Dear Swistle,
We’re expecting our second girl (and final child) this fall, and while our first daughter’s name came easily, we’re struggling a bit with this one. Our last name is pronounced Summers, but spelled differently.
Our first daughter is named June, and her middle name is uncommon and Noweigian and begins with S, which we might keep for this baby too or pick another if the alliteration is too much. In general, we prefer short, solid names, and gravitate somewhat toward girl names that sound a bit on the harder side. We don’t like overly popular or biblical names, and want to avoid names that end in “s”, since our last name begins with it and tends to get jumbled (as in Frances Summers, Agnes Summers, etc). We definitely like some more old school (but still fairly short) and even feminine names, but also want to make sure we find a name that stands up next to June–she has a big, strong-willed personality, so a meeker sounding name for this girl is something we want to be careful of.
Are there any names that we might be overlooking? Scandinvian, short, or strong in nature? Something from far out in left field?
Contenders we both agree on:
Rudy/Rudi
Sybil (nickname Billie)
Mari (we can’t decide on a full name, or if we even would need one)
Violet
Lou (w alsoe can’t think of a full name for Lou–we don’t like Louise or Louisa or Lucinda–and we just like Lou period)
*Hazel (this was initially our top contender, but it looks to be soaring in popularity–it was #33 in the SS database for 2019–so we won’t be considering it further)Names I like but husband is lukewarm on or has vetoed:
Ida
Frida (husband is a hard no on this)
Astrid
Greta
UmaNames my husband likes but I’m lukewarm on:
Josephine (Josie/Jo)
MayThanks for your help, Swistle!
Especially with short names, I think I would avoid choosing another with the same vowel sound as June: June and Lou, June and Rudy, June and Uma. And my own personal preference would be to choose a name with a similar usage: i.e., another name used predominately for girls, rather than a unisex name or one used more often for boys. (If you like the repeating vowel sound, I suggest Ruby instead of Rudy.) And Violet’s popularity is now in range of Hazel’s, so I’d cross that off. I like Greta and Ida a lot, if you can bring your husband around to either of them. Both of them have a Little Sister feel to me, but not at all in a meek way, more in a Force to Be Reckoned With kind of way, and I think both of them are great with your surname.
Is Mari pronounced like Mary? Actually, whether or not it is: if you want stealth shock value, I’d go with Mary. It feels at first glance as if it’s an extremely popular name because it was so common in previous generations, but on a brand-new baby it’s a fresh slap.
I enjoy the pairing of June and May for the sheer fun of it—but it bothers me that June is a summer month and May is not. August would be better, but in the U.S. the name August is used mostly for boys. Augusta would be fun, but fails to meet most of the preferences, and also feels like a compromise, since it’s not Junia/Augusta or June/August. Julia meets the preferences better, but feels like even more of a compromise: I don’t even connect Julia with July. But July feels too rare to go with June. Sunny would be apt, but cute/light to an extreme I’d want to avoid. Hm.
My first suggestion is Rose. Its familiarity as a middle name can cause the eye to skip right past it in the name book, but it is still relatively unusual as a first name, and I think it’s splendid with June: both one-syllable names with four letters, but with very different vowel and consonant sounds. June and Rose. Whether the repeating s-as-z sound with the surname is pleasing or not will be a subjective matter.
Ivy would be nice. Ivy Summers; June and Ivy. But according to the Social Security Administration, the name Ivy was #58 in 2020, so that might be more common than you’d like.
Oh! Eve! It feels common because it’s such a familiar name (and, granted, I’d have to say a large part of that familiarity comes from it being a biblical name), but it was #471 in 2020! Eve Summers is terrific. June and Eve. Actually never mind.
Maeve, maybe: like May but with a second strong consonant. Maeve Summers; June and Maeve.
Ada would be nice. Similar popularity to June, and a nice strong name with a STEM feel. Ada Summers; June and Ada.
Instead of Rudy, perhaps Romy? Romy Summers; June and Romy.
For some reason, that brought Margo to mind. Margo Summers; June and Margo.
I know I said above that I’d want to avoid repeating the vowel sound of June, and I know it’s a biblical name—but Ruth. I still don’t entirely like the repetition, but for a strong name like Ruth I would be willing to consider making an exception. Ruth Summers; June and Ruth.
