Bridging One Classic Name and One Current Name for a New Baby

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.

WHAT GOES WITH AVERY & JAMES?

Alyssa writes:

We’re expecting our third child, a girl, in February. Big sister is Avery Grace and big brother is James Aaron. (Grace, James, and Aaron are all honor names.)

I always keep a short list of names and girls tend to be harder for me. If this baby was a boy, he would most likely be Brooks William, William for my husbands grandfather. I’m having a much more difficult time with girl names.

Names that have risen to the top:

BLAIR – I’ve always had Blair on my middle name list, but more recently, it’s grown into a favorite first name option. I’m not sure how it pairs with our one syllable last name though. I am more of a fan than my husband. I think it ties Avery and James together nicely. It would give me pause to use Brooks in the future should we have a boy for our 4th. 

GEORGIA – love this name so much more recently and feels like it really ties Avery and James together.

REESE – It pairs well, but feels more like checking a box at this point. I don’t love the brevity of the name with our short last name. I also am not committed to staying on the “gender neutral names for girls” path. I think I want to find something that pairs well with Avery, but isn’t so surnamey/gender neutral. 

Her middle name will more than likely have some sort of family reference based on what we choose for first name. 

Our last name sounds Click with an F.

I am curious what your thoughts are on my current list? Also, if there are any fresh suggestions that pair nicely with Avery and James, that aren’t necessarily boy names for girls?

Thank you for reading and any assistance you can provide.

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

CURRENT AVERY, CLASSIC JAMES, AND THEIR NEW SISTER …

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third child!

I feel like there are a few bigger pictures questions, so let’s tackle those first.

Can you have a one-syllable first name with a short last name? Absolutely. Brad Pitt, Mae West, and Frank Lloyd Wright all want us to know that it can be quite memorable, in fact. I think that puts both Reese and Blair firmly on the list of possibilities.

I think the Boy-Names-On-Girls question feels more pressing. Avery can have a sister named Georgia. And Avery can have a sister named Blair. But Avery and Blair together? I’d be surprised if their sister was Georgia. So using Blair or Reese now does potentially close off choices in the future.

Would naming a daughter Blair mean a future son couldn’t be Brooks? No, of course not. But if you feel that Brooks is your top name for a future son, and you’d prefer not to repeat an initial? Then that’s a(nother) good reason to skip Blair.

All of this means that the name to beat is Georgia.

I agree with you completely – it sounds like a sister name for Avery and James. It’s just plain fun to say “Avery, James, and Georgia.”

So let’s look for more names with the same qualities as Georgia – a classic pedigree with a very updated image and the same kind of energy as Avery’s name. We’re also almost certainly looking for something two syllables or longer.

BRIDGING CLASSIC AND CURRENT NAMES

COLETTE

Colette’s rising popular owes something to names like Top 100 Scarlett. But it’s more traditional, originally a feminine form of Nicholas (via French feminine form Nicolette, hold the NI.) That makes it a name very much like Georgia, but with a more tailored style.

DAPHNE

There’s something fanciful about this name from Greek mythology. I like it so much with Avery.

HATTIE

Hattie comes from Harriet, a feminine form of Henry via Harry. But Hattie is far more popular than Harriet these days, an upbeat, casual classic in the key of Sadie.

JOSIE

Another one in the same class as Hattie: Josie. But is a second J name too much?

JUNIPER

If you’re willing to consider J names, Juniper has potential. It can feel like an elaboration of summery, gentle June – but Juniper is an evergreen tree, possibly more of a wintry pick for a December daughter. It’s rising in popularity in recent years, but forms like Ginevra and Junipero have more history than one might expect.

NATALIE

Maybe it’s because you mentioned a December due date, or maybe it’s because Natalie has that traditional-roots/popular-now vibe that Georgia shares, but it immediately came to mind as a sister for Avery.

SABRINA

This poetic invention rose in use during the 1980s, but never quite caught on. Today singer Sabrina Carpenter makes it familiar to a new generation. Like Georgia, it’s feminine with a distinctive sound.

VIVIAN

Like Colette, Vivian is a familiar name for a daughter, but that consonant-ending makes it a little less frilly. I like the way Avery and Vivian share a V sound, just like James and Avery share an A.

Overall, I don’t think I’ve beat Georgia. And I wonder if you’d consider naming your daughter Georgia Blair? No, there’s not a family connection … but it is two of your most favorite names combined, and that’s powerful, too. Avery Grace, James Aaron, and Georgia Blair.

If not Georgia, I really like Hattie. Maybe it’s because I can imagine a future sibset of Avery, James, Hattie, and Brooks so easily.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sister for Avery Grace and James Aaron?