UPDATE: She’s here! Welcome to the world, Rosalie Ellinor. Lexi says, “We had almost made up our minds to call her Elliott, but it never right. After reading the comments here again, I found myself drawn to Rosalie. My husband agreed! We settled on Ellinor as a little bit of a connection to Elliott, but if we do have a son someday, I think we’d still feel okay naming him Elliott. It feels like a good compromise. Thank you so much to everyone for your help!”
Lexi writes:
We have two daughters, Charlotte Claire and Josephine Grace, and we’re due with another girl before the end of the year.
Charlotte was my favorite name since childhood. Claire was my husband’s pick, but when we met her, he agreed she looked like a Charlotte! It’s a little disappointing that the name is so popular now, but we still don’t know any other Charlottes.
We didn’t have a favorite girl name for Josephine, but Joseph was a possible middle name for a future son, because it’s my grandfather’s name, my husband’s dad’s middle name, and my husband’s oldest friend. Grace was just another name we liked.
For this baby, I like Louise, but my husband cannot stand the “wheezy” sound. We’ve talked about Evangeline, but I don’t like the way it’s sometimes pronounced -leen, -lynn, -line. (I’m not even sure which one I like best.)
Katherine is my niece’s name, and I think it’s not quite right anyway.
Names ending with -a are mostly out, because I don’t like the way they sound with our Italian last name: D-Luc@.
We’ve been saving a boy name ever since Charlotte. Elliott is my maiden name, and I love it for a son. Now I’m wondering if maybe we should use for our daughter? It doesn’t feel like a girl’s name to me, but I don’t like the idea of never having an Elliott. This might be our last baby, but maybe not.
Our preference is that our kids don’t use nicknames, but I realize that they might choose to do so. I just want the name to be “complete.” I’m Lexi, not Alexandra/Alexis/etc. and I hate being asked what it’s short for.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your third daughter!
Naming is one of the very few parenting responsibilities that gets harder as you gain experience, right?
It sounds like we’re looking for a longer girls’ name with a certain tailored quality. And while you’ve already used two great choices, there are lots of options in this category.
The bigger question is really about Elliott, I think.
You’re open to growing your family, so it’s not completely unreasonable to save Elliott for a son.
But you’re not absolutely certain that a fourth child will be in your future, either.
And yet, Elliott for a girl doesn’t really seem like your style. Charlotte, Josephine, and Elliott sound like two girls and a boy. There’s no reason Elliott can’t be their sister! But if you were inclined to use Elliott for a girl, maybe you already would’ve done so?
One compromise might be to choose another El- name. They don’t necessarily rule out naming a future son Elliott, but might take some of the pressure off to use that name.
Or not! After all, Eleanor and Elliott would be pretty close as sibling names.
Still, if you like the idea of using an El- name, I’ve added a few suggestions to this list. I’ve also avoided the US Top 100 – which is Eleanor isn’t actually on this list. But I don’t think that you have to stick to that rule at all!
A SISTER FOR CHARLOTTE AND JOSEPHINE
ANNABELLE
Classic Anne meets stylish Belle. Or, more likely, the medieval Amabel is misunderstood as Anne+Belle. Either way, the result is an enduring name with just the right amount of vintage charm.
ELISABETH
The downside: she’ll introduce herself as Elisabeth-with-an-S forever. The upside? Elisabeth-with-an-S is a great name, stylish and only slightly different.
ELOISE
All the charm of Elisabeth-with-the-s, none of the spelling drama. Except … is the wheeze too much here, too?
GABRIELLE
Gabrielle peaked in the 1990s, meaning you’re more likely to have a babysitter than a daughter named Gabrielle today. And yet, I think it might be exactly what you’re after.
GENEVIEVE
French and refined, but with plenty of spirit, Genevieve sounds just right with Charlotte and Josephine.
JULIETTE
The -ette spelling is more popular than Shakespeare’s Juliet, but either way, it feels like a perfect sister name.
MARIANNE
You’ll have to spell it. And yet, sophisticated and approachable Marianne is a great, underused choice for a daughter.
VIVIENNE
The first name that came to mind! As gently French as Charlotte and Josephine, with the same tailored appeal.
Overall, I think my favorites are Genevieve and Vivienne. I like the way they’re slightly French, but work effortlessly in English. And pronunciation seems like less of an issue than with Evangeline.
But I know our readers will have more suggestions, so let’s open it up.
My suggestion is Ottilie. It’s almost an anagram of Elliot, it’s French and fits in beautifully with Charlotte and Josephine, and I think you could still reasonably use Elliot for a boy if you have that opportunity later on. I’d put Louise in the middle, since you love it but your husband is unsure.
Charlotte Claire, Josephine Grace and Ottilie Louise. Love it!
Honestly, I think any of the -elle ending names could work because it sounds like the first syllable of Elliott and you may still save Elliott for a future son without two names being too close. Since your due date is before the end of the year, I’d like to suggest Noelle Bliss for your daughter.
Elliot. I think you’d regret not using your maiden name
So many good suggestions here, Marianne, Annabelle, & Vivienne (or Vivian), all sound great with Josephine and Charlotte. I also thought of Helen, Rosalie (or Rosemary), and Beatrice as fitting your style. In particular, I think Helen could be very sweet as a little sister to Josephine and Charlotte.
Does using Elliot as a middle name hold any appeal? Iris has already suggested doing so, and I second it. Genevieve Elliot, from Abby’s list, would sound amazing!
Oh… it would be so tough to decide between saving Elliott for a son or using it as a middle for this daughter! I agree a girl Elliott doesn’t feel right in this sibset. It would if you told us that you primarily call Josephine ‘Joey’ and Charlotte ‘Charlie’ – but it sounds like you stick with their full names instead of the naturally boyish nicknames.
I love the suggestions of Genevieve and Margot! Actually all the suggestions are lovely.
I was coming to suggest Eleanor, but Abby is right, if you’re saving Elliot, that won’t work. I was also thinking Lucy or Lucille to take the -eeze sound out, but I wonder how you like the LU-sound with the surname? Maybe that eliminates Louise anyways.
Madeleine
Alice
Iris
Daphne
Estelle
I like the repeating letter/sounds in your daughters’ first and middles CC, JG.. so I’d be tempted to repeat that in little sister. Madeleine Maeve for example. Estelle Eve. Genevieve Jane.
My cousin actually has daughters named Charlotte and Josephine, and I know exactly what they’d call a third daughter, but you’re avoiding a-endings. My BFF has a Josephine too, and her sister is Madeleine.
Good luck!
Maybe using Elliott as a middle name?
Rosamund Elliott
Marigold Elliott
Madeline Elliott
Lucille Elliott
Annalise Elliott
Caroline Elliott
Penelope Elliott
Or you could do Elliette, to make it more obvious that it is a sister for Charlotte and Josephine.
Other options: Violet, Juliet, Vivian, Emily and Isabelle.
Here to suggest Adelaide, Dorothy, and Edith.
Margaret (or just Margot!), Winifred, Hazel, Audrey, Rosalie, Felicity, Miriam, Penelope, Rosemary.
Marianne is nice but I like Marion even better. Marion Eliott D-Luc@ is so beautiful!