Dear Swistle,
We need help on a baby name! The closer it gets the further we feel. I know it’s a case of over thinking and we might need to take a step back. But I am starting to panic that the big day will arrive and we will have nothing. I am dying to find a name we are excited about and start bonding with.
Our current children are:
Saylor Grace (girl) and Grayson Davis (boy – mostly goes by Gray). We are expecting our third and final – another girl!So we need a sister for Saylor and Gray.
Our last name is Smith. Because of this, we really like names that are not trendy/popular/common. My husband was literally one of 3 Matt Smith’s in his high school. And I would prefer for her not to be known as “Emily S” (for example) in her kindergarten class.
Also, we would like to use the middle name Ellen if possible to honor my sister.
We are struggling to find a name that fits well with Saylor. I know people will have mixed opinions on this name but we love it and it fits our girl perfectly – she is spunky, smart, independent, cute, confident, and strong willed. We like that we have only come across a handful of them. We are NOT looking for a nature name like Clover or something.
At first we thought we were set on Hadley, and it is still my husbands first choice. But I worry that the ‘ey’ ending makes it way more feminine than Saylor. I think I can get over that for the right name. But I also strongly worry that Hadley is gaining in popularity, especially where we live.
I have always loved the name Maren. But I am struggling with the spelling. Maren, Marin, Merrin, or Maryn. (Maryn fits best visually with Saylor and Gray but I’m worried about the y being trendy. Although it doesn’t feel trendy to me with Saylor, probably because I’m her mom).
Other names on our list that we don’t BOTH necessarily love but haven’t vetoed:
Merritt
Finley
Lainey
Maisey
Hazel
Farrah
Ellis
Arden
Karis or Charis
TessaAnd sometimes I just want to chuck it all and name her Lucy. I like the name! But then I remember: Saylor, Gray, and Lucy really don’t fit together.
I know that Piper, Morgan, or Payton would probably fit but I can’t make myself love any of these. I love Marlo but my husband does not.
Would love your thoughts or any other suggestions. Thank you so much!
Erica
One thing I notice is that all four names you’ve used so far feature an -ay- sound: Saylor, Grace, Grayson, and Davis. I don’t think you need to continue this (unless that would be fun), but it tells me that you like that sound. If you did want to go with that, you already have three names of that sort on your list: Lainey, Maisey, and Hazel. My favorite of the three as a sister name for Saylor is Lainey, so I’d probably vote for Lainey Hazel. Or if you wanted a rhythm similar to Saylor’s name, you could do Lainey Kate, Lainey Paige, Lainey Kay, Lainey Mae, etc. Oh oh oh, I just had a fun idea: since you’ve used both Grace and Grayson, you could do Lainey Grey. Probably too much since Grayson goes mostly by Gray, but it still seems fun to me. Well, I see you’d like to use the middle name Ellen anyway, so then it would be Saylor Grace, Grayson Davis, and Lainey Ellen.
With Saylor, I like the sister name Hadley even more. I don’t think the ending makes it more feminine than Saylor. Saylor/Sailor is a name currently used mostly for girls in the U.S. (409 new baby girls and 46 new baby boys in 2013), and because the only one I know of is Christie Brinkley’s daughter, it hits my brain as “girl”: I might not use a super-ultra-feminine sister name with it, but Hadley feels to me like the same basic level of femininity. You’re right, though, about its increasing popularity:
(screen shot from SSA.gov)
I think it feels even more popular because of all the other popular -ad- names: Madison, Addison, Madelyn, Adelyn, Maddie, Addie.
Unless you wanted to deliberately play up the marine theme (and you very well might, if the sea is important to you), I don’t think I’d use Maren with Saylor. If you do use it, the spelling Maryn makes me think first of the pronunciation with the emphasis on the second syllable (which may be what you’re going for): ma-RINN. Ever since someone told me that Marin County in California is pronounced that way, the spelling Marin is another that makes me think ma-RINN. Maren, probably because of its similarity to Karen, makes me think of the MARE-in pronunciation, as does Merrin.
