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!
Courtney writes:
We are pleasantly pregnant with our second daughter. Sisters, how wonderful!
But geez, finding a name that holds up to the qualities of our daughter’s name has proven very difficult!
We are looking for a name that is not in the Top 100 (or 200 or 300 if possible), feminine, substantial and, frankly, as cute as Matilda. She is called Tilly, and we do love a nickname.
The name should begin with the letter B (first choice), E, or W because of religious custom.
We both love the name Hazel but it’s in the top 100 and doesn’t begin with our preferred letters, fail!
My husband doesn’t like Beatrice or Bronwyn. Matilda would love to call her Lulu as a nickname.
Please read on for my reply, and leave your helpful suggestions in the comments.
Hi Courtney –
How exciting to be welcoming a second daughter!
Choosing names can be tough when you have a specific list of requirements. Let’s recap:
Must begin with the letter B, E, or W, with B as the first choice.
Cannot rank in the current Top 100, and a name outside of the Top 300 is preferred.
A feminine name with substance and a cute nickname would be the ideal.
If possible, the nickname Lulu would be a bonus!
Is there any chance your husband might change his mind about Beatrice? Or possibly Beatrix? It hits all the notes, and sounds exactly right as a sister for Matilda. Plus, is there anything sweeter than sisters nicknamed Tilly and Trixie?
Okay, that’s not fair. I’m guessing if he was willing to consider the name, you might not be writing in!
Let’s brainstorm!
Eloise – Eloise currently ranks around the #250 and is rising. That’s the bad news. The good news? It’s an E name with plenty of history. Like Matilda, it has Germanic roots. And best of all? Lulu works nicely as a short form.
Briony/Bryony – Both spellings are in use, but while it’s familiar in the UK, it’s pretty rare in the US. Still, Bri- names for girls have fared well in recent years, so it’s not a stretch. The downsides: it’s much rarer than Matilda, and there’s not a logical short from.
Winifred – Winifred combines history and substance, with a great nickname – Winnie! It’s very rare in the US, but unlike Bryony, I think it would be familiar to many.
Bettina – Do you like Betty? It’s one of my favorites. You could certainly name your daughter Elizabeth and use Betty for short. That covers your preferred letters coming and going. But there are plenty of Elizabeth variations, like Bettina. Originally a nickname for Elizabeth, it stands on its own in 2017, a vintage, unexpected option.
Bernadette – Speaking of Betty, I’ve heard parents considering Bernadette, nickname Betty. Birdie works nicely for Bernadette, too – and I love the sound of Tilly and Birdie! Like Winifred, it’s a familiar name that isn’t at all common.
Bianca – Bianca, Blanca, and Blanche all mean fair. Blanche came first, a medieval French nickname. I think Bianca might be the most stylish today, boosted by the name’s association with Shakespeare, in Taming of the Shrew and Othello. Bebe would be a logical – and sweet – nickname.
Edith – Okay, back to the letter E. Do you like Edith, nickname Edie? Edith has Old English roots, and like Matilda, can be found in the history books. Tilly and Edie pair nicely together. Another bonus? Like Matilda, this name ranks around the #500 in the US. That makes it rare, but widely known.
Everild – Like Edith, Everild has Old English roots. It also has a great, built-in nickname: Evie. It’s all-but extinct as a given name, but it has a lovely and appealing sound. Of course, there are lots of rare Ev- names for girls, as well as a few more mainstream options, like Evelina and Evangeline.
My favorite, hands down, is Eloise. It hits all the marks and gives you Lulu as a nickname. It matches Matilda perfectly, plus gives you the satisfaction of having your daughter help name her sister!
Readers, I know you’ll have more great suggestions. What would you name a sister for Matilda, called Tilly?
Eloise is perfect but if you are worried about the popularity then Eloisa doesn’t even rank in the top 1000.
Other E names that would get a Lulu nickname:
Elara
Eula (how cute are Eula and Matilda as a sibset?!)
Emanuela (or another variant)
Elodie
Wilhemina doesn’t have the name Lulu but it starts with W and Mina and Tilly really sound like sisters.
Bailou might sound a bit unusual but it starts with a B and the nickname Lulu fits extremely well.
Eloisa is absolutely my favourite choice for you though.
Eulalie! It’s certainly unique, and it gets you to Lulu.
I love the suggestion of Beulah, and also…Babette. I think of Babette as an elegant French name (the movie Babette’s Feast…anyone) and it’s a nickname for Elizabeth as well. Etta is super cute with Tilly, so is Betty. I think Matilda and Babette sound like artists and adventurers.
What about Eliora?
Winona may also work well with Matilda, nn Noni.
Trying to use your letter of first choice (B) to get to Lulu or Loulou.
Blandine Eloise
Berenice Lucy – Lucille
Benedicte/a Louise
Balsamie Lucence
They might be a bit over de top. I got them from The Book of Saints (1921)
Beatrice and Matilda (Tilly and Bea) are my dream twin girls so very sad that’s off the table. I had 2 boys so couldn’t use either but since our styles are similar, what about another name we were going to use: Eliza. Its a little more popular- 100 something but so sweet. Or, I think Elizabeth nn Libby would be so great too. I also thought of Winifred nn Winnie and oddly thought of Bettina before I read Abby’s response too. Eloise does seem perfect too!
Eloise is a perfect choice in every way. Winifred in second place. Best wishes to you, Courtney. Can you post your choice after she is born?
Before I read your criteria, my first thoughts were Beatrice/Beatrix, Eleanor and Adelaide, with Isadora as a wildcard option.
After reading, I can see that they’re all out.
I think Abby’s suggestion of Eloise is wonderful (bonus points for Eloise being a strong children’s book character, like Matilda). I love Edith, too.
Other thoughts (mostly E-namess):
Eleanora (Ellie, Nell, Nelly, Nora, etc. Lulu might work)
Eluned (Lulu, Ellie)
Edwina/ Edina (Eddie, Dina)
Estelle/Estella/Estrella (Essie, Stella, Ella)
Elena (Lena, Ellie. Too popular?)
Emmeline (Emmy, Emma, Lina, Lili, Melly). Mentioned above.
Elisabeth/Elspeth (all the Elizabeth names). I saw a mention of Elizabeth above, but the variants take it out of top-100 territory
Bluebell (a bit left-of-centre, but it gets you Lulu, as well as Belle)
Might a ‘lulu-name’ (depending on your heritage and where you live, something like Alura, Iluka, Lucinda, Lucia, Lucy, Luca, Lleleu, Louise, Louisa, Tallulah, Melusine, Luna, Luned, Lucretia, Luella Ludovica etc) work in the middle spot? That would give Tilly a reason to call her Lulu. Or, of course, she could just have Lulu as a family nickname unrelated to her official name.
Babette : nn. Bobbie
Benedicte : Bunty, Bennie
Bernadette : Betty
Belisent : Ellie
Bridget : Bibi, Birdie, Gigi, Bunty
Emanuella : Lulu, Emmie
Edessa : Edie
Elise : Elly, Elsie
Evelina : Livvy, Evvie
Ellen : Nellie
Wilhelmina : Winnie, Nini,
My dear friend has 3 daughters- Beatrice (Bea,) Matilda (Tilly,) and Daphne. So I’m so partial to Bea!
BUT- What about Beulah? Super unique and Lulu is perfect!