THEY’VE COMPILED LONG LISTS OF GREAT OPTIONS
Vanessa writes:
We’re having our sixth (our fifth together. He has a son from a previous relationship) and probably last child in late December, a girl!
We prefer first names that are ideally not in the top 50, but definitely not top 20 names. We don’t like anything too unusual. The names must be familiar in the US and the first initials can’t be the same as our other kids’ names:
- Nolan
- Audrey
- Connor
- Francesca
- Harrison
Our names are Vanessa and Adam, and our last name sounds like ko-VAL-check.
Names we both like:
- Gabrielle “Gia”
- Genevieve “Evie”
- Gemma
- Georgia
- Josephine “Josie”
- Lydia
- Maeve
- Oriana – but is it too out there?
- Sabrina
- Sylvie
- Vivienne “Vivi”
- Zelda
Names we both vetoed:
- Alice – We like it, but don’t want to repeat the first letters of our other kids’ names.
- Isabelle – People will mistake it for Isabella, which is way too popular for us. We don’t like Izzy, Belle, Bella, or Ellie for nicknames.
- Madeline/Madeleine – No way to guarantee that it won’t be pronounced mad-ah-lyn and we don’t like Maddie.
- Maia – We like it, but we’re worried that it doesn’t fit well with her siblings’ names and it will get misspelled as Maya or worse, Mya. We don’t mind Maya but prefer Maia.
- Sophie – Same reason as Isabelle/Isabella. We like Sophia, but it’s too popular.
Names I like, but he doesn’t:
- Beatrice – He doesn’t like how it looks.
- Bridget – Too harsh for him.
- Katherine – Too plain for him and he doesn’t like Katie. He likes Kate, but only as a potential middle because it’s a family name for both of us.
- Laura – He doesn’t hate it, but doesn’t love it either.
- Malia – He thinks it’s like saying Maria with a lisp.
- Tamara (ta-MAR-ah) – It feels dated to him.
Names he likes, but I don’t:
- Daisy – I think of a pet.
- Esme – I prefer it as a nickname for Esmeralda, but is Esmeralda too long with her siblings’ names? If so, can you suggest anything else that we could get Esme from?
- Penelope – I don’t like Penny or Nell.
- Piper – I hate the sound.
- Willow – I’m not a fan of most girls’ names ending in the -o sound and it’s gotten too trendy I think.
- Zoey – I don’t like Zoe as it is, but especially hate Zoey and Zoie.
Her middle name will be Claire, Victoria, Alexandra, Kate, or Christine. They’re all family names.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
TIME TO NARROW UP
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
First, I’m going to summarize what you’re looking for in a name:
- Familiar, but not too popular – i.e., not ranked in the current US Top 50
- Nothing beginning with A, C, F, H, or N
- Spelling should be straightforward, and pronunciation, too – it sounds like this is why Maia, Madeline/Madeleine and Zoey don’t satisfy
- Something compact – a nickname is okay, but only if it follows logically from your daughter’s given name, like calling Vivienne “Vivi” for short
Next, let’s tackle a few questions:
- Is Oriana too much? Obviously, this comes down to personal preference. But I’ll note two things: first, Oriana has never ranked in the US Top 1000. It’s very rare. Second, Ariana has ranked in the US Top 100 since 2001. (To say nothing of Arianna and Aria.) I think Oriana is gorgeous. I’m confident it would be misunderstood as Ariana quite often.
- Is there a longer form of Esme? Yes and no. Esme is an increasingly mainstream favorite in the US. Names like Esmerae or Esmeray, a Turkish name meaning “dark moon,” and Esmeralda, the Spanish word for emerald, are options. And a choice like Esmerelle or Esmerine works, too. But none of them are traditionally considered long forms of Esme, and they’re all pretty elaborate. I think Esme fits best with names like Sylvie and Gemma, as well as your older children’s names.
Lastly, I want to highlight a few considerations:
- Popularity isn’t just rank in a given year. It’s rank over time. With that formula in mind, some names that initially seem fairly uncommon might need to be re-framed as too popular – and vice versa.
