Hi Swistle! You helped me name my first son in 2018, Stone Jameson (Stone is a beloved surname in my family and my husband is James). Since then, we have had another son August Burgess (both dear family names) and have a baby sister on the way. Our last name is pronounced like all-corn.
We are at a loss! I love a gender-neutral name, though I’ve read your recent posts and understand what that term actually means. I guess I mean that I love a more masculine leaning name for a girl. Our second would have been August, either gender. We don’t have many family names left that appeal to us, but are struggling with plucking a name out of thin air when our other two have names that are so rooted in family history. I also love a “pre-existing noun name”. I understand those are uniquely trendy right now, but it does somewhat fit a theme we unintentionally have going on. I also won’t use a name that’s too high in the top 200. I am in the south, so I am comfortable with a double-name, though it’s probably not my first preference.
One non-negotiable rule that I have is that my father’s middle name: George, must be incorporated somehow. I do not love Georgia but am OK with Georgette, Georgie, Georgeann. Though, frankly, I would probably name her plain old George with an overly feminine middle name if I could get my husband on board. (How hard would your readers roll their eyes at a girl named George? I find it cute but maybe that’s just a demonstration of my commitment to masculine leaning names for girls)
Some non-sentimental names we like but either won’t use or aren’t sold on:
Olive (this was my first choice but my closest friend is using it. It’s unquestionably off the table).
Meritt
Goldie
Louise
Laine
Opal
Iris
Ruby
Astrid
Ingrid
Margot
Graysen
Frances (Frankie)
Miller
Collins
Campbell
SterlingSome family names that we like but aren’t sold on:
Ellis (tribute to my grandmother, Ellen)
Pearl (tribute to the surname Paryl in my lineage)
Alice (tribute to a grandmother)
Welch, Whitson, Barnes, Conley (family surnames. We see some potential in Emma Welch, Mary Barnes, Ann Conley etc., though they seem almost weak next to Stone and August)
Josephine (only as a potential middle name. Family name on both sides)
Caroline/Carolina (tribute to my MIL Carol. Only as a potential a middle name)I feel like my taste is somewhat all over the map and we are having a hard time agreeing on anything. I need your help!
I’m with you: I would prefer to have some similar family history for her name. I KNOW it’s common to run out of good honor names after a couple of children, and so if there’s nothing left, there’s nothing left—but it feels particularly uncomfortable to have a girl with no significant family names after having two boys with VERY significant family names.
So, looking first at the family names. I feel tepid about the tribute names: when you’ve used Stone-not-Steve, and Burgess-not-[I can’t think of a modified version of Burgess, but you get my meaning], it seems like even more of a diluted honor to switch to modified names for the daughter. How is Paryl pronounced, and is Paryl a recent and beloved family surname (as opposed to something unfamiliar discovered way back in the family tree)? She would have to spell it and pronounce it for people her entire life, but it would certainly be a meaningful and distinctive and significant name. If it is pronounced like Peril, I might save it as a middle name. Well, or I might just seize upon the roller-derby-style coolness of it, and also claim that it honored my mother-in-law by rhyming with her name! Stone, August, and Paryl. This is really growing on me. “It’s a family name” is just such a good and simple and satisfying explanation, and I would not personally object to being named Paryl if it were a family surname. Paryl George All-corn. Nickname Parry/Perry, or she could go by Georgie. In one paragraph I have talked myself into this being my first choice.
Conley leaps out at me as another possible first name. Stone, August, and Conley. Conley All-corn. Conley Georgette All-corn.
I am thinking about Whitson. The Whit- of names such as Whitney; the -son like in Allison and Madison. Hm. I think it works. If I saw it in the wild I might guess it was a boy name, but I would not be shocked to learn I was wrong, and also I remember you are in favor of boyish names for girls. Stone, August, and Whitson. Whitson All-corn. Whitson Georgina All-corn.
