Baby Girl, Sister to Violet; A Name to Honor Grandpa Nathan

Hi Swistle

We need help! We are expecting our 2nd girl on Sept 22.
Our first daughter is Violet Aviva. Violet was a name that both my husband and I loved and his grandmother was an avid gardener and always grew African Violets, she recently passed away and so this was very meaningful to name after her. Aviva means spring which is my mother’s maiden name. We fell in love with all the meaning to her name.

For our next daughter, we are stuck! We want to name after my grandfather who I was very close to and passed away in November. His name was Nathan.
We are either looking for a name that starts with N or has a similar meaning or sound to Nathan. We are Jewish and I called him Zaidie so we even threw around the idea of naming her Sadie after him.

Anyways, we are stuck! Names we are toying with include Neve,
Nava, Nina, Sadie and then the name that I love the most is Beatrix but unfortunately doesn’t fit really to name after him.

Any N name suggestions would be most appreciated!!!

Thank you!

 

The first N name that comes to mind is Natalie, for its similarity to Nathan. The look of Nathan and Sadie and Zaidie makes me think of Nadia. Or there’s Noelle and Nora (particularly good with Violet, I think) and Nola, but presumably you’ve already been through the N section of the name book.

The connection between your first daughter’s names and the people those names honor is broad enough to work in your favor when choosing your second daughter’s name. Your husband’s grandmother liked gardening in general, and violets were one of the things she grew; you found a word that means the same thing as your mother’s maiden name. I’d suggest applying these same methods to finding more names. What were your grandfather’s hobbies and interests? What was his job? What was he good at? What was he known for? Did he have any nicknames? Did he have any collections? What was his favorite color? animal? sport? flower? How/where did he grow up? What are some anecdotes he liked to tell about his childhood? Did he have a favorite sister? Did he name any of his children after someone important to him? What were his favorite places to go? Did he travel? Who were his favorite authors, actors, politicians, historical figures, role models, artists, musicians? Did he have any strong views? What virtues did he value? What street did he live on? Where was he born? Was he born in a familiar-girl-name month (April, May, June)? What’s the birthstone of his birth month? Where were his ancestors from? Would his mother’s maiden name work? Is there a feminine version of his middle name? Do you know what his name would have been if he’d been born a girl? Would an anagramming tool find any names within his full name? What is the meaning of his surname? What is the meaning of his middle name? The name Nathan means “he/God has given”; perhaps you could find girl names with the same (or similar) meaning: Dorothea, Theodora, Thea, etc.

Sadie works along these lines, and is a nice style match with Violet. Perhaps you could use Beatrix as the middle name.

Or perhaps you could use Beatrix as the first name, and use Nathan as the middle name. You could feminize it, if you like: Nathania (nah-THAN-ya), for example.

The name Hannah shares many of the letters of Nathan, and has a somewhat similar sound.

Athena, too, though that doesn’t go as well with Violet, I don’t think.

Did he go by Nate? If so, perhaps Kate?

Or it may be that it just won’t work. It happens fairly often that someone really, really, really wants to honor a particular person with a baby’s name, but there just isn’t a good way to do it. If you’re stuck, you might find you get unstuck by looking for different family members to honor, and honoring your grandfather with your memories and stories of him instead. And if you’re planning more children, perhaps the name Nathan could be tucked away for a possible future boy.

42 thoughts on “Baby Girl, Sister to Violet; A Name to Honor Grandpa Nathan

    1. ANNELIESE

      Scrambling the letters I also see another name that I have heard that is kind of on the other end of the spectrum and more of a nickname: Tanzie, but I agree that the name Natalie might be the best combination to honor grandpa Nathan, Zaidie. Natalie (Beatrix) & Violet (Aviva). They sound pretty together!

      Reply
    1. Sarah

      I was coming on here to give the same advice- also Nathan is often translated as gift of god- with this you could do Jane (which has a similar translation)

      Reply
  1. Allison

    I like Nava a lot — probably the one I’d go with. A friend has a baby Nava, and it works so well! Or how about Netanela, Netanel being the Hebrew for Nathaniel? Haven’t heard it outside Israel, but I’m sure there are a few in the US.

    Reply
  2. TheFirstA

    I really like the suggestions of Nadia & Natanya.

    Sadie for Zaidie is also inspired. Probably my favorite for you. Along similar lines, perhaps Zaida?

    I also like the idea of Natalie, or a name matched by meaning such as Thea, Dorothy, Theodora, etc.

    Beatrix likely comes from the Latin word Viatrix, which means traveler. Perhaps your grandfather liked to travel? This name would also seem appropriate if he was an immigrant or had been in the military, etc.

