Dear Swistle,
Hello! You helped us name our first baby (Beatrix Dare, nn Bix/Bixie, for whom we considered the name Aviatrix until y’all talked us out of it) and we’re back again for help with her sister, due in December. I’m falling prey to all the second baby how-to-live-up-to-the-first’s-name problems, and I know that it’s because Beatrix is now a person and not just a name, but I just keep feeling like I haven’t found IT yet, despite my endless research. Like, is there just a name I haven’t seen/thought of yet that’s perfect, or am I overthinking? As a refresher, our last name sounds like muh-HALF-fee, and the kid will have my wife’s maiden name as a second middle, so sounding like First Middle MAC-irish muh-HALF-fee.
The thing that sold me on Beatrix was the nickname Bix. We’re very nicknamey people, and I love a longer name with an unusual nn, preferably those kicky early 20th century-ish ones, like Kit/Birdie/Goldie, or something else that sounds like she’s a character in the Great Gatsby or maybe a wild west show? I also love a nature name and/or a word name and/or a very unusual name (hence my trying to make Aviatrix happen.) I’m okay with explaining a name – I thought Beatrix was safe, but I have to say “No, Beatrix, with an x” or “No, Bixie, like Dixie with a b” almost every time she introduces herself.
Currently in the running for firsts:
Opal (nn Ollie, b/c wife vetoed Opie)
Eilish (AY-lish, not EYE-lish, nn Ailey, like the dance company!)
Arden (nn???)
Juniper (nn Junie)
Avis (Mostly just to get to nn Birdie, but I don’t hate it as a name. We’ve also considered and nixed Paloma, Columba, Sparrow and Wren to get to Birdie)
Orlaith (OR-la, nn Goldie. Also considered Aurelia to get to Goldie)
Verity (nn?? Wife likes this one.)
Vesper (nn?)
Cedar (Wife doesn’t like nn CeCe)
Zora (nn Zosie)Currently in the running for middles:
Salem
Nova
Bess (kind of an oblique honor name for several Elizabeth in our lives)
Jubilee
Maeve
Avalon
Swift
Astra/Estrella (her fetus name is Twinkle, so the wife likes star names)The wife has unfortunately nixed my favorite, Wells; it’s nature/word name, badass female author name, kinda unisex, etc. Ticks all my buttons, but she’s not sold. We also like but can’t use Clementine, Ramona or Audre. The only name we agreed solidly upon so far is Juniper, mainly b/c she doesn’t love coming up with names and basically just wants veto power (which I’m fine with, she’s doing the hard work of growing the kid!). I like Juniper a lot, but I already know/know of 3 little Junipers just in my circle. This was one of the reasons Bix didn’t end up a Hazel, b/c the name just seemed to explode in popularity.
So, can you help us? Any cool/unusual nicknames you can think of or obvious nature/word/lady-adventurer names I’m missing? We’d appreciate anything you can come up with. Thanks and have a great day!
I just recently read Practical Magic, in which one of the aunts is named Bridget, called Jet. I’ve also seen Jet used as a nickname for Juliet(te). I like the way those parallel your first child’s name: a familiar but not overused first name with an unexpected cool nickname.
Other favorites of mine, but with nicknames not as distinctive as Bix: Winifred/Freddie and Frances/Frankie (or Francesca/Frankie). Beatrix and Winifred; Bix and Freddie. Beatrix and Frances; Bix and Frankie. Beatrix and Francesca; Bix and Frankie. (I read a book long ago that used Chess as a nickname for Francesca; I liked that while I was reading the book, but when I was talking about it to someone else, they thought I said “Chest” and that ruined it for me.)
Some of the names on your list seem to me to be good matches for the name Bix or for the name Aviatrix, but not as good with the name Beatrix. Wells, for example: Bix and Wells is terrific, but the style gap between Beatrix and Wells makes it sound like a sister/brother pair. Vesper and Cedar would both be interesting candidates to consider with Aviatrix, but “Beatrix and Cedar” would be another surprising sister pairing. Eilish and Orlaith are a big leap in difficulty/hassle as well as uncommonness/unfamiliarity. (And I had to look up the meaning of the name Orlaith to figure out how the name Goldie connected.) And Zora feels like a cool Zena sidekick, or a space princess (or BOTH!); Bix and Zora is an awesome space-princess warrior team (please someone start writing a script for that), but Beatrix and Zora feels like a there’s been an abrupt change in naming style, or that the parents’ naming style is “cool letters like X and Z and Q” (a perfectly legit style, but not as layered as yours).
The strongest candidates, I think, are Opal, Arden, Avis, and Verity. The first three in particular feel like contemporaries of Beatrix: names that have fallen out of common usage, but could definitely be the names of women in a historical novel.
…Well, I’ll be danged: in looking up the usage of those names, I find Zora in use in the early 1900s. The available data starts in 1900, where the name Zora is at #338 (99 new U.S. baby girls given the name that year); it never makes it higher than that, but doesn’t fall out of the Top 1000 until 1940. That goes to show you how an individual person’s impressions of a name can fail to line up with the actual usage: here I am assuming a modern/futuristic name when I should have been imagining historical novels (which doesn’t rule out the name having a resurgence in the time of space princesses, if you’re working on that script already). The name Zora was MORE common than Arden for early-1900s ladies, as was the name Zena. ZENA! I’m going to put up a 24-hour Twitter poll to collect more of an assortment of impressions before I publish this post; it’s not exactly scientific since I’m setting the answers, but I want to find out how other people see the name. …Okay, it is 24 hours later and I can put the poll here and finish this post!
