Swistle,
I’m a big fan of your blog. I’ve always loved baby names. My mom had a baby when I was 13 and I did so much research and reading. Lots of lists and suggestions. An obsession with baby names was born!
But now that I’m pregnant with my first child, due in July, I’m quite overwhelmed. We just found out we’re having a girl, and my husband and I simply can’t agree on THE ONE. We were totally aligned on boy names and had one picked out: Thomas, with my maiden name as the middle. It’s a classic with fun nickname options, sounds good with our surname, and is also a special honor name on my side of the family that hasn’t been used despite my many siblings and cousins. For a girl, we’re lost. We need your help!
Here’s where we’re at. We’re American, and our last name sounds like Keegan without the “K” (I took my husband’s surname and our children will take it as well). We’re drawn to a mix of traditional, vintage, preppy, and “new classic” names. We’re Catholic but not super religious; both pretty Irish, especially my family.
My husband has a one syllable name and didn’t like growing up without nickname options. For that reason, he’s very drawn to more formal, longer names with vintage and/or cute nicknames, and the nickname is a very important part of the conversation to him. I do like that style as well, but we can’t come up with a combo we agree on or that feels right. I’m also very drawn to classic/simple one syllable names, and even with longer names, needing nickname options doesn’t feel as much a “must” for me like it does for him. In fact, my name is almost always shortened, but I never took a nickname.
Names on my list:
Jane
Margaret (but no clear nn winner – will explain)
Frances
Eleanor nn Nora
Anne nn Annie
Georgia
Caroline
PaigeOn his list:
Margaret nn Maisie (he LOVES Maisie)
Susannah nn Susie
Patricia nn Piper or Poppy
Hazel
Penelope nn Penny
Jane (but no nn winner in his mind – maybe Junie among family but would still go by Jane)
Frances (maybe if nn Fran or Frannie)
Beatrice nn Birdie
CarolineOf the above, Margaret, Patricia and Anne would be meaningful honor names. Caroline would be also, but our relative with that name is currently childless and has expressed preference on saving it for their child — if we had her blessing that would be a strong contender. Oddly, it’s one name my husband likes the full name for. She would go by the full “Caroline.”
So, names we like but can’t use: Caroline, Elizabeth, Ellie, Emma, Claire, Charlotte, Catherine, Molly.
Names we’ve talked about for middle names: Celine, Cecilia, Caroline. (All meaningful. Celine and Caroline on my side, Cecilia for both of us.) Also Frances or Patricia.
Margaret feels like it should be the top contender. We’ve talked about Margaret Celine Keegan-no-K, a name that would honor three women on my side of the family that I love and respect very much, but we can’t agree on a nickname. I don’t know if I can get behind Maisie, my husband’s strong preference. It’s a very sweet name, and I like its Scottish/English roots given my heritage, but there’s a bit of a “dog name” association for me. It leans a little too cutesy for my taste, and I don’t know if I could use it for my firstborn daughter, especially if she truly went by that all of the time. Maybe? But I don’t know.
Maisie aside, we don’t want to use Meg, Meggie or Maggie for various reasons related to people we know, and I grew up with a dog named Daisy, so that’s out. I really like Margot and think it sounds great with our surname, but my husband isn’t a big fan and thinks it could be megapopular in the wake of Barbie. I could also be in favor of Mae but my husband vetoed that as well — he just doesn’t like it. Molly would almost definitely be our top choice if it weren’t my husband’s ex’s name; they dated many years and we don’t think it’s worth the eyebrow raising.
Beyond Margaret, I’ve also mulled over Susannah/Susie, another top contender for him, but I feel like it has a Country/Western/Southern vibe that doesn’t feel quite true to our northeast roots. I could see it for a second child, but for some reason it feels random for the first. Sigh. I wish there was a clear winner but I truly don’t know where we’ll land — our taste is close but not quite aligned, and my husband is pretty opinionated and set in his opinions. He doesn’t understand why I can’t get on board with the Maisie idea. And maybe I could? I want to love it — it would make things so much easier for us — but I just don’t. And in general, I have a tendency to be a people pleaser, and I’m worried I’m going to lose sight of what I like and want out of desperation for compromise and a solution.
I think we need to meet in the middle somehow, or move on from the “Margaret” mayhem altogether and consider different options from our lists or beyond, but I’m not sure what that looks like. I would appreciate any and all ideas or thoughts, from you and your readers!
