Hello Swistle,
My husband and I would greatly appreciate some help in naming our first child, a baby girl due in November. Prior to finding out the sex, we thought we had narrowed down our names: Maren Luna for a girl and Ezra Adair for a boy.
Maren: Latin for sea – my husband and I are both obsessed with the ocean and find it very therapeutic, so we loved it
Luna: After Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and so is my husband, and Luna embodies many traits we would love to see in our daughter (quirky, true to herself and ignores the judgements of others, intelligent, very loyal)Ezra: A beautiful Hebrew name (we are Jewish) that we love the sound of
Adair: Unique and we like the meaning. My husband has connections to Scotland and it’s has a Scottish origin which we likedSo, we found out we were having a girl and there we were: Maren Luna! However, that very same day (somehow it took over a month to notice this…) I realized that there is no way I want to name my daughter Maren because it is literally a perfect combination of my husband’s and my name: Mark and Lauren. Mark, Lauren, and Maren… I just can’t do it!
So, we are back at square one. Names we like but are way too popular for us are:
Amelia
Hazel
Olivia
CharlotteNames I like that my husband isn’t sold on:
Reese
Micah
Navi (nah-vee)
Arielle
JulietteNames my husband likes that I’m not sold on:
Amaya
Flora
Talia
AvivaWhile we would love to keep Luna as the middle name, we are more concerned with finding the perfect first name and going from there. And while I realize that none of the names I listed above fit this theme, I loved the sound of Maren Luna with the -en ending on the first name and a more feminine sounding middle name. So clearly we are all over the board. At this point we want at least two children (three tops) and still intend to use Ezra Adair if we have a boy in the future.
Thank you so much for your insight!
I think we should start by making sure you really don’t want to use Maren. On one hand you have told us clearly that there is no way and you just can’t do it, so there’s no reason for me to be sitting here discussing something you’ve been so clear on. On the other hand, if we were in actual fact sitting in my office and having some doughnuts and coffee while talking it over, I would want to pick at it just a little more to be absolutely sure.
For one thing, I’m not sure what percentage of other people will notice, especially once more children are added to the family (“Mark, Lauren, and Maren” is more obvious than “Mark and Lauren / Maren and Ezra”) (although I admit I Really Notice It in either example)—and those who DO notice may think of it as cool/deliberate: name-combining is the sort of thing some parents go for on purpose. For another thing, sometimes a sudden realization about a name can have more force than it needs to: the surge of adrenaline from “I can’t believe we almost didn’t notice this!” can feel like a disaster averted, when really it’s just nice to have thought of it ahead of time. I’d hate to see you throwing away a name you love and agree on, if it’s the adrenaline talking.
But if there is no way and you can’t do it, then let’s see what else we can find. From the list of names you like and your husband isn’t sold on, I want to talk for a minute about Micah. Micah has somewhat unisex usage in the U.S. (3,718 new baby boys and 268 new baby girls in 2018), but is still mostly used for boys. If a future possible son is likely to be named Ezra, I wouldn’t use the name Micah for a girl: two male biblical names used together make it seem like the name Micah must be a boy in this case. (And in fact I recommend it for a future boy, if you have two: it would make a perfect little brother for an Ezra.)
I would have some similar concern with the name Reese, but at a much lower level: that spelling is used mostly for girls in the U.S., and it’s not a biblical name so it doesn’t make that fast connection with Ezra that Micah does. But I am not sure Reese works well as a sister name with the more feminine names on your lists: Talia and Reese, Juliette and Reese, Arielle and Reese, Flora and Reese.
I would personally cross out Navi: at my house where the Legend of Zelda video games have been played for years, Navi is an object of mockery. “Hey!,” we say in her piping fairy voice when we want to draw someone’s attention to something they already know about. “Hey! Listen! Hey!” But I am not sure how widespread that association would be.
From your list, my favorite is Juliette. I like that it’s familiar but underused, and I like its similarity to Amelia and Charlotte from your joint list.
From your husband’s list that you’re not sold on, I am particularly drawn to Flora. That seems to me to be a name that goes very well with the names that are too popular for you, such as Hazel, Charlotte, and Amelia: Flora is appealingly old-timey, and contains the same sounds as more popular names, but seems to have missed the Cora/Nora/Theodore/Eleanor popularity. Her name would mesh well with her peers’ names, while still standing out as a fresh surprise. And I find it charming with a possible future brother named Ezra. Flora is my top favorite for you and I am feeling the impulse to try to force you to love it, so let’s take a break and think of some more possibilities:
Athena
Bianca
Cecily
Claudia
Constance
Cordelia
Corinne
Dalia
Delphine
Fern
Fiona
Freya
Georgia
Isadora
Linnea
Liviana
Lyra
Margot
Mariel/Meriel/Miriel
Mariella
Maris/Meris
Meredith
Minerva
Mirren
Philomena
Polly
Rosemary
Sabrina
Simone
Sylvia
Willa
Winifred
From this list, my favorite is Meredith. Underused; keeps the sea meaning, loses the similarity to your own names. Meredith Luna Gilbert. Maybe one day Meredith and Ezra.
