Sarah writes:
We are due with a baby girl in early July. She is our fourth child and second daughter- our other three kids’ names are Adelay Isabelle, Elias Marek and Jameson Beckett Isaac. Our last name rhymes with “Dover.” For first names we tend to like longer, three syllable names, kind of old fashioned or elegant but not REALLY out-there old fashioned (i.e. I like Meredith but would probably not consider anything like Gertrude or Winifred) with a cute, more commonly known nickname (our kids commonly go by Addy, Eli and Jamie.) For middle names we don’t have any real pattern- Isabelle was a family name I loved, Marek was a German/Polish name my husband adored but which we had nixed as a first name because of the possible “Mary” nickname, and Beckett was just a name we both really liked and had considered as a first name. Isaac had special meaning to me and I wanted to use it as well.)
I’d prefer a name that starts with a consonant, to even things out a bit, and would prefer not to use the other kids’ first initials, but these are just preferences, not deal breakers.
Something else I thought of today is that I’d really like her name to express a certain meaning- this baby was very much unexpected, and despite my having a lot of issues which make me prone to miscarriage, she somehow stuck with us! We feel like she’s a special gift, a special surprise to our family, and I’d really love it if the meaning of her name could express that in some way.
Lastly, here are a few of the names we’ve tossed around so far, to give you an idea of our style:
Bellamy
Cambria
Calista
Evelyn or Everly
Marlayna
Felicity
MagnoliaA couple of middle name ideas we’ve (I’ve!) come up with are:
Annelise (or just Elise)
Brielle
Bronwen
Isla
Jane
TansyWe’d love suggestions, or ideas of how to pair up the existing names on our list! Thank you so much!
It’s funny how challenging it is to find a baby name when there are already three named babies! I keep thinking of The Perfect Name and then “Oh…wait…no, that won’t work.”
I feel like PUSHING you to use Felicity: the consonant/non-repeating initial is good; and the nicknames Fliss, Flip, and Lissie are available if not quite as commonly known as Addy, Eli, and Jamie; but what really sells the name is the meaning, which is “happy and lucky.” So perfect for a special surprise gift baby. Felicity Jane seems like a natural choice, or Felicity Brielle and Felicity Elise would work well.
I also checked Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse Dictionary of Baby Names, and found more candidates (though double-check meanings in several other dictionaries, since these can vary considerably from book to book):
Beatrix (Bee, Trixie): bringer of joy
Marnina (Marnie, Nina): rejoice
Theodora (Thea, Dorrie): God’s gift
(I would also have included Isadora, which seems like a very good fit except for the vowel initial, and also means “gift”—but it means specifically “gift from the goddess Isis.” The “thea/theo” names are a less specific god.)
Another option would be to put the meaning name in the middle name slot, which opens up more options that I didn’t include in the first list because they don’t fit as well with the other children’s names and/or with other preferences:
Adia: gift
Dorothea/Dorothy: God’s gift
Felice: happy, fortunate
Halla: surprise gift
Jesse: gift
Joy: er, joy
Kay: joy
Lacey: happy
Thea: God’s gift
If the name Felicity ends up being a no-go, I then move to pushing the name Magnolia. It’s been on my own list, and I think it has HUGE potential for being a very pleasing name. So many people want girl names that are long with nickname choices, but then they’re tired of Alexandra and Samantha and Cassandra and Elizabeth. Well, then, Magnolia needs to STEP UP. Maggie! Nola! Lia! It fits particularly well in this sibling group, I think, since Addy and Maggie are both very familiar nicknames, but Adelay and Magnolia are much less familiar. And we have the consonant/non-repeating initial M! I’d pair it with a happy/lucky/gift middle name; maybe Magnolia Joy, or Magnolia Felice.
If Magnolia is a little too unusual, I suggest Margaret. Greta, Meg, Maggie, Daisy! So many nickname choices!
Because of Cambria on your list, I suggest Camilla. Darling nicknames, either Cami or Milly. If Prince Charles’s wife is a negative association (I think of her as someone who has shown dignity and grace under very embarrassing circumstances—but the embarrassing circumstances do come to mind), I recommend Camellia. It’s a flower name like Magnolia, and its similarity to the more popular Amelia makes me wonder why it’s not being used as a less common alternative. I like Camellia Joy.