Many thanks
In spite of my love for the name Margaret, I am going to advise putting it on the Wait list for now. It sounds as if you’re hoping to have more children, so there will likely be time to revisit it—but right now it feels as if it’s getting in your way: it seems as if it OUGHT to be perfect, when it’s not quite, and that’s causing some looping. Additionally, your husband is having some trouble understanding other points of view on the nickname, and it makes me nervous that Meg and Maggie and Daisy all have to be ruled out as nicknames, so how about we make things easier by thinking of Margaret the way we think of Susannah: as a good name to consider for the NEXT daughter.
Or, and I think this would be better by far: another option is to use Margaret, and agree that you can each use whatever nicknames you like best for her, without choosing one official nickname. Then your husband can call her Maisie to his heart’s content, and you can call her whatever you would like to call her, including Margot and Mae and Margaret, and when she’s old enough to write her name on her homework she can choose for herself. I particularly like the idea of you calling her Mae and your husband calling her Maisie, since those seem like they could just be shorter/longer versions of the same nickname.
And here I’d like to make sure all of us–but I am only actually wondering about your husband–realize that eventually the child WILL choose for herself. It’s perfectly reasonable for the parents to choose a preferred nickname and introduce it early to increase the odds of that being the choice—but it’s important to realize that, just as you never used the common shortening of your given name, and just as my coworker Liz overturned her parents’ decision to call her only-Beth-and-NEVER-Liz, a Birdie may chose Bea or Beatrice instead, a Maisie may choose Meg or Margaret instead, a Susie may choose Anna or Susannah instead, and so on. Once the child has been given the name, it’s up to them how to wear it.
I wonder if you two would like Josephine. Nicknames: Josie, Joey, Jo, Posey.
Or Cordelia. I like the nickname Delia, but Cory or Rory or Lia or Cordy would be options.
Georgia, with the nickname Georgie or Gigi.
Winifred, with nicknames Winnie and Freddie.
Matilda, with nicknames such as Mattie and Tilda and Tillie.
Meredith/Merrie.
Minerva/Minnie.
Rosemary, with nicknames Rosie and Romy, or she could go by Mary if she preferred.
Veronica, with nicknames Nica or Vinnie or Ronnie or Vera.
Anneliese, with nicknames Annie or Anna.
I see that you both like Jane, but the nickname issue stops him. I wonder if the two of you would also like the name June, and you could call her Junie, Junebug, Juniper, etc.
Another method is to use the first and middle initials: if, for example, you named her Jane Patricia Keegan-without-the-K, you could call her J.P. as a nickname. I went to college with a girl who went by K.C., and that seemed pretty cool and snappy.
Piper and Poppy are not typically used as nicknames for Patricia, and I think they might be a tough sell. That is, in theory they’re no further a leap than Maisie for Margaret or Jack for John, but in practice there is an enormous difference between “what the public has already become accustomed to” and “what the public has not.” I’ll note that Poppy could be a nickname for Penelope. I think of Piper as a standalone name, but the somewhat similar Pippa can be short for Philippa.
My first thought was Maria!
I like the suggestion of Josephine but how about Justine?
Another traditional name that doesn’t get enough love is Tabitha.
Elizabeth is the GOAT when it comes to classic names with nickname potential.
My daughter has the formal name of Susannah with the nickname of Suki.
I had several of your names on my list and we named our daughter Elizabeth. Other names that come to mind when I think of traditional
Victoria, Rebecca, Sarah, Rachel, Julia, Anna/Anne
I know a Cordelia and a Corinne and they both go by Cora. Also a Julianne who goes by Julie.
Alexandra and Samantha both have nickname options.
From Swistle’s list I like Rosemary, Josephine, and Georgia for you.
Good luck!
Since you like Eleanor, how about Eloise nn Elle, Ellie, Lou. Eloise Jane or Eloise Patricia.
Also, how about Juliana, it has lots of nn options like Julie, Jules, Ana. Juliana Cecile sounds lovely to me.
I LOVE the name Margaret (it’s my current favorite), so I wonder if you might like a couple of my other favorites?
Felicity (Flicka, Lissy…)
Cecily (CC)
Have you thought about Thomasin, or Tamsin? Not really an option if you want to keep Thomas as an option for a future boy, but a really cool name with a similar feel to Margaret. (You could even get Maisie out of it. Or Tea.)
AND…what if you switched out Thomas for a future boy for Cary or Patrick for a future boy?
