Hello Swistle!
I would love your help in tackling our babies(!)-naming issue. We’re having identical twin girls in September. My husband and I are really struggling to pick out two perfect names and I’m starting to get stressed out.
We have a 2 year old daughter named Evelyn (and we call her Evie, pronounced eh-vee). Our last name is DeMattia.
Before Evie, we always loved the name Luca, but we decided to keep it in case we had a boy. Here we are having 2 more girls (no more kids after this!), and we’ve decided we want to use Luca for one of the girls. So Luca is pretty much set. Now to find a name that goes with both Evie and Luca.
Here are the names we currently have in the running (top 4 being our favorites, others we like enough and could be happy with them):
Luca & Leigh
Luca & Livi
Luca & Emma
Luca & Emilia
Luca & Laine
Luca & Layne
Luca & Cate
Luca & Sophia
Luca & ReeseLeigh – we struggle with is it too plain? Seems more like a middle name. Is it too feminine in opposition to Luca (traditionally male Italian name)
Livi – we love this, and it’s 4 letters like Luca, but it’s probably too close to Evie. We could be set on this, but I don’t think we can do it since it’s so close.
Emma – is it too common and feminine, compared to Luca, which is not at all common for a girl? Love that it’s 4 letters, and like the looks of it with Luca.
Emilia – love the looks of this with Luca, but it seems like people pronounce it very differently. Is it too complicated of a name when you’re dealing with twins, especially? We like the uniqueness of this name.
Laine/Layne – Husband and I like different spellings.
Cate – like Leigh, is this too plain, especially with Luca? I like that Luca ends in “ca” and Cate begins in “Ca”
Sophia – too common?
Reese – does it work with Luca?Would love your thoughts!
Many thanks,
Jordyn DeMattia (husband is Adam)
Normally when parents write and say they’ve decided X and want help with Y, I don’t like to go messing around with X because it’s not what we’ve been asked. But sometimes it seems to me as if X is the very thing making Y so difficult.
In this case, it seems to me as if the decision to name one daughter Luca is what’s making the whole naming decision so hard. And the fact that you had decided to save the name Luca for a boy, and are using it now for a girl because you won’t be having any boys, feels like an iffy reason to use it. It is possible that it would be better to add Luca to your Sad You Can’t Use It list (a list most of us have), just as you would have if your favorite boy name had been Benjamin or Jacob. But it’s also possible that I should back off from this issue, because your question is not really “What should we name the twins?” but more “What should we name Luca’s twin?”
I guess I will push on for the moment and suggest that, as an exercise, you pretend that the name Luca dropped out of the running for some reason—like, pretend a friend of yours had a baby girl this morning and named her Luca, and now you didn’t want to use the name. Then think afresh about what you would want to name the twins. Does that in any way clear things up? That is, do you immediately make several combinations you love, and feel happy and relaxed about the decision and no longer in need of help? Then I would conclude that it was the name Luca that was clogging up your process. But if not, if instead you are now doubly stuck because now you need TWO names, then I’d conclude that the name Luca was not necessarily the issue and we should continue on with your original question.
Which is what I will do now. Let’s go through the combinations one by one:
Luca and Leigh. I don’t think Leigh is too feminine with Luca, and in fact I think it’s a nice unisex option: the spelling Leigh has been used more often for girls in the U.S., and the spelling Lee has been used more often for boys, but both spellings are unisex. I enjoy twin names with something in common such as matching initials, so for me that’s an extra point in this combination’s favor. [Edited to add: Commenter Bff mentions that “Luca and Leigh” is quite similar to “Luke and Leia.” I think this rules out the combination for me.]
Luca and Livi. I definitely think Livi is too close to Evie. Also that in this sibling group, Livi feels like a nickname.
Luca and Emma. The popularity gap is startling here: according to the Social Security Administration, the name Emma has been in the Top Ten most popular names for girls for the last sixteen years, and it’s been the very most popular girl name for the last four years. Meanwhile the name Luca has not even been in the Top THOUSAND for girls. The name Luca was #130 for boys in 2017, so in this sibling group we’d have two girls with very common and feminine names currently used almost exclusively for girls, and one girl with a unisex name used much more often for boys. That doesn’t sit well with me.
