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:
- Bonnie
- Cora
- Daphne
- Ember
- Evelyn
- Hadley
- Juniper
- Noemie
- Sienna
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
I think any of those work and would be well liked. I might use a family middle name from your side. How about Bee for Barbara’s first initial? For whatever it’s worth, I like Daphne, Juniper and Willow the best. Noemie is interesting but I’d mix it up with Naomi. It will come down to your personal preferences.
Congrats on your new baby girl! Not to add more suggestions to your already decently sized list but I really think Hallie would work so well here! It’s part Bonnie, part Hadley, part Willow and she has a dash of home on the range vibes which feels perfect alongside cowboyish Wyatt and Levi. I like that it shares double letters with Wyatt and the L sound with Levi. Hallie Barbara would be darling. Good luck and happy naming!
Congratulations on your first human to name! It does feel like a momentous task when you love names.
I tend to agree with Abby that it’s hard to share, so striking off more popular names is a good way to whittle down. But if you’re not out in the world of young children names, it might surprise you what is more popular in your area. How old are your stepsons? Can you ask whether they hear any of the names often? Is Daphne rising because of Bridgerton? Bonnie is rising in the UK which always seems to be a step ahead of the States. (I do love Noemie, but I assume people may have trouble with it when they hear it at first… not sure I’d want to wear that name my whole life.)
And I agree with M that you should think about whether you’ll have another child, both to test your true style preference, but also so that you don’t ‘waste’ a favoured name in the middle spot (as I did.) Do you love Juniper or Ember more, as I think they would be too matchy for my taste. Are you into more flowy names like Sienna and Evelyn or punchy like Cora and Bonnie?
But I will encourage you to give her two middle names!! That’s what we did. The first middle is a name we just loved, and the second middle is a family name. And regardless of how ‘awkward’ or ‘unstylish’ the family name is, I will say I love that we used one even more as the years go on and my kids enjoy hearing about their name stories.
Maybe all these pairing suggestions will nudge one name or another up in your favourites… these are my favourite combos!
Sienna Hadley Barbara M-ers
Daphne Juniper Barbara M-ers
Hadley Evelyn Barbara M-ers
I also love the commentors suggesting you put an M name or your own name in the middle. I am a huge fan of moms honouring themselves, it’s so rarely done.
All of your names are so perfect! Whatever you choose will be fantastic. But a few things to think about:
Are you planning on having more kids? If you are, it might make sense to think about name groupings. All the names on your list work really well together, but I expect Hadley and Juniper together more than I expect Hadley and Bonnie. I’d think of your names in a few groups:
Modern, tailored, feminine but not frilly: Hadley, Juniper, Willow, Ember, Sienna
Vintage and feminine: Bonnie, Cora, Noemi, Evelyn, Daphne
Which of course isn’t to say you can’t mix and match. But one group might appeal a little more.
Another thing to think about is what, other than sound, you want in a name. Is it important to you that the name you choose isn’t super popular? Then I’d pick Bonnie or Ember. Would you prefer something that travels well? Choose Noemi or Sienna. If meaning is super important to you, check meanings. Do you want something with a cute nickname? Juniper becomes June/Junie, Evelyn becomes Evie. If you prefer nickname-proof, Daphne or Cora is a better choice.
Also, if you want a family name, Bonnie can honor Barbara if you say it does! Or you could use Melody or Mila in honor of yourself. I love the idea of Sienna Melody or Cora Bonnie.
Good luck and congratulations!
My first thought was Wyatt and Levi are cowboy / Western vibe names. I think Bonnie is fresh and adorable + is it’s own vibe but still totally fits with the boys. Bonnie is also a nickname for Barbara so that is perfection! I think Cora works but isn’t as fresh and fun as Bonnie. Juniper has the R at the end like their last name and I just think there are better options. I love using Lane as the middle name as a take on mom’s name.
My first choice was Sienna Evelyn, but I also love Hadley Willow and Daphne Juniper.
Then there’s Cora Noemie. To be honest, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Cora, but this combination sounds lovely.
And Barbara is a tough name to fit into a middle spot with three syllables and recurring sounds. That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do it, but it’s not the easiest flow with other names.
This is certainly one of the few times there is really no need for any new suggestions. You know your favorites and a lot of them do go well with Wyatt and Levi!
There is a definite cowboy vibe with the boys, and you can lean into it with Bonnie and Sienna.
But you also have a gently old fashioned feel which pairs beautifully with Cora and Daphne.
Ember and Hadley are a bit more modern then the other options, which will make a small distinction from the boys but as Abby pointed out different styles for girls is pretty typical.
I’m not sure where to place Noemie, it is beautiful and not a name I see a lot on lists. But I also don’t have a specific vibe for it besides French. Might want to double check with someone who isn’t a name nerd to see if your local accent doesn’t mangle it.
Juniper is very fun, more on the popular end recently but I think nature names get a lot of leeway. Might make a fun surprise middle name.
I love how Abby created combinations for you and Cora Noemie is probably my favorite!
Wyatt, Levi, and Cora!
I will add one name to the list that I think is underrated, but fits your criteria: Calla. It is a type of lily, easy to say and pronounce, not common, but flows with the current styles of names.
Wyatt, Levi & Calla
Sending all best wishes to you and your family!
My personal favorite is Sienna Melanie My-ers.
But you really can’t go wrong with any of these.
Hadley Willow is my favorite and it fits with Wyatt and Levi.