A. writes:
We are expecting our second daughter end of this month (December). Our
first is Avery, with her middle name being a family name. We chose
Avery simply because we liked it without much thought to it being
popular and unisex. We’re struggling with our dd#2 name because we
don’t necessarily want to have to choose unisex to match but also
don’t want people to assume we have a boy and a girl.Our top name is Charlotte nickname “Charlie”. My feeling is Charlotte
and Avery aren’t too opposite as both are French and have been used
through the ages. I also see them as cute southern names, then again
we live in the northeast so what do i know! If unisex is the way to go
we do like Reagan. Although our fear with Reagan is the liberties
people may take with spelling and pronunciation. Ree-gan vs Ray-gan
and I always had to spell my name for people and it gets old. My style
tends to be more classic/popular again names (ie Charlotte, Olivia,
Evelyn, Amelia) and my husband leans more towards the unisex names (ie
Taylor, Sam) but really likes Charlotte and was actually the one to
suggest it.Side note, any name that starts with “J” or “A” is off the list. Too
many “J”s in the family and we don’t want our girls to both start with
“A”. We are open to other names as well. Popularity doesn’t bother us
that much and the Middle name will be a family name again, most likely
Ann or Lynn. If it had been a boy we like classic names and probably
would have gone with Matthew. I should also mention that this will be
our last and so matching future names is not high on the priority
list.Thank you!
I think of Avery as a modern unisex surname name, and Charlotte as a feminine vintage revival. Avery doesn’t feel French to me: Wikipedia and The Oxford Dictionary of First Names say it’s an English surname name that comes from the Norman French pronunciation of Alfred, so I don’t think the two names go together on that basis.
But I don’t think the two names are a clash, either, especially if you plan to call her Charlie. And as you say, you don’t necessarily want to be stuck with one parent’s style just because the first child was named in that style. I could see it causing an issue if there were going to be a third child later on (because it might feel as if two children coordinated and the third was left out), but if you’re stopping at two I like that each parent’s style is represented. Avery and Charlotte are both currently fashionable, which helps them feel more coordinated; it also helps that although Avery is unisex, it’s currently used more often for girls (in 2012, there were 8272 new baby girls and 1998 new baby boys named Avery).
Reagan seems like a great choice, too. I would expect most people to be clear on the spelling and pronunciation, but I’m hoping someone among us is/knows a Reagan and can weigh in on that point. But it sounds like you prefer Charlotte/Charlie, and would be choosing Reagan only for style-matching concerns; in this case, I’d side with Charlotte. Let’s have a poll to see what everyone else thinks:
I would go with Evelyn, which is also a unisex name. Or at least it was.
But Charlotte nn Charlie is good, too.
It helps that Charlotte is a feminized form of Charles, I think. And nicknamed Charlie? Completely doable. I know two sisters in their late 20’s named Avery & Lucia, and there’s probably scads of similar sisters in the country.
Personally I wouldn’t use Reagan because to me it reads “right-wing political” because of Ronald Reagan. Would you consider Logan? Again, I know a young woman in her early 30’s named Logan, and even though I think it’s being used primarily for boys, it is still in usage for girls.
Good luck!
When we were debating girl names, my husband liked Avery very much whereas I am much more in line with Charlotte. Those were two names on our list so I’ll give you the remainder of our list:
Stella
Josephine (nn Josie)
Cora
Scarlett
Elise
Edith (that one was mine that I refused to give up)
I picked Charlotte in the poll because I could see those being sisters simply because they are both top 100 girl names and very much in style right now. And while I know Avery is technically unisex, I see it much more as a solid girl name now.
I love both names, and I think they go together quite well. I don’t think people notice sibling names “matching” that much, unless it’s a really stark contrast like sisters Martha and Jupiter. Also, Reagan has weird political undertones that I’d probably want to avoid.
Martha and Jupiter. I LOL’ed!
me too :)
I have similar concerns about naming a child a politicized name like Reagan.
I would use Charlotte/Charlie. If your introducing them as “Avery and Charlie” its actually quite perfect together!!
If I met a pair of children names Charlotte and Avery I would assume they were both girls. I would have never thought of Avery as a boys name but apparently its been making great leaps on the SSA list (it’s 118 for boys I think, however as a girls name its at 13.)
I wouldn’t name your daughter Reagan unless you want her associated with the President. For most people, I would say this is a strong, vivd connection and I don’t know if you want her to carry that around.
When I read the title of this post, I thought the concern would be about using two names from Charlotte’s Web and if that would be too obvious. I saw that connection right away, and then assumed Avery was a boy, and now I can’t get the connection out of my head. That being said, I think both names are lovely, and I don’t see any problem with using Charlotte/Charlie.
I thought of Charlotte’s Web too!
Me too! I love the book though, and there’s probably only a small number of people who would make similar leaps.
I actually really like Avery and Charlotte/Avery and Charlie together. Some others that I love for you include Quinn, Meredith, Harper, Rowan, Scout and Dakota. Best of luck!
