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Name Help: A Sister for Prairie and Mabel

October 9, 2021 By appellationmountain 25 Comments

Name Help: A Sister for Prairie and MabelName 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!

C writes:

Hi! I’m in need of advice or suggestions. We have two little girls, Prairie and Mabel, and a third on the way soon!

Any help on a sister name would be so appreciated.

We are struggling to agree on much, if any, and want it to flow with the others.

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

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third daughter!

Based on Prairie and Mabel, I’m guessing your preferred name is:

  • Familiar, but not common
  • Easy to spell and pronounce
  • Tailored and frills-free
  • Not likely to be shortened
  • A little bit old-fashioned/vintage

I’m tempted to call your style cottagecore, mostly because I picture Mabel and Prairie climbing trees somewhere and maybe baking bread. But … that doesn’t really narrow down the list!

An early twentieth century favorite, Mabel is slowly enjoying a revival, reaching #427 as of 2020. Prairie, on the other hand, has never ranked in the US Top 1000. But it’s more popular now than it was just a few years ago – even if it’s still really rare.

That makes me think that we’re looking for a name that probably won’t crack the current US Top 500.

If popularity doesn’t matter to you? I’d be tempted to suggest Luna. It’s vintage, but feels modern. Like Prairie, it’s drawn from the natural world – but it’s a little less obvious, so it’s not quite two-nouns-and-a-name.

But it’s most important, I think, to strike a good balance between your girls’ names, particularly since you mentioned flow.

A SISTER FOR MABEL and PRAIRIE

BONNIE

Equal parts sweet and gutsy, Bonnie is a shapeshifter of a name. It’s not a perfect style match for Prairie or Mabel, but I think it pairs well with them both.

DELLA

It’s tough to define Della. A former favorite, Della is rising in use, thanks to years of Bella and Ella names near the top of the charts. But Della remains nicely distinctive. Another similar choice: Delia.

ELLIS

I kept coming back to the idea of surname names, but they often felt a little too close to your girls’ names. (Prairie and Parker could be a tongue twister, and Mabel rules out Marlowe.) But then I thought about Ellis. It’s close to classic Alice, but far less expected.

JOVIE

It comes from the word jovial – happy or joyful, and was likely invented for Christmas movie Elf. It fits right in with Josie and Ivy, but stands out, too.

LEDA

If Luna is too popular, would Leda work? A name from Greek myth, it’s a good balance of old-fashioned and current.

PEARL

Gemstone name Pearl is broadly familiar, but far less common than Ruby.

SCOUT

An active, energetic name, Scout is tempered by the enduring character in To Kill a Mockingbird.

WINNIE

Winnie feels a little more clearly vintage than either Mabel or Bonnie, I think – but still feels right.

 

After re-reading this list, my favorite – far and away! – is Pearl. I can picture Prairie, Mabel, and Pearl in cowboy boots or ballet slippers. They’re feminine but strong, vaguely vintage but at-home in this century.

I’d put Leda in the second spot, a good mix of the unexpected and the stylish.

Readers, I know you’ll have some great suggestions! What would you name a sister for Prairie and Mabel?

 

More names you might like:

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Comments

  1. Rose says

    November 9, 2021 at 11:15 AM

    I noticd a long a sound too.

    Prairie, Mabel, Daisy
    Prairie, Mabel, Janey
    Prairie, Mabel, Sadie
    Prairie, Mabel, Cadence

    Reply
  2. Joy says

    October 19, 2021 at 8:10 AM

    As a rule, I generally like to follow a theme when it comes to names. My children have Biblical names and all my pets have had Mythical names.
    Here are some I think flow well together.

    Prairie, Mable and Willow
    Prairie, Mable and Violet
    Prairie, Mable and Petunia
    Prairie, Mable and Jasmin
    Prairie, Mable and Rose

    I really hope you like one of these.

    Reply
  3. Joy says

    October 19, 2021 at 7:10 AM

    All of your suggestions sound good, but I really love the name of Willow. Great choice!

    Reply
  4. Mandie L says

    October 14, 2021 at 4:36 PM

    Maybe it’s because my kids are reading Charlotte’s Web, but I’m really loving Fern in this group.
    I didn’t read through all the responses, but here are some ideas that I didn’t see mentioned.

    Prairie, Mabel, and Fern
    Prairie, Mabel, and Jane
    Prairie, Mabel, and Laura/Laurie
    Prairie, Mabel, and Edith
    Prairie, Mabel, and Ada

    Reply
  5. Star says

    October 12, 2021 at 1:54 AM

    I do think the suggestion of Kit is absolute perfection. Kit shares the spunky, vintage vibe of Mabel and the nature (baby fox) word style of Prairie. Prairie, Mabel + Kit

    Reply
  6. Alexandra says

    October 11, 2021 at 12:11 PM

    What an adorable sibset already! Some

    Prairie, Mabel, and Briar
    Prarie, Mabel, and Robin
    Prarie, Mabel, and June/Junie/Juniper
    Prarie, Mabel, and Kit
    Prairie, Mabel, and Brighton
    Prarie, Mabel, and Haddon

    Reply
  7. Jonquil says

    October 10, 2021 at 10:40 PM

    Prairie, Mabel and Briar
    Prairie, Mabel and Eden
    Prairie, Mabel and Nola
    Prairie, Mabel and Raine
    Prairie, Mabel and Saffron
    Prairie, Mabel and Tansy
    Prairie, Mabel and Willow

    Reply
  8. KM says

    October 10, 2021 at 9:33 AM

    Prairie, Mabel, and June!