    Reply
  3. Christine

    Since Nathan means gift, maybe a female name meaning gift? Dorothy (Thea) and it’s ilk are all derived from “gift.” Also, supposedly Joann(a), Johanna Beatrix is nice. Or Johanna Nathan even.

    Honestly if you and your husband love Beatrix, it’s such a beautiful and joyful name, I can’t imagine your grandfather not being proud at having a Beatrix Nathan Yourlastname. That’s my favorite for you. It is not as feminine as Aviva, but it’s lovely. If the feminine sounds are important to you then I would chose Natanya.

    Reply
    1. JBird

      I second this suggestion. I know an Anna Nathan (honor name as well) and think it’s lovely. James has become a not uncommon middle name for girls and one I would like to use. Beatrix Nathan is great.

      Reply
  4. Gail

    In our community we have a ninth-grade girl named Zaia, which I’ve always found beautiful. (In her case, it is a place name. But it’s pronounced to rhyme with Zaidie.)

    Nolana is a beautiful, under-utilized flower name that begins with N. Nolana Beatrix could work, I think. Count me among those who like the suggestion of Natanya. And Swistle’s suggestion of Beatrix Nathania is inspired!

    Reply
  5. Ashli

    I googled feminine name for Nathan and here are some suggestions:

    Neecia
    Nadia
    Natalia (nickname Nattie or Nat) Did anyone ever refer to your grandpa as Nat?
    Natasha

    I personally like Natalia or Natalie

    Reply
  6. Zoe

    My vote would be Beatrix Natanya or Beatrix Natalie. I think it’s fine to put the honor name in the middle, especially when it’s after a opposite gender relative. And if you love Beatrix the best you should use it. And it goes perfectly with Violet.

    Violet Aviva and Beatrix Natanya.

    They both have the same “feel” in a really lovely way. Each unique, but clearly sisters, and both honoring important loved ones.

    Reply
  7. Zoe

    Just checked Namberry, which actually lists Natania as the primary feminine form of Nathaniel. I think that’s even lovelier. Beatrix Natania.

    Reply
  8. Kelsey D

    My favourite for you is Zaida. I actually think it fits nicely with Violet. Plus, you could easily use Zaidie or Sadie as shortened names.

    Alternatively, I agree with Swistle… is there anything else that makes you think of your grandpa that could be flipped into a name? Maybe you are putting too much pressure on the honour name being in the first name position? If you love Beatrix, perhaps you could use that as a first name and then use the middle name as the honour position. By doing it that way, you relieve some of that pressure to find a name that you both love that still honours your grandfather. In the middle name position, you can use names that you maybe don’t love the individual name but love the meaning behind it. Beatrix Zaidie sounds wonderful in my opinion.

    Good luck and keep us posted!

    Reply
  9. Britni

    I immediately loved Zaidie.. why not just use that? I like it much better than Sadie. So unique and meaningful.

    Otherwise, I will say I know girls named Dylan, Evyn, Ryan, & Michol. So you could always go with Nathan — Nathyn?

    Reply
    1. Christine

      If they’re part of a larger Jewish community, it means “grandpa” :) It might be like the equivalent of naming your daughter “Poppop”

      Reply
        1. Christine

          No need to be sorry! It was just amusing to me – I grew up around a lot of Jewish families and hung out with a few of their zadies. I think it’s a cute name in theory, but if they live around a lot of Jewish families too, it will be the first thing on a lot of people’s minds.

          Reply
  10. StephLove

    I think I’m in the Beatrix Natalie/Natalia/Nathania camp. That way you get the name you love as a first name and one of the closest female names to Nathan as an honor name. But if you want to go with an N name, my favorites are Naomi & Nora. Noa’s a good choice, too.

    Reply
    1. Calla

      That was going to be my suggestion, too. And if it’s super important to honour Nathan but you’re not in love with Nathalie as a first name, Beatrix Nathalie would be lovely.

      Reply
  11. Bonnie

    This might be out of the box… but what about Anna Theodora. The first 6 letters of the name are an anagram for Nathan. It may be a stretch, but no more that Violet. You could also go with something like Athenna or Athena which include most of the same letters.

    Reply
  12. Kate

    When i first skimmed over your entry, i thought you were proposing to name your daughter November, which i think is lovely, even if you just put it in the middle name spot. It was the month of his passing and also begins with an N. However, maybe you consider this a negative association?

    Reply
  13. Ira Sass

    I like Natalia with the nickname Talia or Tali. Violet Aviva and Talia Beatrix.

    Or Naomi. Violet Aviva and Naomi Beatrix.

    Reply
  14. Megz

    My first thought was Nadia.

    I also like the suggestions of Beatrix Nathanya. Did you name your older daughter Violet because of your grandmother, or because you loved the name and by a happy coincidence it also reminded you of her? If it was mostly because it was a name you loved, you can certainly also name your second daughter a name you love. It won’t honour your grandfather any less to have his name in the middle slot.

