I am on my way out the door to do more frantic shopping/errands, but wanted to post something. This is one of the letters I didn’t get to last week, but thought would be fun to work on. In my spreadsheet I noted “Suggest Marilla.”
Hi!
I’ve been trying to figure this out on my own, but I think it’s time to ask for help. We are in the USA and this will likely be our last child. My name is Ali (Alison) and husband is Trevor.
Baby #2 (unknown sex) is due mid-February 2015. Our last name is Gibbs. Baby #1 is Myra Taylor. For no particular reason, I have been looking for names that peaked around the same era as “Myra (1920s and it seems 1880s),” but certainly not limited to that. I am not really interested in anything top 200 or up and coming. I actually enjoy the very rare occasions we run into another Myra.
My top two names are Chester (boy) and Rissa (girl) though Nell (girl) is a close second, but already used by a cousin with the same last name. Husband hasn’t vetoed them, but hasn’t fallen in love either. Middle name will definitely be either Jeffrey or Christine.
Names we like but, so far, aren’t choosing for one reason or another, mostly popularity: Anissa, Emma, Delilah, Silas, Judah, Everett.
Thank you for any help you can offer!
Name update!
Hi!
Baby Boy Gibbs was born on his due date, February 11. Thank you all for the wonderful name suggestions. If he had been a girl, we would have most likely used Esme as we fell in love with it after reading these comments. We were strongly considering Nell as a second choice. In the brief time between sending my email and it being posted, my husband suggested Nikolai as a version of Nikola (from Tesla). I liked Nikolai okay, but we both liked the sound of Niko even more. So, he is Niko (Nikolai) Jeffrey. Thanks again for all the suggestions, we strongly considered quite a few from the comments! In fact, he was nameless for three hours after birth while we considered names.
Myra is such a lovely name. I do like Chester but I am not as big a fan of Rissa for you. I feels out of place with Myra because it seems popular given that I know a Larissa and Clarissa that use the the nn Rissa as well as a Melissa and Alyssa that use the nn Lissa.
Some possible suggestions for you:
Boys – Otis, Burton, Conrad, Earl, Amos, Lloyd, Victor, Merle, Dwight, Leroy
Girls – Agatha, Theda, Sally, Fern, Mabel, Eunice, Edith, Velma, Myrtle, Flora
Congrats on baby #2!
Myra and … Thora? Both strong names, very rare – with that same vibe, I think. Though is the repeating ‘ra’ ending a bonus or a problem?
Love Chester for a boy!
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1880s.html
All popular in the 1880s, none in the current top 200, many not even in top 1000.
Siblings to Myra Taylor
Mabel Christine
Nellie Christine
Helen Christine
Lena Christine
Dora Christine
Elsie Christine
Lottie Christine
Marion Christine
I’ll be the second (or maybe the third or fourth, by the time I’m done typing) that Myra is a beautiful name. It has a fantastic balance between antique charm without feeling dated or trendy, and is in kind of a popularity sweet spot where you rarely meet other Myras but it can be a fun surprise when you do. I think Nell comes close to feeling the same way, but wonder if there might be something that isn’t possibly short for Eleanor or Penelope, which both seem too popular for you. Here’s some ideas:
Irene
Opal
Ruth
Alice
Martha
Esther
Iris
Ivy
For boys, my suggestions would be Otto, Leander, Lyle, or Leroy. Not sure why = ).
I know an Alice and Myra sibset. They work well together.
Out of your top names, I really like Nell. Chester reminds me of a negative connotation word that rhymes with it, unfortunately. I do however love the nickname Chet!
For a girl, I immediately thought of Oona for you. Oona Christine Gibbs. Myra and Oona.
I also quite like Esme. Esme Christine Gibbs. Myra and Esme.
For a boy, I second Amos. Amos Jeffrey Gibbs is adorable! Myra and Amos. I also like Dashiell, nickname Dash. Dashiell Jeffrey Gibbs. Myra and Dash.
I love the ‘Oona’ suggestion but would also throw out another spelling – ‘Una’.
I love and second the Oona suggestion. It looks and sounds great with Myra! .
Oh, what a fun question!
I love Nell but I wonder if the sound will be as unique as you’re looking for with many many Ellies and Noras and Eleanors around?
How about:
Marjorie
Hazel
Marion
Jean
Agnes
Alma
Mabel
Willa (might get lost in a sea of Williams though)
Birdie
Selma
Loretta
Boys:
Burl
Walter
Royal
Clifford
Vernon
Ray
Alvin
Edwin
Amos
Malcolm
Wilford/Wilfred
Alfred
I just realized that saying Nell Gibbs out loud I immediately thought and almost stumbled into saying Mel Gibson. Maybe it’s just me, though?
Love Myra! I think of Frances Christine and Harriet Christine for a sister, and Walter Jeffrey or Simon Jeffrey for a brother. Good luck!