Yeahhhh I waded into the comments to suggest the same thing – Thomasin/Thomasine/Thomasina! If the question had been, like, “we agreed on Thomas for a boy but can’t narrow down a girl name from Harper / Emma / Quinn / Lily” then I wouldn’t be making this suggestion but it’s not that at all. Thomasin(e/a) fits right in with the Margarets and Eleanors and Carolines and Penelopes, except no one EVERRRRR thinks of it which is kind of a tragedy because it’s an amazing name. Some great quirky nickname options (including that dad could still have Maisie without it feeling like a huge stretch) and let’s all just normalize honouring special people with the first baby instead of waiting for a baby of the “right sex” to honour the person.
For what it’s worth, I think Margaret is a great choice! I see no issue with dad calling her Maisie and mom calling her Margot or Mae. Or maybe a nickname will become of itself. Margaret Jane “MJ” is so fun! Or Greta or Etta!
Margaret and Caroline make me want to suggest Catherine/Katherine.
Kit, Kate/Cait, Cat, Katie, Cady, Wren! So many great nickname options and fits in nicely with all other names on your list
Ditto for Alexandra/Alexandria. Alex. Lex. Lexi. Andy. Xandy. Allie. Alexandra Jane could be AJ which I think is such a fun punchy nickname for a girl.
Miranda is an unexpected but lovely choice that offers tons of nicknames. Mira. Miri. Mara. Andy. Randa.
Like you and your husband, I like traditional or vintage names with lots of nickname possibilities. I also like honor names and, since you intended to use an honor name for a son, it would be lovely to use an honor name for a daughter. Margaret seems perfect, and is one of my favorite names. I think Swistle’s suggestion of using both Mae and Maisie is great. I think you indicated that your last name starts with an “E.” If you think you need to justify these nicknames, how about using Anne as the middle name? It’s another of your honor names, and your little girl’s initials would be MAE!
I’m sure you know that Peggy and Peg are also cute traditional nicknames for Margaret.
FWIW, the Eleanor’s I know tend to go by Ellie, while the Nora’s tend to be named Nora.
My thought when I was reading this was to go with Margaret, called both Maisie and Mae (especially since it sounds like they could be nicknames for each other!), so I was glad to see Swistle suggest that.
Otherwise, all the names on both of your lists are gorgeous. The only one that doesn’t fit with the others is Paige. What if you rank each other’s lists, the top 1 through 5, and see where there’s overlap? You might end up with a name that’s not either of your top choice but you both still love a lot, which might be a best case scenario here.
I also think Anne and Jane from your list (or June!) would make great middle names, especially if you go with a first name that’s higher on his list.
I love Margaret! Margaret Keegan-without-the-K is smashing, a name I’d like to have myself. And I think Maisie/Mae are so close that they can be nicknames used together. We call my youngest son Thomas both Tommy/Tom (and occasionally Tip) interchangeably.
This might be a good situation to go to the delivery with 2-3 names. We did this twice, and it was very helpful to see the baby and then choose the name. For my daughter, we were actually deciding between Margaret-called-Maisie(!!!) and Esther, and when I saw her, she was clearly an Esther (Essie!). With one of my older sons, seeing him also helped us decide his name.
So maybe go into the delivery with Margaret and Jane, and see what name emerges then?
Essie is adorable! And we are leaning towards going into the hospital with two or three options… Jane and Margaret very likely among them :)
I like the suggestion of using both Mae and Maisie as nicknames for Margaret. As a Margaret myself, my “official” nickname is Meg, but my parents often call me Meggie, too. It’s never been a problem. And I love Margaret Celine as a combo! (My middle name is the similar Celeste, btw.)
It sounds like you both like Margaret a lot and I’m glad someone mentioned Greta because Greta K-eegan sounds pretty great to my ear. I am also a fan of Maisie—it was a name I got stuck in my head early in my pregnancy with my daughter. My husband had loved the name Maeve through the pregnancies with our boys, and the sounds were similar, so that took over by the time she was born. We call her Maeve, Maevey Roo, and Maevey Bean. Which could also be a plug for a non-traditional, longer-rather-than-shorter nickname.
So many names from my family in this list! My sister’s niece is Marget nn Maisie and I’ve never thought of it as a dog name. I also really like Greta as a nickname for Margaret. My sister’s own kids are Susannah nn Annie and June, who goes by June but also Junie and Junebug.
