(Today I have several posts I ran out of time to answer at usual length in the week after they arrived, but I’d jotted down a single suggestion in the spreadsheet. I’m going to post several in a row today with my extremely brief response, so that others can work on them further if they want to.)
K. writes:
We are due with our second baby girl in early February 2013. We have one daughter, Vivian Marie, who will be 3yrs old this November. Selecting her name was easy, the name Vivian had always been in the back of my mind (even before Brangelina chose it). I had always loved it, and when I suggested it to my husband, he liked it right away!Well, things are not going so well this time. We aren’t arguing over names, we just really don’t have any contenders. We are thrilled to be having another girl, the only issue is her name! I don’t want her to feel second best or that we didn’t put any effort into finding the perfect name. I want to find a name we love just as much as Vivian, but nothing is really jumping out to either of us.Another challenge is working around our last name…Roach. Yep, just like the bug! All color or flower/nature names are out. It is also a harsh one syllable name. I think of it like the period to the end of a sentence. Because of that, I feel the first & middle names need to be a 3/2 or 2/3 syllable combo to soften the feel of the name.We believe this will be our last child. However, we have not made a definite decision, so the thought of a third child is out there. If we were having a boy, we had considered Jonathan and Arthur. I love both of those, but we did not get too far into the boy name discussion.I want to stay away from “V” & “R” names, and I don’t want a name that is too popular. Unfortunately, I think I have become overly critical in my obsession with finding the perfect name. Here is a list of names I like along with my concerns/reasons why they won’t work.Miriam – I really like this name, but it is too similar to Vivian.Evelyn – I like this name, but again worry it is too similar in sound to Vivian.Juliet – I like this name, but don’t love it.Charlotte – this name was brought up, but I immediately discounted it because it is too popular. Also I don’t like the “CH” beginning with the “ch” ending to Roach (even though I know the Charlotte “Ch” is a softer sound, the visual just bugs me).Judith – We both like this name, but don’t love it. Also, it seems a bit too old-ladyish next to Vivian.Josephine – I love this name, but we have a Joey, Joseph, and Sophie in our immediate family (Sophie negates using “Josie” as nickname), but I am considering this for a middle name.Suzette – I really like this name (met one beautiful baby girl with this name and instantly loved it), but I’m not 100% sure it’s right. Also, we have a friend with a Scarlett, is that too similar?Brynne – I actually love this name, but my husband does not. I also worry it is too short next to Vivian, and that it doesn’t sound great with Roach (this is the only 1 syllable name I have liked).Corinne – I love this name as well, but my husband does not. I also do not want the nickname Corrie (negative memory of girl I knew named Corrie).**Just a side note that I love the sound of Brynne & Corinne and can’t get that idea out of my head, but neither name seems to really work for us.Adele – Both of us really like this name, and want to love it, but we just don’t feel 100% that it’s the one.Audrey – I really love this name, and my husband is warming to it. I mainly just worry that this one is too popular especially next to Vivian…otherwise this is a current top contender.Names I have considered, but rejected:Cecelia/CeliaGwynethDorothyMorganMargotAmeliaLydiaAdrian
Names I am considering for middle names:Frances (family reference)JosephineCorinneMargaretVictoriaHelena/Helene (family reference)NicoleMadelinePlease let us know what you think…I know you get so many requests for help, but we would be so grateful to hear some of your advice!!Thank you!
I emailed you a few weeks ago about our new baby girl, due Feb. 8th (email below). Since emailing you, we have made some progress, but I would be so grateful to have your input!!!Basically, we have it narrowed down to these names:AdeleAudreyLydia**My husband has also put Celia and Julia on his list, but I cannot get on board with these. The “Seel-ya” sound and “Jool-ya” sound just don’t sit right with me, especially next to Vivian (our first daughter’s name).I still love everything about Adele, but just can’t make the commitment to it 100%, and my husband is still mulling it over. We both agree that Adele/Audrey have a similar feel, and my husband says Audrey is easier for him to say out loud. I think that might be just because Adele is a name that is new to us…we don’t know anyone with that name, so he isn’t used to saying it. With Audrey, I am still worried that it is too popular and/or could be come too popular, plus the name Aubrey is so similar and it is becoming quite popular.Then there is Lydia. She is back on the list. Lydia was a possible contender when we were naming our first daughter, but it really wasn’t discussed for long as we pretty quickly decided on Vivian. This is a name that I really like, but I have waffled on it. Right now, I am liking it more the more I think about it. However, I am worried that this name also could be come too popular. I love the idea of a 3-syllable name that ends in A. For some reason that flow just sounds good with Vivian to me, and Lydia is the stand-out in that category right now.What do you think? I would love the opportunity to hear your thoughts!! At this point we are open to other suggestions for our short list, these are just the 3 names we both agree on at this point. We would be so grateful to have your input!