If you love the name Lucy, I don’t see any reason you can’t use it. I too prefer sibling names to coordinate, but I’d definitely consider that a preference rather than a requirement, and I’d reconsider for the right name. However, another of your preferences is low popularity, and the name Lucy is more popular than Hadley: #66 in 2013, and that doesn’t even count all the Lucilles and Lucias and Lucianas going by Lucy.
A name that comes to mind is Padgett. Padgett Ellen Smith; Saylor, Grayson, and Padgett.
Another is Larkin. Larkin Ellen Smith; Saylor, Grayson, and Larkin.
Another is Darcy. Darcy Ellen Smith; Saylor, Grayson, and Darcy. That gives you a Y per child.
Name update!
Hi Swistle,
This update is overdue but I wanted to let you and your readers know that our baby girl arrived in March. We named her Hadley Jane Ellen.
As we got closer to her arrival, Jane became a name very high on our list because of it’s meaning (God’s gracious gift) and how fitting this was for her life. Jane is also my middle name. We were still drawn to Ellen to honor my sister and we still loved Hadley and felt it fit the most with her siblings. So we went with two middle names!
Hadley is just precious and we all love her to pieces! Thanks to everyone for their input.
I love the names on your list, espesically Lainey and Maisey. I also just wanted suggest Scout. It immediately came to mind when you said what you really wanted was a name that captured the spunky, strong willed, smart vibe that Saylor has. Good luck!
I thought of Scout, too! You might not like the repeated initial, but it’s uncommon, spunky and reads girl with the literary link!
Love Hadley and Lucy for you too :)
I love Scout too! Or maybe Piper for the same reasons. Saylor, Grayson & Piper Smith. Piper Ellen Smith. It’s really nice!
The first thing that jumps out to me about your names are the repeated “long” A sounds. If this is something you want to continue (and you do seem to like the sound) I really like Lainey for you. Or perhaps Delaney? I think it has a bit more of the unisex feel of Saylor, while Lainey feels a tad more girl. Peyton, Taylor, Paige, Rayna?
You also have a Y theme going on, which strikes me as a bit more subtle than the A sounds. If you wanted to continue with the Y I would suggest Carys (this spelling instead of Karis/Charis also seems less creative to me). Ellis could also be spelled Ellys, though both spellings seem ruled out because of the middle name Ellen. Brinley, Bellamy, Aubrey, Ripley, Tenley.
I’ll also encourage you to loosen up a bit on your popularity concerns. Names just aren’t as common as they used to be. Matthew was ranked #3 throughout most of the 1980s (I assume when your husband was born). In 1985, that accounted for nearly 2.5% of all baby boys. The current #3 name Olivia accounted for only 0.9562% of all baby girls. The #3 boy name (Jacob) came in even lower, at only 0.8986%. Even with a very common name, issues of popularity just aren’t what they used to be. As your kids will be growing up with social media, they might even appreciate the anonymity a name like Smith can provide.
I agree the long A sound is the first thing that got my attention. What about Navy? Long A and a Y. And it sounds cute with Saylor and Greyson, unless the nickname Gray with Navy is too strong of a color theme?
I logged on to the comments to suggest exactly what you have: Carys (with this spelling, one of my favourite names!) instead of Karis.
What about Elena instead of Ellen? Keeps the ay sound going but still plays tribute.
Also, what do you think about Paisley? The sounds and popularity seem to fit.
How about Avery? Long A, has a Y. Avery Ellen. Hadley is an excellent choice too!
I want to find you something that you can use Lucy as a nickname for but fits more with your general style/preference for uncommon names? Maybe Luz, if something cross cultural could work for you?
I agree that Marin makes your family seem awful nautical, and so unless this is actually what you are going for, I would exclude it.
I like Lainey, Delaney, and Hadley for your group. I would also point you to Hayden, which for girls is unusual, but would be nice in your group.
I know you mentioned no nature names, but I really like some spunky names that come from nature for you. In particular I love the name Wren in your group, as it is a name that is used for men and women, and it has that spunk.