Camellia makes me think of Romilly. Ooo, I like that for this sibling group. I gather some pronounce it RO-milly (like the Ro in Rose) and some pronounce it RAH-milly (like the Ro in Ross); if I used the former, I would probably use the nickname Romy; for the latter, I’d use the nickname Milly.
Or Rosalie would be very nice. Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Rosalie; Addie, Eli, Jamie, and Rosie. I like Rosalie Joy, or Rosalie Jane.
I love Meredith, which since you mention liking it but it’s not in your list, I’m guessing is not a candidate. But I love that name, and the nickname Merrie is so cute and happy. Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Merrie: all very different sounds.
Charlotte might work beautifully. Charlie and Lottie are both possible nicknames; I’d probably choose Lottie, not only because I prefer it, but because it makes it clearer which members of the sibling group are boys and which are girls. Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Lottie. I like Charlotte Felice, Charlotte Jane, Charlotte Kay, Charlotte Brielle, or Charlotte Elise.
Cordelia is a name I’ve seen cropping up here and there. Old-fashioned but not TOO old-fashioned, and several good nicknames: Corrie, Delia (plus the more casual Deels).
Or Liviana. It’s similar to the much more popular Olivia and Lilliana, so I’m surprised it isn’t used more. Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Livvie/Livvy.
It seems like we heard a lot about the name Vivienne for awhile, and then almost nothing recently. That’s another one that has some sounds in common with Olivia. Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Vivienne; Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Vivvie/Vivvy/Vivi.
Penelope is on my own “sad not to use it” list. Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Penelope; Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Penny/Nellie/Poppy.
Clarissa is another of my pet favorites, and quite similar in sound to Felicity. Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Clarissa; Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Clary. (I’m not sure I would have thought of Clary as a natural nickname, but then it’s been in TWO novels I’ve recently read, so I must just not have encountered it before.)
Emmeline repeats the E initial, which is too bad because I think Addy and Emmy make a very cute sister pair.
Or would you like Karenna? Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Karenna; Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Kari. Though I probably wouldn’t nickname it because I like the full version so well. Maybe another nickname, a non-name-based one, would occur naturally.
I knew a girl named Linnea (linn-NAY-ah) in school, and I thought it was such a pretty name. Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Linnea; Addy, Eli, Jamie, and Linnie.
Name update! Sarah writes:
Our beautiful fourth child and second daughter, Taliana Joy, was born July sixth. We had finally landed on two names, Talia and Annika, and I liked both a lot but wasn’t having that “aha” moment with either of them, so we kept looking. One night as we flipped through a name book for the dozenth time, my husband Jim suddenly had a stroke of genius and tried to combine the two names. He came up with Taliana, which we then found in the name book in the list of variations under the “Talia” entry. We ended up using Joy as her middle name partly as a nod to my excellent doctor whose own middle name is Joy and partly because its meaning is exactly what I wanted in her name, and turns out nothing said it better than the word itself! Thank you everyone for all your input. Tali thanks you too.
love the suggestion of magnolia. i know a little girl with that name and she goes by the nn Nolie, which i think is adorable!
I love, love, love the names Felicity, Bellamy, Magnolia, and Anneliese.
Felicity Anneliese is my favorite, but hopefully your real last name doesn’t start with a “T.”
Your suggestion of Charlotte (Lottie), Vivienne, and flower names made me think of Violet, with the nickname Lettie (or Vi).
I wanted the name Felicity for just the same reason: it expresses the joyful surprise of my own “happy/lucky” fourth pregnancy. But hubs won’t go for it. *sigh*
I do like the nickname Nolie for Magnolia. It just seems to make the name even more precious!
Felicity and Magnolia are both just amazing. Fliss! Maggie! Ack! I give Magnolia a slight edge because my OCD is pleased at all of their nicknames ending with the roughly the same sound: Addy, Eli, Jamie, Maggie. Another name I love is Lillian or Liliana/Lillie. Or there is Minerva! With Minnie as the nickname. OH MY GOD CAN YOU STAND IT. Ah hem. Minerva Joy! Adelay, Elias, Jameson, and Minerva; Addy, Eli, Jamie, Minnie. ACK. USE THAT.
I favor Felicity from your list, but I like Evelyn and Calista as well. Margaret (Maggie) was a good suggestion.