Maybe Britt. Britt Summers; June and Britt. Again, I get little-sister-but-not-at-all-in-a-meek-way vibes: a Britt would be a foot shorter and yet absolutely standing her ground.
Or Claire. I like that. Claire Summers; June and Claire.
Or Harriet, if you’re willing to have more syllables. Harriet Summers; June and Harriet. The nickname Etta feels similar to Greta.
Swistle, I am glad you said “never mind” to Eve Summers because I was shouting, “No!!” at my computer as I read it. :)
Rory came to mind for me! Also Heidi (an underused name in my opinion which is also Scandinavian) and Agatha.
And I was going to suggest Ada, so I’m glad Swistle covered it – my only issue with Ada is one would frequently have to instruct/correct which way to pronounce it (long-a or short-a as the first sound).
Poppy?
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Maeve.
Astrid was the name I wanted to JUMP to the comments and suggest, but I see it is already on your list. Astrid makes me think of Ingrid, which makes me think of Inga, which both have a snappy, strong feel to me.
Two other possibilities: Anya (or Anja) or Annika. June and Anya. Anya Summers. June and Annika. Annika Summers.
I love Maeve and ada!!
Lumi (“Snow” in Finnish) – since you love Lou but not Louise
Maren – since you love Mari
Pearl
Thea
Wren
Sylvia
My first thought when I was reading your names was Ruth. June and Ruth, I love it. I also love Hazel, even though I know you said it’s too popular.
From your list, if Ida isn’t quite right, maybe Ada? Instead of Frida, maybe Freya? I also like Astrid and Greta, as well as Maeve from Swistle’s list.
I sort of squealed when I saw Sybil nn Billie cause that is one of my favourite formal/nickname sets ever! Love the alliteration of Sybil Summers and Billie is just an awesome nickname that could totally stand next to June. I actually have third cousins named May and June. I giggle a bit thinking about the set, but the names alone are pretty great. Love Swistle’s suggestion of Britt – to me it’s spot-on. I only know one little June and her big sister has a non-Scandi name so not even going to suggest it; I do know quite a few Junipers and one has a sister Violet.
Other ideas for a sister for June:
Elin
Heidi
Kia
Pia
Sabine
Selma
Tova
Vera
I have met an adult or child with each of these names so I know they wear well in English-speaking communities, although I think we’re seeing a much more diverse pool of names in this generation that even something harder at first will be fine (Sigrid, Dagny.)
I was sad to see Greta on your “probably not” list because it was the first name to come to mind when you said you wanted a strong, force to be reckoned with sort of name. It sounds so perfect with June! Maybe your husband will come around.
From your agreed upon list, I really like Violet along with June even though it is rising in popularity.
I wonder if you would like Georgia or Lucille “Lou”? Those names just radiate strength and sass in my opinion! Or maybe Kate, Maxine, Rosa, Miranda or Mira, Della, Nadine, Vivian, Vera, Arden, Sadie, Norah, Ingrid, Audrey? Oh, what about Robin! June and Robin definitely sound like two sisters not to be messed with!
I like swistle’s suggestions of Margo and Harriet too.
I love Mari, especially the soft/ah pronunciation! If you want a longer name you could use Mariana, Marina, or even Maria (which I would find fresh and surprising on a little one) but next to short and spunky June, I don’t think it’s at all necessary.
I love Ada and Margo with June.
LAILA – MIA – ULLA
I do like Sybil but am not sure about the alliteration Sybil Summers and don’t like the nn Billie. I like Mari but pronunciation may be an issue – is it the same as Mary or Mar (as in Mars) -ee ? I agree with Swistle that I am not keen an sister name with the same u sound – Ju and Ru or Ju and Lu don’t work for me.
As an alternative to Hazel, I like Pearl, Mabel, and Coral. Since June is related to the summer, I like Coral best with you last name as brings to mind summertime trips to the beach. But Pearl seems to be a nice alternative to Ruby and goes very well with June. Other alternatives to Ruby might be Jade or Opal.
As and alternative to Astrid, maybe Stella would would work. Instead of Josephine, what about Josette or Jolie?
