Hi!
My husband and I are expecting our third (and likely last) baby, a girl due this April. We have two boys, Luke and Noah, and our last name rhymes with Tedwards.
I love that my boys’ names are short, sweet, and traditional but not too formal. Our girl’s name does not need to follow the four-letter trend, but I do want a short-ish name that does not have a clearly associated nickname.
Our little girl’s middle name will almost certainly be Jane, a family name, although I’ve also considered Jane (Janie) as a first name. I prefer a first name with two or more syllables to go with a one syllable nickname.
Some names I really like, but are already in use in our (large and very close) family: Lily, Addy, Anna, Lucy, Maggie, Ava, Mia/Mya, Amy.
I love Nora, but it’s too similar to Noah. Same goes for Louisa, with Luke.
We have a few names we like, but no clear front runners:
Emma (we like the name, but also know so many Emmas)
Fiona
Celia
JuliaIt appears I’m drawn to girl names that end in “a” but that’s certainly not a requirement.
A few that fit what we’re looking for, but I’m just not crazy about: Mary, Isla, Cora, Alice.
Would love your thoughts and suggestions!
Name update:
Hi!
Just wanted to share that we welcomed our little girl, Eliza Jane, last week. While we considered using Jane as a first name, it ultimately felt better as a middle name. Eliza will almost certainly be my parents’ last grandchild, and now their first grandchild (my niece) and their last share my mom’s first name as their middle name. My mom is so happy about her “bookend” grandchildren. In a fun twist, we had already decided on the name Eliza, and then had a (wonderful!) L&D nurse named Eliza take care of me during delivery! It felt meant to be. Luke and Noah are absolutely in love with their baby sister. Thanks to all of the commenters for the wonderful suggestions, they were so helpful as we narrowed down our list!
Malia (nickname Lia)
Etta
Lyla
Esme
Flora
Clara
Della
Clara immediately came to mind for me too!
Fiona Jane is so pretty and goes well with Luke and Noah. Fiona was at the top of our personal list (after Jane, but we had a Finn instead).
I love Jane as a first name, that was always our girl name but alas we had 3 boys. I wanted Jane Birdie.
Names like Emma…
Etta
Gemma
Willa
Alma
Vera
Emerson
Other:
Susannah
Finola
Verity
Felicity
Quinn
Hannah
Pearl
Claire
Coral
Clara
Thea
Shea
Zara
I second that, Fiona Jane is a lovely name.
Lila was the first name that came to mind
But here’s some others:
Vera
Sara
Ella
Bella
What about Ada, Maya, or Ella?
Paige
Eve/Eva
Ella
Elsie
Ellen
Leah
Ruby
Ruth
Frances
This is a pro-Jane plug… we ended up using Jane (also a family name) as a first name in the final hour, and I am SO pleased we did. She goes by Jane, sometimes Janie. It is familiar but refreshing, because you so rarely hear it as a first name. In my opinion, it sounds lovely as a first name with all manner of other names as a middle. From your names, I think Jane Louisa Tedwards is my favorite. I also think Jane sounds great with your boys’ names and your last name! Best of luck and congratulations!
I really do love Jane! It’s my middle name, and my mom’s first name. Really, I think the only hang-up is that it is my mom’s name. I love it, but my husband is not fully on board. We’ll see…
I don’t know why, but the name that immediately popped into my head when reading your question was Eden. Luke, Noah, and Eden Jane. I’m in love with it!
Lydia Jane
Jane is a great choice! You have a lot of good options already–really you can’t go wrong.
If you love Nora but not Cora, and you also like Fiona, what about Flora?
If you can’t do Maggie but like it, can you do Margaret with a different nickname like Grete or Greta or Margie?
Is Eva too close to Ava for you to use it?
Hannah would also fit in with the names you listed.
Rebecca is another nice option I don’t hear too often these days (you can decide if the “Becky with the good hair” thing is a problem for you…certainly there are many other nicknames!)
Greta gives you two syllables, short without an obvious nickname. I like that it gives you a different vowel sound.
Luke, Noah and Greta Tedwards
Greta Jane Tedwards
When I saw that she will be born in April, and I saw “April” next to Luke and Noah, I thought how lovely that sib set would be: Luke, Noah and April. April is a such pretty name and doesn’t have a clearly associated nickname.
