Name Help: Welcome Heidi Wren

UPDATE: She’s here! Kenna writes: Thank you all so much for all the ideas! I was wild about Edie after going through this process, feeling it was just “different enough.” But my husband never really let go of Heidi, and I realized Heidi and Edie were actually really, really close. We went in with both names, and when she was born, something about Heidi just clicked. We chose Wren just because we liked the sound, but it’s really grown on us and I’m loving all the little bird-themed outfits/gifts we’ve gotten for our new girl. Love and gratitude to everyone!!

Kenna writes:

We named our daughter Maisie Blue. I still love her name every time I say it or write it. Blue comes from a family last name that includes the German word “blau” meaning blue. But mostly we just love it. Our last name is a first name, H0w@rd.

Now our second daughter, and probably last child, will be here in July.

We have a list, but nothing that feels like “the name” yet.

POPPY – A favorite of mine since we were expecting Maisie. My husband says it sounds like a grandpa, though, with our last name. Like we named our baby girl Poppy Larry or something, if that makes sense?! (It doesn’t to me, but he’s convinced.)

COCO – But I don’t know if it’s enough “name” and it definitely gets some strong reactions/snarky comments about it being a stripper name.

GWEN – I love this name! But is it too much like Kenna?

HEIDI – My husband’s favorite with Maisie. I didn’t like it then, but it’s kind of growing on me …

RORY – But I don’t really like boy names for girls. (Probably because I hate getting called Ken!)

EDEN – I’ve always liked Eden, but we know two. (It’s not that we couldn’t use the name, but maybe it’s getting really popular?)

MEADOW – We wouldn’t really use it, but this was another of my husband’s favorites for Maisie.

I’d also love to find another middle name that’s just as great as Blue. There’s nothing that really comes to mind, though, and I’d been thinking about Blue for years, and I don’t want to just choose something thinking it’s cute and then she’ll hate it.

Can you think of any names we haven’t considered?

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

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

A few things leap out at me:

It will be tough to replicate Blue! Not only because it’s a great name, but because you’ve been thinking about it for a long time – right? That means any name won’t have the benefit of all those years of dreams to burnish it. Unless, of course, there’s another name in your family or personal history that can match Blue’s backstory.

Your experience with Ken should inform your thoughts about Rory. If you dislike being called Ken, I would not recommend choosing a unisex name. And Rory is exactly that. As of 2021, it was given to 789 girls and 1130 boys. That’s close enough that some confusion is likely. I’d cross it off your list, even though it’s a great name.

“Getting really popular” is super hard to define, but if you already know two might be big in your circles. And even on paper, Eden is much more common than Maisie – or most of the names on your list. It’s always possible that an obscure name will be duplicated, but it’s less likely with Clarissa or Guinevere instead of Mia or Eleanor.

CURRENT LIST

The name that jumps out at me from your current list is Heidi. Here’s why:

• Like Maisie, it hovers right around the 400 mark for popularity. If you’re happy with how often you hear (or don’t hear) Maisie, Heidi is likely to be a similar experience.
• Maisie ultimately comes from Margaret; Heidi, from Adelaide. I think you’d have to be reasonably into names to know that, but it does make them feel even more parallel.
• Both have a little bit of that storybook heroine energy. They’re sparky, bright names that could scale a mountain, ace a physics exam, or maybe solve a crime that baffles the police.

Plus, it’s your husband’s favorite, the name that got away with Maisie.

My only hesitation is the initials H.H. I think it makes a name memorable – and it does! – but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

So if Heidi isn’t an option, let’s look again.

A SISTER FOR MAISIE BLUE

It sounds like Poppy, Coco, and Meadow are all close-but-not-quite. We’ve ruled out Rory and Eden. That leaves Gwen, which is great – but maybe makes it harder to find a bold middle name? Gwen Blue doesn’t have the same impact as Maisie Blue. Gwen Bravery, Gwen Evermore, Gwen Reverie … there are plenty of options, but I suspect that’s not exactly what you  have in mind.

So let’s brainstorm a few more firsts.

BRIAR

A little more mainstream than Meadow.

CLEO

A slightly more name-like alternative to Coco. (Full disclosure: I have a Clio.)

EDIE

Eden is popular, but Edie fails to make the US Top 1000. Is that tweak enough to make a difference?

LULA

A rare Louise nickname with vintage appeal.

MARLO, MARLOWE

A surname like Marlowe is a very different style than Maisie, but retro Marlo feels more like a nickname name. Either way, I think the shared initial M links them nicely.

SYLVIE

Strictly speaking, Sylvie is the French form of Sylvia and Silvia, not a nickname. But the ending makes it feels very similar to Maisie.

TILLIE

Another sweetly vintage nickname name in the key of Maisie.

ZORA

We’re wild about Nora and Cora, but Zora’s Z turns this name up to eleven.

MIDDLE NAME IDEAS

There’s a very long list of one-syllable middle name ideas here, but let’s try out a few.

BRIAR TRUE

CLEO DARE

EDIE LUX

GWEN REVERIE

HEIDI GWYNNE

LULA BLAIR

MARLO VAIL

SYLVIE WREN

TILLIE PLUM

ZORA FAYE

Of course, mix and match is totally possible.

In fact, I really like the sound of Heidi Plum as a sister for Maisie Blue, though Sylvie Wren might be my favorite combination overall.

Readers, over to you – what would you name a sister for Maisie Blue?