Other names I really like as a sibling to June:
Flora
Nell
Clara
Gwen
I love Lou and personally wouldn’t worry about the repeated “u” sound.
Some other thoughts:
Fern
Ingrid
Opal
I am here to suggest Liv.
I strongly second Reagan’s suggestion of Flora! June and Flora just happens to be our preferred sister names if we have another girl (already have a Flora). Flora has been absolutely delightful on our daughter. It is short, uncommon (#932 in 2020) yet familiar, easy to say, spell, and pronounce. And she’s the Roman goddess of spring, for strength. It’s so perfect I could keel over.
Maybe I’m biased, but I LOVE Rose and June together!
Ada is great too. Pronunciation-wise, I’ve only ever heard it with the long A. I also really like Margo, Claire, and Ruth from Swistle’s list (and I agree both with avoiding other U-sounds *and* with Ruth being an exception to that!)
There are so many good suggestions so far I’m just going to second some instead of adding my own:
Heidi, Pearl, Inga/Ingrid, Sadie, Coral, Fern
From your list, Sybil nn Billie is great.
I went to school with two Mari’s, neither of whom had a longer name that I know of. Both pronounced it Mah-ree not Mary. Mari could give you May (traditional nn for Mary) as a nickname – maybe you’d prefer that than as a full name?
I do love Greta too
The name that came to mind for me was Alma. Strong and short with a beautiful meaning. Not popular either!
I love the suggestions of Mabel (one of my favorite names), Margot, and Greta. I would also love the name Ivy with June, but it is definitely gaining in popularity right now!
Wow I love the suggestion of Alma! June and Alma sound perfect together.
Maude
Iris
Vera
Sylvie
Lola
Selkie
Elke
I love Swistle suggestions of Rose, Harriet and Claire.
Also with June I like Cora, Willa and Eloise.
Sybil is such a cool name! And when they started calling baby Sybil on Downton Abbey “Sybbie” I fell in love!
Do you like Lyda/Lida? I know a little Lyda who is nicknamed Lou.
Or what about Maren?
Cora?
I love the suggestion of Ada! Claire is nice too.
Hmmm…
One syllable names that jumped out at me that might pair well with June are: Rose, Claire, Brynn, Pearl, Jade.
Short, two syllable names: Iris, Ivy, Evie, Mila, Lily, Alice, Cora, Daisy, Heidi.
From your list, I particularly love Hazel. June and Hazel. If you truly love the name and you both are on board, does popularity matter as much as you think? Is the name popular in your community? Sometimes a name may be super popular on one side of the country but rarely heard in the classrooms on the other side. So unless there are a ton of Hazel babies crawling and toddling through your neighborhood parks, is it really “too popular”? And Hazel’s popularity is nowhere near the Jennifers and Jessicas of the 80s where were 2-4 in each classroom for many years in a row.
If the rising popularity of Hazel really is a no-go for you, maybe Pearl or Alice or Daisy or Heidi would make a good alternate? They all have a similar feel and/or sound as Hazel. June and Pearl. June and Alice. June and Daisy. June and Heidi.
Would you warm up to the name Josie with the nn of Jo instead of the long Josephine? There is no rule that a short name has to be taken from a longer name. June and Josie. June and Jo.
Coming to suggest Freya or Marie!
Yes! Came to suggest Freya/Freja!
Also, Tavi, Tove/Tova, Nola, Irma/Erma, Inga, Tuva, Anika, Uma, Sanna, Suren, Karina, Veda, and Alma.
My first thought was Ruth and I also love the suggestion if Pearl. I know a Louella nn Lou.
I also think Edith/Edie pairs nicely.
I love Maren or Marit — both are a form of Margaret and mean pearl. Maren was #438 for 2020 on the U.S. Social Security names list.
I also like:
Ada
Britt/Britta
Estrid — slightly different spelling of Astrid
Pearl!!!
Freya is amazing. Very popular here but less so in the states I think.
Elke says scandi, little sister, to me. I think it is dated in Europe but feels fresh to me.
How do you feel about Lotte? I second the suggestion of Liv.
If you want to avoid May June there is the Welsh form Mai (said like My).
I love Mary but you don’t get much more biblical than that :) Also biblical but less strikingly so – Marta or Martha.