I thought the same thing! I actually skimmed and thought they already had three kids: Luke, Noah, and April. And I thought it really worked. Although, is it better or worse for Aprils to actually be born in April? I wonder if the due date is towards the middle/end of the month so they can be more confident it will be an April birthday? Not that it matters!
I’ve wondered that too! Such a beautiful name but would it seem too cloying to name an April baby, April? I guess people would ask an April if she was indeed born in April. But would it matter either way? I guess anyone named June, May or August would face the same repeat line of questioning. I see April as a pretty name in its own right, without the month association, regardless of whether the child was born in April.
I have an August born in August. He was due in mid July and it’s an honor name, so we were kind of set on it But it’s very annoying. So very annoying. I often give his birthday as 8/2 just so I don’t have to say August born in August (every appointment ever). I also get asked about the name choice a lot plus a few “you’ll never forget his birthday” jokes. If I’m feeling salty I might reply “hopefully we will never forget the man he was named after” but mostly I just silently wish he’d like the nickname Gus.
I actually really like April! But I’m due in April and think that might just be too much!
Abigail Jane — Abby, Abbie
Avery Jane — although Ava is on the “already in use” list.
Eliza Jane — Ella, Elle, Ellie, Liz, Liza, Lizzie / Lizzy *I think this might be my favorite.
Hadley Jane — Haddie and maybe even Hattie, Ada
Hazel Jane — Zella
Meredith Jane — Meri / Merri / Merry, Merit / Merrit / Merritt
Penelope Jane — Pen, Penny, Nell, Noelle
Tara Jane
Tessa Jane — Tess
I think Jane as a first name is great, or maybe Janae AKA Jane.
Abigail (Abby) and Eliza are frontrunners right now! I think I like Abby more than my husband, but I keep coming back to Eliza…
Willa Jane!
I think Jane sounds great with the brother names but I also really love Abigail with the sibset. A few other ideas:
Martha Jane
Helena Jane nn Nell or Ellie or Lena
Katrina Jane
Kathryn/Katherine/Catherine
Elise
Monica
I agree with the commenter who said if you do use Jane as a first, Louisa would be nice with it. How about:
Anna Jane
Antonia Jane
Carmen Jane
Gwendolyn Jane
Ida Jane
Josephine Jane
Margaret Jane
Miranda Jane
Sarah Jane
Victoria Jane
One more: Amanda Jane
I love this query and I came up with a few more ideas:
Maria Jane nn Mimi, Miri, Molly, or MJ or Polly
Miriam Jane nn Mimi or Miri
Diana Jane
Laura Jane
Phoebe Jane
Paulina Jane nn Polly
Nina Jane
Dorothea Jane nn Dottie, Dot, or Thea
Christina Jane nn CJ or Kit
Claudia Jane nn CJ
Gabriella/Gabriela Jane nn Gabby or Ellie or Ella
Sara Jane nn Sadie or Sally
Eloise is close to Louisa without sounding too similar to Luke I think. Eloise Jane is really beautiful together.
Since your boys are biblical, do you like:
Phoebe Jane
Chloe Jane
Martha Jane
Anna Jane
Beulah Jane
Dinah Jane
Leah Jane
I first thought Lucy, but she’s awfully close to Luke, and you’re wise to avoid Mary Jane due to the drug reference.
Congratulations and best wishes!
I feel we have similar naming styles and we chose Rose and May for our girls. Also on the list was Claire, Lucy, Alice, Florence, Leona, Eliza, Leah, Iris, June , Maeve, Celeste, Evelyn, Ellen , Audrey, Grace.
Audrey Jane
Evelyn Jane
Rosalie Jane
I think Emma, Fiona, & Celia would all be sensational!
Other ideas that came to mind as I read your post:
Alli
Amber
Amelia
Aubrey
Carden
Cecilia
Christina
Coco
Daisy
Dolan
Dolly
Eleanor
Eliza
Ella
Ellis
Ellison
Elly
Everly
Hadley
Isabella
Kelly
Magnolia
Margo
Molly
Piper/Pyper
Polly
Ruby
Sally
Scarlet
Sophia
Story
Vivi
Vivien
Zuzu
I think a lot of the two syllable names that end in a sound like Noah. Personally I’d lean towards three syllables and an a like Lydia or another ending like Jane.
Fiona does have an associated nickname.
