• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Request a Name

Appellation Mountain

Where every name has a story

  • Baby Name Advice & More
  • Master List: Girl Names
  • Master List: Boy Names
  • Private Baby Name Consulting

Name Help: A Sister for Benjamin, Hamilton, and Mary Catherine

September 13, 2019 By appellationmountain 16 Comments

Name Help: A Sister for Benjamin, Hamilton & Mary CatherineName 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!

Bethany writes:

We are pregnant with #4! My kids are Benjamin, Hamilton, Mary Catherine, and their new little sister. Suggestions welcome!

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

Dear Bethany –

Congratulations on your new daughter!

Here’s what jumps out at me: your kids’ names are long. Maybe they’re called Benj or MC or Tony by friends and family, but the way you list your names gives them a certain kind of impact.

It seems unlikely that you’ll be naming this kiddo Bob.

Benjamin and Mary Catherine fall in the very traditional names camp. Hamilton boasts history galore, too, and yet it’s far more novel as a given name.

That makes me wonder if your new daughter’s name shouldn’t be a little more different, too.

I’m guessing you’d like something easy to pronounce, though, so that limits some of my possible suggestions. And I’m wondering if a double name might appeal? Of course, that might make you feel like a third daughter in the future would also need two names, and that can present a challenge.

Let’s dive into the names!

Anastasia – Long and elegant, Anastasia feels nearly traditional – in some languages, surely it is. It splits the difference between Hamilton and Mary.

Annalisa, Annalise, Anneliese – Annalise is the most popular spelling in the US, though you can argue that Annalisa makes more sense phonetically, and Anneliese is the German original. Regardless of spelling, I think it’s an appealing double name, similar to Mary Catherine, but different enough that you’re not trapped in a pattern.

Cordelia – Literary and with plenty of history, Cordelia sounds like a sister for Hamilton or Benjamin or Mary Catherine.

Genevieve – I originally thought about Gwendolyn, but if Benjamin is ever Ben, and Gwendolyn is ever Gwen … well, that might be adorable or confusing or maybe even both. So let’s look at Genevieve instead. I think it’s one of those great overlooked traditional names. It’s risen in use since the 1960s, but remains relatively uncommon, just inside the current Top 200.

Louisa, Anna Louise, or maybe Louisa Anne or Lucinda – Back to the double names idea … how about Anna Louise? Or maybe Lucinda?

Rosalie – Rose names make great choices. We all recognize them instantly, and most of us probably know a Rosie or three. But the great variety of Rose names makes all of them feel just a little different and special.

Theodora or Dorothea – I would suggest Theodore for Hamilton and Benjamin’s brother, so the feminine forms seem to belong on this list, too.

Veronica – One of my favorite quirky classics, Veronica is a New Testament name with a powerful meaning and an on-trend sound.

Overall, I’m most tempted by Veronica. I think it meets your criteria while still balancing out the differences in popularity between your older kids’ names. And there’s something quite timeless about Veronica that seems appropriate for your family.

Readers, what would you suggest to Bethany as a sister name for Benjamin, Hamilton and Mary Catherine?

More names you might like:

  • Baby Naming Advice: Nicknames versus Formal NamesBaby Naming Advice: Nicknames versus Formal Names
  • The Myth of the Normal NameThe Myth of the Normal Name
  • Courageous Baby Naming: Five Rules Expectant Parents Need to KnowCourageous Baby Naming: Five Rules Expectant Parents Need to Know
  • Best New Baby Names 2019: Scout, Jericho, Anais, ZakaiBest New Baby Names 2019: Scout, Jericho, Anais, Zakai
  • Name Help: Babies We Have NamedName Help: Babies We Have Named

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Comments

  1. Emma says

    September 13, 2019 at 9:43 PM

    Oh, Felicity is a great suggestion!!

    Reply
    • Dana M. says

      September 14, 2019 at 10:43 AM

      Agreed!

