Hi! I’m having our last child, a baby girl in February, and we don’t know what to name her!! Our only other child is 3 year old Alexandra but is always called Alex. The girls’ surname is Sweeney and both of their middle names are my surname (a 2-syllable American last name that starts with a D). My name is Amanda and my husband is Kyle. We prefer “A” names and names that can be shortened–especially names that are gender neutral or can be shortened to a gender neutral nickname (e.g., Alex). We also like names that are somewhat regal or grown up (again, e.g., Alexandra)–names suiting a high powered attorney or politician. I know this is a lot of criteria.
Names we don’t hate: Kennedy, Abigail, Anderson
Obviously, Kennedy doesn’t start with an A but can be shortened to Ken for gender neutrality, is regal, and shares a K with my husband, although I’d prefer she have an A like me and Alex. Abigail isn’t gender neutral. Anderson can be shortened to Andy but an issue with using surname names is that this child already has a surname as her middle name, so does she really need to have 3 names that are surnames?
I have no idea what I would name a boy–probably Alexander. 😂 Alex is the most perfect name IMO!
Please help me find a gender neutral, nickname available, starting with “A,” regal name for my daughter!! I promise to write back and tell you which name we choose! Thank you!!!!!!
Amanda and Kyle
I do think you will have a much easier time if you can eliminate some of these requirements. I suggest writing each preference on an index card, and then playing with them a little: which ones are MOST important / which ones CANNOT be eliminated / which ones are strongly preferred but can go if necessary.
For example, I would definitely eliminate the preference for a gender-neutral long form, now that you’ve gone with the exclusively-used-for-girls name Alexandra for your first child. I wouldn’t pair an Alexandra with an Anderson unless Anderson were a boy.
I suggest Anastasia. Regal and high-powered, starts with A, and shortens to Stacy or Tacy or Sasha or Asia or even Andy (though not if you want to keep Anderson for a remote-possibility future son). It’s also one of the names from my own Sad I Can’t Use list, so I’d love to see it used on someone else’s dear little baby.
If you don’t mind a big difference in popularity: Acadia. It’s fairly uncommon (according to the Social Security Administration, it was used for only 40 new baby girls in 2021; compare that to 1,715 new baby girls named Alexandra), and it may cause those of us who grew up with ’90s music to find we have Sarah McLachlan’s song Adia going through our heads for some reason; but the nickname Cade is great with Alex, and she can go by Cate/Katie if she turns out not to be a short-boyish-nickname type of person.
Adelaide: regal! distinguished! starts with A! For the nickname, I suggest Del. I went to school with a boy Del, and Elizabeth is friends with a girl Del (short for Delaney). Along similar lines: Adeline/Del.
Adrienne, nickname Ren.
Augusta, nickname Gus.
I want to suggest Annabel (another from my Sad I Can’t Use It list), but I don’t have the right kind of nickname for it; I’m hoping someone else will think of something. Can we stretch to Abe or Abel, do you think?
Amaryllis. I dare you, I DARE you to use this wonderful underused name—though I can see it isn’t ideal with the surname. Nicknames, hm. Les? Again, I hope others will be better at this than I am.
Amethyst. I like this even more than Amaryllis. It’s perhaps an odd combination with Alexandra, and a little bumpy with the surname, but when there are a lot of preferences to accommodate, something’s got to give. Once again, I must beg for help with nicknames.
Andromeda. I realize this, like Amaryllis and Amethyst, is a long shot, but you’ve got me in the long-A-names section and I am bringing out all the contenders. And this one has the easy nickname Andy! (Unless you want to save Anderson for a future boy.) I think you could also do Matt/Mattie.
Artemisia, nickname Art or Tom or Timmy. Okay, I will stop with the more out-there ones.
Angelica. Nicknames…could we do Nick? Eli? I know I’m reaching.
Annika!! THAT gives us Nick without a reach! Oh, I feel excited about this one. Alexandra and Annika; Alex and Nick.
Annaliese, nickname Lee. I would rather avoid -s/S- with the surname, but I don’t think it has to be a dealbreaker.
