Dear Swistle,
We are currently expecting our third, a little girl, who is due at the End of August. We already have two boys, Wayne Morrison is six and Jerry Wyatt is four years old. We are very happy with our name choices. We like that both Wayne and Jerry are familiar, but so rare that we never encounter them in their age group. Only occasionally someones grandfather or great-grandfather will go by these names.
We liked the name Mary for both of our kids if they had been girls, but now it is out because it is too similar to Jerry. We also liked the name Ella back then, but now realize that it is hugely popular at the moment. We like old-fashioned names, and apparently everybody else does, too! So I think we were very lucky with our boys’ names, but it makes choosing a girl’s name very difficult.
Names my husband doesn’t like, but I do, are Mona, Adele and Trudy. He suggested Brooke, which feels too modern for my taste. If this baby were a boy, we propbably would have named him Edwin, or maybe Morgan. Last name is Cooper-with-an-H. My name is Anna, and my husband’s name is Nicholas.
Please help! We are running out of ideas.
Anna
Brooke definitely feels like a style misfit to me with Wayne and Jerry. Your choices of Mona and Trudy seem right-on (I’m particularly keen on Trudy), but of course that doesn’t help if your husband doesn’t like those names. More possibilities:
Belinda
Bess
Bonnie
Colleen
Diane
Eileen
Ellen
Ginny
Helen
Jean
Joan
Judith
June
Kay
Lois
Mabel
Marcy
Marian
Milly
Myra
Nancy
Peggy
Sally
Susan
I’m especially fond of Sally from this list. Wayne, Jerry, and Sally.
Name update!
Hi Swistle,
Thanks again for all the great ideas.
We ended up narrowing it down to Betty, Agnes, Martha, Robin and Sally, which we all loved. We took a few hours to rethink it all, looking at her little face, and ended up naming her Martha Shirley. We are all in love with her and her name, and Wayne and Jerry are very excited to be big brothers.Thank you!
Love Swistle’s suggestion of Sally.
Also obsessed with Peggy, Susan, Nancy and Ellen. I think this mid century sibset is great!
I am going to throw my name out there…. Brenda.
Everyone always thinks it’s from the generation of Wayne and Jerry. I love my name, it’s not common but people know it.
I love Trudy. Maybe time will sway DH. I would personally avoid another name that ends in the ee sound, (too close to Jerry) so in that aspect Trudy isn’t ideal, but it is just so sweet.
I will suggest:
Wayne, Jerry and Francine
Wayne, Jerry and Lucille
Wayne, Jerry and Maxine
Wayne, Jerry and Regina
This is fun! You are really going against the grain right now in terms of style, but I think that means your kids will just be ahead of the curve. I think names like Wayne and Jerry (and Sally, Linda, Barbara, Keith, etc…) will be popular again in another 20-30 years time– when kids born now are having their own children and naming them.
To that end, I went to the SSA baby name website and picked a random mid-century year (1954) and looked through it for inspiration.
Some names that popped out at me:
Marion/Marian — great alternate to Mary!
Marianne
Nancy
Cynthia
Karen
Judy
Gloria
Arlene
Joy
Joyce
Jody (Jodie, Jodi)
Karla
Betsy
Sonia
Lu (I love that almost 400 girls were named just plain “Lu” in 1954!)
Marcy
Dreama
Laureen
Roxie
Noreen
Jolene
Joanne
Yolanda
Yvette
Lorraine
Loretta
Beverly
Cara
Also, Maureen jumps out at me as another Mary-alternative.
Loving Sally, Susan, Ellen and Elaine for you.
I really love Joan and I’m sad that it’s probably a no-go with Jerry – keeping separate initials is something I like, so I figure it’s out for that reason.
Wonder what you think of Sharon, Audrey, Marjorie or Maureen?
Oh and Lorraine! I love Lorraine too :)
I had the same thought about Maureen!
If you like Adele and Ella, what about Adella/Adela?
Trudy made me think of Prudence.
Colleen made me think of Colette and Maureen.
Elaine rhymes with Wayne, so although it’s a lovely name I wouldn’t use it.
