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!
Marie writes:
My husband and I are expecting our first, and I thought we had a girl’s name all set. Ruby Rose has always been my #1 name. It’s what I wanted to name the kitten we got when I was in fifth grade. (That didn’t happen, and looking back now, that’s a relief, because I’m not sure I could name my baby after the cat!)
The twist? We’re expecting TWINS!! Both girls.
Here are our ideas:
Name one girl Ruby and one Rose. My husband came up with this one. On the positive side, I’d get to say “Ruby and Rose” together all the time! But it’s hard to let go of Ruby Rose as a single name, if that makes sense.
Name one girl Ruby Rose and find another name we love for our second daughter. This is the way I’m thinking. I’d really like the second name to have the same sound and rhythm as Ruby Rose. I’m considering Maggie Mae and Lily Lou, but my husband thinks they’re just kind of okay. (And I probably agree.)
Some other solution … Maybe it’s a sign that we should start from scratch? Or is there something else I’m not thinking of?
I’m not due until September, so we have a little bit of time. Except that twins come early, so I’d like to be prepared!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations – and what a surprise!
Ruby and Rose both strike a certain note, don’t they? They’re vintage, but with a modern sensibility. Neither is especially frilly, but they’re both definitely feminine. And they’re both associated with the color red, though it’s not quite like naming your baby Blue. They’re well-established, mainstream choices that would wear well on a small child or an adult.
So they’re strong names and they’re well-balanced together, too.
I can definitely see your husband’s point. They’d make great names for sisters, well-matched but not in a too-cute way.
Unless … were you planning to use Ruby Rose as a double name?
It sounds like your favorite name is “Ruby Rose.” But is it actually “Rubyrose,” all together? If you’re thinking of it – and intending to use it – as a single name, that’s a little harder, right?
Because the equivalent of Rubyrose isn’t Maggie Mae. It’s Annabelle.
My guess is that you’re thinking of her name as Rubyrose, but probably intend to call her Ruby in every day life.
Here’s the million dollar question: How did you imagine introducing her?
If you conclude that you plan to use Rubyrose as a single name, then I agree – your husband’s suggestion of dividing Ruby and Rose for your twins doesn’t work.
RUBY and ROSE
But I’m hoping that’s not the case, because Ruby and Rose make great sister names.
I’d be inclined to call them Ruby and Rosie, which might be even a little more matchy – but it’s quite sweet!
That means we need to think about middle name options:
- Ruby Louise and Rose Margaret – Inspired by the rest of your shortlist. They could be Ruby Lou and Rosie Mae for short!
- Ruby Rae and Rose Riley – Briefer, more modern middles with the right number of syllables to balance both names.
- Ruby Eloise and Rose Elinor – Two EL names that work for sister middles.
RUBY ROSE and ANOTHER ALLITERATIVE NAME
Of course, it’s easy to imagine another alliterative name working just as well for Ruby Rose’s sister.
- Ruby Rose and Mila Marie – Ruby has your all-time favorite name, but Mila shares her middle with you.
- Ruby Rose and Lily Lane – I wonder if Lou and Mae feel too slight to stand up to Rose as a middle name? Something a little longer in the middle spot might make a better match.
- Ruby Rose and Bella Blue – Blue in the middle is just plain fun!
RUBYROSE and ANOTHER DOUBLE NAME
- Rubyrose and Annakate – I think Annakate is a little more surprising than Annabelle, but works just as well.
- Rubyrose and Emmajean – Again, Emma Jean is a fairly familiar first/middle combination, so it might work well smooshed together.
- Rubyrose and Adamae – Like Ruby Rose, I think Ada Mae just plain works as a double name.
STARTING FRESH
I’ll admit that this sort of stumps me. Because you have one name you love, and no really good reason to give it up.
So I’m not going to comment on this possibility, but I’ll invite readers to think about whether Ruby Rose just isn’t the right name to use – in any combination – this time around.
My favorite option is to split the name into Ruby and Rose, with fresh middle names for both girls. Ruby Rae and Rose Riley appeal to my ear.
