Hi Swistle,
We are expecting a baby girl in March, this will be our second daughter and we plan on our last child. Our first daughter’s name came much easier, J@ne Calist@. Although until I was in labor, we had thought we would name her Calista Jane, but decided at the last minute we preferred the nickname Janie, which she has been known by ever since. Both names are family names, we don’t currently feel like we have a name in the running that is a family name which we feel some guilt about the people our first were named for made them natural choices for us. For family names we have thrown around Evelyn (too popular), Loretta (don’t love), Tomi as a first (i know the horror but we have many generations of Thomas) and a few others that haven’t quite fit the bill. We like strong names for girls that have good nickname options, we like that you don’t hear Jane often in her generation but people seem pleasantly surprised to meet a young Janie.
Our last name is Lennix spelled differently. For a middle name we are thinking either Adare or Clare (Clare is a family name as well but we would not use in the first name spot). Our top names in contention right now are: Elowen, Elin/Ellen, Willa or Ryan (clearly we don’t steer away from gender neutral names).
Other names we have thrown out for one reason or another: Caroline, Josephine, Hadley, Fiona, Louise/Louisa. For a boy we had chosen Rhett.
Please help and best,
Clare
I feel as if I’ve been suggesting this name a lot lately, but letters/issues/inclinations/favorites sometimes come in waves and so here I am again suggesting Rose. J@ne and Rose. Janie and Rosie. Rose Adare Lennix.
I wanted so badly to suggest Lynn: it has that surprising sound on a current child, plus the adorable nickname Lynnie—but I think it shares too many sounds with the surname, and Lynnie Lennix makes me think of Annie Lenn0x (not a negative per se, but I prefer to avoid that “Now where have I heard that before?” feeling), and so I suppose I withdraw the suggestion. Unless you like it. And Lynn Lennix would be a distinctive and memorable name with the repeated L- AND repeated -nn-, which could be fun. I do enjoy running into that kind of name from time to time.
I would consider the name Tomi to be a loaded political choice right now. The jump from Thomas to Tomi is not an easy natural common one, and using the honor name Thomas for a girl feels unnecessary, and so the entire choice of Tomi feels as if it must have been done very deliberately in order to evoke the association. In an earlier draft of this post I went on to say that if the association was positive one for you, then go ahead: after all, I am strongly in favor of using names such as Ruth (Bader Ginsburg) and Sally (Yates). After proof-reading, I realized I don’t agree with that earlier draft: names equivalent to Ruth/Sally are names such as Sandra (Day O’Connor) and Peggy (Noonan). The names of people stirring up controversy for entertainment value are not in the same league.
Even without the association, I would recommend Thomasina over Tomi. “Tomi” seems to say that a strong traditional classic family name needs to be pared down and made cute and light before it can be given to a girl, which sends a message I would want to avoid. (Instead of reducing a male family name to make it work for a girl, I would search the family tree for a strong traditional classic female name.) Thomasina has the strength and weight of Thomas, and the cute/light versions can be given as nicknames. I would still avoid Tomi, and would go with Tommie or Mina—or I see The Baby Name Wizard mentions Tamsin, which is cute.
Parents are all over the spectrum about sibling-name compatibility: some prefer strong compatibility, some just prefer them not to clash/rhyme, and some deliberately avoid compatibility. I am more toward the end of favoring compatibility, and so I would not pair J@ne with Ryan. J@ne is classic, traditional, used in the U.S. all but exclusively for girls; Ryan is a unisex surname name used in the U.S. much more often for boys. Used together, they are a little awkward as a sister/brother pairing—but many parents have different naming styles for girls than for boys, so it wouldn’t be startling. As names for two sisters, they are a little startling.
I like Willa and Ellen a lot with J@ne. Each is a lot of L with the surname, but not at deal-breaking levels. (I wanted to suggest Alice, but Alice Lennix takes an extra-L situation and raises it with a -ce/L- slide problem.) Ellen has the nickname Ellie, which could pull it ahead of Willa for me; I can’t think of a nickname I like for Willa. What I might do with the name Willa is use the middle name to create a nickname: J@ne Calista and Willa Josephine; Janie and Willa Jo—something like that. Or I might go with the long form Willamina, with the nickname Willa (or Mina).