A number of people responded that their own impression of the name was evenly split between early 1900s and space princess.
I wonder if there is still hope for the name Wells, since it’s your favorite and it goes so nicely with Bix. Perhaps Wilhelmina/Willemina/Willa/Willow/Jewel, nickname Wells? I particularly like Willa. Beatrix and Willa; Bix and Wells. Wills seems like the more natural nickname, but I don’t like the sound of Bix and Wills as much. And thinking of Wills as more natural might be enough to ruin Wells for me: once it feels as if it OUGHT to be Wills, Wells starts to feel forced.
For Arden, I’d be tempted by the nickname Arlo. Or Denny could be cute. I know a girl nicknamed Dinny, and it doesn’t seem at first glance as if it would work but it has worn well with time. It has some of the sound of Denny/Danny and some of the sound of Ginny.
The cute/clever nickname for Verity would be True. Beatrix and Verity; Bix and True.
I am more inclined, though, to look for cool nicknames that go with the letters/sounds of the given name, as with Beatrix/Bix: that is, Marigold/Goldie rather than Orlaith/Goldie, Gertrude/True rather than Verity/True. I am not good at discovering fresh versions of those (e.g., I knew Bea and Trixie as nicknames for Beatrix, but would not on my own have thought of Bix), so I am hoping readers have more suggestions. I will list some of the ones I’ve heard of, mixed with more familiar options; I will include options that won’t work in your particular case (such as Rebecca/Bex), so that we’ll have a more complete list for later reference:
Adelaide/Della/Del/Lady
Arlene/Arlo
Augusta/Gus/Gussie
Bernadette/Bennie/Birdie
Birgitta/Birdie
Bridget/Birdie/Jet
Caroline/Caro
Constance/Consie
Eleanor/Lennie
Eloise/Lola
Florence/Flossie
Frances/Frankie
Francesca/Frankie
Genevieve/Vivi
Georgia/George/Georgie
Gertrude/True/Trudy/Gertie
Guinevere/Vera
Gwendolyn/Dolly
Harriet/Hattie
Henrietta/Hettie
Imogen/Midge/Moe
Isadora/Zadie
Jocelyn/Joss
Josephine/Jo/Posy
Judith/Jude
Juliet/Jet
Katherine/Kick/Kiki/Kit
Lorelei/Rory
Louise/Lulu/Lou/Louie
Marigold/Goldie
Maureen/Moe
Millicent/Millie
Miriam/Mim
Naomi/Mimi
Nicoletta/Cole
Penelope/Pip/Nell
Philippa/Pippa
Rebecca/Bex
Rosamund/Romy
Rosemary/Romy/Rory
Susannah/Nan/Sukie
Theodora/Teddie
Violet/Lettie
Virginia/Ginny
Winifred/Freddie
I’m hoping there can be lots of additions to this list in the comments section. I know I’ve heard more nicknames of the Beatrix/Bix and Juliet/Jet type—names where I would not have thought of them myself, but when someone else thinks of them they seem fresh and appealing and give the name new life.
At some point, my own preference is to go ahead and use the nickname you want to use with whatever given name you like best, instead of trying to backfind a given name that makes the nickname work. For example, if you want Birdie, I don’t think you need to try to find a bird- or bird-related given name; writer Catherine Newman has a daughter named Abigail, called Birdy. If you want Goldie, I don’t think you have to go for names with a little-known connection to gold; you can instead name her Margaret or Geneva or Millicent or Katherine and then say “But we call her Goldie.” If anyone pursues it (and for the most part, people don’t care very deeply about other people’s names), you can say, “She just always seemed like a Goldie!” or “It just sort of happened!” or even “We loved the nickname but not any of the names that led to it, so [*mighty shrug*]” or WHATEVER you can say briefly and cheerfully. I think this works best when the given name is more familiar/traditional: for example, I probably wouldn’t name her Vesper but then call her Goldie, because that seems like Too Much For One Name. But a Margaret called Goldie has the familiar feeling of all those boarding school girls named Elizabeth or Mary Katherine and called Bunty or Kipper. I also think it works best if there is at least one strong sound in common: that is, I think Margaret/Goldie works better than Katherine/Goldie, because of the G in Margaret.
That’s unless you PREFER the Orlaith/Goldie and Avis/Birdie type connections. Those can be fun, too. I only mean I don’t think you HAVE to do that to get the nickname you want.
Name update:
Hi Swistle,
The baby I wrote you about turned one today (whoops, time kinda got away with me there!) but I wanted to send y’all an update. Thanks hugely for everyone’s amazing ideas, it was so fun to read through them again. We agreed most on the name Opal, and went to the hospital leaning toward Opal Maeve, nickname Omie (a compromise since her initials would be OMMM and the wife hates the way Opie sounds). However, during her (long, complicated) labor, my wife used a star outside as a focus through her contractions, and once the baby was here suggested we use Vesper for her middle. Sounded perfect to me (plus, you don’t say no to a woman who just spent more than a day bringing life into the world) so Opal Vesper joined our family on a chilly morning last December. She’s sunniest kid I’ve ever met, and we adore her utterly. We kept the nickname Omie, mostly just b/c we liked it, and technically her initials still spell OM. Here’s a picture of her around 6 mos. Thanks again!
MeighPS, our older daughter has a classmate called Catriona, nn Catch, that I think would fall right in with the cool nickname list you’ve got going!
For me, Zora = Zora Neale Hurston, an association you might like if you like powerful female writers (and then you’d have two!) And I like just-plain-Zo as a nickname; Bix and Zo seem like a great style pair. You have so many great names on this list!