Frances Jane
I do think the person above made a great point – while you don’t see many Rissas running around, it becomes a rather indistinct name due to the Marissa/Clarissa/ Larissa/Melissa/Alissa’s
I get that a bit with Nell – Bell/Elle – but not as bad.
I might suggest Nez instead of Nell. Myra & Nez? Or perhaps Neve.
Chester does sadly make me think of the Cheetos tiger. Chaz or Chase?
Good luck!
I think Chester is adorable! Think Mbel would work beautifully, but…
I envision Myra’s sister named:
Virginia Christine (Ginny)
Evelyn Christine
Dorothy Christine (Dottie)
Faye Christine (love, love, love Faye and NEVER hear it!)
Mae Christine
Susanne Christine (Susie)
Good luck!
I think you might draw some inspiration from Downton Abbey! A few lovely girl names that appeal to me: Mabel, Matilda, Minnie, Bess, Cora, Lillian, Hattie, Lula, Luella, Josephine, Alma, Lydia, Estelle, Leona, Sylvia, Lucille, Violet, Maxine, Sally, Rosalind.
I love Myra! Great, underused, spunky, recognizable and gently old-fashioned without feeling trendy.
I’m going to join the chorus saying Rissa doesn’t feel quite right beside it, though. I think you know this as well, otherwise you wouldn’t have written in. To me, Rissa feels much too contemporary and invented (kind of like Kaya, or Kenna, or Ria). It also feels a bit less than fresh because Larissa/Marissa/Carissa were so popular in the 1990s. As an alternate, Rita comes to mind.
I love Nell. I think it might be more popular than you’d like, but it’s still by no means super common. Nell Gibbs is fantastic.
It’s tough for me to recommend anything else because Nell seems so right, but a few that came to mind:
Bess
Loretta (Retta would be a cool nickname)
Pearl
Lois
Alma
Lucille
Rosie
Mabel
Billie
Edith (Edie)
Gloria
Inez
Hattie
Fern
Cleo
Mavis
Dorothy (Dot or Dottie or Dolly)
Etta
And in the super-daring category, I love Wanda and Zelda for you.
You have such a nice surname to work with, too! So many names sound nice with it. My favorites from the ones I listed with your surname (and Christine as middle name) are Loretta or Retta, Dorothy, Etta, or Zelda.
On the boy front– Chester isn’t a favorite of mine because I know there is a well-known unpleasant teasing rhymes that go with it. What about Clifford, Clint, Clark? Willis? Leland? Grover? Wendell? Carl, Wade, Harrison, or Ned? Roland, Nolan, or Clayton?
Good luck, and please please please update us. I love your naming style a lot and am really looking forward to hearing what you choose!
I also thought of Mamie and Clifton.
My suggestions…
Girls:
Amaris
Vera
Iris
Anthea
Briony
Tamsin
Boys:
Heath
Blaise
Slate
Barrett
Thaddeus
Gareth
Love this style/age of baby names!
Recently, I’ve heard two names that I absolutely love and think they fit in perfectly to your list!
1. Otilia. What a fabulous name that is definitely not common. You could use the nn Tilly if you wanted to shorten it. I also really like Otelia, which you could then get Tia or Thea as nn as well. A little girl in our neighbourhood was named after her great-grandmother. The instant we heard this name we loved it, and continue to.
Otilia and Otelia bring me to one of my other favourite names. Thea. Thea on its own is great and I feel it is a better fit with Myra vs the longer version of Theodora nn Thea (although I do love Theodora).
What about Odelia? You mentioned liking Delilah but feel is too popular, what about Odelia?
2. The other name I heard recently is Orillia. I would likely use this name for our next girl but we already have an Oliver as I love it so much. Not common at all, Orillia on its own is very feminine and unique. But I love all the shortened names that you can pull out – Ora, Orla, Rilla (similar to Rissa), Ria, Rillie…. the list goes on.
I also love love love Myra and Pearl. What a great match!
For boy names, I unfortunately immediately think of Chester the _____ (rhyming word).
I really love Walter, although I’m not sure whether it’ll be on the next popular list or not??
What about Alfred? As if Alfie (or Alf) isn’t such a cute fun nn for a little guy. Freddie…
I do also really like the suggestions of Otis, Otto, Amos, and Leroy.
Archie gives the same feels as Chester. I really like the longer version Archibald. Archibald leads me to Oswald. nn Oz or Ozzy.
I love the name Emil (eh-meel).
Good luck and keep us posted!!
I came here to suggest Thea as well! I think it goes with Myra… they’ve got the same last sound, but My-rah and Thee-ah being different enough to not seem matchy-matchy. Classy, old fashioned, unusual.
Yes to Pearl! Lovely name.
Alma just keeps growing on me! I like alma or Esme for you. Chester is great.
I love Myra. Nell seems like a really good fit. I’m not as crazy about Rissa. It seems more like a nickname for Marissa/Clarissa/etc. It also doesn’t have the same degree of “fusty” as your other choices.
