Hello,
I am due with baby girl #2 in July and big sis is Ava. Last name rhymes with ‘Hide’.
The criteria we have are:
-longer name (preferably 3 syllables),
-feminine,
-natural/obvious nickname(s),
-preferably vintage in feel/classic,
-familiarity, not too obscure
We love Evelyn but feel it’s just too close to Ava, especially if we use the NN “Ev” or “Evie”.
We like Scarlett but the NN “Scar” just feels wrong and having a great nickname is super important!
Rosalie (NN Rosie) is at the top of our list as of now- we LOVE the old fashioned feel of the name and adore the NN Rosie/Ro. We also think Rosie/Rosalie flows so nicely & compliments Ava.
Lately, another name has been surfacing: Eleanor.
In my opinion, one advantage Eleanor has over Rosalie is that it’s ranked higher in popularity (which most would consider a negative, but I actually prefer a more familiar, less ‘obscure’ name as I’ve mentioned before.) I’m a tad worried Rosalie is a little too rare and unfamiliar. Whereas Eleanor seems much more well known.
I don’t want Rosalie to be confused with other ‘Rose’ names or hear from strangers or friends “oh I’ve never heard of that name before m, did you make that name up?”
On the other hand, the advantage Rosalie has over Eleanor is that I like the nicknames Rosie/Ro much better than Ellie, Elle bc they’re more refreshing and not so overdone. (I know, I know.. I’m reaallllly trying to achieve that perfect medium between not too overdone and not too different :) And because nicknames are so important the fact that Ellie seems ultra ‘vanilla’ & bores me is turning me off to Eleanor.
I also truly like the full name and sound of Rosalie better than the sound of Eleanor. I think Eleanor is pretty and vintage, but the “nor” ending is throwing me off a bit. But I think Rosalie is just so, so pretty!
It’s almost as if I wish there were a big, beloved celebrity who named their daughter Rosalie to give it more familiarity.. I think that would alleviate my concern. In a perfect world, right?! :)
Am I overthinking the fact that Rosalie is a little less familiar? It IS offering everything else we are looking for!
Would you place it in the same grouping as vintage revival names like Eleanor, Violet, Evelyn, Josephine..?
Any other thoughts that come to mind when you hear this name? I have been thinking so much about names lately (especially this name) that sometimes it’s hard to even see clearly as far as how the name is perceived…if that makes sense.
I also like Lucille/Lucy/Lu, but my daughter sometimes goes by Ava Lou (Louise is her mn) so we think that’s too close considering her middle name.
Any other insight or suggestions are so helpful!!!
Thanks in advance :)
It sounds to me as if you have a strong preference for the name Rosalie on every single point except that you’d rather it was more popular. I cannot express how refreshing this is.
Also, I empathize with this whole struggle, because I had the same issue with my daughter’s name: I LOVED it and wanted so badly to use it, but it was so much less common than the names we usually chose. Even in the hospital I was still worried, wondering if we should go for the Top 20 name that was our second choice. And now I am SO GLAD we just WENT FOR IT and used the less popular name, because I still love it so much. (I would have been happy with our second choice, too, I think, but the thrill of the little risk of using the less-popular name just adds to my name happiness.)
I find that because of my personal experience, my inclination is to practically FORCE you to use Rosalie. But I will try to override that impulse. But really, reading your letter, it is so clear to me that you vastly prefer Rosalie, almost to the point of not liking your second choice by comparison.
I do think the name Rosalie is familiar enough at this point that no one will think you made it up. Or rather, no more than the usual: my grandparents had never heard of the name Kristen when I was born and thought it was a REALLY out-there choice, but it had been in the Top 100 for years already. I don’t think your contemporaries will think you made it up.
I do think the name Rosalie could be occasionally confused with Rose or Rosemary, but no more than any name might be confused with similar names. I don’t foresee it being a regular issue, though perhaps the parents of Rosalies could weigh in on this.
To me, Rosalie sounds like a name that fits well with other vintage revival names, without being a name that would spring to my mind if I were listing Vintage Revivals (Rose and Rosemary would be the versions I’d think of). According to the Social Security Administration, Rosalie was a less-popular name back in the early 1900s, too: it was in the 200s rankings, just as it is now, while Eleanor and Violet were Top 100, and Josephine and Evelyn were Top 50.