I would also consider Jasper and Juniper which each seem kicky- Jasper tends to skew boy and Juniper girl, but I think either would be useable in your sibling set.
I also thought about Scout, as some else suggested, but it skews your girls names like Marin does. Two sisters named Saylor and Scout seem like a martial group. (similarly I would exclude Navy).
Good luck
Delaney was my first thought for you. I love how it fits with your other kids’ names, but puts the ‘ay’ sound on a different syllable.
Maybe you would like:
Payton
Hailey
Bree
Brett
Saylor and Gray seem very trendy to me. I think Hadley also fits that vein. I also like previous suggestions of Avery and Delaney for you. I know you aren’t looking for nature names, but Daisy comes to mind. To me it has a vivacious/spunky vibe, plus an “ay” sound and a “y”. Someone I know just named their daughter Layken (or Lakyn – I can’t recall). That has more of a unisex feel to match Saylor…but it might make the sib set too, er, waterlogged for your taste.
If it helps, I know a Merryn, and people have no trouble getting her name right.
My name list for baby #2 is very similar to yours. I would also add Palmer and Sutton to your list.
I don’t think Hadley is too feminine to go with Saylor, so if that’s all that’s holding you back, I’d use it. I also like Marin from your list (that spelling is my preference), and Hazel, and Arden. And Lucy’s not quite the same style but it’s not a stylistic clash and if you love it that’s the most important thing.
I think my favorites are Marin, Arden, & Hazel.
Oh, and this is a stylistic departure for you as well, but I was thinking since you like Lainey and want to honor an Ellen, maybe Elaine nn Lainey? Or do you like Delaney?
I’m going to throw a ringer out there- what about Yeardley? It’s the name of the lady who voices Lisa Simpson and it seems a little wild but I also think it sounds spunky. It also seems to match Saylor in terms of femininity.
I also love Maren! The marine connection didn’t occur to me until Swistle pointed it out but now I can’t un-see it. I think Hadley is actually great for you… it’s a name growing in popularity but as someone mentioned above, popularity of names is just not what it used to be and I wouldn’t let go of a name you love for that reason alone. I also think Lucy works just fine with the sibling group. If you want something else that seems to match the sib group name set but isn’t super popular, I’d suggest Maryse or Marlyse for the y connection. Or maybe Arden, Linden, Cambrie, Bryony.
What about Riley/Rileigh? I like both the look and sound of Rileigh Ellen. But Hadley doesn’t strike me as too feminine to go with Saylor, so if that’s what you like best, I think you should use it. Good luck!
Hadley Ellen seems like a good fit for a sibset with Saylor Grace and Grayson Davis. To me, Saylor and Grayson are pretty trendy names, though.
I also like Avery for you. Avery Ellen has that nice “A” sound like Saylor and Grayson, but placed differently.
Some other suggestions: Margot Ellen (kinda like Maren/Marlo), Harper Ellen (like Hadley, but I think fits in with Saylor and Grayson better in terms of trendiness and style)
I really like the pps’ suggestions of Avery and Daisy. And Elena for the middle name. These would keep your y and long a themes going. Avery Elena or Daisy Elena.
I love the names you chose for your first two children – adorable!
I wanted to point out that we all know that Maren (Maryn, Merrin, Merryn) could lead to a nautical trend for your girls but that’s because we LOVE names. I think that the majority if the population wouldn’t connect the two.
From your list I like:
Maryn: leans feminine but because of the Erin/Aaron sound it isn’t overly so. Has the “Y” look that is aesthetically pleasing with your other names.
Ellis: could cover the honoring of your sister Ellen. I would use this as a middle name, it goes with your naming style.
Other suggestions I like:
Delaney: sounds less feminine then Lainey but still gives you the nickname as an option. Has the strong “D” sound like Hadley but doesn’t seem as popular.
Two other names with a “Y” you might like:
Blythe
Meryl
Happy naming!
Allyn was another option I wanted to suggest.