Jane’s a good middle with any of the above. I also like Felicity Elise or Calista Bronwen.
Felicity always reminds me of Fiona. Would you like that? Also Calista brings to mind Calla or Caroline.
I was thinking of Felicity for you and then saw it on your list – love, love it! I also like Meredith or Margaret with Jane, or especially Joy, as a middle name.
Also thought of Pearl – old fashioned (too much so?) and can mean something very valued and treasured.
Congratulations on your very happy and wonderful surprise daughter!
I love the idea of Calista with the other kids – it sounds different enough to stand out but not so far off that it seems to have come from nowhere. Calista Jane makes my heart sing! And Callie, Calla and Lissy are all viable nickname options.
I wanted to suggest Carina/Karina and Marina also – they’re not commonly used, but I find them very pretty and versatile, and they all have nickname potential.
I, too, thought of Felicity before I saw that you had it on your list. It seems like such a natural choice with the other kids’ names and the way you feel about this surprise. I like the “solid” feeling of Felicity Bronwen, but I do also like Felicity Jane. Felicity Jane Dover has that nice 3-1-2 syllable thing going.
I also adore the idea of Vivienne. (meaning life – which is also quite special for this 4th.) Vivi is such a cute nickname.
Some ideas– sorry for repeats!
Guinevere -nn Vere or Neve
Reverie (day dream/happy) – Reve
Lenore (meaning gift) – nn Nora
Romola (strength) – Romy
Farrah (happiness)
Valerie (healthy, strong) – Vali
Eliana (god has answered) – Elly, Lea, Ana
Liora (I have light) – Lee, Lora, Lira
Nesia (miracle of God) – Sia
Nadine, or Nadia (hope) – Nin, Dina
Talitha (young woman, girl rise up)
Beatrice (bringer of joy) – Bee, Bea, Trix(ie)
Livia (life) – Livvy, Liv
Sunniva (sun gift) – Sunny, Niv
Rowena (joy) – Rona
Taslin (blessing) – Tassy
I have never heard the name Adelay before, and I’m quite fascinated….it gathers together some really pretty sounds. From your fn list, I’m surprised no one has commented on Everly as a similar, pretty rare, name. I’m not sure about another “E” name, or what you’d use as a nn, but otherwise, I think it’s perfect. Ditto for Bellamy. Marlayna is also catching my interest: would you use the nn of Laynie? I think it’s beautiful, and again, I’ve never heard it before.
Others are plugging for Magnolia, and I think this could work with the nn of Nolie, but I find the sounds of Addie and Maggie too much alike.
I’m not a fan of Felicity, it’s just too far away from my taste. Same with Calista.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Romilly, though! Also Penelope, with the possible nn of Poppy. And Mary’s suggestion of Reverie. Nn could be either Reve or Revi.
Another idea would be Marigny, but you’d need to pronounce it for people–mare-ih-nee, and the obvious nn would be Mari, which might feel too common for your taste. Or Phillipa, nn Pippa. I like Phillipa Tansy. (love Tansy, but not for fn’s that end in a “y”).
Congratulations and good luck!
Lavinia! Close to Swistle’s suggestion of Liviana but feels more like a “real” name to me. Works great with your set! You could call her Livy or Vina or Nia.
Magnolia, nn Olia. I know someone with the name Olia as a standalone, and it’s lovely.
I have a new suggestion for you: Dorothy, nn Dorrie or Dotty.
my son went to nursery school with a little Linnea (linn-Nay-ah) and I LOVE that name!
Linnea Felice would be my favorite combo from the names Swistle has suggested.
I might consider using Nea (Nay-ah) or Lina (LEE-nah) as nicknames Adelay, Elias, Jameson & Linnea (Addy, Eli, Jamie and Lina)
I have a Felicity and she is my fourth! Her middle name is Rose, because I like the idea of a busy first name and a shorter middle (our other kids are Anthony Joseph, Maria Kathleen and Veronica Lucy). But I am really commenting just to recommend Felicity, I love it. Ours is only four months old and we mostly call her Fee or Fee Fee. She is a happy and sweet baby. I will say we got some questions in the hospital, of the “WHAT is her name?” variety, or my favorite, which was “how do you SPELL it?”, which is silly because it’s spelled exactly like it sounds. Anyways, I recommend Felicity Jane and I wish you lots of luck!