Finding Brief, Interesting Names to Pair with Pearl

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.

THE PERFECT PAIR WITH PEARL

Eden writes:

Our daughter, Pearl Louise, is turning four and is so excited to be a big sister. She’s been dreaming up names for “her” baby for weeks, and as sweet as it is, it’s reminding me that we don’t have a girl’s name picked out.

Pearl is convinced she’s getting a sister, and every name she suggests is long. Isabella, Waverly, Liliana. They’re all the names of girls she/we know, so I understand where she’s getting them from. But we want another name like Pearl. Short, not popular, the kind of name that everyone knows how spell, that maybe we have to repeat sometimes but mostly people understand. I love the way people will comment things like, “Oh, that was my great-aunt’s name.”

We chose the name mostly because our last name is hyphenated and long. It’s like Henkins-Jamilton. Not really that hard, but it doesn’t roll off the tongue.

We’re still pretty set on Rowan or Jude if it’s a boy.

If it’s a girl, we could really use some ideas.

Here’s what we have already ruled out:

• Mae, Lee/Leigh, Jane, Rose – They’re just too short/common.
• Faith, Hope – We’re not religious. We know Hope isn’t always religious, but for various reasons, it feels that way to us.
• Blue, True, Skye, Star – These are the kinds of names that we keep coming up with, more things! But there’s no way we’d ever do this, and since Pearl’s name is a thing, matching them so much feels a little weird, maybe, too?

I think we’ve been stuck in this let’s-find-the-craziest-names and text them to each other place, which is not helpful. (Though who knows? Maybe we should name this baby Chai. Or Choir!)

Can you help us find some short, normal names that are still interesting and pretty in case Pearl is getting a sister?

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

NAMING A SISTER FOR PEARL

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your second!

And congrats to Pearl on her promotion.

Let’s start with a few general thoughts about a name that will match Pearl. (Because no, it’s probably not Choir!)

• I agree that short makes sense. If Jude and Rowan are your boy names, then I’m going to assume a girl’s name could also be one or two syllables.
• We’re looking for a known name. Jude, Rowan, Pearl … all names that are immediately recognizable.
• It sounds like we’re avoiding nouns. For every family who loves the idea of naming their kids Pearl and Jasper, there’s another that finds Pearl and Rose too coordinated. I imagine you might change your mind for the absolutely right name, but for now, I’m going to avoid suggesting names that are also familiar nouns.
• Vintage versus modern … Pearl strikes me as beautifully antique, Rowan as fresh and modern, and Jude falls somewhere in between. We often have different styles for boys’ names and girls’ names, and that’s fine. But I’m imagining that we might want something more on the old-fashioned side for a daughter.
• One question to ponder: Does this child complete your family? I ask because I’m tempted to play off the sounds in Rowan and Jude. Like Rose and June – though maybe not, because of the noun thing. But if you want to save one or both of those names for a possible future son, then I’d want to avoid those sounds.

Okay, on to the names!

A SISTER FOR PEARL

ADA/IDA

Ida leapt out at me as a name from the same era as Pearl. (Circa 1900, Ida and Pearl both appeared in the US Top 50.) But I wonder if it’s too different? Equally antique Ada works every bit as well. It’s a little more familiar, and offers pioneering Ada Lovelace as a namesake.

BETTY

I love the idea of an ends-with-Y (or IE) name to go with Pearl. And Betty? Is one of the best options that we’re just not using right now. It’s old school – think Betty White – but it’s also a name in Taylor Swift lyrics. (That’s down to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s daughter – all three of their older kids have been name-checked in a song.) I think Betty is ready for revival, and just like Ida, it’s a popular name from the turn of an earlier century.

FRANCES

Classic, lady-like Frances is a name that blends strength and femininity – just like Pearl.

HELEN

In ancient literature, Helen’s face launched a million ships. Today we hear it as a strong, capable kind of name, a logical sister for Pearl.

JEANNE

My very first thought: Jeanne. Originally a French feminine form of John, via Jean, Jeanne had a good run in the US from the 1920s into the 50s. Today it’s nearly forgotten, a grandma name if not a great-grandma one. But it’s kind of perfect, too. As sleek as Sloane, but with a sweetly vintage appeal, too. I also like the way it’s a little bit longer, balancing out Pearl when they’re written together.

MAUDE

We love Audrey and Maeve, so why not Maude? An older form of Matilda, Maude has been used in English for over a millennia. It’s immediately recognizable, but seldom used now – a perfect opportunity.

RUTH

Sometimes Biblical names sound religious. Think Nehemiah or Priscilla. Others, though, have filtered into use in a way that makes them bigger than their origins. I’d say that’s true for Ruth. Maybe that’s because it does have a second origin – an Old English word meaning compassion – or maybe it’s because it has such a storied, fascinating past. (Babe Ruth. Baby Ruth! The Notorious RBG.) I think it’s very much a sister for Pearl, and unlike Ida or Jeanne, Ruth remains in use now.

WINNIE

Along the lines of Betty, I wonder if names like Winnie would appeal? Vintage diminutives – think Sadie and Millie – are big, but I particularly like Winnie as a sister for Pearl.

Overall, I’m still stuck on Jeanne – the first name that came to mind, and one that’s so rare today. But it would almost certainly rule out using Jude in the future and maybe it’s too different? I think Ruth is the obvious sister name if you’d like something a little more familiar, but with all the best qualities of Pearl, too.

So maybe … Jeanne Elise or Ruth Adele or Ruth Marie?

Readers, over to you! If this baby is a girl, what would you name a sister for Pearl Louise?