I suggest Eleanor, with nicknames Ellie or Nora. Eleanor Roach; Vivian and Eleanor.
Of your three finalists, my favorite with Vivian is Lydia.
Name update! K. writes:
I just wanted to send your our name update! Thank you very much for posting our name quandary. The comments from your readers really truly helped us sort out our thoughts & opinions. We came very close to selecting Audrey, and really gave Cynthia good consideration as well (Cynthia was a late addition to our list). Lydia kept popping up in our discussions, but neither of us felt it was the right name for this baby girl. We deliberated for what felt like forever, and I felt frustrated. It seemed like we would never fall in love with a name. Because of that, we decided to start fresh, so started over from scratch around Christmas. We both went back through name lists trying not to over think things, and just write down any name that we liked.
Back during the early stages of our name search, I had added Juliet to my list and my husband had Julia on his. He couldn’t come around to Juliet, and I liked Juliet much better than Julia, so we left those names and just moved on. Well, in our second round, my husband added Juliet to his list…he couldn’t remember why he hadn’t liked it in the first place. Frustrating, yes(!!), but also exciting because we had a new name we both liked. We tried it out for the last few weeks of the pregnancy, and there really was no other contender, but for some reason I felt like I couldn’t commit until we saw her.
Well, Juliet Frances was born on February 4th! Frances was chosen because it is a family name, and now both of our girls have middle names that honor a family member. We are very happy with our choice, and feel like she is already growing into the name! We love Vivian & Juliet together as sister names, and even though I am not a big nickname person, I do love the idea of “Viv & Jules”.
Thank you again for all of your help!! Photo is attached :).
I like:
Lydia Roach. Vivian and Lydia.
Winona Roach. Vivian and Winona.
Gwendolyn Roach. Vivian and Gwen/Gwendolyn.
Rowan Roach, though you might not like the alliteration.
Susannah Roach. Vivian and Susannah.
Marin Roach. Vivian and Marin.
I also like Bryn, Brynn, or perhaps Brinley.
I think Lydia is prefect. Lydia Frances, Lydia Josephine, Lydia Margaret all sound great.
I like the previous poster’s suggestion of Marin. It has the sound of Bryn and Corinne that you like. You could also use Cora as a nickname for Corinne if you’re worried about Corrie as a nickname.
Of your three finalists, I like Adele. If you aren’t sure about it, maybe you could consider Adeline or Adelaide.
Good luck!
Lydia is my favorite from your top three. Another suggestion although it does not end in A: Genevieve. Genevieve Roach / Vivian and Genevieve.
Similar to Lydia is Lila. It might be a little to short to go with Vivian, but I like it a lot. I think the sing-songiness of Lila (and Lydia) cuts down on the abruptness of Roach.
My favorite from your list and I will also 2nd Adelaide (and you could still use Adele as a nickname). Since you mentioned liking 3 syllables & ends in A, I’ll also throw out Adela. I knew a girl with this name once & have always liked it.
Instead of Audrey, there is also Audra, which would give you the ends in A ending.
Some other suggestions, Amelia, Anabel, Helen/Helena, Cecilia & Annalise.
Anonymous at 10:13 here.
Oops! That should be Adele is my favorite from your list.
I like Annette as a middle name for any of your choices.
Adele Annette
Audrey Annette
Lydia Annette
I like Lydia best, because it doesn’t seem too trendy. There are so many Adeles now because of the singer.
Louisa, Joanna, Fiona, Claudia, Felicity, Aurora, Corina, Francesca, Eloise, Brianna, Sienna, Samara, Eliana, Lillian, Imogen, Elena, Miranda, Jacqueline, Samantha, Amanda, Melanie, Natalie, Rosalie, Lucia, Phillipa and Nicola.
Hope these suggestions help.
Good Luck!
I like Lydia best, or Josephine. I don’t see why a family member named Sophie would prevent having a child nicknamed Josie. I’m not seeing the connection there. Lydia Josephine is lovely.
Vivian and Lydia
Vivian and Adelaide
Vivian and Audrey
Work with those great options and you will find a winner!