Other ideas:
Louise (Lou, Lulu, Weetzie)
Edith (Edie)
Barbara
Lila
Lillian (Lily)
Marie or Maria
Nadine
Carolyn (Carrie, Cally, Lyn)
Lorna
Angela (Ange, Angie)
Patricia (Patty, Tricia)
Patrice
Roberta (Ro, Bobbi, Birdie)
Teresa/Theresa
Tessa or Tess
Alison
Oh, and what about Marla or Marlene? Or Joanna?
Good thought about Elaine; I’m going to take it off the list.
Elaine and Jerry are also main characters on Seinfeld, correct?
Oh Lorna is great!
Mona + Brook= Monica
Timeless, familiar, easy to spell, strong and feminine.
I know two – one is 95, the other is 30 and the younger one is sometimes called Mona. So you could secretly get your favorite as a nick name.
Wayne, Jerry and Monica
I also like Sally. But not as much as Monica.
Oh wow, Monica is absolutely perfect! You’re so right. What a great choice!!
I also love Sally. It’s my Nana’s name, born in the 1930’s. I’m partial to it ;)
How about Beverly? Has the familarity of an older name but modern sound as well. (Everly)
Oh, I love Sally. Since your only problem with Mary is it rhymes with Jerry, I wonder if you’d like a variant of Mary? Marie, Maria, Miriam, Maris, Molly, Marin, Maimie.
Jane, Louise, Ruth, Betty, Gayle, Faye, May, Susan, Deborah/Debbie.
Some of these may be repeats:
Monica (love this suggestion!)
Judith
Jillian
Edith
Sharon
Suzanne
Wendy
Vera
Darla
Darlene
Helen
Harriet
Rose (love this as a first name!)
Rosemary
Linnea
Evelyn
Rita
Anita
I believe Moira is another Mary alternative.
True! And spelling it Moyra would tie in with the boy names.
I like Marcy because of its similarity to Mary and because it feels like a good stylistic fit with Jerry & Wayne.
Since both of your boys have W names, and you liked Edwin, I wonder if you’ve thought about Wendy or Winnie for a little girl.
Polly? You could make it short for Pauline if you wanted a longer formal name. I think my favorite of Swistle’s suggestions is Bonnie.
I wish I thought of this during my first comment but one of my favorite outliers to my style is Roxanne, which I think is another option for you. Such a power name! I love that Annie can be a nickname for it too.
I love Nadine for you.
My aunt is Gertrude Elizabeth aka Trudi Beth and it’s so cute. Would he like a double name? What about Bobbi Jo? Or Bobbi Lu?
I also like Suzanne with Wayne and Jerry. Nancy is on my (ever fading chance) girl list, but I wonder with the popularity of Fancy Nancy if we’ll be seeing a resurgence there sooner rather than later.
I LOVE Sally for you guys! I also love Edith (nicknamed Edie perhaps) and Betty. The other day I saw a tiny newborn Betty and the sweetness of that nickname really works on a little person.
By the way, your naming style is the same as my 20 year old brother, who tends to be a forward thinker. (His current favorite names are Ruth, Bruce and Janet)
Morgan even though its a girl? Miranda? Muriel? Myrna?
What about Robin?
Since you liked Ella I would suggest Etta (stand alone or full name Henrietta)!
I came down here to suggest Etta too!
I also really like Betsy with this sibset although, you might want to avoid names that end in the “y” sound because of Jerry.
I will second Susan here. Or how about
Andrea
Bernice
Carole
Diane
Linda
Lois
These all have a 40s/50s vibe, which seems to be what you’re after.
One name that hasn’t been mentioned yet that I think fits well with Wayne and Jerry is Alice
Alice and Jerry were the characters is a “learn to read” book series used when I started kindergarten in 1953 :-) I don’t know if many people would make the association, but the minute I read the name Jerry I thought of Alice and Jerry. It would sort of be like naming kids Dick, Jane and Sally.
I’m also getting a slightly Western or cowboy/cowgirl flair to your naming style – which I adore. Here are some more:
Ruby (rising in popularity but maybe not in your region?)
Trixie (could do Beatrix or Beatrice as a full name)
Norma
Constance
Kitty (short for Catherine)
Willa (you’ve got a W in each of your son’s names)
My favorites already mentioned: Helen and Roxie
I would love to hear what you end up with!!
