Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every Saturday, 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!
Emma writes:
My husband and I are stuck on the names Olivia or Camilla or Chloe for our next baby girl but can’t decide which!
Whichever name we choose I’d like it to also go well with our other daughter, Charlotte. To me that rules out unisex names and very modern names such as Addison, Harper, etc.
I guess vintage or more classic names go well with Charlotte and are more in line with our style.
My quick thoughts on the names we’ve got in mind are:
- Olivia – I like the soft, flowy sound of this name, as Charlotte is also a softer sounding name. It’s just very popular which would be my main hesitation.
- Camilla – Not sure how we stumbled across this one, but its stuck. You don’t hear much about the name Camilla so I’d be interested to hear opinions on it.
- Chloe – My husband threw this one in. It’s probably my least favorite but I’m happy to consider it. Although the they have a different sound both girls names would start with “Ch.” Not sure if this seems a bit weird or if that’s just my imagination
Some other names we’ve considered but ruled out are Victoria, Elizabeth, Grace, Annabel, and Sophie.
I normally love names and have huge lists going so I’m not sure if I’ve also got a bit of a brain block and just bogged down between Olivia and Camilla and Chloe as I can’t seem to think of any other alternatives! Other suggestions are also welcome.
Please read on for my response – and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments!
Hi Emma –
Congratulations on baby #2!
I think these questions are the most difficult. You know your style, you’re got a great shortlist that meets all of your criteria, and yet … none of the names has felt like The Name.
Some parents are content to wait and meet their baby, confident that they’ll know she’s a Jane or a Susan or a Meg as soon as they see her face.
That’s not me at all. If we hadn’t had a name picked out already, I think I’d have gone into a full-on panic as I held my nameless child.
Assuming you, too, are in the let’s-avoid-a-maternity-ward-meltdown camp, let’s take another look at your shortlist.
Olivia – A great name, and a very popular name, too. I do think that Top Ten names get to the top of the charts for good reason, and there’s nothing wrong with using a name that you love – even if it’s #20 or #8 or #1.
More advantages for Olivia: it sounds nothing like Charlotte, but they’re still a style match. If you haven’t been bothered at how popular Charlotte has become, you might not be troubled by Olivia’s popularity, either. (Unless I’m wrong about this. You mentioned it as a concern with the name, so maybe Charlotte’s already been referred to as Emma’s Charlotte or little Charlotte by a friend or two?)
Both names could lead to nicknames – and if your daughters ever start a cupcake shop, how perfect a name would Lottie & Livvy’s Cupcakery be? But they’re often used in full.
In short, I think Olivia sounds like a sister for Charlotte, and you can’t go wrong with this combination – as long as you’re willing to accept that your Olivia will never be the only one with her name.
Camilla – Catherine and Camilla might be more of an issue than Charlotte and Camilla. As you point out, they share the same first initial, but not the same sound.
Here’s my (typical) question with two children with the same first initial: do you imagine that you’ll have lots of kids? If you’re hoping to fill up a mini-van, will you feel that daughters named Charlotte and Camilla commit you to naming future children Christopher, Charles, and Celeste?
If so, then I think you’re far better off with Olivia, or another name entirely.
Otherwise, Camilla is a lovely possibility. Spelled with just one L, Camila ranked #41 in the US in 2014. That’s much less popular than Olivia (#2) or Charlotte (#10), but still not crazy out-there. Camilla – with the double L – ranked #364 last year, so it’s less familiar. And yet no one would ever think that Camilla was a wacky, made-up name. It’s feminine and traditional, with ties to myth and literature.
Camilla is just flat-out lovely, and Camilla sounds like a sister for Charlotte, too.
Chloe – The biggest advantage I see with Chloe is that it’s a nickname-proof name. Sure, some might shorten it to Chlo, rhymes with Joe. But I think that would be rare. Olivia might become Liv, and Camilla might be Millie or Cam. But Chloe is always, always, always Chloe.
Since Charlotte is rarely nicknamed, that seems like a potential advantage.
