Swistle’s advice. She’s 100% right that the main issue you’re running into is an unnecessary set of expectations for what this baby’s name needs to be and do. If the honoring is really the most important thing, then just use all 4 names in some combo.
But, I also think your language around the current frontrunner is pretty telling: “The best we’ve come up with is Magnolia May Ellis…” You’re clearly not very enthusiastic about it! However, you say you “love Margaret.” (And, subjectively speaking, I agree that Margaret is more interesting than Magnolia in this case, especially as it fully, clearly honors the intended woman.) Considering that this is your HUSBAND’S mother, and the “most important” honoree– shouldn’t he be obliged to come to a happy medium with you and put Margaret on the birth certificate, since it’s your preference? I don’t think it’s fair for him to expect you to agree not only to honoring his mother, but doing it with a nickname on the birth certificate, when you prefer the original long form. It seems entirely reasonable for him to acquiesce in this case.
I’m also a bit confused– were you actually close to your great grandmother and maternal grandmother, or do you just like Opal May and Nola as a names? The latter reasoning is totally OK! But I suggest trying to parse out all the emotions and the sense of obligation that is making the decision stressful– like, for example, do you feel as close to Opal May and Nola as Margaret and Thia? Which matters more? Who exactly would be “heartbroken”, if anyone, if you didn’t use these names?
My own suggestion would be to name this baby Margaret Thia, if honoring really really matters to you, and you don’t want to do the 4 name thing. That way both grandmothers (your and your husband’s mothers) are covered. If you have more daughters in the future, you can use Opal, May, Nola, or something else entirely. No judgment, but “Magnolia”, since you don’t seem to love it, seems like an weak compromise at the moment… it doesn’t clearly, with one glance, honor anyone, and, as an earlier commenter pointed out, the original names all disappear in it.
Good luck!! And please do update us!
>>The most important name is Maggie, my dads mom, Margaret, always went by Maggie.
I don’t think the husband’s mom’s name is being considered at this point. It is the OP’s Dad’s mother who was Margaret known as “Maggie”. As I understand it all four women she mentions are from her side.
I think that you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself trying to include all the honor names in one name. If you’re planning on having future children, I would start with the names that you feel most strongly about at this point.
Margaret/Maggie sounds like the most important name here so I would start with that. You say that your Husband doesn’t care too much for Margaret and your concerns that Maggie needs a formal name. It sounds fine to me as a stand alone name, it is becoming more common as one now, and is one we are all very familiar with. Your Grandmother was known as Maggie, making the shortened version more of an honor name to me. I mean, let’s be honest, how many Margarets do we know that go by their full first name.
Secondly, you talk about loving Nola, Opal and May. All great names but, in this case, I agree with Swistle that sticking to the first names is more of an honor. So we’re down to Nola and Opal. You could use both your Grandmother’s names this time around. Maggie Nola or Nola Margaret (the second name spot for Margaret might be a better compromise here). Or use Maggie Opal or Opal Margaret. I think the name Opal Margaret is adorable!
Which ever name you don’t use can then be used for next time, along with an Honour name for your Mom. There is Cynthia and Theadora, although just Thea is lovely with Maggie. Opal and Nola are great Sister names too! I wouldn’t be able to resist the opportunity to name a boy Nolan Theodore in the future either! You really have so many great options!
All the best!
I totally get it, OP! I have four honor names that are important for me to use for a daughter too…my grandma, my husband’s grandma, my mom, and my great grandma. It didn’t seem dire to me to use them all for the first child..,but then that was a boy. Then number two was a boy. So if we do have a third child, and it’s a daughter, I’ll feel compelled to use them all! :/
I think my solution will be choosing the most important one for the first name, and then double-barreling the middle name. And then leaving ouT one…which, hey, maybe we’ll have a fourth child. I could use the masculine form, too, if I have another boy.
So, for you, it would be Margaret (or Maggie. Or Magnolia, nicknamed Maggie), and then choose two middles.
I like Margaret Thia-May or Margaret Opal-May or Margaret Nola-May.
But if you do Magnolia, which does seem to honor both Maggie and Nola, then I’d do Magnolia Thia-May Ellis.
Maggie + Nola = Magnolia
Perfect!
Opal May + Thia = Thiaply or Maythia or Othia
There are plenty of honor names from your husband’s side that can be used on the next child. I applaud your desire to find the magical combo for this little blessing.
Just adding Althea as a suggestion for a Thia + Nola honor name. For example, Margaret Althea Opal Ellis. For what it’s worth, I’m a Margaret who always uses Maggie, for everything except legal stuff. I think Maggie stands on its own.
I am totally on board with honour names. Each of my children has an honour middle and we spent a lot of time working it out (particularly our last child, a boy, when we wanted to honour my grandmother – we used her maiden name which is coincidently a traditional boys’ name). So – I understand. I don’t think though that this is necessarily a good plan. Four people in one name is a heavy burden to carry. Also I feel like it dilutes the honour a little. Kind of like you wouldn’t know if your name was wanted in there or just put in with the others so that you weren’t offended (like a bridal party with 14 bridesmaids – how close are they really?). Also it feels really unbalanced that all of the names are from your side. It seems sad that your partner has no-one close enough to honour. If it is a gender thing (girls my side, boys his side) then I am not sure about that, sons are just as important to mothers and girls to fathers as the other way around. If however you are hell bent on it and your partner is actually ok with it not just being pressured by the guilt trip of it being REALLY, REALLY important to his pregnant partner then I can’t see how you could improve on Magnolia within this criteria.