Though I definitely don’t think “Oh, that’s a Twilight name” when I hear it, I’m aware that the Twilight series is what seems to have brought the name to our collective awareness. Or it could be that we all, including the author, became aware of the name at the same time, and that she happened to use it in her books for the same reason other people happened to start using it for their babies.
While I don’t think the name Rosalie is too uncommon/unfamiliar to use, it does bother me that it’s so much less common than the name Ava. In 2017, the name Ava was #3, and that was its 13th year in the Top Ten; the name Rosalie was #236, and that was its 9th year in the Top THOUSAND. But although it’s my own preference for sister names and brother names to be in a similar range of popularity (I don’t mind a difference between the girls in the family and the boys), I don’t know if that’s one of your preferences. And I think many preferences can be ditched for The Right Name. And your preferences have changed since naming Ava, and I think that is something we should be flexible about. Eleanor was #35 in 2017, and so while that’s a point in its favor, it’s not the game-winning point.
One possibility is you could use Rose instead. The name Rose is not radically more popular than Rosalie (Rose was #141 in 2017), but its much-higher usage as a middle name makes it FEEL more common than it is. Ava and Rose would be a very sweet set of sister names, and you’d still have the nicknames Ro and Rosie.
If you wanted to use Eleanor, you could use the nickname Nora instead of Ellie; in my limited experience, Nora is the more standard nickname for Eleanor. Ava and Nora.
But although it might be the case that your preference for a more popular name will win out, it sounds to me from your letter as if Eleanor is not the right more-popular name for you.
I wonder if Nora on its own would work better? Oh, but it doesn’t have a natural nickname.
I notice you have Scarlet and Violet on your list, which make me think of Charlotte. Charlotte was #7 in 2017, and it’s lovely with Ava, and it has the nicknames Lottie and Charlie.
Or is Violet still a contender? It seems to meet a lot of your preferences, and it’s very nice with Ava. Potential nicknames Vi and Lettie.
Your hesitation with the -nor ending of Eleanor makes me want to suggest Eloise or Eliza, but those are both in the Less Popular category (#190 and #140, respectively), and also I don’t think of either one as having a natural nickname, and they don’t solve the El- issue, and Eloise is very similar to Ava’s middle name Louise, so never mind.
Evelyn makes me think of Vivian, another good vintage revival and not as similar to Ava; it was #97 in 2017. Ava and Vivian. Nickname Vivi. I guess that’s kind of a lot of V sounds.
Vivian makes me think of Lillian, which avoids a lot of the Vivian issues, and it was #27 in 2017. Ava and Lillian. Nickname Lily.
Name update: Rosalie Mae
So, I 100% think you should go with Rosalie. You clearly love it. It isn’t out there (names that end with -lie seem like they’re kind of a trend). If you do find yourself having to repeat it and getting tired of that (I named my daughter May and never would have guessed how many people would think I named her Meg. Although now that hasn’t happened for years? I dunno, patterns are funny), Rosie is even more familiar.
On the other hand, if you do end up reconsidering Scarlet, Lettie could be a good alternative nickname.
I was coming here to say this: obviously Rosalie is the beloved name (and not at all unfamiliar as a name, just unusual for babies at this moment), but if the rule out for Scarlett is the nickname, please reconsider! I have never met a Scarlett called Scar (but know two called Lettie, and it is very sweet)
Scout as a nickname for Scarlett! Love that option. Plus two bombshell / romantic sister names.
However, I think you should go with Rosalie. The Rose names are climbing and I don’t think it’ll come off as unusual. (The famous Scarlett has a daughter named Rose Dorothy actually..)
I love the Rose variations, and I think you’d be fine with Rosalie. There’s a lot to be said for a name that just gives you joy; you’ll be saying it for the rest of your life!
Throwing it out there just in case—Shoshana is the Hebrew name for Rose.
No matter what, I think Eleanor is not your child’s name. I also think you should avoid any that have a V because if you were to have another child, you may feel painted into a corner.