Exactly this.
Same! Other ideas (my wife is a botanist who loves camping and the Lumberjanes comics and lady naturalists so oh boy do I get your naming style, and if you haven’t read the Signature of All Things you both totally should):
Paola nn Pow (Bix and Pow! Like a Nancy-Drew-era comic-book duo of girl detectives!)
Agatha (as in Christie, but also the geological agate connection)
Linnea (plenty of nicknames and the Linnaeaus connection)
From the tree world, maybe Tilia? (nn Tilly or Lia, meaning Linden. LOVE Tilly and Bix!) or Aspen nn Penny?
Fern (especially for middle–think about the lady naturalist fern craze)
Honesty, nn True or Honey
Emerald, nn Emmy? or Ruby (no real nn but I do love the name Ruby, and Ruby and Bix gives me a very Beezus and Ramona feeling).
I’m drawn to Judith (for Resnick) or something with the nickname Sally (Sally and Bix!) for Sally Ride, given your science/strong women/star name desires. Judith also has a great Biblical tie-in, and Judy and Bix could work.
Also, I realize this is a little out there, but given your star interest, I’ve always been so drawn to the Latin phrase (there are many variations on it) per ardua [or per aspera], ad astra. You’re considering Astra and I love it for a middle, but I’ve always thought Perardua would be a cool name (peraspera sounds too much like perspiration for my taste). The nn could be Perry, and “through adversity (to the stars)” is a pretty cool meaning. Perry and Bix, Beatrix and Perardua. Kind of sounds like Arden, too.
Similarly, I know a baby girl with the middle name Peregrine, which gives you Perry and Birdie and also the cool meaning of pilgrim or traveler.
I do like Swistle’s suggestion of Willa (Willa Cather!) and Juliette (as in Gordon Low of the girl scouts!).
I am all for a name and then what you want to call her. In Anne Tyler’s book, “Back When We Were Grownups”, all four daughters have a carefully chosen name, and each one has a name that the family knows them by. The second name was bestowed after they were born. I have personally known of women whose families and close friends know them as Happy and Sunny. I also knew a girl named Regis (rather than Regina) whose mother one day just called PeeGee and it stuck. She’s Regis on documents and in formal life, but if you hang with her you call her PeeGee. I really know this to be a distinct way of calling girls. I feel like with boys, we see them go by their middle name.
I think it’s interesting that Zena kept coming up. I grew up with a girl named Zena pronounced Zain-ya. I never knew if it was a family name or its origin from another country, but I’ll tell you what–that girl was a live wire. It was just always sunny where she was.
I like both Verity with the nn of True, or Zora with the nn of Zosie. Zosie mutes some of Zora’s space princess vibe for me.
I want to help you try to find a way to get to Birdie…but Bixie and Birdie is a pretty dramatic commitment to cute matchiness, and based on your experience with Aviatrix, I wonder if your inclination towards dramatic commitments is mostly hypothetical.
Have you considered Star on its own for the middle? It seems like best match for Dare, stylistically.
I love the suggestions of Lola, Juliette/Jet, and True/Trudy.
I agree whole-heartedly to go with the nickname you like best and not to retrofit the name to the nickname.
I ran straight to the comments to say that you have it already – ELIZABETH! Elizabeth and Beatrix are lovely together – there’s something I really enjoy about the Z and the X. It will do your honour name duties and, most importantly, Birdie is one of Elizabeth’s (many, many) nicknames. I love that their full names don’t share an initial but their nicknames do. And I just think Bix and Birdie are too perfect together!
Felicity with the nickname Fizz or Flick or Fliss.
Old Swistle post here that is one of my all time faves- 80 replies with great ideas on creative nicknames!
https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2016/01/25/baby-names-to-consider-classictraditional-names-with-atypicalnon-traditional-nicknames/
I throw a vote for Felicity- Flick/Fliss/Bliss
My name is Bliss, and I love it so much. Actually, I actually can’t think of a name I like better and so I shared my name with one of my daughters. That said, I think it is too close in sound to Bix and would lead to a lot of household confusion. I nixed Blythe for daughter #2 even though I love the name, for the same reason. Come to think of it, Beatrix & Blythe sounds nice together, and you could call her Bly–that is edgy and has a different enough sound from Bix.
I also like Bridget/Jet, Juliet/Jet, Verity/True, Eleanor/Nell, Helen/Nell, and Alice/Al for you.
If you like Zora (I do, and for me there is no space princess association), you could also call her Zee.
I was coming here to suggest Blythe. It may not have the most natural, cool nickname and I’m not sure you want two “B” names…but Blythe seems to fit with your naming style.
Felicity is a great suggestion and has all the good nicknames suggested above.
I immediately thought of Marigold– Goldie (nature name, preferred nickname…)
I also wanted to add in Roberta nickname Birdie. I have a cousin Roberta named for a relative and she has always gone by Birdie (now as an adult she goes by Bird)
I totally get the Lady Adventurer naming style! Reading Dead Wake about the Lusitania right now and it has several rich options…Theodate anyone?
A little lady adventurer who also defines this style Ian Jean Louise Finch aka Scout. I think Bix and Scout is great-and clearly Scout can be attached to any formal name you wish. I also like Finch as an alternative to Birdie.
Two real life Isabelles (Bird and Bernhardt) were legit explorers in the early 1900s. I wonder if Izzy appeals?
And I’ll add my true favorite-Hester. Hester is in The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman as Lee Scorsby’s pantalimon (sp? it’s been a long time). Nickname Estie. Beatrix and Hester: Bix and Estie (or even Estée???)