- Names that sound a lot like other very popular names can be tricky. You’ve already experienced this with Isabelle/Isabella, and I’ve mentioned it with Oriana/Ariana. But this might be a factor with a few other names on your list – more on that below.
RANKING YOUR CURRENT LIST
As a reminder for readers, here’s the current list:
- Gabrielle “Gia”
- Genevieve “Evie”
- Gemma
- Georgia
- Josephine “Josie”
- Lydia
- Maeve
- Oriana – but is it too out there?
- Sabrina
- Sylvie
- Vivienne “Vivi”
- Zelda
Names I would drop:
- Gabrielle – While it’s not very common now, Gabrielle ranked in the US Top 100 from 1990 to 2010, which is a really long run. Gabriella appeared in the US Top 100 from 2000 onward, including 2023. Gia is a distinctive nickname, I wonder if this is another case of Isabella/Isabelle with a little bit of Maia’s challenges mixed in. If it’s not a favorite, it’s an easy name to pass on.
- Oriana – Again it’s a great name, but the Ariana factor isn’t ideal.
- Zelda – I love the idea of the youngest child’s name starting with Z … and yet, Zelda is beyond the Top 500. It’s not terribly mainstream. While I think it will be familiar to most, I wonder if it’s a little too different?
- Josephine/Josie – Both names are very popular; combined, it might be too much.
- Maeve – Gorgeous name, but it’s rising quickly. And there’s no nickname for Maeve, meaning unlike Gabrielle/Gia, there’s really no way to distinguish your Maeve from another one in her kindergarten or on her soccer team.
Names I think have lots of potential:
- Gemma – A perfect sweet spot name, familiar but likely to be all your daughter’s own.
- Genevieve/Evie – It seems like you’re very into G names and v sounds, and Genevieve/Evie has it all.
- Georgia – One of my favorite sweet spot names for a daughter – traditional, stylish, a little unexpected, but only a little.
- Lydia – Yes, it’s popular. But not a lot of names sound like Lydia.
- Sabrina – Like Gabrielle, this name was popular in the recent past, ranking in the US Top 100 in the 1990s. But because there wasn’t the Gabrielle/Gabriella phenomenon, I think it’s on the right side of familiar, not too common.
- Sylvie – A newly rising possibility, Sylvie is fresher than Sylvia, with that appealing V sound. A logical alternative to Sophie.
- Vivienne/Vivi – On paper, I think this name is perfect. But Vivian is also rising in use, and ranks in the current US Top 100 – a bit ahead of Vivienne. I’m wondering if it will end up being another case of Gabrielle/Gabriella.
ADDING TO YOUR CURRENT LIST
- Daphne – If Penelope, Zoe, and Daisy are all close, but not quite, would Daphne appeal?
- Esme – Even without a longer form, I think Esme deserves a second look.
- Phoebe – As with Daphne, this fits the same Penelope/Zoe/Daisy category, but it also shares the strong B sound of Sabrina and Beatrice.
- Zara – A little more familiar than Zelda, appearing in the US Top 300 since 2017. If a name starting with the initial Z appeals, would you consider Zara?
WHAT NAME GOES WITH NOLAN, AUDREY, CONNOR, FRANCESCA & HARRISON?
Your current family includes names that all go together, but represent a broad range of styles – surnames and more traditional first names; Irish and Italian and English; different endings sounds and syllable counts.
They’re linked by their status as current names with clear, strong sounds.
While lots of names would work beautifully for your daughter, I’m going to suggest my three favorites:
#3 ESME
I think it’s worth a second look. Yes, it can feel a little short. But no more than Audrey, really – and, like Audrey, it’s a full, complete name.
#2 GENEVIEVE
It’s a different first initial and a different ending sound. I love the way Genevieve’s V sound picks up on the V in your surname. And – bonus – Genevieve could shorten to Gia, Vivi, or Evie – pretty much all of the nicknames you’ve considered. It’s traditional, flexible, and just a little bit different.
