Swistle! Help!
I’m due with my second girl in early March 2022. I have an almost 6 year old daughter named Julia Elizabeth. We LOVE her name. We chose it based on the Beatles song of the same name. It, as well as her nickname Joules (spelled that way due to her dad being an electrical engineer), fits her so perfectly. Elizabeth is my middle name.
We have zero ideas that we both like for baby sister. I like Norah Rosemary and my husband loves Emma. He’s meh on Norah (thinks it sounds too old) and I’m meh on Emma (it’s too common/plain). We have thrown around Hannah and Margot but neither feel quite right. I’ve told him that if he gets on board with Norah as the first name, he can pick a middle name but he’s still not sold!
If baby was a boy, we were planning on Ezra Isaac. (Ezra is the name of the lead singer of my favorite band and Isaac is my husband’s middle name.)
Sibling names “matching” is less important to me than the individual name we give her being one that we love. I like clearly feminine but not fussy or frilly or cutesy names. Automatic nos to anything that can sound like a body part or that turn our last name into a question. (i.e. Gina or Willa)
I’ve put out requests to friends and family for suggestions and yet still nothing is feeling right. I thought maybe your expert advice could help us!
Thank you,
BreeAnn
Your husband is wrong about Norah, let’s just start there. Would he like it any better spelled Nora? Would he like it better as a nickname for Eleanor?
I know a baby named Gemma; I wonder if you’d like that better than / find it fresher than Emma. Or maybe that’s too similar to Julia, with the matching starting/ending sounds.
Would Emmeline be less plain?
More options:
Alice
Annabel
Audrey
Bethany
Bianca
Bridget
Celeste
Clara
Eliza
Fiona
Greta
Laurel
Louise
Meredith
Miranda
Molly
Naomi
Noelle
Sabrina
Sally
Simone
Stella
Tessa
I second swistle’s idea of trying to get your husband on board with Nora by having it be a nickname. If Eleanor doesn’t work what about Honora or Lenora or Leonora? But Julia and Eleanor, Joules and Nora, sound like great sibling names!
(Full disclosure: I’m probably a bit biased as I’m currently TTC and if I end up having a girl her name will likely be Lenora with the nn Nora)
I also come here to suggest Lenora. Beautiful, feminine, uncommon but easy to spell with Nora as a great nickname.
Perhaps consider Rosemary as a first name? It sounds lovely and would pair well with Julia and your last name.
Maybe Emily, nicknamed Emma, or Eleanor, nicknamed Norah?
Just a few other ideas:
Lucille/Lucy
Lillian/Lil
Vivian/Viv
and whoops, sorry to echo Swistle’s exact advice about nicknames! I swear I did read her post before responding but within a few minutes somehow forgot she had said that.
and another whoops – please disregard my suggestion of Lillian/Lil. “Lil Shaver” is probably not the name you are looking for!
What about another Beatles name!? Lucy, Anna, Clarabella, Sadie…
OR Eleanor aka Eleanor Rigby – nickname Nora!
I do like the idea of you having meaning to your second daughters name – could you look at more musicians/songs for inspiration?
Anna and Clarabella are just covers, not original Beatles songs, and I doubt anyone would associate those names with the Beatles. I’ll add Rita, Prudence, Martha, Pam … all Beatles names from songs.
It’s hard to suggest something when you want it to be personal but i am going to take a stab in the dark at the favorite band anyway, and suggest Diane (or Hannah, but Diane feels ready for a comeback). You could nickname her Annie. Or perhaps Eleanor Diane would be fun, called Nora. Good luck!
My girls list (while pregnant in 2017) included many mentioned above, I was dead-set on Norah and my husband would not budge, and Julia was one of the finalists that we took to the hospital. We ended up coming home with our Vivian (incidentally not one of the 4 finalists) and we could not be happier with it nearly 4 years later.
Hannah, Norah, and Margot are also on my list so I think we have similar taste. What about Hazel?