I have a Fiona, and I wanted to let OP know that people automatically want to nickname her “Fi” or “Fifi.” We didn’t like that at all, so we got ahead of it by giving her a different nickname and using it a lot in the first year.
She now prefers to go by Fiona outside immediate family, which is obviously fine. No one calls her Fi or Fifi because she immediately asks them not to do it.
For the record: I still think Fiona Jane is a great name.
Congrats on your pregnancy!
Ivy Jane
Tessa Jane
Wendy Jane
I love your definition: traditional but not formal!
Luke, Noah and:
Sarah
Ruby
Phoebe
Vera
Clara
Chloe
Violet
Sophie
Stella
My favorites are Clara Jane and Sophie Jane.
I agree with the person who said a-endings feel too much like Noah… but you clearly have a preference there. Your list is great, but most of those have built in nicknames for sure (Em, Fi, Jules.)
Zelie Jane
Daphne Jane
Hazel Jane
Juno Jane
Mira Jane
Pippa Jane
Twyla Jane
Veda Jane
Good luck!
I was in a similar situation as you! My oldest is Nolan and I loved the name Nora, but like your Noah, way too close to Nolan. I kept mulling over Cora and it just didn’t feel right. We reluctantly decided on Elena but my husband had a major issue with the spelling that we never could agree on so back to square one. Then one day I was listening to a podcast and they were taking about a little girl named Cora and hearing it out loud made me completely change my opinion. Now we have a little Cora June and I could not love her name more. So all that to say it might be worth reconsidering the name
Love your boys names and we have very similar girls name lists! We ended up naming our daughter – Clara, Clara Jane sounds lovely! Good luck with whatever you choose, I’m sure it’ll be wonderful!
My favorite for you is Clara. It sounds perfect with Jane and sounds great with Luke and Noah. I also really like Eleanor, Lydia, Ruby, and Sarah.
I tried to find a few that had not been mentioned yet.
Lena Jane
Charlotte Jane
Heidi Jane
Mabel Jane
Lola Jane
Lyra Jane
Thora Jane
Talia Jane
I love Julia on your list. Julia Jane. I love the alliteration.
I think your style is traditional but youthful. A name that is super cute for a baby but can easily be seen on an adult. Simple and understated.
Other names I like
Anna/Hannah
Bethany
Rachel
I’m team Jane as a first name, but I like these as first names with Jane in the middle
Ella
Etta
Enya
Anya
Ida
Liza
Rosa
My faves list overlaps a lot with yours- my daughter is Edith! I also wish I could use Flora- doesn’t work with my last name but would be lovely with yours!
Love the other suggestions of Eliza and Clara as well!
Ruby Jane
Mila Jane
Myla Jane
Sadie Jane
Hannah Jane
Maisie Jane
Elodie Jane
Scarlett Jane
Charlotte Jane
Anna Jane
Lilah Jane
Matilda Jane (Tillie)
Amelia Jane (Millie)
Josephine Jane (Josie or JJ)
I really like Celia – simple, not common, goes great with your last name!
Julia is a close second. Love the alliteration of Julia Jane!
I have an Anna and a Cora (Cora’s so good, use it!!!) and I’m wondering if you would like Delia, or Marguerite with a non-Maggie nickname (Daisy? Greta? Griet?)
My long list of four letter-ish names I would maybe use (-a names first), direct from my Notes app (minus the ones you’ve already said you can’t use), though some may be too similar to Luke or Noah:
Lana
Mara
Dena/Dina
Lena
Jada
Ella
Della
Lila
Maya
Thea
Emma
Mira
Nina
Rosa
Vera
Non -a names but two syllables:
Tali
Erin
Ruby
Clio
Alix
Iris
Evan (short for Evangeline–I knew a female Evan-nn-for-Evangeline in college and she was the coolest)
I just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for so many beautiful name suggestions! Our boy names came to us so quickly, but we are still trying to find a girl name that feels right. Right now, our frontrunners are Eliza, Sadie, and Abigail (Abby), middle name Jane. Hoping one of them feels right when we meet baby girl! But I do keep coming back to these comments, and look forward to sharing a final name update in the spring. Thanks, all <3
I LOVE her name. Congratulations! I too have a girl after two boys and it has been lots of fun!
Do you sing her the awesome song, “Little Liza Jane,” at every chance you get? I’m singing it right now! Lovely name.