#1 SYLVIE
Because you love Sophie and lots of names with a strong V sound, Sylvie feels like the logical choice. Nolan, Audrey, Connor, Francesca, Harrison, and Sylvie. It really works!
I love both Lydia (Lia or Dia if a nn is desired) or Georgia (Gia). Georgette or Georgina might split the difference between Audrey and Francesca. Juliet, Veronica, Bethany, Rosalie, Linnea, or Evangeline also might fit your style.
Georgina is pretty. We like Rosalie and Linnea. We’d use Lydia in full if we use it, as we don’t care for the nicknames for it, though Lia sounds prettier than Dia, but it’s not for us.
Your girl names all remind me of Nameberry’s list of “Little Black Dress Names”: names that aren’t popular but are always fashionable. https://nameberry.com/blog/little-black-dress-names-are-always-in-style
-Eloise
-Estelle
-Juliet(te)
-Simone
-Tess/Tessa/Theresa
-Valencia
-Valentina
-Zora
Eloise is beautiful. We actually almost named Francesca Eloise because of my grandmother, but we changed it last minute, as we ultimately wanted our children to have their own first names and we agreed on using honor names in the middle spot, so we named her Francesca Eloise instead of Eloise Francesca. We like Tessa “Tess”, Valentina, and Zora. We definitely tend to prefer girls’ names that are always in style. We’re more flexible with boys’ names though.
I first noticed the distinction between your older children’s names versus the younger. Nolan, Audrey, and Connor are a coordinated subset of 2-syllable names, while Francesca and Harrison are a coordinated subset of 3-syllable names. I think a name that completes the 3-syllable subset, yet is cohesive with all of your children’s names, works best. Genevieve and Vivienne fit the bill.
Genevieve Kate
Vivienne Claire
These names also coordinate well with your other daughters’ names: Audrey, Francesca, and Genevieve or Audrey, Francesca, and Vivienne.
Really lovely name blends here with Genevieve Kate
Vivienne Claire
We agree. Very pretty!
Zara Kate is an ideal combo of familiar, fabulous, and classic. Audrey, Francesca, and Zara… they have a pan-European flavor together, kind of a brush-with-royals feel.
Congratulations and best wishes!
Zara Kate is gorgeous and it’s great with Audrey and Francesca’s names.
I love Lydia, Georgia, Gemma, and Vivian from your current list. I think any of those sound really nice with all your other children’s names.
I really love the idea of Zara. It sounds great with Nolan, Audrey, Connor, Francesca, and Harrison. The A to Z link with the other sibling names, especially if this is your last child, is really sweet.
Some other ideas:
Tessa
Evelyn
Violet
Sadie
Greta
Caroline
Zara is beautiful!
We like all of your suggestions, especially Tessa, Greta, and Caroline, but Caroline starts with C like Connor.
I suggest a V name, since you have a kid with an A name (like dad) and your initial is V.
Audrey, Francesca and Vera
Audrey, Francesca and Victoria
Audrey, Francesca and Violet
Audrey, Francesca and Verity
Audrey, Francesca and Veronica
Audrey, Francesca and Valerie
Other options:
Juliet
Petra
Willa
Leona
Rosalie
Julianne
I love Georgia nn Gia for you.
Vera, Victoria, Violet, Valerie, Leona, Rosalie, Julianne, and Georgia “Gia” are gorgeous! Valerie Kowalczyk sounds slightly repetitive because of the “val” sound in both of them, but we don’t think it’s a complete deal breaker since the sounds are in different spots. We could just call her by her full name instead of Val. Our last name also gets mispronounced a lot so people probably won’t notice either. We get Ko-WALL-zick often.
I was wondering about Phillipa, nn Pippa? Audrey, Francesca and Phillipa? Phillipa has the same strength and history of the other two names. Phillipa Claire or With Alexandra or Victoria work.
I also strikes me that Laura is a good balance of both your older girl names and your list. The au of Audrey, the r of Francesca and it is a mix of Lydia and Ta -MAR-ah sounds. Laura Victoria is beautiful. Or would Laurel work?