Luca and Emilia. I am not aware of multiple pronunciations of Emilia; I pronounce it like Amelia but with more of an Eh than an Ah at the beginning. The spelling has a somewhat exotic/international feeling to me, which is very nice with Luca. I do think spelling would be a constant issue (as it is with many names), but not at all at a level where I’d cross the name off the list. One hesitation is that “Emilia DeMattia” feels tongue-tangling to me. I am also still not happy with having two names used almost exclusively for girls and one name used more often for boys.
Luca and Laine/Layne. As with Leigh, I like the unisex aspect of this pairing. Would you consider compromising on Lane? It’s nice the way both names would have four letters. Luca and Lane.
Luca and Cate. I like the matching -ca/Ca- too. But the name Cate/Kate feels so so so common compared to Luca. As a given name, Cate/Kate never got out of hand—but the name Caitlin/Katelyn gave us a saturated market. And there was a time when it seemed as if every single book had a Kate in it: it was such a perfect Everywoman name. Still, it’s a great name, and the Cate spelling looks so nice with Luca.
Luca and Sophia. Similar to my issues with Emma: the name Sophia has been in the Top Ten most popular names for girls for the last twelve years, and it spent three of those years at number one. Again, this gives us a sibling group with two feminine names used almost exclusively for girls and one unisex name used much more often for boys. Spelling it Sofia would give it an international appeal I like with Luca, but I still don’t like the imbalance.
Luca and Reese. I think this works nicely, and I like the unisex nature of Reese.
So let’s see. Your top favorites were Leigh, Livi, Emma, and Emilia. I would certainly cross Livi and Emma off the list, if it were up to me. [Edited to add: as above, I would now also cross off Leigh.] I would nudge Lane and Reese higher up the list.
Here’s another moment when I would suggest checking in with your preferences. Are you finding your happiness levels decreasing as we go along here? Are the names that work well with Luca mostly names you wouldn’t be considering except that you’re looking for something to go with Luca? If the name Luca were out of the running, would all of your favorites be names used almost exclusively for girls? If yes and yes and yes, I’d again suggest the possibility of thinking “Luca would have been our favorite name if we’d had a boy—but we didn’t have a boy” and starting over with names you love for girls. But if unisex names such as Reese and Lane and Leigh were on your list with your first daughter’s name, too, then I’d lean toward those this time around.
I will also add here that I think the search for two “perfect” names is unnecessary, and may be unnecessarily stressing you out. Your only job is to find two serviceable, useful names, ideally names both of you like a lot.
Name update:
Thank you Swistle and readers for your insight and suggestions on names for our twin girls!
After lots of consideration, we had the names narrowed down to:
Luca and Leigh
Luca and LaineHowever, we just couldn’t decide which to go with, neither felt 100% right. So, we went back to the drawing board late one night, and magically came up with completely different names we loved, but had never considered before!
Our girls are:
Chloe Leigh
Callie Wren
(And big sister Evelyn Grace (Evie))So although we still love the name Luca, it will remain on our “Sad You Can’t Use It List.”
From your list, I would go with Luca and Reese.
But if you’re open to any new suggestions, Luca and Lux.
I quite like Luca & Leigh. Leigh and Lane (that spelling) are my favorites for you, but I think Reese also works nicely. Would you consider Rory or Blaine as a sister to Luca?
Luca and Lennox
Luca and Lola
Luca and Lexi
Luca and Leah
Luca and Livia
There is a little girl name Luca at my daughter’s school and her sister is Juna. I always thought those paired so well together. From your list, I think that Reese sounds the best with Luca. If you like 4 letter names, I also think that Vera and Elsa pair well with Luca and are less common than some of the names on your list.
I really like Vera with Luca! I’m not sure if it seems like this couple’s style, but you never know. The sounds and meanings of the names are great together.
I like the Vera very much, the nickname Vee is really cute as well. I …. wouldn’t put it with Luca. to me I just hear Veruca like the kid on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or the wart).
So I have a boy Lucas (nn Luca) and a girl Evelina (nn Eva). Some names I love, were I to have another girl: Rafaela, Francesca, Rosalia. Perhaps an unusual Italian name would work well with Luca as a girl’s name?
If your non-Luca preferences for a girl tend to be more feminine, how about using Lucia instead and use Luca as her nickname?