ANNIE….love it!
Both jerry and Wayne peaked in the 1940s. I’d look for female names that peaked during that same time.
I like Lois the best from Swistle’s list. Hubby suggested Edna. As others have mentioned, I do like that Roxanne has your name built into it. I like these names too, but haven’t checked to see when they peaked:
Iris
Mavis
Lorna
Dorothy nicknamed Dot
Loretta, gives you the possible nickname of Etta.
Would your hubby like Ramona instead of Mona?
Mavis is awesome!
WOW! Great names that really had not been on my radar, but I can totally see them on two little boys.
My pick for you is Rita, (spunky 40s vibe!) but I also like Ellen, Beverly, and Margaret called Peggy. Please do update :)
Yes, Rita! Great suggestion.
How about Maura, Millicent, Avis, or Eve? You might also like Kathleen.
Both Wayne and Jerry are such awesome statement names (and nickname proof) I wouldn’t want to ‘compete’ with either of them by using a girl name with either a long A (Fay, Mabel, etc.) or one that ends in Y or IE. That does eliminate a lot of great stylistic choices such as Sally, Bonnie, or Nancy, but I would want to cede that ending to Jerry. So I’d look for nickname proof names that don’t end in Y. Here’s my short list:
Donna
Barbara
Carol
Linda
Cheryl
Paula
anything ending in “een”–Maureen, Eileen, Colleen, Darlene, etc.
I think using the name Mary as a lodestar of “what we always wanted to name a girl” throws you/us off the scent a bit, because Mary is a classic in a way that neither Wayne nor Jerry ever was.
Please let us know, this particular query is so interesting!
Sally is far and away my favorite name for you guys. I also love Betty, Edith, and Opal.
I love Irene, Frances, Joanna, Patricia, Eileen and Laura for you.
Your current sibset does remind me of what was popular in the 50’s and 60’s. It is amazing how refreshing it sounds now. Mona and Trudy do seem to fit well, Adele, Brooke, and Morgan strike me as out of sink.
I took a look at the top 20 names in 1960 and really like Donna, Linda, and Brenda with Wayne and Jerry.
Someone already mentioned my name–Carol–but I’ll put in a firsthand plug for it. It’s a good fit for you stylistically, I think. It’s a nice balance of girl/woman, feminine/solid/professional. It’s familiar but will be unusual in her age range (as it was in mine). It has a good meaning (“song of joy”). It has served me well!
Barbara (Bobbie! Babs! Barbie!)
Margaret (Peggy! Greta! Maggie! Meg! Gertie! Margie!)
Sarah (Sally! Sadie!)
Roberta (Robbie! Bobbie! Bertie!)
Matilda (Tillie! Mattie! Teddy!)
Millicent/Mildred/Melissa (Millie!)
Linda
Lois/Louise/Louisa
Also, Ruth!
Oh I also like Faye and Pearl in this sibset. I would have suggested June as well, but I like to have each kid get their own initial if possible.
I’m commenting again to echo a previous comment: Ramona!!! Great suggestion, JMV.
Also, more suggestions because I just can’t stop with this one: Yvonne, Thelma, Rosemary, Alma, Billie, Gladys, and (dare I suggest it? I actually kind of love it) Myrtle.
Wanda also comes to mind, but maybe you don’t want to repeat the W from Wayne. Zelda?
Veronica, Opal, Muriel, Inez…Verna, Norma, Lucille… I’m sure some of these are repeats. It’s hard to stop!
betty
minnie
orla
ida
pearl
bette
but bettty, oh betty steals my heart and seems perfect with your boy names!
I quickly read through your letter and didn’t have a chance to read Swistle’s response or the comments here, so I might just be repeating everything- if so, sorry!!
If you had said you were naming a boy to go with Jerry and Wayne I would have suggested names such as Butch, Earl, Carl, Richard, Douglas, etc.
For a girl, sibling names that come to mind include Sally, Barb, Cathy, Donna, Denise, Debbie, Pat, Susie.
Best wishes!
Love the suggestions of Sally, Tess and Faye!