    Reply
  9. Iris says

    October 10, 2021 at 8:17 AM

    Flora
    Delia
    Olive
    Thea
    Leona
    Eden
    Fern
    Beatrice
    Harriet
    Giselle
    Wren
    June
    Vera
    Holly
    Lola
    Felicia
    Isadora
    Elaine

    Reply
  10. JMV says

    October 10, 2021 at 6:25 AM

    Prairie, Mabel, and
    – Bettie
    – Ida
    – Dorothy (nn Dottie)
    – Louise

    Reply
  11. Kristine Smith says

    October 10, 2021 at 1:06 AM

    Such great names!

    Flora
    Dinah
    Rose
    Virginia
    Goldie
    Wren
    Fern

    Reply
  12. FE says

    October 10, 2021 at 12:22 AM

    I like Jane.

    Prairie, Mabel & Jane.

    Reply
  13. Maclary says

    October 9, 2021 at 11:25 PM

    I think Pearl is just about a perfect choice. It also makes me think of a few other P names that are favourites of mine: Prudence, Primrose and Patience. The repeating Pr- might be too much with Prairie, though.

    Fern is also a great suggestion.

    Or how about one of the Gret- names: Greta, Gretel or Gretchen? I like how they are familiar yet distinctive.

    Reply
  14. Istas says

    October 9, 2021 at 11:06 PM

    Juniper
    Fern
    Alma
    Coral
    Leona
    Marigold
    Jewel
    Thea
    Alba
    Odette
    Dahlia

    Reply
  15. Marisa says

    October 9, 2021 at 10:21 PM

    I love the suggestion of Bonnie! It sounds like a great fit! Betty or Betsy might be sweet too. And before reading any of the suggestions, I thought of Linnea!

    Reply
  16. stefanie says

    October 9, 2021 at 7:13 PM

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE the suggestion of Justine. Others that came to mind:
    Claudia
    Wren
    Louisa
    And maybe my fave next to Justine, Jean.

    Reply
  17. Dutch says

    October 9, 2021 at 6:01 PM

    Tatum
    Iris
    Bloom
    Enid
    Seren
    Vita
    Eden
    Astrid
    Terra

    Reply
  18. Andrea says

    October 9, 2021 at 2:53 PM

    Cleo, Garnet, Lucille, Nola, Oakley, Olive, Opal, Polly, Vale, Waverly, Willa, Zelda

    Reply
  19. Erin Beth says

    October 9, 2021 at 2:20 PM

    My favorite suggestions so far are Flora and Luna. Other ideas:
    Juno
    Carys
    Lyra
    Willow
    Fern
    Frances
    Zora
    Cleo/Clio
    Zinnia
    Sonnet

    Reply
  20. Kim Waggoner says

    October 9, 2021 at 1:43 PM

    Laine! Love that suggestion from above. Esther also hits the sweet spot for me too.

    Reply
  21. Kerri says

    October 9, 2021 at 12:26 PM

    I think Pearl is my favorite suggestion, it fits best with the sisters names. I like Winnie a lot too, but I wonder if it might be a problem to have one nickname name while the other 2 aren’t nicknames.
    From the comments, I like Olive, Flora, and Ivy.
    Hazel would be nice, but probably too popular. Maybe Iris? June? Esther?

    Reply
  22. Kadie says

    October 9, 2021 at 12:19 PM

    I would like to suggest
    Prairie, Mabel & Neve
    Prairie, Mabel & Willow
    Prairie, Mabel & Olive
    Prairie, Mabel & Sylvie
    Prairie, Mabel & Opal
    I think they would sit perfectly with Prairie & Mabel, good luck, I adore the name Prairie!

    Reply
  23. Renee says

    October 9, 2021 at 10:50 AM

    Ooh. I adore both of these names but my automatic thoughts are aligned with one sister or the other (Briar, Ruby) plus I think it would be nice not to repeat an ending or initial. I like Edie’s suggestion of established noun name. And cottagecore is totally it, Abby!

    Viola
    Kit
    Olive
    Jules
    Nova
    Veda
    Flora
    Laine

    Reply
  24. Willow says

    October 9, 2021 at 9:56 AM

    Is Bodhi going way too far? If so, I’d like to suggest Justine.

    Reply
  25. Edie says

    October 9, 2021 at 9:53 AM

    I think a noun-name that is very well established as a name would tie to both sister names (as Pearl does).

    Prairie, Mabel and June
    Prairie, Mabel and Robin
    Prairie, Mabel and Calla
    Prairie, Mabel and Ivy

    Reply

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