Jan writes:

We are having a second child, a girl. Her older sister’s name is Simone Olivia. We chose Simone because it was uncommon, didn’t end in the letter a, strong/sophisticated, not hard to say/spell, is a namesake for her grandfather, and we like the meaning (one who hears God). Olivia was more of a “pretty, flows well” choice. Our last name is similar sounding to “Can.”

With #2 we are having a hard time coming up with a name that is similar in criteria though this time I’m okay with the name ending in an a. The middle name will fulfill the family naming tradition slot this time and will either be Nia or Nina. We chose not to put Nina as a middle name with Simone because we’re not that big of fans of the jazz singer; similarly that’s a reason to not use it as a first name this time. My husband likes Nia as a first name but I think it’s too short (would be okay with it as a nickname for Antonia but he doesn’t like Antonia) and that the style doesn’t really match with Simone. In addition to the “match the style” challenge my husband really wants the name to have some significance – either to us personally or a woman who was some kind of ground breaker (if this was a boy his name would have been Malcolm, as in X).

Names I like which have been vetoed by my husband: Ramona, Claudia, Audrey, Camille, Scarlett
Names he has suggested that I haven’t loved: Thea, Billie

Thanks for your help!

I won’t be able to help with names that have significance to you personally, but here are a few groundbreaking women (selection chosen by whether their names seem okay as sister names with Simone):

Amelia Earhart
Coretta Scott King
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Emmeline Pankhurst
Gloria Steinem
Hillary Clinton
Ida B. Wells Barnett
Jane Goodall
Julia Ward Howe
Lucy Stone
Madeleine Albright
Margaret Sanger
Marie Curie
Mary McLeod Bethune
Maya Angelou
Millicent Fawcett
Rosa Parks
Ruth Simmons

(sources: Groundbreaking Women, Groundbreaking Women, Lighting the Way, Wikipedia: Women’s Rights)

I like a lot of those with Simone: Simone and Julia, Simone and Amelia, Simone and Rosa, Simone and Margaret, Simone and Gloria, Simone and Marie. (The name Marie FEELS so common because of its use as a middle name, but it’s #571 on the Social Security list.)

Nia/Nina is a tricky middle name to work with, but it works okay with some of them.

My favorite, I think, would be Celeste Nina.

Anyone else want to take a swing at this one? I’m having trouble coming up with options.

Name update 09-08-2010! Jan writes:

Noemi Nia X “Can” was born on September 2nd. We like Noemi (Italian form of Naomi pronounced No-EH-mi) because of how it sounds, its Biblical connection, meaning (pleasant; delightful) and thought it flowed okay with Nia. And since we didn’t use Malcolm her second middle name is X! Thanks to everyone for their suggestions – Lena and Yvette are ones we seriously considered. Thanks, Patricia, for reminding me about the other Simone sibling post. It was nice to see that the name we chose was on the list suggested by one commenter, KMW.

Amy writes:

I have been putting off writing to you because I kept thinking we would find the perfect name. This is not yet the case, and my due date (September 1, 2010) is drawing near. I need to enlist your expertise. My Husband and I have been married for 9 years now and together for around 12. I gave birth to our first child, Beckett Finn, last summer. We adore his name as it reflects our love for all things literary, our time spent working in theater, and our Irish/English roots. Further, it’s a unique (unpopular) name that doesn’t lend itself to a nickname and is easily spelled. We are now expecting a daughter and are really having a hard time finding a name that measures up (in our eyes) to her big brother’s name. If #2 had been a boy, we had decided on Truman Tate. This obviously won’t work for us now. We are leaning toward a more unisex name and perhaps another surname, however, there are a few traditionally female names that we like as well. We would really like to use Quinn for her middle name, if possible, because we LOVE it, and really like how it “matches” with Finn. We only plan on having the 2 children, but realize if we were to have another one we could use Brynn, Lynn, or Wynn to keep the theme going. FYI: When I picture my baby girl she has blonde hair, blue/green eyes, and is quite the spunky little conversationalist. She is very nurturing and loves all things pink and girly, but is also quite the little aggressor out on the soccer field and certainly isn’t afraid to get dirty. We want a name that suits her whether she decides to be an artist or a Supreme Court Justice. In Laura Wattenberg’s The Baby Name Wizard, she describes the name Beckett as, “a literary name with a rock star spirit.” Please help us find a name with this type of “feel” for our daughter!