With Loretta in your family name list, and Rhett chosen for a boy, I wonder if you would like Etta for a girl.
One of my mother’s favorite names is Evelyn, but pronounced like the name Eve followed by the name Lynn (she would not try to get this to fly in the United States). But I wonder if you would like the honor name Evelyn better if you split it like that into a first/middle: Eve Lynn Lennix. It’s a little awkward to say the full name, but it’s so rare to say the full name. Eve Lennix; J@ne and Eve; Janie and Evie.
More suggestions:
Audrey
Celia
Claudia (I might do a C._. nickname with the middle initial, as on The West Wing)
Cora
Elizabeth (Bessie, Betsy, Libby, etc.)
Flora (Florrie)
Frances (Frannie/Francie/Frankie)
Grace (Gracie)
Harriet (Etta/Ettie)
Hope
Ivy
Margaret (Maisie, Maggie, Daisy, Margo, Greta, etc.)
Meredith (Merrie)
Molly (or Mary with the nickname of Molly)
Nadia
Polly (or Mary with the nickname of Polly)
Ruby
Sabrina
Sally (or Sarah with the nickname of Sally/Sadie)
If I saw someone had two children, Jane and Ryan, I would definitely assume that was a girl/boy pair sibling set.
Ellen Clare, because I love it when an daughter gets her mother’s name somehow. And I love Ellen/Ellie, especially with Jane/Janie. I am a huge fan of not-from-a-particular-era names.
From your list, with a sister Jane, I really like Elin. Janie and Ellie. Elowen is nice but I prefer the simplicity of Elin.
I really like Swistle’s suggestion of Lynn Adare Lennix with the nn Lynnie.
I had an Aunt named Jane. Her sisters were Elizabeth (nn Betty) and Mary. Although I like Betty as a nn, I think Elizabeth may be a little to popular for you. Maybe Marilyn Clare with the nn Mary.
Thinking about other names that were popular when Jane was at its peak:
Susan Clare Lennix Janie and Susie
Frances Clare Lennix Janie and Frannie
Carolyn Adare Lennix Janie and Carrie
Rosemary Clare Lennix Janie and Rosie
Theresa Clare Lennis Janie and Teri
I love the suggestion of Susan. It is such a great name and so underused! I have a cousin with a 4 year old Susan, and even being a teacher, she is the only one I’ve met in the under 60 crowd.
Janie and Susie.
Darling!
Oh, I love Susan here! BRILLIANT.
I was going to suggest Thomasina or Tamsin over Tomi before I read Swistle’s response and I hadn’t even heard of the commentator. As for Willa not having a nickname, in Willa Cather’s case it was already a nickname, for Wilella. So you could use that, or Wilhelmina, or Willow, with Willa as a nickname.
I like a lot of the names on your list–Ellen, Caroline, Josephine, Fiona, Louisa– and most have good nickname possibilities: Ellie, Carrie/Caro, Josie, Lulu. I like Clare as a middle with any of them, with Caroline Clare, giving you the possibility of CeCe, if you like that. Putting Louise or Louisa in the middle slot allow you nicknames like Carrie Lou, etc.
I have a young Mary and I get the same “familiar name but a pleasing surprise on a little one” reaction that you describe with Jane. You could do Mary Thomas And call her the double name or not. Or the nickname Molly is just lovely and I have many regrets that I cannot use it on mine.
I love Mary Thomas, or Mary-Thomas Clare. Mary Thomas and Jane, MT and Janie or Molly and Janie.
I also think Thomasina is a great suggestion. Mia, Mina, Tamsyn, Tammy, Minnie, Tina are all potential nicknames.
Janie and Minnie couldn’t be sweeter.
I love Mary Thomas! How charming.