You mention Ann in a couple of contexts, which along with George makes me think of Georgianna. I like the way it makes Georgie such a natural nickname, or maybe she’s more of an Annie and that would be available to her too. Georgianna Paryl All-corn. Georgianna Whitson All-corn. Georgianna Josephine All-corn.
If a family first name just won’t work out, a name I’d pull from the won’t use / aren’t sold on (I’d be hoping it was the latter) list is Laine, which I’d spell Lane to increase the unisex/noun aspect. Stone, August, and Lane. Lane George All-corn.
A name from my own list you may have already considered but it came to mind because of Olive and Iris and Ruby and so forth: Ivy. Stone, August, and Ivy. Ivy George All-corn.
I really like Lane George and Ellis George or Ellis Georgia if you come around to it. I have an Astrid and a Margot so I am partial to those names as well :)
Georgia Paryl or Barnes Josephine would be cute !
I’m intrigued by your comment that the names on your list that combine classic names traditionally used for women with family surname middles feel weak in comparison to Stone and August. Is it that the family connection feels weak? SURELY you don’t mean that you associate names like Ann, Mary, and Emma, that have belonged to some of the strongest human beings to ever grace this planet with weakness, right? RIGHT?
But if you are really focused on family connection, I think Georgeann, called George, is great.
Or if by weak you meant fusty, old, or uninspired then Laine, Ellis, or Merritt seem like great choices. (Although I personally think Ann or Mary is more eye-catching).
I too am southern, and adore the trend of traditional masculine/surname + traditional feminine double names such as (all take from my kid’s preschool roster)
Wesley Ann
Anne Graham
Mary Owens
Foster Grace
So I suggest
George Alice All-corn
A traditional nickname for George is Jordy/Jory, and has a lot of sassy/southern appeal.
I live in the south, I have a SIL named Stuart and she dislikes her traditionally masculine name, I understand she is one person, but it gives me pause on naming a girl a strongly male name, like George, without options. So I would probably lean towards Georgianna nn George versus George on the birth certificate. Just my two cents.
In Texas I know an equal amount of Lane/Laine of both genders so I feel that’s a good choice for you. I like Lane is also a noun. Would you consider Golden, nicknamed Goldie? That’s also a word name.
I love Golden/Goldie!
I went back to your first question and see that your preference then for three children was James, Stone and August. My suggestion is that you call your daughter James Georgina.
You like masculine (traditionally) names for girls. You considered a junior when you had a son.
James has some use for girls.
My daughter’s middle name is derived from her dad’s name and they both love the link. I don’t like the ‘junior’ tradition and all it says about patriarchy (literally!) but I find it quite pleasing when you swap the genders.
Delightful idea! This!
Mary George as a first name!
I agree with Swistle that it would be nice to gave a more direct family name since the brothers do , but I also think that any feminine form of George would qualify. To me, gender swaps are in a different category than other changes to the original name.
I would really encourage you to avoid using two super masculine leaning names. I have a good friend with a first name that’s typically perceived as totally masculine (never been in the top 1000 as a girl’s name, but very familiar as a boys’ name, and I would categorize it as a “bro” name) and a common feminine middle name – think Bradley Anne. In writing (e.g. email signatures) she always includes her middle name because she’s gotten so tired of getting replies addressing her as “Mr” or having people be surprised when they meet her and she’s a woman. You may not personally be the type to be bothered by that experience, but you don’t know who your child will be, and I’m a big believer in giving kids options if their first name has a particular risk of causing trouble.
I really like the sound of Margot George. Frances “Frankie” George is great too!
What about Wren Georgeann? Echo Georgette? Morgan George?
If Georgeann has potential, does Georgellen? Or Georgella? Georgelle instead of Georgette? Perhaps it’s all trying too hard, but I’m trying to think of a feminine form of George that incorporates another family name for a double honour – without looking too much like gorgeous or gargoyle!
I love love love Paryl for a first name. So cool, plus the family connection. You could do Mary Paryl as a double first name if Paryl made you nervous but I just love it. Paryl is as gender neutral as it’s gets so I would give her a feminine middle or another surname (Paryl Welch! Paryl Georgina!)
