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.
CLASSIC AND COMPLETE
Em writes:
My husband and I both have long, fairly unusual first names that can kind of be a hassle. Because of this, it is very important to us that our children’s names are more traditional. We like short names that don’t really have a nickname and people will immediately hear and “get,” without having to repeat/spell.
I am due with our second child at the end of November, a delivery surprise. It feels harder to find a name this time around.
Our daughter’s name is Nora Jane. I wish we’d chosen a different middle name, because Jane would have been a really good name for another daughter! But we don’t want to re-use it.
If Nora had been a boy, our favorite name was James Connor. (Connor is a family name.) But we have good friends with a James, nickname Jamie, now, and I feel like it’s not really our name anymore, if that makes sense.
We have a long, kind of difficult last name, too, sounds like Hil-de-bran.
For a girl, we have discussed:
- Leah – but it seems like everyone spells it differently
- Lila – again, lots of spellings
- Ella – maybe too popular, and with our last name it sounds like the writer’s name
- Blair – love this name, but my husband has a unisex name and doesn’t like it, so he’s very reluctant to use anything unisex for our kids (though I don’t think Blair is?)
- Claire – except we have a niece named Clara
- Molly – I think it’s too cute for an adult, so it’s out, but I do like it
For a boy, we have discussed:
- Adam – but I’m not sure if it’s the one
- Eric – feels maybe a little dated
- Andrew – but only Andrew, not Andy/Drew
- Paul – I feel like everyone says this name differently, and some of the pronunciations make me a little stabby
- Jon/John – But I really only like Jon and I know that breaks my rules, plus my husband prefers John
- Liam – is it weird to have an Irish first name with a German last name? Sort of bothers me that it’s the #1 name, but we’ve never met a Liam
We sort of just keep going around and around.
Please help!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
FINDING NAMES LIKE NORA
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your second!
Nora is a great name, and I can see that it might be a little hard to follow. After all, it checks all those boxes exactly.
I think you do have some strong candidates on your current lists. The ideal choice will be:
- Complete and compact
- Clearly gendered
- Current in style
- Maybe a little bit sophisticated
- Possibly have a strong L sound
From your current lists, I think there are some clear front runners:
- Adam for a boy. No tricky nicknames, easily pronounced and spelled, and style-wise, it’s a classic on a bit of an upswing.
- Or maybe Liam for a boy? Popular names – even the #1 name! – can be great choices, and Liam meets every one of your criteria.
- Leah for a girl. Yes, it is sometimes spelled Lea or Lia, but Leah is the overwhelming favorite. And it does meet every point on your wish list.
But let’s see if we can come up with some fresh ideas, too.
NAMES LIKE NORA FOR A DAUGHTER
ALICE
Simple and complete, sweet for a child and sophisticated for an adult. Plus there’s an L sound! Nora and Alice might be perfect together.
AVA
A Top Ten name, yes, but with a strong and complete sound.
GRACE
If you love Jane, but can’t use it, Grace might be an obvious choice.
LILY
I hear you about Lila/Lyla/Lilah and so on. Lily is close in sound, but has one most popular spelling. Lily also reminds me of Molly.
RUTH
A substitute for Claire, strong and complete.
WILLA
Lots of L sound in this one, plus it’s a distinctive name with only one spelling.
BOY NAMES LIKE NORA
ARLO
It’s very current and less classic, but I wonder if a name like Arlo might appeal?
DEAN
A name with plenty of history and a strong, unmistakable sound.
JUDE
The Beatles song keeps this name current, but it’s a Biblical boy name with history to spare.
MAX
A solid, traditional, and brief choice.
MILES
Possibly an alternative to James that’s just a little less expected.
SAM/SAMUEL
Okay, this breaks the rules in the sense that nearly every Sam is a Samuel. But … never every Samuel is a Sam. Sam and Nora are great together, so I wonder if it’s worth it?
Overall, I do think Adam and Liam are great choices. I’d add Sam/Samuel to that list, possibly with James as a middle name.
For a daughter, if Leah isn’t quite right, I’d put Willa next on the list. Willa Ruth, maybe?
My first thought was Lucy and I do like it for you, as well as Lily, Audrey, and Celia for you. Other ideas: Sally, Nell, Tess, Bess, Rose, and Eliza.
Stella Maeve. Audrey Lynn. Judy Anne. Lydia Marie. Louisa May. Megan Christine. Chloe Joy.
My spouse is Paul, and I’ve only heard it pronounced one way.
Mark James. Owen Paul. Jesse Michael. Ezra John. Otto Charles.
Welcome to the middle-name-‘wasted’-on-first-daughter club. We did the exact same thing. So I’ll give you our ‘wasted’ middle name, as it seems to fit – Louise! I love Nora and Louise together.
I also came to say, I’ve lived my whole life with a French first name and German last name, and the only comment I’ve ever gotten was someone saying “Hey, you’re like Alsace-Lorraine” and that’s obscure and really was a blip. So please use Liam – it’s honestly so much in use by so many people that it doesn’t register as strictly Irish to me anyways.