This is our current list:

Unisex/Surnames…

-Harper Quinn
Literary Reference: Author Harper Lee.
I feel like this may be the best “match”, but I see Harper climbing the popularity charts quickly and I don’t want her to have a popular, dated, or trendy name. Also, it just doesn’t seem especially pretty to me.

-London Quinn/Grace/Belle/Blue (?)
Literary Reference: Author Jack London
This is the most popular name on our list and my Husband’s favorite. I hate the popularity. I love the name and it’s significance to us. We both love the writer Jack London, and we spent much of our courtship eating sushi and listening to jazz in Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. My Hubby equates this name to the time in our lives when we were falling in love. I haven’t found the perfect middle to pair with it as Quinn repeats the ‘N’ sound and I’m not sure if it sounds right. Grace is pretty but feels like a “filler” name. Belle is pretty as well, but it turns the name into a noun. Blue is a bit edgy and has literary significance as well as personal significance (we’ve called this little one “Blueberry” for almost 8 months now), but I’m just not sure it’s a perfect fit.

-Quinn Felicity
Literary Reference: ???
I love this name combo but it simply doesn’t have the literary significance of some of our other choices. This makes it less desirable to my Husband. However, I still think it’s beautiful and love Quinn as a first name paired with sweet and feminine Felicity.

-Sawyer Quinn
Literary Reference: Title character in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
I keep hearing negative feedback on the name Sawyer for a girl. But WE LOVE it! However, I don’t want everyone to always automatically assume that she’s a boy before they meet her. Also, one of our best friends of over 15 years has this surname and it would be a nice tribute to him.

Distinctly Feminine…

-Beatrix Belle/Blue
Literary Reference: Author Beatrix Potter
This is a great classic underused name with a saucy edge (love the unexpected “X”). Although I don’t typically like nicknames, I think a little Bea would be darling and very unique. Not sure if the style pairs well with Beckett, and if we do happen to have more children, this limits us to ‘B’ names. Had to convince my Husband this was a real name, but now it has really grown on him.

-Felicity Belle
Literary Reference: ???
This was the name I chose for my fake I.D. in high school. I think it’s beautiful, however, it lacks literary significance and a 4-syllable first name would surely be shortened to an undesirable nickname.

-Phoebe Quinn/Jane
Literary Reference: Holden Caulfield’s sister in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Found in Greek myths and Shakespeare as well.
Phoebe has been my favorite name for a girl since I was a teenager. However, it’s not overtly literary like some of our other picks. Quinn makes it feel more modern while Jane makes it feel more classic. Also, not sure if the style pairs well with Beckett…but we both love this name.

-Violet Quinn
Literary Reference: Character in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Beautiful, charming and sweet little vintage name that has unfortunately been climbing the charts at an alarming rate. Violet Quinn is adorable to me in every way. But again, I’m not sure if the style matches up with Beckett or if it’s “literary enough”. I’m also worried about both names ending in a ‘T’ sound…oh, and the initials V. D.