Rose and Jane really make a perfect pair! And Thomas could be a good option for a middle name when paired with Rose or other feminine name: Rose Thomas Lennix
Ryan as a middle name would be nice too: Suzanne Ryan Lennix
Or maybe Iris? Iris Adare Lennix
And what about using Clare (or Clara or Claire) as a first name? Clare Ryan/Thomas Lennix
Some other possibilities:
Anna, Irene, Caroline, Julia, Lila, Eveline (or Emeline?), Penelope, Scarlett, Annabel, Helena, Eleanor
Oh, I just realised that your last name isn’t exactly Lennix, and if it’s actually spelled the way I suspect it is, then Anna is probably (sadly) ruled out…
I love Elowen/Elowyn but, with Jane, I prefer Ellen. I also like the suggestion of Susan and love Mary nn Molly though Mary Jane is such a well-known name, I would hesitate.
Perhaps the slim, spare Elle would work? Jane and Elle/Janie and Ellie
I do love Elle Lennix.
Or Mary Adele/ nn Maddie? Or Molly, as said, is adorable on a little Mary
I also do very much like Eve and Caroline.
And Marian has popped up a few times in our circle recently.
Mary! Use Mary! Mary Clare is BEAUTIFUL.
I love that so much I hate to suggest anything else, but maybe:
Marie
Emma
Ida
Joy
Josie (with a longer formal name perhaps?)
Anna
Why not Adare (or Adaire) for the first name? I just met someone who’s daughter has that name and I thought it was precious. Or Scarlett (with nn Rhett)?
I’m so excited to see the name Elowen on your list. We actually had Elowen Claire chosen for a little girl, but we didn’t get the chance to use it. I’m sure you can come up with a great nickname too. I vote for Elowen!!
I know sisters named Jane and Fiona.
I think they work well together, and Fiona Clare is lovely.
Tamsin was my first thought, I love it! We considered it for a girl, to honor a Thomas. I suspect Tammy isn’t your style though, so I suggest Tass/Tassie or perhaps even Tess as a nickname for Tamsin. I love them with Janie. Tamsin Clare is my favorite. I also love the previous suggestion of Mary Thomas, called by the double name, or just Mary, or Molly — I love all of them as a sister to Jane/Janie. Mary Clare and Mary Adare are both quite pretty as well.
Swistle’s suggestion of Rose is a stunner! Lovely.
(Especially with Adare as a middle).
Jane C@llista & Rose Adare
Joy might suit you, too. But if you don’t wish to repeat the ‘J’ from Jane, perhaps not.
I have no idea what the Tomi reference is in pop culture, but Jane & Tomi don’t seem stylisticly similar to my ear.
The suggestion of Susan is nice, but I like Susannah better. Susannah Adare is grandure itself.
Do you care for May/Mae? Maisie is a sweet nickname. Mae Clare is tailored and elegant.
June could be marvelous! Janie & Junie. Too close?? (*Sigh* Probably.)
Swistle’s suggestion of Ruth is also a winner. Ruth Adare is strong.
Okay, one more. She’s classic, underused, familiar, and unlike many other names being used right now…
Pearl. Pearl Adare Lennix.
Janie & Pearlie
Best wishes and congrats! Please let us know when she’s born!
I love Susan with Jane, such a great suggestion!
Susan Clare. Lovely.
You liked Evelyn, so what about Sylvia or Estelle? Jane and Sylvie. Jane and Estie or Jane and Ellie.
Jane makes me think of Jill and Ruby and Ruth and May. Ruby Clare!!
I adore Ellen, Mary, and Rose with J@ne, but my first thought for you was Tamsin. You have lots of great options!
My girls are Jane and Livia (which has it’s own issues with people hearing Olivia).
So many great names! I think Rose, Mary and Ruth are particularly good fits. From your current list, I think Ellen works well with Jane (and Helen works even better – it shares Jane’s familiar-but-refreshing quality)
Do you like Nell? Jane and Ellen/ Jane and Helen. Janie and Nell. Love it.
With another surname, Ann(e) would be great. I agree that Annie L might make that particular combo hard to wear, though.
Catherine and Elizabeth might be too popular for you, but I think an unexpected nickname could get you that same element of pleasant surprise. Jane and Catherine, Jane and Elizabeth. Janie and Cathy, Janie and Bess.
I like the idea of Clare in the middle spot (especially if the first name is 2 or more syllable). Interestingly (to me), the youngest Jane I know has a sister named Claire.
So many great suggestions! My favorites are:.