Also, as a Katherine who NEVER used it, and got (and gets!) really annoyed by having to correct my name every time I go somewhere new (“Actually, I go by Kate!” ad infinitum) please make sure your husband understands what he’s signing your kid up for with that kind of name! (I specifically named my kids NON nickname-forward names).
I think Margaret is such a great name and I regret not using it, but I think it does seem problematic. My cousin named Margaret we have only ever called Margaret, because she just never seemed like a Maggie or a Maisie, plus she is in her 50s now and I think when we were kids, no one called Margarets Maisie, at least not that we knew of! I thought about Moira, since it’s an Irish take on Margaret, but there isn’t a good nickname presenting. My niece called Moira we just call … Moira! I have a daughter named Maria and I really love it, we call her Ree or Ria for a nickname, and we called our Felicity Fifi. We have a Veronica too but she has never gone by a nickname. I mean, I always have to wait and see how they are as people before I land on a nickname. Moira K-eegan, Maria K-eegan, Felicity K-eegan, all sound really great to me! Best of luck!
Would you like Maeve — could have the nickname of Mae or Maevie which sounds like maisie, also ties into your Irish heritage! There’s also Cecilia – nicknames of Cece or Celia. Would you like the name Philippa? Nickname of pippa is fun! Would you like Edith? I’ve always loved the nickname of Edie (I pronounce Ee-dee)
I think setting Margaret aside makes sense. Of the others that appear on both your lists and could work, I think Frances is great (nns Frannie, Fran, Frankie, etc.). Jane could be a good choice for middle.
My immediate thought before seeing your lists was Theresa/Teresa/Therese/Terese. Nicknames include Terry, Rese, or Tess…I’m sure you could come up with others. Teresa [K]Egan does have two long E sounds but that doesn’t bother me! Teresa Jane [K]Egan sounds nice to me, and TJ is another good nickname.
Susannah nn Annie?
I’m not from the US, I have a daughter named Susannah. She is the full Susannah almost always with everyone … Sannah to one cousin and Annie/Annie Anne very occasionally with me. I never get tired of hearing it or saying it and can’t recommend it highly enough.
Mine was Teresa too, only after reading your 3rd paragraph and not even seeing your list of names!
We have similar tastes and I like Susannah (or Suzanna?) nicknamed Zuzu. I also love Anne called Annie, but we went with June. We do use Junebug or Junie or Junie B (middle name doesn’t start with B, it’s from June Bug haha) informally but officially she is just June. It makes a cute double name too – Susannah June can go by Annie June.
I love Eleanor Keegan without K because the alliteration sounds great to me. I’ve know Eleanors with nicknames Elle, Ellie, Ella, Nora, or Lennie. Eleanor Jane is a good combo or Eleanor June.
Frances nicknamed Franny or Frankie is also an amazing choice.
If Maisie isn’t your thing, what about Mabel? Or Maeve?
I would want to focus on the overlaps on your lists. Margaret, Jane, Frances and Caroline.
Margaret. I would agree that Margaret isn’t working for you right now. I don’t think it can be a real contender until your husband loosens his grip on Maisie and opens up to other ideas.
Jane. I’m struggling with the nickname Junie because a person’s natural conclusion would be that her full name is June and that would be bothersome. I’m sure you’ve considered Janie. I would like to suggest historical nicknames Jennie, Jeanie, Jinny/Ginny or something like Jay Bird or Blue Jay.
Frances. Looks like a great option so something must be holding you or your husband back. If Fran and Frannie aren’t quite right, I’d like to suggest Francie, Effie, Essie, Sis, Sissy, Cece, Annie, Nan, Nance or Fancie/Fancy.
Caroline. I see that it’s on ‘Names we like but can’t use list’ but it’s also still on both of your lists. It makes me wonder if you’ve already had a direct conversation with your relative or if there’s still room to discuss. Was her preference expressed during your pregnancy or before that? Did she explicitly ask you not to use the name? You know know your situation best but I thought I’d ask in case you hadn’t actually asked for her blessing and were only assuming that she wouldn’t want your daughter to share her name with a possible future daughter of her own.
My final suggestions are Helen (Nell), Lucille (Lucy, Cece, Lou), Alice (Lissy, Sissy), Rose (Rosie, Posey) and Irene (Irie, Reenie, Rini).
