Her First, His Third: What Goes with Wyatt and Levi?

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 SISTER FOR WYATT & LEVI

Melanie writes:

I’m expecting my first in a few weeks. It’s a girl! I’ve been keeping a list of favorite names since I could write, so it goes without saying that I’m really excited to choose her name.

My husband has two boys from a prior relationship, Wyatt Brian and Levi Carl. Both middle names honor family.

I don’t feel a lot of pressure to match the boys’ names, but I don’t want anything that’s too similar/confusing, either.

My husband says he likes all of the names on my list and I can decide, but that’s not really helping and I could use some perspective from fellow name-lovers.

Because the boys have family middle names, I’m wondering if I should use one, too. The obvious choice for me is Barbara, but I don’t really like the way it sounds.

I have my list down to ten favorites, but I am stuck after that, and I don’t have any sort of ranking here:

1. Bonnie
2. Cora
3. Daphne
4. Ember
5. Evelyn
6. Hadley
7. Juniper
8. Noemie
9. Sienna
10. Willow

Our last name sounds like My-plus-Rs.

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

ADVICE FOR NAME LOVERS

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

People who love names have long lists, carefully curated over years, right? I’m guessing nearly everyone reading this can identify.

This means two things:

1. Odds are high that you will always have some mild sense of loss. I could’ve named a dozen kids and still had enough choices left for a tank full of fish, middle names included. Acknowledge that you have ten outstanding names on your list, and there will be days when you worry your Cora is really more of a Juniper – or vice versa.
2. It’s okay to make choices for sheer delight. We get caught up in musts and shoulds, and they can be helpful. But they can also be traps. A family middle name works beautifully for lots of reasons. In this case, though? I think you are better served to choose a first-middle combination you love … and if it happens to include an honor name, great. But I suggest we put that aside for now.

EDITING YOUR CURRENT LIST

There are two obvious places to start:

• Eliminating any name that sounds too much like brothers Wyatt and Levi.
• Checking the flow with your surname, My-plus-Rs.

I would suggest dropping Willow, at least as a first name. It’s slightly similar to Wyatt. And while the strong R sound in your surname doesn’t rule out Juniper, I think it’s a little awkward with Ember.

This next one a little bit arbitrary, but I’m going to drop Evelyn. It’s a long-time Top Ten name. I don’t think that’s normally a reason to eliminate a favorite choice. But I do think people who really love names often feel a pang of disappointment if their child has to share.

That whittles our list to Bonnie, Cora, Daphne, Hadley, Juniper, Noemie, and Sienna. It still potentially leaves Willow and Evelyn as middle names.

Before we go any deeper, I want to note that all of these names feel like perfectly reasonable matches for Levi and Wyatt’s sister. Parents often have slightly different styles for their daughters and sons. And few of us match our children’s names perfectly. So I don’t see “matches Wyatt and Levi” as a criteria that really applies here.

Okay, now let’s see if we can come up with some winning combinations.

FIRST-MIDDLE COMBOS FOR LEVI & WYATT’S SISTER

I’m going to list these in alphabetical order first.

BONNIE EVELYN

I really like the rhythm of this name, and I love the way Bonnie is somehow retro, timeless, and current – all at the same time.

CORA NOEMIE

A sweetly vintage choice. Noemie is surprising, and tucked in the middle spot, it increases the full name’s impact.

DAPHNE JUNIPER

A richly energetic choice.

HADLEY WILLOW

A good blend of current style – a literary surname paired with a borrowing from nature. Just as Wyatt and Levi come from slightly different categories but still match, I think Hadley Willow is distinct while still the right vibe.

JUNIPER LANE

I love Juniper for your family, as a middle or a first. I was stumped for a middle name, but then I wondered if you might like Lane? I’m borrowing it from the middle syllable of Melanie.

SIENNA BABETTE

I think Sienna is a bit of an outlier on your list, but only a tiny bit. It’s a little more romantic and elaborate. Babette is a take on Barbara. It’s a lush, feminine choice, but one that still sounds just right as Levi and Wyatt’s sister.

Overall, I’m most drawn to Hadley Willow, with Juniper Lane a close second. But since I’ve suggested a middle name from your name, it might be worth considering other options that feel like they’re as significant as Brian and Carl, while also appealing to your style.

Readers, what would you name a sister for Wyatt and Levi? Do you agree with me about Barbara as a (probably not ideal) middle?