I have sons August and George who would have been Georgianna or Georgina if he was a girl. We would have called her Georgie or Gigi. I think Georgianna is just beautiful and would give you an easy Georgie nickname which you could use exclusively. I also have a friend who goes by MG which is short for Mary George.
But Paryl! Just such a great name!
This is a weird leap, but do you like the name Glory? It’s a noun name. Maybe too ‘it’s a grand old flag?’
Maybe sneak in some Ellen to get Glorielle? Though that is probably the opposite of a gender neutral/boyish name.
I like Georgette but it might be because I like the idea of the fabric.
I’m also intrigued by Paryl.
It’s very rare I disagree with Swistle (love you, Swistle!), but I have huge concerns about Paryl. If it’s pronounced like Daryl that makes it easier to explain, but then it sounds like “peril” which feels negative. If it’s pronounced like Pearl, then she’s in for a lifetime of confusion and misspelling. I wouldn’t want that name for myself. I like the idea of a more feminine version of George (love Georgianna) with the nickname George. That has a cool factor to it that I think works well.
I agree that Paryl-pronounced-like-Peril very strongly fails the would-I-want-this-name test. It’s on the level of Rowdy to me – a little better because of the family connection and the different spelling, but also a little worse, because the meaning is worse. (To me, the connotations of peril are always negative, while rowdy can be negative or can just be something that makes you laugh and shake your head.) I think it’s fine as a middle name, although it probably wouldn’t be my first choice unless it happened to be the most meaningful (in terms of your relationship to the people who bore it).
my cousin and his wife named their daughters Glenn (Glennie) and Francesca (Frankie). Fairly gender neutral
I really love Sterling from your list. It would be great with a traditionally feminine middle name (I really really love it with your first name as the middle, and also adore the strong family connection/parallel to your oldest son having his fathers name in his middle name.)
You said you don’t love Georgia, but it lends itself to so many nicknames: George, Georgie, Geo, Gia, Gigi, even Reggie might not be too much of a stretch. Although, you would definitely want to stay away from Regina George!
With Georgia, I like:
Georgia Barnes
Georgia Claire
Georgia Pearl / Georgia Paryl
With George as a middle name, I like:
Emma George
Gemma George — Gem is a cute nickname. A monogram wouldn’t work well with this combo.
Meredith George — George Meredith was an English, Victorian author.
Tessa George
With George as a first name, I like:
George Anneliese — without a hard stop between the two names, it almost sounds like one long name or the two names Georgeann Elise
George Eleanor
George Ellen — I like the mashup of George and Ellen, but, as one name, I’m not sure how best to spell it: Georgellen, Georgellyn, Georgelin, Georgelyn — none of these look “right.”
George Hadley
I know an adult female George. It’s from Georgina but she’s known socially as George. With James coming up for girls, I wouldn’t blink at a young sister George.
Although, what I love about your kids names is the noun connection. Swistle’s idea of Ivy is lovely – also a nod to her being the 5th member of your family. How about Clementine or Clement?
Some tweaks you might like? My favorite variations of Ellen are Elin and Ellery. Welch is a variant of Walsh. Orla instead of Goldie. Parry would be sweet with Josephine nn PJ.
Maybe alliteration for a double first would appeal? With a George in the middle..
Cleo Conley
Billie Barnes
Willa Whitson
Pip Paryl
Reading your post, I immediately thought of Georgiana (pronounced like Georgi- ahna). A nephew and wife recently named their third child, a daughter following two school-age sons, Georgiana Katherine “Georgie”. I love it! I don’t know why they chose Georgiana, but Katherine is a double family name — first name of both the mother of the baby and her mother. Baby Georgiana is now 9 months old and is called both Georgiana and Georgie.
