Hi Swistle,
My husband and I just found out that we are having a second daughter, who will be our last child. Our first-born daughter’s name is Margot, which we picked easily because it is so classy, fun, and distinctive all wrapped into one. Problem is, we’re having a hard time finding another girl name that “fits” with such a strong and standalone name such as Margot.
We do have a #1 contender, which is Norah. We both love the name and prefer it with the H since it feels stronger and more distinctive to us that way. Margot and Norah are both names that end with silent letters, which I can’t tell if it helps them “fit” (and they can bond over their silent letters and misspellings) or if it is just overkill and looks like a bit much when they’re written out together. However, I don’t think either of us want to spell it Nora just for this reason.
I had originally written off Norah as an option because Margot and Norah sound a little funny to me together, as if they are too similar. Both names hinge on the central R letter, and have the same “oh” and “ah” sounds, just reversed. My concern is that they are just not unique enough from each other. And yelling them at a distance could be hard to tell them apart (however important or not important that is). Then again I know plenty of families of little girls with the same “-ia” or “-ie” or “-en” endings and no one seems to notice that much. (I do know of an Ella and Nell sister pair, which is way too similar for my taste!)
We’ve run through lists of girl names but nothing else feels particularly right, which is how I came back around on Norah. My husband has a huge, close family so there are a few names I would definitely consider if we didn’t already have close cousins with them:
Eloise
Eliza
AveryI have also always liked the name Ellie (big el theme) but we prefer to just give our child a standalone name without a nickname and I’m not sure I can get over how cutesy Ellie is on its own. My husband is not a fan for this reason. We also both don’t particularly like the very trendy “-ia” endings for girls that have been in the top ten for awhile now. It would be cool to find a name that starts with a Z (distinct!), but Zoe(y) is out (it is the name of friends and former dogs of both of ours) and the other Z names feel too far afield.
So… alternative suggestions to Norah, and/or thoughts on Margot and Norah together? I’m torn. We know for sure her middle name will be Logan (family name) and we do really like how Norah Logan sounds.
Thank you for any help!
-K
If I encountered sisters named Margot and Norah, I wouldn’t think anything was odd about the combination, or worry the names would be confused when hollered; and I wouldn’t even notice the other things you mention about letters and vowels. I would only think what nice names they were, and that they were a nice sibling pairing. I think it’s only when we look very carefully at names, as many of us do before making our final decision, that we notice all these little things—but you’ve dug thoroughly and well, and I don’t think you’ve found anything that rules out the name, or even makes it an awkward choice. I think once you use the name, all of those issues will recede far into the distance.
So, clearly I think you can/should/will use the name Norah. If for whatever reason you DON’T use it, or if it would help to just talk about names a little bit, I will say a few names that occurred to me as I was reading the letter:
Fiona; Margot and Fiona.
Simone; Margot and Simone.
Celeste; Margot and Celeste.
Lydia; Margot and Lydia.
Vivian; Margot and Vivian.
Winifred; Margot and Winifred.
Aubrey! It works so well with Margot and is classic and distinct.
Margot and Norah are lovely, but I really have a soft spot for another name on your short list: Eloise ❤️
Margot and Eloise are so sweet for sisters. She could be Ellie as a little girl nickname, if you like!
Best of luck!
I think Margot and Norah go perfectly well together and make a nice sibling pairing. I do feel like Norah is a more popular name then Margot – at least where I live (Midwest). But of course being popular isn’t bad and could be geographical not to mention that popular names now are still not like what they used to be. Just something to consider.
I agree, Norah works perfectly. But I’m shocked Swistle didn’t suggest Eleanor! It gets you to both Norah and Ellie, and you (or she) could decide later which one she likes best.
This was my thought too! Eleanor seems like the perfect solution to me.
I love Vivian, I think it sounds so lovely with Margot. I also really like Eloise. Or Sylvie, Audrey, Lillian, or Camille.
I should have mentioned, I do really like Norah and Margot together :)
Eleanor maybe?!
Margot and Norah are both beautiful names and sound great together as a sibling pair to my ear.
To just provide other suggestions even if only to solidify the choice of Norah…I wonder if you’d like the distinctiveness of Veronica. Or for a name starting with Z, I think Zara is a great choice.
I think Norah and Margot go well together! I’d also suggest Inez and Esme.
Margot and Norah are wonderful together!
I also liked Swistle’s suggestions of Fiona and Winifred. And Eleanor (or maybe just Elle if you don’t want something that can be shortened) is also a great suggestion.
Margot and Norah are great!
I think there is no issue with Margot and Norah, but if you’re looking for others what about Elle? Way less cutesy than Ellie and feels fresh and spunky! Margot and Elle is a great pair too.
I also have a Margot!
And my second (and last baby) turned out to be a son but this might be a great time to roll out our sadly unused list of second daughter names: Eliza (I know you can’t use it though); Tess, Sylvie, Nina, Goldie, Anya, Rosa, Thea, Ida.
I think on pure sibling-style, my favourite is Sylvie. I love that they have different endings but both have that French connection. Having said all that I also really love Norah!
Margot and Norah sound great together.
Other possibilities to consider:
Edith — Edith Logan, Margot and Edith
Elspeth — Elspeth Logan, Margot and Elspeth
Grace — Grace Logan, Margot and Grace
Hadley — Hadley Logan, Margot and Hadley
Hazel — Hazel Logan, Margot and Hazel
Jane — Jane Logan, Margot and Jane
It sounds like Norah is just it for you! It’s a lovely pairing and I agree only you will notice the repeated R / oh/ah. The H is perfectly legitimate and I can totally imagine the sisters commiserating on those silent letters.
I will say Eleanor is a brilliant suggestion so you have both Ellie and Nora/h to try out. And Nina was my thought to make the N name more distinctive. But you’re sold on Norah and love it (which is no small task) so I say hold strong!
