Hi Swistle,
I am pregnant with my sixth (and last) child. My other kids’ names are Boston Striker, Scarlett Elsie, Isla Libby, Raider Cannon, and Miller Gibson. For eight long years we’ve had the name Hazel Maisie picked out if we ever got to have another girl. However, after all these years, I feel like the shine has faded on Hazel for me. I still love Maisie, and in my mind we have called this baby Hazy Maze for years. But I just feel like I can’t commit to Hazel anymore, and while I like Hazy for a nickname, I don’t like it as her legal name.
Other names I’ve loved for a girl are Anne (Anne of Green Gables) and Rose for my grandfather who raised and bred award winning roses. But I never used them because they didn’t match my other girls and it was hard to break with what we had going. (Here is where my crazy hangs out. All my kids have a 2-2-3 syllable name. The girls have first names that can’t be shortened and the “ee” sound ending for their middle names.)
I recently heard the name Navy for a baby girl and I fell in love. I think it is so sweet. And my grandmother, whom I provide end of life care for, wore Navy perfume my entire life. It seems a sweet honor toward her, especially since she hates her name and would be furious if we used her actual name as an honor name. We are now talking about Navy Rose to honor both grandparents and I love it, I love it so much I can’t stand it. But I feel like it is too unique. And it doesn’t match my other kids’ names at all in rhythm.
Also, I’ve always felt like there is a fine line between fun and unusual, and American Gladiator names from Saturday morning after cartoons. So much so, that I have extreme name regret over Raider’s name. I feel like we crossed that line. When he was about a year old, I tried to talk my husband into changing it to Rider. Just dropping the A would have been an easy change for a baby and would have given him a more common name. I worry about his future trying to get a job and being taken seriously. However, my husband was a hard no. He insisted the name fit him and it was fine. The name does fit him perfectly, but I still worry about it. Especially with all the jokes you see about unusual names these days. And now I’m considering naming my child Navy Rose!? Am I just walking Millenial cliche?!
So I guess I need reassurance. Is Navy Rose too ridiculous? Does it sound like a cartoon name? I can’t have name regret twice.
Thanks for your input from a mom with 8 years of name regret.
I don’t think the name Navy is ridiculous, but two things make me hesitate in this particular situation:
1. The noun middle name Rose, which emphasizes the adjective sound of Navy and I think is what could give it that fairytale/comics feeling.
2. A sister named Scarlett, which gives you two color names in the same sibling group. (I’d feel similarly about the name Hazel, though to a lesser degree because the name itself is more familiar as a name.)
I don’t think either of those things is a giant deal-breaking issue, especially with a name you love so much you can’t stand it, but they’re the kind of thing I’d want to have thought of ahead of time rather than afterward.
If possible, and I realize such things are not always possible (and I might not myself find it possible), I think you should see if you can let go of the impulse to match things such as syllable-counts and “ee” sounds in middle names. These are things that absolutely no one will notice, and it’s hard enough to choose a sixth name without sweating the small stuff. Besides, Scarlett can be shortened to Lettie, and Navy already has an ee-sound. But if you must have two syllables and an ee-sound in the middle name, you could use Rosie. (I am not fond of that with Navy, though, because of the repeating ee-sounds.)
Another option is to use Navy as the middle name. It has the right number of syllables and it has an ee-sound. You wouldn’t want to do Hazel Navy, would you? That might freshen up Hazel for you. It is two color names—but again, I find that less noticeable when we’re leading with Hazel. But you did say you can’t commit to Hazel anymore, so I think what I would do in your shoes is start experimentally looking for more first names you like, and see if you like any of them with Navy as the middle name. Fiona Navy, Clara Navy, Stella Navy, Bridget Navy, Mirren Navy, Cleo Navy, Louise Navy, etc. And then if nothing holds a candle to Navy Rose, go right ahead and use it.
Navy Rosa could be a fix for your syllable count problem! I know a boy named Navy but I think it’s cute either way.
Or Rosa Navy if you want the ee sound to stay in the middle.
I didn’t notice the 2-2 thing until you mentioned it, and I wouldn’t notice your breaking it either. There is so much of interest going on with your children’s names, including the number and variety, that I think a lot of people won’t get to more ordinary considerations like syllable count as soon as they would in a smaller, more traditional group.
I think Hazel goes much better with Scarlett and Isla than Navy does (and I think the name-only spelling of Scarlett removes it from the color meaning—maybe that’s just me).
But I think Navy works fine with the whole group, if you aren’t worried about gender grouping or are going for overall symmetry. You have one boy (Miller) with a more traditional name, and Navy would be one girl with a more unique one.
