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!
Lauren writes:
We are expecting a baby girl in March. Her brother is Walter (sometimes Wally) Alexander, soon to be 4 years old.
We are having such trouble with a name for the little girl because we had a daughter who was 2 years older than Walter, but she passed away. Her name was Maura Carolyn and her name was absolutely perfect.
Our last name starts with a W, sounds like WILL cox inn.
Names we like are:
- Winifred (Winnie) – so cute, but is that too much W?
- Madeline (Maddie) – my husband likes it, but I feel it’s too popular.
- Corinne (Cora) – is the Cora nn sounding too much like Maura? Is that weird? I don’t mind it. I don’t prefer Cori.
- Julia/Juliette – kind of meh on this one because we know so many Julies.
- Sylvia (Sylvie) – I like this name, but my husband isn’t a huge fan.
- Greta – I like this a lot, but wonder if Walter and Greta sound a little too German powerhouse next to mom and dad’s early 1980’s names (Lauren and Kyle)
Please help! We hope to find something that is strong, feminine, and fits with Walter.
Thank you so much!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
And I’m so sorry for your loss. Maura Carolyn is a truly beautiful name.
This daughter needs something, as you say, feminine and strong. And it has to have that same feeling as Walter. It’s traditional, but still unexpected. Instantly familiar, but still probably prompts a lot of “oh, you never hear that name anymore!” kind of responses.
In light of those criteria, let’s rank your current options.
CURRENT NAME LIST
6. MADELINE
Such a lovely, classic name! But you’re right, it is so very popular, and has very been popular for ages. Tally up all the girls named Madelyn, Madison, and so on, and Maddie is absolutely everywhere. It’s one of the few names that has repeated consistently during my kids’ childhoods. I think you might need to let this one go.
5. JULIA/JULIETTE
It could be perfect, but it sounds like it doesn’t thrill you, so I’ll rank it here.
4. CORINNE/CORA
Corinne hits the same mark as Walter and Maura, at least to my ear.
But how strongly do you dislike the nickname Cori? Because while Cora is a great, stylish nickname, I can easily imagine a Corinne becoming Cori. On the soccer field. Because an older cousin says her name that way. Or because she herself prefers it. While I don’t see a probably with Cora sounding so much like Maura, I do wonder if the potential for Cori should be a red flag.
3. WINIFRED/WINNIE
This is so adorable! And yes, a little quirky, too – but in the best possible way.
I’m imagining reading the names on the back of a book jacket in the middle grade section:
Wally and Winnie WILL cox inn live above the museum with their great uncle Gerald. One day, the mummy from the new Egyptian exhibit goes missing. Can the siblings solve the mystery and save the day?
I mean … it’s perfection.
It will also make it difficult to name a future sibling. Wellington, Worthington, Winthrop, Wilhelmina, maybe? It wouldn’t stop me from using it, but it’s a definite choice.
2. GRETA
I’m not getting a super German vibe from Walter and Greta, probably because both are used across so many European languages. And your surname isn’t particularly German, either. I might’ve suggested Greta if you hadn’t mentioned it – I think it’s exactly right. But I’ll be curious to hear what others say.
1. SYLVIA/SYLVIE
Sylvia/Sylvie and Walter/Wally feel both timeless and from the same moment in the past – a nicely matched pair. But if your husband isn’t on board, I’m not sure my vote makes a difference!
One note: Sylvia remains in hibernation, ranking around the 400s/500s in recent years. But Sylvie is shooting up the charts, doubling in use over the last few years. That still doesn’t make it particularly popular – especially compared to a name like Maddie – but it might make it more familiar by the time your daughter is kindergarten-aged. So if your husband’s hesitation is that Sylvie is too different? It won’t be.
FRESH SUGGESTIONS
FRANCES – FRANNY, FRANKIE
As classic as Walter, an antique name with sparky, fun nicknames.
HARRIET – HATTIE, HALLIE
Another traditional choice, Harriet is a much less expected alternative to Juliette.
HELENA – LENA
The downside to Helena is pronunciation. There are at least three major choices. But shorten it to Lena, and it simplifies everything.
LORETTA – ETTA, LOLA, LOTTIE
Like Walter, Loretta is enjoying the smallest uptick in popularity in recent years. And Loretta-called-Etta feels like a Greta alternative that’s not so Germanic(ish).
MARY – MAE
I know – Mary doesn’t feel surprising! But on a baby born in 2023? I promise it is.
SYBIL – BILLIE, SIBBY
Despite the pop culture powerhouse Downton Abbey lifting Cora and Violet, Sybil remains surprisingly rare. Nicknames like Billie and Sibby are options, but I don’t think Sybil requires any shortening.
Overall, my favorites are probably Sylvia/Sylvie and Sybil, with Greta and Loretta close seconds. And I’m still so, so tempted by the whimsy of Winfred “Winnie” WILL cox in.
As far as middle names go, I wonder if you’d consider Corinne? Sybil Corinne, Sylvia Corinne, Greta Corinne, Loretta Corinne, Winifred Corinne … it’s so versatile!
But let’s open it up to the readers:
Maura Carolyn is a beautiful name. I like Walter too.
I do like Winifred for you, but I do think it’s a lot of W. I wonder if using Freda as a nn works? You could call her Winnie at home, but she would be Freda W. in public and no one would bat an eyelid.