I like Avery and Charlotte together! I don’t see these as a pair of French names, nor as particularly southern, but I like them as sister names and think they work. Just for a reference point, I know two Reagans, one in her early 30s and one who is four. I just checked in with adult Reagan and mom of younger Reagan. Neither has had a problem with spelling or pronunciation, but both say they get a lot of comments about the president. Adult Reagan uses Raygun as an internet name sometimes.
I like Charlotte & Avery. Go for it! For what it’s worth I know two 2-3yr old Reagan’s. One is Raygan & one is Reegan. My husband has very strong Pres Reagan association but it honestly didn’t come up for me until years later when I was naming Presidential baby names.
I think Avery and Charlotte are totally fine. Don’t over think it too much, and don’t go with Reagan simply because you think it matches better with Avery. Your daughters will be independent people for a lot longer than they will be children all living under the same roof. If your first daughter was, say, Ryan or Collins or Winslow– something more ambiguously unisex or even “male” sounding– then I definitely think Charlotte for a second daughter would warrant pause before its use. But Avery is as feminine as Ashley now to my ear.
My main issue with Reagan isn’t the pronunciation so much as the political implications of the choice. It has too much baggage. I for one would be upset to wear my parents’ political leanings so prominently and inescapably in the form of my name. Maybe you don’t mean to have the name read as such– but it will to a lot of people. Just consider what circles your child might eventually move in. I think of my boss and her last round of hiring– she’s quite fickle and a woman with the first name Reagan is the sort of thing that would set her off (and not in a good way) if she found it in the resume pile. I could see her not picking Reagan for an interview simply because she wouldn’t want to say the word “Reagan” over and over again in the office– she would say it would put her in a bad mood (she’s really liberal). It’s unfair, but sometimes things work that way.
Also, as far as I’ve known, Reagan is always RAY-gan and Regan (like the horrible sister in King Lear) is REE-gan. Maybe I’m wrong on this though?
I think you should go with Charlotte. But, if you really feel committed to choosing another unisex choice, how about:
Evelyn (really actually quite perfect for your circumstances!)
Corin/Corrine
Ellery
Sage
Rory
Rowan
I know you said “No more J names” but just in case, I thought of Jocelyn (used to be male, too– I know a French male Jocelyn) and Jordan (I really like Jordan on girls, and would even have it on my list if it weren’t so religious… the name has been used for both sexes in Europe since the middle ages, when it was given in honor of the River Jordan. Maybe that is a plus for you though, depending on your beliefs?)
Maybe if you do end up going with Reagan, you can consider Regan instead (depending on your spelling preferences)? Regan is less heavy with the associations.
I think that Avery and Charlotte, while different in style, would work just fine for you. Both names are currently in the SSA Top 20 — Avery, 13 and Charlotte, 19. Avery’s popularity came about as an alternate name for Ava, a very feminine name, so with the feminine ‘side’ of Avery in mind, Avery and Charlotte could be perceived as very popular girls’ names. On the other hand, Avery and “Charlie” sound spunky and tomboyish together, but I would spell the latter as “Charley” (an established variant spelling of Charlie) to coordinate the sisters’ names a bit more.
Avery and Charley (Charlotte)
I know a toddler girl whose given name is Charley. That made me wonder just now about the popularity of Charlie vs Charley as a given name for baby girls. SSA data shows that both are in the SSA Top 1000 names for girls in 2012:
Charlie entered the Top 1000 in 2005 at #958; 4 years later ranked at 736; ranked 305 in 2012
Charley entered the Top 1000 in 2009, also at 958: 4 years later in 2012, ranked 595
Thus Charley is moving up the SSA chart faster than Charlie did. (Of course, we have no way of knowing how many Charlottes are called “Charlie” or “Charley”. ) Will Charley eventually become the most popular way to spell that name for girls? Charlie as a given name for boys ranked 233 in 2012, while Charley is not in the boys’ Top 1000 list for 2012 and hasn’t been in the boys’ Top 1000 since 1981. It may that eventually “Charlie” will be perceived more as the boys’ version of the name, with “Charley” as the girls’ version.
I think Charlotte “Charley” could be the best way to go for your little girl: Avery & Charley — perfect as sister names!
Go with Charlotte, especially if you’re using the nickname Charlie. I know an adult Charlotte/Charli and she wears it so well!
I do think that Avery and Charlotte are very different, but you love them, so it doesn’t matter. They’ll be adults for far longer than they’ll be children, and both names will serve a grown woman very well.
Reagan is on my list, but we won’t use it because my good friend has a daughter named Reagan. As far as spelling/pronunciation confusion, she’s never gotten any that I know of. I think Reagan and Avery are great sibling names.
I wouldn’t use Reagan because of Ronald Reagan. A cousin just named her baby Reagan, and my liberal family was like “Reagan?? Wow…okay…”
I do think Avery and Charlotte work well together. Avery and Charlie are maybe too rhymy though.
Evelyn and Olivia seem too similar to Avery with the V sound.