I think Navy will turn out to seem much more dated than Hazel, someday—they are both in fashion now, but Hazel has a wider spread and more history.
TL;DR—I like Hazel. But I think the quality drawing people to Navy hasn’t dawned on me yet. I think of the armed forces and the stodgy color; what does it make others think of that they want to associate with their baby girls? I would love to understand better!
I really like Navy Rose. I think it works great with the siblings
I have seven letters in my name. My first and second daughters have seven letters in their names. When we found out we were having a third girl and settled on the name Tallulah, we briefly considered a less traditional spelling of her unusual name so that she could have seven letters instead of 8. Ultimately we decided an unusual spelling on top of an unusual name was too much.
That 8th letter bothered me for a bit until a friend said to me “They will each be their own person. They are going to grow to so much more than a sibling set. It seems important now, but as they grow into their names and it won’t be.” I thought that was a very helpful way to frame things so I am passing it on to you.
I like the name Navy Rose a lot. Good luck!
Rose is also a color. Navy Rose sounds like Violet Orange — ie clashy — to me.
Me too! So much so that I was shocked when Swistle called it a noun, and had to pause for wayyy too long to remember what a rose is (then to imagine a navy one).
“Navy Rose” kept bringing to mind a crayon with that name printed on it, and I kept trying to imagine what it would look like. Kind of greyish, really?
I think Navy is a fine first name and really no more unusual than Boston or Miller.
It is hard to beat a name you love so much.
I also think the name story (grandmother’s perfume; grandfather’s rose bushes) makes the name special and will mean a lot to a little girl. However, you could turn the name around a bit and make it fit your pattern rather easily….
Rosa Navy (maybe a little plain)
Roselle Navy
Rosheen Navy (means little rose)
Roza Navy (Russian form of Rose)
If I didn’t know about your love of the name Navy Rose and the story behind, I might suggest for you:
Willow Maisie
Rowan Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)
Eden Rosie
Navy isn’t really my style but I think it does work with your children’s names. So I say go for it if you love it. Navy Rose being a colour and object doesn’t bother me. I would go with it and even have a navy blue Rose in her room or on a photo or wherever.
I guess one consideration is when I look at Boston, Scarlett, Isla, Raider, Miller & Navy in a list, I might think that Navy is a boy, based on your son’s having more unusual names and your two existing daughters having obviously female names. But I don’t think that would be a huge problem in real life, since people meeting your family would soon see that Navy is a girl.
I wonder about that, too. Navy sounds more like militar than color to me and, in this sibset, I think it aligns more with Boston, Raider and Miller than with Scarlett and Isla. So, to me, in this sibset, Navy sounds like a boy name. What about Piper or Luna?
I love Navy Rose for all the reasons you explained. I also think Hazel Maisie is gorgeous, too.
I named my last (baby #7) a name that we were never considering for any of the others, jettisoning a more unusual name that was a pretty strong contender for 8+ years. He’s now 10 months old, and although sometimes I doubt going with the (much more conventional and traditional) name that we picked, whenever I say it out loud, I smile. His name just makes me happy. So I think it’s the right one.
Also, I think we can make a distinction between “patterns with meaning” and “patterns without meaning.” My first three have first names that have 7 letters. I did not purposefully plan that; it just happened. I did feel that I should continue the 7 letter thing, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s not something that people would notice, and beyond that, the pattern had no significant meaning for me.
You’ve held the pattern this long, let’s see if there is a tweak to get you there! I wonder if the ‘rule’ you break is actually the nickname thing. How about:
Danae Rosie (nn Navy)
Renée Rosie (nn Navy)
Yes! Along the same lines and breaking more rules- Naomi Violet (Navy)! I also think Romy has that “Navy” feeling while giving more options that fit with Scarlett and Isla. Romy Rose would probably be too much but it would be fun to brainstorm off the nickname.
My theory on names is that at least one can be unique/unusual as long as another is usable as an alternative (i.e. resumes, etc) should the child so decide.
If you LOVE Navy, use it. (I love that you use more traditional spellings). The special meaning it has are enough to clinch it for me. (I have one child with a non-direct honor name, and one with a direct honor name for a still-living grandparent who dislikes her name).
For middle, consider Rosette, Roselle, Rosalie.
I also agree with Swistle and previous commenter about letting your naming pattern go. There are ways you can still accomplish the 2-2-3, but with Navy, you’ll transfer the -ee to the first name.
Or what about Rozanne/Roseanne for middle?