Other Names that were seriously considered but ultimately ruled out:
Adelaide – Hubby suggested. I think there are too many girls nicknamed “Addy” already, and it feels very German to me;
Arden Quinn – Hubby thought it sounded too harsh…but I still like it;
Auden – Liked the literary aspect, not the “odd” sound;
Bronte Quinn – I thought it sounded too pretentious and didn’t want to put an umlaut over the “E,” I dislike any punctuation in a name;
Boston Blue/Belle – Lacking literary substance, but feels very “cool” to me;
Campbell Grace – Hubby couldn’t stop thinking of soup and I didn’t like the nickname options;
Eliot Quinn – An inevitable nickname, I prefer the Elliott spelling, which takes away the literary significance (T. S. Eliot);
Emerson – I don’t like “son” as part of a girl’s name;
Harlow Reese/Jane – Lacking literary substance;
Juliet – Too frilly for me;
Maisie – So cute, but ultimately ruled out nickname names;
Miller – Love the playwright and the nickname (Millie), but Hubby tends to think of the beer; and
Story – Seems a bit trendy, but love the way it sounds and how unique it is.

We would love your help to narrow down our list or even suggest something completely different if you think it would be a better match. I know I’ve given you a lot of information (maybe too much?) but I’m hoping it will help you have a better idea of what we’re searching for. We do not have any family names that we want to use nor do we want to purposely chose blatantly Biblical names. We want our children to have their very own unique names that are simply meaningful to us.

Thank You!

My favorite from your list is Beatrix Blue, although I think I like Beatrix Quinn even more. I think it goes well with Beckett, and that only two B names wouldn’t be enough to force you into using a third if you had another child.

Another favorite is Phoebe Quinn. If that’s been your favorite girl name since high school, and if your husband loves it too, it seems like a good choice. I think it goes well with Beckett.

Another possible choice is Flannery. VERY unusual, very literary, very pretty, excellent with Beckett, great with Quinn. Flannery Quinn.

Name update 10-18-2010! Amy writes:

After much deliberation, we named our sweet baby girl Phoebe Quinn. When she first arrived, I immediately thought she was a Phoebe, but my husband thought she was a London. Shortly after that, we both thought that maybe she was a Harper…but was it pretty enough for our little princess? Over the next 24 hours we “tried on” all of the names from our list as well as all of the suggestions from you and your readers. The birth certificate lady came by several different times, but we still weren’t ready to commit to a name. It took the hospital threatening to write “Baby Girl” on her birth certificate to help us make that final decision. Almost 24 hours after her birth, my husband announced that she was Phoebe Quinn — and she was. I’m not sure why it took us so long to see it, but Phoebe just fits her perfectly. Thank you to you and your readers for all of your help!

Brandi writes:

I am due August 30 with our third child and first boy. My husband and I are having the hardest time zeroing in on a “perfect” name. We have a long list of names we both like, but nothing either of us insanely love, and nothing that feels exactly right.

We’d like to use my husband’s first name, Anson, as the middle name, since that is the tradition in his family. (I am finding it is a hard name to have in the middle) Our last name is spelled differently but sounds exactly like the word Shawl. This last name has made it impossible to use my favorite name, Harry, or any names like Paul, Sol, Grey, etc. because it rhymes or brings to mind the item of clothing. I am having hang-ups on using names that end in -s as it makes a bit of a tongue twister to say. I also hesitate to use a name ending in -n since his middle will be an -n ending name, but it seems like less of a big deal.

Our two daughters are named Olivia Beulah and Elsa Pearl.

Some of the names we like:

Bartholomew (nn Bart or Ollie)
Martin (nn Marty)
Sidney
Otto
K/Carl
Walter
Albert (my husband likes this name, I’m not too fond of it)
Gilbert
Hank (I feel like Henry is a touch too popular, I have several HS friends with baby Henrys, so I hesitate to use Henry–and I don’t love giving nicknames as formal names, but I thought I’d throw it on here)
Miles
William (nn Billy)
Abraham

Names we can’t use (sibs or kids of close family):

Jacob
Jack
Alexander
Blake
Parker
Ezra
Simon
Cameron
Michael
Wesley

Also we have been calling the baby J.R. mostly as a joke. We jokingly suggested we’d name him Jeffrey Robert after our fathers. Now I’m wondering if we should “give up” and just name him that!