For me, Lydia is the clear standout from your suggestions. I think it goes a long way towards softening the last name — Lydia Roach sounds more melodious than Audrey or Adele Roach (though those certainly don’t sound bad). It works perfectly with Vivian, and I don’t see it getting any more popular than Vivian.
It also goes beautifully with pretty much every one of your middle name choices (except possibly Victoria, which sounds a bit singsongy to me).
these are my favorites:
Lydia Corinne Roach
Lydia Margaret Roach
Lydia Helene Roach
Lydia Frances Roach
Good luck! All of your choices are beautiful; you can’t go wrong.
I like Lydia most from your list, but for some reason, the name Delia keeps popping into my head when I look at your lists. So that’s my suggestion: Delia. (It’s a nice compromise to your husband’s like of Celia and Julia & the D sound of ADele. Although, I now realize you may dislike it for the same reasons as Celia & Julia.) Regardless, Vivian and Lydia is lovely, as is Vivian and Delia.
Lydia is lovely, though I also really like Adele. Other possible suggestions are Coraline, Amalia, Elaina, Briony and Aria.
Of your three finalists, I agree Lydia is great – and loads of your middle name choices work. I am a sucker for family reference, so I would go with Lydia Helene Roach.
Of course I can’t resist making some other suggestions. Lydia makes me think of Eliza. Adele makes me think of Adelaide and Adeline. I also would consider using Helena or Helene as the first name, I really like it!
I like Lydia most with your last name.
What about Vivian and Juliet as your husband loves Julia?
If we’re only considering the final three of Lydia, Adele, and Adelaide, Lydia is the clear frontrunner. I agree with the previous poster who noted that of the three, Lydia is the only one that really softens Roach adequately.
If you’re still open to suggestion, what about Coralie or Susanna or Tamsin?
I like all of your top 3 very much but especially Lydia with your last name. A name that jumped out at me when I first read your post was Irene. I love it with Vivian. It is so classic and pretty but not overused and it means “peace”. I also really like Sabrina with your last name and Vivian.
Just to throw it out there, when I hear Vivian and Audrey together I automatically think old hollywood (Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn). That’s not a negative association but one you might want to consider
Lydia Margaret
Audrey Irene, Audrey Pauline, Audrey Louise.**
Adele Josephine
Evelyn Adele. Like this combo but Evelyn is close to Vivian, like to thought.;)
Lydia Madeline
And some combos and FN I thought you might like.
Clara Josephine
Stella Josephine
Pauline
Mila Pauline
Eva Josephine*
Eva Adele
Colette Adele**(love ths combo)
Elise Margaret
Louise
Mia Audrey
Lena Madeline
I think I like Audrey from you final 3 the best.
Lydia Corrine or Lydia Brynne. You could not go wrong with either.
Jocelyn
I also liked the suggestions of Irene and Sabrina
But your three finalists are all beautiful. Maybe just let go of worries of how popular a name might or might not become. Which would you be most disappointed not to get the chance to use ?
We have a lot of similar names on our lists! Vivian was a top contender for if my son had been a girl.
My favorites of your finalists are definitely Lydia and Audrey, with a preference for Lydia. I like that it has the same number of syllables as Vivian, and I think that the longer name goes better with your last name. I can’t get behind Adele because it’s even shorter out loud than Audrey. It sounds too abrupt to me.
My favorite mns with Lydia are:
Lydia Helene
Lydia Corinne
Lydia Margot
Okay, so basically I like the 3-2-1 best with your last name! I just feels so romantic and whimsical LOL.
A few more three syllable names that I love:
Cordelia
Eleanor
Amelie
Jacqueline
Good Luck!
Of your top three I think Lydia sounds the best with your surname. I want to suggest Sylvia though. Vivian and Sylvia…so cute! I also like the previous suggestion of Irene.
I have a good friend with a Vivian – her other daughters are Lydia and Charlotte. I think it’s a great sibset. I also really like Audrey with Vivian.
I was sad to see the second email took Suzette off your list, I LOVE it, so adorable. Vivian and Suzette, so cute! Lydia is great too, I think the 3 together sound like a sib set of cute little girls- Vivian, Lydia and Suzette. Love them.
I love Adele!! I think Vivian and Adele are great together. I also like Lydia a lot.
What about Cosette? That was a name that sprung to mind when reading your list.
Good luck :)
I like Lydia best, too. Lydia Helene is pretty. I saw Margot on the rejected list. Have you considered Margaret or Marjorie?