Yes, why not transfer the -ee to the first name? That kind of mirrors your sons’ names, where you have one ‘-on -er’ and two ‘-er -on’s.
1st of all I want t encourage you to use Roseanne. For the first or midle. You love both parts of the name and for good reasons so use them together to get your 2 syllables.
I personally don’t love Navy. And with Rose it’s too colory for me. But I love how you described how much you love the name. That’s important. That’s the most important thing, that you love it and you can tell your child why you love it! So they can see the beauty in your choice.
Maybe using Navy will help you feel better about Raider. Give him a sibling who’s name you feel is equally quirky but you just love so much you had to use it anyway. Fwiw I don’t find Raider to be more out there than Boston or even Miller as a first name. But you do and it seems you may view Navy similarly. I think Navy Roseanne is probably the perfect name for your daughter.
Maisie Roseanne is also really cute.
I am very curious as to whether the name “Roseanne” would be distinguishable from the TV character (or a positive association) to to the point that it feels useable yet by the majority of the naming population in the US!
The TV character is a very strong association for me … its the first thing that comes to mind and a difficult impression to shake. But I doubt our kids will ever even know about it, so it could still be useable.
Roseanna has no such association, but it’s three syllables :(
i’m 17 and i don’t have this association at all. i don’t think associations like this are ever a problem unless it’s with employers or classmates. i guarantee classmates won’t notice, and if inn20 years when this baby is trying to get a job someone sees that their name is roseanne and somehow remembers the tv show will it be a problem? i honestly don’t think so.
I think Navy Rose is darling. And I think Hazel Maisie is cute, too! My cousin has a little girl named Navy.
Well, Navy Rose indeed sounds a bit like a children’s book character, but it isn’t necessarily a bad connotation, so if you really love this combo I don’t see enough of a reason not to use it.
Hm, what about Opal instead of Hazel? Opal Rose sounds lovely and it’s definitely less common than Hazel (Opal – no. 820 in 2018, while Hazel – no. 42).
And I second the thoughts that you don’t really have to stick to that 2+2 pattern. Actually, at least for me, the fact that 2 of your boys have names that end with -ER (RaideER and MillER), while 1 boy (Boston) doesn’t, is way more noticable (but not that it matters, of course!) than number of syllables.
So, here are some other names that may suit your naming style (quite a few are 3-syllable names though, and some repeat initials):
Bianca
Astrid
Cashmere
Elinor
Sierra
Saskia
Glory
Nina
Livia
Juniper
Lyra
Azalea
Ophelia
Xanthe
Ariadne
Primrose
Indigo
Sapphire
Camellia
Imogen
Fern
Rozalia (Polish Rosalie)
And if you like “Anne of Green Gables”, Marilla Rose and Navy Anne could both be a nice tribute to the books.
Raider’s name us FINE! It’s good, actually. I have friends whose LAST NAME is Raider. The husband is called Raider by all his friends & I found out his brother, whom we don’t know, is ALSO called Raider by his own friends. I like it much better than Rider! Put your worries aside!
Ok, Navy is very much not my style. It feels like not “enough” name. And Rose feels like a common filler middle. I love your other girls combos & would like to see something more similar to Scarlett & Isla. Navy fits your middle name criteria though!! Some suggestions:
Annelie Navy
AnnaRose Navy
Maeve Rosie
Maeve Rosalie
Maeve Annelie
Mabel Sadie
I like Hazel Maisie too. And if you love LOVE Navy, go for it!
I think Navy is of the moment and if you love it so much, you should absolutely use it. I don’t mind Rose as a middle with it, but I do prefer Navy Roseann. I think Navy fits with your other children’s names well, though I do think some people may think it leans more masculine. If you decide not to go with it, I Maisie Rose sounds wonderful with the sibling names and I really love Swistle’s suggestion of Cleo.
Roses typically have their own names. Since your grandfather was a champion gardener, there are probably several select varieties that he grew. Perhaps one of those names might fit your pattern! If it works with your other daughters’ names AND has two syllables, Navy could slide to the middle name spot (because it already ends with the ‘ee’ sound).
For example:
Coral Knockout is a rose variety… Coral Navy (yes, yes, both color names) might work.
Golden Celebration is another rose variety… Golden Navy (Oy! More double colors!)
Desdemona is longer, but she’s a variety of rose… Dessa Navy.
Imogen is a rose variety… Imogen Navy.
Georgia is a rose variety… Georgia Navy.
You get the idea!
Or perhaps simply using the gentle and sweet Flora as a first name… Flora Navy.
Congratulations and best wishes!