Thanks!

YOU HAVE KARL ON YOUR LIST!! I have been pushing and pushing this name and have had NO TAKERS. So now I want to push YOU super super hard to use it! EXCEPT: when I try to say “Karl Shawl,” I have trouble saying it. Everyone else, try saying it aloud—is it hard for you too?

Another possible nickname for Bartholomew is Barry—which reminds me of your favorite name Harry. Or Gerrit/Garrett Shawl is nice, and gives you Gary, though then I’d want a different middle name to avoid the initials GAS. Or Jeremiah Anson Shawl, and Jerry. Or Lawrence Anson Shawl, and Larry. (I used to prefer the spelling Laurence, but now it makes me think of the girl’s name Lauren.) Or Perry Anson Shawl. Or Terrance Anson Shawl, and Terry. Although both Lawrence and Terrance end the way Anson begins, so perhaps that’s too repetitive?

I wonder if you’d like the name Warren? Warren Anson Shawl. Olivia, Elsa, and Warren.

Is the name Wade too choppy with a one-syllable surname? Wade Anson Shawl. Olivia, Elsa, and Wade.

Similar to Hank is Frank. Franklin Anson Shawl. Olivia, Elsa, and Frank.

Name update 09-07-2010! Brandi writes:

Baby arrived last Wednesday, hooray! He was and is darling, but we didn’t feel that any of the names and suggestions fit him once he was here and we saw him. It was “back to the drawing board” in the hospital, where we decided that Peter was perfect and fitting for him. Peter was never a favorite of mine or my husband’s, but it was on our list back in the early stages when we had 30+ names listed. It feels like one of those cases where baby practically named himself. But of course we love him and his name– Peter Anson Shawl. Thank you for your suggestions, and to the commenters for their suggestions. They were fun to read and it helped put us in what we thought was the right direction before he was born! He had other plans, but we’re very happy with our little Pete.

Karen writes:

I’m due at the end of August with our daughter and we just can’t seem to pick a name.
We already have a son names Oberon Elwood. Elwood is a family name.
We wanted a girl’s name that was strong but feminine and uncommon but not strange or difficult to pronounce. We also want a name that has a nice meaning or a literary reference would be a bonus. Our background is German, Scottish, Irish and I grew up in a French speaking area so I name from those background would be a bonus. A great nickname that is a standalone name too would be ideal. Oberon goes by Obie. Basically, we were looking for a feminine equivalent of Oberon.

I liked Aurora and Rory for short but my husband couldn’t get over an association he had with someone else and we determined it was too popular. We’ve always liked Isla but weren’t sure if it was strong enough and the meaning didn’t stand out. Ultimately, this name is too popular too. My husband liked Lorelei, which I love on paper but to me it sounds like Laura-Lye and I didn’t care for that.
We also loved Asher for a girl but feel it’s a very popular boys name and we don’t want her to feel like she was given a boy’s name.
I love Veruca but it means wart and is associated with the spoiled girl from Charlie and the Chocolate factor so that one got ruled out.
I love Oleander. I love how it sounds. I like Lola as a nickname but it doesn’t have any significant meaning and my husband is concerned about it actually being a highly toxic plant. I’m just having a hard time letting go of this name. My husband is fond of Adelaide and I’m luke warm on it. There isn’t a nickname that I love for Adelaide. I’m trying to stay open to it.

We both love Beatrix but we worry a little about the “ks” sound in the X running into the S in our last name. We’re also concerned about her having the initials B.S. but aren’t sure how important that is with a middle name. Finally, it’s hard to find a nickname that we like for Beatrix. It’s sweet that it could be Bea or Betty, which coincidentally are the names of both mine and my husband’s grandmothers. But Obie and Bea are a bit much. I also like Bebe but the same issue with Obie and Bebe, especially when we call Obie, Obiebie sometimes. I don’t like Trixie. We have considered Bex or Bexie or even Pixie. We would use Viola as a middle name. It’s another family name – actually Elwood’s wife was Viola in my family so there would be that connection between our children. And it has the literary reference and has a great meaning plus it doesn’t seem that common.

