Choosing A Light, Happy Name for a Daughter

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. 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.

I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE NAME ISLA

Cee writes:

Since before we were even dating, I always imagined having a daughter named Isla. My husband liked the name, too. (Really not sure what I would’ve done if he hadn’t!!)

Isla Rosemarie is now four. The Rosemarie comes from our grandmothers’ names, Maria and Rose.

Naming our second daughter was so hard, because we loved Isla’s name so much. We liked lots of names, like Mila and Lily, but they sounded a lot like Isla.

Finally we settled on Sadie. Her middle name, Lianne, is from my father-in-law’s name and my mom’s name combined.

Now our third daughter is on the way! We are completely stuck, because again, we keep thinking of names like Sophie and Lainey and Ivy that sound a lot like Isla, Sadie, or both.

Can you help us make a new list of names that don’t sound too much like our girls’ names and also:

• Feel fun and light. We’re not Elizabeth/Eleanor kind of people.
• Preferably no nicknames. I have a long, complicated name and don’t like always having to say “call me this.”
• Something easy that people recognize. Because again, my name is always a thing.

If it’s not too much, we’d also love some ideas on how to combine some of these family names/sounds for a middle name: Ray, John/Janet, Ellen, Nancy, Gary, and Christina.

Our last name sounds like Workman with a B.

Thanks to everyone!!

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

A SISTER FOR ISLA AND SADIE

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

It’s so interesting that even when we know exactly what we want, it can be oddly hard to find it. (In names, yes. But also in life!)

I think Isla and Sadie are perfectly matched. But of course, that’s part of the issue. Isla and Lily is a lot of L; Sadie and Lainey share the same vowel sounds.

So let’s start fresh, looking for familiar names, nickname-proof, and without overlapping the sounds of Isla and Sadie, but still sharing their same style.

FRESH NAME SUGGESTIONS

BELLA

I’m not sure how you feel about alliteration, but I love the sound of Bella Workman-with-a-B. While Bella has been around for a while, both as an independent name and as an Isabella nickname, I think it’s a good fit with Isla and Sadie.

CHLOE

The first name that came to mind! Chloe means green shoot, so it’s a spring-like, optimistic kind of choice. It’s visually different from Isla and Sadie, and has distinctly different sounds, but also seems nicely compatible.

GEMMA

An up-and-coming favorite, Gemma is the Italian word for jewel. It’s a little twist on mainstays like Emma and Jenna, and feels nicely complete.

HALLIE

Another rising favorite, I like the way Hallie shares Isla’s L and Sadie’s EE, but is an independent name with a breezy, friendly energy.

JOSIE

Sometimes short for Josephine, but often given on its own, I really like the way Josie’s strong O sound is distinct from Isla and Sadie.

MOLLY

I don’t think I suggest Molly very much, possibly because it was so popular from the 1980s into 2010s. But something about it sounds appealing with Isla and Sadie, so I thought I’d suggest it. If Molly feels a little too common to your ear, there’s also high-spirited Millie.

STELLA

I started with Bella, but then I thought of Stella … and I think it’s maybe even better! I’m keeping them both on the list, though, because of the alliteration question. It’s eai

ZARA

I think Zara is the perfect mix of traditional and new. It sounds like the oh-so-traditional Sarah, but that Z makes it fresh and new.

MIDDLE NAME COMBINATIONS

We’re working with a name bank: Ray, John, Janet, Ellen, Nancy, Gary, and Christina.

I’m going to list my favorites in order:

1. Nelle – from Ellen spelled backwards. (That’s the origin of Nelle Harper Lee’s given name!) Or from Nancy plus Ellen.
2. Ellarae – from Ellen and Ray.
3. Cary – Christina plus Gary.
4. Nanette – Nancy plus Janet.
5. Janina – Janet plus Christina.

FIRST-MIDDLE COMBINATIONS

Overall, my favorite is still Chloe Workman-with-a-B. Isla, Sadie, and Chloe.

That leaves the question of middle names. Chloe Nelle is a little brief compared to Isla Rosemarie and Sadie Lianne.

So I’m going to suggest either Chloe Ellarae or Chloe Nanette. In fact, I’m surprised at how much I like Chloe Nanette!

If not Chloe, I think I’d suggest Stella. Once again, though, Nelle doesn’t work – and I don’t think Ellarae does, either! But Stella Cary and Stella Nanette are both great.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sister for Isla Rosemarie and Sadie Lianne?