As a Corinne I have to say no one has ever called me Corrie. Its actually hard to make a nickname. My nieces had a hard time saying my name so my mother in law started calling me Aunt Rinnie. Other than that I had no nicknames. I knew a girl with your last name and her name was Jaqueline. Good luck!
Of your top 3, I think Lydia is definitely the winner! Such a pretty name and one that is familiar but not too common, and I’d be surprised to see it become over used, but you never know. I wouldn’t worry about it as it’s a lovely name. I also think Adele is too choppy sounding with your last name, but Audrey would still be a nice choice. I also agree tha Helena is a beautiful choice. Vivian and Helena. Swoon!
Since you like 3 syllables and ends in ‘a’, I have some ideas for you.
Geneva! I think this would be so perfect for you. And it shares a ‘v’ with Vivian. Vivian and Geneva.
Or Annabel: Vivian and Annabel.
Or Calista: Vivian and Calista.
I love Honora! Vivian and Honora. Love.
Or Naomi: Vivian and Naomi.
Rebekah is one of my favorite names! Vivian and Rebekah is so nice.
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I just realized that I know a girl named Corina! Pronounced Ko-REEN-uh. It’s the perfect solution as you like Corinne, but it has 3 syllables, and ends in ‘a’.
Good luck! :-)
I really like Audrey and it goes well with Vivian. Lydia is also a very nice name. I think Adele is starting to get popular, especially with the singer… My vote is Audrey
Audrey Helena? Audrey Helene? I think you could go 2-2-1 or 2-3-1. They both work. Good luck!
Margaret.
It has a beautuful meaning, goes nicely wirh Vivian and has gorgeous nnames: Maggie,Meg, Peggy, Daisy, Greta.
It will unlikely become too popular again.
Very classic.
I was going to suggest Susannah.
Of your final three, I like Lydia with Vivian the best.
I love the old Hollywood charm of Vivian & Audrey, but Lydia is an old favourite of mine.
my vote goes to:
Vivian Marie & Audrey Frances / Audrey Madeline
Vivian Marie & Lydia Helene / Lydia Josephine
To me, Vivian and Lydia have too many similar sounds. I love Audrey or the above suggestion of Margaret.
Wow, thank you for all the feedback! Lydia seems to be the overwhelming favorite :). We have eliminated Adele, and we continue to discuss Audrey & Lydia. I agree that Lydia sounds great with our middle name options & our last name. For some reason, we just can’t seem to make that step & say it’s “the one”. I really appreciate Swistle’s suggestion of Eleanor. I acutally thought about Norah on her own, but something about Norah Roach didn’t sound right out loud. I still love the name Corinne, and occasionally still say it to my husband, but he is still unsure. I was glad to hear the comment above from a Corinne about Cori not being her nickname! One name that just came up last week was Cynthia. It has a similar sound to Lydia, and some of the other names that have been suggested above. Also, I have loved the name Lucinda but my husband cannot see it’s beauty :). I would love to hear what people think about Cynthia! Hopefully we can reach a conclusion soon, thanks again to everyone!!
Cynthia is sweet, and not used that often anymore. I think it sounds great with Roach. Claudia might be an alternative if you’re not quite sold on Cynthia yet :)
Not that this will sway you one way or another, but a cute nn for Cynthia could be Cinta – which means love in Indonesiann.
Vivian and Suzette Roach are perfect! Suzette seems a little quirkier than the others, while still being easy to wear. It doesn’t fade next to Vivian.
I also really like Adele and Lydia (absolutely no help!). Suzette Josephine, Adele Josephine or Lydia Frances would be a great short list. Or how about Coralline (Corinne), Judit (no h) or Ada as alternatives.
Here they are with a few other suggestions:
Vivian and Ada Roach
Vivian and Coralline Roach
Vivian and Judit Roach
Vivian and Simone Roach
Vivian and Felicity (I know. I suggest this everytime. But so good with Vivian!)
Vivian and Collette Roach
Vivian and Fiona Roach
Oooh, i love it! Juliet! So beautiful. I have a Vivienne and a Jonathan. It’s a great set! And now that I’m expecting a third, I’m making note of some of the other names on here :)
Oh so gorgeous! I absolutely ADORE her name!
Huge congratulations.
Vivian and Juliet – I can’t get over how fantastic that sounds.
How funny! Our first daughter is Juliet Rose. We are currently expecting our second daughter late May/ early June of 2014, and just decided on her name as Vivian Suzette. I was searching for others’ opinions on the Vivian name, and came across this post. I think those two are a lovely pair of names of course!