The other name we’ve given a lot of consideration to is Ursula. It has a similar meaning as Oberon which is thematically nice. I like Lula or Zuzu for nicknames. It seems strong and feminine and uncommon. Coincidentally it is a crater on the moon Titania which was the name of Oberon’s wife in Midsummer night’s Dream. Another nice connection albeit an obscure one. We would use the middle name Ellen, which is my mother’s name and also has a nice pairing with Oberon Elwood – Ursula Ellen. Our hesitation over this name is whether Ursula is viewed as an ugly name in this culture in addition to its association with the witch from Disney’s Little Mermaid.

I suspect it’s going to come down to Beatrix Viola S. or Ursula Ellen S.

So what do you think? Any suggestions?

Thanks so much in advance for your help. We’ve been spinning our wheels and I’ve been making myself neurotic!

Because you like the name Oleander but are concerned about the toxicity of the plant, I suggest the name Magnolia. It’s not in the Top 1000, it has the great nickname Maggie, or you could use Nola or Lia, or Nolly which is like Molly or Polly or Dolly but less common than any of them. It’s great with her brother’s name: Oberon and Magnolia. A magnolia is a beautiful tree with sturdy flowers and several medicinal uses. I like Magnolia Ellen.

Maybe this is reaching, but the place-name Arcadia got its name from the word arktos, or bear (source). I think it has the same dignified sound as Oberon: Oberon and Arcadia. Cady would be a great nickname. I like Arcadia Ellen.

To avoid the problem of Disney’s Ursula, you could use Ursa. Same meaning, but no evil witch. It loses the nicknames, however. You could use the English variant of Ursula, which is Ursella—but I find this alters the pronunciation, and also you might not want to seem to be in on the -ella trend.

I’m reading a book right now in which the main character is a girl named Olympia. Oberon and Olympia—nice. But I’m stuck for a nickname. Lippy? Limmy? Olly? Pippi?

I like Cressida (a Shakespeare name, like Oberon) for you, but again there is a nickname problem. Cressie? Siddy?

Verona is similar to Veruca but without the wart/Wonka association. I love how it sounds with Oberon: Oberon and Verona.

One of my favorite German names is Wilhelmina. So pretty, not in the Top 1000, and good nicknames: Willa, Mina.

The name Bernadette is French AND has the bear connection to Oberon. A cute nickname is Benny. I knew a Bernadette who went by Bernadette (her husband called her Bernie but I don’t think anyone else did), and I was surprised how the name grew on me.

My top two choices for you are Magnolia and Arcadia.

Name update! Karen writes:

This is a long overdo update on our daughter’s name.
I really appreciated all your feedback and your readers’ feedback.
It was nice to see how loved the name Ursula and Beatrix were as well. Our daughter didn’t end up “looking” like an Ursula. She’s nearly 4 months old now and the name doesn’t seem to fit her.
In the end we named our daughter Aurora Ellen (although I still love Viola, I really wanted to pay tribute to my mother they same way we had to my father in giving our son the middle name Elwood).
My husband finally came around to the name Aurora and since I have loved it since I first heard it when I was six we went with it.
We call our daughter Rory for short.
Turns out that Aurora was sleeping beauty’s name. I had no idea. Our daughter is definitely a good sleeper.

Thanks again!

Mariel writes:

We’re due with our second daughter on August 15 and haven’t yet chosen a name! We had our first daughter’s name (Alexandra Ivy) picked out a month after we found out I was pregnant, but we’re struggling this time around! Our last name is Bennett.