Rose Adare Lennix – Janie and Rosie
Susan Clare Lennix – Janie and Susie
Mary Clare Lennix – Janie and Molly
Ruth Adare Lennix – Janie and Ruthie
All of the above options are short though. And you seem to looking for a longer name given your other name preferences of Caroline, Josephine, Fiona, Louisa, and Elowen all of which are three+ syllables.
So, perhaps you might consider:
– Matilda nn Tildie or Millie? Matilda Clare Lennix. Janie and Tildie. Janie and Millie. Tildie Lennix, Millie Lennix.
— Lucinda nn Lucy? Lucinda Clare Lennix. Lucinda Lennix. Lucy Lennix. Janie and Lucy.
— Cynthia? Cynthia Clare so she could be nn Cindy or CC. Cynthia Lennix. Cindy Lennix. Janie and Cindy.
So many great options! Congratulations on your little one!
I don’t often disagree with Swistle, but in this case, I do. There is some lovely, crisp and fresh about Janie. Lynn, for me, doesn’t come close to matching that – it sounds like the tag end of a million other names including my own daughter’s, Gwendolyn, so it’s not as if I don’t like it.) Its just so much more familiar compared to Jane.
For me, Willa takes it. The nickname will sort itself out. Susannah is nice, too, or maybe Delia? Laura, called Lolo? Lucy is more popular, but Jane and Lucy sound adorable together.
When I saw your list I immediately thought of Wynn (you could nn her Winnie if you like). It is a great name! Wynn Adare is quite amazing.
I gather Tomi is shared with a famous person in the US? I don’t know it. My hesitation is that phonetically it is Toe-Mee unless you double the M which would make it Tom-mee. I guess that if you are honouring a Thomas it would be the second pronunciation but that isn’t intuitive for me. I have a cousin Thomasina (nn Tom or Toms) it is good name that ages well if you like cool and clunky.
I know a Jane whose sister is Frances (Janie and Frankie?).
Stick with me and think about Mary… Janie and Maisie/Janie and Molly/Janie and Meg?
Or Margaret… Janie and Peggy!
Tomi Lahren is a young, conservative political pundit who has gotten famous in the last year and will probably not go away anytime soon. A right-wing Trump supporter (denying climate change, denouncing Black Lives Matter, pro-fracking, pro-Wall, etc.).
I love Eve for the LW! Also, this is out of left-field, but Megan. It would actually be super unexpected on a baby. Is it too soon?
How about Theresa? Nickname could be Tessa or Tessie or Tess! Adorable but strong with Jane/Janie!
I was thinking of Tamsin for you as well! Janie and Tamsin! Tamsin Lennix!
Rosemary
Corliss
Gloria
Ruby
Giselle (nn Ellie?)
Harriet (reminds me of Rhett)
Cassidy (nn Cassie? Sadie? Cady?)
OMG Gloria Lenn0x is such a rockstar name!!
I chose Ruby for my new puppy’s name and there are plenty of nicknames we use. Love it.
Violet or Scarlett would also be nice, similar to Rhett but different in feel from the fabulous Harriet.
With Jane/Janie and your last name Lennix, I lean toward Audrey, Lucy, Maren, Margo, or Georgia…
best wishes!
My initial suggestion from your list was going to be Caroline Clare called C.C. I would also suggest Harriet nicknamed Hattie. Tamsin would be my vote if you feel you want to honor Thomas.
Adding that I also love the idea of a Willa called Billie.
I like all of the names you already have, especially Ellen. I love Rose Adare—it feels like such a perfect match with Jane C@lista. I also like the suggestion of Cora. Or even Nora (Nori is so cute!), Harriet, Ruth, Tabitha, Lucy and Vera. I wonder if you would like Bridget, nicknamed Birdie.
One word on Mary: people will definitely assume things about your lifestyle if you name your children Mary and Jane, even though they are both lovely names.
Really? Sisters Jane and Mary would never lead me to think about the recreational activities of naming parties.
Mary Lenn0x, however, is 100% The Secret Garden by FH Burnett to me– a very strong association.
I suppose I should have said some people and not just people. Noted.
I live in a state where it’s legal. I do feel like it would register with a fair amount of folks in the area that I live, but it’s possible I’m incorrect. I would still use it if I loved the name. It’s definitely something I wouldn’t want pointed out to me after I had used the name, though.
