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!
Heather writes:
My husband and I are expecting our first baby this summer. We just found out it’s a girl. I’m excited about almost everything, except that choosing a name feels so hard, because our last name is Smith.
My maiden name was almost as common. And my husband’s first name is Mike. There are, literally, thousands of Mike Smiths, and nearly as many Heather Smiths, and probably hundreds of Mike and Heather Smiths. He works for a huge company, and there’s more than one Michael Smith there. (Though not in his actual office.)
I don’t really like different names, and I’m not a big fan of nicknames. (Other than obvious ones, like Mike for Michael.) But if we use the names I like best – Olivia, Eliza, or Amelia – she’s going to be one in a crowd.
Any advice?
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Heather –
Congratulations on your new daughter!
We often hear from families worried their surname is so complicated that they’re limited in their first name choices. It’s good to remember that the opposite can also be true. There must be dozens of girls born every year with a name like Emma Rose Smith or Ella Grace Smith. (Incidentally, the site How Many of Me? estimates there are around 4,800 Heather Smiths in the US. That’s a big number!)
But you do have some good options:
- Choose an uncommon first. That doesn’t mean it has to be wildly different! Plenty of names outside of the Top 100, 500, and even 1,000 feel surprisingly mainstream. Uncommon doesn’t have to equal weird.
- Choose a popular first, but add a surprising middle. Plenty of girls answer to Amelia Rose Smith. But how about Amelia Primrose Smith? Amelia Amaryllis Smith? Choose a stand-out middle and it makes up for a more common first-last combination.
- Combine both strategies. An uncommon first and a surprising middle together can offset the most popular of surnames.
The question is which path feels most satisfying. Since the names you love tend towards the more popular, I’m tempted to suggest the second – some truly bold middles. (Think Amelia Primrose. Olivia Seraphina. Eliza Delphine.)
Except, I wonder if that leaves you with a first-last name combination that might frustrate. So let’s see if we can find an uncommon first that isn’t really all that unusual.
Cordelia – Literary and lovely, Cordelia was the name Anne of Green Gables wanted for her own. With years of history, everyone recognizes Cordelia. And yet, the name teeters on the edge of the Top 1000, meaning it will seldom be shared. It’s as long and lovely as Olivia and Amelia, and if you planned to use those without nicknames, then Cordelia could wear every bit as well.
Helena – The downside to Helena: I can count at least three possible pronunciations. The upside? It’s an uncommon name that feels instantly recognizable. Tailored Helen sidesteps the pronunciation issue, but since that name has previously appeared near the top of the popularity charts, perhaps it’s too common? (Though the name peaked about a century ago.) In any case, Helena has the same feminine, but traditional, appeal as the other names on your list.
Larissa – Larissa peaked in use in the 1990s, the heir to Melissa, Alyssa, and Marissa. Except it never really caught on in big numbers, plateauing in the mid-300s. That means it feels just different enough today, while still being broadly recognized as a girls’ given name. It’s as feminine and flowing as your current favorites.
Marielle – Or Mariel, though American parents favor Arielle, Juliette, and Annabelle these days, which could make Marielle the default spelling. Strictly speaking, Marielle is a form of Marie. But I suspect most parents will just hear it as pretty and surprising.
Matilda – There’s something quirky and cool about Matilda, and it’s rising in use – but it’s still far from common.
Tabitha – We all recognize Biblical Tabitha as a girls’ given name, but it’s not even in the current Top 1000.
Now, having said all that, I do want to point out something about your three favorite names. Olivia is a long-time Top Ten. Amelia sits near the top of the charts, too, with sound-alike Emilia also in the Top 100. But Eliza? Eliza does not make the current Top 100. I’d agree that Eliza Smith is a fairly common combination. But a name like Eliza Marielle Smith might stay just on the right side of too familiar.
Or maybe there’s some great family name that might work in the middle? I know someone with a very common first-last combination, and a wildly unusual family surname that she tends to use most of the time. (I suspect because it’s the only way she stands out from others who share her name, though I’ve never asked.)
So while I’d love to hear more ideas for familiar-but-seldom-heard girls’ names to substitute for Olivia, Amelia, and Eliza, I’m also thinking that Eliza might be exactly the right choice, especially with a bolder, less expected middle.
Readers, what would you suggest to Heather and her husband? Do you have any thoughts on working with a common surname?
There are some great suggestions here I especially like Claudia, Priscilla, Marina, Lydia, Aurelia, Tabitha, and Marielle. I also like:
Natalia
Octavia
Olympia
Agatha
Verona
Genevieve
Ada
Susannah
Vera
Dorothea
Veronica
Gabriella
Justine or Justina
Congratulations on your daughter!!
My maiden name was almost as common as Smith, and –oh!– I HATED it. Having such a “nothing name” growing up gave me the impression that I was unimportant, just a number. It was a relief to accept my husband’s surname.
You are wise to consider giving your darling girl some distinction right from the start.