But I’m not sure if that feels like the best possible solution.
So many great options! I love the idea of splitting the two so they each get something you love. I agree with others Ruby Louise and Rose Margaret / Ruby Lou and Rosie Mae are perfect. They keep the cadence of Ruby Rose while dividing it into two.
However, they will be sharing so much for life, maybe you want to give them something all their own? I do love the suggestion of Poppy Pearl. Ruby and Poppy sound like great twin names. And I love that it inverts the gem and the flower to avoid them feeling too themed and limiting options should you have #3.
As for other options, June hits a similar spot for me as Ruby. As does Teddy or Minnie or Winnie or maybe Sadie. What about Magnolia nn Maggie? Magnolia Mae nn Maggie would be well matched too. Ruby Rose and Magnolia Mae.
Best of luck!
I love how you framed this as a story to tell the girls later on. And that the much-loved name had an element for each of them. This really gets me.
I like the idea of keeping your favorite combo, and I’ve never heard of the actress. What about Ruby Rose and Olive Ophelia? Rose and Ophelia both have a “classy” vibe to my ear. I like Hazel too, but prefer a longer middle I think: Hazel Helena?
I agree that this name is ideal to be divided between the sisters!
BUT… what if you have another girl in a few years? Any ideas of your naming style? This might help you dec, ide whether to split the name or create another gorgeous one.
I know an abundance of twins (and have two sets the same age myself), and at some point, having items color-coded for each child becomes helpful.
So! If Ruby Rose has the red/pink items, what color would her sister have?
Violet Verity might have purples, or Marigold May would have yellows.
Best wishes!
Ruby Rose and Wendy Mae or Winnie Mae
Ruby Rose and Stella Sky
Ruby Rose and Daisy Drew
Ruby Rose and Hazel Hope
Those are my first thoughts on favorite sister combos here. I LOVE the idea of double alliteration.
Ruby Rose immediately makes me think of the actress. I’d be confused about whether the name was a tribute to her. Since she has a very edgy and sexual vibe, I think the association detracts from the sweet, vintage feel you’re going for.
Frankly, it doesn’t feel right for a baby. To me, it’s like naming a kid Brad Pitt Lastname or Megan Fox Lastname. I would steer clear.
I think splitting the names would make it clear you’re not naming your child after the actress. Maybe Ruby can get a floral middle name, and Rose can get a gemstone middle name, so there’s a balance between the two. For example:
Ruby Iris
Ruby Aster
Ruby Magnolia
Ruby Violet
and
Rose Garnet
Rose Pearl
Rose Coralie
Rose Olivine
I agree with Abby on the idea of your names as sisters, as often repeated above. I personally find Ruby Rose a bit fairytale-esque and would want to lean into middles that made the names on their own a bit more grown-up sounding.
I love Ruby with Louise or Jane. All three are on my top favorites so I am naturally about either combo.
I like Rose with a longer name (3-4 syllables) to balance the one syllable, perhaps something from your family or your husband’s? Margaret is nice, or Isabelle. I think it sounds good with about any longer name I can think of.
Ruby Rose and Sylvie Snow
Love it!!
A twin parent here. I totally understand your dilemma. We used a name we’d always liked with something new and fresh for our 2nd twin. The same family surname in the middle.
I think Ruby and Rose hit that sweet spot of sounding like sisters but aren’t quite matchy-matchy. Then you can slide any names you like into the middle spot.
Some name suggestions that are all over the map:
Margot
Isla
Iris
Topaz
Citrine
Lilac
Tulip
Suzanne
Kiley
Jane
Sylvia
Grace
The first thing I thought of when I heard the name Ruby Rose was the actress/model, and I’ve never even seen anything she’s in. Would that association bother you? I’m not sure if splitting the names up would help lessen the association or not – as Abby said, it depends whether you’d call her Ruby Rose, or just Ruby.
If you’re looking for another name, do you want them to be super matchy? It sounds like you’re going in that direction just because you think you have to. Something like Stella Mae, Hazel Kate, Maya Lou, would all sound good without being overly matchy.