Name update:
Our daughter’s name is Maren Luna.
How about Arden — ends in “en” that you like, Hebrew origins, nature-feeling like Maren and others on your list and goes well with Luna!
Arden Luna — love it!
How funny to hop on here to post and see my name as a suggestion! After only meeting 3 other female Arden’s my whole life (& one of them is a second cousin), it is so surprising to me that it’s now a low-key trendy baby name. (Coincidentally, Meg is my all-time favorite girl name, but my husband once dated a Megan and has now vetoed it for all future children. Alas.)
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Maren but if you can not use it the I liked the suggestion of Marina. I also have a friend named Mika instead of Micah, it can also be a nn for Mikaela.
From your list I also like Juliette.
Marina.
Saw this after posting below—my thoughts exactly!
I thought of this too but I’m not sure it flows super well with Luna. Marina Luna. A bit sing-songy.
I’m particularly sensitive to this sound pattern though as a Laura who married a guy with a 3 syllable surname that ends in -a, and I took his name, which I sort of low-key regret. So take my opinion on the flow of the name with a grain of salt.
The name Rosemary is also related to the ocean…it comes from Latin words for “dew of the sea,” which I thought was incredibly romantic sounding when I first found out about it.
Would you like Marina instead of Maren? It would probably mean you’d have to give up Luna, though….
For me, Navi = the humanlike species who lived in Pandora in Avatar—not a bad thing, but a thing. And in fact maybe that’s what you’re going for!
I grew up with a girl who spelled her name Mikah, would that be a possibility to help avoid the Biblical character comparisons between Ezra and Micah? I think the name Micah has a very feminine sound, and with the K spelling helps it not seem like such a male name.
What about just Mara? Mar is Spanish for “sea.”
but note that it denotes a bitter place in the Hebrew bible.
What about Maris? It means of the sea, it goes well with Luna and Ezra, and it’s pretty. Good luck!!
I love Maris! I think it sorts everything nicely.
Maris is perfect, and OP could also consider Merritt or Merrick. (no idea whether there is an association with water, but the sounds seem similar to me) Also, FWIW, i would not have noticed the issue with Maren, probably because the pronunciation of the “a” in Maren is different from the one in Mark (or at least it is the way I say it).
I have some dear friends, Matt and Lynn who named their firstborn Madeline (say it outloud Mad-a-Lynn) and I never even noticed it for almost a year. I say go with what you love. I also know a little girl named Ezra and a little girl named Adair (names I absolutely adore!)….just throwing that out there in case you’d want to change it up.
Ocean/water related:
Isla, Maris, Marlowe, Maya, Tallulah, Lana, Kaia.
Makai – Hawaiian meaning “toward the sea”
However, I like Maren a lot. Have you thought about changing the order of the names to Luna Maren?
I love this suggestion! It takes it out of the first name spot where everyone would possibly notice and makes it special in the middle— special because you love it, the meaning, and the bonus of it connecting your names, which maybe you wouldn’t mind so much in the middle? I love Luna and Ezra together!
I have only heard Adair as a girl’s name and actually Adair and Ezra would be a cute pairing. If you like Arielle and your husband likes Amaya (our youngest’s name) what about combining them into Ariella? Or just using Maya?
I also like the idea of Luna Maren although Luna & Ezra make for an unusual pairing to my ears, I would probably remove Ezra as a future name if I was going to use Luna.
I’ve always loved Stella Maris, star of the sea, a nn for the Virgin Mary. I think Maris is just as pretty as Maren & would make a lovely alternative. Luna Maris is has same flow as Stella Maris & conjurs similar magical imagery.
I don’t think Mark+Lauren=Maren is a deal-breaker though!! Most people she knows (esp after childhood) will have no clue what her parents are named. And half the ones who do know won’t think about it! I vote keep it on your list for a while longer.
I think Marina, Arden, and Luna Maren are all great options. I also like Talia and Dalia lot.
Navi and Aviva both share the “avi” sound, so you might also like Tavi or Gavi.
Maybe Laken (in keeping with the “bodies of water” theme) or Larkin?
Other ideas:
Miriam (same meaning as Maren)
Mira
Mari
Marie
Marisa
Julia
Estelle
Lydia
Vivian
Simona
Ramona
Ruby
Adele
April
Eliana
Eva
Eve
Ivy
Phoebe
Oh, or Naomi!
