UPDATE: She’s here! Megan writes “I’m sorry it took me so long to write! We realized we loved Evie (and Edie, like someone else suggested), but really wanted her to have her own initial. (Why? No idea! But it seemed important.) So we went with Ivy Annabelle, and it’s perfect for her. Thanks so much!”
Megan writes:
We have twin sons, Arlo and Ezra. After years of dealing with secondary infertility we’re expecting our third (and probably last) child in November.
If it was a boy, I was set on Luca. My husband mostly agreed, though his favorite name was Owen.
Our last name sounds like Nichols-plus-son, though, so N ending names aren’t always great. (Ask me how I know!!)
But it turns out we’re having a girl! And we really don’t have any favorites, just lots of names that we kind of like, but some of which are already taken.
- Luna – Our good friend’s daughter, and the only reason I worried about using Luca if this baby was a boy
- Eden – My niece, though again there’s the n/N thing so we might not choose this anyway
- Annie/Annabelle – Our goddaughter
- Millie – Our dog! Too bad, because I really like this name!
I do like Maeve, but we’re not Irish and my husband doesn’t like it. (Yes, I watched a lot of Westworld.)
Mostly, we keep coming back to names that we know we can’t use, or names that are too much like Arlo and Ezra. Aria, Eliza … you get the idea.
Help!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
When you’re all set to name a son, and then have to change course? Yeah, that’s a challenge – even if it’s a happy one!
Part of the challenge might be this: while we often like similar styles of names for sons and daughters, it’s equally possible that we’ll prefer something vastly different. We’ve all met a family with kids called James, William, and Aurora – two rock-solid classics, followed by something far more fanciful. Or their girls are Elizabeth and Katherine, but their son is Carter. Maybe it’s a family name … or maybe it’s just a change of style.
That said, the only thing I can go from are the names you’ve chosen and those you’ve liked. And it seems like your style is pretty consistent – brief, complete names that have some history and plenty of style. I can imagine Arlo and Ezra having a sister called Luna or Eden, so I think you’re on the right track.
A SISTER FOR ARLO + EZRA
ADA
Both Annabelle and Eden make me think of Ada. The question, though: how do you feel about repeating first initials? I think Arlo, Ezra, and Ada are great together, but I wonder if others might find them too close?
DAISY
A traditional floral, Daisy feels more casual and cozy than Lily or Rose. But it’s plenty familiar, too – a great sister name for your boys.
EVIE
My first thought was Edie. Except … if Eden is out, then maybe Edie is just too similar? Evie strikes me as just different enough, plus it borrows the ‘v’ from Maeve. Eve is another option, as are all of the Ev- names: Evelyn or Everly, maybe?
JUNIPER
Aria and Eliza are just a bit longer than your boys’ names, so maybe something a little on the longer side would appeal?
LYLA
The downside to Lyla: it’s also spelled Lila and Lilah, and might be confused for Leila or Layla or … you get the idea. But it’s a short and complete name with plenty of style – just like Luna.
STELLA
The strong ‘el’ sound in names like Annabelle and Eliza makes me wonder if a name like Stella could be perfect.
SYLVIE
I kind of think Sylvie has it all – a different ending sound, that great middle V, and the right mix of style/distinctiveness, too. Other names come close – Sophie, maybe, or Bonnie, but Sylvie tops my list for you.
THEA
You haven’t mentioned Theo, but I wonder if it has come up at some point? Feminine form, Thea, sounds like it would fit in really well, too.
Overall, my pick is probably Sylvie – Arlo, Ezra, Sylvie. But I think Evie might be every bit as appealing – and visually, I love the way it’s another four-letter name.
Also: Fiona, Nadia, Naomi, Ruby.
Diana
Violet
Noelle
Hattie
Lucy
Tessa
Willa
If you like Luca for a boy, maybe Lucie (or Lucy) will work for a girl. Lucie also has a similar feel to some of your girl picks, such as Luna, Annie, and Millie.
Isla was the first name that came to mind for me too! I also think the suggestions of Ruby and Stella are great.
Isla or Ivy or Iris
Maybe it’s stylistically a bit different, but Ingrid would be fun – Arlo, Ezra, and Ingrid!
I love the suggestions of Daisy and Sylvie. Really just perfect.
A one-syllable name, like June, Joy, or Skye, would be fun too. Arlo, Ezra and June – it feels nicely complete.
Love Arlo and Ezra as twin names! Fabulous.
Opal
What about Annadelle/Anadelle since you like Annabelle? It’s similar, but has the benefits of nicknames like Delle/Della/Adelle along with the more traditional Anna/Annie. I also love Ada, Sylvie and Daisy too!
I also like Sylvia! Some other ideas –
Simone
Malou
Fleur
Tess/Tessa
Arlo, Ezra and
– Iris
– Olive
– Roxy
My fav is Iris.
If you like Luca, what about Lucia? The name Lucia has a great meaning and it’s close enough to Luca.
Some of my favorite ideas for you:
Nell/Nellie
Edie/Edith
Bess
Callie
Sadie
Hattie
Sally
Imogen/Ginny
Genevieve
Flora
Vera
Rose/Rosie
Felicity
Rosalie
What about Lilou? It is a nickname for Lilly, but seems to have sounds similar to Luna or Luca. It matches your boys names international flair and uniqueness.
Arlo, Ezra and Lilou. Lilou Nichols-son
As a mother of a Maeve, I heartily endorse it! Molly comes to mind too. Also June, Beatrix, & Althea. For our Maeve, we also considered Oona and Sabine, and I was fond of Tess and Clementine.
I love all of Abby’s suggestions – especially Daisy! I also thought of Ruby, Phoebe, Daphne, Clover, and Ivy.
If you like Millie, Tilly or as either a first name or nickname might appeal! I like Abby’s suggestions of Thea and Stella! Polly, Poppy, or Pippa could all work here as well
I actually think Eliza is perfect, but if its truly too similar then another name must be found.
I’ll stick to vowel forward sounds.
If you don’t wan to repeat initials then Ida, Isla, Ivy, Yvette, Odette, Opal, or Olympia all work.