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!
Savannah writes:
I love your site and read it all through my last pregnancy where we had a daughter named Lula.
We now have a second on the way and are having trouble coming up with a name. We want something more on the rare side but not too unusual as a name. Nothing in the top 100, or ideally even top 1000 of current American names. We like names that are a bit gender neutral and have meaning that speaks to us.
Some names we have talked about are Paloma, Marlowe, Wren, Maeve, Jasper, Percy, Penn, and Pax.
There are name we love but know people with so feel odd using like Sawyer, Harper, Finn, Willow, Rio, Dakota, or Oona.
I feel like these put us in line for a name like Beatrice in terms of meaning and rarity but ease and neither of us love it.
I would love some ideas or your thoughts on where we should be looking or thinking about.
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Savannah –
Congratulations on your second daughter!
Lula hits all the marks – a rare name that feels easy to wear, not in the Top 1000, but still somehow familiar. Since Lula most often comes from Louise, we usually borrow that name’s meaning: famous in battle. Or were you attracted to the idea of Lu- names connected to the Latin lux, light? Either way, it works.
Compared to Lula, Beatrice feels almost heavy. Maybe a little too traditional and buttoned-up to be a sister for Lula? It could work, of course. But I’m not surprised to hear you’re not feeling it.
So, on to the rest of your list? Paloma, Marlowe, Wren, and Maeve all appear in the current girls’ Top 1000. Jasper ranks in the boys’ Top 200, which seems a little too popular, too.
That leaves Percy, Penn, and Pax. If it turns out that Lula’s sibling is a boy, they’re exactly what you’re looking for! I’d cheerfully choose Penn out of your finalists, if only because it seems rare, but not too out-there. Though those same qualities apply to Percy and Pax, so I think any of the three would work.
Let’s focus on naming a sister, because I think some fresh options might help.
Bette – Pronounce it with one syllable, to rhyme with jet, or say it like Betty. Either way, Bette is spare and sophisticated, a rare, vintage name that seems right at home with sister Lula. I like it best as a single-syllable name, at least for your family. It makes it sleeker, and, if not unisex, a little less frilly.
Briar – There’s something harsh and brambly about Briar, but delicate, too. Sleeping Beauty often adopts the name Briar Rose, which makes many of us think of the name as feminine. But this one appears in both the girls’ and boys’ Top 1000, ranking #880 for boys and #718 for girls. So it’s unisex, but still feels like a sister for Lula.
Carys – You’ve mentioned meaning, and so I went back to this list: Great Girl Names Meaning Love. Carys comes from the Welsh word caru – love. I rhyme it with Paris, though I’ve heard it said more like care-is, too. Actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones gave this name to their daughter way back in 2003, but it’s never caught on in the US.
Elska – A second one from the love list, Elska comes from Norway. Just like Lula reminds us of Lily and Lucy, but claims a different, distinctive sound, I think Elska marks a similar-but-different choice from Ella and all the other -ella names we love.
Etta – On that line of thought, how about Etta? Despite twinning with Emma and Ella, Etta remains outside of the US Top 1000. Etta James – born Jamesetta Hawkins – lends it some jazz. Like Lula, it’s a vintage gem that would’ve felt mainstream a century ago, but today is sadly overlooked.
Linden – If matching Lula in terms of style doesn’t appeal, would you consider another L name? I think Lula and Linden – a tailored, rare, nature-name pick – sound like sisters because of the shared L sound. Other possibilities in this same category: Lennon (though it’s in the Top 500 for girls, and not far behind for boys), Laurel (#597 for girls), or Landry (again, a Top 1000 pick for both genders.)
Maren – Despite being relatively new to the US Top 1000, Maren is making waves. The jumped dramatically, to #633 this year. But it seems like exactly the right style match – feminine, but tailored and unexpected. And it still feels relatively unknown. The meaning is opening to debate, since it’s sometimes linked to the Latin maris, for the sea, and sometimes to traditional given names like Mary and Margaret. That reminds me – two similar options are Maret, a contracted form of Margaret, and Maris, from the Latin word.
Scout – Harper appears in the US Top Ten, thanks in large part to the legendary Harper Lee of To Kill a Mockingbird fame. But her most famous character is Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout. Despite this association, Scout remains just outside the current US Top 1000. Lula and Scout together sound like sisters – a little unconventional, maybe even bohemian, but very nicely paired.
Zora – Zora comes from a Slavic word meaning dawn, and brings to mind Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. Like Lula, Zora is a familiar-but-different choice.
Overall, my favorite is Carys. Maybe it’s because the meaning works so well, or perhaps it’s the tailored, but still feminine, sound. I guess I’d have to make Maris a close second, though Maris strikes me as even less familiar as a given name. (It’s not. Or at least that’s not true for last year, when 62 girls were named Maris, versus just 54 newborns called Carys.)
I think Briar also stands out as a favorite, and an excellent sister name for Lula.
Readers, over to you! What would you suggest for Lula’s sister?
I love the suggestion of Dolly, Esme and Romy with Lula!
I would add:
Lula and Coco
Lula and Brynn
Lula and Daisy
Lula and Margot
Lula and Alba
Lula and Edie
Lula and Tess
Lula + Penny
Lula + Edah
Lula + Pearl
Lula + Lottie
Lula + Frankie
Lula + Bellamy
Lula + Marigold
I love Lula. It’s on my list as it was my grandmother’s name. It’s so sweet and overlooked.
Millie & Lula is great!!!!
I am Emily but Often called Millie as a nickname but I think it’s just as feminine on its own.
Alba
Blithe
Pearl
Elodie
Hattie/Harriet
Violet
Brynn
GL
From Savannah’s list, I think Lula and Wren or Lula and Maeve sound the best. I have heard both names on little girls recently, but they are certainly not common in my neck of the woods.
