Finding Beautiful, Sophisticated Names for Girls: Elegant, Not Extravagant

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. 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 TIMELESS, SOPHISTICATED GIRL NAMES

K writes:

We settled on a boy’s name as soon as we found out we were pregnant: Julian MyMaidenName LastName.

I think it’s sophisticated for an adult, but still can imagine it on a baby or young child. When I checked the US rankings, I was surprised at how popular it is because I’ve never met a Julian, of any age. But that doesn’t matter that much to me. My main concern is a name we both like that will grow up with our child.

But we are having a girl. I am excited, but feel like names are harder.

I feel like a lot of our options are kind of granny, like Hazel or Edith, and while I like those names for other people, they’re not for me. Other names, like Luna and Chloe, seem kind of cute. My name is K-plus-the-lee-sound and I really don’t like how it’s so cute. And then there are the really frou-frou princess names, like Anastasia and Eliana. They’re just not right, either.

I do like Julia, but we would like to save Julian in case we have a second child and it’s a boy.

My husband like Charlotte and Josephine but I don’t like boy names for girls, and the idea of Charlie or Jo stops me.

We also like Evelyn, but it is my niece’s name.

Someone suggested Claire and I think that’s pretty close to what I would want, except we were considering using my maiden name for all our children as a middle name, and it sounds like Shark, but with a CL, so I think the Claire Cl-shark is too much.

Our last name sounds like Paris with an H.

Right now every name seems like it has a reason we can’t use it. Can you help us think of some new ideas?

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

FINDING NAMES LIKE JULIAN FOR A DAUGHTER

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

It sounds like you know exactly what you want, and yet it’s so easy to get into a place where every name is slightly lacking. That’s especially true when you’re comparing that favorite to an ideal.

Let’s focus on the names you do like:

• Claire
• Evelyn
• Julia

What do these names have in common? They’re traditional, tailored, familiar, and feminine. Those descriptions apply to Charlotte and Josephine, too, I think, but those names highlight some things we should avoid:

• No unisex names, and no feminine names that commonly shorten to a masculine nickname.
• Nothing too elaborate or too cute. This comes down to personal preference, of course. But it’s a good guideline nonetheless.

Let’s talk about the names you do like for a minute.

Are you sure Claire is out of the question?

You’re ruling it out because you’ve considered using your maiden name as the your children’s middle. But there are other options, right?

If the goal is to use a family name from your side, I wonder if you might consider something like Claire Katherine or even Claire Katharine? Not only is it an impeccably classic middle name, it’s also a longer form of your given name, one that honors K-plus-lee’s traditional roots. You could even opt for Claire Katherine Lee sounds-like-Paris or Claire Katherine Shark Paris if you’re willing to consider a double middle.

I think that might be my first suggestion.

But let’s get back to your original question: are there names like Claire, Evelyn, and Julia that you might consider? Or, to put it another way, what name would be exactly right for Julian’s sister?

SOPHISTICATED NAMES FOR GIRLS

BEATRICE

If you asked me to name a sister for Julian, Beatrice would almost certainly come to mind. It’s literary and traditional, but not quite in the Elizabeth/Margaret category. It’s often used in full, but can also shorten to Bea. I love the parallel between your initial-as-nickname and Bea.

EMILY

I don’t believe I’ve ever suggested this name before. Which is sort of crazy, because it’s nicely traditional. Like Beatrice’s Bea, there’s always Emily’s Em for an initial-as-nickname. But I like the way Emily is timeless. Was it a Top Ten, and even #1 favorite, from the 1990s into the 2010s? Yes. But today that’s the appeal of this name. From Emily Bronte to that Emily you went to high school with, it’s immediately recognizable without being at all trendy.

JANE

Maybe mentioning Emily Bronte makes Jane, as in Austen, click for this list. But Jane is that effortless kind of choice that we all know but few of us choose as a first. It works with sounds-like-Shark as a middle in a way that Claire might not.

LAURA

Another name, like Emily, that was formerly very popular but has been classic for far longer. From Ancient Rome to Petrarch, Little House on the Prairie to Laura Ashley, this name surfaces in nearly every decade. It’s a sister for Julian – or Julia, even, across the ages.

LOUISE

Like Jane, Louise is instantly known but surprisingly uncommon. It might shorten to Lou, which can be boyish, I suppose – but feels a little more neutral. And there’s really no need to shorten this name at all.

MARIE

Another name in the key of Louise, gently French. Unlike Mary, it’s never been a chart-topper in the US, but it’s always been in steady use.

SIMONE

Yes, it’s a feminine form of Simon. At first, I almost dropped it from the list. But unlike Charlotte’s Charlie and Josephine’s Jo, Simone is a nickname-proof choice that remains feminine and tailored. I love the sound with Shark Paris, too.

VIVIAN

The obvious substitute for Evelyn, similar in many ways but not so close that it would be a problem for cousins to answer to the two names.

Overall, I’m still most drawn to the possibility of Claire with a different middle name.

If not Claire, then I think Simone moves up my list. I love the way it sounds with your maiden-as-middle and last name. It’s nickname-proof and I love way it fits with sophisticated name for girls but still sounds distinctive, too.

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest more sophisticated names for girls that fit K’s criteria?