Hester is Lee Scoresby’s daemon! (Pantalaimon is the name of Lyra, the main character’s daemon.)
Completely off-topic, but a good plug for the new BBC version in which Lin-Manuel Miranda has just been cast as Lee Scoresby…
Omg yes you’re right. Man it has been awhile. I will check out the BBC version for sure!!!
I was also going to reference the previous post given in the comments above – definitely an all time favorite.
I recently met a woman named Veronica, but everyone calls her Vero (like Vera, but with an O – pronounced Vee-row). I thought that was a really cool nickname. :) Bix and Vero!
You could use Vero with Verity, too, I think
Lavinia nn Vin, Vinnie, Nia.
I feel like you have a lot of style overlap with a fined of mine. She wanted the nicknames “Goldie” or “Birdie”, Beatrix and Clementine were all on her shortlist, and her daughter wound up being named Louise Marigold and is called Louise or Birdie. With that in mind, can I sell you on Marigold? Rare,used in the 20’s, ADORABLE nickname. Goldie, Golden girl, the Gold. I mean you can’t go wrong with this name!
Mixing and matching a top nickname and a variation of your top pick, what about Orla nicknamed Ollie? (If you’re in the U.S., I think the spelling Orlaith would require MUCH more explanation that you currently have to give about Beatrix.)
I do think that Zora is a real winner — my first association is Zora Neale Hurston, so I definitely get a zippy early-20th c vibe that matches well with Beatrix.
Goldie as a nn for Marigold was my first thought too.
Rory could be a good nickname for Aurora and Perry for Vesper.
As for Arden, my initial thought was nn Addy.
And maybe Gia for Virginia? (Technically it’s a common nn for Giovanna, but well…)
Vivi for Verity?
Addy or Didi for Ariadne?
I also like the name Kalina nn Kallie or Kiki (it literally means viburnum in Polish)
some other ideas:
Saffron (nn Saffy)
Calista (nn Callie)
Helena (nn Leney)
Margot (nn Mattie)
Laurel (nn Lo)
Veronica (nn Roe)
Alexandra (nn Landry?)
Genevieve (nn Neve?)
or what about Starlight (nn Sallie)?
(And as for the nn Zosie, I first read it as “Zosia” – a common Polish nn for Zofia [Sophia]!)
Swistle had Virginia on her list with the nickname Ginny, but you could also use Ginger, Gin (same feel to me as Bix), or, I’ve even heard Jinx, which I half like and half think is like naming your kid “Bad”.
Ooh, I just looked up jinx, just to see if there was a more neutral definition, and it turns out jynx is another name for the wryneck (a type of woodpecker). So, if you’re willing to follow a chain, Birdie could also be a nickname for Virginia….
I have friends banned Virginia who go by Birdie. Multiple Virginias using the same nickname. I thought it was considered a standard nickname for Virginia!
Not that most people would know both of your daughters’ full names together, but I wouldn’t do Virginia plus ___ Dare. Virginia Dare is an interesting person, but as the first baby born to colonists in the “new world” her story has been co-opted by white supremacists.
I’m ALL about Zora – to me it reads Zora Neale Hurston, and thus brave lady adventurer in the early/mid-20th century, not spacey at all.
Apart from that, I’ve always been partial to Leonora/Lenora/Lenore, abbreviated to Lennie or even better Leni.
Other suggestions:
Would you consider Gloria nn Goldie?
Cordelia is a moon, nn Rory or Della?
Esther means star – Tess for short? Or Estelle or Estella nn Tess?
How about Zadie as a full name? Zaza for short maybe? Zadie also falls in the category of ‘seems modern but isn’t)
And I’ve mean mulling over Sidonie recently. Sid?
I would love to see a baby Gloria. Great suggestion!
Magnolia – Nola
Susannah – Sunny
Or Magnolia nn Nolie (No-lee)
When the first name Swistle mentioned was Bridget I thought she was going to suggest it with Birdie as a nickname because I thought that was the origin of Birdie, but apparently it’s not. Still works, though, I think. Beatrix and Bridget, Bix and Birdie.
As for Juniper, it could seem like different style than Beatrix but it has that eccentric vibe I think you like and Bix and Junie is a cute pairing.
Maybe Juniper/Jinx?
To get Birdie, what about Robin? Beatrix and Robin? Bix and Birdie.
To get Goldie, what about Gloria? Beatrix and Gloria? Bix and Goldie?
However, here are some other ideas that:
Dorothy (Dot) Beatrix and Dorothy, Bix and Dot
Coraline (Coco) Beatrix and Coraline, Bix and Coco
Stella (Star) Beatrix and Stella, Bix, and Star
I like juniper the best from your list!!
First, I love love love Steph Lovelady’s suggestion of Bridget nn Birdie. (Fun fact: Bridget seems to be derived from Birgitta, which is an even stronger tie to a nickname like Birdie, sound-wise at least.) This would be my first choice.
But I know that Busy Phillips has daughters named Birdie and Cricket, so I was wondering about Cricket as an option. I believe it was a nickname for Christine/Christina.
And I totally think you use Stella as the middle name to match your wife’s “star” theme. Love that name. I do think the name Star would match Dare better, but I love the romance of Stella.
From your list I like Zora best I think.
Other suggestions:
Theodora nn Thora
Dorothea/Dorothy nn Dot
I also liked someone else’s suggestion of Leonora/Lenore with the nn Leni
Or Leonora/Lenore nn Leo
I’m in the Zora=futurist sounding camp, despite knowing it was used around the turn of the century (Zora Neale Hurston comes to mind as an example).