      Reply
  2. Janine says

    September 13, 2019 at 8:47 PM

    These names all have an early American/Colonial feel to me. I love the suggestion of Virginia, I think that works beautifully. I’d also add Anna Grace, Eliza, and Felicity.

    Reply
  3. Erin Beth says

    September 13, 2019 at 7:04 PM

    My first thoughts for you were Abigail, Lydia, and Phoebe. I love the suggestions of Louisa, Lucinda, Susanna, Juliana, Helena, Priscilla, and Joanna. I think my favorite is Susanna.

    Reply
  4. Dana M. says

    September 13, 2019 at 5:45 PM

    I love so many of the suggestions made by Abby and others– particularly Genevieve, Theodora, Rosalie and Veronica, Evangeline, Susanna, Frances, Georgina and Caroline– but I don’t think I’d be able to resist the double name/combo name to match Mary Catherine! So many things (including many of those already suggested) would be darling paired with Anna or Eve.

    Reply
  5. Iris says

    September 13, 2019 at 4:50 PM

    Penelope… or Alice.

    Reply
  6. Cece says

    September 13, 2019 at 2:54 PM

    Ooh I think I would go traditional but not super common:

    I love the suggestion of Susannah (I like it best with an h though)
    Caroline
    Eleanora
    Evangeline
    Cassandra
    Juliana
    Constance

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      September 13, 2019 at 7:30 PM

      OH – Susannah is a brilliant thought!

      Reply
    • Ava to Zeke says

      September 15, 2019 at 6:56 AM

      I just love Claire with Benjamin, Hamilton, and Mary Catherine! (even though—or maybe, because?—it breaks out of the multi-syllabic theme)

      Reply
  7. Jaime says

    September 13, 2019 at 1:53 PM

    With your sibset, I like:

    *note: avoiding B, H and M names*

    Lydia
    Francesca or Frances
    Annabel
    Annelise (not Annalisa like Anneliese bit more like Anne plus Elise)
    Eliza
    Susannah
    Georgina or Georgiana
    Josephine
    Colette
    Juliet
    Arabella
    Estelle
    Ramona
    Tabitha
    Evangeline

    From Abby’s list, I like Genevieve best.

    Reply
  8. A.Waguespack says

    September 13, 2019 at 12:26 PM

    Benjamin, Hamilton, Mary Katherine and Susanna.

    Reply
    • Emma says

      September 13, 2019 at 9:45 PM

      Susanna would be perfect!

      Reply
  9. JK Garrisin says

    September 13, 2019 at 12:09 PM

    I like Ana Louise for your family, and I’m waiting for Dorothy and Louisa to make a comeback!

    Here are some combo name options:

    Emma Jane
    Sarah Jane
    Hattie Rose
    Nora May
    Margaret May

    A few other classics to consider:
    Colleen
    Victoria
    Dora or Dori
    Christina

    Reply
  10. Emma says

    September 13, 2019 at 11:28 AM

    Annalisa or Anna Louise would probably be my favorite for you. But Cordelia is a great suggestion, too. Or maybe Anne Elisabeth?

    Reply
  11. Andrea says

    September 13, 2019 at 9:41 AM

    If they wanted another double name, there are a lot of pretty options:

    Anna Elizabeth (Annabeth, Annalise)
    Lucy Jean
    Sarah Jane, etc.

    I’d also suggest something long and elaborate that could shorten to a nickname if she wanted: Angelique, Caroline, Emmeline, Evangeline, Helena, Jessamine, Juliana, Liliana, Lillian, Lucille, Luella, Margaret, Penelope, Susannah, Victoria, Virginia. Then add the middle name or family surname of your choice. I know someone who just had a baby she named Lucille. Her nickname is Lucy. Her older children have names that remind me of yours.

    Reply
  12. Kelly says

    September 13, 2019 at 9:03 AM

    I love Abby’s suggestion of Veronica! Genevieve would be a close second.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


POPULAR POSTS

Tweets by @appmtn
Visit Appellation Mountain's profile on Pinterest.

Copyright © 2023 · AppellationMountain.net on Genesis Framework · Privacy Policy · Log in