I was just going to say that! And I would pair it with Olivia. You could nickname them Luca and Livi, but they would each have more common names in case they prefer those as they grow up. Evelyn, Lucia, and Olivia sound nice together too.
I’d third the idea of using Lucia. It works well with Evelyn/Evie, and has the great nickname Lucy (or Luca?). Olivia nn Livi/Liv would be a good third name, or Emilia/Sophia/Emma from their existing list.
Note that if you have an Emilia or Emma and use nn Emmie, it might get confusing with Evie. For that reason, I’d suggest Olivia or Sophia.
I was coming her to suggest the same thing. Lucia with nn Luca would open up more options both for the twin name and for Luca herself – as she grows up she can decide what suits her most.
Oh good, a solution that feels perfect. I really dislike the concept of using a boy name on a girl just because you really like the name. If you like unisex names in general, that would be different.
But Lucia, what a great idea! You can use whatever nickname you like, but she has a beautiful, feminine name to match her sisters’ beautiful, feminine, names. And she won’t feel like you wished she was a boy.
I agree with Swistle about using Luca. I often see families with three girls give the third a more gender-neutral or masculine name when that disagrees with their normal style. I wonder if she will think her parents had gender disappointment. If you are set on using it, I would suggest a name similar in style to match. My vote would be Luca and Carmen.
Would you consider Lucia (loo-chi-a) instead of Luca? Then that would free up Emilia and other more « girly » names. Otherwise I agree with everything Swistle writes.
That was my thought too and I love the suggestion of using Lucia but then you could still use Luca as a nickname.
Otherwise I think pairing Luca with the suggestions of Juna or Vera makes Luca seem more feminine. Something about the same number of letters and the A ending.
This is my common (and futile) plea to leave boys names for boys. It’s just a fact of modern life that once names move to the girls column, boys mom abandon them and the list of options for boys grow ever shorter. I have a Charlie and I have been told by mothers of girls his age, “I’m surprise you used that when it’s such a girl name now.”
I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but I really, really, really wish the trend of using historically-masculine-names-on-girls would end.
You are not alone.
I’m completely with you, even though I know our shared opinion is an unpopular one. I have a boy named Rory–a traditionally VERY male name. A name almost exclusively male in Scotland/Ireland/England/Wales. Yet, here in the U.S., people love to tell us about girls they know named Rory. Sometimes short for Aurora, but usually just Rory. If it weren’t for that Rory Gilmore, this would not have been the case.
Save for family surnames used for girls, which I do like and support, I really prefer gender-specific.
Also, what does it say about our collective gender identity that “unisex” names are really just male, never previously female, and that a “unisex” (male) name sounds “strong”?
This is not to rail against those who choose this path. Truly, it isn’t. To each his own, and that’s the beauty of us all getting to choose our own kids’ names. But it was nice to see your comment about this trend, and I wanted to reassure you that you weren’t alone.
–from an Ashley, who has never loved her formerly-male name
Some other nice-sounding pairs:
Luca & Lena
Luca & Ada
Luca & Cara
Luca & Rosa
Luca & Tessa
Luca & Ella (instead of Emma)
Luca & Una
Luca & Zoe
Luca & Susanna [nn Luce & Suze:)]
Luca & Juno (more unisex set)
Luca & Luna (this may be too matchy-matchy…)
Using Lucia instead of Luca sounds like a good idea too:
Lucia & Emilia
Lucia & Livia
Okay, so I gave it some more thought [there should probably be a medical condition called “compulsive name-geekiness” or something like that to describe my current state;)], and these names may work well with Luca too:
Jensen, Hana (means ‘flower’ in Japanese), Jesse, London, Glenn, Sasha (like Sasha Obama or Sasha Cohen the figure skater; also a Russian nn for Alexander), Hayden, Austin, Asa, Beau (‘beautiful’ in French), Blaise, Caden, Campbell (some good nn options like Cammy or Bells), Carson, Cary, Cason, Dallas, Devon, Finley, Maxwell (Max seems like a very cute nn for a girl!), Paxton, Penn, Quinn, Drew, Skyler, Reed/Reid, Nicola (also an Italian boys name).
(Sorry if I repeated some names already suggested in the comments!)
Am I the only one looking at Luca and Leigh as a pair and getting a “star wars adjacent” vibe?