Our current list includes Georgia, Linnea, Mira, Milla, Noelle, Portia, Priscilla, Sasha, Angelina, Gemma, and Arabella. Here are our requirements:

1. We gravitate towards girly, princess-y names, preferably ones that end in A.
2. We’re not purposely going for matchy-matchy names (Alexandra and Arabella), but if we fall in love with another long A name, we won’t mind.
3. That said, whichever name we choose should go well with Alexandra.

At this point, we’re really looking to narrow down our list. Unless you have an absolutely fantastic suggestion, we don’t need to add any more names to the list! If you could give us a good reason for choosing a name or discarding a name, we would really appreciate that. At this point, I love so many names that I wish someone could just say, You should name your child X”!

Thanks for all your help.

 
I DO have an absolutely fantastic suggestion, and it’s Mirabella. It takes Mira from one name and -bella from another, and it gives you a name that goes with Alexandra but less matchily than Arabella.

I think if it were me I would remove Milla from the list because it seems like a nickname for Camilla—which, by the way, I would suggest as another possibility if the goal here weren’t to cut down the list.

I think the best one on your list is Georgia. Like Alexandra, it has a clear boy version (Alexander, George), and a boyish nickname (Alex, Georgie). It’s so good with your surname, I’m a little jealous of her. Georgia Bennett! It’s wonderful. You should name your child Georgia.

In case other people would like to complete the same sentence, let’s have a poll over to the right. [Poll closed; see results below.]

Name update! Mariel writes:

We struggled back and forth for days over what to name our little girl. Finally, we were convinced by all the enthusiastic commenters who supported your choice of Mirabel/Mirabella. Mirabel Sophie Bennett was born on August 12. She is healthy, beautiful, and looks just like her sister. Thank you for all your help!

Kelsey writes:

As of right now, I will bring into the world a beautiful baby girl with gallons of potential!…….but no name. My husband and I are basically polar opposites when it comes to taste. The following is an excerpt of a recent ‘name-versation’: “Me: How about Isis?” “Him: Meh. How about Jessica?” “Me: Umm, no. How about Esme?” “Him: Ha! How about Stacy?” “Me: Why do you hate our child?”……..and on and on and on.

We’ve got 2 boys, Emery Pope (4 1/2) and Pryor Steffen (18 months). These names were relatively easy to agree on. Pope and Steffen are family names, Emery is after the street in Dever where he was, ahem, thought up, and Pryor I saw on the back of a football jersey on TV. No big deal. Buuuuut, baby girl is proving to be more difficult. I’m Kelsey, husband is Peter, last name is Deusterman (pronounced DOOsterman), which is a dumb last name to have to work with. I feel like anything besides a 2 syllable name is either too short or too long to go with such a commanding last name.
We’ve already decided that her middle name will be Ransom, which we both absolutely love (might it work as a first name?). But since Ransom and Deusterman are both such strange names, I unfortunately feel like the first name should be more toned down….but I hate toned down! I like the super weird old fashioned names, and also names that are things (nouns). Peter likes the very traditional (read: boring) names with a mid-nineties flair.
Here’s my list:
Maven (love love love)
Isis
Rozlyn (or Rosalyn or Rosa or something along those lines)
Elsa (sounds too much like Kelsey?)
Lourdes
Maybel (Peter actually doesn’t hate this one, but is it reminiscent of cows?)
Ivy
Hazel
Ruby (we’d both be completely sold on this one if it weren’t so trendy)
Flora
Aliza
Alice
Gloria

Here’s Peter’s list:
Jessica
Stacy
Elizabeth
Rachel
Anna
Betsy

AREN’T MINE SO MUCH BETTER?! Duh.

To further complicate matters, very early on in the pregnancy Peter and I got into an argument about the dimensions of a Rubik’s cube (I said 4×4, he said 3×3). We made a bet, the terms being a KitchenAid Mixer for me, and naming rights for him (plus he would get to give our 4 year old a mullet). Despite being 100 trillion percent sure I was right, I was wrong. So technically he has the trump card in all this, which makes me tremble. But he also knows that if he values our marriage/my mental well being, he will concede to let me have a heavy say in the final decision.

