Looking for Girl Names like Arlo and Griffin

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.

OUR GIRL NAME LIST NEEDS A REFRESH

Mackenzie writes:

For some reason I was convinced that our third baby would be another boy. We agreed on his name quickly: Ezra William, a brother for Arlo Joseph and Griffin James.

Instead, we’re having a daughter. My first thought was “at last!” and my second thought was that we would never agree on a name.

Before we found out Arlo was a boy, our girl names were Melody and Isabelle. My husband still likes these, and thinks “Melody Isabelle” would be a great name. I knew I’d sort of moved past those names when we were expecting Griffin, but didn’t really talk about replacements.

Now we need some new girl names, and my husband is sort of lukewarm about everything I’ve suggested. And I’ve gone through so many names, I’m not sure what I like, either.

Here’s what I know:

• I think Melody and Isabelle sound almost old. Like 20-year-olds, not grandmas, but not like babies, either.
• Our last name sounds like Reh-back-ee, and in my head I wasn’t really saying first/last names together. But other people DO, all the time, and I think Melody is too similar to our last name. I’m not sure if anything ending in the “EE” sound really works with our last name.
• This might be random, but I really don’t like it when others try to call me “Mac.” I don’t want my daughter to be called “Mel.”

Can you suggest some new names for us?

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

STARTING FRESH WITH GIRL NAMES

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

What you’re experiencing makes perfect sense. The names we shortlist before having kids just plain hit different once we’re actively parenting.

It’s also worth noting that we often have slightly different naming styles based on gender. Sometimes that feels wrong, but I don’t think it is. I wouldn’t expect Arlo and Isabelle or Melody and Griffin to be siblings, but I don’t find them mismatched, either. They’re just slightly different style categories.

But with two boys already, I can see why you’d want to find girl names like Arlo and Griffin. I’d define them as:

• Two syllables or shorter – brief and complete.
• Contemporary favorites with deeper roots – names you wouldn’t have heard much 50 – or even 20 – years ago, but that don’t feel invented, either.
• Probably avoids the “ee” ending sound. (Though I think this can work, especially with a shorter name.)

GIRL NAMES LIKE ARLO AND GRIFFIN

BLAIR

I can imagine a strong, one-syllable name for your daughter. Blair is slightly unisex, but used more consistently for girls – particularly in the 21st century. It’s not completely novel, but it’s rising in use for our daughters now. I think that makes it a good

CHLOE

Let’s start with a name that breaks one of my rules already! I think Melody Reh-back-ee isn’t ideal because it’s three-syllables-ends-in-EE with a surname that’s also three-syllables-ends-in-EE. Chloe Reh-back-ee works because the syllable counts varies and because the hard C of Chloe echoes the sounds in your surname in a pleasing, cohesive way.

ELSA

One caveat: if you’re saving Ezra for a future boy’s name, Elsa would not be my choice. But assuming that’s not true, I think Elsa could be the perfect option. Like Isabelle, it’s part of the Elizabeth family. But it’s a lot less expected. (And while yes, there’s the Frozen reference, there’s also a steely Yellowstone-universe character by the name.)

GWEN

I almost suggested Josephine, and I think it could work … but then I realized it was pretty close to Arlo’s middle name, Joseph. So then I thought of Gwen. It’s current but not new. Arlo, Griffin, and Gwen. It repeats an initial, but not a sound. If you prefer, you might also name her Gwendolyn and use Gwen for short.

LYLA

This name comes with lots of spellings, but Lyla is currently the most popular in the US. The smooth, flowing sound of Lyla pairs well with your consonant-heavy surname.

STELLA

There’s a bit of Belle in this name. While it’s been in the Top 100 for a while, Stella remains cool, with a little bit of starry night sparkle. I love Stella with Arlo and Griffin.

SYLVIE

Another in the Chloe camp – despite the EE ending, I think it pairs well with your last name. This time that’s probably because of the strong V sound making Sylvie stand out.

VIOLET

Like Chloe, Violet is a very popular name. But it offers a strong, distinctive sound that stands up nicely to your surname. And just like Griffin might very occasionally be Grif, someone might call Violet Vye for short … but it’s still a mostly nickname-proof name.

Overall, I’m most drawn to Sylvie, especially Sylvie Isabelle, with Violet Isabelle as a close second. But if I were less concerned about using the middle name, I wonder if something like Stella Blair might not be perfect?

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest more girl names like Arlo and Griffin?