Choosing Just One Pretty, Uncommon Name for a Daughter

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.

THEY HAVE A GREAT SHORT LIST

Jessie writes:

After weeks of discussion, my husband and I have agreed on five possible names for our daughter. I think any of them would be a good choice, but going from five to one is starting to feel practically impossible.

Some days I wake up and think that I like Elowen best, but then later that same day, it will be a different name.

We want her name to be pretty and feminine. (I’m Jessie, not Jessica, and I wish I had a longer name, and disliked having to explain I wasn’t Jesse/a boy.) Nickname/flexible options would be great, as long as we like both names. And because our last name is very common, ideally her first name will be unusual, without being weird. (Our last name sounds like Looper with a C.)

These are the names we agree on:

• Elowen – I like that it’s pretty but not too fussy, and I love the way it shortens to Ellie. We both like this spelling better, though I know that Elowyn is more popular right now. Some people haven’t known the name when it’s come up, but we haven’t gotten any negative reactions. Still I do worry this might cross a line.
• Loretta – Love how vintage this one sounds! I feel like it’s maybe a little southern or western, which reflects my husband’s roots in Texas. (Though we live in the Northeast.) We’d probably call her Lottie or Lettie/Letty.
• Bellamy – I know it’s a different style than Loretta, but I like the way it has sounds from Isabelle, which I like but is too popular. We’d call her Bella/Belle.
• Persephone – Such a big name! Penelope might be on the list, but we know a bunch of Penelopes (nothing too close, but in our extend friends circle) so Persephone is an alternative that I like even better. Struggling a little with nicknames. Persie/Percy? Sephie?
• Tallulah – The newest name on my list. Seems like everyone likes this name, but it’s still really different. I might like it even better for nicknames Lulu/Lou/Lula more than even the name itself.

For a middle name, we were really thinking about Eve because we got married on New Year’s Eve and because my husband’s grandma was Evie/Evelyne. But maybe it’s too short? I still think it’s our first choice.

Can you/your readers help us choose a favorite? I’m not sure more names will help because no matter how many lists we look at it, it seems like these are the five we keep coming back to every time.

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

CHOOSING THE RIGHT UNCOMMON NAME FOR A DAUGHTER

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

It’s always tough to come up with ways to evaluate names at this point – when they’re all great, and more than satisfy your basic criteria, and you can imagine being happy with any of them.

There is one quality that leaps out at me, though: you would like your daughter’s name to have an easy, obvious nickname.

And it seems like that nickname should be:

• Something she might choose to use in everyday life.
• Easily spelled and pronounced.
• Clearly feminine – or at least not likely to make others assume it’s a boy’s name.

Also, the nickname can be far more popular than your daughter’s given name, right?

So if we begin backward, and rate the nicknames? I think that actually might bring some clarity.

RATING A SHORT LIST BASED ON POTENTIAL NICKNAMES

In 5th place: PERSEPHONE

I would never put Persephone in fifth place. It’s a great uncommon name for a daughter. Except … I do think the nickname question is a bit tricky. Persie sounds just like Percy Jackson, a fictional character that’s been a staple throughout the 21st century. (The books are bestsellers. And while the movie wasn’t a hit, the Disney+ series is going strong.) So Persie might be a spelling headache and a little bit of the same issues you’ve encountered as a Jessie. Sephie works, but isn’t as easy as some other formal name/nickname pairings on your list.

In 4th place: BELLAMY

This is slightly more of a unisex given name to begin with, so that informs my thinking. Though Bella/Belle is terribly pretty – it’s even in the name’s meaning, after all. And it’s easy to wear, so maybe I’m ranking Bellamy too far down on the list? I do really love Bellamy Eve with your surname.

In 3rd place: LORETTA

The way that this name speaks to your husband’s roots lifted it to 3rd place for me. Also, I think Lottie is a logical nickname that feels very current.

In 2nd place: ELOWEN

Maybe I’m too swayed by the fact that you specifically mentioned Elowen as a frequent favorite, but I think that’s what clinches this name for me. Ellie is such an easy, breezy short form and it’s a delightful surprise to hear it’s from Elowen, rather than the more popular Eleanor or Elizabeth.

In 1st place: TALLULAH

I think Tallulah might be the best of all possible worlds. Lulu is sweet and sparky and it’s easy to imagine a child shifting between Lulu and Tallulah with ease. It’s clearly feminine and pretty, but maybe less elaborate than some choices. It’s an uncommon name for a daughter, but not so different that others won’t recognize it. I do think you might have to spell it more often than you might expect.

It’s funny … I ranked these, then came back to proofread my remarks. And I kind of wanted to shift a bunch of names up or down a spot! I think the reality is that they’re all rated 4.95 stars, give or take a fraction of a point. All great, uncommon names for a daughter, with compelling nickname options.

Besides seeing readers’ reactions, which I’m sure will be helpful, I wonder if it’s worth pulling a name out of a hat. (Or rolling a die, maybe? If you roll a 6, I’d say that means roll again.) How do you feel about a name that fate chooses for you?

Because I don’t think you can really go wrong here! But for the moment, I’m sticking with my vote for Tallulah “Lulu” Eve.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a first daughter: Bellamy, Elowen, Loretta, Persephone, or Tallulah?