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!
Melanie writes:
We named our son Finn Henry in about twenty minutes.
We started talking about our new baby’s name on the drive home from our ultrasound … and ten weeks later, we’re still not decided.
We have three names that we both like equally, but we can’t choose between them. (I keep joking that if we were having triplets, we’d be all set.)
The names are:
- Claire Marigold
- Ivy Margaret
- Tessa Marigold
We know we want short, no nicknames, and something that’s a little more interesting that the names we grew up with. (My husband is Josh, and he had another kid with almost the exact same name in his school from kindergarten right through senior year.)
We don’t want Marigold as a first name because it’s a little long and I want to avoid shortening her name, if possible. And it seems like too much to have “Ivy Marigold” because it’s two plants. But we want some version of Margaret/Marigold for my grandma Maggie. (She was just Maggie.)
Our last name sounds like Sailor with a T.
Can you help us decide?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new baby!
I got a kick out of your triplets comment. Sometimes that’s exactly how it feels, right? We have a few names we like a lot, but nothing that ranks one higher than the others.
So you’ve got three great names, all of which work with your surname and your son’s name.
The one thing that I’m tempted to push back on is the idea that you couldn’t use Ivy Marigold. Yes, it’s a lot of plants. But then, plenty of girls are named Lily Rose. Because I’m wondering if opening up the option of Ivy Marigold changes this decision for you?
My hunch is that it might.
In terms of your criteria, there’s no obvious choice. (In fact, I changed my mind from my first draft to the final version of this post!)
And so I’ll rank your names like this:
3. IVY MARGARET
I’ll put Ivy in third place for two reasons: first, I’m not sure you’re wild about the middle name Margaret. Yes, it fits your goal of honoring your grandmother. But it feels like it’s your second choice, and you find Ivy Marigold problematic.
Second, popularity is a factor. Over the past dozen years, Ivy has surged in use. It’s #42 right now. That’s not really that popular – certainly she’s unlikely to be in the same situation as your husband Josh. Joshua was a Top Ten name from 1979 through 2009. With every passing year, fewer children receive the most popular names – but that’s still years of many men named Josh.
But all things considered, Ivy feels like the name most likely to reach the US Top 20 in another few years, so I’m docking points for the possibility of the name feeling more popular than you might like.
2. TESSA MARIGOLD
Tessa, on the other hand, is perfect from a popularity perspective. It ranks #332. Yes, it’s heard – but it’s just not that common.
In fact, it would be my #1 but … Tessa is a name that invites shortening. Tess. Tessie! (I’ve known a few little girls who go by Tessie, either for Tessa or Teresa.) It’s not inevitable, but if this is an issue for you, then Tessa doesn’t really avoid it. Also – do you live anywhere near Boston? “Tessie” is the anthem of the Boston Red Sox. Even without being a sports fan, I can hear the song when I see the name Tessa, so … that puts this otherwise perfect name a little lower on the list.
1. CLAIRE MARIGOLD
Claire is brief and nicely nickname-proof and, at #66, popular. But it’s not a skyrocketing chart-topper of a name. In fact, Claire has ranked in the US Top 100 since 1998, and peaked in the 40s about ten years ago. So it’s more popular than Finn, but not by much … and unlike Ivy, it shows no signs of being The Next Big Thing.
Another point in favor of Claire: while you can call your daughter Clary and Claire Bear, it’s seldom nicknamed in the real world, unless you very intentionally choose to do so.
And you get to use Marigold – it’s one of those unexpected middles that really sparks up a classic first!
Tessa Sailor-with-a-T all the way!! It is so much fun to say and you can’t help but smile. It is memorable and the Tessas I have known were all smart, capable, kind women.
I just prefer Claire Margaret to all the combinations. The translation of the two names is very metaphorical…”Clear Pearl”(from Greek: Margarita).
I just hear “Claire Mare” so strongly. I like Ivy Margaret, and I also like Tessa Marigold, and I do love both these combinations with your last name
I’m kind of loving Claire Marigold.
Classic with quirk. Love it.
As also suggested Claire Magnolia is close to Maggie.
I would agree that Tessa may get Tess but that’s not a big concern.
I’m wondering if you could shorten Maggie to Mae?
Tessa Mae is kind of amazing.
Another possible option for Maggie in the middle is Maisie which also means pearl..
Claire Maisie
Tessa or Tess, 100%. The alliteration is too good not to. I also vote for Maggie in the middle. Tessa Maggie Sailor-with-a-T.
I love your style! Without looking at your list, my first prediction for a sister of Finn was Maeve and my second was Claire. I like all your choices but I really love Tessa Marigold! Claire is one of my favorite names but it is quite well-used in some pockets. I once taught a class that had four girls named Claire and I have often taught more than one Claire in a year. I can understand why, because it’s a terrific name.
My favourite for you is Claire, because it’s just a wonderful name. I don’t hear the problem with repeating sounds, because in my accent the first vowel sound in Claire is different to that in Marigold. I know that’s not the case everywhere, though! So it depends if it is for you or not – and even if it is, I don’t think it’s a huge problem.
I also like the suggestion of just Tess for you – Finn and Tess sound like an adventurous pair!