I loved the name Hazen (my grandma’s maiden name) or Hayes for short, but my husband said “no”. I have a Lyla similar to Isla in sound and Locke. I suggest trying to stay a little more feminine with your girl name. I love some of the suggestions above. Della, Fauna, Annabelle, Minnie, Faye, Greta, Juniper.
Navy Rosalind
Navy Penrose
I’m not into Navy as a name bc I love it as a color. But I love it with both of these middles. And it gives her an unusual but traditional name she could go by as an adult if she prefers.
I love the suggestion of Hazel Navy. It fits your naming pattern, and maybe freshens up the name Hazel for you? I think Hazel goes so nicely with her sisters’ names.
If you love the name Anne but want two syllables – how about Anna?
Anna Navy
Anna Maisie
Anna Hazel (could still be “Hazy”)
What about Stella Navy? It is part Isla and part Scarlett and has the same traditional/spunky vibe of the other names. And you keep the 2+2. You avoid isolating Isla by two other color names. And what is not to love about stars?
Navy Rose is really literal to me. I see a blue rose. And the name doesn’t match Isla and Scarlett. Not that this is essential. But it seems more like one of your boys rather than one of your girls. I love Navy but I too think it is best in the middle spot.
My thought to get the syllable count/ee middle is to lengthen Rose and move Navy to the middle. Rosa Navy, Roseanne Navy, etc. I seriously doubt anyone will ever notice the syllable count-though I did notice the ee ending middle theme. I’m not a big themed name person, but this one is subtle enough that it’s kind of cute. All that to say I think you could keep Navy and use other, longer versions of Rose and still have a unifying theme for the sister names. Rosemary, Rosalie, etc.
Honestly, I think Navy as a first is a bit much & it seems over the top with Scarlett (not to mention it leaves poor Isla out). Two not super common color names seems like a more themey-theme than the syllable thing (which no one will notice).
I don’t think Navy is any more unusual than your boys’ names, although it will almost definitely sound dated in the future.
I liked the suggestion of Stella. Or Maeve.
I don’t think anyone will really notice you breaking out of the pattern you have going.
Anne of Green Gables has so many great names to choose from – what about Diana or Ruby?
I also liked the idea of naming her after a type of roses. There are so many colorful and creative rose names. I just found one called Avon, which checks the boxes for both the sound you like and an Anne of Green Gables connection (Avonlea).
Other rose names:
Annabelle (also the Anne connection)
Alba
Louise
Carris
Chloe
Ena
Fiona
Gemma
Grace
Hannah
Imogen
Julia
Kathryn
Lara
Victoria
Lavender (another color name)
Lizzy
Lucy
Naomi
Natalie
Olivia
Molly
Beth
Pearl
Penelope
Penny
Claire
Rachel
Sapphire
Truly
Yvonne
(There’s also a rose called Good Ol’ Dave, which I would not recommend as a name lol.)
You might also like:
Nova
Avery
Janae
Rosalie
Eva
I went to school with a girl named Navy and I was always jealous of her name. I think Navy Rose is gorgeous, and not too out there. As for the syllable issue, your kids will still all have the same rhythm of firstname-lastname, and middle names are rarely used in real life so it doesn’t seem too worth stressing about.
As a stand alone name I think Navy Rose is very pretty and does not sound at all like an American Gladiator name. Even when I see all of your children’s first name’s together I don’t get a gladiator-vibe: Boston, Scarlett, Isla, Raider, Miller and Navy. I think the names are cute actually!
However, when I see/hear their first and middle names, Stryker, Raider, Cannon and Navy really sticks with me and I would wonder silently if your family was into military and battles and war-things. And if you are, that’s great! I really don’t care – you do you. But you did mention you were worried that the names may cross a line which is the only reason I’m bringing it up.
If you primarily use only your children’s first names then this really isn’t an issue, I think you are in safe territory and each of your child’s individual names are very cute. However if you do address your kids often by first-middle then I would maybe consider a name other than Navy. I really loved the person’s suggestion above of Naomi Violet and then use Navy as the nickname. So cute!
I would definitely know that Navy is a girl—i don’t feel like it’s currently THAT uncommon. I know of a little Navy. The name doesn’t remind me of the color (in fact, I would say it isn’t a color but an adjective describing a color: brick red, sunshine yellow, navy blue). I do think water-based military, but as a name it sounds…idk sort of southern to me? I think you should use it. I think you should use it with Rose, or Rosalie if you prefer. I personally would feel more of a quandary about using Roseanne (such a great name but such a specific person!) than Navy.
