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!
Carrie writes:
Please help us find a name for Nora Clair’s sister!
We had a boy name picked out – Lincoln James. We’d like to save that for (maybe) a son (maybe) in the future.
We like names that:
- Can’t be shortened. (I’m Carrie, not Cara/Caroline/Caren, and it gets old telling people that it’s just Carrie.)
- Are easy to spell. (Because I’m not Kerry or Kari or – seriously!? – Carry.)
- Are short. (Our last name is Czech, and starts with Hr. I know they’re calling our name when the person sorts of hesitates.)
- I don’t want to repeat initials. Definitely not another N name, and maybe not another L name, because we really like Lincoln for a boy. (This ruled out Lucy, which is my husband’s favorite girl name.)
We don’t mind popular names, but we did rule out the Top Ten. Also, we have a puppy named Bella, so Ella/Stella/Isabella is pretty much out.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Carrie –
Congratulations on your new daughter!
I’m going to suggest some new names in a minute, but let’s talk about Lucy.
Lucy checks every one of the boxes – it’s familiar, but not Olivia-level popular. It’s easy to spell and pronounce. And Nora and Lucy sound exactly like sisters.
Right now, you’re ruling out a name that your husband loves – and you like, right? – because you might someday have a son with an L name.
Is that really the trade-off you want to make?
I think Nora, Lucy, and Lincoln sound great together.
And so much can change between now and some future point! A family member or close friend might name their son Lincoln. Or the name might become more popular, to the point you’d rather not choose it for your son. And, of course … you might have three more daughters and no sons. It’s just impossible to say.
It’s worth thinking about, because Lucy seems like such a good choice for your family!
All of that said, let’s find some new options.
SHORT, NICKNAME-PROOF GIRL NAMES
EDEN
While Nora feels more traditional, Lincoln strikes me as slightly more modern. So I wonder if you’d like something like Eden for a daughter? Like Lincoln, there’s history galore to the name, but it’s never been common as a first. At least, not until the the last two decades or so.
ELIZA
Eliza is just a little bit longer than most of the names on this list, but it still fits the brief – easy to spell and pronounce, immediately recognized, but not a chart-topper yet. And I love the way Nora and Eliza sound together – timeless and traditional.
IVY
A mini name that’s big on style, Ivy is slightly less common than Lily, but with the same ecovintage appeal.
GEMMA
The Italian word for gemstone, Gemma feels like a Gem-Jenna hybrid, but it has plenty of history, tracing back centuries. It’s rising in use, but still far below Emma levels.
GRETA
Originally short for Margaret, Greta seems more like an independent choice today. Young activist Greta Thunberg keeps this name in the headlines and makes it feel current and serious. Hollywood icon Greta Garbo reminds me that it can also be so very glam.
MOLLY
Molly feels casual and relaxed. It’s the dressed-down version of Mary, a name that stands on its own. From the legendary Unsinkable Molly Brown to Harry Potter’s Molly Weasley, it’s a capable, determined name.
RUBY
A glittering gemstone of a name, but also one with a long history of use. Plus, it shares sounds with Lucy, so maybe it’s a non-L substitute?
THEA
I was going to suggest Leah … but I think if there’s any L name you should bend your rules for, it’s probably Lucy. But how ’bout Thea? Like Nora, it’s just slightly vintage. And while it’s still not very popular, it’s easy to spell and pronounce.
Overall, I love Eliza with Nora, or possibly Molly. But that’s only if I can’t convince you to name your daughter Lucy after all!
As for middles, I have a crazy long list of one-syllable middle names for girls here, but I love the sound of Eliza Kate.
Would Lucy fall under the “nickname name” category, like Carrie? Would she be saying “Just Lucy, not short for Lucille”?
I do love it and think it’s great with Lincoln- 100%. But also maybe:
Hannah
Lila
Chloe
Freya
Elise
Grace
I second Lucy… I’ve seen families change their preference when they finally get that gender.
How about…
Ruby
Alice
Hazel
I knew a sib-set with a N0ra, Amy and meg.
Perhaps Margot Jane would make a nice sister for Nora Clair.
Love Tess, Silvie, Maud and Ruby with Nora. Lucy would be so sweet too. I’m a bit partial to Thea, obviously! My fave would be Eliza Jane. Gorgeous !!
I second Ruby and here are other options:
Fiona
Elodie
Alice
Tessa
Rose
Grace
Daisy
Maeve
Vera
Julie
But in the end, I think the name Lucy deserves that you bend the rules for it. And Lucy and Lincoln don’t seem like too many L’s for a sibset. And I do think you will regret not using Lucy.
I have a Nora and a Lucy so I agree that they work perfectly together as a sibset. But I also get not wanting to repeat initials (which is why our third daughter is Faye instead of Helen since we also have a Henry). Speaking of, I think Faye or Helen would be lovely with Nora.
From Abby’s suggestions, my faves were Greta (also on my list but nixed by my husband), Ivy and Ruby. Gemma and Eliza are also lovely.
A few additional suggestions:
Sybil
Julia
Tess
Hattie
Bonnie
June
Olive
Orla
I think I’d feel differently if using Lucy completely ruled out using Lincoln in the future, say if it rhymed or sounded really similar. But the only thing the two names have in common is a shared first initial, and I don’t think anyone would see a sibset of Nora, Lucy and Lincoln and feel that it was jarring or that Nora was left out. Of course you have to like it as well not just your husband! But I think Nora and Lucy is adorable.
I jotted these down after reading only the title. After reading the rest, I see Abby and I agree on Greta. 🙂
Greta
Maggie
Beatrix (bee-trix)
Winnie
Callie
Julia/Jules (Jul-ya)
Lani/Lana (lawn-ee / lawn-uh)
And I have to agree with the suggestion to use Lucy. It’s true that Baby Lincoln might not show. Sometimes you want a certain gender, and it just doesn’t happen. But, still, it could, so I see the hesitation.
Is it really so bad to repeat initials? Even if the names you love happen to start with the same letter, you can still use them.
Go with what you love.
My thoughts exactly about Lucy.
Lucy sounds perfect for Nora’s sister.
I’ve known parents who had a name in mind for their future son or daughter for years, and then when they finally were expecting a child of that gender, didn’t use the name after all.
I’d go with Lucy for this baby. It’s her time to be given the name your husband loves, that you like too. If there’s a baby brother some day, it will be his time to be given the name you like best for him at that time.
Nora and Lucy: love those names together!
This advice is perfect. Our daughter’s perfect name suddenly changed when my husband’s grandma passed away, and it’s a name we had picked for years. For this child, it was the right choice though. It also changed the name we have picked for our next daughter, and that remains flexible because things change.
Oh yes, I agree with Abby. Lucy Lucy Lucy! There were a few ‘maybe’s in your sentence around Lincoln. Nora and Lucy sound perfect together.
I also love Molly, Ruby and Ivy from the suggestions. Other ideas:
Penny
Tess
Sylvie
Pearl
Polly or Holly
Jane
Heidi