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IS OUR FAVORITE NAME TOO SIMILAR TO HER SISTER ISLA?
Julie writes:
We named our sweet baby girl Isla June two years ago. Her sister will be here in November, and we both agree on our favorite name: Ivy.
But my mom, my sister, and other people I know are saying Isla and Ivy are too close.
Also, we’re thinking about maybe Ivy Jules or Ivy Julie-Anne because my husband is Ivan and that way she’d have part of both of our names. Anne is my middle name.
My husband doesn’t mind that other people don’t like it, but if it does cause her problems, I know I’ll feel guilty.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
NO RULES, BUT LOTS TO THINK ABOUT
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
Are Isla and Ivy very close?
Yes.
Are they too close?
If I rattle off all four of your names – Ivan, Julie, Isla June, and Ivy Julie-Anne – I hear the same sounds repeating over and over again. It does give me pause.
Except that lots of families go this route, choosing similar names for their children on purpose.
Here are the questions I think you should consider:
- Do you imagine growing your family after this baby? It’s hard to think about, I know, but having two children with similar names is rarely a problem. Setting a pattern that you feel obligated to follow for a third, fourth, or even fifth kid is where things can get dicey. Because Isla and Ivy is one thing. Isla, Ivy, Isa, and Ike is a slightly different scenario.
- Is there a runner-up name? It sounds like you both agree on Ivy. But did you have another favorite? People will disagree on whether Ivy is too close to be a sister for Isla. But you can weight Ivy versus another name. Because if nothing tops Ivy? Then that’s a sign you should proceed.
- Do you have any experience sharing a name yourself? Did you have a childhood friend name Jenna or was there a Julia in your class? If so, did you mind any occasional confusion, or did you appreciate the similarities? If you’ve ever had to refer to Isla by her first and last name to distinguish her from another Isla, how did you feel about it?
Notice that “what other people think” isn’t actually on that list. It’s hard, but ultimately, if you name your second daughter Ivy, people will get used to it.
Just in case you don’t have a list, let’s come up with some names for a sister for Isla that share Ivy’s best qualities but are a little different.
NEW IDEAS FOR ISLA’S SISTER
AVA
A long-time favorite with the same middle V sound. Ava opened the door for Ivy, but in your case, maybe Ava would appeal?
DAISY
Sweet nature name Daisy is just as appealing as Ivy, but with a different sound.
EVIE
If Ava isn’t quite right, would Evie appeal? It’s just a slightly change of sound, but it might be enough.
LILY, LILLIE
Another nature name to consider. Lily is the more popular spelling, but I love the visual impact of Isla and Lillie. And the shared L sound links the two names.
STELLA
Speaking of shared L sounds, Stella goes nicely with Isla without feeling at all duplicative.
SYLVIE
My first thought, and a logical substitute for Ivy. It add just a little more sound.
VERA
Lots of V names trend a little longer: Vivian, Veronica, Victoria. But short and sweet Vera sounds like the perfect sister for Isla.
WILLOW
Another nature name worth a closer look.
Overall, I think Ivy is tough to top because it’s based on your husband’s name. And that adds a layer of meaning that Sylvie or Willow or Daisy just can’t offer.
I do wonder if you might like Julianne better than Julie-Anne? Or even Ivy Juliette, which is probably my favorite. It creates a little extra space between her name and yours. Not necessary, but it can be nice.
That said, I really like the sound of Isla and Sylvie, and that would be my second choice. Another factor: Ivy is a bit of a wintry name, and Sylvie’s similarity to silver and the name’s meaning – woods – takes it in that direction, too. So you’d have summery Isla June and autumnal Sylvie Anne, which seems like a great combination.
If it were me, I would do Sylvie Anne! But if I met sisters named Isla and Ivy, I would think “Cute!” and move on.
I think Isla and Ivy work together, though I agree with others that it could be hard to name a 3rd if you are planning to have more than 2 kids. I hesitate more though when considering the dad’s name, because Ivan, Isla and Ivy in the immediate family is a lot.
I also personally think with the middle name it’s too close to have Isla June & Ivy Jules. That makes it feel more like a repeat of the same name. In a sense, Julie is already covered by June, and Ivan is covered by Ivy. You could go a totally different route for a middle name.
Or, you could use Ivy in the middle for baby 2, so each kid has a middle name that sounds like one parent’s name. As others have suggested, Vivian (or even Vienna) is also a nice honor name for Ivan. For example ~
Eden Ivy
Romy Vivian
Zara Ivy
Sienna Ivy
Ruby Vivian
Rosie Vivian
Willow Ivy
Tess Ivy
I like Isla and Ivy together.
Congratulations on baby girl#2 coming this fall :)!
I think Isla and Ivy are such a cute sister pair! Stick with it!
I have a daughter named Isla. For my third daughter (4th child), the name Ivy was high on the list. We went with a different name that ended up sounding like my son’s name in beginning sound and my middle daughters name in ending sound (not on purpose, but that’s the name we liked).
I think sometimes you and your partner just gravitate to particular sounds and looks for names and that’s fine. The names don’t have to be unique in all aspects. The names will stand out as being MORE unique too once baby girl is here and little Isla and baby Ivy are different in how they look, speak, personality, etc etc.
If you end up having a third down the road, they could be another I name or not, I don’t think you are tied to I names after two kids with that letter (I have two with C names and two with different initials and it’s never an issue).
Also fun fact: PGA golfer Shane Lowry has two daughters: Iris and Ivy…could it get more adorable? Yes it could: Isla and Ivy! Go for it!!
I think it’s interesting that Abby suggested Stella because for some reason, I feel like the matching -la endings of Isla and Stella are more matchy than Isla and Ivy both starting with a long “I” sound. I don’t know why. Logically, each pairing is similar in the same way (two syllables, with one set of matching syllables), only with the matching syllables switched. Maybe because Isla and Stella are more “rhyme-y”?
Anyway, one suggestion that I don’t think anyone has made yet is to switch the names around. Use Ivy as the middle name, with a Julie name as the first name. Juliette Ivy and Julianne Ivy are both lovely combos and avoid the issue of Isla and Ivy being so similar to each other and also to their father’s name. Of course, then her name would be similar to yours, but you could nickname her Jules, Etta, or Annie.
That being said, as long as you are positive that this baby will complete your family, I actually think Isla and Ivy are kinda cute. I just think it would be hard to add more names to the sibset in the future without it becoming too cutesy.