Monet is current sounding and contains all the letters from Maggie, Opal, Nola and Thia.
What about your husband? Would you use names from his side next? I’m feeling like he’s a little left out of this, with all the names coming from your side. I like Swistles suggestion of Margaret Opal Nola Thia if you need to get all the names in at once. But would your next baby have 4 names from your husband’s side? Maybe you could use one name from your family, and one name from his, so your kids have names that reflect both sides of their heritage. I know I would prefer that myself, rather than feeling like I belong to one side and my sister belongs to the other.
The original names are so much more of an honor, but Magnolia for Maggie is also nice. I like Magnolia Opal, if Maggie is your favorite name of the 4.
I have an heirloom baby. She was the last of the grandchildren on both sides, and we figured that odds were we’d only have one child (and we were right). Could you be facing either of these situations? If so, I totally get why it all feels so crucial to you.
FWIW, my daughter is named after my grandmother and her own grandmother. It’s one name from each side that way. I am really glad she has something from my side, considering she resembles her father’s family.
I had a lot of people tell me I should take the opportunity to pick whatever popular name I liked and not feel stuck with a finite family list, but I’m glad we used the family tree. If it helps at all, I used the name of a departed relative for the first name, and a living relative for the middle name. My grandmother had a nickname, but we never use it. We totally had some relatives assume that’s what we’d call her, but I shot that down. To me it smacks of others getting to name your child.
Of Swistle’s picks, I like Nola Margaret Ellis the best.
I know a little girl named Magnolia May who always goes by Maggie so it sounds totally natural to me. FWIW my mothers name is Opal so it’s one of my favorites. I wouldn’t worry too much about the northern and southern pronunciation differences. If you are going to call her Maggie you won’t hear the difference very often and you can always stress your way of saying it. I do think it would honor Maggie, Nola and Opal May although I don’t see Thia in it very well. Maybe Magnolia Mathia? Or just break it down for them. Mag-nol-ia May
I have to agree you are putting too much pressure on yourself. There are other children, none of them named after these women, are they forever shunned? Surely the women are not all that heartbroken. Also, putting 4 names into one child is just a lot. An honor name is sweet if you can tell your child “you were named after grandma who was so great and here’s why” or even “after 2 grandmas” but 4 different people is confusing.
Also, future children. Can you imagine saying, “here is my daughter, Margaret Opal Nola Thia, named after this grandma and that grandma and etc…. and also my other daughter Jennifer” (no offense against Jennifer, it’s just a very common name). It just seems anticlimactic and like kind of a letdown, unless you intend to have dramatic naming for any future children from your husband’s side. I would have a hard time with if I were the 2nd child.
Nola Margaret May, called Maggie is my suggestion.
My grandmother in law had two fabulous friends, Melissa and Theresa, that she wanted to honor so her oldest daughter was named Thelissa. Everyone loves the story and the significance, and I have a SIL who wants to use the name with her own daughter as a way to honor her grandmother, because the name was so important to her. I say, just like with everything else in life, things (and names) only have the significance we give to them. Name the baby what you want and is significant to you.
I read this as the LW’s request for help with smoosh names from the swistle community. In which case, Monet was mentioned, which is awesome! I love Magnolia too! You could try putting all names into an anagram solver website. I just did and came up with things like: Polyantha, Alpha, Paloma, etc. It returned a very long list! As an aside, our next child will be named Reeve after his (or her) two grandfathers: Ross and Steve, and our daughter’s middle name is Lula after her grandmothers: Leone and Sue, so it’s pretty obvious I do love a good smoosh name!
I haven’t read all the comments, just a few, and I just want to state up front that I don’t mean to offend any one, just adding in my opinion.
Honor names are for you and your family. If you see Magnolia May Ellis as a name that both you and your husband loves AND that you feel that you have incorporated all four honor names then that is all that matters. Everyone has different views of what honor names mean (some think you shouldn’t adjust the name at all, some feel that you can include partial letters, others see honor names as using the same first letter) … To me, what is important is that it is special to you.
On a name level… I happen to love Magnolia May!! I personally can see all four of the honor names in there. It is nice and you could even use Maggie as a the nn which is super sweet and may get away from some of the southern pronunciation issues you are worried about.
Other options (although I don’t think you need any as Magnolia May is perfect in my mind):
Magnolia Opal (I love Opal… I would have a hard time giving it up!!)
Magnolia Althea (Althea could be a combination of opAL and THiA.)
Good luck!! Keep us posted!!!
(Also, all or kids have two middle names as each is an honor name from both sides of the family- so that could be another option. Magnolia Thia May Ellis. Or Magnolia Thia Opal Ellis… Etc).
I think all the names sound great! I am so thrilled to see someone named Thia though, as its my 14 month olds name (named after my mom!)