I want to jump on the stick- with-Norah bandwagon. But in case you don’t, my youngest had a Zoli as a classmate once. I thought that was a distinctive Z name.
More possibilities:
Carmen
Daphne
Eleanor, as a few have already suggested
Jasmine
Katarina
Miriam nn Mimi, if you don’t mind repeating an initial
Tatiana
Violet
Zora
This was my first thought, too. Distinctive and unusual, but it’s a name with some history, too.
I love Margot and Norah together! I also like the suggestion of Eleanor since it does give you both Ellie and Nora for nicknames. I also used to go to school with someone called Ellie whose full name was Elisa, which I do like.
That said, you don’t seem to be into the nicknames, which is a-ok. Norah is a beautiful name all on its own, and I think the -h does double duty here. It says, “this is the whole name and it is not a nickname for anything else,” and it adds the very pleasing silent letter ending for both children. Very nice.
The author mentioned thinking a Z name would be cool and I have a massive name crush on Zara but couldn’t use it because it feels too close to Sarah (my name), but feels great to my ear with Margot.
Margot & Zara.
Add me to the “stick with Norah” chorus! But another one to consider might be Alice. It fits nicely with Margot and, to my ear, gives you some of the same sounds as Eloise from your list.
I agree that Norah works well with Margot, and considering the positive feedback, I’m guessing you’ll probably use it. If you don’t, I wanted to throw out another Z name. You only mentioned one that you didn’t like (Zoe/y), so I’m not sure what others you’ve considered. Someone else has already mentioned the first one I thought of, Zora, but it does have the same issues that you mentioned about Norah,, so if those are still too much, I’d also suggest Zola, which is unusual but still in the top 1000 in 2020.
Zinnia
Delia
Vera
Sylvie
Portia
I really like Margot and Norah together. The silent last letter is a neat connection between them that is very subtle. Other names with silent letters that you might want to consider:
Hannah – fewer shared sounds
Leah – same as above
Isla – may be too popular
Wren – may be too uncommon for you
Alice – not sure if silent e counts
In my mind, filed alongside Margot are:
Simone
Claudia
Phoebe
Elizabeth
Suzanne
Lydia
I think Margot and Norah is lovely.
Margot and:
Lila / Lilah
Vera (also a distinctive initial)
Celia
Daphne
Claire
Alice
Ada
Odette
Thea
Ottilie
Flora
Eve / Eva
Adele
Caia
Olive
Eliza
Sylvie
I think Norah is a lovely name. However, it does have some shared sounds with Margot, and if that bothers you, some other choices might be:
Elise (Margot and Elise sound so lovely together)
Vivian
Eleanor
Sadie
Zaylie
Zora
Genevieve
Lilah
Audrey
Beatrice
Margot and Norah sound perfectly lovely to me. They do sound distinct too, and I say that as someone with a hearing impairment.
Other options I like
Zora,
Beatrice,
Vera,
Johanna,
Eleanor,
Alys,
Audrey,
Had you written in asking for a sister name for Margot without mentioning any names currently on your list my first suggestion still would have been Norah! Nobody else is going to notice the subtle similarities of matching sounds or how hard it would be to call out their names together. I think it is clear that your heart wants Norah so I say go for it!
Other suggestions if you still aren’t sure…
Josie
Hallie
Molly
Tessa
Brynn
Ainsley
Lydia
Audrey
Simone
Lucy
Eden..Eden Logan…EL…Ellie
Zara
Violet
Zora
June
Maxine
Nadine (nay-dean)
Noelle (Ellie)
Gabrielle (Ellie)
Ella (Ellie)
Colette!
Classic/timeless, feminine without being frilly. Could use Coco or Etta as nicknames.
Both share the long “O” sound which makes them feel tied nicely.
I enjoy Norah as well!
I think Norah is great but I’ve had a long term crush on Lenora, which could have the nickname Nora. Lenora is elegant and trim and unique. Lenora and Margot. Wow!
What about Zarah! I see some other commenters spelled it without the H but I’m more familiar with Zarah-with-an-H. Still gets your “r” in the middle and your silent letter at the end.
I also think Norah is great.
Picking from some suggestions above, I want to second vote these:
Adele
Lilah
Hannah
Pheobe
another name with Z: Zelda. I think it’s perfect with Margot.
Margot & Zelda
I think Margot and Norah sound lovely as siblings, but as others have mentioned, Eleanor is a beautiful alternative that almost sits with Margot a little better.
The other name that popped into my head while reading through your letter is Xanthe.
I know a Nora and Margo who are sisters! I love the names together.
I’ll be a voice of dissent—I’m a Sarah with a Cora and I have strong aesthetic opinions about when to use a final H, and Norah isn’t one of them. (Sarah takes a final H because in its original language, it is spelled S-R-H, with the vowels being indicated only in non-letter marks. Adding the H to a non, for instance, Hebrew, name, in most cases, feels like an ahistorical overcorrection.) I think Nora works well here, though!
Norah is great with Margot, but here are some other names I like to hear with Margot:
Willa
Violet
Clara
Zellie (Z + Ellie)
Laura
Penelope – Margot and Penelope, how cute!
Isla
Luella
Eileen or Elaine – it gets you Ellie while being totally unexpected
What about Zella? Margot and Zella make a strong, beautiful pairing.
I like Norah with Margot! I see what you mean about them having some similar sounds, but I think it “goes” more than it is matchy-matchy.
Zadie is my favorite Z-name at the moment. I love Swistle’s suggestion of Simone, Vivian and Fiona too. Maybe Violet, Vera or Hazel would be fun considerations.
I have a Norah! If we had been blessed with another daughter, her name would have been Margot! :)