Finding a Sweet Spot Name for a First Daughter

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WHAT’S THE RIGHT SWEET SPOT NAME FOR A FIRST DAUGHTER?

Sabina and Daniel write:

We’re having our first child together in December, a girl, and we can’t agree on her name.

Our heritage/background includes French-Canadian, Irish, German, and Danish. We also have roots in the southern US.

Names we’re considering:

• Adelaide
• Anastasia (Anya/Anja – not sure how we want to spell the nickname yet)
• Anneliese
• Arielle (our concern is that people will think we named her after the Little Mermaid, which we didn’t – lol)
• Camilla/Camille (we like just Mila, but it’s too popular for us)
• Cecilia
• Daphne
• Elise (we like Elizabeth, but it feels a bit plain for us as a first name)
• Felicity
• Fiona
• Gabrielle (is the hurricane association too much?)
• Genevieve (honors French-Canadian roots, and we love the nickname Evie; we pronounce it JEN-ah-veev instead of the French way)
• Giselle
• Iris
• Juliana
• Leila
• Linnéa
• Mina (I like Wilhelmina, but hate Billie, Willie, and Willa; Daniel thinks Wilhelmina is too old-fashioned, but we both love Mina)
• Mireille
• Noelle (is it too cheesy?)
• Pearl
• Sara (just worried about it being misspelled as Sarah)
• Saoirse
• Seraphina
• Susanna
• Viviana
• Zinnia

Names vetoed:

• Ariane (Ariana Grande ruined Ariana, plus it’s a little too trendy; we like Ariane, but it could be mistaken for Ariana)
• Cassia (we like the name, but worry about it being mispronounced; we like CASS-ee-ah, not CAH-sha)
• Charlotte (it’s too popular, and I hate the nickname Charlie for girls)
• Clementine
• Cora (we love it, but it’s too popular)
• Blair(e) (he likes it, but I can’t stand it for a girl)
• Freyja (honors Danish roots, but Freya is getting more popular, so we’re hesitant)
• Harriet (it’s too old-fashioned for him)
• Isabelle (it’ll be confused with the super popular Isabella; we’re also not fans of any of the nicknames, especially Belle and Bella)
• Lyric (he likes it, but I don’t; it’s too trendy for my tastes; we like Lyra, but I don’t like it pronounced LIE-ra; too close to “liar”)
• Olive (we’re not fans and Olivia is too popular)
• Mirabelle (he isn’t a fan, and we don’t want it shortened to Belle or Bella)
• Nicole/Nicolette (Nicolette is too similar to Nicorette, as in the nicotine gum. We don’t know why we don’t like Nicole. We just aren’t fans)
• Nova (he loves it, but I don’t see it working for a sophisticated adult)
• Rosalie (he isn’t a fan of the “Rose” names)
• Simone (the sound of the second syllable is unpleasant to us)
• Stephanie/Stevie (he doesn’t like Stephanie, I don’t like Stevie)
• Sylvie (I like it, he doesn’t)

Neither of us likes unusual or creative spellings or anything too common. (We’re trying to avoid the Top 100).

I love names that are clearly gendered for girls, even nicknames. He’s not a fan of clearly masculine names like James or Andrew for a girl, but he’s flexible with feminine names that have tomboyish nicknames. 

The middle name is still a work in progress.

Our daughter will have our last names hyphenated, something like Collinson-Bernard.

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

DEFINING A SWEET SPOT NAME FOR A FIRST DAUGHTER

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

It’s funny – by the time I read your criteria, I felt like I already knew them! There are lots of names on your list that appeal in some way, but also fall short of meeting your criteria.

I think the very first step is to drop any name that:

• Leans unisex in any way
• Could be complicated to spell and/or pronounce
• Ranks in the US Top 100 or otherwise feels too popular (as you’ve noted, Isabelle is much less popular than Isabella, but the two names tend to be grouped together)
• Lacks a nickname you love (if it seems like a nickname is necessary – that’s certainly not true for all names)

Let’s see where that leaves us:

NAMES I WOULD PROBABLY DROP FROM YOUR LIST

• Anneliese – it’s a somewhat complicated spelling
• Arielle – because of pop culture concerns
• Camilla/Camille – while these spellings aren’t Top 100, the name feels very popular, with Camila just outside of Top Ten
• Iris – recently entered the US Top 100
• Leila – so many spellings, and Layla ranks in the current Top 40
• Mireille – so, so gorgeous but hard to pronounce and spell
• Sara – it’s a minor point, but I do think lots of Saras go through life introducing themselves as “Sara without an H” – which isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, but if it will bother you, then I’d move on

THAT STILL LEAVES SO MANY SWEET SPOT NAMES FOR A FIRST DAUGHTER

• Adelaide
• Anastasia
• Cecilia
• Daphne
• Elise
• Felicity
• Fiona
• Gabrielle – Regarding the hurricane question, Gabrielle has been so well-established as a given name that, unless you live in an area directly impacted, I wouldn’t consider it an issue
• Genevieve
• Giselle
• Juliana
• Linnéa
• Mina
• Noelle – The thing about winter holiday names is that some parents won’t use them because it’s a little on-the-nose to have a December daughter named Holly. But parents also hesitate to use them in July, because, well … that seems odd, too. In general, I think it’s fair to use Noelle any time of year, but if it bothers you, then that’s an equally good reason to drop the name
• Pearl
• Seraphina
• Susanna
• Viviana
• Zinnia

It’s a great list, but rather than evaluate every name, let’s see if I can choose five that best capture your wish list.

TOP FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

5. ANASTASIA “ANYA”

A traditional, flowing name with a lovely meaning, Anastasia is one of those favorites everyone recognizes instantly. Thanks to the 1997 animated film, Anya feels like the obvious nickname – it’s even less common than Anastasia, by quite a bit. In fact, I might recommend considering Anya. The one drawback? While spelling Anja is more familiar in Denmark and much of northern Europe, it would be unfamiliar to many in the US. So just like Freyja is an issue, I think I’d suggest avoiding Anja.

4. ELISE

Gently French and quietly traditional, Elise is a perfect fits-in/stands-out name. In a classroom full of girls answering to Eleanor and Eloise, any El- name probably blends in a little. But there’s a strength to Elise that sets it apart.

3. DAPHNE

There’s no question – Daphne is rising in use, thanks in part to television series like Bridgerton and The White Lotus. It also fits right in with other E-ending favorites like Chloe, Zoe, and Penelope. Daphne is distinctive and complete, a name that stands up nicely to a longer surname but doesn’t overwhelm.

2. SUSANNA

Worth noting: Susanna will probably find her name spelled Susannah some of the time. But the -a ending is more popular, and feels like the default. Then again, Susanna doesn’t even crack the current US Top 1000. (Kind of astonishing, right? 168 girls were named Susanna in 2024, compared to 63 Susannahs.)

1. GENEVIEVE “EVIE”

I think this name checks every box. It nods to your daughter’s French-Canadian heritage. It’s familiar to all, but has not ranked in the Top 100 in the US since early in the 20th century. Evie is a great nickname. And style-wise, Genevieve hits the spot between Elizabeth and Wilhelmina – traditional, but current and smooth. I think it’s the perfect sweet spot name for a first daughter, and works with many other types of names should you grow your family in the future.

Readers, over to you! What would you suggest as a sweet spot name for a first daughter? Are there names they should consider beyond their current list?