I like the idea of a Janie and a Ruthie sibset. I’ve got a Ruth Cl@re myself and we get compliments on her name all the time- familiar but unexpected.
We have a daughter coming in early March, and names have been a serious struggle for us. I think we are finally down to two, but now we have to figure out a middle name.
Elin was actually a top contender, but I have always heard it pronounced “ee-lynn,” not as a spelling variation of Ellen.
I strongly suggest using at least a family middle. I like Clare or even your maiden name or middle name? Or a name that has some sort of special significance would work.
From your list, I like Ellen Clare quite a bit. I def don’t care for Ryan with your sibset.
From Swistle’s list, my faves are:
Frances (love Frannie or Francie)
Greta
Margaret (Maisie, Meg or Margot)
Ruth
Sally (or Sarah, nn Sally)
I also suggest Susannah and Beatrice (Susie and Bea 😊) or Edith, nn Edie. Georgia would be lovely. Or Phoebe. Maybe Sybil, nn Sybi? My youngest is Faye. I live that it’s short and sweet.
Thank you all for your great suggestions! We certainly have some thinking to do! I did have reservations about Tomi due to the political pundit and now know we need to remove it entirely, MH stance on this, as we sit on the opposite end of the political spectrum was that this person was ‘unimportant’ and not particularly well known- clearly not the case!
I so wish we could use Rose but unfortunately have an aunt of the same name who steers me away from the name in general. My parents have a multitude of siblings and we have a Mary Thomas, Mary Clare and a Mary Theresa- that being said I most like the suggestion of Mary nn Molly or Eve nn Evie. We will definitely let you know what we choose
Evelyn, Loretta, multitudes of Marys, Caroline, Josephine, Hadley, Fiona, Louise, Clare, Adare
I really like Marietta, playing off of Loretta and all the Mary’s. Marietta Louise (Etta Lou), Marietta Josephine (MJ, Mari Jo, Etta Jo), Marietta Clare.
Evelyn gets me to Eve and Maeve. Eve Adare nn Evie or Eva. Marietta Maeve honors two family members (Evelyn and Loretta) and possibly all the Mary’s.
Caroline Clare nn CC fits the style. Janie and Cece. I just love Josephine nn Posey. Janie and Posey is a sweet pair.
I wanted to comment that you like Ryan and Thomas. I think using them in the middle position is a great idea. I have a friend who’s daughter is Meg@n Stu@rt. She is a great althlete and they call her Stu when she is on field.
Amelia Ryan Lennix nn Amy
I have a Thomasina, sometimes called Tamsin, and I think it’s a terrific choice all around. I think it’s funky clunky in a way that Josephine was a dozen years ago, but it’s very well received for how rare it is. I know people generally only say nice things about names but I have a bunch of kids and this is definitely the name that garners the most delighted commentary. It would enable you to use Tomi as a nickname if you so choose without locking your daughter into a political association that may or may not have staying power.
Mary Lenn0x would definitely make children’s book-lovers (and fans of musicals) think of the main character in The Secret Garden, as she is often addressed by her full name. She’s a wealthy girl in British-occupied India in the 1900s who is emotionally neglected by her parents who rarely see her, and at the beginning of the book she is an extremely unpleasant and imperious child, though she blossoms hugely over the course of the book and becomes kinder and more self-sufficient and is the heroine of the story.
The book begins:
“When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her …mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all…. So when she was a sickly, fretful, ugly little baby she was kept out of the way, and when she became a sickly, fretful, toddling thing she was kept out of the way also…. and as the [servants] always obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything…. the time she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived.”
Mary Lenn0x does change and grow and become a happy and caring girl over the course of the story, so it’s not a fully negative association, but just be aware that if you use it, some people will immediately think of the character.
Molly Lennix is lovely and goes very well with Janie – if not for Mary, perhaps as a nickname for Margaret? The famous Unsinkable Molly Brown (a heroine of the Titanic sinking) was a Margaret.
I like it as a name on its own, too.
I’ve got a Janie, also expecting a sister in March. My top two names for this girl are Nellie and Audrey. I too love Rose and Ruby.