Antonia, nickname Tony.
Arabella/Arabelle, nickname Rob/Robbie.
Aubrey, need help with a nickname.
Aurora, nickname Rory.
I knew a sibling set with nicknames Ani, Adi and Ari. Short for Andrea, Adison, and Aurora.
Arabella, nn Ari
Aurora nn Rory
Aurelia nn Ria
If you don’t choose an A name I would suggest Samantha, nn Sam
Andy would be a good nickname for Andrea as well.
Samantha, nn Sam was my very first thought!
Andrea is what I came here to suggest.
Alexandra and Andrea
Alex and Andie
I feel like finding a regal name that starts with A but also lends to a gender neutral nickname is a very small pool of names. What if we at least got rid of the rule of it starting with A?
I wonder if you would like Miranda with the nickname Andy. Miranda and Alexandra, Alex and Andy. You get a regal first name that doesn’t start with A but a gender neutral nickname that does start with A. Seems like a solid compromise. I just realized your name is Amanda though so maybe Miranda is a non starter.
Or maybe Cassandra or Kassandra (so one girl shares an initial with you and the other shares one with dad) called Cass/Kass, Kassie/Cassie, or Casey/Kasey. Kasey and Alex sound like sisters to me.
Jessica or Jessamine called Jess. Alex and Jess.
Theresa called Tessa. Alex and Tessa
Olivia called Ollie. Alex and Ollie
Seraphina called Finn. Alex and Finn
Danielle or Danica called Dany. Alex and Dany.
Dominique or Nicolette called Nika/Nico/Nicky. Alex and Nicky.
I really like Alex and Kasey and Alex and Dany.
Josephine or Josephine – Jo
Frances or Francesca – Frankie
Charlotte – Charlie
Nicole – Nikki
Jacqueline – Jay or Jax
Katherine – Kit
Aurora- Rory
I love Katherine nn Kit for you.
Same – I came to suggest Katharine called Kit!
Forgot to add Camila called Cam. Alex and Cam.
Stephanie called Stevie. Alex and Stevie.
What about Katherine nicknamed Kit? It’s not quite in line with all of the requirements but it’s regal and, has a gender neutral nick name. It also shares a letter with your husband. “Alex and Kit” has a nice ring to my ear.
I was going to also suggest Kathernine nn Kit. I agree there’s a nice ring to “Alex and Kit” as well. Since the name Kennedy was included as a name that the couple doesn’t hate, I would also offer the nn Kick. Kick Kennedy was a sister of JFK.
Finally, with the Kennedy connection, I also wanted to mention Jacquline (nn Jacq/Jack) or Caroline (nn Caro). Caro isn’t exactly gender neutral, but it isn’t particularly feminine to my ear.
Annika and Anastasia are such good ideas.
All the best to you and please do come back and let us know what you pick!
My first thought was Andy for Andrea, as well.
I like the suggestion of Ari, what about Arianna? Or Adrianne/Adrianna, nn Adie?
None of these are gender neutral full names, but the nn is gender neutral and they pair well with Alexandra.
I’d like to suggest my own name, nickname Ari.
I think this one is pleasing. Alexandra and Ariana feel like a lovely name set!
Came to suggest this! Love Ariana -> Ari.
Alicia -> Al
Angelica -> Eli
Amelia -> Mel
Antonia -> Toni
As a fellow fan of long, strong, feminine names with short, snappy, gender-neutral nicknames, I have some suggestions. There aren’t a lot of A names, but if you decide to go a different route, maybe one of these would work. For you, I like Samantha as others mentioned. It’s a classic that goes well with Alexandra. I also think Josephine nn Joey and Maxine nn Max would pair well.