I also like:
Emilia
Mackenzie
Sophia
Scarlett
Lydia
Monique
Dominique
Wren
Robin
Camille
Cameron
Myla
Carla
Nora
Rowan
Soren
Corin/Korin
Tegan
Amy, your point about Charlotte and Avery both being characters in Charlotte’s Web is a good one that I am surprised no one else mentioned! If I met a family with an Avery and a Charlotte, I would assume it was because of the book.
The Charlotte’s Web connection leapt put at me immediately, too. To be clear, though, this is not a negative association but rather a lovely positive one!
I love Charlotte nn Charlie & I think it goes well with Avery! I am a fan of unisex names for girls – some other options i like are Reese, Taylor, Campbell, Chandler, Frances nn Frankie. Good Luck!
My name is Raigan and my parents chose the spelling specifically so that people would never call me Ree-gan. I always had to spell it but it seems like people alter the spelling of even the most common names these days so there are very rarely names that don’t have to be spelled out. I am a teacher and once had four Landon’s in my class and each was spelled differently. I have never experienced any association with the president because I am Canadian. I have only ever received very positive remarks about my name and grew up loving it.
That being said, I love the name Charlotte (Charley) and don’t believe at all in sibling sets for names. My sisters both had very “girly” names (Noelle and Elizabeth) and never did it seem strange or like I was the odd one out. Children are all different so why should their names have to “match”?
My maiden name is Reagan and I now use it as my middle name. We have always pronounced it as Ray-gun. That is also how the President pronounced it. However, I don’t think of it as a political or conservative name especially since my family has generally been pretty liberal.
My neice named her daughter Reagan and generally the name has been favorably recieved. people don’t think about the President when they meet her, they think about the charming 8 year old in front of them.
All that said, I do like Charlotte with Avery.
I would DEFINITELY avoid Reagan. Not a good president, super political name, lots of baggage. Ick.
I was actually puzzled by the title of this post, as after I read the question “Do Avery and Charlotte work together?” my immediate answer was “OF COURSE they work together”, and I was curious to see what the potential issue was…
My girlfriend’s daughters are Avery and Mia, and I haven’t thought once that the names don’t “go” together. As others have commented, I think the relative popularity of both Avery and Charlotte helps to coordinate them.
So I just voted for Reagan, despite my own associations with the politician. I’m glad Swistle picked this question because I have a unisex-named boy and was wondering whether that meant we should stick with unisex names for a possible future girl. For me, Charlotte makes Avery sound like a boy’s name. I am always for going with the name you love, and if that is Charlotte, then go for it. But since you are concerned that people might mistake Avery for a boy because you will also have a Charlotte, I wanted to say I think I might be one of those people. :S
I don’t think they go together particularly well, but I still think you should definitely use Charlotte. You both really like it, which is the hardest part of the naming decision for most couples and probably the most important consideration! And it’s a good name, so unless you were to think of something you both liked better, there’s no reason NOT to use it.
My sister and I have very different names–both lovely to the ear, but mine has never even made the SSA list, while hers has been in the top 25 for at least 30 years and looks likely to stay there for a good long while yet. I didn’t even notice the discrepancy until I was a teenager, and I have never once thought “Gee, my name is pretty, but I wish my parents had named me something more popular so it would go with my sister’s name!”
I think Avery and Charlotte are lovely together. As long as you feel happy saying them it really doesn’t matter what other people think!
Someone up above brought up Jordan, and it made me think of Morgan, which is similar in style to Reagan.
Definitely unisex (I know 4 Morgans, evenly split across genders). Avery and Morgan.
I think Charlotte nn Charlie works just fine with Avery since Charlie is unisex, especially since Avery could be called Ava if you wanted, a girly nn for the unisex name and a unisex nn for the girly name, I think it works just fine!
When I read the title, I instantly thought “YES! Great together” because of the pleasant (and I assumed strong) association with “Charlotte’s Web.” I assumed Avery was a boy (as he is in the book). When I read on and discovered that this Avery was a girl, I decided “Charlotte” wouldn’t work because everyone, hearing the names, would immediately think of the book and assume Avery was a boy. But apparently no! I read through all the comments, and not until I was way, way down in the comments did anyone even mention “Charlotte’s Web” at all! So … it must not be nearly as strong an association as I thought.
How about Rowan? Or Quinn?
I think Charlotte makes a great sister name though and in fact when I considered it DH thought it as ‘too masuline’ sounding due to the nn Charlie. I do know a male and female Avery but I think of it as a more feminine name. Some other ideas if you want something more masculine: Winslow (Winnie?), Sam, Lou(isa?)?
My husband and I both saw Charlotte’s Web in the title! I’m with the others, skip Charlotte.
I agree that the Southern feel of both names make them work. Reminds me of a sister set I know named Willa and Carson — in some ways it’s a mismatch but they somehow are so great together! I think Avery and Charlotte are a great pair.
My first is a Charlotte and I quite like Avery for a second. I won’t use it though, because we need a French/English bilingual name.
The Charlotte’s Web connection didn’t even occur to me until I read through the comments!
I actually know a sibling pair named Avery and Charlotte. I think it works very well.