My least favourite for you is Ivy, because Finn and Ivy together sound quite trendy and the most likely to be dated at some point in the future. I also don’t really like the prickly associations of Ivy. It’s not a warm name, like Claire or Tess/Tessa.
I love Ivy of the three names given. Would Magdalena work for a middle name?
I agree about Claire Marigold being too much -ar sound. Magnolia is a great alternative. Claire Magnolia Sailor-with-a-T has a great rhythm to it.
Voting for Claire! I think Claire Marigold sounds fine together and great with your last name – crisp, sophisticated, and a nice match for Finn.
I’m here for Tessa, or even better, Tess (Tess just feels so spunky – I would love my name to be Tess!) I love the alliteration with the surname, and it’s a familiar short and sweet name like Finn.
Your other choices are lovely too – three great names is better than no great names! Maybe wait to meet her? Ivy gives the pair a nature theme, Claire gives the pair more of a UK feel.
Just went back and reread the three names as you posted them and see that you wrote “Ivy Margaret” not “Ivy Marigold”. I think Ivy Marigold works if the name Marigold means that much to you. BUT I think Ivy Margaret is the name that works even better for your family, because:
—Ivy Margeret is clearly named for your beloved grandmother
—Ivy Margaret is even more compatible with Finn Henry — both middle names are solid traditionals following shorter, no-nickname, comtemporarily popular names
My first granddaughter was given my middle name as her middle name. That has always been so special for each of us. It would not have been quite the same with some other name that began with the same letter(s).
If Grandma was just Maggie, I might make Maggie the middle name. I don’t think it matters much how it sounds if it honors the relative. Tessa Maggie sounds better than the other two and it might be a little more distinctive than either Ivy or Claire. I would tend to agree that Ivy Marigold is a bit much. Claire runs together with your last name and might be hard to say.
I wouldn’t be concerned that Ivy may *someday* become a top 20 name. Among your daughter’s contemporaries — her future classmates, etc. — Ivy is not a top 20 name. Even if that happens eventually, it shouldn’t be a concern for her. This has been the experience of my now-adult granddaughter Emma, who was born years before the name became the #1name. Our Emma never had another Emma in her grade. (Similar name experience for Emma’s sister Sophia/Sophie.)
I agree that Ivy Marigold is great and that Claire Marigold doesn’t sound right to my ear, but Claire Magnolia would be lovely! And closer to Maggie!
If it were me, I would be choosing Tessa Marigold or Tessa Magnolia for popularity reasons and for Margaret not being my favorite name, but you should choose the name with the fewest issues and the most meaning for your family.
PS I wouldn’t worry about Ivy possibly, eventually, becoming a top 20 name. Right now for your daughter and her contemporaries, Ivy is not in the top 20.
I have a granddaughter who was named “Emma” years ahead of the name rising to the top of the top names. But that has not been a concern for our Emma: among her contemporaries, Emma was just another sometimes heard name, and there was never another Emma in her grade.
My favorites are Claire and Tessa.
Claire is one syllable, as is Finn, and pretty much nickname-proof. I notice the repeating sounds of Claire and the start of Marigold a bit more than I’d like, BUT, that’s just me. Also, how often will you say your daughter’s first and middle names together? — likely not often.
Tessa has double letters to match the double letters in Finn. If the possibility of Tessa becoming Tess at some point doesn’t bother you, I say go with it. I wish my name was Tessa/Tess, but if anyone called me Tessie/Tessy, I would shut that down in a heartbeat. I also like the alliteration of Tessa Sailor with a T.
Best wishes to you!
What lovely names! I love them all! My least favourite is also Ivy Margaret. While both names are lovely, and I would have liked to use Margaret, the names together sound a bit choppy. Ivy Marigold sounds much nicer together, if you can put aside your botanical qualms.
My favourite is Tessa Marigold. I like that it’s less common & short enough that a nn isn’t necessary. Although there are some people who seem addicted to nn and seem compelled to shorten everything, most people will respect your wishes if you or your child say: “it’s Tessa, not Tess”. I have a Michael who growls at people who call him Mike, so you could also try that, but I recommend asking nicely. The growling works though, he is Michael to everyone. We’ve tried to give him nicknames but they never stick.
Claire Marigold is very pretty & sophisticated, but my favourite is Tessa.
Ivy Marigold is perfect for Finn’s little sister’s name!
I love Ivy with Finn: both are short, no-nickname names that sound current. And I agree that Marigold is fine with Ivy.
When I hear Claire Marigold, I hear a name where the first two syllables rhyme: “Clare” “Mare”… , so I’m not sure Marigold works that well with Claire. As for Tessa Marigold, I don’t think it has the “energy” that Ivy Marigold has.
I’d go with Ivy Marigold!
Abby is spot on. I wonder if you can’t choose/have no obvious favorite because none of the names feel quite right? Cara fits the vibe and your preferences.
I don’t think Ivy Marigold is too botanical at all! But I see Abby’s point about it potentially being the next big thing and she’ll probably meet other people with her exact FN and LN in her life. So it depends on your priorities. All the names are very pretty, so you can’t go wrong, really.