Choosing Sweet, Casual, Girl Names that Pair Perfectly with Molly

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.

ALL SET FOR A BOY, NOT SURE ABOUT A GIRL

Kenzie writes:

My all-time favorite name for a daughter was always Molly. (Yes, I had the Molly McIntire American Girl doll. I still do!)

We named our daughter Molly Susanne Hugh-plus-it. Susanne is for his grandma, Susan, but we liked it better if we said it more like Suzanne.

I’m due with our second baby in March, and we’re feeling pretty stuck.

If it’s a boy, we’re 95% on Tate William, but we’re still thinking maybe Tatum, except William is a family name and I think it’s not great with Tatum. Plus we’d call him Tate, and I don’t think he needs a longer name.

For a girl, nothing feels as special as Molly. I know it’s asking too much of any name, but every other name feels kind of meh.

What we have so far:

• Kate – It’s fine, but it means we could never use Tate in the future, and I’m not sure if we’d have another baby after this one
• Mae – Sort of our back-up name for Molly, but I think it’s too cute to have sisters named Molly and Mae, plus it’s a lot like Tate, so almost the same problem with Kate
• Tessa – Probably my husband’s favorite, but I’m not sure either of us really loves it
• Felicity – I mean, why not another American Girl doll?!
• Kenley – Because my dad’s name is Ken, but I’m not sure if this is really a name, it gets a lot of weird reactions when I mention it, plus I’m named for my dad, so it’s almost like I’m naming my daughter for me, and I’m not sure about that – even though I really do like my name now because of my dad

I’m always looking at lists. I don’t want anything that she’s going to be one of three with, like Emma, but I also don’t want anything too different. My husband is Jake and there are lots of people with the same first/last name, so that’s always something we talk about.

For what it’s worth, I really think we’re having a girl!

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

A SISTER FOR MOLLY

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new baby!

Let’s start out by identifying what you love about your daughter’s name, and try to identify what qualities matter most for her sister.

• A casual, breezy feel
• That style has to be balanced with some history – after all, you fell in love with the name because it belonged to a doll based on American history
• Hitting that familiar/not-too-common sweet spot is always a challenge (I’m going to suggest we look at the US Top 200, if not higher)
• We want to avoid another M name, likely another ends-with-Y name, and very possible names with a strong A sound because we’re saving space for Tate, as well as trying not to conflict with Molly’s name

A SISTER FOR MOLLY

ELIZA

I wonder if something that sounds old school and high spirited might work? Eliza is very different than Molly in some ways, but I can see them setting off on an adventure together.

GWEN

There’s something shape-shifting about Gwen – it claims plenty of history, but it’s also casual and fresh. I think it’s a perfect sister for Molly.

JUNIPER

While Juniper is more of a current favorite, I think this sound is exactly what you’re after.

LOLA

I kept trying to think of casual, nickname-style names that don’t end with EE or have a long A sound. Lulu and Coco might be too casual, but I think Lola is substantial enough to stand on its own.

PIPPA

The first name that came to mind. It’s quite rare in the US, but I think it would be easily recognized and just plain fun with Molly’s name.

SHILOH

While this is a relative newcomer in terms of given names, it’s not really new. It means peaceful in Hebrew, and while it has religious and historical associations, it feels like a mainstream choice.

SUMMER

I love the ease and carefree joy of Molly’s name. Would Summer be a good match?

WILLOW

Another O-ender, this one in the current US Top 100. At first, I hesitated to add it to the list. Visually, it’s SO MUCH LIKE Molly. But the sound is distinct, and I think meets your criteria.

Overall, if I can convince you to choose something as unexpected as Pippa, that gets my vote. Also: I love the idea of Kenley as your daughter’s middle name. It mirrors Molly’s family middle, doesn’t it? Molly Susanne and Pippa Kenley.

If Pippa is too out-there, then I’ll put Lola as my second choice. Molly Susanne and Lola Kenley.

Readers, over to you – what you name a sister for Molly Susanne?