Several of your family names would work with Georigana. Using one of the grandmothers’ names as her middle names — Ellen (Ellis) or Alice — would be special. You could even include them both by using Ellis as a combination of Ellen and Alice.
In Pride and Prejudice, Georgiana Darcy is the much younger sister and ward of Fitzwilliam Darcy. I immediately thought of that connection when I heard that my nephew’s baby daughter was named Georgiana.
Pearl, spelled and pronounced like “Pearl”, is my favorite of all of the options you gave. Noun name, bridges the gap between nature noun name Stone and seasonal outdoor name August. It’s recognizable but not popular and is easy to spell and say. Stone, August, and Pearl. Lovely.
Peryl pronounced “peril” does not pass my “would I want this name for myself” test.
What about Roberta called Bobbie?
I’m going to mix and match some of my favorites from your lists, making sure there’s at least one family or family-inspired name in each combo.
Alice Caroline
Alice Josephine
Iris Caroline
Iris Josephine
Lane Carolina
Lane Ellen
Lane Josephine
Opal Caroline
Opal Ellen
Pearl Caroline
Pearl Ellen
Ruby Caroline
Lane Josephine All-corn (I prefer the Lane spelling, especially to tie it in with her brothers’ names)
Laine Paryl All-corn
Pearl Georgeann All-corn
Opal Emilia All-corn (Please use a version of your name as a middle, like you did your husband’s! Emilia is a lovely alternative to Emily since you’re not that much of a fan of Emily)
Marigold Ellen ‘Goldie’ All-corn (You like Mary and Goldie, how about Marigold? The nature-ness of it ties it in beautifully with her brothers)
Marigold Alice ‘Goldie’ All-corn
Sterling Emily All-corn
Sterling Alice All-corn
Ruby Barnes All-corn
Wren Conley All-corn
Georgiana Coral All-corn (Coral is a wink to MIL Carol, also a nature name)
George isn’t even masculine leaning, it’s straight up masculine. However, maybe because my Grandma’s a Gerald, I’d just be surprised for a moment or two and then carry one. Whether *she* likes it, you can’t know yet. I think Gran wasn’t too fond of hers when she was younger but no longer gave a bean by the time I asked about it (she was 70ish when I did). Personally I’d prefer something like Georgianna, Georgeanne, George-Anne, George-Ellen, or George-Alice.
Meritt’s my favorite, I think. It’s a surname like Stone, neutral-ish, a positive noun, and I love the nickname Merry
Meritt George
Meritt-George Pearl
Meritt-George Caroline
What about Jamie? It’s a very 80s name for girls, I know, and (in the English pronunciation), a rare nickname for boys named James, but could work. I’d probably pair it with a feminine version of George, partly to separate the Juh sounds.
Georgeanne Jamie
Georgette Jamie
Georgeanne James
Georgette James
What about Charity? Maybe nn Ree, or Charlie might not be too much of a stretch. a virtue name like Meritt, exclusively feminine, unusual, & I think it’s a strong-sounding name. George Charity, Charity George, Charity James, Charity Pearl
Coral? Very similar to Carol, a nature name, rare, but I’ve come across it in books. Coral George, George Coral
Elaine, nn Laine? Similar to Ellen. Elaine George, George Elaine
Emerald, nn Merry, Em, Emmie, Gem (if George Emerald)? Rock AND related to a month (it’s the May birthstone) George Emerald, Emerald George
Garnet, nn Gary, Nettie? Another birthstone, but might be too much G. George Garnet
Glory or Glorianna? Glory George, George Glorianna?
Hazel? (My 8yo has a teammate named Hazel) Hazel George, George Hazel, Hazel Pearl
Robyn, nn Robbie? (feminine spelling of neutral-ish name) George Robyn, Robyn George, Robyn Caroline
Hazel
Mabel
Ivy
Hunter
Pearl
Grace
Quinn
Willow
River
Luna
I wouldn’t use George as a first name for a girl. However, I wonder if you would like Georgette nickname Jett. Georgette gives you the strong family tie you want and the nickname Jett is sassy, gender neutral/masculine leaning, and a noun name as well. August, Stone, and Georgette. August, Stone, and Jett.