I thought that too!
Ha! Good thought! Yes, now that you’ve mentioned it, I can’t unfeel it!
Ooooh, this is why my brain kept pronouncing Leigh as Lay. I know it’s Lee but my brain kept saying Luca and Lay.
If you went with Lucia with a nickname Luca, then you have a whole world of longer feminine names with masculine nn open to you. I would personally do
Lucia with Francesca (Luca and Frankie)
Lucia and Georgiana (Luca and Georgie)
Lucia and Aurora (Luca and Rory)
This!
I’m going to second that Luca and Leigh are too Stars Wars adjacent, AND that I’d tread carefully in using Luca as it may send the message you were disappointed to not have a boy. I cannot tell you how many people have insinuated or outright said something to us, and in particular my husband, about being disappointed that my second-and-last was a girl when our oldest is also a girl. Like, in front of my kids. It’s terrible, and you don’t want to feed that.
I think the suggestion of Lucia is perfect and would allow for Leigh to be back in the picture as that would create a gap big enough for Star Wars concerns. They’d share the L and the 5 letters, but sound different enough to make them feel not cutesy.
Seconding an earlier comment to consider Lucia as the official name and pairing her with Emilia…this could get you to Luca and Emma as nicknames, while giving you formal options that are similar in style. Good luck!
I know Luca is originally a male name. BUT to me it has a couple of ‘feminine’ things about it – one being the a ending, and the other being the familiarity of the name Lucy. So it doesn’t seem out of place next to the traditional, pretty Evelyn.
But Evelyn’s name is exactly why, to me, gender neutral options like Laine or Reese just seem all out of place. Even Luca, while traditionally male, is a traditional name.
From your list my favourite would be Emilia but I’m going to throw out some suggestions because, well, why not:
Evie, Luca and Vida/Vita
Evie, Luca and Elia – too confusing? Maybe but Elia is so pretty
Evie, Luca and Aria
Evie, Luca and Cara
Evie, Luca and Alessia
I can’t really improve on Swistle’s advice. You’ve boxed yourself into a corner a bit, and you have 2 choices: stay the course with Luca, and let go of having a set of three names that seem in harmony with each other, or let go of Luca, and find names you like that also feel right.
Luca is so definitively boy to me (I live in a strongly Italian-heritage area with many boys named Luca) that I had to read the first part of your letter over again because my mind had turned it into “Lucia” when I saw “girl.” Unless she ends up living in a very non-Italian area when she grows up, this will probably be her experience for life. Which is okay! But something to consider.
Other thoughts… For Cate, Caterina would be a great full name. Sophia is popular, yes, but Emma is similar. Emilia is lovely and would make a great pairing with Lucia and Evelyn.
But my favorite would be…
Lucia & Livia
…with the nicknames Luca and Livi. I think these two are lovely!
Thank you all for the comments! Some great thoughts. We’ve thought about Lucia, but we don’t love it, so we are not considering switching Luca to Lucia. Lucia also doesn’t really work with our last name.
I’m not hugely concerned about her feeling as if we were ‘disappointed we didn’t have a boy’. We’re very excited about 3 girls, and just have always loved the name Luca (we strongly considered for our 1st daughter). Although Luca is traditionally an Italian male name, I am in the camp that a lot of names can go either way in today’s day and age.
Would love to make Luca & X work if possible, but also will be thinking, as Swistle suggests, what would we like if Luca wasn’t in the picture.
Lucia DeMattia does seem tongue tangly– but I pronounce it differently than I saw it above (lu-SEE-yuh). I think the -ia in the last makes it possibly sing-songy when also in the first.
With Luca, I’m liking Juna and Vera mentioned above, or Tula? I like something with a t in it with DeMattia Maybe Talia? Talia & Luca. Tula & Luca. Hmmm!
Tula makes me think of Tulia/Tullia, a latin female name from ancient Rome. According to Polish wikipedia, there was a saint with this name (Tulia) and an Italian female poet from 16th century, Tullia d’Aragona (among others, like Marcus Cicero’s daughter). I actually really like it (especially paired with Lucia or Livia), but, as you said, that -ia ending may be a bit problematic with DeMattia…
I love the -n ending of Evelyn with the -ia of your last name. I had the opposite problem—our last name ends in -an and all names ending in -n sounded too singsong-y. But I also think first names ending in -a or -ia end up a little rhyming with your last name, so my suggestion would be to look for more names ending in consonants.
