[It is going to take time to adjust to all these new ways of being. I am handling it in part by working on a backlog of baby name questions.]
Hello,
I am pregnant with our second baby girl and we are having trouble finding a name for her. The baby is due June 21st. Our daughters name is Blakely Glenn Pulley and she is 3. The top runner right now for baby number two is Nora. I just want to make sure that Nora goes well with Blakely. I don’t want to name our next baby with a “B” name because we already have Blakely and then our German shepherds name is Bodhi, so I would like to stay away from “B’s”. The other names we having been considering, but aren’t crazy about are:
Sawyer
Landen
Payton
Pearl
Nora
Emery
Paisley
Palmer
Phoenix
Annabelle
Ashlyn
FinleyAny suggestions are more then welcome because we are definitely struggling!
The two middle names I was thinking for Nora would be:
Nora Jean
Or Nora Sue ( Sue for my aunt that recently just passed away)But any other suggestions for middle names are more then welcome as well!
Please let me know your thoughts! We are excited to hear your suggestions!!
All the best,
Nathan and Lisa Pulley
Whether two names go together is a fairly subjective area, but I can at least give you my own opinion, and then commenters can give theirs. In my opinion, the names Blakely and Nora are a style clash.
The name Blakely is a contemporary surname name. Like many surname names it has a unisex sound, though in the U.S. it is currently used almost exclusively for girls (1,304 new baby girls and 10 new baby boys in 2018, according to the Social Security Administration). It is not yet very common in the U.S. (#250 in 2018), but it is rising fairly briskly: it first appeared in the Top 1000 in 2011 at #928. I would expect a girl named Blakely to have sisters with names like Ellery, Campbell, and Lennox.
The name Nora is a vintage revival, feminine and classic/traditional in sound. It’s a standalone name but also a nickname for Eleanor, which makes it a little difficult to figure out how common it is—but as a standalone name, it was #30 in 2018 (the name Eleanor was #32). It has drifted in and out of popularity, from a low of #501 in 2000 to a high of #28 in 2017, but it has been in the Top 1000 names since the searchable online records begin in 1900. I would expect a girl named Nora to have sisters with names like Evelyn, Violet, and Clara.
Looking at your list of finalists, I see at least two distinct style preferences. One is for names similar to Blakely: Sawyer, Landen, Payton, Emery, Paisley, Palmer, Finley. One is for names similar to Nora: Pearl, Annabelle. (Ashlyn and Phoenix strike me as outliers.)
There is no rule that sibling names must be the same style, and there are arguments to be made for choosing your favorite name each time without regard for style. But my own personal preference is to coordinate style, or at least to avoid startling clashes. If I were you, I would look for names more like the ones on your list that are similar in style to Blakely.
Of those names from your list, my favorite is Emery. Emery Pulley; Blakely and Emery. I like it with either of the middle names you mention: Emery Sue Pulley, Emery Jean Pulley.
A general tip before we continue is to make sure you’re trying each first/last combination without the middle name. Saying, for example, “Paisley Jean Pulley” can disguise that Paisley Pulley matches both starting and ending sounds (P-/-ley).
More names similar in style to Blakely:
Carson Pulley; Blakely and Carson
Darcy Pulley; Blakely and Darcy
Delaney Pulley; Blakely and Delaney
Devany Pulley; Blakely and Devany
Ellery Pulley (maybe too much L and Y); Blakely and Ellery
Ellison Pulley; Blakely and Ellison
Everly Pulley (repeats ending of Blakely/Pulley); Blakely and Everly
Gracen Pulley; Blakely and Gracen
Hadley Pulley (repeats ending of Blakely/Pulley); Blakely and Hadley
Harlow Pulley; Blakely and Harlow
Hayden Pulley; Blakely and Hayden
Keaton Pulley; Blakely and Keaton
Keelyn Pulley; Blakely and Keelyn
Kellen Pulley; Blakely and Kellen
Kerrigan Pulley; Blakely and Kerrigan
Lennox Pulley; Blakely and Lennox
Madigan Pulley; Blakely and Madigan
Padgett Pulley; Blakely and Padgett
Quinn Pulley; Blakely and Quinn
Sloane Pulley; Blakely and Sloane
Teagan Pulley; Blakely and Teagan
I completely agree about the totally different styles re: Blakely and Nora. Teagen and Emery sound great. Or: Aspen, Riley, Parker.
Another option is a name that sounds like Blakely but its style is much more like Nora. As in Elodie.
Came here to suggest Aspen too!
I agree that Blakey and Nora aren’t the same style, but think you should use Nora anyway if you love it. I did want to point out the similarity of Nora Jean to Norma Jean though. Not really a bad association but I thought of it immediately when I read Nora Jean.
I agree that the styles are different, but the clash is… quite acceptable. I personally like to hear sib sets that aren’t too matchy matchy, and this one doesn’t push into troubling territory for me. Both Nora and Blakely are very current, just in different ways. If you think you might possibly have more children, though, I’d think ahead about groups of names that feel like YOUR family. That may help you narrow down a name for your new daughter now. Congratulations!
