Dear Swistle,
I am expecting my fourth child in March. This will most likely be our last child. Our son, Freddie, will be nearly 3 when the baby arrives and our twin daughters, Poppy and Daisy, will be 18 months.
We are expecting another girl. We are steering towards another floral name as we don’t want the baby to feel left out that she doesn’t have a floral name like her twin sisters.
Our surname is Powell. My favourite name so far is Lily but my husband struggles with its strong association to death. It is the number 1 flower at funerals. Other names we agree on are Violet and Rose. I like those names but don’t love them like I love Lily. I guess it bothers me that Violet is shortened to “Vi” it sounds so harsh. Rose is a lovely name but is it a bit plain?
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Lucie
I think you could do a non-flower name, since Poppy and Daisy are twins: it seems as if they could have something uniting their two names without their siblings feeling left out, particularly since you already have another child without a flower name.
I do think at this point I would lean toward a name ending with -y or -ie.
I don’t think of Rose as plain. As a middle name, it is extremely familiar, but as a first name it still sounds fresh. The nickname Rosie would give her the -ie option.
I suggest Ivy. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Ivy.
Or Flora. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Flora.
I also like Posy, but I’m worried it seems like a combination of Poppy and Daisy.
I think something like Ruby would work: gemstone names are similar to flower names, but avoid the bouquet effect. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Ruby.
Or Bonnie: I think any pretty word-name works well. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Bonnie.
I wanted to suggest May, but May Powell makes me think of maypole. Not that we routinely discuss maypoles, and not that they’re a bad thing, so perhaps that’s not a deal-breaker. But perhaps June would be better: Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Junie.
I wondered if Freddie was a nickname short for a longer name. If so, maybe you could use this name as a bridge between the lovely and botanical Daisy and Poppy and the longer named commonly nicknamed Freddie:
For example what about Magnolia nn Maggie? Or Amaryllis nn Amy or Marilla or Ami? Or Marigold nn Goldie?
For what is worth, Rose is a beautiful name, but if you wanted Rosie with a longer name there are several beautiful botanicals it could work with (Rosemary and Primrose come to mind).
I came here to suggest Goldie and your Marigold idea is brilliant!
I LOVE the suggestion of Ivy. What about Calla or Callie like a calla lily? Or Dhalia nn Dolly?
Missed this–I second these suggestions!
Love the idea of Flora, which is related without being too heavy-handed!
Giving the fourth baby a non-flower name would connect her back to her older brother, and then no one is left out! Also, you say this is “most likely,” but not definitely, your last child–in that case, it would be very defensible not to use another floral name, since there’s a possibility you’d need to come up with another one later.
If you’re committed to going floral, what about Dahlia or Camellia? Calla? (Full disclosure, Calla might not be perfect next to Powell, but it suggests a lily without being specifically the kind seen at funerals; callas are more closely associated with weddings.)
Oh my, great minds! :) I also like the idea of Holly.
I have a niece named Lily (though she usually goes by an unrelated nickname) and I’ve never thought of funerals in connection with her name– I think water lilies, tiger lilies, day lilies, etc. But I like Rose and Violet, too, and I don’t think they are plain or harsh.
Ivy, Rosemary, and Ruby are good suggestions. I think Rosemary is very pretty and underused.
How about Juniper (Junie)? Or if you don’t go in the flower/tree/stone direction, Lucy?
Lily of the valley, too!
I would go with Lily simply because you love it. I would want flower girls if I had two and had a third on the way.
I read a book in which the two sisters were named Hyacinth and Gladiolus. They were always known as Hy and Glady, but everyone called them the flower girls. I loved that! The book was “How To Make An American Quilt”, which is wonderful.
What about Rosalie? You have a nod to florals the ie/y ending like all your other children.
I second the suggestion of Rosalie. It ends in the same sound as the rest of the kids, sounds floral like the twins but technically isn’t a flower name so it also kinda goes with Freddie too.
I have a Rosalie and have been tempted by the idea of a “garden” of girls (the other two are boys so it’s just an idea so far). I like non flower names with garden nicknames (Lillian Lilly, Margaret Daisy) so it is not too matchy. Personally I’d pick a non flower name with a floral nickname or botanical meaning. ivy, Rosemary, Lillian, Briar, Linnea, Susanna. Just to be a little more subtle. Or Magnolia (nick name Maggie or Margo).
This girl does not have to be a flower at all, but if that is what you want, embrace it. They are all beautiful names.
I love Lilly and never think of funerals. In fact at a recientnfamily funeral we received lots of flowers – no but no lillies at all.
How about the nickname Lettie for Violet, instead of Vi?
Lettie also feels much more stylistically in tune with Poppy, Daisy, and Freddie, too—it really bridges Freddie and the sisters’ names.
I don’t really understand how your husband can associate Lily so strongly with funerals, when it’s such a common girls’ name (much more common than Poppy or Daisy), but that’s such an intense association that I really think you have to drop the name.
Rose is definitely not too plain, it’s unusual as a first name and quite lovely.
For a botanical name out of left field, there’s Fern—I love with with Powell—but it does repeat the F of Freddie.
Another unusual flower name is Zinnia.
Other non-floral names that come to mind:
Margot
Clara
Lillian (would this do for your husband?)
Funerals and the Virgin Mary are my first association with lilies too. I always wondered how the name got so popular with that baggage but I guess this is why – other people don’t share my association.