From your list, I agree that Opal, Arden, Avis & Verity seem to fit best with Beatrix.
For Arden, I’d be tempted to do Arlo or Arley as a nickname, but Dennie could also work.
Not a fan of Ollie for Opal-but perhaps something like Jewel/Julie/Gem as a nickname. Oh, what about Polly? I think Polly for Opal would be really sweet & unexpected-but still seems intuitive. I think as first/middle mashup could also work here. Something like Opal Nova called Ona perhaps?
I love, love, love Verity. It has been one of my top girl names forever (but alas, only boys for me). I’d be tempted to do Vee (Bix & Vee), but I think True could work. In this case, I think the first name is slightly less expected than Beatrix, so something less unusual for the nickname seems balances to me (and gives her some options).
Birdie is a traditional (although fairly rare) nickname for Elizabeth. Perhaps Elizabeth/Birdie as a first to get the namesake in? Other things Birdie could work as an intuitive but still less-expected nickname would be anything with the Bert element; Bertha, Roberta, Alberta. Bridget. My favorite paring would be Beatrix & Alberta-regal, unexpected but still known names. Bix & Birdie. Oh, they really are adorable together. Maybe too adorable? If I had a Bix & Birdie and then had a 3rd, I think I’d really want to do another sort/unexpected B nickname. You may want to consider if you’d want themed nicknames.
Other suggestion I think could work as a sister name for Beatrix/Bix is Gemma/Gem, Ginevra/Gin/Ginny, Gertrude/True/Trudy, Margaret/Daisy/Pearl, Josephine/Posy.
OMG, please name her Marigold and call her Goldie. (I may be biased because that’s one of my very favorite names.)
I know a teenager named Magnolia who goes by Nolie. Beatrix and Magnolia; Bixie and Nolie.
I’ve also heard the name Star as nickname for Estelle/Estella/Estrella. I know you’re considering Estrella as a middle name, but how would you feel about it as a first name? Beatrix and Estrella, Bix and Star.
Love Marigold nn Goldie!!
Runner up, Bernadette nn Birdie (I also like the pairing of Beatrix & Bernadette when using full names, but the nicknames also make a good pair).
Then probably Arden nn Denny!
Also like the suggestion of Dorothy nn Dot :)
I thought Arden nn Denny is cute… and I have a cousin whose little girl is Arwen and while they typically call her Ari, they do use Winny/Wenny also. Bix and Winnie would be a cute combo!
Since you mentioned Arden and also want a “bird” name … what about Larken? Bird-related so you could use the nn Birdie if you wanted. I love that name, I’m always trying to push it on people :) Oh, plus apparently it’s of Irish origin, meaning “rough, fierce.” That would be awesome for your second daughter.
I do love Juniper, too (it makes me think of that Donovan song, “Jennifer Juniper.”
Clarke is a bit popularized by the lead female in the TV show The 100 but becausw it contains “lark” might be amother way to get to nn Birdie. Or Larkspur the flower! Pretty and spunky sounding.
Instead of Orlaith or Aurelia, you could go with Aurelie (pronounced like Ora Lee). “Aura Lee” is a lovely old song (the tune of Elvis’s “Love Me Tender”, if you like that) . You could still have the Goldie nickname and I think Aurelie and Beatrix is a cute combo.
My favorites from your list:
Opal
Juniper
Verity
Zora
*on Juniper: stylistically, I think June is much more of a match to Beatrix. Do you ever use longer nicknames for names? I do for both my husband and daughter sometimes. I would use June as the name and Juniper as the nickname.
For middle names, I love Jubilee, but feel like Swift is a good match with Dare.
Regarding Avis: it is a car rental company where I live. I do not know if it is where you live, but it is something to consider.
I have always really liked Bridget/Birdie, which has already been suggested, and I am delighted by the suggestion of Elizabeth/Birdie since that would fit so much of the criterion. Elizabeth Estrella maybe?
My favorite way to get to Scout is Scarlett.
Scarlett nn Scout is genius. Good call.
Chiming in to advocate for Imogen/Moe from Swistle’s list. As soon as I read that, it just felt RIGHT. Like, Moe is definitely the name of Bix’s little sister. And Beatrix and Imogen are both cool yet sophisticated names with a bit of a historical feel. I love the combo so much that it kind of hurts. My daughter went to school with a girl nicknamed “Moe” (but spelled MOH) and I thought it was a unique (yet lovely) nickname on a little girl.
I’m on the Imogen nn Moe train, too! Love it with Swift or Star, but if you’re considering other middle names, I wonder if you’d like Blaze – many explorers have to blaze their own trails and it’s a great compliment to Dare! Single syllable, adventurous verb!
Beatrix Dare and Imogen Blaze
Bix and Moe
Best of luck!
Bernadette nn Birdie! Oh how I love Bernadette & Beatrix as sisters. <3
Verity's lovely and I think you could make it to Viv or Vivi.
Another one that comes to mind is Araminta, nickname Minty.
I love Zora for you!
My faves from your list are Juniper “Junie” and Zora “Zo.” So cute!! Zora reminds me of Zelda, which is amazing if you don’t mind the video game connection.
Other suggestions…some are odd, but just putting them out there!
Dolores “Dolly” or “Lolly” (My aunt Dolores was Lolly with a long “o” her whole life! But Lolly like lollipop could be adorable too!)