A few random thoughts:
Beatrice is well-known, thanks to Shakespeare and the British royal family.
Thessaly can be found on maps of the ancient world.
Andromeda is from the stars but comes with the everyday nicknames of Andi, Romy, Dede, Ada, and so forth.
Another literary name is Valancy (from L.M. Montgomery). She’s the one who brought to light Carmody, too.
Marina is a royal, but underused, name.
Greta is classic but not popular.
What month in spring is she due?
Greta March Smith
Greta April Smith
Greta May Smith
Or does a spring flower work in the middle?
Eliza Hyacinth Smith
Eliza Daphne Smith
Eliza Tulip Smith
Eliza Iris Smith
I think the name Aviva means ‘spring’.(Abby, haven’t you done a post on her?)
Aviva comes with a similar feel as Olivia.
Aviva April Smith
Birthstones might work in the middle, too.
Emerald
Diamond
Aquamarine
Pearl
You’ve got a great attitude, and your little girl is going to feel so loved!
Best wishes!
I think that maybe using the same s sound with Smith gives it a bit of jazz as well.
Slyvie Smith
Sheridan Smith
Shay Smith
Sophie Smith
Sadie Smith
I would also think going overboard with the last name would also not work. So I like the idea of surprising better than obscure.
Such a condundrum! Usually people with common names are trying to rebel 🙂 I agree Eliza isn’t in the same camp as Olivia and Amelia, however, Ellie has got to be one of most common nicknames I hear these days. Super cute, but super hot.
You said you don’t mind obvious nicknames. I wonder if you’d like Liv or Mia or Elle. Those have got to be more distinct than their longer forms in terms of the name registry. And if one day she wants to put Olivia or Amelia or Eliza on her resume or name plate, who’s gonna stop her? If she has other girls with her name in her class, she’ll have first dibs on using her name, they can go by their full names (?)
Add in a wonderful whimsical middle name and you’re set! Love that idea. Mia Primrose, Liv Mirabel, Elle Violet.
One other option may be a double first name. Sure there may be a lot of Olivia Smith’s but Olivia-Jo Smith’s? Olivia Josephine Smith shortened to Olivia-Jo? Eliza-Rae? Amelia-Mae? Just think of the Fixer Upper’s girls… Ella-Rose and Emmie-Kay. Makes Ella and Emma much more unique.
Bottom line, you should pick the names you love and to heck with the popularity. It is popular for a reason.
Congratulations on your little girl!
I have a little running list going in my head of names that remind me of the lovely, super-popular names everyone likes but wants to avoid. Maybe some of them are too out-there for this family but I think they have the same pretty, classic feel of Amelia/Abigail/Eliza/Olivia but are a scosh more jazzy.
Zinnia
Sylvie
Liza (this might be a good alternative to Eliza, just as Olive might be a good swap for Olivia?)
Rosalie
Lena
Louisa
Clara
Cecilia (I’m a sucker for some good alliteration and Cecilia Smith is just, like, )
Kinda jealous, TBH! I have a wackadoo long last name and would’ve loved to go January Jones-style for my kids!
Lilia
Aveline
Avalon
Hazel
Coralie
Calla
Acacia
Magnolia
Aurelia
Emmeline
Allegra
Milla
Cecily
My daughter LOVED the name Jane… and no other… when she was expecting her first baby, a girl. BUT their last name was Smith, and she had concerns about naming her daughter “Jane Smith”. So she tried very hard to find a name for her baby that she liked a lot other than Jane, with Jane as the middle name of course. But she would always return to Jane… e.g., Chloe Jane, “but I’d call her Jane”. I encouraged her to just go ahead and name the baby “Jane” since it looked like she would end up being called Jane anyway. Jane is now 9 years old; the name suits her, and Mom is happy with her daughter’s name, no regrets. They did use a somewhat unusual combination: Jane Violet.
I second Abby’s suggestion of Eliza unexpected-middle-name Smith. What fun to choose a classic yet not overly used middle name to go with one of your most favorite first names.
I think it helps that Eliza (like Jane) is not a top 10 name. I find Olivia (#2) and Amelia (#8) more problematic as they were both in the U.S. Top 10 in 2017, while Eliza ranked at #140.
I tried the How Many of Me? website (how cool is that?? Love it) to try to keep the combinations uncommon:
Elodie Smith (14, the website’s minimum)
Felicity Smith (14)
Fiona Smith (43)
Hermione Smith (14)
Penelope Smith (188)
Philippa Smith (14)
Phoebe Smith (130)
Ophelia Smith (159)
Violetta Smith (14)
I thought of Serena (188) as well, but maybe you don’t like alliterating names.
Cordelia is a gorgeous name! These might vary a bit in popularity, but here are my suggestions:
Marguerite
Priscilla
Lydia
Bianca
Louisa
Emmeline
Anastasia
Georgia
Audrey
Claudia
Sonia
Celeste
Savannah
Monica