It seems like you both like 2-3 syllable names ending in A, so how about
Anna
Cora
Maya
Lydia
Rosa
Vanessa
Vera
How about Emily or Anna instead of Emma? Or would you like Tabitha? Julia & Tabitha. Joules & Tabby. Tabitha Shaver. I like it.
Since you used your middle for your daughter’s middle and planned to use your husband’s for a son, do you have any female relatives or friends with a middle that appeals?
I love Jane for a classic girl name that isn’t particularly fussy, frilly or cutesy.
We also loved Nora but couldn’t use it for various reasons. We went for Anna instead, wondering if that might be the right fit for you? We love it, it’s not frilly, timeless and classic.
How about Flora as an alternative to Norah. Joules and Effie. Mara instead of Margot or Marie, Marin or Mae. Mara reminds me of Zara although that’s quite similar to Ezra which you might want to save for a future boy. Lana, Nina, Esme, Eva and Lena feel quite similar to the style of Emma and Hannah. Final suggestions go to Thea, Heidi, Ruby, Phoebe and Cleo because they’re recognisable and fun.
BreeAnn here… thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Husband is now fully into Michelle as baby girl’s name. Again, the Beatles song is the inspiration. It’s my big sister’s middle name, so it has a family connection. I just don’t know if I can picture it on a baby. I picture it on a middle aged woman… thoughts?
I would use it with Nora. I can’t let go of Nora. Nora Michelle. Ugh. I hate disagreeing (I’m a classic Enneagram 9).
Michelle is unusual in this generation, but…
1) Lots of kids have unusual names in this generation. My youngest daughter had a Barbara and a Leslie in her kindergarten class.
2) Michelle could shorten to Mimi, or Misha, or Mia, or Shelly, or Ella, or any number of things that are more current if that ever becomes important to her, because it is made up of current sounds.
I think as long as you genuinely like the name yourself, you’d be fine ignoring trends.
I would not use Michelle for a baby; it is firmly firmly in mom-name territory IMO. Like a now 35-yo Barbara or Linda.
I like Michelle. I know an eight year old with the name and it really works on her but you would need to feel good about using it yourself.
I work with children and come across names typical of past generations all the time e.g. Laura, Amanda, Jacqueline, Joyce, Kelly and all of them work. But then, it’s much easier to say that when the child with the name already exists.
Michelle reminds me of Samantha, Melissa, Amy, Holly, Stephanie and Rebecca. Maybe one of those appeals to you and your husband?
Michelle would be a bit surprising, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you use a more current style nickname. My kindergartener’s name is Susan, which is pretty weird for the under 50s, but I’ve been told there’s one in the high school, too, and we know a 5yo Suzette, called Susie, in town. I’ve rarely gotten so much as a raised eyebrow. (Usually quashed by “She’s named after my late mother”)
If he won’t give up on Beatles songs (which I am rolling my eyes about, but onward), how about Rita, the lovely meter maid? Back up into Margaret, and you have other nicknames — “Rita” can be his special nickname for her — Daisy, Maisie, Midge?
I would avoid Emma just in case there is a boy in the future, because it’s too similar to Ezra.
Also, Nora seems to not convince dad, so I would let that one go, too.
Since you love 2-syllable names ending in A, I suggest Clara.
Clara seems to be a nice compromise between Nora and Emma.
Clara Michelle
Julia Elizabeth and Clara Michelle!
The problem with Eleanor is that Eleanor Rigby is rather a sad song to be named after.-
“Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came”
Michelle is a grandmother name now but it is familiar and would be rather unique for her generation. Elle or Ella would be a cute contemporary nickname.
However, I think.it is hard for you to let go of Norah/Nora enough to truly give other options a fair consideration. You really need to take Nora off the table for now to find another name you love. Pretend that your best friend or sister just named a daughter Nora. What would you do then?
Norah might come back.into the mix later but for now consider it as not an.option.
What about Emilia or Emily? I love the name Emily and feel like it never reached the levels of over saturation that Emma did.
Oh, it did… just a couple decades earlier! I am 30 and have many, many peers named Emily! But by that token, perhaps it would seem fresher than Emma right now!
I like Swistle’s suggestion of Stella – you get Lucy in the sky with diamonds (stars) without Lucille / Lucy or LSD.