Also, I generally think Luca works for either gender, but matched with your last name I wonder if she will get more of the assumption that she is male.
Evelyn is solidly a girl name nowadays, but it was used for boys in the past as well, so I think Luca and another unisex name would actually work very well as a sibset. If you can compromise on the spelling, I really like Luca and Lane together. Leigh looks similar to Leia, but they don’t sound alike; I would keep it on the list, too. I’m a bit on the fence about Reese. It should work in theory, but Reese is spinning Luca more boyish IMO. I think the trick is to pick a unisex name that sounds more feminine.
Some other ideas:
Luca and Meredith
Luca and Scarlett
Luca and Avery
Luca and Briar
Luca and Alexis (I really like this one)
Luca and Blair
Luca and Dana
Luca and Loren
Luca and Robin
Luca and Rory
I also think Lucia, nn Luca is a really clever idea!
Oh, Luca and Alexis could be perfect.
I am loving the suggestion of Evelyn, Lucia and Francesca aka Evie, Luca and Frankie.
I’m going to jump on the Lucia bandwagon. Or even Lucy.
Lucia & Emilia
Lucia & Sophia
Lucy & Emma
I agree that with Luca, Lane and Reese are the best options.
I think the fact that Evelyn used to be a unisex name too helps to coordinate Evie and Luca. The spelling Lucca might bring to mind the female character from The Good Wife / The Good Fight, if that would be of any help? But I like either spelling for one of your new daughters.
For Luca’s sister, how about Cady or Carey? Gets the -ca link without the popularity of Cate (and Elizabeth Cady Stanton is a great association). Cara, suggested by a few other commenters, would be lovely too.
I like Luca and Sara. Or Luca and Jade. Or Luca and Sage.
Another option is using Celeste or Andrea. They are feminine in English and Spanish, yet masculine in Italian, so you could say “we like Italian male names for our girls, they sound feminine to us”. And since Evelyn is also a male name (in origin), it’s even: all your daughters would be in the same situation.
Personally, I like Luca and Leigh best. I love Stars Wars but didn’t associate Luke and Leia with Luca and Leigh.
Other suggestions:
Luca, & Alma
Luca & Veda
Luca & Cleo
Luca & Vivi (Vivian)
Luca & Levi
Luca & Edde
Luca & Lettie
Luca & Gia
Luca & Brea
I see Lucia has already been suggested instead of Luca, which I was going to say. I see the Luke and Laya connection has been made, which I was also going to mention.
I know you say you’re set on Luca and I think I understand your thought process. When we were pregnant with our first it was going to be Lucille if it was a girl and Lennon if it was a boy. Our first was a girl. We loved the name Lennon and preferred it for a boy but I remember saying “maybe if we have a girl next, our 3rd will be Lennon regardless of gender.” I later changed my mind for 2 reasons:
1. I would not want my 3rd daughter to feel I was disappointed that she was a girl. Your name is your identity, and I think the story behind the name should be beautiful. “My parents were saving it for a boy but knew when I was born they wouldn’t have one…” not a story I’d want associated with my child’s identity.
2. We loved the name Lucille just as much as Lennon and I realized, if baby #1 was a boy I never would have said “if the next one is a boy, maybe we’ll name the 3rd Lucille regardless of gender.” Because that doesn’t happen in our society. We’re allowed to give our daughters boy names and call it strong or spunky… but we can’t name our sons girl names and say the same. I hate that double standard and I don’t want to be part of it and teach my kids femininity is inferior.
By all means, I don’t know your reasoning for choosing Luca, so my points may not apply. But, I thought it may be good food for thought.
Of your options I like Reese because it makes Luca the less obvious boy name.
I notice that you have mentioned twice that Luca is a ‘traditionally an Italian male name’. I think given its current popularity it could be said to be a ‘traditionally male name’. Adding in about it being Italian gives the impression that it is unusual and that people in the US won’t recognise it as a male name and I don’t think that is the case. I think Luca is more in the camp of Ryan than say Mitya which English speakers may reasonably assume is a feminine name in it’s original language.
