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!
Steph writes:
We have a daughter named Julia Mae, and our second daughter is due early in 2024. We have a long list of names but nothing feels like The One.
Here are our criteria:
- Nothing too trendy/too 2020s – We’re Steph and Matt. It’s like our names are stamped “made in the 80s.”
- One spelling/pronunciation – My nephew is Aydin. It’s a thing and his mom now says she wishes they’d gone with Aiden.
- Not too popular, not too weird – We’re boring! Traditional is our jam. If this baby was a boy, we liked Andrew.
- Nothing too long/probably no nicknames – Trying to avoid a lifetime of “please call me Steph” because Stephanie makes me feel like I’m going to the principal’s office. Plus our last name is Czech and starts with Sv, so it’s complicated already.
Our lists so far:
- My favorites: Monica, Sabrina, Diana, Cecilia. Dropped Lucia because of pronunciation and Francesca because it seems too long. I love Mabel, but it’s a hard no from my husband.
- His favorites: Maya, Ada (just seems short next to Julia), Leah (again, seems short), Tessa (doesn’t really feel like a name to me), Laura, Alisa/Elisa (spelling).
The latest names we’ve been talking about are Rachel, which I love but worry it’s too Friends, and Hallie, which isn’t our style AT ALL and breaks every one of my rules. I think I just really like Hallie for someone else’s daughter.
Is one of these the right name and we’re just not seeing it?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your daughter!
Often, I look at parents’ lists. They say the lists are SO different, and they are. But as an outsider, I also see plenty of overlap. You both favor feminine, ends-with-A names, not too popular but still solidly mainstream. My first instinct was to suggest more of the same, in hopes that I’d hit on a name that made you both pause and say “maybe …”
But I think there’s something else happening here.
The two outlier names that you’re talking about now intrigue me. I think you’re probably right about Hallie not really fitting your style. But Rachel? It feels like a more familiar take on Mabel. And that fact that you’re both considering it, and talking about Hallie at all?
I think we need some non-A enders to add to your mix.
LET’S TALK ABOUT RACHEL
But first, a note about Rachel being too-90s/Friends.
Yes, the name Rachel peaked for girls in 1996, just as Friends was hitting its stride and Jennifer Aniston – and her haircut – were taking over the world.
But it’s truly a classic, a Biblical name with story to spare.
And Rachel hovers in the US Top 300 now, about as common as Delaney, Evangeline, and Diana.
That means that a 2024 Rachel would probably be the only one in her class, and likely never have to spell or pronounce her name, either – though she might share it with her kindergarten teacher or soccer coach.
I think it’s worth spending some serious time with Rachel. I truly do like it as a sister name for Julia. To borrow inspiration from your husband’s Alisa/Elisa suggestion, I wonder if you’d like Rachel Elise?
A SISTER FOR JULIA
Assuming Rachel isn’t quite right, let’s see if we can find some non-A ending options to consider:
COLETTE
Names ending with -ette can feel feminine, pretty, and strong.
EMILY
Like Rachel, it’s easy to dismiss Emily as a former favorite now in Mom name territory. Except it’s actually a classic, worn by women of distinction across the ages.
GRACE
Caveat: I’m not sure about the ending of Grace with your surname. But I think it’s the kind of spare, elegant, but warm name that feels perfect with Julia.
HELEN
If your husband said no to Mabel, maybe Helen will also seem a little old-fashioned to him? But it’s gaining in use, a traditional headed back towards the spotlight. My guess is that it will soon meet Julia in the middle in terms of popularity.
LUCY
Lucia can be a challenge to pronounce. Would you consider just Lucy?
MELANIE
Like Rachel, Melanie peaked a few decades back. But it’s been pretty resilient, still ranked in the US Top 200.
VALERIE
The Monkees sang this name in the 1960s, Steve Winwood in the 1980s, Amy Winehouse early in the new century. It’s timeless and cool, and I love it with Julia.
VIVIAN
Another one of those names that I just can’t pin down to a particular decade.
Overall, if Rachel isn’t The One, I want to suggest Valerie. Julia Mae and Rachel Elise; Julia Mae and Valerie Elise.