Augusta – Augie
Maxine – Max
Daniella – Danny
Samantha – Sam
Josephine – Joey
Frances or Francesca – Frankie
Ariella – Ari
Louisa – Lou
Georgiana – Georgie
Theodora – Teddy
Thomasina – Tommy
Whilhelmina – Will
Winifred – Win
Came to suggest Thomasina/Tommy as well. Adorable
There are a few contenders that would be A, regal, and shorten to a unisex moniker, but it’s a short list. I like the cadence of matching the long full name with a short unisex nickname, so if none of the limited A options appease you, I’d recommend scrapping the requirement that it start with A as there are so many great names that fit the rest of your criteria that don’t start with A.
The As —
Andrea, nn Andy
Aurora, nn Rory
Annika, nn Nick
Antonia, nn Tony
Abigail, nn Abe
Non-As —
Bernadette, nn Bernie
Christina, nn Chris
Cordelia, nn Cory
Daniela, nn Danny
Francesca, nn Frank or Frankie
Gabriella, nn Gabe
Henrietta, nn Henry
Josephine, nn Jo or Joey
Juliana, nn Jules
Louisa, nn Lou
Natalya, nn Nate
Nicola or Nicolette or Nicoletta, nn Cole or Nick
Philomena, nn Phil
Theodora, nn Theo or Teddy
Veronica, nn Ronnie
Wilhemina, nn Billie
Hope you find what you’re looking for! <3
I agree that trying to stick with another A name on top of all the other preferences is rather limiting, although I do like Andrea/Andromeda (Andy), Antonia (Tony), Aurora (Rory), and Annika (Nick). I also love Anastasia, and Stacy is technically gender neutral, although it’s rare for boys nowadays (a nickname for Eustace). I wouldn’t use Sasha with a sister called Alex since they’re both Alexander/Alexandra nicknames.
What about Katherine, nicknamed Kit (or Ren)? Then she would share her father’s initial.
Wilhelmina, nickname Billie?
Thomasina, nickname Tommy?
Francesca, nickname Frankie?
Samantha, nickname Sam?
Charlotte, nickname Charlie?
Josephine, nickname Jo?
Georgia/Georgina, nickname George?
Theodora, nickname Teddy (or Theo)?
I love gender neutral names and there are so many great ones that start with A. Some of my favorites that sound great with Alex and the last name Sweeney:
Arden D___ Sweeney (nn Ari)
Avery D__ Sweeney
Ariel D__ Sweeney
Amelia D__ Sweeney (nn Mel)
Artemis D__ Sweeney (nn Art or Artie)
Auburn D__ Sweeney
All of these names could use the nickname Al: Alanna, Alaina, Alyssa, and Allison
If you are willing to part with the starts-with-A criteria, here are a few to consider:
Natalia- nn Nat
Juliet- nn Jules
Frances/Francesca- nn Frankie
Genevieve- nn Gene
Savannah- nn Van
Calliope- nn Cal
Georgianna/Georgia- nn Georgie
Emerson
Octavia- nn Otto or Tavi
Victoria- nn Vic
Katherine- nn Kit
Penelope- nn Pen
Matilda- nn Mat or Mattie
Camilla nn Cam (you can spell it Kamilla to get the initial K)
Veronica nn Nic
Rosemary nn Rory
Francesca nn Finn
Louisa nn Lou
Juliet nn Jet
Charlotte nn Charlie
I can think of a lot of regal names with gender neutral nicknames, but, besides Aurora nn Rory, none of them starts with A.
Anastasia- Ana or Stasia.
Victoria – Tori
I really love Augusta, nn Gus! It’s my own list of names I wish I could have used.
I love the idea of Annika (Nik). So good! And such a great pairing with Alexandra (Alex).
I think Ames could work as a nickname for Amethyst or Amaryllis.
If you decide to go with a non-A name, I suggest Victoria (Vic), Veronica (Nic/Ron), Josephine (Joey), or Eleanor (Len/Rory).
It’s funny Samantha is coming up because that’s the pairing my cousin chose for her girls.