This doesn’t in any way mean that I don’t think Luca could work just that I think you should look at it as a bold choice and expect that people will assume male until told otherwise.
There’s a mountain here in Canada called Lucania. Might be a pretty way to get to nn Luca.
I wonder if Catrice might pair well with Luca, matching the “-ca” and “Ca-” you liked in the Luca and Cate pairing. It also leaves the nn Cate and Reese open!
I also really like the unisex Micah with Luca although it may be too matchy-matchy or masculine-leaning for some preferences. Instead, Shiloh or Sydney might also work for you as unisex/favoring girls name.
I also really do like the 2 syllable, 4 letter pairings with Luca: Maia, Tara, Nora, Rhea, etc.
I can’t describe why but these few other names are jumping to mind for you:
Marcella
Acacia
Carmel
Cassia (has the “ca” thing again and a Emilia/Sophia vibe)
Briony
Lavinia (nn Livi? or Liv? Evie, Luca and Liv?)
I’m from Italy so my opinion is biased but I really don’t get why anyone would want to use the name Luca on a girl. That would be the equivalent of an Italian girl named John or Michael…it sounds so wrong. And your last name is Italian too which makes the full name 100% Italian, when I read Luca De Mattia I picture a man.
Anyway if you’re set on using Luca on a girl I would suggest pairing it with another masculine / unisex name. Luca & Emma or Luca & Emilia definitely look like boy / girl twins.
Completely agree! Luca does not read girl to me whatsoever, especially paired with that last name. Also adding Evelyn as a sibling and possibly another feminine twin name makes it seem even more masculine!
I like Cara/Kara, Juno and Rosa as mentioned above as a twin for Luca. I agree that the two four-letter names make them match without being too matchy-matchy (i.e. Luna, unfortunately).
I’m a fan of the name Nev/Neve, but it’s too similar to Evie, even though I like that the V somehow ties Evelyn’s name to the twins. Luca and Neve.
Dove? Luca and Dove. Evelyn, Luca & Dove.
You could go all the way to Genevieve to get Nev, but then you might have an Evie and a Nevie.
Or you could go Vivi? Evie, Vivi & Luca. Vivi and Evie might have too much Vee.
Genevieve and Luca also somehow makes Luca swing further towards boy (imho).
Rosario. Evelyn, Luca & Rosario. Evie, Luca and Rosa.
Rosalie. Evelyn, Luca & Rosalie. Evie, Luca and Rosa.
The Rosa part works, but Rosalie swings Luca towards boy, where Rosario weirdly doesn’t (again, imho). My only real life reference is Rosario Dawson.
If Lucia isn’t a good journey to Luca, is Lucinda any better? Lucinda and Rosalie. Evie, Luca and Rosa.
Giada? Evelyn, Luca & Giada. Might be too much with your last name.
Sorry if this is a duplicate comment, but just as a heads up, there is a kids shoe brand called “Livie and Luca” so I think I would definitely stay away from any combo that is similar to that!
Yes! I had a long comment that never posted but to summarize: Livie & Luca makes me think of the shoes; I have twin girls too and very much support giving them non-matchy, different initial names – they are grouped together so much it’s nice to support individuality where you can, IMO. :)
I couldn’t help but think that Luca was the problem. It very much seems not your style when it comes to girls names. If you had other unisex or boys-names-for-girls on your list, I would feel differently. But you don’t, so Luca really sticks out and doesn’t fit in. I think if Luca is 100% going to be used, and you want the twin names to coordinate. You will need to start looking at more unisex/masculine choices.
If you don’t like that name style for girls, I do agree it’s time to say goodbye to Luca. Perhaps a similar feminine name would help with this, and allow you to find a pairing you can feel happy about? Lucia or Lucy both come to mind.
Luca is all-boy to me, and Evelyn (past history notwithstanding) is very girly and traditional. Which doesn’t mean Luca is off the table, just that I would make it a nickname for something longer and more feminine, like Lucia (Loo-sha) or Lucinda.
Also, we are not at a point where children are named anything regardless of gender (I mean, sure, but not in general popular practice). We are at a point where people use boys names for girls, but not girls names for boys. That isn’t the same thing as naming our kids whatever regardless of gender.