    A slightly different suggestion is to name her Faith Ann – almost rhyming with Nathan. Violet and Faith.

    Good luck and let us know what you choose.

    Reply
  15. Julie

    I haven’t read all of the comments, so please forgive me if this has already been said:

    Not Natalie. It’s derived from the Latin for Christmas Day. Like Mary (who, I know, *was* Jewish) and Christian/Kristen and their derivatives, it’s just not a name I’ve ever heard of “on” a Jewish person.

    What about Nora? That was our girl “N” name for our last baby, who turned out to be a boy. Like your baby, he was named for his great-grandfather.

    Also, if you love Beatrix, then I think it’s great to use it in the first name slot and use an “N” name for her middle name. I also love Sadie and the reason behind it as a choice.

    If you give your kids Hebrew names, you might also consider using an “N” name for that – or choosing a Hebrew name that has a meaning that connects to your grandfather. We’ve named our kids in English for relatives and in Hebrew for meaning/sound, but my brother and sister-in-law have mostly done the reverse. Natanya is a nice choice. So is Naomi, who was the mother-in-law to Ruth, and such a good mother-in-law that despite the fact that Ruth wasn’t Jewish, she stayed with Naomi even after her husband died (very much bucking tradition of the day).

    Good luck! I know just how hard it is to meet all the needs to name for someone important while still loving the name!

    Reply
    1. Kaela

      Natalie has other origins besides its Christian reference. It sounds very similar to the Hebrew word “natal”, and was also used for generations by Jewish families in Russia. It remains widely used by Jews both in the US and Israel. Case in point– the most prominent Natalie around is the very Jewish (and Israeli-American) Natalie Portman!

      Reply
      1. Julie

        Natalie Portman – touche! That said, perhaps the use of the name Natalie by Jewish people is dependent upon where in the US one lives. I am a Jew who lives in a metropolitan area with a Jewish population well over 100k. I can think of only one Jewish person named Natalie and she is an adult in her early 40s.

        Reply
    2. Gerbil

      Wonderful suggestions, but I’m not sure “Natalie” is inappropriate for a Jewish person. I believe Natalie Portman is Jewish (and born in Israel).

      Reply
    3. Nell

      My 100% Jewish daughter is named Mary, in memory of my grandmother Mary. There are plenty of Jewish Marys. I also know of a number of Jewish Natalies, including Natalie Portman. Neither seems strange to me. The “Christian/Kristen” names would indeed seem odd on a Jewish-born person. Just my two cents.

      Reply
  16. Alaina

    Really impressed by all of the great suggestions! I think Sadie Beatrix would be perfect. It’s lovely, easy to pronounce/spell (like Violet), meaningful, and includes one of your favorite names.

    Reply
  17. Nine

    I love how Beatrix sounds with Violet, so:

    Beatrix Thanna (anagram)
    Beatrix Annath (anagram)
    Beatrix Nathana (nathan with an extra a!)
    Beatrix Nathan

    Or, long shot: Sadie/Zaidie + Nathan = Nady. Nady Beatrix. It’s not a name, I don’t think, but it sounds like one.

    Reply
  18. MR

    As a fellow Jew, one who in fact, also had a Zaidie, I feel like I could actually get behind Zadie, spelled like Zadie Smith, rather than a grandpa! I also had a cousin who got named Zachary after Zaidie, rather than his real name (Herman!). So any cool Z name could also be an option, which I think works well with Violet’s cool V. Zara, Zora, Zelda, Zoe

    Reply
  19. Magnolia

    Nathan reminds me of Nettie. It can be a name by itself or a nickname for Annette, Antonia, Janet, Jeanette, Leonetta, Lynette, Natalie, Nanette, Ninette.

    Reply
  20. Leah

    May I nominate…. Nina! Nina Beatrix; Nina B., Violet and Nina; it’s very versatile and I seldom hear it as one who works in a pediatric heavy setting. Mazol Tov!

    Reply
  21. Shannon

    It’s funny; the name nerd in me always thinks of the Christian tie to the name “Natalie”, but I know several Natalies in my small Jewish community.

    I liked the suggestion of using your grandfather’s Hebrew name as a starting place for an honor name. Since your eldest has an honor name that isn’t the exact name, I feel like you have more leeway here, which is absolutely awesome.

    Was he a musician? Zemirah has the meaning of “joyous melody”. Was he a swimmer or just loved the water? Mayim might be a lovely option.

    I’m in the process of choosing my own Hebrew name, which has fueled my name neurosis in the worst way. Mazel Tov to your family!

    Reply
  22. Kim

    Natalia is high up on my list of names I’ll never get a chance to use, but Natanya sounds so fresh and absolutely perfect . Love it.

    Reply

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