I like almost all the names on both lists, but if you’re looking for short names with a nickname, these work well (and would go well with Thomas if there’s one in your future):
Anne (nn Annie)
Jane (nn Janie. If you want Junie as the nn, I’d go with June)
The overlap names are Frances, Jane, and Margaret. I like them all, but you seem pretty deadlocked on nicknames for Margaret, so I might put that one aside for now. I’m liking Frances (nn Fran, Franny, Francie, Frankie)
For longer names with a nickname, how about:
Antonia (nn Toni)
Christina (nn Chris, Chrissy, Christy, Tina)
I also want to note longer names on your list (Eleanor) and shorter ones on his (Hazel, though that one has no obvious nickname) that might be paths to agreement.
Hazy, if he likes Maisie?
Zell?
Our neighbors have a dog named Maisie, but I always assumed she was really a Maizey, so I think of the name differently. Maisie reminds me of Maisie Williams, aka Arya Stark. YMMV
I love Josephine for all the nickname opportunities.
Beatrice could lead to Beatrix, which gives you Bee or Trixie or Bex. Bee (K)eegan is fun to say!
Mabel is also great. Gives you Mae and Maybe Baby and Bel and Bells.
Birdie can be a nickname for Elizabeth too.
Came onto the comments for this, and I am now echoing others – hurrah. Frances with the nickname Francey! I know a little Francey and I love it! Also, I adore singer/songwriter David Francey, so such a positive association.
I also like the Margaret called Maisie or Mae! I agree with Swistle; Mae seems like shorthand for Maisie.
I was also going to throw out Mari (Mar rhyming with car, then ee) as a possible nickname?
Keep us updated, and wishing you good luck! :)
Mary Frances called Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is name goals! I like Margaret Frances called Francie or just Frances called Francie for less fussiness, and to save Margaret for a future daughter. Francie and Margo, Francie and Mae, Francie and Maisie, Francie and Peg- the limits are endless
Here with more love for Margaret—it is fabulous with your surname. I really like the Mae/Maisie compromise as well as:
Margaret Cecilia nn Macy, Maci, Macie
Margaret Cecilia or Margaret Celine nn Mimi
Margaret nn Peggy
Margaret Cecilia nn Marci
Frances called Frankie, or Susannah called Sukie?
If Susannah is almost right, what about Diana? Or Juliana?
My daughter’s name is Margaret, but we call her Maisie all of the time. She’s 9 years old now and so far it still fits her great but we like that she still has the option of going by her full name or another nickname when she gets older. We gets tons of compliments on her name!
Margaret called both Maisie and Mae is on my own list, so I’ll give that one another vote. And I definitely would end up calling her Maisie Mae as a pet name, so there’s that too!
Some other nickname ideas you didn’t mention – Greta, Rita, Etta, Pearl, Margie, Marghie (Mar-ghee; better for a spoken pet name than the kind of name you write on school papers, but I know someone who uses this).
Looking at the overlap list… Margaret, Jane, Caroline, Frances. Those make me think of:
Amelia (so many nn options, but I know an Amelia “Millie” and I love it)
Charlotte (Charlie, Lottie, Carlie)
Evelyn (Evie, Lina)
Edith (Edie)
Lucy (Lulu, or Lucy short for Lucille or Lucia)
Felicity (Flicka, Lise, Lissie, Filly)
Ramona (Mona), Vivian (Vivi, Vi)
Rosemary (Rose, Rosie, Mae, Mary, Romy, Remy)
You have so many lovely names on your list. Though each one seems sticky in its own way (as all names seemed to my husband and I when it came time to choose one for a real, live person), you’ll find a great name that you’ll love.
Among many other names on your list, I like Margaret; particularly because you and your husband both love it. I like Swistle’s idea of you and your husband each choosing a favourite nickname for her. I’ll put the suggestion of Greta as a nickname for Margaret out there, in case both you and your husband like it.
I also second Swistle’s advice not to get too hung up on nicknames because your child will choose their nickname when they’re old enough to assert themselves. With a teenaged son named Oliver who loathes the nn Ollie, I know this all too well (How can anyone hate the nickname Ollie? I think we almost like Ollie better than his full name!).
All the best! You have loads of beautiful options. I love Thomas for a boy, as well.
Wondering if you would like Marianne. It’s an old fashioned name, barely used these days, but has so many nickname options… Mari, Maria, Rianne, Anne, etc. You could even do Maisie.
I am a mom of a Margaret nn Margo who fell in love with Margo as a name not Margaret. The name Margaret is a family name on my husband’s side so I compromised on my chosen name because I thought she would always use the nickname. One day, my 5 year old Margo announced she was Margaret and we have never gone back. Pick the full name you love, but prepare yourself because you never know how it will all play out.