So to sum up: I hate trendy and boring, he hates weird and unusual. Please, oh please, help us.

 
Dear Kelsey, You guys are screwed. Love, Swistle

Ha, no! We can help! I’m sure we can!

(“Why do you hate our child?”—HA HA HA!)

The name I’d like to tell you to choose is Ruby. You’re both totally sold on it. It goes with Emery and Pryor. It’s a great compromise between your taste and his. Yes, it is a WEE bit on the trendy/hip side, but that’s what makes it a good compromise name: it’s a noun, but it’s a familiar noun; it’s unusual old-fashioned but not wayyyyy out there old-fashioned. One of the best ways for a couple with wildly different tastes to choose a name is for one person to pick the name from the other person’s list, which is exactly what you guys did: it’s YOUR list, but HE chose.

Well, but is the repeated oo-sound too much repeated oo-sound? ROOby DOOsterman? And then there are the repeating R-sounds in Ruby Ransom.

Perhaps Emerald. It’s unusual and nounish for you, but not hip or trendy. He can call her Emmy if he wants something more mainstream. And it’s wonderful with the rest of the name: Emerald Ransom Deusterman. Oh shoot: Emery and Emerald, that’s no good.

Maybel holds no cow associations for me. The spelling Maybel makes the emphasis unclear: is it MAYbel? mayBEL? May Bell? I think if I wanted MAYbel I’d spell it Mabel; if I wanted mayBEL I’d spell it Maybelle. With your surname I like Mabel. Maebel might work, or it might have the same issue as Maybel, I can’t tell.

Mabel makes me think of a highly-unusual noun name you might like (but your husband probably won’t): Fable. Fable Deusterman.

And of course Fable leads me to Story. It seems like more men are willing to consider the name Story than some of the other nounish names—and perhaps you could sell it as being similar to Stacy? Story Deusterman; Emery, Pryor, and Story. I love how they all have five letters and all have a RY, and yet they’re all so different.

I wonder if you’d like Magnolia? I like it because the long form is unusual but easy to pronounce and very pretty, and the short form Maggie is easy and gives her something to fall back on if she doesn’t want something quite so unusual. Magnolia Deusterman.

He likes Jessica; would he like Cressida? Similar rhythm/sound while being TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Cressida Deusterman; Emery, Pryor, and Cressida.

You like Maven, and Maven makes me think of Maren. Such a pretty name, and great with your surname: Maren Deusterman. Great with the sibling names, too: Emery, Pryor, and Maren.

I notice you have Aliza and he has Elizabeth. It seems like this might be the middle ground you’re looking for: can you compromise on Eliza? Eliza Ransom Deusterman. Or Alena?

Or, he likes Anna and Stacy. Do you like Anastasia? I know it’s a lot of name with Deusterman but I like it. It’s unusual but not at all crazy, and Anastasia Krupnik made the name familiar. This is my top favorite choice for you.

Or show him THIS and see if that takes care of the naming rights problem:

Perhaps the name Rubik would be appropriate, considering the bet. Ruby as a nickname.

Name update! Kelsey writes:

Our little one was born a couple weeks early on Aug 8, looking very much like a little baby bird. Much to the chagrin of the hospital staff (and all of our family members), she went home without a name. The birth certificate lady told us we had five days before she had to submit baby’s paperwork to the county, so WE’D BETTER CALL AND LET HER KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (insert fist shake). We had it narrowed down to Aliza, Rozlyn, or Betsy, and on Day 4 we finally settled on……….Betsy! Betsy Ransom Deusterman. It’s perfect for her (not to mention that her initials are BRD, like bird, which is what she looks like.) Thanks for all the great suggestions; they took some of the tension out of the rubik’s cube bet results.