For girls, I’ll suggest my favorites-Agnes, Martha & Agatha. I’ll also add Inez, Delia, Nola, Alma, Vera, Sabina & Viola.
Chester is still to Cheetos & “the Molester” for me to care for it very much. I could get behind Chaz or Chuck, but I’d prefer them as nicknames with Charles as the birth certificate name. Maybe Albert, Arthur, Gilbert, Clarence, Merritt, Giles, Alfred, Francis, Monroe, Benedict & Claude.
Girls: Ophelia, Dorothy, Colette, Clementine, Daisy, Rose, Cornelia, Theodosia, Blanche, Della, Polly,
Boys: Alfred, Archibald, Wilbur, Orville, Walter, Thurman
Wanted to add Calvin to my list!
I like Edith. Edith Christine sounds very sweet, it fits with Myra, and Edie is a cute nickname.
Pearl is also good.
I like Irene, but Irene Christine does not work.
Other ideas:
Ruth
Opal
Lena
Roslyn
Dolores
Hazel
Clara
Frances
Gloria
Frieda
Helen
Beatrice/Beatrix
For boys…I think Chester Jeffrey is kind of awkward, but not unusable.
Suggestions:
Walter
Emmett
Evander
Matthias
Neal
Jude
Jonas
Jonah
Cyrus
Brett
Dashiell
Asa
Love the suggestions of Pearl and Frances. Here’s one more for the list: Blythe.
I too am anti-Chester. I think the teasing potential is just too high!
Oooooh I so love Blythe!!!
I like Ida. There’s a near rhyme with Myra and Ida but it depends on your accent (it wouldn’t bother me either way). I also like Ada (Eh-da).
I know an Ida pronounced EE-da.
Instead of Chester, how about Roland, Saul or Cyrus?
For girls, I also like the suggestion of Iris. Myra and Iris are a sibling good match. I also like Myra and Sybil. My favorite outside of the Top 100 is Lorna. Myra and Lorna. I also like Alethea with a nickname of Thea. Myra and Thea.
Ooooo Lorna! Great suggestion!!
I like Mabel a lot too, also Ada which was already suggested. What about Margaret? I know an older lady named Muriel, don’t meet many of those these days! I like Della too, and Dahlia.
Pearl and Muriel are sweet with Myra. I also like Adele, Naomi, and Violet. For boys, would you like Albert, Alan, Ephram, or Elias?
The suggestions you have gotten so far are fantastic. For a boy I love Loel or Lowell (Joel with an L, basically). I also love Walter and keep suggesting it to people, someone USE IT! :)
For a girl I think Dorothea, Rosemary, or Alice would be beautiful.
If we have another boy we are using Walter!!
I’d suggest Winifred. Winnie or Freddie could be possible nn but she could also go by her full name.
What about Flora for a girl? Myra and Flora. Flora Christine.
I also like Beverly. Myra and Beverly Gibbs.
Chester is adorable!
It’s so nice to hear Myra being used! That was one of my grandmother’s names, and I can’t help suggesting her sister’s names: Adela, Lydia, Rita. Good luck!
Adding Naomi to my list!
Myra and Inez. Each has four letters and two syllables and one vowel; one has a y and one has a z; neither has any of the same letters; and they sound so perfectly matched but are still such different names.
Milo, Vera, Lou
Sylvia, Esther, Irene, Ruth, Matilda, Mary (I love that it’s an anagram of Myra),
I second the motion for Mary. Brilliant.
Myra is such a lovely name!
Here are some more suggestions:
Celia
Lela (Really like this one!)
Nina
Leona
Rosa
Selma
Rena
Maude
Cleo
Marion
Veda
Absolutely love the suggestions of Thea and Faye!
All the best!
Ooh, I almost never encounter someone with the name Myra, so this post was very exciting for me!
I’d like to second the suggestions of Pearl, Josephine, Theodora (Thea), and Willa. I’ll also add Seraphina to the list.
I’d recommend not using the names Silas or Violet — as awesome as they are — simply because the long I sound is a cause for confusion, especially on the phone.
How fun!! This is exactly what makes me love the uniqueness of her name and want the same for #2!
Would Mona or Mena be too matchy for you? I love the suggestions of Vera, Rita, Mabel, and Sybil. Or Anita?
I disagree with the Chester hate. I think it is lovely, classy, and the next Walter. (Now Lester is a different story…!)
Since you like Rissa, I’m thinking you may also like Mavis. Myra and Mavis are so cute together.
Mavis was actually my grandma’s name! But, we have a not so fun reason it’s been vetoed. Otherwise, awesome suggestion ;)
Virginia, Evelyn
Raymond, Lawrence
I have an 8 year old daughter named Myra! Her sister is Maisie and her brother is Emmett :)
Oh fun!! “Myra” has really grown on me more and more – glad my husband suggested it ;)