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!
Reanna writes:
Hi! I am pregnant with my third girl and I’m stumped on names!
My 2 daughters are Aria and Eva.
I love the names Ella and Lola, but Ella is too close to Eva, and my husband dislikes Lola.
His pick is Layla or Cora.
I’m undecided about Layla.
Cora is cute, but we have a niece named Coral, so that’s out in my opinion.
Help!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your third girl!
Three-in-a-row does mean that you’ve probably used up a bunch of your favorites, right?
And I agree – Eva would be very close to Ella, so it’s not ideal.
Cousins called Cora and Coral sound awfully close. It might be workable if Coral is a) much older; b) doesn’t live anywhere close enough to visit regularly; and c) has a different last name. Preferably some combination of all three! But it sounds like that’s not the case, so that rules out Cora.
It’s tempting to suggest Nora, Flora, and Aurora as substitutes – but I’m guessing you’ve already ruled them out?
Thinking about Aria and Eva, they’re definitely short and sweet. But maybe there’s a little glam, there too?
A SISTER FOR ARIA and EVA
BELLA
The -bella sound is big, from Isabella to Bellamy. But that doesn’t take anything away from this name. It’s high-energy and bright, with an irresistible meaning: beautiful.
ISLA
Isla is a little bit like Ella, but it’s visually different. And the long-I sound – eye-lah – seems distinct, too.
LILY
Are you open to a name that doesn’t end with a? Because Lily seems like a natural alternative to Layla and Lola.
LUNA
You’re so close on L names! Have you ever considered Luna? It’s a night sky favorite with a cool, current sound and vintage status – a lot like your older daughters’ names!
LYLA
Also spelled Lila and Lilah, the first syllable rhymes with sky. It’s an alternative to Lola and Layla, and maybe a great way for you to meet in the middle?
MILA
After listing Isla and Lyla, I have to pause and remind myself that Mila sounds like Mia-with-an-L: mee lah. It was the first name that came to mind when I read that Lola was out.
TESSA
A sweetly vintage name, Tessa sounds like a sister for Aria and Eva, but the sounds are completely different.
VERA
A strong and storied name, Vera can mean hope or truth.
WILLA
Another name in the Bella-Mila-Lola-Layla camp, with that great -la ending.
My favorite is Mila. Aria, Eva, and Mila feel like they share just enough style and sound to be perfect for sisters, without feeling like the names overlap.
But I wonder if a name like Isla or Luna might appeal to you both?
And, of course, the idea of Lyla could be the perfect not-quite-Lola, not-quite-Layla option.
My name is Aria (middle Rose) and my sister is Carissa (middle Anne)
What about Vala, Mira, or Mara? You have some great choices…I think it would be sweet if the three girls all had names that were relatively short and ended in “a.” There is also a name, Laia, that is pretty and is popular in Catalonia, but not sure if it would pique your interest. Also, a final longer one – used for a character in my fantasy novel for kids – is Verena. It is German and I think Aria, Eva, and Verena sound pretty together too.
It’s my moms name so I don’t want to use it! It’s super cute though!
Ines was what came to mind.
Love this suggestion!
I love Abby’s suggestion of Vera.
I came to suggest Clara. Similar to Cora without the same issues of Coral/Cora. To me, Clara is distinct enough to work. And Clara feels like a good mix of Ella and Cora.
Aria, Eva and Clara.
Clara is my moms name so we can’t use it!
Viola
Liora
Sylvie
Fiona
Alma
Opal
Irina
Talia
Clea
Liv
Anthea
I see all the ones I was going to suggest already here! Seconding:
Ivy
Bellamy
Una / Oona
Callista (C is the alphabet letter between A and E: A-b-C-d-E)
Calla
Maya
But I also agree: Abby’s got this one.
I immediately went to Lyla as a compromise between Lola and Layla. I also like Lilia for you – 3 syllables like Aria, but in a compact package, and it shares the European flair of Eva. Lydia or Livia could similarly work.
Emma as an alternative to Ella? Eva and Emma sound quite distinct to me.
I like the suggestion of Sienna.
Others that I don’t think have been mentioned: Calla, Laura, Stella, Britta, Saskia, Greta, Liza, Nina, Hannah, Bianca, Thora, Julia, Thea, Ada, Anna
My sisters name is Emma so that’s our!
Out**
I like the suggestion of Isla.
Would like to ad : Senna, Ulla, Zella