While my favorite idea for you is Goldie (swooooon), I do like Violet as well. I ended up naming my kitty Violet, and while it’s true she goes but ViVi (like vEYEvEYE) most of the time, there is no reason a human child couldn’t go by Lettie. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy and Lettie. But I hope you go bolder because you can-don’t be safe be amazing!
I wonder if there’s something you could do in the middle that would soften the funeral association for him by tying the name to some other kind of Lily—Lily Lake Powell or maybe Walden (I’m trying to avoid Pond here—Lily Pond Powell is actually really fun to say but I don’t think I’d want to live with it) or Vale (Valley seems like too much). If that doesn’t work, I like other nature names that have a little bit of a different sound like Star, Clover, Wren, Lark, or Sparrow. I personally would rather avoid another two-sylable ends-in-y/ie flower, but if the matchiness pleases you, I adore Tansy.
I had posted earlier but apparently my comment didn’t take! I was coming to suggest Goldie as well! It fits your naming style perfectly! Please use Goldie!
I’m also due in March and have been looking at birth month symbols and other spring-inspired names, which may interest you:
Willow (though maybe not great with your last name)
Spring (as a middle name)
Florence (from Latin “to flower/blossom”)
What about Daphne, Zoe, Naomi, Melody, Melanie, Julie?
I like the suggestion of Lucy above.
I noticed the writer’s name is Lucie. Love the suggestion of Ivy!
I love Rose as a first name and, of course, you can always use Rosie if you want the -ee ending.
Whatever the reason your husband doesn’t like Lily, it makes sense to let go. I don’t like the heavy L sound in Lily with you last name.
Breaking out of the -ee ending theme, my favorite floral name is is Iris. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Iris.
Hazel is another lovely option although I am not as sure I like it as well with your last name.. Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Hazel.
I also love Eden, Freddie, Poppy, Daisy, and Eden.
For some reason, I also love the name Mary with your last name and the sibset.
What about Ruby?
If you don’t mind the rhymingness (I don’t but I’m sure some might), how about Laurel nn Laurie? Other ones I like: Ivy, Holly, Juniper nn Junie, Calla nn Callie, Linden nn Linnie. I love many of the suggestions here, but I would tend to choose either a non-flower plant name or a “flower-adjacent” name like Ruby, Verity, or May to both match your other girls but also leave the twins slightly distinct.
What about Bridie?
Poppy, Daisy, Freddie and Bridie.
Poppy, Daisy, Freddie and Maisie.
Left field but what about Isla? The theme could be nature/ 2 syllable rather than floral.
Ooh or Fleur.
Or Piper.
Posey.
Daphne or Iris would be ideal! They’re both beautiful flowers.
For botanical (but not floral), Holly, Ivy, Rowan, Clary, Laurel (maybe not this one with your surname) and Willow all work.
(Some of these are certainly repeats from other commenters.)
Best wishes!
Tulip
Daffodil
Lilac
Azalea
Buttercup :)
So many great comments!!!! I love the idea of Bridie, but would go for Birdie myself. Then the nature theme is emphasized instead of the flower. Either way, beautiful.
My favorite, though, is Marigold, nn Goldie. Love! I have a friend with 8 kids–five boys and three girls. The boys have very masculine, non-nature names and the girls all have a nature name: Daisy, Juniper (usually called Junie), and Marigold (called Goldie). It doesn’t seem at all weird that the boy names and girl names are different from each other.
How about something like Basil? I also like other people’s suggestion of Ivy and Marigold (Goldie).
For something a bit more unusual, you could do Zinnea or Astrid. Or if Rose seems too plain to you, how about Roses – that extra s does seem to add some pizzazz!
One more!
Alyssum.
It’s a lot like Alyssa and Alison, but she’s a delicate and fragrant flower.
Freddie, Daisy, Poppy, Alyssum.
Has anyone suggested Millie yet? It feels absolutely perfect!
There’s also Susanna, nicknamed Susie. It means Lily in Hebrew, but is more along the lines of Freddie in naming style (so Freddie won’t be the odd man out) while sharing similar sounds and meanings to Daisy and Poppy.
Or maybe Jasmine (Minnie), Rosamund (easily nicknamed Rosie), Heather, Sage, or Orchid,
I love the idea of going with a nonfloral word name, like Goldie or Ruby. I was actually thinking Ruby would be perfect and there Swistle is beating me to the chase. As flower names go, Iris is a personal favorite and I suggest it to everyone, but seriously, Iris Powell.
My favorites are Iris, Astrid, and Daphne (Laurel tree).
To me, you have more of a British flair than any other theme. Basically, the names you seem to have chosen are more common in the U.K. than in the U.S. With that in mind, I also like Matilda nn Tilly. Freddie, Daisy, Poppy, and Tilly.
Josephine nn Posy/Posie/Posey is always a favorite of mine.
For some reason, I get an image of some nursery art with a couple of flowers and a bee buzzing around in my head. Beatrice nn Bea, perhaps?
Are the twins named after the royal twins in Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom? (We LOVE that show, my kids find it hilarious.) Anyway, Daisy and Poppy are the little twin sisters of Princess Holly. Something you might want to consider before naming this baby Holly.
My favourite name so far from the suggestions is Goldie.
How about Hazel? I feel like that would nicely bridge the difference between Freddie and Daisy/Poppy! It also has the nature/word-name connection to match her sisters!
I think Tilly is just perfect!
Freddie, Daisy, Poppy and Tilly. Love!
What about Saffy?
Good luck!
Evie, Lottie, Nellie or Sophie
Eleanor with a nickname of Nellie could be great as well! Eleanor to go with Freddie (assuming full name is Frederick), and Nellie to match the twins!