Evelyn, Lucinda and Rose (Evie, Luca and Rose/Rosie)
Evelyn, Lucinda and Georgia (Evie, Luca and Gigi)
Evelyn, Lucinda and Annabelle (Evie, Luca and Bella)
Evelyn, Lucinda and Beatrice (Evie, Luca and Trixie)
Evelyn, Lucinda and Emilia (Evie, Luca and Emmy)
Congratulations! What a lovely family you will have with three sisters!
I’m also expecting identical twin girls this fall, plus have a two year old girl too. I know the struggle of trying to give all those girls cohesive and well balanced names that you both love!
You seem pretty set on Luca, so I’m not going to to try and persuade you to change it. It’s not my style, but if you guys love it that’s what is important. That being said, I really think your other little girl needs a unisex/masculine name. I think it’s okay for both twins names to depart in style from Evelyn, but it feels sort of cruel to give only one girl a traditionally male name. Especially if her twin sister has a traditionally feminine name. My suggestions are
Luca and Noa/Noah (my favorite)
Luca and Alex
Luca and Remy
Luca and River
Luca and Sage
Luca and Dylan
I love Luca for a girl, and love the combination of Evelyn and Luca! Here are some suggestions for baby girl #3:
Evelyn, Luca, and Fiona
Evelyn, Luca, and Remy
Evelyn, Luca, and Josephine (Joey)
Evelyn, Luca, and Margo(t)
Evelyn, Luca, and Frances (Frankie or Frannie)
Evelyn, Luca, and Rosie
Evelyn, Luca, and Mila
Evelyn, Luca, and Harriet (Hattie)
Best of luck!
I don’t think you should pair Evelyn with Luca (for a girl). Here are some alternatives from the Italian Top 50 (some are Americanised variants):
Aurora
Julia
Emma
Alice
Clara
Anna
Sarah
Victoria
Arianna
Camila
Mia
Eleanor
Charlotte
Isabella
LUCA is short hand for “likely universal common ancestor,” as in the very first tiny bit of life on earth in the primordial soup. I always think “Italian boy” and “evolution” in that order.
Would you consider a science-y name to try to balance out Luca? Luca and Daphne (an island in the Galapagos). Luca and Ada (Lovelace). Luca and Edwina (Hubble).
Luca and Sienna for two Italian towns
What about Luca as a nickname for Lucinda? Or for LC initials like Louise Catherine or Laurel Cecile etc.
Luca and Carys
Luca and Lorna
I also like Evelyn, Maria Luca and Francesca, Evie, Luca and Frankie. Super cute nicknames with feminine full names if they prefer later in life. This is maybe my favorite.
I’m in New Zealand and the only Luca’ s I know are girls .
I think its a beautiful name that works well with Evie/Evelyn. I’m in agreeance with several other posters who have suggested Frankie or Francesca for her sister, and I also like the suggestion of Sage.
I’m not a fan of calling a baby ‘A’ with the intention of always calling them ‘B’ (nicknames are different), so if Luca is the name you love go with that rather than trying to work backwards to get to it.
From your list I love, Cate and Laine.
Livi is too close to Evie for me, (I would assume they were the twins).
You have both Emma and Emilia on your list, what about Emily?
Vita sounds marvelous with your surname!
Lucia (pronounced Loo-sha) would work well, too.
Evelyn does not strike me as Italian, though.
Maybe something more complimentary?
Daphne
Lucinda
Phoebe
Estelle
Irene
Maren
Best wishes!
When I read your letter, I definitely thought Lane could be a great spelling match for Luca!
Other suggestions – Ida, Ira, Sage, Rowan, Blake, Carys, Berit, Merritt or Sawyer. I think either picking something gender neutral but leaning towards masculine would balance out Luca! If you were worried about giving a “boys” name to your daughter, you could always make it a double name (or just call her both first and middle) with a more feminine second name/middle name. For instance Luca Cate or Luca Mae or Luca Rose :)
Excited to hear what you pick!
I agree with others who said that Luca is such a boy name I would only pair it with another boy name, and give both girls boy names, or at least a boy name and a unisex name…
Luca & James
Luca & Micah
Luca & Noah
Luca & Leslie
These names would be not my style, and they don’t match Evelyn particularly well, but to me this is the only way to make Luca not feel like the odd one out.
