Baby Naming Issue: Are Jillian (Mom’s Name) and Vivian (Baby’s Name) Too Rhymey?

Dear Swistle,

The subject line of my email [“HELP! Baby Girl due in 2 weeks – chosen name might rhyme with my own!!!”] pretty much says it all. My husband and I are expecting our second daughter in two weeks and after months of debate, we finally settled on a name…only to discover that it might possibly rhyme with my own! To complicate matters, the name we chose for our first daughter is a name that we both really love but it doesn’t really fit with either of our individual naming preferences (which are already pretty opposite) and I’m afraid we’ve really shot ourselves in the foot as far as creating a cohesive sibling set goes.

Just for a bit of background – my name is Jillian and my husband’s name is John (yes, just John). We have a 3 syllable English surname that last name starts with an “H” and is sort of similar to “Harrington”. We are looking for a name that isn’t too trendy and has a good nickname and will flow well with our daughter’s name (and any names of our future children – we’re thinking 3-5, my husband is convinced they will all be girls, for what that’s worth). As far as boy names, we both easily agree on Gabriel, August, Emery, and Alexander.

With our first, my husband’s suggested girl names were all over the place – Cambria, Sif, and Ashley were his top 3. I liked Eleanor, Frances, Twila, Poppy, Willa, Cora, and Hazel. At ten days past her due date (!!!) we finally agreed on a short list of Aurora, Clementine, Everleigh, and Willow and ended up naming her Everleigh Frances. Her name suits her perfectly and I couldn’t imagine her being called anything else (except Ev!e, her nickname).

As far as Baby Girl #2 goes, after months of passing names back and forth, we agreed on the name Vivian Margaret. There were actual tears of happiness on my end and Evie, who has shown complete indifference to the baby, ran around the house shouting “Happy Birthday Vivian!”. It seemed like such a great fit…until I realized that Vivian sounded a whole lot like Jillian…sort of? And while Evie and Vivie would be very cute together, I worry that it is too matchy matchy! Would every future daughter need a “v” in their name? Are we just getting out of one naming corner and into another? All of this second-guessing has definitely taken the original luster off “the one”!

We both agree on Margaret as a middle name so that both girls have their grandmother’s middles names as their middle names. My top picks this time around are: Daydrie, Olivia, and Maren. My husband’s list includes Aurelia, Clementine, and Leontine. The few that we sort of agree on include:

Ada (a family name but also his best friend’s daughter’s name…they live in another country)

Adeline (not quite right but I like that it is longer than Ada)

Hazel (he previously hated this name so I’m not sure this is a good choice)

Laurel (I did know a girl named Laurel who liked Marilyn Manson in 7th grade…I’m thinking I can overlook that; “Laurel Margaret” doesn’t sound too great to me though)

Lucy (Lucia is a family name but neither of us really like any of the longer variants; I’m leery of naming her Lucy, my husband doesn’t want to name her something longer if we intend to call her by the diminutive; and again, “Lucy Margaret” doesn’t sound right)

So what’s your verdict – is Vivian too similar to Jillian? Should we keep looking? I think we have some good contenders but I’m also afraid that in the future I’ll be desperately writing you again because we can’t find a 3rd/4th/5th girl’s name to go with Ev and Viv. I am open to any and all suggestions! Perhaps you and your wise commenters can find some secret set of names that appeal to both my husband and I!

Most appreciatively,
Jillian (and Vivian…?)

 

This seems completely fine to me. The names Jillian and Vivian have some sounds in common, but it doesn’t seem to me that they rhyme: Jillian and Lillian rhyme, for example, but Jillian and Vivian just share an ending. I might prefer not to use them for sister names (though I wouldn’t consider it weird if someone else used them), but for a mother and daughter they seem absolutely fine and I wouldn’t worry about it at all. If you were considering Lillian I might waver (though I’d be with you if you wanted to shrug and go for it), but Vivian doesn’t seem like an issue.

To me, Evie and Vivi is the bigger concern, especially if Evie is with a short-E (like EH-vee). But I generally don’t worry anywhere near as much about nickname compatibility as I do about first-name compatibility: if the nicknames turn out to be a problem, there are other options. Maybe they will go by Evie and Viv, or by Ev and Vivian, or by Everleigh and Vee.