If you like Jewish names, Ayelet is one of my personal favourites.
Ayelet Luna Gilbert (with Aya or Lettie as nicknames!) would sound really nice.
And since Gal means “wave” in Hebrew, what about Galia or Galina?
Galia Luna Gilbert / Galina [different middle name] Gilbert
There’s also a French female name Oceane, but I’m not 100% sure about pairing it with Luna (it’s probably a kind of combo that one can either love or hate):
Oceane Luna Gilbert
Hm, or maybe a more subtle connection to sea/ocean: Adria (for the Adriatic Sea)?
Adria Luna Gilbert
If you wouldn’t mind something more unusual – what about Jantar (it’s another meaning of “amber” in Polish [and also in Russian and few other Slavic languages]):
Jantar Luna Gilbert (nn possibility: Janie/Janey)
And I also really like the idea of Maris mentioned above – it’s like having both Maren and Reese in one name!
I love a lot of the suggestions above, but wanted to add Malin as well.
Adair! I only know it as a girl’s name.
I’d stew on it awhile. Maren is a lovely name.
Maris is my favorite suggestion from Swistle for you; Flora is my favorite from your other options list.
Some Suggestions:
Waverly
Alana
Adele
Coral
Pearl
Ronan
Seton
Aviva has that sound combo you seem to enjoy, is Hebrew, is well under-used, plays nicely with Ezra, AND is a palindrome! (The last part is just ’cause it’s cool.)
Aviva Luna
Maris IS a lovely suggestion. Maris Luna.
Perhaps here in the PNW of the USA we’re pronouncing it differently than you, but we’d say MAYR-ehn… not MAHR-en. And I’m guessing that your name is pronounced LAHR-en. So Maren and Lauren don’t rhyme… I would have never noticed that she had a combo of her parents’ names! (And I totally obsess about that sort of thing.)
Congrats and best wishes on your sweet daughter!
I’m on the East coast and I was going to say the same thing as Mrs.
Also Mark and Maren have different “a” sounds.
I have to suggest Marilla for you. Similar to Maren, it has the absolutely stunning meaning “shining sea.” I’m actually kicking myself for using Mary as my first daughter’s middle name which means Marilla is out for a future daughter. The Anne of Green Gables reference is an added plus.
I didn’t notice the Maren connection until you pointed it out. I suspect it would be one of those things some. People get but most don’t. If anyone comments, a simple explanation that it was just a happy coincidence should be all that is needed. If you just can’t, Swistles suggestion of Meredith is perfect.
I also really really like Flora. But even more than Flora, I want to suggest Luna as a first name! It’s lovely and I agree that Ms Lovegood makes a wonderful namesake. Luna Maren perhaps? You could keep both names but Marens connection to your names would be safely tucked away in the middle spot.
What about adjusting the spelling to “Marin” or “Meren”? The pronunciation might need more of a nudge, but it still works, and the aquatic association is still there…
Yes, was going to say something similar. When I first heard the name Maren as a teenager I thought it was spelled Meryn, and still prefer that spelling. “Like Meryl” could be a helpful way of explaining the pronunciation.
I love the suggestions of Meredith and Rosemary (for Rosemary, you could use the nn Romy). I also like Juliet (although prefer this spelling) and Flora. Arden also seems a natural fit…or Adair. Another lovely Scottish name is Ainsley.
Another option is to go with Luna Maren (and just embrace that Maren is also a nod to you and your husband).
I’d like to suggest Marit which would work with Luna as a middle. I also just named a daughter Meredith, so I think that is a fabulous suggestion!
Ooohh, I love this; I’d spell it Merritt! This would be so lovely with some of the flowier middle names that people are suggesting–Merritt Ainsley, maybe. So lovely!
My first thought was Olive!
I would also have a problem with the name sandwich and I don’t blame you for wanting to look at some other options (but really, most people won’t notice if you decide to stick with it).
From your lists, I like Juliette, Arielle, Aviva and Flora. I feel like Juliette and Aviva sound best with Luna as a middle name. From Swistle’s list, I like Cecily and Simone the best.
I want to suggest (or second/etc) Evangeline, Violet, Vivian, Rosalie, Bridget.
I’m about come in with a hot take – Name her Ezra Adair.
Pros –
A. You clearly love the combo very much.
B. Ezra entered the top 1000 names for girls this year at #958 and I can see it rising even further as time goes on.
C. It honors his Scottish heritage.
D. You like unisex names for girls to begin with.
Cons –
A. You would have to find another name for a future little dude.
I personally think that’s the perfect solution.