Helena “Lanie” or “Lena”
Marigold “Goldie”
Millicent “Millie” (Friend of a friend’s little girl SO CUTE)
Genevieve “Neva” (I had a neighbor who went by this! pronounced Nee-vah)
Evangeline “Van” “Vanna” “Genie” “Evee” “Ginny”
Theresea “Tess” “Tessa” “Reese” “Essie”
Zora seems perfect for you (no space princess vibe here at all) — and it’s a fantastic match with Beatrix. I’d vote for Zora Estelle or Zora Star; Zora Maeve is also beautiful.
If Zora isn’t quite right, how about Zola, called Zo or Zee?
I’m sure you’ve thought of Amelia, as in Earhart — but does the unisex nature of the nickname Mills, which resembles Wells, make it more appealing? Amelia Star could also go by Asta or Astra.
So many lovely suggestions! I just wanted to add one that I didn’t see mentioned: Susannah, nn Sosie.
I do think that with Beatrix/Bix, my fave would be Juliet /Jet. Other faves would be Helen/Nell, Juniper/Junie, Judith/Jude and Katherine/Kit.
Just wanted to suggest Flora nn Floss. I have a soft spot for Dorothy nn Dot as well.
Maybe you would like Tindra, meaning twinkle, nn Indi?
Or Starling, nn Birdie (hitting the birdie nn and the twinkle reference in one go?)
Bronte,meaning thunder, nn Stormy, Ronnie, Betty?
I know it’s very Kardashian right now but I can’t help myself liking Stormy. Maybe Abigail nn Stormy (from the gale part).
Word name Reverie, nn Rev, Revvy? This sounds a lot like Verity to me so for that matter Rev could be a nn for Verity.
Ursula nn Ursa (starry tie in as well)
Anastasia nn Naz,Taz, Tasia, Stacie?
Isabelle nn Zazie?
Tabitha nn Birdie?
Persephone nn Penny?
Dominique nn Minnie? Mickey?
Briseida nn Birdie, Sadie?
Victoria nn Toya?
Praxedes nn Sadie?
What about a longer form of Wells? Like the old surname Wellesley?
Ooh, Minnie is darling. You could also get there from Araminta. I like that.
Beatrix and Araminta
Bix and Minnie
It might be too matchy with Bix – but I’ve always loves Daphne/Dax
Beatrix & Daphne, Bix & Dax
I love the suggestion of Opal/Polly and you could always use Olympia to get Polly/Pia/Pepper.
I love Jet for Bridget! I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it, but Bridie (Bride-y) is a traditional nickname for Bridget.
Elizabeth is a great classic name! I wanted to have an Elizabeth Ellen, and I would call her Betty! (But I had boys.)
I love Bridget nn Jet and Marigold nn Goldie
Sorry for any repeats:
Aspen nn Penny
Henrietta nn Hank
Caroline nn Caro
Susan nn Sunny
Susannah nn Zana
Micheala nn Mika
Cornelia nn Neeley
Jacqueline nn Jax
Hermione nn Mya
Gwendolyn nn Wynn
Romilly nn Romy
Veronica nn Vero
Renee nn Wren
Isadora nn Sadie or Dory
Linden nn Link
Roxanne nn Roxy
Maxine nn Max or Xena
Sylvia with the nickname of Sly…
Beatrix and Sylvia
Bix and Sly
Wanted to suggest Miriam nicknamed Midge (like from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel if you watch). Beatrice and Miriam, Bix and Midge.
I’ve also met an Alexandra who only goes by Xandi, which I always thought was fun and unique! Not sure if Alexandra is your style, but I think Bix and Xandi sound so cute together!
*Beatrix! So sorry!
My sister is Alexandra and goes by Xandy. I’ve always loved it and wished I had as cool of a nn!
So many great suggestions!
Annabel nn Nel
Matilda nn Mat
Susanna nn Zan
Zelda nn Zed or Zeldie
Joanna nn Joey
Verity is a lovely name with the nickname Vee, Ettie or Vez.
Good luck!
Voting for Juliet nn Jet to go with Beatrix nn Bix. Juliet Star, Juliet Swift, Juliet Valor?
OOOH Juliet Verve!
I do love Zora and get 0 space princess vibes!
Imogen nn Mo or Midge
Ramona nn Mo
Susanna(h) nn Zuzu is a personal favorite of mine
Francesca nn Chez.
Beatrix and Francesca . . . Bix and Chez.
So many good suggestions! With all the Zora and nickname talk I wanted to suggest Zipporah/Tzipora as an out there name with some good nicknames. (ie Zippy, Zora, Po, Zee)
Tzipporah is apparently is Hebrew for bird, so Birdie could be Tzipporah’s nickname too!
Oh I thought of another way to get to Birdie – how about Linnet? Pronounce Lin-it rather than Linnette?
It’s such a lovely traditional, pretty name (and also a really lovely little bird) that I always wonder why it isn’t used more.
Love the suggestions of nicknames Sly, Pepper and Midge. And Lady for Adelaide is one of my all-time faves (along with Beatrix nn Bix – I’m so happy to see someone using it!) I’d second Imogen but nn Iggy. And I love Scout and I know Scarlet is a good source, but how about Sequoia??? Maybe it can be the more refreshing Juniper (which I also love love but it’s getting more common for sure.)
It’s a good challenge to find a vintagey nickname that is kickass but also could possibly be a name to last through resumes. Adding a few more that I would love to see for a sister to Beatrix ‘Bix’:
Kalliope nn Kip
Meredith nn Red
Sybilla nn Billie (or your beloved Birdie)
Sabine nn Boone
Merriweather nn Sunny (ha!) or Rue
Cressida nn Sid
Elinor nn Noor
Johanna (or Josephine) nn Jones
Antonia nn Nine
Claudia nn Cleo
I am so very excited to see how this one turns out! Good luck!