Only you know if it’s likely two girls with V sounds would make you feel painted into a corner. For me, it would be fine, especially if you’re planning to have a larger family: two names is not enough to start an unbreakable theme, and a family of Everleigh, Vivian, Gabriel, Ada, and August is not going to make anyone say, “Why did they break the V pattern??”

I can’t know for sure, of course, but if I had to place a bet on it, I’d put my money on this being normal last-minute nerves. I think your initial reactions to the name (tears of happiness and a joyful older sister) are the ones I’d expect to pay off.

26 thoughts on “Baby Naming Issue: Are Jillian (Mom’s Name) and Vivian (Baby’s Name) Too Rhymey?

  1. A

    I pronounce the last syllables of Jillian and Vivian completely differently, so to me they don’t rhyme. Both are beautiful names!

    Reply
  2. Squirrel Bait

    The Jill- and Viv- parts of those names sound/look/feel so different that I don’t really notice the potential “matchiness” of the “-ian” part. (I wouldn’t even go as far to say that they rhyme.) They are also pretty different styles/eras of names. I think this is just pre-baby nerves. Vivian Margaret is a beautiful name! I think you should go with it!

    Reply
  3. Emily

    Agree with all of above that it’s NOT too matchy, and I just love the combination. I find that names with same beginning sounds are WAY more matchy-matchy than those with the same ending. For example, Jillian and Jean, seem more matchy-matchy than Jillian-Vivian. But that may just be me.

    Reply
  4. British American

    I agree that it’s not a problem to have Vivian be similar in sound to Jillian. If anything, it’s a nice tie in. I realized after we named our 1st son, that his name Henry is somewhat similar to my name, Jennie. (2 syllables, “en” in the middle and ending in the same EE sound.) But I’m only ever called Muma or by a random nickname at home anyhow.

    I do think that Evie and Vivie are too close for nicknames and would cause confusion, but I’d still go with Vivian anyhow and hope that the nickname situation would just work out ok anyway.

    Reply
  5. Sheri

    I think Vivian is lovely and most of the time your first name and your daughter’s won’t be said together – it’ll only be on things like your Christmas card and you can easily separate your name and hers enough that even there it isn’t a big deal!

    Nickname-wise, if Vivi doesn’t work for you, Viv is awfully cute! Evie and Viv!

    Also if you want a variation on Vivian to consider, I just finished the book The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah with a main character named Vianne, which I thought was lovely and uncommon. It’d take the link to your name away and keep the feel of Vivian, if you like it =)

    Reply
  6. Ira Sass

    I think you’re second-guessing it too much. Jillian and Vivian are similar but not similar enough to be problematic. You could even spell it Vivienne to mix things up a little bit.

    I also think Lucy Margaret sounds great, and Laurel Margaret is fine too.

    Other names you might like:
    Adele
    Adelaide
    Ida
    Ava
    Avery
    Corinne
    Corinna
    Coraline
    Philippa
    Pippa
    Violet
    Autumn
    Georgia
    Simone
    Allegra
    Francesca

    Reply
  7. Reagan

    I think Jillian and Vivian are fine. As others have suggested, you will be Mom at home and seldom do you use your name and your daughters together.

    I would be much more bothered about using the nickname Vivie with Evie. That doesn’t rule out Vivian but you may want to consider other nn possibilities now. I do Evie and Vi or Evie and Vim.

    Btw, both Laurel Margaret and Lucy Margeret sound great to me.

    Reply
  8. A 70s isha

    My daughter is named Vivian so I give a vote for staying with it :) I agree to changing the spelling to Vivienne if you visually want them to be dissimilar. I usually call my daughter Vivian but our family tends to switch between Vivi & Viv and one of her daycare teachers called her V. I think Evie (said with long or short e) & Vivie go great together.