I love Swistles suggestions of Annika and Antonia. Alex & Nick, Alex & Tony are just so sweet as sisters with more elaborate formal names. I don’t even think you think the longer form gender neutral rule, because Alexandra is not gender neutral. Antonia works well beside if you’re looking for a name that has a clear masculine form as well. I’d tweak Adrienne to Adrianna to be similar and then you get (at a slight stretch) Ryan? Augustine maybe with Gus nickname (Gus for a girl is the nickname that got away, though my G- daughter says ew lol)
Alberta or Albertine nn Bert
Allison (traditionally masculine) nn Sonny
Andrea nn Andy or Drew
Apolline nn Paul
Aurelia nn Ray
I really like Antonia or Aurelia for you! A little Tony or Ray would be sweet.
I know you’re avoiding K, but this could open up more options for you:
Kendrick nn Rick or Kenny
Konstantina nn Stan
Kirby – I just love this name. It’s a match for a little Alex in my mind. And then you’d have an initial for each parent and the full line of syllables… Kyle, Kirby, Amanda, Alexandra <3
Anthea (or Theodora, or Dorothy, if you don’t mind giving up on A names) nickname Theo (or Teddy)
Amaranta nickname Marty
Aurora nn Rory is one of my own Sad I Can’t Use names. But, I also wanted to suggest Antonella. I have a colleague with that name, and people call her “Ant” for short.
Lots of good suggestions. Came to add support for …
Adrianna – Addie,. Alex and Addie
Aurora – Rory, Alex and Rory
Acadia – Casey, Alex and Casey
You could always use Kendall nn Kenny.. ;)
I’m an Alexandra who considered both Aurelia and Katherine for my daughter, and think either would work well for you. Echoing some earlier commenters who suggested Ari and Ray as nicknames for Aurelia (and you could also use Lee!) and Kit and Ren for Katherine. Excited to hear what you choose!
With Alexandra my first thought was Victoria … I love these together. Vic (as has been suggested) or Rory could be used as nicknames.
Thinking through your wish list of requirements, sure you and your Alex share the initial A, but there are other similar components to your names that perhaps you could draw on to tie the names together. Both Amanda and Alexandra contain the letters ‘and’ both contain a strong ‘ann’ sound, both end in an A. Previous suggestions of Miranda, or Cassandra, or Andrea all fit within this connection.
Josephine has already been suggested, and I love Alex and Jo, but how about Joanna? No ‘d’ but all other components : Amanda, Alexandra & Joanna seem very cohesive and almost a progression; linked but not so very themed.
Lastly, Antonia has been suggested, but there is also the lovely Antoinette. Tony (Toni) is still a potential nickname, but I also don’t think Andy is too much of a stretch from these names either.
All the best!
Ariel! Gender neutral spelled that way or can spelled Arielle for more femme, nickname Ari also gender neutral.
Reading through Swistle’s response and the comments, my favourite is Aurora (Rory). My niece is Rory (no longer form), and it is adorable! I am also partial to Josephine (Jo). Best of luck to you, and please keep up updated! :)
I grew up with boys named Addison and Adrienne so these both go gender neutral for me.
Augusta
Anniston/Annyston
Victoria nn Tori
Aurora nn Rory
Josephine nn Jo, Joie
Francesca nn Frankie
Hi, please do not suggest a nickname of Asia for anyone not Asian. (I’m going to assume this family is not, since the letter had no indication of that background.) That’s pretty blatant cultural appropriation, and honestly was deeply hurtful to read (yes, my family is Asian, and I feel the same cringe whenever I see names like India suggested). I love this blog and just don’t want to see it spread that type of thinking …
Asia pronounced “AH-sha” is a traditional Polish nickname for some female names! But probably most American families aren’t going for that :)
Aveline (AV-ell-een) – Av, Avie
Athena
Augustine
Avril
Other nicknames for Anastasia are Stasia/Stace/Staze (the z is so it’s not pronounced stage). Sage might work?
Not beginning with A:
Cordelia (Cor, Cory, Cordy, Del, Delly)
Cassandra (Cass, Cassie)
Ophelia (oh!)