Paisley! Love it! And it has the long a, the s, and the y from your other names. I also like Lainey, or Maisey, or Charlize.
I think Lucy would work with the sibset!
I love your naming style! Two names that I have on my future girl list are Darby and Hartley.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Darcy in the context of your other kids’ names.
But I also don’t think Lucy and Saylor are so wildly different as to be unworkable. Saylor is definitely unisex, but also rare enough that I don’t necessarily think of a boy when I hear it. It’s just rare. Honestly I’d find Lucy and, say, Emerson (girl), or Lucy and Elliot (girl), a lot more startling. Saylor feels feminine to me. Maybe it’s not logical! But that’s my gut reaction.
If you really love Lucy, I think you should use it. Think of it this way– your girls will likely only live perhaps 1/5 or 1/4 of their lives (knock on wood!) as family members under the same roof. By the time they’re adults, the vast majority of people they meet will think of them as “Lucy Smith” or “Saylor Sm!th”, not “Lucy and Saylor”, etc. So, I think you should pick a name that sounds good with Smith (luckily most do!), that you love, that you feel confident about, and that is meaningful for you– and not worry about perfectly matching Grayson and Saylor. (For the record, I think Lucy and Grayson are great together).
Good luck, don’t worry, and please update us!
ALSO! I just figured out why Saylor feels feminine to me!!! (Sorry for the exclamation points, I just love realizing a subconscious influence).
Sailor Moon.
So, still maybe not logical– but I’m pretty sure that’s why I have trouble picturing a male Saylor/Sailor.
What about:
Briar
Briony (a tiny bit nature themed but not really much)
Sunday
Noa
Verity
Pax
Vita
Nell
I second Carys, Padgett and Scout as great options too.
Wythe
Brynn
Maryn
Delaney
I like the idea of connecting all the kids name with a y.
If Hadley seems to feminine, what about Harley? That seems less feminine to me because of the motorcycle connection.
Maryn does not seem trendy to me at all and I like the look/feel of it. It does across as very nautical with Saylor but that isn’t necessarily bad.
I like the “y’ connection and think I would stick with that in your situation. I know two sisters named Rylan and Brynn – unfortunately neither of these work to well with Ellen. I do like Rylan Ellis (S)mith and Brynn Ellis (S)mith.
Other options might be Bryce Ellen or Brynna Ellen. And I rather like the idea of a name beginning with Y – Yale Ellen, Yardley Ellen, Yates Ellen, or Yves Ellen.
Of your choices, I like Hadley, Lainey, and Maisey best. I think Hadley is my favorite of the three.
You had “Karis” on your list–what about Carys? Then you keep the same pronunciation with the ‘y’ tie-in to your other children.
Saylor, Gray, and Carys. Carys Ellen. I like that. (I see someone else suggested this. Good idea!)
Also, Lucy is a great name and I think it fits just perfectly fine with your other children.
How are you saying Maren? I know a child with this name pronounced ‘mar (like bar)-en’ and I love it! I also think very few people will connect the nautical theme. And if they do, I think it’s cool!
Other ideas:
Perrin
Hallie
Annie
Phoebe
Darby
Maple
Cara
I immediately thought of the name Gentry for you. Gentry Ellen. Saylor, Gray and Gentry. Two g’s, but it ties them all in with a y. And it ties the two g’s together as Grayson and Saylor have the s’s.
If Hadley is almost just right, what about Hartley? Nick name hart, I think this is adorable! Reads unisex to me, to match saylor/Grayson.
Well let me just say I love your kids’ names.
My first daughter is named Hadley. We named her 4 years ago before the name was as common as it is. With our second, Grayson was my top pick if she had been a boy. And now Saylor is one of my favorites if we have another girl down the road. Husband us not to keen on it though.
For a sister to Saylor and Grayson I definitely don’t think Hadley is too girly. In fact, I think it’s a great choice. I also think Hayden is a great pick as someone suggested if you still feel Hadley is too girly.