Georgette Paryl or Georgette Pearl are both lovely.
If you really want to use just George then I would go the double name route and choose something like Mary George, George-Ann, Alice-George, etc. I so wish you liked Georgia. Georgia Pearl would be gorgeous. Or should I say Georgeous
solid pun ;)
Ellison Pearl
I knew a Georgeanna in school and it was a surprisingly fun and easy to say, once I got the hang of the spelling. And then there are the Austen characters (Sense and Sensibility I think?). Georganna @llcorn. Georgeanna Pearl @allcorn. Stone, August, and Georgeanna.
Have you seen Georgina as a variant? That sounds cool too.
BTW I just saw that Baby Name Wizard no longer exists! I guess we have to use Namerology now (Laura Wattenberg’s current site).
Ooooh! Or use first-middle as a de facto double name:
George Anna @llcorn.
My husband has a cousin with a name like this. Beth Ann Lastname. Bethann. (not her real name)
Hilarie Burtons daughter is named George. They were inspired by an episode of Bonanza called “A Girl Named George”.
I think this is a tough one to use in the “would I want this for my own name?” Test because individuals will be so split on their opinion.
I like the idea someone above had to combine with a more feminine name for options.
If Paryl is actually said like Pearl, I like George Paryl.
I do like the flow of a sibset “Stone, August, & Pearl.”
Let’s us know what you decide.
Just an aside, paryl is an invisible gel in Brent Weeks’ excellent Lightbringer series. One of the heroines uses paryl to save the day. I mention this is that Paryl is a very unique name that would also be relatively anonymous on the internet because of the popularity of the Lightbringer books. That’s a plus to me. The audio book author says “pa rill” which is neither peril or pearl.
Mary George call her George, after Mary Barnes and Papa George.
Georgiana is one of my favorite names, but I simply can’t pronounce Georgie, so George was always The Nickname for it.
May George is also a possibility: it is still honoring Mary, but it’s a word name. Or Merry George.
When I was reading your first letter, I noticed that your love of classic names too and I wonder if a strong-sounding classic name with George as a middle might be a good fit (or vice versa). Matilda George comes to mind—Matilda means mighty in battle or something like that, which is a very strong meaning and might be a great fit for a third child. Mattie-George might be a fun nickname, or Maggie. Ruth also strikes me a strong name. Maybe Ruth Whitson All-corn? I like like the idea of using a name like Matilda George and calling her George.
Out of the names listed, with no new suggestions, I like:
Georgette Alice
Whitson Ruby
Georgiana Paryl (Paryl, for me, is not a first name for reasons already listed)
I saw in your first letter how much you disliked your common first name….but it IS a great name, and it bears mentioning that Emily George All-corn would be fabulous. Also would give you extra incentive for her to go by George. And it would be incredibly meaningful.
I am with the folks who love Paryl. And it seems to me that you could combine George and Ellis into Georgelle for a middle name: Paryl Georgelle All-corn. Lots of “L”s in the entire thing but Paryl All-corn is pleasing to my ear. They could be flipped into Georgelle Paryl All-corn if that is more significant with the family names.
I do love the suggestion by another commenter that you use a version of your middle name for your daughter, as you used a version of your husband’s middle name for your son.
Georgette Emilia All-corn, nicknamed Georgie, would be a great name.
Georgiana is also great and pairs well with some of your family names: Georgiana Alice, Georgiana Conley, Georgiana Caroline, Georgiana Barnes.
Other options using some noun names, some you’ve listed and some not:
Robin Georgette
Ivy Georgiana
Georgette Silver
Lane Georgette
Georgiana Rowan
Georgiana Sage
Georgiana Ocean
Georgiana Garnet
I know a Georgine who is lovely, so will boost that. But I also really like Conley George All-corn! She could go by Connie or Lee if she wants a nickname.