You sure like the L sound for girls, so I’ll focus on suggestions like those. I like Alice as suggested by Abby.
Holly
Lucy
Julia
Lauren
For boys – please use Liam. And Eric is also great and not dusty at all – we know a few children/tween Erics and it wears just fine.
Ruby. Nora and Ruby.
Ivy. Nora and Ivy.
Hope. Nora and. Hope.
Simon. Nora and Simon.
Graham. Nora and Graham.
Luke. Nora and Luke.
My first thoughts, without reading any of the letter, were Lily and Jane. I’m glad I was on the right track! Other thoughts:
Margot: My other original thought, after Lily and Jane. Some people might need to be reminded that it’s “Margot with a t” but I think most people will get it! It has the same “o” sound as strong but feminine feel as Nora. Margot Hil-de-bran is perfect!
Sophie: Sophie and Nora feel like sisters. They’re both vintage but popular for modern babies, with that strong but feminine sound. Sophie Ella Hil-de-bran or Sophie Lila Hil-de-bran are great!
Audrey: Another modern-but-classic, Audrey feels timeless. Audrey Ella Hil-de-bran and Nora Jane Hil-de-bran are gorgeous together.
Stella: Stella has the same sound as Ella, but feels brighter and sparklier. I adore Stella and Nora together, and Stella Hil-de-bran neatly sidesteps the author issue
Charlotte: Visually, Charlotte is a lot longer than Nora, but sound-wise, they’re the same number of syllables. They’re both classic but modern, strong and feminine. Charlotte Blair Hil-de-bran feels so perfect!
Georgia: Nora and Georgia might be too close in sound, but I think it works. Georgia is modern and 21st century, but still feels old-fashioned and storied. I love Georgia Claire Hil-de-bran or Georgia Elle Hil-de-bran.
Lola: If Leah and Lila appeal, Lola seems like a natural alternative. Louise and Louisa are cute, too.
Gemma: A lot like Ella and Lila, Gemma is more interesting than Emma. It’s not super common, but it’s widelyn known and great with Nora!
Eden: A little bit of a wild card suggestion, Eden has the same tailored sound as Blair and Claire. It’s very modern, but Edie is sparky and vintage, and Eden and Nora match well. On hesitation: is Eden Hil-de-bran too close to the author?
Overall, I think Charlotte and Stella fit your description best, but I also think Gemma or Sophie could be great! Best of luck and sorry for any repeats!
June?
Nora and June Hil-de-bran
Jean?
Nora and Jean Hil-de-bran
Frank?
Nora and Frank Hil-de-bran
Ike?
Nora and Ike Hil-de-bran
Congratulations and best wishes!
Without looking at the other suggestions, here is my take on this. Maybe repeats will say something:
Boys: Clark, Craig, Dale, David, Edward, Frank, Glenn, Grant, Jack, Lucas, Miles, Neil, Simon
Girls: Alice, Blythe, Celia, Delia, Eve, Grace, Helen, Hope, Kate, Isla, Mae, Nina, Opal, Paige, Rose, Ruby, Ruth, Willa,
I’ll add a couple others:Audrey, Laurel, Linnea, Liv, Lola, Louise, Lucy, Luna
Blaine, Blake, Brent. Brock, Derek, Evan, Jay, Lane, Marcus, Reese, Scott, Thane, Wade, Warren
As always, Abby has offered some great suggestions. Alice is perfection with Nora! And I think Lily and Ruth hit the right notes too.
Some more ideas for a girl:
Tessa! She feels tailored like Claire and Blair but is clearly gendered
Lucy feels like a nice meeting point between Molly, Ella, and Leah
Ivy, Sadie, or Hallie instead of Molly?
June instead of Jane? Nora and June are so lovely together
For a boy, I am seconding Abby’s suggestion of Jude.
More ideas:
Grant, Clark, or Reid all feel familiar like Adam, Paul, and Andrew but maybe a bit more polished.
Does Davis appeal? Like classic David but with a twist.
Isaac might appeal if you like biblical Paul and Adam.
Leo instead of Liam?
Elliot has that lovely L sound you’re drawn too and feels stately and handsome like Andrew but sidesteps any potential shortening like Andrew to Andy/Drew.
So many great names. Just a few more to consider:
Nora &
Emma
Calla
Paige
Freya
Ruby
Sophie
Ivy
Romy
Chloe
Nina
Nora &
Carl
Felix
Declan
Ethan
Wyatt
Levi
Finn
Rhett
Lennox
Ford
Best wishes!!
After I read the title of this post, before I read the criteria, I thought Jane would be the perfect sister’s name for Nora. I’m glad you’ve used it 🙂 I really like Abby’s suggestion of Alice. Nora and Alice sound perfect together.
Other ideas: Mary
Cora
Hope
Names for a boy:
Hugo
Luke
Mark
Congratulations on baby number 2!