I was thinking some more about this and wondered if you liked Xanthe/Zanthy? The X spelling seems fitting with your tastes and is a tie-in with Beatrix. Not sure about nicknames (Zan? Zee? Thee? Thea?) but that would a fun exercise. So many great ideas in this thread!
Other ideas (my wife is a botanist who loves camping and the Lumberjanes comics and lady naturalists so oh boy do I get your naming style, and if you haven’t read the Signature of All Things you both totally should):
Paola nn Pow (Bix and Pow! Like a Nancy-Drew-era comic-book duo of girl detectives!)
Agatha (as in Christie, but also the geological agate connection)
Linnea (plenty of nicknames and the Linnaeaus connection)
From the tree world, maybe Tilia? (nn Tilly or Lia, meaning Linden. LOVE Tilly and Bix!) or Aspen nn Penny?
Fern (especially for middle–think about the lady naturalist fern craze)
Honesty, nn True or Honey
Emerald, nn Emmy? or Ruby (no real nn but I do love the name Ruby, and Ruby and Bix gives me a very Beezus and Ramona feeling).
I’m drawn to Judith (for Resnick) or something with the nickname Sally (Sally and Bix!) for Sally Ride, given your science/strong women/star name desires. Judith also has a great Biblical tie-in, and Judy and Bix could work.
Also, I realize this is a little out there, but given your star interest, I’ve always been so drawn to the Latin phrase (there are many variations on it) per ardua [or per aspera], ad astra. You’re considering Astra and I love it for a middle, but I’ve always thought Perardua would be a cool name (peraspera sounds too much like perspiration for my taste). The nn could be Perry, and “through adversity (to the stars)” is a pretty cool meaning. Perry and Bix, Beatrix and Perardua. Kind of sounds like Arden, too.
Similarly, I know a baby girl with the middle name Peregrine, which gives you Perry and Birdie and also the cool meaning of pilgrim or traveler.
I do like Swistle’s suggestion of Willa (Willa Cather!) and Juliette (as in Gordon Low of the girl scouts!).
Every name on this list has either been on my list for years and years or is an incredible new addition. Rather than feeling driven to make a comment, I’m just thrilled and excited to sit back and see what this baby ends up being named. There is absolutely no way you can go wrong!!
Oh and fyi my bff’s middle name is Eilish, and she always hated it, saying that it sounded like Eyelash, and used Elizabeth instead from about middle school on. Personally I think it’s lovely but whatever. :-)
How about Holiday nn Holly? It’s almost opposite of Beatrix and Bix, as its a more uncommon name with a more common nickname?
Instead of Wells what about Nells? It could be a nickname for Nellie or Penelope or Eleanor even?
Other suggestions – Flora with a nn Flick or Fliss, Cora nn Corey, Mavis nn Miss, Briar nn Breeze, Elowen nn Winnie, Lavinia nn Vinnie or Vine, Winslow nn Winnie or Wells.
Excited to hear about what name you choose!
I already commented, but here I am again :)
Maybe Fernanda? It means adventurous and gives you Fern as a nickname.
Acadia also means adventurous and you could use the nickname Cade, or even Cady (as in suffragette Elizabeth Cady).
Oooh, Acadia reminded me of Acacia (the shrub or tree thing) nn Ace, Kaz, Cassie.
Someone already mentioned it but Starling with nickname Birdie seems absolutely perfect to me (bonus nickname possibilities of Star, Starla, Stara or other star-related names.
I love Opal but I just don’t see a nickname with it, I somehow imagine it would end up being strung into a longer nickname, I’d probably call a friend Opalescent before Ollie or Opie. Maybe Gemma/Gem could be the nickname?
Cressida, Xanthe, and Gilda are all good ways to get to Goldie.
I also like Estella, Linnea, Willa among suggestions, Sylvia (maybe Silva?) and Daphne for slightly more popular choices.
Every time I think I know what I would choose if I was the poster, some new commenter says something brilliant. Gilda nn Goldie. LOVE!
Beatrix and Gilda
Bix and Goldie
I love it!!
Perdita nn Perdy
Persephone nn Persy/Percy
One of my all time favourites – October nn Toby!
Antigone (Ann-tig-on-ee) nn Tiggy!
I know and Antigone who goes by Tig. Such a great name.
Odette with the nn Odi or Dett or even Jett!
I love the suggestion of Willa to get the nn Wells!
Forgot to mention Cosette, love this name and it also has some great nn.
Cosette which is pronounced Coh-sett could have the nn Coco or Echo which are both cute with Bix! Beatrix and Cosette, Bix and Coco, or Bix and Echo!
I’ve also met a Cosette with the nickname Cosi (pronounced like cozy). It was really sweet!
Rosalie (Ro, Zally, Zallie), Beatrix and Rosalie, Bix and Ro, Bix and Zally
Elizabeth (Zabby! Zab! Zap? Lissie!), Beatrix and Elizabeth, Bix and Zabby, Bix and Zab, Bix and Lissie
Susannah (Zanna, Zuzu, Zuze, Zu, Zannie, Sukie), Beatrix and Susannah, Bix and Zanna, Bix and Zuze, Bix and Sukie
Zuzanna (Zuzka!), Beatrix and Zuzanna, Bix and Zuzka. I grew up with a Zuzka (just Zuzka) & have always thought of it as an awesome name. Throughout school, whenever a substitute teacher would butcher her name, our whole class would respond “Zooooooooooze-ka” to correct them until they got it right.