My is a Swedish name. My Summers might be confusing though.
What about Alba?
I knew a Marta years ago; she was nice kid. She’ll be late 30s now. Still the only one I’ve met, too
What about Wren, Freya, Nita, Maura?
Bree
Amell
Mabel
Etta
Gala
Lana
Leah
Lilou
Lilo
Nev
Sage
Stella
I was going to say Luna but that’s too close to June (and the moon-ah and the june-ah and the spring-ah, I like to sing-ah.)
Maybe Leigh/Lee? June and Leigh. Like Rose, I think people overlook it because it was used so often as a middle name in the 80s/90s (and maybe still) but it’s unexpected as a first name. I feel like it stands up well to June.
I know you don’t need yet another person suggesting Ada, but it was also the first thing that popped to mind when I read your letter and I think June and Ada make a great sister pair (although you’d have to rethink the middle name starting with S so she didn’t end up with the initials ASS). I think “Maeve” would constantly get misheard as “May”, especially with a sister named June. I feel like as a little sister I would find that really annoying! Maude is in the same vein, though, and I like that suggestion a lot!
I agree with Swistle’s suggestion to throw out Violet if you’re concerned about it being overly popular. Where I live (mid-Atlantic US) there seem to be way more little Violets than little Hazels.
I would caution against using Rose as the first name because “Rose Summers” sounds too descriptive. A summer of roses? Roses in the summer? For this reason, I’d probably throw out anything that could be a noun or adjective, like Violet, Hazel, or even something like Claire or Raina because they sound kinda close to “Clear Summers” or “Rainy Summers”
I know a girl named June and her sister is Lucy. I think this sounds fabulous together, because they both have the “ooo” sound in the middle, but different endings, so they sound distinct. Also, Lucy gets you the nickname “Lu” or “Lulu” which you’d like!
Lucy Summers
June and Lucy
This sounds perfect to me!
Ooooo- Stella, Maren or Annika! Or Romy!
Sorry for seconds but adding…
Adele!
Tatum
Lydia
Dahlia
Celia
Lane
Lark
Orly
Wynne
Milla
Nina
Edith/Edie?
I thought of a few more:
Molly
Nora
Mabel
Sylvia
Zoey
Emily
Audrey
Marilyn
Madelyn
Evelyn (maybe too close to Eve (Summer’s Eve)?
Eleanor (this might be popular in your region, or maybe not. The nickname Ellie is fairly popular around here)
Ellen? As a nickname for Eleanor or stand-alone? I know a few Ellens, scattered up and down the age spectrum, tho no current children. It’d be pretty startling to see, too, in the familliar but uncommon way. I don’t particularly equate it with any one age group beyond the vague “old fashioned” but really Ellen wasn’t all *that* popular even in its US 1884 height.
I know a family with three girls named Rose, Grace, and June. I’ve always liked them together as a set.
I was interested to see Ida on your list because my wife’s grandmother’s name was Ida June, so they may be historical contemporaries, not that sibling names have to be, but it’s nice when it works out that way.
Ruth’s a long-time favorite of mine, as well, and it’s nice with June. Claire was a good suggestion, too. And Maura. How about Zoë? It has a mischievous charm to it. (I may be influenced in this impression by a Zoë I know.)
Scandinvian and strong in nature – Solveig! It means “sunray” and seems perfect for a summer child.
My first thought was Greta as well. My second was Gretel. Love the suggestions of Ingrid, Alma, Lotte and Marta. Marta makes me think of Magda. My favorite would probably be June and Vada.
I love Clare, especially being a huge fan of The Time Traveler’s Wife. If I had had a girl, Clare would be the name.
Other one-syllable names I love:
Anne. It’s so understated and perfect! I love Anne.
Sloane
Kate (I love Kate Ann as a first and middle name)
Reese or Trese (although I know the s could blend in with Summers, I love Reese for a girl)
Faith
Laine
My grandma was named Marilou and went by Lulu or Mari at different points in her life. Could be a fun way to combine Mari and Lou?
Here to suggest Sloane. Short strong name and I love the alliteration with your last name!
I’d use Gwen. Just Gwen. Short and sweet and so cute with June.
Have you considered Faye?