Or perhaps another name that could give you Winnie as a nickname: Bronwyn or Guinevere come to mind.
Acually, I like Bronwyn for you as the sound echoes Carolyn. Bronwyn Cora could be a subtle link to Maura Carolyn.
I like previous commenters’ suggestions of Ingrid and Irene, too.
A sister to Maura and Walter?
Winnie all the way!
Otherwise, do you like Rosemary? Nickname Romy?
Maura, Walter, and Rosemary.
Maura, Wally, and Romy.
Or Irene?
Maura, Walter, and Irene
Congratulations and best wishes!
My heart goes out to you & your family about the loss of Maura.
This sounds like a tough call but I think you have great options to choose from. Choices that stood out from this post were:
WINIFRED, SYLVIA (Sylvie) and SYBIL/SIBYL
… in that order! Don’t be afraid of “Walter and Winifred” sounding to intentionally match-y.
Additional suggestions:
+ ROSALINE, ROSALIND, nn Rosie? — “Wally & Rosie”
+ FIONA Corinne?
+ LOUISA or LOUISE? — “Walter & Louise” or “Walter & Louisa” sound like siblings to me!
Congrats on your 2nd daughter & embrace your 1st instincts the day she’s arrived in March.
I keep thinking about this little girl in the light of your beloved daughter Maura Carolyn.
I sort of feel like you need a name that goes with Walter and Maura.
I hear Carolyn in Corinne. I also hear the Maura in Cora. So only you will know if that’s a good thing.
As a similar but different option which sort of combines them all let me suggest:
Clara
Perhaps you prefer a name completely her own?
Winifred hits that. WW initials can have the allure of repetition, like Peter Parker, Marilyn Monroe.
In the yn/ ine endings like Carolyn, Corinne and Madeline consider Josephine, Aveline and Emmeline.
In the whole feminine classic but slightly lesser used…. with it’s own sounds unique for this daughter:
Ingrid
Thea
Elsie
Lorelei
Edith
Florence
Regina
Delia
Best wishes welcoming your precious second daughter.
I’m so very sorry about baby Maura.
I do adore Winifred. Winnie and Walter are adorable. And yet the names age well too.
I also came to ask about a Margaret variant. Yes. It is close to Maura and maybe that doesn’t work for you. But honoring the babies we lose -to me – is reaffirming vice depressing. So Margaret nn Greta seems like an amazing fit to me! Margaret Cora.
Congratulations on this little girl!
Big fan of Greta here!
So sorry for the loss of your sweet Maura. You chose a d lovely name for her ❤️
I think Winnie, Sylvia, Corrine, and Greta are all darling but if you aren’t sold on any of those then how about…
Gwendolyn “Gwen”, “Wendy”, “Winnie” or “Lennie”. I think it shares a lot of sounds with Madeline, Winifred, Corrine, and Greta but feels sparky and unexpected like Sylvia. Plus it still gives you Winnie while also bypassing the too much W issue since it’s technically a nickname and her initials would be GW
Margaret “Maisie”, “Margo” “Greta”. Margaret, Walter, and Maura sound so right together! And Margaret has nicknames galore that sound cute with Wally. Wally and Margo, Wally and Maisie; it even gets you to Greta (which I don’t think sounds too German at all!)
Dorothy “Dot” “Dottie” “Thea”. Another sweet unexpected choice that sounds just right with Maura and Walter and has a few cute nicknames
Maura Carolyn is a beautiful name. I’m sorry for your loss.
My favourite on your list are Corinne, Greta & Sylvia. Sylvia Corinne or Greta Corinne as Abby suggested are very sweet & it would give her a subtle connection with her older sister by sharing a middle initial.
If you really like Cora, would you consider using it on its own? Walter & Cora are lovely together. Or how about Corinna, nn Cora? They are related names afterall. There is a sweet old movie called Corrina, Corrina that makes me love that version. (I haven’t seen it recently, I don’t know if it has stood the test of time, but I loved it when I saw it years ago.) It is possible to steer people away from one nn and have them use your preferred one, especially if your child is on board. We have done this so successfully with our oldest that he is only called by his full name at the doctor’s office. Our second and third children have names that are often shortened to common nicknames, but people have been good about using the names they prefer. My #2 goes by his full name. When #3 started school, he went by his full name, but his older brothers friends all know him by his nickname, so after a month, his paperwork started coming home with his nickname.
Corinne or Corinna, nn Cora makes sense, I think that you’d be successful at getting people to use it until/unless your daughter decides she prefers a different nickname.
Winifred and Walter would not bother me but throw in the W. surname and it’s just… smacking me in the face. It also kind of leaves Maura out a bit.
Love the Harriet, Frances, Sybil suggestions. And Sylvia.
Lucille
Edith (Edie!!)
Imogene
Olive
Augusta
Minerva
Odette
Vera
Lucinda
Clarice
Cecilia
Dorothea
Alberta (Bertie!!)
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I do think Winnifred sounds amazing with Walter, they’re the same style and but are recognizeable, get unexpectable.
But I do think another W name will make it a theme, especially with the W last name.
So if you prefer not doing it, I suggest:
Beatrice
Daphne
Iris
Violet
Or you could name her Greta Madeline:
Walter Alexander and Greta Madeline
Isn’t that and amazing pair?