Margot (Go), Beatrix and Margot, Bix and Go
Lenore (Len, Lennie), Beatrix and Lenore, Bix and Lennie
I’m seconding Blaze as a middle name, because it’s perfect.
Beatrix Dare and Rosalie Blaze?
Beatrix Dare and Elizabeth Blaze?
Beatrix Dare and Susannah Blaze?
Beatrix Dare and Margot Blaze? Go Blaze??
I almost forgot one from my weird word-name archive that might work & is similar to Starling which is an A++ suggestion:
Kestrel — Kessie, Strella/Stella, Birdie :)
My mother’s name is Opal and of course I love it. Her full name is Opal Nell. I have only known one other woman with that name. (oddly enough married to a cousin of my fathers who shared Dad’s unusual first name) Since your wife vetoed Ollie, what about Pal as a nickname? Bix and Pal, or you could do Polly, Bix and Polly. The thing to remember is while your girls will be sisters forever, people will only be saying their names together for what is really just a short part of their lives. To me that means they don’t have to totally match. I do like Opal and Beatrix together but don’t limit yourself by worrying about it too much.
Wow, so many amazing suggestions! October nn Toby? I would NEVER have thought of that and I love it. I like Goldie (Marigold) a lot, and can’t decide between Roberta or Alberta as my favorite way to get Birdie. Gertrude (True) is awfully cute too. Good luck deciding!
My real estate agent is Doris, nn Dodie (and she’s only about 45). I think that fits the bill. I adore the name Gertrude, so Gertrude nn True is a winner.
This may be helpful:
https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/8sts5m/classic_names_with_naturethemed_nicknames/
Dorothy nn Dot
I’m all for not tying the nn to the full name, but I have two unexpected nn ideas:Francesca, nn Chess; Fiona nn Finn.
Jane nn Jay
Beatrix and Jane, Bix and Jay
Have you thought about Finch for the nickname birdie? I feel like it is a good match to Dare and could be used in the middle.
Beatrix Dare was one of my favorite updates on this blog. I love it. We have many overlaps on our name list. (The only reason Katherine is appealing is bc of Kit) I especially love Zora from your list. Zora Jubilee!
As for kicky nicknames,
Opal – have you considered the nn Gem?
For Verity, I’d likely default to Vera as a nn.
To get to Birdie, have you considered Jemima or Zipporah?
Instead of Avis, I prefer Mavis (meaning songbird) with the nn of Birdie.
Have you considered Peregrine? Like Beatrix, there is the theme of Traveler. One of Peregrine’s meaning is pilgrim, blessed traveler. There’s nice symmetry with Beatrix. The other meaning is Falcon. You could totally nn a Peregrine Birdie. Saint Peregrine is the patron of cancer patients which may be a way to honor someone in your family.
This is my favorite. Bix and Birdie is such a great combo. The subtle symbolism the aligns in their names. Most people would not pay that close of attention to it, but I love it.
I’d pair it with a middle that conveys Twinkle/Star/Light theme. Peregrine Lux. Peregrine Nova.
Beatrix Dare and
Zora Jubilee
Mavis Swift
Peregrine Nova
I’m quite late to this game but my first thought for you was Florence to get Flossie or Wren, which could then get you to Birdie. I also love Bridget to get to Birdie or Bridget or Juliet to get to Jet. Other favorites: Zelda or Azelie or Hazel to get to Zelie. Good luck!
Miriam nn Mim came to mind first and there it is on Swistle’s list. I think it ties nicely with Beatrix/
I tried to focus on vintage type names, but I figured goddess type names might appeal too.
I love Zora/Zo
Dorothy/Dot
Zelda/Zee/Zel/Zellie
Zadie/Zsa/Zae
Artemis/Ari/Art/Mim/Mimi
Athena/Tee
Paloma/Poppy/Pip/Lola
I love Cedar! Very underused nature namee.
Arden, Opal, and Zora are nice as well.
I do like Juniper, but it’s significantly more popular than the others.
If you go with Orlaith, I would spell it “Orla,” or risk getting many mispronunciations.
I love Jet for Juliet!
Frankie for Francesca is also cool. I’ve known Francescas who went by Frenchie, and Chessie. (which would probably be misheard as Jessie)
Avis makes me think of the car rental place, unfortunately.
Other star/planet names:
Celeste
Estelle
Stella
Venus
Aurora (Rory)
Elara
Andromeda (Andi)
Cassiopeia (Cass)
Lyra
Combos:
Cedar Jubilee
Arden Maeve
Zora Estelle
Not sure anyone has suggested it, BUT the nickname “Perry/Perri” from JuniPER is so sweet and good with Bix – Bix and Perri, Bixie and Perri!
Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird was a nn for the character Jean-Louise. Beatrix and Jean Louise. Bix and Scout (or Birdie because Mockingbird; Unexpected and clever. Harper Lee would also work)
Pheobe is my favorite bird name for you. Beatrix and Pheobe. I like the B sounds.
Thinking of daring female adventurers leads me to Nellie Bly, intrepid investigative reporter and world traveler.
Eleanor/Helen/Helena could all be nicknamed Nell/Nellie. Beatrix and Eleanor, Bix and Nell, Bixie and Nellie.
Blythe nn Bly, as someone mentioned above, would also work. Beatrix and Blythe, Bix and Bly.
More female adventurers:
Harriet Chalmer Adams (Harriet nn Hattie, Hettie, Ettie, Etta)
Gertrude Bell (Gertrude nn Trudy, True, Gertie)