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.
IS CLAIRE TOO SHORT?
Dani writes:
We had a long list of names for our first daughter, and decided on Penelope at the last minute. It suits her so well, and I can’t imagine her as anything else. At first, I assumed we would call her Penny. (Or Nell or Poppy! I found your site when looking for nicknames when she was just a few days old.)
But no nickname ever stuck, and she’s such a Penelope.
Now we’re expecting our second. This time, we both almost agree on a name: Claire.
We don’t like Clara or Clarice or any of the longer versions of the name. But it sounds so short compared to Penelope, that I’m not really confident, either.
Penelope’s middle name is a family last name: Sweet. We considered using it for all of our children, but Claire Sweet sounds choppy. Other family names we’ve considered are Elizabeth, Renee, Castillo, Henderson, and Murphy.
First names we like, but like less than Claire are:
- Emilia/Emelia – not sure about spelling. Like it because we could use the middle name Sweet again.
- Hallie – I don’t like that it seems like it should be short for something. Probably my husband’s second favorite right now.
- Lucinda – My all-time favorite. I think it’s great with Penelope, but my husband just is not on board. Lucy/Lucie is okay, but I don’t love it like I love Lucinda.
Am I making too big a deal out of the whole thing? Should we just use Claire since we both really do love it?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
CLAIRE IS THE NAME TO BEAT
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
Let’s start with a statement that feels right to me: Claire is the name to beat. After all:
- It’s a time-tested name, used across generations
- Claire ranks in the current US Top 100, but doesn’t feel too popular
- It’s feminine and strong, without being frilly
I think all of those characteristics apply to both Penelope and Claire. I know what you mean about Claire being so short, but … I still kind of think they’re perfect together.
My best guess is that one of three things will happen:
- Penelope will naturally develop a shorter nickname. I know a handful of families with firstborns who used their names in full … until a younger sibling shifted everything.
- You will naturally elaborate Claire. In American English, nicknames tend to be shorter. That’s not true at all in other languages. Romance languages routinely elaborate names. Antonia becomes Antonella; Frances extends to Francesca.
- Over time, you won’t notice it at all. Plenty of families end up with Annabelle and Jude or Mia and Olivia. Claire and Penelope are compatible in so many ways that it’s easy to imagine this issue fading into the background.
Which one will happen? That depends a lot on your family culture. You might hear the term familect to describe the words and phrasings used by a specific family in their own home. They change and evolve over time, and there’s no right or wrong here.
CLAIRE’S MIDDLE NAME CAN BALANCE THINGS OUT
Here’s something that does matter: how will your daughter feel about her name?
Penelope Sweet is long and fun to say. Yes, the name is mainstream. But it has a certain offbeat sensibility.
Claire is a little more reserved. I might call it classic. The right middle name, though, could make it sound like Penelope Sweet’s sister.
Looking at your current options, I’d rule out Elizabeth and Renee. They’re very predictable middle names. Traditional and absolutely rock solid, yes. But you’re looking to balance out your older daughter’s name, and that means something more surprising.
Henderson and Murphy are good choices.
But I think Claire Castillo could be magic.
- The alliteration makes the name memorable.
- Penelope Sweet is five syllables. Claire Castillo is four. Is it shorter? Yes. But not by much.
- An O ending middle name has a lot of lift, just like Penelope.
- Plus the image of Castillo – a castle – is every bit as dramatic and intriguing as Sweet. They’re established last names with plenty of sparkle.
Even if you end up deciding on another middle name than Castillo, I think this is the way to approach the question: How can you make sure that Claire’s full name is every bit as special and fun as her sister’s full name?
So rather than attempting to compromise on a different first name, I’d suggest working with Claire until the two names together sound just right.
I think you can get there.
I’m all in for Penelope and Claire. I think they are wonderful together, truly. And having a name that both of you love is worth a lot.
But, if you’re open to suggestions, I would suggest Claudia. It is not an elaboration of Claire, so I’m wondering if you may not have considered it. But it has sounds from some of your favourites … Claire, Lucinda, Emilia … is longer than Claire, and would go beautifully with the middle name Sweet. Claudia Sweet. Penelope & Claudia.
However, if you consider other names and still love Claire best? 100% use Claire with confidence.
All the best!
100% agree with Abby on Claire Castillo. It’s a name you love, plus a very cool family name in the middle. That’s already golden as far as baby naming goes! And it could lead to fun nicknames like Cece or Coco or Clo if you really want.
Maybe Claire will be called Clairey by her sister? Or something totally out of left field. Hard to know, but I bet Penelope won’t wonder why her sister has a one-syllable name.
Penelope and Claire are both sweet names with history. I find this sibset less jarring than say Penelope and Evermore, or Penelope and Bernadette.
Also – is this your last child? Because if it isn’t, your pattern isn’t set yet, even with two. Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern. I also like when kids names ‘go together’, but honestly these go together just fine. Throw in a third kid called Nora or Jasper! If you try to stick to 3-syllables or longer names, it’ll just get harder next time.
Abby’s advice is spot on here!
I love Penelope & Claire together.
I know a sibset that is Claire and Alexander, and I don’t think of them as mismatched at all.
Count me in as another vote for Claire Castillo! I think it’s the name to beat.
If you are open to a creative middle name with subtle ties to a family name then I want to suggest Dulce! Claire Dulce. I’m assuming Castillo is a family name with Spanish heritage and since Penelope’s middle name is Sweet then maybe Dulce could be a fun way to fuse heritage with meaning since Dulce is Spanish for sweet 🙂 It’s such a sweet link between sisters as well (pun intended )
A longer form of Dulce is Dulcinea, which would also be sweet.
Claire Lucinda would seem to be the obvious choice. Otherwise, elaborate the name to Clarissa and call her Claire. I don’t think the combination of Claire with your last name sounds at all bad. I do also like Lucinda.
I see Sweet is a middle name rather than a surname, though I think it would also sound fine with Claire and ties her name to her sister’s. . I would probably pick whatever family surname is most meaningful to you rather than what sounds best. If that’s your maiden name and she also shares it with her older sister, great. The maiden name of one of her grandmothers would work well too.
Penelope & Claire work great together in my opinion. Claire Castillo is amazing! I like Claire Lucinda too, but then she wouldn’t have a family name.
I can say from personal experience that you should go with Claire.
My brother has an old man name (Carl) and I have a very unusual name (I’ve met 3 others with my name, and two are dogs). Even being a name nerd it was YEARS before it clicked in my head that we had very very different style names because they just suited us so well and I spent my whole life hearing the combo.
Whatever differences you hear now will become routine, I promise. So go for your favorite! And Claire Castillo is frankly amazing!