I think Shoshana is the root for the Susan/Susannah family. Susan’s pretty unusual for the under 50 crowd but Susannah would play nicely with Ava, IMO.
As much as she loves Rosalie, though, I think she should go with it. Rose, Ro, or Lee would make cool nicknames.
Thank you. Memory has played a trick on me!
Please go with Rosalie! You clearly love it and I think it’s beautiful! I love my daughter’s name, Magnolia, but you’re almost making me wish I had named her Rosalie. Haha. Mainly because my oldest daughter wanted to name her Rosie. ☺️ Oh well, maybe if I have a fourth daughter!
On the other hand, if the popularity issue still bothers you, I love Swistle’s suggestion of Charlotte. Of course, my second daughrer’s name is Charlotte so I’m biased!
Please choose Rosalie!! It’s an absolutely beautiful name, and I’ve been hearing it more often lately. I had it on my own list, but I had boys, so I never got to use it.
My daughter’s (Swistle&Co-encouraged) middle name is Rosalie…named after my mom. I called to ask her and she said she gets called Rose sometimes (she goes by Ro or Rosie most of the time, not usually Rose), but she has never been called Rosemary. I love her name. I noted it in Twilight, but I don’t think that will stick with anyone, she wasn’t the MAIN character anyway. Anyway, I strongly encourage it, it is a great name! I also get a little thrill when our family with accents pronounce it ro-SAH-lie, so pretty!
I am in favor of Rosalie ( I’ve known three lovely people with the name) but I do want to point out that Target has a clothing brand “Ava and Viv” which would definitely rule out Vivian for me…
Rosalie is gorgeous!
Chiming in about Nora – We have a Norah Elizabeth who answers to (among many others): Nori, Norah, Norah Bee, Norah Beth (her current preference).
Even names without common nicknames can end up with them. Our son Isaac’s name was chosen in part because it didn’t have many nicknames. Fast forward a few months and I was calling my little bub Isie (eye-zee), Isie-pie, etc.
Anyways, go with the name you love!
Read your email to Swistle again. You definitely should go with Rosalie. It’s what your heart desires!
I think because Rose names are common enough (ie the sound is familiar to our ear) and the “ie” ending is also a familiar sound, that Rosalie, while less common than Ava, still works with Ava.
I also think Rose by itself is a lovely name. It has the that middle name freshness—names like May, Marie, Jane and Grace— where every time I hear it in a first name spot it pleasantly surprises me. But if it doesn’t bring you the same joy Rosalie does, I say go with Rosalie.
Rosalie is beautiful name and I think being in the 200s in the popularity chart is a great position as it makes it familiar, but not super common.
That being said, other names that seem to fit your criteria:
Camila
Penelope
Margaret
Adeline
Georgia
Miriam
Magnolia (not as a common as a name, but still familiar since it’s also a word)
My baby girl is Rosemary, and I have a friend with a baby Rosalie the same age–I predict that all the “Rose” names will increase steadily in popularity in the next few years. Eleanor was on my list for my oldest, but that was 6 years ago and I think that the “Ellie” names have flooded the name pool too much for me to use it now!
So far none of us have had any negative feedback about our little Rose babies and tons of positive feedback. If you like Rosalie, you should definitely use it!
I agree with the many others who’ve said that it seems like Rosalie is really the name for you. Nora as a nickname for Eleanor could eliminate one of your problems with it, but I’d advise just going with the name you love.
Rosalie isn’t an unknown or made up name. I might just be familiar with it because it was the name of a character in the Twilight movies and books and vampires were super popular for a while.
For me, the name Rosalie does NOT feel weird/uncommon/made up at all, and I’m not even American… Rosalie is, I believe, a French name, and I personally know a lady named Rozalia (which is a Polish version of Rosalie). However, If not Rosalie, what about:
Amelie nn Amy (Amelia was a top 10 name in US in 2017)
Camilla/Camille nn Cammy
Natalie
Aurora nn Rory
Adeline nn Addy (no. 64 in 2017)
Lila
or Anna (Ava and Anna make a really great pair!)
Rosalie is so perfect! Please use it! I really don’t think anyone will think it’s made up.