Evangeline (Ev)
Swistle has a lot of good A ideas. I came to suggest Andrea, nn Andy, as a fresh choice for this generation but I see quite few people beat me to it. Ditto Samantha, nn Sam if you chose to let go of the A requirement. Along similar lines, Maxine, nn Max, (I could see some people liking the repeated X at the end and others not). Or Nicola, nn Nick.
Love Swistle’s suggestion of Anastasia, nn Sasha — and wanted to point out that for people from Slavic language backgrounds (Russian, Ukrainian, etc.), Sasha is a gender neutral name! And actually it’s the standard nickname for Alexander/Alexandra, so if you feel Alex is the ultimate perfect name, why not just go with the Slavic version for baby 2!
Also love Antonia nn Toni, or Aurora nn Rory. And another commenter’s suggestion of Augusta nn Gus/Gussie. Also my own daughter’s middle name is Albertine which I adore — she’s named after my grandma Alberta who always went by Bertie! There’s a sweet gender-neutral nickname that feels fresh again!
Antigone called Tig. I knew a Tig with a sister Xan shirt for Alexandra.
Auriah nickname Rye? In Crazy Rich Asians there’s a character named Araminta nickname Minty…which I thought was cute and also led me to discover that Araminta was Harriet Tubman’s first name!
Also I think the Katherine/Kit suggestion is perfect with Alexandra/Alex.
WOW, I love Antigone nicknamed Tig! So perfect. I also thought maybe Ariadne nicknamed Ari.
I just want to pause and revel in how delightful Del Sweeney is. I love that name: Adelaide (or Adeline) “Del” Sweeney. Della, Delly, Dell-Bell. Sweet, strong, sassy, memorable.
I am also throwing support behind Anastasia and Augusta.
Artemis nn Artie
Alex and Artie :)
I know an Acadia! She’s 25, an absolute gem, and it’s a fantastic name. I’m so glad to see it on here! I have to say though, I don’t think it lends itself especially well to a nickname. The Acadia I know has never gone by one and the natural shortening for me would be Cadi/Katie.
Hmm, Cade would maybe work though…
Alexandra and Acadia, Alex and Cade
Veronica (nicknamed Ronnie)
Victoria (nicknamed Vic, Vicky, Victory, or Tori)
Nicolette (nicknamed Nic)
Colette(nicknamed Coco)
Beatrix (nicknamed Trixie or Bea)
Samantha (nicknamed Sam)
Acadia could be nicknamed Ace. Alex and Ace.
I support the suggestion of Alberta/Albertina, but with the nickname Albie.
Cassandra called Cass or even Andy?
Another vote for Antigone nn Tig. I thought of this and see someone else has suggested too. I know a woman approx 50 yrs old named this. Love.
My favourites are Anastasia, Antonia and Aurora. Andy (maybe?), Ant or Toni, and Rory.
But also… do you think maybe you’re falling into the trap of wanting to recreate your first daughter’s name? The rules you’ve set yourself feel like you will inevitably end up with a list of names that are very similar to Alexandra but that you just… like a bit less? I would definitely try and relinquish some of the rules to allow yourself some fresh meat. Maybe the A?
If you let yourself have a wider list, I like
Cassandra (Cass)
Victoria (struggling for a gender neutral nickname though!)
Katherine (Kit)
Leonora (Leni)
I think maybe the last one is my favourite? Alexandra and Leonora. Alex and Leni (or Leon if you prefer)
Helena! A beautiful match for Alexandra!
Alexandra and Helena
Alex and Len/Leni/Lenny
I also love:
Adelaide nn Lady
Matilda nn Matt
Caroline nn Carey
Avery nn Avi
Emmeline nn Emile
Adriana nn Andy
Andreana/Adrienne/Adriana nn Andy
Ariana nn Ari
Annika nn Nick/Nicky/Nico
Aurora nn Rory
Louisa – Lou
Georgiana – Georgie
Theodora – Teddy
Thomasina/Tommy
Anastasia nn Andy/Sasha
Augusta, nn Gus
Victoria nn Vic
Good luck!!!
Vivian! Alex and Viv
Olivia. Alex and Liv