I’ve always adored Carys ever since having it. I had a roommate one summer in college who spelled it Karis, and that was my introduction to the name. I love the meaning, and that it is uncommon. My only personal reservation in using it in the US is that I know I would constantly be correcting the pronunciation! I suspect people who aren’t into names (aka most people) would try to pronounce it “carries.” The Karis spelling would help prevent that, though.
Since Zelda was mentioned the another comment, I wanted to say that one sounds great with Lula, as well! I actually have a friend who named her baby Zelda just this year. Just consider that most people associate that name with the video game, but I don’t think that’s a big deal myself.
Some ideas: Petra, Verity, Vera, Magnolia, Piper, Gwen and Esme.
I love sisters Lula and Gwen or Lula and Esme!
Oh, I really like Lula + Gwen!
I like Abby’s suggestion of Maris best. The first name that popped into my mind was Orla.
A few others:
Pearl
Romy
Britta
June
Bonnie
Zelda
Zadie
Bevin
Bronwen
Wynne or Winnie
Zinnia
Phaedra
Sonia
Hollis
Nell
Romilly
Tabitha
Sybil
Sidra
Vada
Aveline
Vienne
Jovie
Aviva
Valia
Charis or an alternative spelling like Karis
Carina
Endellion
Marisol
Marina
Marin
Nephele
Merit
Vale
Joule
Delta
Diana
Sonora
Perenna
Eluned
Corentin
Jory
Teague
Reeve
Locke
Larkin (can be a nn for Lawrence)
Ash
Ansel
Revel
Indigo
Everest
Cosimo
Credence
Steward
I adore Lula! Here are some combos I think work well:
Baby Sister:
– Lula and Sloane
– Lula and Sorrel
– Lula and Edie
– Lula and Mollie
– Lula and Selma
– Lula and Britta
– Lula and Quinn
Little Brother
– Lula and Ansel
– Lula and Axel
– Lula and Rex
– Lula and Arthur
– Lula and Thatcher
– Lula and Everett
I love the suggestion of Carys, and the suggestion of Zadie. I don’t think I can top those, especially Zadie. From your list, I’m a big fan of Maeve, although it might be a little bit more popular than you’re looking for (but don’t let it deter you from using it! It’s so great!).
I like Viola with Lula, although it’s not exactly clear to me that the second child is a girl.
If it’s not, for a boy: Percy, Vincent, Matteo, Hugo, Xavier.
Mali
Zellie
I love the suggestions of Bette (my favorite!), Blythe, and Zora. I would also add Zelda and Imogen.
Or Esme!
Or Nina or Olive.
Carys was on our list for a second daughter (Afton was our first) but with Lula I’m kind of in love with Sadie or the less used Zadie because it has more of a vintage spunky nickname feel
Best of luck!
Aster, Cameo, Coral, Deirdre, Estelle, Garnet, Helene, Honor, Ione, Jessamyn, Nina, Salome, Thais, Xenia, Yvonne, Zinnia
With Lula I’d want to do something retro and maybe a little nickname-ish. On that score I like the suggestions of Bette (pronounced bet), Etta, and Zora from Abby. I also like Opal, Dolly, Dot, and Bea. What about Polly?
I think Briar and Etta work really well with Lula, and I love pp’s suggestion of Alma (“soul”!).
Ebba
Reina
Romy
Waverly
Winona nn Winnie
Winter nn Winnie
Zadie
Arlo
Bodhi
Cormac
Dexter
Roscoe
Thatcher
Wylie
Etta Wren – that’s my favorite combo of some of the names you have mentioned here so far.
Some other lovely options-
Margot
Penny
Olive
Brynn
Florence
Maren from Abby’s list also seems to hit a lot of great notes here… 🙂
Good luck and Congratson baby 2!! 🙂
I really want people to weigh in on Carys! I often wonder if it’s generally pronounced like carrot, except with an S ending, or does the first syllable sound like a car you drive. As for your line between Paris-with-a-C or Care-is, I hear no difference between those.
On another note, I think Lula sounds ultra-feminine and I would pair it with another girl who also has a clearly female name. I think either Paloma or Maeve would be great.
I thought maybe Carys had a “s” sound at the beginning? Like Paris with an S… ??
I would also love some clarification on how this name is pronounced properly. 🙂
Carys is definitely a hard C, like Karys.
Interesting about the pronunciation questions … the ‘a’ sound is endlessly tricky, and depends so much on regional accents. (Which honestly? We often don’t even recognize we have, because they’re so subtle.)
Rhyming with Paris or pronouncing it care-is are the same for me too, and it’s how I’ve always said this name.
Pear-iss is a particularly American accent, Paris, rhymes with Carys needs the a in the British Carrie.
I believe in Wales CArys and CErys are different names with different sounds. That explains the two different options you describe. The C is definitely hard.
Love Lula and Blythe!
What about just Bea? Lula and Bea is adorable
Also:
Maude
Nellie
Penny
Ruby
Sage
True
Juno
Nova
May
Tate/Tatum
Vienna
Dolly/Dot/Dottie
Kit
Lula and Bea is genius. I love it. I also love the suggestions of Betty and Polly.
Portia is a lovely option that is both familiar yet uncommon!
Portia is a lovely option that’s is both familiar yet uncommon!
Hello, from Abbey’s I think Scout sounds lovely with big sisters name if your still unsure how about:
Ada
Alma
Blythe
Cleo
Daisy
Ella
Eliza
Flora
Gaia
Hebe
Ida
Jean
Katya
Lilah
Molly
Maura
Nova
Nell
Odette
Opel
Petra
Quintana nn quinn
Verity
Willa
Xanthe
Zelie
Good luck
Lula & Blythe would be darling together!