I say this as a mom of 3 girls who all have unusual names that aren’t near the top 100 (Rory, Sloane, and Gemma). I probably get asked daily about how I came up with one of them, and I can tell they all think I made them up. But ya know what? I love those names so much, it doesn’t bother me one bit.
I re-read the Noel Streatfeild “Gemma” books every couple of years, and Rory is shared by two of my favorite tv characters. And Sloane was the best of the trio in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
I love Rose, Rosie, Rosalie- all of the above! If Rosalie calls to you, I don’t think you will regret it at all.
Also, Josephine seems like it would be perfect! Josie is such a sweet name/nn.
Rosalie is the name you love. It’s not made up and even if people haven’t heard it before (which would surprise me) they’ll know how to say it. And the intuitive nickname is also the one you love.
Eleanor seems a very distant second. You don’t want an Elle/Ellie nickname and the Nor at the end doesn’t appeal, so I doubt Nora is the compromise you’re after. There is also Nell – which I love – but might be harder for you to make stick .
Ava & Nell is very sweet. But I still think you’ll prefer your Rosie.
I think Rosalie is a clear winner. I don’t think it seems made up. I think there is certainly the possibility that it will be sometimes confused with other Rose names. I really like it and my fav category of names is vintage revival.
I am wondering about your criteria. It seems to have changed between #1 and #2. That happens. It’s also possible you are ignoring some name possibilities because of “criteria “ that it really more flexible. Ava does seem to fit the present criteria of—-longer name (preferably 3 syllables) and natural nicknames. If you excluded this criteria, I think simple Rose may be a strong contender.
I have a Josephine nn Josie. We get positive reactions to the name and have never been asked if we made it up.
I agree with everything Swistle said!
Another suggestion for nicknames for Eleanor is Nell/Nellie.
Oh, heavens, the number of people who mishear my son Kerry’s name. Gary, Terry, or Harry, usually. Mary a couple times when he was very small and less obviously a boy. But it really isn’t that big a deal. I’ve perfected the “Kerry like Cary Grant” line. Though usually I don’t need to introduce my social butterfly these days, lol. You should hear the versions of our ordinary English surname!
If that’s the only thing causing you to question Rosalie, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Oh I can help! I have a Rosalie! She is 6. Never had anyone confuse with another Rose name or ask how to pronounce. Once or twice someone spelled it Rosalee but I’d say it’s happened less often than people misspell my name Jennifer. I suspect Twilight has helped make Rosalie more familiar to people although I’ve only had one person in 6 years ask if the book inspired her. We call her Rosie often but she prefers Rosalie at school etc.
I love the name Rosalie. My daughters name gives me great pleasure.
Rosalie is so sweet! Go for it!
But, if not….
Emilia nn Emme, Millie, Mimi, Mia
Matilda nn Mattie or Tilly
Sophia/Sophie nn Soph or Fifi
Olivia nn Liv
Penelope nn Penny, Nell or Poppy
Isabel nn Izzy or Belle
Lucia/Lucinda nn Lucy
Lydia nn Liddy
Julia nn Jules
Harriet nn Hattie
Elizabeth nn Birdie
Caroline nn Coco
Beatrix nn Bea or Trixie
Clementine nn Clem/Minty or Minnie
Miranda nn Andie
Imogen nn Immy or Midge
Phew!!!
Love the suggestion of Susanna! Susie/Suzy is adorable. Familiar and yet never heard anymore!
Lillian nn Lily is another lovely one! Love!
Good luck!
I love Rosalie!
If you went with Eleanor, I think that “Lenny” is a cute nickname for it.
My aunt’s name is Rosalie! FWIW, I think it’s a beautiful name and pairs very well with Ava.
For nicknames, you could use Rosie, Rose or even Leelee.
Good luck!
I think Rosalie is absolutely lovely and would be very pleased to meet (or overhear) a sibling set called Ava and Rosalie. It’s beautiful.
My name is Annabel and I think it fits your criteria perfectly!
Definitely in the same generation of names as Evelyn. My grandmother was Evelyn, and had a sister Rosalie. Beautiful names!