I know a female Luca with a sister Isla, which I think works well as a pair. Isla is now much more popular than Luca in the USA, of course, but still much rarer than Evelyn. I think it bridges the gap nicely.
I also wanted to suggest Livia, Ada, Juno, Cleo and Hana, but see that others have beaten me to it.
Other suggestions:
Evelyn, Luca and Calla (has the -ca, Ca- thing going on, but feels like a better match for Luca than Cate does)
Evelyn, Luca and Mara
Evelyn, Luca and Nova
Evelyn, Luca and Fleur
Evelyn, Luca and Maya
Evelyn, Luca and Zora
Evelyn, Luca and Heidi
Evelyn, Luca and Mika
Evelyn, Luca and Astrid
Evelyn, Luca and Nara
Evelyn, Luca and Mira
Evelyn, Luca and Anya
Evelyn, Luca and Sylvie
Evelyn, Luca and Mila
Good luck!
I have occasionally heard mention of girls named Elijah, and I feel like that might work well with Luca. They are all 3 very different names (Evelyn, Luca and Elijah) but they are 3 different people and even though their name style might be different for each, they sound nice to my ear together.
I think it’s so interesting how strongly so many commenters feel about Luca being a boy name. It was a front runner for our first, had she been a boy, but we had some concerns that it sounded too feminine. At the time, I read similar comments sections on another website about how girly the name is.
I don’t agree with Luca being a good nickname for Lucia or Lucinda; the sounds are very different. I think if you like Luca, you should go with Luca. (If you did want a longer name, Lucasta might be an option).
I would personally pair Luca with something pretty unfamiliar and short. A fairly unusual two syllable name ending in A sounds like a good match to my ear. for example, Luca and Calla.
If you go with Luca:
Luca and Lila
Luca and Lainey
Luca and Zoe
Luca and Liza
Luca and Sloane
I’d suggest Lucy instead of Luca though
Reading all the comments/ideas about Luca is making me think of my sister’s name, N!cola Luc!a. Her first name is after a male Nicola, but pronounced like Nicole with an “uh” at the end, with the nickname Nica. Lucia is pronounced the Italian way, loo-chi-uh. Nicola & Lucia could be good twin names!
Other feminine names with the same route:
Lucy
Lucille
Lucinda
Luciana
Luz
Other Lu/Lou names:
Lulu
Louise
Louisa/Luisa
Luna
Lucretia (I like this with Evelyn, it plays up the old fashioned vibe)
Lupe
Lupita
You might also like:
Nico
Gianna
Francesca
Aria
Twin combos:
Luca & Aria
Luca & Cara
Nicola & Lucia
Lucy & Cate/Kate
Lucy & Emma
Francesca & Louisa (Frankie & Lou)
Gianna & Luna
Pairing with Evie and DeMattia, I’d suggest: Luca and Scarlet, Luca and Mira, Luca and Juliet, Luca and Paige. Best wishes!
I have a Lucia (loo-chee-a) nn Lulu (or Lucci) and Elena (eh-lee-na) nn Lena. I would have done Luca for a boy, though I think it could work for any gender. I would pair it with a more gender-neutral name rather than a girly name though for twins. I see you wrote that Lucia was not appealing with the sound of your last name, but what about Luciana?
Use Luca. You’ve weighed the history of the name and still feel strongly about wanting to use it. Great. I think most will find it is perfect when associated with the child. My friend named her son Emerson. While the baby was being baked, I had a hard time imagining a boy Emerson. Now it seems perfect. His brother is Robert. This is a pairing I would have been mildly uncomfortable with reading it on this site, but it works well in real life.
From your list, Luca and Cate is my favorite pairing. Instead of Lane, Laine, Layne, I prefer Elena.
Evelyn, Luca, & Cate.
Evelyn, Luca & Elena.
Other suggestions:
Evelyn, Luca & Alma
Evelyn, Luca & Lorna
Evelyn, Luca & Etta
Evelyn, Luca & Remy (instead of Emma)
Evelyn, Luca & Willa
Evelyn, Luca & Camila
Looking forward to your update!
A friend had her children in Belgium and her daughters are Luka and Ayla. Maybe spelling it with a “k” would make someone more apt to question the gender rather than assuming boy. Although, I will also note that when my cousin named her son Luca a few years ago, she got more than one person assuming that she had a girl.