Lenore (another way to get to Nora)
Camille
Mabel
Raquel / Racquel
Gabriella / Gabrielle (Brielle, Bree)
Bryanna / Brienne (Bree)
I just realized your name is BreeAnn so Bree/Bryanna is probably too close? Whoopsie. :3
And Paul McCartney’s daughter’s name (Stella). Beatles reference.
Dear Prudence! Little Pru.
Vera is a name mentioned in a Beatles song (When I’m 64) that would sound so wonderful with Julia too. It is hard for me to picture Michelle on a baby, but in a middle name spot I can.
Also would Marigold work? From cry baby cry. You could call her Mae or Mari or Marie or Goldie or Maggie or any number of nicknames honestly.
My great-grandmother’s name is Vera! That’s a good one to consider. :)
I have sung “When I’m 64” to my daughter as a lullaby for years! It’s a fun one.
I also have an almost six year old Julia (ours is Julia Lilly) and there’s a lot of names mentioned that are up my alley so I thought I’d weigh in!
We have a dog named Emma so we clearly like that name, too. I would have loved to have considered Nora/Norah, but my name is Laura so we didn’t want a name that rhymed. Other names I like are:
-Elise (probably too close to Elizabeth, though)
-Cecilia (the ending is probably too similar to Julia)
-Nella (I like Willa too, but saw that was ruled out due to last name)
-Sloan
Could you do Sarah and nickname her Sadie for a Beatles song reference? Although there is already a quite famous Sarah Michelle if you stick with that middle name for your husband.
So many great Beatles names out there! I like Michelle. From the school-aged kids in my family, I see that there are so MANY names in use that they have no idea which ones are trendy and which ones aren’t. Elle, Ellie, Ella as a nickname?
Other Beatles ideas:
Anna
Sadie
Martha
Eleanor (nn Nora)
Loretta
Mary
Molly
For my money, Michelle ma belle makes the cutest lullaby of the group. I love Vera for you too!
For me, a Beatles reference would have to be Penelope —> Penny Lane. But the Beatles alone are a hard category to narrow yourself down to. Any other songs out there or places or books that mean something to you?
Other unfussy girls names I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Nina (instead of Nora?)
Camille
Phoebe
Esme (“Besame mucho…”)
Eden
Corinne
Claire
Ivy
Maya
I’m making a list based on names in song titles or famous female musicians, but I don’t really know what will be of significance to you, so do with them what you will!
Rosetta (my top idea! after Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who is credited by some for inventing rock and roll. Plus you get some nice symmetry with full name/nickname options – Rose, Rosie, Etta, etc. And you already like Rosemary.)
Diana (Ross)
Nina or Simone
song names –
Adelaide (Ben Folds)
Clementine (Elliott Smith)
Eileen (as in, Come On, Eileen)
Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
Kathleen (Josh Ritter)
Bernadette (Four Tops)
Lila (The Kinks)
Hat tip for the mention of Josh Ritter, & I love that song
A name that appeals to me in a similar way that Julia does is Cassandra.
Cassandra Michelle
Diana Michelle
Vivian Michelle
Evelyn Michelle
Jeanette Michelle
Louisa Michelle
Natalie Michelle
Colette Michelle
Annora! Annora Rosemary. Annie! Nora!
*Ducking and hiding* but I don’t like Nora with your last name. It sounds like a statement “Nor a shaver!” Like “neither a borrower nor a lender be”….
I recommend Michelle as a middle name. It’s my middle name, also after the song. I think it’s too much of a “mom name” today, unless you were going to call her Elle or something not obvious.
I love Margot and encourage you to revisit it! Margot Michelle, Rosemary Michelle, Emily Michelle, Amelia Michelle
We have three boys, but our first girl name was Hannah and our second was Nora, so it seems like we have similar styles. For our final baby, we were considering Audrey (which Swistle mentioned), Iris, and Ruth/Ruthie. Would any of those appeal?
Since you love that Julia has her own song, I love Annabel for you!
https://youtu.be/O-SLSZ-9748