One concern about Chloe is popularity. If you’re willing to rule out Olivia on those grounds, Chloe is only fractionally better. The name ranked in the US Top Ten from 2008 through 2011. It is currently #18 in the US. In other words, she might be the only Chloe in her kindergarten, but there will probably be a third grader or fifth grader – or maybe a babysitter – by the name. We tend to focus on popularity in a single year, but often a name that has been popular in the decade prior to our child’s birth can feel more popular than a name that’s rising the year our child is born.
Other Names – I honestly don’t think you need any more, but I’m tempted to suggest royalist possibilities with traditional galore: Eleanor, Adelaide, Beatrice, or Alice. Or maybe Eloise or Violet?
I love Charlotte and Alice together. Alice ranked #97 in 2014 – familiar, but not quite heard everywhere. And they’d both have children’s books with their name on them – Charlotte’s Web and Alice in Wonderland.
From your choices, I tend to gravitate towards Olivia. Yes, it’s very popular. But it seems like it would be your frontrunner if only it wasn’t #2 on the charts. And you’ve sidestepped the whole question of whether a third baby would also have a C name with the choice.
Perhaps a poll will help narrow things down:
Readers, thank you so much for your insight! Emma popped in to tell us that Charlotte’s little sister is the gorgeously named Camilla Violet. Congrats to the family, and again, thanks to all for their comments.
I voted for Camilla! It’s a less expected pairing with Charlotte, but brilliant nonetheless. Olivia is nice too, but in my area it really is heard fairly frequently, especially with sisters like Sophia and Charlotte. Maybe you could look at your local stats? I don’t know if you use them, but nickname potential is also fun. Milla, Millie, Cammie.
I voted for Camilla. I agree that Olivia is both a lovely name and a perfect style match for Charlotte, but I love how unexpected yet sweet Camilla is!
I would say, go for Camilla. It’s a lovely, recognizable, but rare name.
But seeing Abby’s list containing both Olivia and Violet made me think of Imogen (since I just recently finished up a paper on Olivia, Viola, and Imogen, and why these names shouldn’t be attributed to Shakespeare! :)). Charlotte and Imogen make a nice pairing to my ears.
So nice to see a baby name discussion that includes Camilla. I have a baby granddaughter called Camilla Rose, which I — and many others — think is an absolutely gorgeous name. Our little Camilla is usually called by her full name, but sometimes Milla. (i’ve read that Milla as a given name has recently been quite popular in Australia.)
Charlotte and Camilla are beautiful together! Although both names start with C, the pronunciation of that C is totally different. Camilla is a classical name that fits in well with many of the names presently in vogue, yet stands out because of it’s in frequent usage. I highly recommend Camilla for your Charlotte’s little sister’s name.
Camilla Rose is a lovely name for your granddaughter. I couldn’t find much useful discussion on the name Camilla so knew the best place to come would be here : )
I’m slightly more partial to Camille than Camilla, but Camilla is also lovely. If you want people’s opinions on it, that may be a subtle sign that you love the name more than you realize. Sisters Charlotte and Camilla are a beautiful, complimentary pair. The only problem is, as mentioned before, that Charles and Camilla will become a prominent king and queen in the forseeable future, regardless of what country you’re from, and due to the media’s infatuation with royal babies, we will hear a lot about Charlotte too. So you must consider if you are alright with people commenting on the royal connection, because that is certain to happen quite a bit. Not being into royalty myself, it would considerably annoy me for my own children. However, many parents would not mind (and in fact, sometimes purposefully name their children after popular royals).
I like the suggestions of Alice and Beatrice the most. What I get from Emma’s favored names is that she likes names containing an l sound and a visual c, no matter the sound.. She inferred she doesn’t mind if the names sounds somewhat close to Charlotte. There also seems a fondness for o. What about Colleen?
I think Chloe is a nice name, but the Ch- puts me off with Charlotte. Stylistically, it’s light-yet-classic style is a good fit. Not too ornate, not too modern. WDYT of Phoebe? Similar feel, no theme-y alliteration. Zoe is similar though more popular. Penelope could work too.
Olivia is pretty. Vivien/Vivienne?
Veronica is one I just happen to like, and Olivia and Violet sort of made me think of it.
Good luck, they’re all nice names.