I agree with Swistle 100%. I don’t think Blakely & Nora match at all. But ultimately your girls won’t live side-by-side forever. I think what matters most is you choose what you like best!
Ideas: if you choose a more matchy first name, you could use Nora Sue or Nora Jean as a double middle. Susannah or Jeanette would also honor Sue & Jean. Or Nora Susannah Jean could provide a lovely double middle that honors all.
I agree with Nathalia above – yeah, the styles are different, but in a way that works for me. If you were suggesting a name like Esther or Millicent, I would think the mismatch was pretty extreme. But Blakely and Nora are both familiar and contemporary and I think they sound cute together! Names similar to Nora – i.e. names that have been around for awhile but are popular now – that you might like include: Amelia, Emeline, Isabel, Stella. Names more like Blakely: Clayton, Marlowe, Kendall, Avery, Harper, Skyler. Good luck!
I’d also suggest Waverly,
My favorite suggestion for you is Emery Jean–wonderful! I also like Sawyer. Other ideas:
Kirby
Mallory
Belllamy
Darby
Keegan
Shelby
Seton
Saylor
Regan
Tierney
Sooooo, my name is Leith and I grew up with a sister named Helen which strikes me as a SIMILAR style clash as Blakely and Nora (neither of our names was as current when we were kids as Blakely and Nora are now, but I mean it’s the same kind of “one name is surnamey and kinda unisex while the other is vintage and used exclusively for girls” thing), and I am going to encourage you to name her Nora. It took me years to clue into the fact that my name is technically a style mismatch with my sister’s, and I was a kid who was REALLY INTO names. Because I heard “Leith and Helen” together so often, our names ended up sounding like they belonged together. The people close to us didn’t notice or didn’t care, and if anyone else noticed or cared they never said anything. And it’s true that once your girls are older and have their own friends and activities and eventually forge their own lives, it will go from “maybe mattering the teeniest little bit” to “definitely not mattering in any way at all”. Name her Nora! I think it’s a GREAT sister name for Blakely. :)
I would be surprised to find sisters Blakely and Nora (and I don’t mind being surprised), but I’d be less surprised by Blakely and Nola, or Blakely and Nova, or Blakely and Jordan, or Blakely and Dorrin, or Blakely and Morrigan (which means “great queen”!), or Blakely and Rory — would any of those appeal? Or maybe a name that can take Nora as a nickname, like:
Pelinore
Normandy/Normandie
North
Second this! Came to say Nova would be a nice contemporary evolution of Nora.
Blakely and Nova.
Or Neva. Or Neve.
Blakely and Nora are cute! Go with what you love! You will say those names a lot together and I think they are great.
Blakely and Nora really clash for me. And on its own, I would assume girl for Blakely-but next to Nora I would assume boy. I’m not sure how much that would matter to you, but I suspect others would also conclude Blakely-boy and Nora-girl. From your list, I like Landen and Phoenix the best. The others seem to with clash with Your daughters name (Pearl, Annabelle). Or, they seem a bit too similar in sound. I notice a lot of “lee” endings and “A” sounds. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but I generally prefer sibling names to be a bit more distinct in sound
I agree with above – if I heard of a Blakely & Nora sibset, I would assume Blakely was a boy because it is such a style clash with Nora. If I saw 2 girls, I would prob assume that dad named one kid and mom named the other and they had clashing name styles. That said, after an initial reaction, I would get used to it & it would not be a big deal! If you love the name, go for it.
For what it’s worth, I have a Nora Claire, and a totally unplanned and unexpected nickname for her has become Nori. If the same happens for you, I think Blakely and Nori would be pretty cute together. Good luck! Choose what your heart is drawn to and don’t worry so much if the sibling names match :)
I agree, the names are quite different! If read together I may think Blakely is a boy, especially with a middle name of Glenn. But that’s only if comparing the names which won’t always be the case!
How about Quincy or Quinten? Oo Arden would be great! Or Romy is great and short, sweet but snappy like Nora.
You could also name her Lenora with a nickname of Nora (or I think Lenny is super cute).
What about keeping the Nora sound but make is a little closer in style to Blakely with a twist?
My ideas are: Noralyn, Noralee, Norelle, Noreena, Norianna, Honor, Bellanore, N
go with Nora! I have a Nora Jane. I think they sound cute together :)
Agree that Blakely and Nora are a style mismatch. I’d also avoid another name ending in “ley” sound like Ainsley.
Wanted to suggest a few others:
Sutton
Darby
Tiernan
Tierney
Ashby
Merritt
Collins
Dorian
Flannery
Hollis
Linden
Marlo
Nova (alternative to Nora?)
(Just a wee note to say your baby names blog is my happy beacon of hope in a crazy world. Thank you, Swistle!)
I love the suggestions of Lennox, Marlowe, Hadley and Harlow with Blakely. I lean more toward the ones with different ending sounds. Some others to consider:
Tamsin
Lorelai
Best of luck with your new sweet girl!