Ps. If you sure about Ezra for a girl follow @heloge on instagram (She has twin girls Ezra & Olive :) )
I like Miriam Luna :)
Marina, Maris, Marin are all linked to the sea and all kinds of wonderful. Is it too early for Muriel??
Navi pronounced liked navvy has negative connotations for me. Do you have navvies in the US (railway/shipyard labourers)?
My first thought for an alternate name was Seren. Although it means “star” it feels similar to the vibe of your other name ideas. Another idea is Mirren, which is of unknown meaning but there’s a story of a mermaid who turned into a woman called Mirren. I still love Maren though, and I totally think you could use it! Adair or Meredith are lively options too!
I was coming here to suggest Mirren too!!
We were set on Maren for our 3rd child, until I realized that gave us 3 kid’s names with the same ending (-in, -on). Switched it to Maris in the delivery room and I still think it was the perfect fix!
Also strangely, we almost used Arden for our 4th child. But again with too many repeated sounds. I adore all 3 of these names!
Meredith Luna is beautiful!
Meredith was an unused but loved entry on my list. I think it’s lovely. But I also think Maren would be fine – as Swistle said, name-combining is definitely a thing! And it wouldn’t be obvious to me. I used to know someone who was named Jeradawn – very obviously a combo. Maren has a different a sound. If you love it, go for it!
I also immediately fell for Flora, though. My daughter has a storybook where the children are named Flora and Crispin and I just love it.
FYI – I’m also in the PNW of the US, and we have a large Scandinavian population here. I’ve only ever heard Maren pronounced as “Mahren” (like the “ar” in car), but maybe I live in a bubble? I love the name, and I don’t see it being a parental “mashup” name at all. While there would probably be occasional pronunciation issues, (I’m not sure how you want to say it, but they’re all good), Maren is a lovely, sweet-spot kind of name, and I wouldn’t give up on it too easily.
I love Maren but if you have to part with it I’d like to suggest Morgan. Water meaning, “n” ending, predominantly a female name but not girly.
I also thought of Beryl. One of my favorite names, plus cool namesake Beryl Markham.
I love your naming style and LOVE the name Maren and also get completely why you might not want to use it, I think we might have some overlapping taste in baby names! My faves are not unisex but are not frilly feminine either. You and your husband seem to like interesting, less common and/or slightly exotic sounding names. Here are some other names that are on my list, in case they appeal:
Rianne or Rhiannon
Mabel
Maryse
Marlowe
Chloe
Zoe
Iris
Brooke
Delphine
Perienne (nn Perry / Peri! I love this so much actually)
Arden
Arwen
Bronwen / Bronwyn
Devon
Eden
Imogen
Wren
I really think all of these go super well with Luna as a middle name!!
I’d consider changing the spelling to Marin to remove the visual cues to your names. But I don’t think it’s crazy obvious until you point it out. My 5th grader has a classmate named Marin and I think the fact that it’s a real name makes it less noticeable (than a name like Jeradawn, as mentioned in an earlier comment).
And you can lean into the combo if you have another daughter and use Lark. 😉 Also a nature connection and a real name, familiar though not super popular.
I say use Maren! It doesn’t sound like either of your names, and so what if it’s a combo of your names? Men name children after themselves all the time and no one bats an eyelash. Even if you aren’t purposefully doing that, if someone thinks you did, does that really take away from your love of the name? Don’t forget: once there is a real baby, she will BE Maren Luna and all these concerns really go out the window. I think the idea that it’s a blend of you both is sweet and romantic and not worthy of judgement. Go with what you love. IMHO, your more likely to regret not using than using it.
OP here: Thank you all so much for your input! Between Swistle’s response and the comments, we are definitely rethinking our decision to eliminate Maren as her name. Although now my husband is equally in love with Flora or Adair for a girl! And we have loved reading some of the suggestions that we’d never heard of before (hello, Arden!). I will certainly send in an update once she arrives to let you all know about the final decision :)
I agree that the combo wouldn’t have occurred to me. But also… I think part of why the combo is standing out to you is the order in which you say your name and your partner’s when you’re thinking about it. What if instead of saying Mark and Lauren = Maren, you said… Lauren and Mark? For me, that drops it from “huh, I guess that is true but I wouldn’t have noticed until you pointed it out” to “yeah, that’s a stretch.”
Maren is a gorgeous name. I wouldn’t give it up if you don’t have to.
Like other people have commented above, I think that if you change the spelling to Marin, the issue may never be noticed. (Though to be fair, I wouldn’t notice it at all even with Maren — it would have to be pointed out to me specifically.)
Other water/ocean/sea names to consider:
Meri: means “sea” in Finnish
Doria or Dorian: Greek for “of the sea”
Marella: the Japanese version of Muriel and means ‘of the bright sea’.
Maris: ‘of the sea’
Marina