I voted for Olivia, but only because I wasn’t sure how you felt about repeating the initial C. Given that you don’t see that as a problem, I’d switch my vote to Camilla. I think the concern about Charles, Camilla, and Charlotte would be something to consider if you lived in the UK, but I’ll assume you’re in the US in which case I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure some people will mention but many more will not.
Camilla is a great under-used, easily spelled and pronounced name, and I’ve only ever met one in real life. It pairs wonderfully with Charlotte. Best of luck with baby #2!
Thankyou so much for you input Abby, much appreciated! You are certainly correct in saying I just haven’t found “The Name” yet, and I’m like you and really want to avoid the maternity ward name pick…I’m already feeling panicked with weeks to go and no name. I don’t think I’ll feel locked into a mini van of kids starting with “C”, not sure I’d be even able to handle a mini van of little kiddies, so that’s of no major concern with Camilla. I’d be interested to hear people’s thoughts on the name Camilla? Thanks for the other suggestions…Violet I love and had that on my list but my husband isn’t so sure. Beatrice I also like and am thinking of that as a middle name if I was to go with Olivia…Olivia Beatrice, Camilla would maybe be Camilla Grace (just hate the “filler” connotation to the mn Grace). just going back to one of your other suggestions… do you think Violet and Charlotte are to similar as a sibling set? Thanks : )
Hi Emma – I think Camilla is gorgeous! It’s less common than Charlotte or Olivia, but I can’t imagine anyone finding it really out there. We would all recognize it as a name, and a lovely one at that. I think it pairs well with Charlotte, too. One thing that occurs to me is that Prince Charles’ wife is Camilla, and his granddaughter is Charlotte. A tiny point, and not a reason to avoid the name – but something that others might mention.
Yep– British Royal Family was my first thought with Camilla and Charlotte. It would be a deal breaker for me, but I’m picky that way. 😉
When I hear Camilla, especially with Charlotte, I do think “British Royal Family”. But that might be because I am British, although I am in the US. I don’t think it’s a bad association. My husband did suggest Camilla for our own daughter, back in 2005, but as a British expat it did seem too much “royal family tribute” for myself.
There’s a Camilla in my son’s 2nd grade, so it is a name that I’m familiar with on an actual American child. When I see her I don’t think of the British royal family at all. I think the family at school is Hispanic.
I do like names that end in -a for girls, so I think the name is pretty and also not overused, but classic rather than trendy.
Thankyou so much for you input, much appreciated! You are certainly correct in saying I just haven’t found “The Name” yet, and I’m like you and really want to avoid the maternity ward name pick…I’m already feeling panicked with weeks to go and no name. I don’t think I’ll feel locked into a mini van of kids starting with “C”, not sure I’d be even able to handle a mini van of little kiddies, so that’s if no major concern with Camilla. I’d be interested to hear people’s thoughts on the name Camilla? Thanks for the other suggestions…Violet, I love and had that on my list but my husband scratched it as a first name. Beatrice, I also like and am thinking of that maybe as a middle name if I was to go with Olivia…Olivia Beatrice, Camilla, not entirely sure but possibly Camilla Grace (just hate the idea of Grace as bit of a filler name)
I like the suggestions of Alice and Eleanor, but I think Olivia is the best option. From what you wrote, it sounds like it’s the name you both love the most and that you’d use it if not for the popularity. I worked in a school for over two years and we never had an Olivia, just one Alivia. So it’s always possible that your Olivia won’t be surrounded by people with the same name. (I am slightly biased because my best friend’s name is Olivia, and we’ve always thought our names sounded pretty together. 🙂 ) Also, the middle name “Beatrice” somewhat balances out the popularity of Olivia. Olivia Beatrice is a beautiful combo.
I think Chloe is a nice name also, but it feels like such a different style – totally fine if it won’t bother you, but since you mentioned styles it might be something to consider. While I think Camilla is a beautiful name, I don’t think it fits with “Charlotte” as well as some of the other names. I think maybe it’s because the “ca” is sharper? If that makes sense?? Maybe if she went by the nickname Millie if would soften things up a bit. That’s just *me* though, I don’t know if it’d bother you or not.
I’m sure whatever you decide will be perfect! Congrats!
Hi voted for Olivia because in my opinion, (1) it doesn’t lock you into ‘c’ names and (2) it’s a perfect style match.