What about Nell/Nelle or Elsie? Elsie with the nickname Ellie is cute!
All the best!
Susie is adorable!
Wayne, Jerry and Susie. So cute!
SO FUN. I love the mid-century too! I want to suggest my own daughter’s name, Martha, which is a classic like Mary but also has a wee bit of a Western vibe, being the full name of Mattie from True Grit.
Other slightly Western, spunky, mid-century faves of mine:
Gloria
Irene
Lucinda
Colette
Ruth (Ruthie!)
Rita (I secretly love Rita)
Margaret called Maggie or Peggy
Susan/Susannah (I love Susie)
Oooh: or Margaret called Margie. Someone else suggested that above and I can’t help seconding it. I am shocked by how adorable I find Margie. It does help that on the public radio station here in Seattle the sweet-voiced DJ of the rockabilly show is known as Miss Margie Makers.
I see it’s been suggested several times, but I saw the name Donna this morning and thought of this family.
Piggybacking off Brooke, have you ever considered Bridget? It was at its peak in the ’60s but I think it has a wonderful midcentury vibe.
These are my favorites that have been suggested:
Monica
Edith
Carol
Ellen
Rita
Eileen (instead of Elaine, even though I love Elaine….but Jerry & Elaine screams Seinfeld) ;)
Helen
Lois
Ruth
Sally and Betty are both adorable. But you said you wanted to stay away from matching endings with Jerry.
What about Daphne? Daphne had a bump in the 1960’s from Scooby Doo. Has anyone suggested Esther? Or Astrid?
Ooops, I got confused with another poster who didn’t want matching endings for her children. So perhaps Sally and Betty are in the running! Wendy is another one of my favs.
So many wonderful suggestions! I love Monica, Beverly and Mavis in particular. I’m probably repeating, but here are some of my favorites from the 1940s-50s era: Louise, Patty, Kathy, Annette, Carolyn, Karen, Deborah, Marilyn, Julie, Gail, Phyllis, Donna, Gloria, Paula, Lynn, Cheryl
I haven’t see it suggested but I think Lisa is another good choice for you.
Great sibset!
First name that came to me was Lucy!
Wayne, jerry and Lucy.
I love the repeating y in all the names.
Another name that I thought would work is Kathleen.
Wayne, Jerry and Kathleen. You could use nn Kay or Kathy.
Just chiming in one last time to say I am going to be so sad if this post never gets an update. :””( Please, please remember to update this one, Wayne and Jerry’s mom!
Trudy is so sweet!
I also love the suggestions of Sally, Betsy, Loretta (Etta), Myra, Linda, and Ramona.
What about…
Dorothy (Dot/Dottie)
Wilma
Arlene
Edna (since you like Edwin)
Lisa
Joanne
Julie (too close to Jerry?)
Jillian
Shannon
Suzanne
First and immediate thought, Edith. Wayne, Jerry and Edith.
Whoa! When I was reading your letter, I was thinking, “They would probably like my name…” and then Sally was Swistle’s top pick! I feel special. :) It really does tick all the boxes, though; familiar without being common, unique without being weird, easy to say, easy to spell, has a history, etc. People seem to like to say it, too – it’s a happy name to sing out. Best of luck with your decision!
Miriam
Maxine
Agnes
Holly
Nina
I love the options listed here already. And I love your naming style! Here are some others to consider, possibly already mentioned in the comments:
Peggy
Martha
Nina (I particularly like this one for you, pronounced Knee-na seems preetier than N-eye-na)
Colleen
Ruth
Myra
Good luck with your baby girl. You have great style and that baby will, too!
One more! Frances, nickname Frannie
Martha Shirley is the cutest! What a fabulous blend of classic and slightly honky-tonk. I’m so thrilled you went with Martha because I thought it was so perfect for you! Congratulations!
What a great name and it works so well in this sibling group. Great job and congratulations!
My first name is Martha! I am overjoyed to see you chose Martha Shirley! It’s a wonderful combo and matches your sons’ names so well.
I’ve been quietly watching and waiting, as Martha is climbing the charts overseas. In my family, Martha has been passed down for 7 generations.
Congratulations!!