Emily writes:

We are due in mid-August with our 2nd daughter (70% chance it’s a girl). We would absolutely love your opinion on our names as we simply can’t decide. Our last name is like BICK – CAR, but with a P instead of a B. We love traditional/biblical names. Our daughters name is Evelyn Grace.

Because my name is Emily we are trying to stay away from names that begin with E (Eloise, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Esme, & Elsa are just a few that we love that we have to rule out). We also love Vivian but we think the “v’s” may be too hard to pronounce with Evelyn. Clara was on the list until we paired it with our last name!

Our list so far is:

Cecelia (so far, our favorite)
Lucille
Margaret (not my husbands favorite)
Anna (too common)
Olivia (my husbands favorite, I think it’s too common)
Audrey
Beatrix (not my husbands favorite)
Josephine
Louisa
Julia (not my husbands favorite)
Maria

We really like names that we can shorten with a cute nickname. If it’s a boy our name list so far is William & Ian.

We would love your opinion and/or any other names that you think we’d like. Thanks!!!

I like Louisa a lot. It’s wonderful with Evelyn, and it makes me think pleasantly of Louisa May Alcott. In fact, May would be a great middle name: Louisa May Bick-car. And cute nicknames: Lou, Lulu, Weezie. There’s also Heloise, although Hints From Heloise makes for me not a negative association but a STRONG one.

If you like Eleanor but want to avoid E names, I suggest Nora. It reminds me a little of Clara, too. Another Eleanor-related possibility is Lena—though maybe it sounds too much like Evelyn. Another is Lenora, which then give you nicknames Nora or Leni. Oooh, or another is HELEN! I love the name Helen and think it’s dramatically underused. Helen Bick-car, Evelyn and Helen—oh, it’s rhymey, isn’t it? Shoot. And no good nicknames, either.

For Elizabeth, other possibilities are Lisette, Lilibet, Lisabet, Lisbeth—though I like Elizabeth so much more, it would be hard for me to choose one of the substitutes.

I like Cecily even better than Cecilia, I think because my parents had a Simon & Garfunkel record (RECORD!!) that makes me immediately go “Ce-CEEEEEEEEEEEL-ya!” every time I see the name. Like how it’s almost impossible not to start singing “Oh my darling…” whenever I see the name Clementine. I also love the name Celeste. Celeste Bick-car, Evelyn and Celeste. No good nickname, though.

Because you like the names Evelyn and Eleanor and Lucille and Maria, I want to suggest the name Marian. I think it’s so beautiful, but it’s lagging behind the other, similar names, so it’s hard to hear it as anything but an old-lady name. MARE-ree-in! So pretty! Makes me think of Maid Marian, and also of Marian the Librarian, romantic lead in the movie The Music Man. Marian Bick-car, Evelyn and Marian.

Another “name I like but it’s lagging so it’s hard to hear it yet” name is Florence. It’s a beautiful place name; it sounds like flowers; it has the sweetest nickname Florrie; it’s wonderful with your surname and with the name Evelyn.

Along similar lines, the name Millicent. Beautiful sound, if we can separate it from the old-lady associations—light and pronounced in the front of the mouth, almost like Olivia. Adorable nickname Milly. This is my favorite choice for you, in fact: Millicent Bick-car, Evelyn and Millicent.

Or there’s Alice: Alice Bick-car, Evelyn and Alice.

Or Frances: Frances Bick-car, Evelyn and Frances. Cute nicknames: Frannie, Frankie, Francie.

Or Sylvia, which I would spell Silvia: Silvia Bick-car, Evelyn and Silvia. Nickname Silvie. This is another one that’s almost like Olivia.

Or Ruth: Ruth Bick-car, Evelyn and Ruth, nickname Ruthie or Ru.

I suppose we should also discuss boy names, since 70% isn’t even halfway between 50-50 and 100%. But I like William and Ian both very much and so feel disinclined to coax you away from them!

Name update! Emily writes:

We named her Cecelia Elizabeth Pickar! I hope you like it!