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!
Amber writes:
My husband and I are expecting a daughter together in March. She is my first child. My husband has a 7 year old son named Maverick Dillon from an earlier relationship. Maverick’s mom has two younger children: a girl named Mylah and a boy named Zion. We live in the same area, so the kids will likely spend time together, at least occasionally.
I’m not really sure how to think about Maverick when it comes to choosing a name for our daughter. I know it probably rules out Maeve, a name that I love. But I don’t want to “match” Maverick, and I don’t think I have to, right? And should Zion and Mylah’s names be considered in my decision? I do like Zara and Zoe/Zoey, but maybe I shouldn’t even think about Z names? I’m definitely avoiding M names.
So far, my husband says the decision is up to me and I think that’s probably not going to change. The only name he has suggested is Paisley, which is okay for someone else, but I don’t really like it.
I’d say that I like more traditional names, or at least a little more traditional.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
Blended families take some extra effort, and there’s not always a perfect answer for some of these questions.
But when it comes to half-siblings, it sounds like you’re taking the right approach. Don’t make an effort to match an older kid’s name if that’s not your style, but do choose names that don’t conflict.
This is true even if the age gap is significant, or the children will rarely spend time together. For many families – like yours – it’s matter of making daily life run smoothly, too. Maverick and Maeve would be awkwardly close. Not unworkable, no. But unless there was a reason that Maeve had to be your daughter’s name, I’d encourage you to keep looking.
And you are – perfect!
I think you can give the names of Maverick’s half-siblings less consideration. Sure, they’ll be thrown together from time to time, like maybe at their mutual brother’s birthday parties. That said, Zora and Zion? I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
Still, it sounds like you’d rather avoid them – and that’s fine, too.
So let’s brainstorm some names loosely based on Zora, Zoey, Maeve, and Paisley.
CORA
An alternative to Zora, Cora feels a little more traditional. Maybe it’s because we’ve swapped the Z for a C. Or maybe it’s the Downton Abbey association.
DAPHNE
Zoey has been powerfully popular for years. Daphne is beginning to catch on now, a Greek import with style to spare.
GEMMA
Yes, it’s Emma-with-a-G. But it’s been used for girls in Italy for ages. (The author Dante Alighieri’s wife was Gemma, which takes us back to the fourteenth century.)
ELIZA
Originally short for Elizabeth, Eliza feels brief and complete. Like Maverick (and Zion), it has a high value Scrabble letter. But lively Eliza also feels gently old-fashioned, in part because Broadway reminded us that it’s the name of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s wife.
HADLEY
It’s a surname name like Paisley, but Hadley reads slightly more traditional. That’s probably thanks to Hadley Richardson, the first Mrs. Ernest Hemingway. A fictional biography of Hadley titled The Paris Wife became a bestseller in 2011, pushing the name into wider use.
SAGE
This name checks all the boxes. It’s a pretty shade of green, a word meaning wise, and an herb, too. It’s the best of Scarlett, Grace, and Rosemary, all in a single name!
SYLVIE
The French form of Sylvia, but also a casual update to that 1930s favorite.
VIOLET
A lovely floral name, Violet shares the V of Maeve, but sounds nothing like Maverick. At the same time, it is another noun name, subtly connecting the half-siblings.
Overall, I wonder if Sylvie would appeal? It has the same V of Maeve, and hits the same traditional, but seldom heard vibe.
If you love the letter Z, I’d suggest you to go all out and name her Zazie. It’s quite traditional in my eyes as it’s a nickname for Elizabeth.
I love every suggestion! If it hasn’t been mentioned, Zadie I think would be a fun option. I don’t think you should avoid Z (or M) names if that is what your heart longs for! I do think it would be fun to have a more traditional name with a spunky nickname (the spunky nickname being more of the “Maverick” style of name). Katherine nicknamed Kit, Cordelia nicknamed Cori (or Cora, Dell, Lia, Delia, or any of a number of combinations), Juliette nicknamed Jett. Something along the those lines might be fun.
I also vote for Sylvie! Or perhaps another V-centric name like Vera or Ivy!
I love all of Abby’s suggestions. I would also suggest:
Liv
Liza
Lyra
Azelie nn Zelie
Aveline
You have Maverick in your life and I’m hearing you are being thoughtful of him and the other half siblings.
I would encourage you to embrace your chance to choose a name. Other than names that sound super similar to Maverick I’d say literally anything else is on the table. Forget styles “matching” because you didn’t choose Maverick.
I genuinely think you should go with your own heart otherwise your choosing a name based on someone else’s style.
Paisley was suggested by her daddy. It’s ok, but you seem to lean towards Z names, similar sounding is Zahli.
I feel like the best middle spot compromise is Bell. It’s clear your husband likes word names and it’s a feminine , traditional word name. Maverick and Bell. Personally I’d lose the E but it would work either way.
It’s already been mentioned, but the first name I thought of was Averie. I prefer Averie to Avery for a girl, but either spelling gives you the long A and V sound of Maeve.
Other possibilities:
Eva
Haven
Raven
Regan or Reagan
Saoirse — SEER sha, means “freedom” or “liberty.”
Vera
Best wishes to you.
If you like the sound of Maeve, how about Neve?
Haven might appeal, too. Or Avalon? Love this name…
Ava came to mind as alternatives to Maeve. Or perhaps Liv (Olive, Livia etc), Haven, Jovie, Waverly, Neve (or Niamh), Viva, Nova, or Dove?
If your husband like Paisley, have you considered Peyton or Presley? Or Haisley?
As soon as I hit send, I thought of Astrid… Maverick and Astrid
Plus Indy as a nickname fo Ingrid…. Maverick and Indy!
