Finding Rare but Familiar Names like Wendy

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.

Would you like your own private #namehelp post? Order one here!

TWO TEACHERS LOOKING FOR NAMES NOT ON THEIR ROSTERS

Cara writes:

We have a six year old daughter named Wendy Elizabeth and after lots of waiting, we are overjoyed to be adding another child to our family in a few more weeks.

My husband and I are both teachers, which makes choosing names extra hard. For me, I’m willing to use a name if it’s very traditional. I’ve taught so many girls named Hannah, Ellie, and Emma in my classroom over the years! They were all names I liked for Wendy. I feel like names like Katie and Olivia don’t remind of any one kid specifically, so I can imagine that name for my child.

But my husband feels more strongly that he wants a name that he’s never had a student named that. I teach kindergarten, so I only have one group of kids each year; my husband teaches high school, so he has a much bigger pool of names to avoid.

Maybe because I help children learn their names, I also feel like I want a name that it is easy to spell and pronounce, and nothing too long. (Seriously, I always feel bad for Nathaniel and Anastasia!)

We don’t really have a good list this time, just some names we’re considering.

Girl names: Alice, Eloise/Elsie, Greta/Gretal/Gretchen, Gwen/Gwendolyn, Libby, Noemi/Noemie, Susan/Susanna/Susannah, Vera/Veronica. I feel like many of these raise spelling/pronunciation concerns. Alice is my personal favorite and my husband’s least favorite. He likes Gwen a lot, but I think it’s very similar to Wendy’s name.

Boy names: Archie, Charlie/Charles, Felix, Oliver, Peter, Theodore/Teddy, Wilson/Billy. Peter is out because we can’t have Wendy and Peter. (But for a second before we realized that, it felt like the perfect name!) My husband just had his first Theo in his class, but he says he wouldn’t mind if our Theodore was Teddy. Is that reasonable? I love Charlie, but he’s lukewarm. He suggested Wilson, which I like with a nickname but don’t really like on its own.

I think we probably need some new ideas. Can you help?

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

RARE, FAMILIAR and PLAYFUL

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your second!

Teachers have told me that this is a particular challenge. I can see both approaches working – finding something really uncommon your child will never share with another student or accepting that you’re going to meet lots and lots of kids and leaning into favorites.

But you’re threading the needle and trying to do both, right?

That is a project, indeed.

A few other things leap out at me:

• You’re looking for names that are uncommon, yet familiar – but also, I think, a little bit playful. Maybe it’s your background shining through, but I hear lots of names from children’s literature. Wendy is a name with a mix of innocence and adventure, and I’m guessing that’s a quality you might appreciate in her sibling’s name, too.
• Inevitably, some of the students you’ve taught have had rare names. That’s the trick of this assignment, isn’t it? There’s no way to know which names haven’t entered your classroom – and it’s even less possible to imagine which names will never appear.
• Time warp names might be the solution. One way to find names your child probably won’t share? Look at lists from 1952 or 1967. Many of those names are out of favor now. (Nancy calls them contrarian names, and has a fascinating list here.) You might know a fellow teacher called Homer or Lorraine, but likely no students.

On to some fresh ideas for Wendy’s new sibling!

NAMES LIKE WENDY for GIRLS

AMY

Inspired by the March sisters in Little Women, Amy was a smash hit circa 1970. Today it’s retreated into mom-name territory. But it also fits with mini names like Ivy and Ava.

DAPHNE

I wanted to suggest Chloe, but I’m sure it’s graced both of your classrooms. Similar Daphne is on the rise, but still not too popular.

DOROTHY

As in The Wizard of Oz‘s ruby slipper-wearing heroine.

LUCY

Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, but also because Lucy just sounds so right with Wendy.

HEIDI

Another children’s storybook name, and also another great style match for Wendy.

MATILDA

Roald Dahl’s enduring character comes to mind. There’s a playful strength to this name. It sounds like you’re uncertain about nicknames, but Tilly/Tillie and Wendy sound great together.

PIPPA

Pippi – as in Longstocking – came to mind, but Pippa is the more wearable choice.

SALLIE/SALLY

Long before Sadie was so stylish, Sallie/Sally was the go-to nickname for Sarah. Today it’s mostly overlooked, but I think that makes it a perfect match for Wendy.

SYLVIE

An up-and-coming choice that has the same distinctive, but unexpected, sound.

NAMES LIKE WENDY for BOYS

CALVIN

Strong, traditional Calvin checks that familiar/not common box nicely.

JESSE

A Biblical classic with a cuddly vibe.

MILO

Inspired by The Phantom Toolbooth, but also just a logical name for Wendy’s brother.

OSCAR

A name with Irish roots, cool nickname Ozzy, and an appealing image that shifts from a child to an adult.

OTIS

Nicely traditional, but never too popular.

ROBIN

As in Christopher Robin. Originally a Robert nickname, once popular for girls, now rising in use for boys again.

RUSSELL

A surname name with cozy nicknames Rusty and Russ built right in.

TATE

Cheerful, upbeat and brief.

XAVIER

A quirky classic, recently in the US Top 100 – so perhaps it’s too popular? But if not, it’s a great familiar, yet still distinctive, choice.

WOODY

Are two W names just too much? Maybe … but Woody feels like an offbeat name with just a hint of the natural world.

My favorites from your original list are probably Alice, Eloise, and Greta. I agree that Gwen and Wendy are too close, and many of the others do feel like potential spelling hassles. (Though there are some great names on the list!) Maybe Alice Gwendolyn or Eloise Noemi?

From my list, I’m going to put Pippa at the top. It’s playful, uncommon, familiar, easy to spell and pronounce, but not too out-there. Pippa Middleton means that everyone knows the name, too. I think it’s the standout on the list of names like Wendy. Pippa Eloise would get my vote.

On the boys’ side, I agree that Charlie is amazing! I do think Theodore might end up being Theo as easily as Ted, so maybe it’s better to move on. And too bad about Peter, but no … it’s just too much of a punchline to consider. From my list, I’ll put Milo at the top. Reference to children’s literature, not too common, easily spelled/pronounced … I think it’s pretty much perfect! I’d vote for Charlie Wilson or Milo Theodore.

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest more names like Wendy for a sister or a brother?