I love the suggestion for Delaney for you. Lainey on its own seems to girly to me but with Delaney you still have surname feel like your other kids but can still call her Laney.
Other options:
Riley
Elliott
Landry/Landrie
Harlow
Harley
Berkley
Marlowe
Aspen
Tatum – this would be so cute and continue the hard A sound you have with Saylor and Grayson
Kendall
Leighton
Britton
Everly
Channing
Dabney
I notice that nobody has yet suggested Rory.
Rory Ellen
Saylor, Gray, and Rory
Another option … Wynter ..
Wynter Ellen
Saylor, Gray and Wynter
Going to throw Fable into the ring….
Saylor, Gray and Fable Ellen
The first name that came to my mind was Ainsley.
Saylor, Grayson and Ainsley
It has similar sounds to MANY of the names from your list, is also unisex but seems more girly, and is familiar but not popular at all.
My daughter has a friend named Ainsley and I have always loved it, she also gets many compliments, and is the ONLY one at school.
Ainsley Ellen is lovely! If you want to stick with the double ‘long A’ sound Ainsley Elaine or Ainsley Elena are also great middle honor names too.
Ainsley Jane and Ainsley Faye would also be gorgeous choices.
Good luck!
I suggest Yardley for you.
Yardley Ellen Smith
Saylor, Grayson and Yardley
Oh.. Waverly is another name that would be great too.
Waverly Ellen, Waverly Elaine, Waverly Jane, Waverly Faye etc.
The spelling Waverly takes away the ‘ey’ ending you were worried about, although Waverley is an alternative, but still has the same sound.
Saylor, Grayson and Waverly
I like how they all have the ‘long A’ sound but a different ending. I think I might like Waverly just slightly more than Ainsley in this case!
All the best!
What about Darby?
I like Hadley, Lainey, Hayden, Hartley or Delaney with your other kids’ names. Some other ideas:
Tenley
Delancey
Lacey
Amily
Amity
Raven
Haven
Good luck!
I wanted to suggest Piper until I got to the part in your letter where you acknowledged Piper would go well but you don’t love it. Buuuuut… it’s kind of perfect with your other children’s names! :)
If you use any of the spellings of Maren, I would pronounce them as rhyming with Erin at first glance. So whichever way you spell it, if that’s what you’re going for, I think you’re safe, however, I’m not sure Ellen goes well as a middle name- it almost turns the name into “Mary Ellen” at first hearing. But if you aren’t worried about that, no one else should be- and I love honor names. Actually, what about Honor? That might be cute with Saylor and Gray.
From your list I love Lainey, Arden and Ellis. They sound nice with Saylor and Gray.
Maren is a beautiful name but the marine-theme immediately comes into my mind when I put it next to Saylor. Lucy is pretty too, one of my favorites, but I would not match it with Saylor and Grayson – only if that is the only name you agree on.
The previous commenters had great suggestions like Ainsley, Avery, Briony, Paisley, Payton and Carys. Here are some more ideas:
– Devyn / Devyn, Saylor and Gray
– Macy / Macy, Saylor and Gray
– Bronwyn / Bronwyn, Saylor and Gray
– Briar / Briar, Saylor and Gray
– Romilly / Romy, Saylor and Gray
– Reese / Reese, Saylor and Gray
I think Hadley is a wonderful fit with Saylor and Gray, but if you are not sure it’s for you, I love the name Lainey and the suggestion of Delaney. I also like Maren, spelled that way and pronounced like “Karen.”
What about Riley, Finley, Emory, or Willow?
I love the suggestion of Navy! Hadley works well too. I would suggest Sawyer, but it’s so similar to Saylor.
I’d go for Finlay! (Original Scottish spelling of Finley + ‘ay’ bonus)
A nickname possibility would then be Lainey.
Would it be possible to go for middle name Ellis in stead of Ellen?
Grace, Davis & Ellis all share an -s ending which I like.
So… my vote would be:
Saylor Grace, Grayson Davis & Finlay Ellis
Saylor, Gray & Finlay/Lainey :-)
Good luck choosing!
