Finding Names Ending with IE for Baby Five

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.

A PATTERN TO KEEP

Skye writes:

We’re expecting baby #5. I absolutely love finding out yours and your followers ideas for names. So I was wondering if you could help me once again please?

We’ve decided we have to continue with a name that ends with ‘ie’ even though this was unintentional for the first 3. We have (daughters) Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie. We’re not finding out if we’re having a boy or girl. So would love to hear ideas for both.

A few more things to know:

• We usually like 2-syllable names for the first name and 1-syllable for the middle, but open to any suggestions.
• Our last name is one syllable.

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

FINDING A FIFTH IE NAME

Abby replies:

Congratulations on baby five!

So we have sisters named Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie. It is a clear pattern, and that definitely limits your choices.

But it gives us some good guidelines to work with, too!

I do think there’s an open question around naming a son. It sounds like you’re set on a name ending with the EE sound/IE letters, but I wonder if your style for boy names might be different? (It often is, for lots of families.)

I’m going to suggest only IE ending names, or at least the EE sound, but in the past we’ve talked about Reed – which might be perfection. (Or even Reid, in which case all of your kids’ names would have the letters IE … just not in the same order.) Just something to ponder for your family, and also for readers making suggestions!

On to the names …

A BROTHER FOR CHARLIE, LEXIE, ARIE, and HILDIE

Lots of names in this category are solidly unisex. I tried to put the more masculine-leaning names on the boys’ list and vice versa, but many of these could work regardless of gender.

BODIE or BOWIE

These are two separate names, with different origins and images. But I think both work nicely for your family. I hesitated about Hildie and Bodie, but I think it works. I’m also pausing on Bowie, because your surname sounds just a bit like “knife,” and a bowie knife is very much a familiar(ish) object. I do love that both give you nickname option Bo.

GEORDIE or JORDIE

Geordie started out as a George nickname, hence the spelling. We probably hear it more as a short form of Jordan now. I think I like Jordie better for your family, but … again there’s the repeating -dee sound with Hildie which gives me pause.

GRADY or GRADIE

I am really stuck on these -DEE names … I didn’t realize there were three in a row until I’d already convinced myself that Grady (Gradie?) deserved a spot on this list. Still, the GR sound is distinctive and I like the way it feels a little old school, like Hildie, but also very fresh and current.

JESSE or JESSIE

The first name that came to mind. Like Charlie, Jesse/Jessie can be unisex. We tend to spell the boys’ name Jesse, which might break your pattern. But I love that it splits the familiar names on your list (like Charlie) with the more uncommon ones (like Arie).

REMY or REMIE

Another name that immediately came to mind, except … spelling! I love Remy with Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie, but I don’t know if Remie works in the way that Charlie/Charly, Lexie/Lexy would.

ROBBIE

Okay, Robbie/Robby had a moment as a cute boy name in the 1960s, back when Robert was still very much near the top of the popularity charts. (Robert was a Top Ten name from the 1880s into the 1980s. Actor Robby Benson was in movies like Ice Castles back in the day.) It’s both immediately familiar and pretty uncommon for a child born now. I love the way it sounds with your older children’s names.

WYLIE

A smooth surname name, ultimately related to William. (Or maybe willow trees or a river name or something else entirely.) Unlike Remie or even Jessie, the -IE ending seems authentic, though it’s sometimes spelled Wiley, too. I really like the way Wylie represents a slightly different, surname-inspired style while still fitting in so well with your older kids’ names.

A SISTER FOR CHARLIE, LEXIE, ARIE, and HILDIE

Because Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie all represent slightly different styles, I think you could use nearly any -IE ending name for a daughter. The challenge might be finding something with a distinctive sound.

DULCIE

Dulce literally means sweet in Spanish, from the Latin dulcis. It’s a cool, interesting sound like nothing you’ve used so far.

ELSIE

If Dulcie is a little too different, would you consider Elsie?

GEORGIE

I have Geordie/Jordie on the boys’ list, but I really like Georgie, especially because it mirrors your firstborn’s borrowed-from-the-boys name.

JOVIE

Jovie means joyful, and it’s a bright, fresh name that fits with your mix of styles.

MAISIE

A rising favorite, Maisie is a little old-fashioned, like Hildie, but with a distinctly different sound.

ROSIE, ROXIE

My first thought was Roxie, but maybe that’s too different? I really like Rosie, too.

SYLVIE

Middle-V names are distinctive, and you haven’t used one yet. I don’t love the look of Ivie, but Sylvie is even better.

ZADIE

Is it a cliche to give your youngest child a Z name? Maybe … but I think it’s charming anyhow. I considered suggesting Zoie or Zaylie, and I do think they’re options, but Zadie is my top pick for you.

Overall, I love Wylie for a boy’s name. Charlie, Lexie, Arie, Hildie, and Wylie. It’s distinctive, feels like the brother’s name in the set, and stands out even as it fits in.

On the girls’ list, I think Jovie gets my vote. I appreciate the way it’s just a little different, and that V sound makes it distinct from Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie.

As for middle names, maybe Wylie Cade, Wylie Zane, or Wylie James. For a girl, Jovie Lou or Jovie Kate?

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sibling for Charlie, Lexie, Arie, and Hildie?