    Reply
  9. jordan

    I really like Vivian but I think Evie and Vivi would be challenging if you are the type who use nicknames most of the time. I think Laurel, Lucy, Hazel, Adaline, and Ada are all great options and won’t be tongue twisters :)

    Reply
  10. bff

    My dad James has a son T!mothy and daughter K!mberly.
    J!m, T!m, and K!m
    Never a problem and your ‘matches’ aren’t even close to that.
    Go for it

    Reply
  11. Kim C

    I don’t see any problem with Vivian and Jillian together at all, not “rhymey” to me.

    Love Everleigh and Vivian together too, so sweet. I do think that the Vivienne spelling “fits” better, visually, with Everleigh but that’s just my personal preference. Either way, the name is lovely!

    Everleigh and Vivienne

    Evie and Vivi are a bit close in sound for nicknames but I’m sure one will present itself over time. V, Viv, Ivy, Annie, Vivo, Vi or Vann could be options. I knew a Vivian with the nn Vibs too!

    From your list I really like Adeline. The nicknames Addie or Dell/a are nice. You could always spell it Adaline and use the nickname Ada too.

    I would also like to suggest Livinia. Everleigh and Livinia nn Evie and Liv.

    Good luck!

    Reply
  12. kim

    Well, I’m a bit of an outlier on this one. The names do rhyme to me, I do say my name with my name with my daughter’s fairly often ( hello, I’m Jillian, Vivian’s mom,) and the Evie/Vivi would be a dealbreaker on its own for me. I’m also a Kim married to a Jim, and while I love him, the rhymey thing gets
    I like Adeline or Adelaide, Laurel, and Lucy, although now I’m noticing an l- pattern. But really, if you love it, well, practice the e intro (phone calls to school! This is Jillian H, Vivian H will be out sick today. Who doesn’t use their name with their kid’s on a regular basis? ) and see how much of a “thing” it is for you. If Vivi is important, say the names together, because that will happen all the time. And go with your gut. You have some great choices.

    Reply
  13. Bonnie_jo

    The Evie and Vivi bothers me more than Jillian and Vivian but it could be cute as sister names and I don’t think it’s a total deal breaker.

    I agree that you should change the spelling to Vivienne as it’s less matchy and I personally think it looks prettier and more feminine as Vivian can be a male name.

    I do also like Adelaide, Hazel and Lucy perhaps for babies number three, four and five! Everleigh, Vivienne, Lucy, Hazel and Adelaide…lovely!

    Good luck
    Good luck x

    Reply
  14. Gail

    Vivian Margaret is just a gorgeous name.

    I’m on board with everything except the Evie & Vivi part. I’m someone who named my two daughters names that proved much too similar for daily use–no nicknames–just Bryn & Robin, but still EVERYONE mixed them up. I still do, even though now they’re grown, living on different continents, and I only really say their names as a pair to other people in the family (inquiring as to where they’re at, etc.) I mix the names up when I’m talking to them on the phone! (I’ll add here that I’m generally sharp enough and easily keep other peoples’ names straight). They are never pleased when I mix up their names. It’s not as if they think fondly of the other at that point–it’s more like, “Mom……” So I include this feedback in the realm of a cautionary tale. :)

    Reply
  15. ema

    They’re a great pair! Don’t change your mind now. :) And Jillian and Vivian do not rhyme. Period. Jillian and Villian would rhyme. Jivian and Vivian would rhyme. But not Jillian and Vivian. :)

    Reply
  16. Kelsey D

    I love the name and also think it sounds great with her sister’s name! If you wanted a bit of separation with the nicknames, you could always spell it Vivienne and you could have Vienne or Vienna as shortened names as well. But if you guys love the name, then do it! Stop second-guessing!

    Reply
  17. Phancymama

    Another one here to say Jillian and Vivian are not too close. Evie and Vivi are actually pretty close and would give me pause that I would mix them up and / or it would be a tongue twister.
    However, I mix up and stumble over Mary and Lucy on a daily basis, so I’m not actually sure it can be prevented (in my case).

    Reply
  18. Anne

    I just named my daughter Vivian Margaret! So, I obviously love your name choice!
    And Evelyn is on my list if we ever have another girl. I love Vivi and Evie together. Go for it!!

    Reply

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