Cool, Unexpected Girl Names for Matilda’s Sister

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.

FINDING NAMES THAT STAND OUT

Jennifer writes:

As a late 1980s Jennifer, I always wanted a different name. Like a really different name.

It only got worse when I married a Michael. We know two other couples who are also some kind of Jen and Mike combination.

So it was very important to us that our children’s names be different. Not Jaguar or Nightshade or Brick, but definitely the kind of name they wouldn’t share.

We agreed on Matilda pretty quickly for our first child. If she’d been a boy, her name would’ve been Duncan, and we still love that name for a son, if we ever have one.

But we’re having another girl and we’re struggling with our list. Maybe a fresh set of eyes would help?

The names we’re considering:

• Annika – or Anika? Worried it would be pronounced an EEK ah/spelled wrong
• Clarissa – I think it’s too much like Matilda; suggested Clarice instead, but Mike can’t get over Silence of the Lambs connection
• Ingrid – too gruff?
• Natasha – loved this name as a kid, but I think it sounds like too much maybe now, almost theatrical
• Paulina – Mike’s favorite, and I want to like it, but not sure
• Primrose – Love it, but not sure if I would use it
• Ramona – I want to love it, but it’s maybe not the one, probably because our last name starts with R
• Seraphina – Kind of love it, mostly think it’s too much, probably the favorite right now but not really
• Winifred – would everyone call her Winnie? We call Matilda things like Tills and Tillie sometimes, but I’m a little worried Winnie would become her name

Our last name is a man’s first name plus S. (We share it with Captain America, but no relation.) Because it’s also pretty common, that makes finding the right first name more important.

Matilda’s middle name is a family name, Varley. We will probably use another family name for this baby, Landry, assuming it works with the first name we choose.

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

A SISTER FOR MATILDA

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

I know I say it all the time, but it’s funny how most of parenting gets easier with experience … and yet naming gets harder somehow.

From your current list, it feels like most of the names really aren’t options. Either you’re really not sure or one of you has already ruled it out.

These are the strongest possibilities, I think:

ANNIKA

Yes, it might sometimes be pronounced ah-NEE-kah or some other way. And some might spell it with a single N. But most of the time I see Annika spelled – and hear it pronounced – the way you prefer. Maybe that’s thanks to professional golfer Annika Sörenstam. Matilda and Annika strike me as nicely balanced.

INGRID

There is something about Ingrid that might be called gruff. It’s heavy on consonants with that “gr” sound, right? But Ingrid is also luminous. Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. It literally means beautiful. And I think it’s a great fits-in/stands-out kind of choice.

NATASHA

I hear you about loving Natasha for a long time, but finding it a bit too much now. It is a dramatic name, perfect for say, Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Movies. And yet, I think it’s still perfect for a real girl. In an age with names like Olivia and Isabella in the US Top Ten, is Natasha really that much?

PAULINA

Another name that’s easy to pronounce and spell, familiar to all – but really quite uncommon.

WINIFRED

On the one hand, I think you’re right about Winnie. I have a hard time imagining a Winifred not answering to the nickname. On the other hand, I’m not clear if you dislike the name Winnie particularly? If it’s just the idea of the nickname being used more often, I think that’s a) a reasonable concern; and b) likely to be something you don’t mind so much over time.

Let me suggest some fresh ideas, too:

ARTEMIS

The goddess of the hunt in Greek myth, Artemis is familiar to many – but her name isn’t often heard in real life. It’s only recently entered the US Top 1000.

CECILY

Cecilia is a rising favorite, but Cecily is a little different. It’s more vintage and less expected, too.

CLEMENTINE

Clementine can shorten to Clemmie or Clem or even Cleo. But like Matilda, it feels like a name meant to be used in full.

ELODIE

I love the rhythm of Cecily with Matilda. Elodie might be another option.

PALOMA

If Paulina is close, but not quite, how about Paloma? It’s a Spanish name meaning dove.

SERENA

Peaceful Serena is a name with lots of history, and a straightforward spelling and pronunciation. It’s a little less than Seraphina, maybe?

SYLVIE

A little bit Cecily, a little bit Serena.

VERONICA

The kind of name that always comes to mind when I hear Matilda.

Overall, my favorites are Annika from your list and Clementine from mine. I might list Paloma as a dark horse alternative to Paulina, too. Matilda Varley and Clementine Landry, though – I kind of love those together!

Readers over to you! What would you name a sister for Matilda?