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.
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A SIBLING FOR MATILDA AND LEILA
Elisa writes:
I’m due baby with number three in a week, gender still a surprise. We have older sister Matilda and younger sister Leila.
Our top picks for boys currently are Milo and Oliver, middle name Michael.
Girls top names are Elowen, Winola (both Winnie for short) or Wendy. Middle name also still undecided.
Dad is Irish, and we will be residing in Ireland, I’m French-Canadian.
Any help with decision making very much appreciated at this point!
Thank you!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
EVALUATING GREAT CHOICES
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your third!
Ireland and Canada aren’t that different, culturally speaking. But you do have three languages in the mix. (Along with the varied pronunciations that comes along with mulitple languages.) And I’m sure there are plenty of subtle differences that shape how you both perceive names. But you’ve successfully navigated those challenges twice so far, so I’m confident you’ll find a great name again.
In fact, your current list is so strong that I’m not sure I can top it!
Let’s talk about names for a daughter first.
A SISTER FOR MATILDA & LEILA
I’m guessing you’re looking for another stand-out girls’ name – something just a little bit different. Leila is uncommon but with picks like Lily, Layla, and Leah popular it feels plenty familiar. And Matilda isn’t so different from longer, traditional favorites like Amelia and Isabelle/Isabella.
I think the girls’ names you’re considering hit that mark nicely. And they’re very close – no matter which name you choose, you’d have a Winnie or a Wendy.
I’d rank your current choices this way:
WINOLA “WINNIE”
Such a great name! I’ve read that it’s an invention, based on so many popular -ola names from an earlier era. It also might be an indigenous name meaning water lily. It naturally leads to the nickname Winnie, so I think it has plenty of potential.
WENDY
Love this brief, complete, retro name with storybook associations.
ELOWEN “WINNIE”
A rising favorite, with a lovely sound and strong meaning. (It means “elm tree” in Cornish.) What I really love about Elowen? It shares the strong L sound of Matilda and Leila, but sounds completely different. It’s my top choice.
Let me add just a few more names to the mix:
ELIANE
Ellie names are big across the English-speaking world, as many European languages. It’s a slightly more French choice similar to Elowen.
GWENDOLEN, GWENDOLYN “WINNIE”
One last option to get to Winnie.
ROWENA
Another possible formal name for Winnie, though it might also shorten to Wendy.
A BROTHER FOR MATILDA & LEILA
For a son, I wonder about one factor. Oliver feels far more traditional. It ranks in the Top Ten in the US, much of Canada, and the combined England and Wales data. In Ireland, it’s Top 25 and still gaining. It’s less common in Quebec, though Olivier is a Top 50 name and rising.
A name’s popularity isn’t an automatic reason to exclude it. On the contrary, names become popular because they’re great names.
Milo has a hint of rising popularity, too. In that sense, I think it’s a better fit for Leila and Matilda.
Sound-wise, though? I love the way Oliver sounds with Leila and Matilda.
I’ll add just a few more options.
EMMETT
Em- names are having a moment, and Emmett is very much the go-to choice in this category for our sons.
HUGO
I love the way Hugo’s sound is so current, but it’s also got plenty of history.
OWEN
Another name, like Hugo, with a strong O sound. It’s a slightly less popular alternative to Oliver, though depending on the kids you know in your community, it’s possible you might hear this name often.
Overall, I don’t think I can beat two of your choices: Elowen “Winnie” for a girl and Oliver for a boy.
Matilda, Leila, and Elowen. Maybe something like Elowen Ivy or Elowen Jade, for a more Francophone middle?
And I do think Oliver Michael is quite handsome. I’d put Emmett Michael a close second.
All great options!
Of your favorite boys’ names, I think Oliver has a slight advantage over Milo because it would allow all your children to have different initials.
By a similar token, I might favor Winola or Wendy over Elowen, since your name starts with an E.
I like how Winola evokes Winona and Fionnuala (a lovely Irish name). It’s my favorite on your list.
I also love Abby’s suggestion of Rowena. It seems like a perfect fit with Matilda and Leila.
A few ideas for a girls’ middle name:
Patrice (a Francophone nod to Ireland’s patron saint; although it’s a often masculine name in French, it’s typically feminine in English)
Brigitte (for Irish Saint Bridget)
Clare or Claire (a French name and an Irish county)
Emily or Emilie (in honor of Irish-Quebecois poet Emile Nelligan)
Nell, Nelly, or Nellie (also to honor Nelligan)
I think Elowen is perfect with Matilda and Leila! I like that it can shorten to either Wendy or Winnie if you decide one option fits her better.
For a boy, I think Oliver fits better with Matilda and Leila. I like that each child has their own initial whereas with Milo you wouldn’t get that option.
Another suggestion for a boy: Oscar. I’m not sure if it works in French but it is a lovely Irish name that feels like a brother to Milo and also shares some similarities with Oliver.
Matilda, Leila, and Oscar.
How about Ellis? It is a unisex name with that ‘L’ sound and ‘Ellis’ for a girl isnt’t that far removed from ‘Alice’.
‘Ellis Michael’ sounds great.
Congratulations on baby number 3! Will your baby have relatives saying their name in French or with a French accent often? Being from Quebec, I find the names that sound best in French are Elowen & Oliver. Matilda, Leila & Elowen or Matilda, Leila & Oliver sound great together. From Abby’s list I like Eliane and Hugo too 🙂
I really like Elowen. It’s still uncommon but still increasing in popularity, so it won’t be out of style any time soon. It sounds like the name of a fairy tale princess. If you like Winnie, you could also look at Gwendolyn, which could also be shortened to Winnie.
I’ve never heard the name Winola.
I meant to connect Gwendolyn with Wendy. I’ve known more than one Gwendolyn nicknamed Wendy.
I might use Winola if it’s a name from your family tree. All of the -ola names were fashionable in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It reminds me of Enola. It fits nicely with Matilda, which has kind of a rugged, Old West feel to me too. I had a great-great grandmother and a great aunt named either Matilda or Mathilda. Leila is more of a pretty sounding, on trend, Arabic name. I think Elowen matches Leila in style but Winola matches Matilda. Wendy is a very perky sounding nickname name that, to me, doesn’t really fit with either of the sister names. It might if it’s a nickname for Gwendolyn.
I like either Milo or Oliver, but Milo is less common.
A few more with the “l” to connect the siblings.
Elias
Julian
Leopold (Leo) & think of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses by Irish great, James Joyce
Declan (Irish)
Ansel
Valor (word name-I like it a lot)
Julia
Sylvia
Cecilia
Camilla
Priscilla
Best wishes!!
Also…I just realized Elias uses the same initials as Mom’s name!
I love Elowen! I also really like that the “l” sound/letter would appear in all three names & link them. Here are a few more girls’ names that might work:
Aurelia
Dahlia
Calliope
Calla
Helena
And for the boys’ names, I thought of a few more you might like:
Percival nn Percy (comes from French)
Lorcan (an Irish name)
Balthazar
Roland nn Rollo (French)
Killian (Irish)
Silas