I have a Julia and a Grace! I also have a third daughter, Amelia. My Julia was almost Rachel! I love classic, feminine names.
Traditional classic…. Like Abby I like to balance a non a end as a sister.
Julia and Sophie love love love this one, you could go Sophia if you can’t let go of an a ending.
Julia and Alice
Julia and Eliza
Julia and Marie
Julia and Myra (between Mabel and Maya)
Love Rachel and the suggestion of Anna and Sabrina from your list.
Other ideas:
Mallory
Bridget
Chloe
Natalie
Paige
Simone
Elena
Alison
Annika
Sadie
Veronica
What about Anna? Classic, goes well with Julia, and perhaps taps into your suggestion of Diana (in sound) and your husband’s of Ada (in appearance)…
Julia is a beautifully classic name!
Some classics you might consider:
Abigail — Julia and Abigail
Catherine — Julia and Catherine, although there’s the spelling issue of Catherine vs Katherine.
Ellen — Julia and Ellen
Emily — Julia and Emily
Estelle — Julia and Estelle
Evelyn — Julia and Evelyn, although Evelyn is in the top-10 now, it’s definitely a classic name.
Irene — Julia and Irene
Martha or Marta — Julia and Martha/Marta — Marta would lean in to your Czech last name.
Other possibilities:
Daphne — Julia and Daphne
Elena — Julia and Elena
Hazel — Julia and Hazel — Hazel has the vowel sounds of Rachel and Mabel.
Phoebe — Julia and Phoebe — this is right there in Friends territory with Rachel and Monica!
Having made all of the above suggestions, I think Rachel pairs really well with Julia and I don’t think it will immediately bring Friends to mind. Best wishes to you!
I also think Rachel is a nice choice, especially since you love it! Some others that go nicely with Julia…
Gabrielle, Sarah, Evelyn, Natalie, Hannah, Audrey, Nora, Madeline, Louisa, Lillian, Cora
Congrats and good luck!
So yes, to me Rachel immediately goes to Friends, but … Who cares? It isn’t a bad association. And her generation won’t think about it probably ever. If you love it, then use it. It works so well with Julia
I laughed at the suggestion of Vivian.. I know a Julia and Vivian Elise sibset (same birth order) and I think they are both stunning names. Their other name was Victoria, in case that appeals?
What about Lauren? Lucia, Leah and Laura are on your lists, but maybe the consonant ending makes it right? Julia and Lauren Svxxxxxx.
It’s funny you think Rachel is too tied to Friends, cause Monica sure is too! I actually think Monica is more tied to friends, I know very few Monicas but enough Rachels that it still feels timeless and charming. I love Rachel with Julia. Sabrina has the same shiny quality to me.
I wouldn’t go for Leah on your husband’s list, isn’t that just the last part of Julia? Unless he’s pronouncing it Laya, in which case that name/spelling breaks one of your rules. The Leahs I know are Lia.
Other timeless charming names I like with Julia that I think meet your rules:
Holly
Francine
Willa
Lydia
Simone
Bianca
Good luck! Naming a second daughter when you love your first daughter’s name so much, is indeed a challenge.
What about Miranda? Similar in vibe to your choices of Sabrina, Diana, Monica, Cecelia and checks all your boxes of not too trendy (she did have more usage in the 90s but I think stayed below the radar enough to not feel time stamped), not too popular or weird, one spelling/pronunciation. “Too long” is subjective as it has the same syllable count as Julia and while it does offer nickname options (Mira, Andy), I don’t think it’s a name that is automatically shortened such as Zachary- Zack, Jennifer- Jen.
Julia and Miranda sound so lovely together! Plus Miranda means “wonderful, to be admired”. What’s not to love!
I think of Rachel as a beautiful, timeless classic. It has a wide, but not overly popular range of use so I don’t think of it as being tied to FRIENDS.
Julia & Rachel sound lovely together.
My first thought when I had read half your post, was Sylvia. I don’t know if that works with your last name though. Julia & Sylvia or Julia & Sylvie… they seem to go together well.
Congratulations on your second daughter!