I’m keen to lean into a P or L name to pair up wity Nolan, but realize that is kind of silly. In that vein, what about Sybil? Again, very different, but it seems to be well matched for Sophie or Sophia on s power, it has the spunk of Zelda and the high sceabble letter value of all the v names. Zara also world on many of those fronts but Audrey, Francesca and Sybil seem like quite the crew! Sybil Alexandra….
Love the suggestion of Laurel!
Laurel is great!
I like Philippa “Pippa”, but Adam doesn’t. Laura and Laurel are beautiful. We like Laurel Victoria. Sybil may be misunderstood as “civil” but it’s a nice name. Sybil Alexandra flows beautifully!
I love Gemma and Lydia from your list, but just wonder if their similarity to Emma and Olivia (the top 2 girls names at the moment) respectively could be an issue? I met a young Olivia the other day and mishead her name as Lydia, so I could imagine it would go the other way too.
I also really like Genevieve, but might suggest looking for an alternative nickname to Evie. With Evelyn at #9, Everly at #69, and Eva at #112, there are probably a lot more little Evies running around than you might think! Perhaps Gigi or Ginny, Vivi or Neve could work?
I think Georgia works nicely; I’ll also suggest Georgina which is a lot less common but still a familiar name.
Esme would be great too! And if you use it, it opens you up to your longer middle name options like Victoria and Alexandra which probably wouldn’t work with Esmeralda. Esme Alexandra actually sounds rather similar to Esmeralda – could you call her Esme Alexandra and just think of Esme as a short form of her full name?
I don’t think you really need any new ideas because you have some great ideas already, but two names that came to mind were Giselle and Mirabel.
I was going to suggest Giselle also! Giselle Alexandra is lovely!
Giselle Alexandra is beautiful!
You’re right about Gemma and Lydia sounding too close to Emma and Olivia. We like Olivia, but it’s way too popular for our tastes. Lol
We prefer Vivi as an alternative to Evie if we use Genevieve.
We like Georgina, Giselle, and Mirabel. We’d probably call Georgina “Gia” and Mirabel “Mira”.
Esme is up in the air for us. Esme Alexandra is beautiful! Francesca wants us to call her little sister Elsa, as in the Frozen character. She keeps telling everyone we’re naming her Elsa, which we’re likely not because that movie is still so fresh in people’s minds. 4 year old logic! Her middle name is Eloise after my grandmother, so Elsa is also a bit similar.
How adorable that your Francesca wants to name her sister Elsa! When I was expecting my twins, my older daughter (who was 4 at the time) decided they would be called Rose and Sweetheart because she thought those were they most beautiful names.
You seem to have a different style for your girl names (timeless, starlet, strong) than your boys (surname, also strong). If I focus more on ‘what fits with Audrey and Francesca?’, my favorites are: Georgia, Maeve, & Zelda. Some of the others (like Gemma, Sabrina, “Vivi”) repeat sounds just a little too close to her siblings’ names to me. I wanted to suggest Sabine as an alternative to Sabrina—it wouldn’t repeat the three-syllable-ending-in-a pattern of Francesca.
We like Sabine, but we pronounce it sa-BEE-na. Adam is half Polish, half Irish. I have German and French-Canadian heritage with a little Irish mixed in.
Sabine is a beautiful name.
Hi! I think my favorite names are Gemma and Sabrina from your list…familiar, feminine, seem to go well with the other names, but not too popular. Here are a few others:
Ophelia (Oriana is definitely very rare, so if you want a name that is a little more mainstream, maybe Ophelia will appeal to you.)
Louisa
Greta
Juliet
Thea
Susannah
Minna
Tatiana
Thalia
Delia
Justina
Linnea
Sasha/Sascha
Best wishes!!
Delia and Linnea are gorgeous and unexpected, but still familiar. We also like Louisa, Greta, Thea, Susannah, and Tatiana. I like Sasha, he isn’t a fan.