I do love Hazel, and if all else fails, I think Hazel Navy (Hazy Navy!) would be fun. It would give you the name you have long loved and the name you have fallen fast and hard for. I also like the repeating “L” sounds in the girls names. Okay, actually I think I definitely want you to use Hazel Navy.
I think Navy Rose is lovely, and so is Navy Anne. I love the idea of looking into more rose names too. You have a great list of names already. I like Rose Navy (Scarlett Isla and Rose!!), Annie Rose, Maisie Rose, etc.
I have a soft spot for Maisie, but Navy is similar in a lot of ways and more meaningful to you with its subtle tribute to your grandmother, and it has the middle name rhythm that you like. I also think its a fun middle name.
So, you could use it with Hazel (as has been suggested) which may give new life to an old favourite.
Or you could use it with Rosa (again previously suggested) which is another subtle tribute name, the ‘right’ rhythm and more name/less colour than Rose.
Or you could use Flora Navy (which I also saw suggested, but thought of independently). I believe theres a family (? – I admit to being fairly botanically challenged) of roses called Floribunda. Not an individual variety, but a group? I like that Scarlett, Isla and Flora sort of have there own ‘thing’ (colour, island, flowers) but are more namey than nouny.
So, it seems I have nothing to actually add, but wanted to add my thoughts and reinforce some great suggestions.
I know some larger families who had a naming convention and just couldn’t keep it up when they got to the last child, for whatever reason. I think it’s okay not to let yourself be hamstrung by that. If Hazel Maisie isn’t going to work anymore, it just isn’t. I think you’ll be okay with Navy Rose.
I don’t think that you can pair Scarlett and Navy in a sibling set without some raised eyebrows. It crosses the line for me. I wouldn’t use Navy in the first name slot.
I like you 2+2 theme and think you should continue it. Have you also noticed that all of the kids have a repeating letter in one of their names? Boston (O), Scarlett (T), Libby (B), Cannon (N), and Miller (L). Some are in the first, other the middle, but I like it.
Alba is a name of a beautiful rose. It has two syllables and repeats an A, different from all the siblings. Alba Navy. Honors both grandparents. I love it. Scarlett, Isla, and Alba sound like sisters to me. Is Isla a Scottish nod? If so, Alba is a Gaelic name for Scotland according to BNW. It also means dawn in some language…I think of scarlet skies at dawn. Anyway, it seems to fit.
You have some beautiful names. Can’t wait to hear the update.
Any way to find out what variety of rose(s) were your grandfather’s favorites/prize winners? Maybe you could find inspiration there — the names are often whimsical, elegant, etc. I happened to google my daughter’s name (Edith Helen) and discovered it’s also a variety of rose! :)
I like Navy Rose personally but not with Scarlett as a sister. Would you like Nayeli – it has a beautiful meaning and she could go be Ellie if you wanted. Nayeli Rose or Nayeli Hazel would be gorgeous. If you don’t like Nayeli I’d also suggest –
Nia Rose
Emery/Everly Hazel
Carbry/Cambrie Hazel
Juno Rose
Hadley Rose
Nellie Rose
Capri Rose
Thought #1: Anne + Rose x 2-2-3 = Anna Rosie
#2: Navy Rose is a decent fit with the siblings, but I 100% understand following a pattern you’ve locked yourself into, and it feels silly to stop it at your sixth child. It does not feel as “out-there” as Boston Striker and Raider Cannon, though it does sound very much like a description or a comic book character, but that helps it to kind of bridge the gap between Boston+Raider and Scarlett+Isla+Miller. It wouldn’t be my top choice, but I’d try to save Navy.
#3: Anna Navy
Rosa Navy
Mabel Navy
Gemma Navy
Cora Navy
Charlotte Navy
Freya Navy
Iris Navy
Alice Navy
Harlow Navy
#4: FLORA NAVY $$$$$ CHING CHING $$$$$ I think it’s perfect. No truly intuitive nicknames (I don’t see anyone using Florrie or Flossie nowadays) still connected to flowers for your grandfather, flowery like Hazel, still gives you Navy, not a comic book name but still cool. Also, not necessarily connected to AOGG but feels like something Anne Shirley would heartily approve of.
#5: FLORA NAVY FLORA NAVY FLORA NAVY !!!!!!!!
Best wishes for you and yours. I’m rooting for the name ROSA. xx
What if you lengthened Rose? Navy Primrose. less of a “two word names” feel.
How about Neve or Maeve or Liv? Neve Rose is beautiful and I think it’ll have less of a time stamp. Nevvy or Maevey would be a natural nickname.