My first thought was also Delaney, and I agree that Lucy works just fine in the sib set. Darby and Ainsley are also great suggestions.
Other ideas:
Moxie
Brighton
Paige
Blake/Blakely
Meryl
I don’t think anyone has yet suggested Mabrie or Mabrey……(long A, as in maybe).
Two possibilities I haven’t seen suggested yet:
Holiday Ellen, nickname Holly/ Hollis
Sunday Ellen
Both have the long A sound and a Y, both are ‘word names’, and both are sophisticated yet underused. Apparently Holly Golightly’s full name was Holiday.
My naming style is very similar to yours so therefore I’ll throw out some names that we have on our possible next girl name list or just possible suggestions:
Maren- while I do love this name, I’ve already come across another Maren so I do believe this name is gaining popularity.
Ainsley
Carys- I see other people have also suggested this in addition to Maren so I would talk about this name as well.
Lakyn
Briese
Aria
Adler
Aftyn
Linden *** probably my favorite to go with your sib set!!
Seren, similar to Maren
Reece
Risa
Farron
Fallon
Finley (I know this is one on your list that you don’t love)
Cadia
Kacia
Stella
**I’m going to have to come back after others suggest names and see if there any others suggested that I can add to my possible list!!!
How about Story? It has the y and it’s a word name.
I’m thinking Bristol.
Saylor, Grey, and Bristol Ellis.
Wanted to say, I love the suggestions of Lainey, Delaney, and Carys. Also, do not feel Hadley is too feminine. Lastly, really like Merritt on your list. Good luck!
Oh, and of these, Hadley is my favorite with Ellen. Perfect with your surname and Saylor Grace!
I like Finley/Finlay the best from your list!
My issue with Lainey is it’s so..cutesie. Its hard for me to imagine a CEO named Lainey – if that makes sense. I like Delaney w/ nn. Lainey. i also think it would be neat your kids initial would go: SG, GD, DE.
What about Layla, Payson, Rayna, Tacy?
Another name that I feel may suit your style considering the names of your kids and the names you listed:
Paisley. Paisley Ellen.
Saylor, Grayson and Paisley.
Again, they all have a y and “ay” sound which ties them all nicely together.
Your description of Saylor made me think of Frankie
My college roommate was named Maren, it rhymes with Karen.
I wanted to suggest Reyna (or Reina), Brynn, and Waverly. From your list, I like Hazel and Arden best.
So when I saw the siblings names I had to make mention of an interesting naming idea I saw with my MIL and her sisters. From oldest to youngest they are: Sheryl Lynn, Linda Su, and Susan Mae. Lynn is carried over to Linda and Su is carried over to Susan. Though their mom says it was completely coincidental I thought it was a lovely way to connect them together.
When I saw Saylor Grace and Grayson Davis, I thought since you’d already carried Grace over to Grayson you might be interested in connecting Davis to a name for Baby #3. There might not be a perfect or obvious choice but here are some names that might tip it’s hat to Davis:
Dana
Danielle
Dakota
Darrien
Dawn
Danelle
Danika
Mavis
With all that aside, I love that you love Lucy.
Congrats on your little one. Whatever you name her will be perfect!
Scout is a cute name, but Scout and Saylor is a little much. I’d stay away from other occupational names.
Padgett sounds too much like pageant.
I like:
Maryn (I went to HS with a Maryn who spelled it that way)
Arden
Karis (could also be spelled Carys)
Larkin, or just Lark
Wren
Dallas
Harper
Darby
Keelin
Corbin
Colby
Coby
Cody
Autumn
Arrolyn (Arrow as a nickname)
Avery
Emerson or Emery
Paris (although the Paris Hilton association is not so great)
Kellen
Darcey
Clemency
Unity
Ada
Amy
Casey
Cassie
Josie
Eden
Hayden Ellen would be my vote. I know Hayden is mostly for a boy, but I love it for a girl.
I’m dying to know what name you ended up picking! Ironically, I have a Saylor, a Karis and a Sutton.