Maybe it isn’t too traditional … but if you wanted to go with anything with a “Z” in it, I think the floral/vintage name, “Azalea” would fit and have her first name be distinctive as yours and your husband’s first daughter.
AZALEA Maeve — if you wanted to keep “Maeve” when your little one arrives?
And who knows… MABEL/MAEBELLE sounds great too (even if you are trying to avoid “M” names)!
More traditional/classic names others have mentioned or was in this post that I would’ve mentioned?
Audrey, Hadley, Eliza, and Violet stick out to me.
You don’t have to stick with a pattern of the siblings’ names. If you happen to love a name that ties into it somehow, then you’ll know when your baby arrives. Personally, my mother believes told my older sibling and I that when you see your baby, you’ll get a feeling what actually fits, even if you have a list ready. Maybe that’ll be your experience. Hope our comments have made it easier.
My mother actually called me just as I was pressing “post comment”! Amazing. Happy holidays!
From your list Annabelle stands out to me as a great match with Maverick.
For some reason out of all of those, Sadie just really stands out to me as pairing well with Maverick. They both have an old west feel to me, I guess?
I think you’ve got the right intentions here beyond names, and it’s heartwarming. You’re considering your daughter’s big brother’s name and you’re even expecting the siblings will all be together at different points. It does add a layer of complication, but there are way less restrictions than other people put on themselves.
I’m thinking through the blended families I know… one thing that stands out is the names seem to get more classic as times goes by, and maybe that reflects the age of the parents as they name? I can think of a few larger gaps with same parents where that’s true too! So interesting.
If this were me, I’d go with something that blends but doesn’t match. It’s really only Maverick who is the uniting factor, but obviously you probably wouldn’t want him to have younger sibs Mylah, Zion and Zylah, for example.
But you already go for more classic names with spunk (and he likes the short names with strong A and E sounds too – Maeve, Zoey & Paisley), so this should be easy and fun! If I knew this were my only child, I might try to flip the MD pattern to create some unity there, but that’s purely name nerdery. Daphne Maeve would be amazing! Also love Sylvie (that V!) and Sadie, Hazel (that was my first thought too!), Heidi, Grace (Gracie has got to be one of the most adorable nicknames ever)
Trying for no repeats ideas:
Daisy
Rachel
Jane
Cate / Kate
Esme
Freya
Layla
Paige
Chloe
Ivy
Ruby
Louise
Lucille/ Lucy
Zoey, Zara, Maeve and Paisley all have a bit of spark to them while also feeling very current. Here are some names with a similar vibe:
Hazel – feels similar to Maeve and Paisley
Violet
Audrey
Avery
Aubrey
Gemma
Piper
Eden
Penelope
Tessa
Hallie (rhymes with Sally)
Quinn – one syllable and Irish like Maeve
Shay- same as Quinn
Josie – similar in sound to Zoey
Eliza
Sadie
Hadley
Wren – 1 syllable like Maeve
Willa
Cassidy
Isla (eye-la)
Ainsley – feels similar to Paisley
Everly- the V sound ties in nicely with Maverick
Rae – similar sound to Maeve. Raelynn “Rae” would work too
I don’t think you have to steer away from names starting with Z but if you rather would then maybe a name that doesn’t start with Z but instead features a strong Z sound within it would be a good fit (Eliza, Josie, Hazel, Ainsley)
Paisley sounds like a name I would associate with a sibling for a Maverick, which makes me wonder how much input your husband had in Maverick’s name and whether you should get more suggestions from him, They’re both names that are very country, Midwestern, the sort of names you would find on the roster at a rodeo or State Fair 4H competition and grow up to be small town bank presidents or real estate agents.
Of the suggestions you got, I bet Hadley would be the most likely to appeal to him. The name keeps popping up among people of my acquaintance (Midwestern, country, outdoorsy, etc.) Cora and Nora also seem to be somewhat common here. You could also try a name that will give him a cute nickname to use — Alice called Allie, Annabelle or Annika called Annie, Aurora called Rory, Charlotte called Charlie or Lottie, etc. I’d also suggest Clara, Hattie, Lily, Lucy, Millie, Molly, or Violet.
Of course there is Nora, in addition to Cora and Zora. Nora feels closer to Maeve to me.
I also wondered about Bridget? It is Irish like Maeve and has a bright spunky sound while being more established than Maverick. Nn of Bri is cute too.
Or Heidi and Ingrid. Both had a lot of strength to them which to me pairs well with the energy of Maverick but are much more traditional names.
Maverick and Bridget
Maverick and Heidi
Maverick and Ingrid
Best of luck!
I think while Maeve is to avoid, other M names and Z names are just fine. After all, Maverick’s mom chose another M name for her daughter, after having him.
And I don’t think sisters’ names have to match brothers’ names in any case, because usually parents have different styles for boy and girl names.
A few names for a mom who loves Maeve:
Sophie
Grace
Luna or Lucy
June
Eden
Rose
Chloe
Phoebe
Hazel
Stella
Wren
Heidi
Eleanor
Aurora
I like Violet, too, from Abby’s list.
I think it was Zara vs Zora. I love Zara and had it on my short list. I also love Zoe (my niece) and Maeve.
Zara brings to mind Sarah, so maybe Sadie. Maverick & Sadie.
Zoe brings to mind Penelope. Maverick & Penny.
Maeve brings to mind Eve, another one of my favorites. Maverick & Eve.
Paisley brings to mind Piper, which I like much better. Maverick & Piper.
I think Violet sounds really great with Maverick! That might be my favorite.
Congratulations and let us know what you choose!