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!
Beth writes:
We are expecting our third daughter, a sister for Amelia Anne and Olivia Grace. Our boy name for years has been Ethan, after my husband’s late brother. This is almost certainly our last child, so if there was a girl version of Ethan, I’d consider it. But there’s just not. And we love our girls’ names, and don’t want something different, so we’re not that family who would name a daughter Ethan.
But it is also hard to find a name that’s not too much like Amelia and Olivia. We almost agreed on Penelope, but good friends just gave that name to their daughter, and I think there would be hard feelings. We like long girl names, mostly ending with a, but we’re not sure what goes with Amelia and Olivia without being too similar?
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Beth –
Congratulations on your third daughter!
Here’s the good news: you know your style, and you know what you like. Amelia and Olivia are feminine, traditional in style, and currently quite stylish.
The dilemma, of course, is that so many names might be ruled out because they’re too close to Olivia and Amelia. Emilia is a no, of course. And maybe some others.
But if you like the long and lovely sound of such names, then I wouldn’t try too hard to escape it. It’s a question of finding a name with a sound that’s just distinctive enough to work with Olivia and Amelia.
Alessia – Alexa is everybody’s go-to digital assistant, and Alexia isn’t too different. But Alessia is her Italian cousin, and I think it works. Pop singer Alessia Cara has made the name more familiar, but it’s still #580.
Elena – Would an E name be enough to honor Ethan? It’s subtle, but it’s something to consider. A romance language cousin to Helen, Elena is three-syllables, ends with a, and yet sounds different compared to Olivia and Amelia. Elena ranks #66.
Eliza – If not Elena, how about Eliza? Originally short for Elizabeth, it’s long been perceived as an independent name. Hamilton has given the name a boost, but it was already catching on. Eliza ranks #131.
Georgia – Georgia is just a little shorter than Amelia and Olivia, but I think it still works perfectly. There’s something upbeat and spunky about this name. Everybody seems to love it, but it’s just #223 – which always surprises me!
Lucia – I’m saying it loo-see-uh, three syllables just like your older girls’ names, but it’s worth noting that some will say it with two: loo-sha. The Latin name comes from lux – light. It ranks #183.
Rosalie – Since Penelope ends with the ‘ee’ sound, I wonder if Rosalie might appeal? It’s feminine and traditional, but a little different. Rosalie ranks #208. It’s the French form of Rosalia, which might meet your criteria better on paper – but I think it’s Rosalie that feels more like a sister for Olivia and Amelia.
Sienna – Unlike Olivia and Amelia, you won’t find a Sienna in 1889 or 1919. But it doesn’t feel invented, probably because there’s the Italian city of Siena, and Saint Catherine of Siena. The double ‘n’ spelling is far more popular as a given name, possibly because it’s how we spell the orangey-red color, which puts Sienna in the same category as Ruby and Scarlett. It ranks #186.
Valentina – It strikes me that you use Olivia and Amelia in full. That makes me think of Valentina, another name that qualifies and long and lovely. Valentina ranks #81.
One other thought: would you consider the middle name Eden? it’s not related to Ethan, but the sound is similar.
My favorite combination is Eliza Eden. I think Olivia, Amelia, and Eliza work perfectly together. They’re all elaborate, feminine names with a endings. And Eden seems like a great middle name nod to Ethan.
Readers, over to you. What would you name a sister for Olivia and Amelia? And have I missed any ways to honor Ethan for a girl?
Another loose anagram of Ethan is Thea! I think that would be sweet. You could pair it with an N middle name to capture all the letters/sounds. Thea Nicole, Thea Nova.
Of course, I like Thea Jane, TJ ❤️
What about Etienne?
Evangelina. Covers for Ethan and ends with an a.
Middle name : Eden
Sounds pure, beautiful, saintly, and pretty nice.
EVANGELINA EDEN
Sophia, Isabella, or Annabella would be perfect for you.
Also…
Anastasia
Juliana
Juliette/Julietta
Or other good options that don’t end in a but seem to fit…
Emmeline (too close to Amelia, maybe?)
Lisette
Charlotte
And last but not least, a possible very loose anagram of Ethan…
Annette
Was coming back to suggest Juliet and Juliana but @Em beat me to it. I will add Madeleine and Bernadette as possible sisters to Olivia and Amelia.
I love the suggestion of Veronica for you. Some of my other favorite options:
Genevieve
Ginevra
Victoria
Lucretia
Lucinda
Claudia
Susanna
Josephine
Ethel (maybe in the middle, as an honor name)
Dorothea (shared sounds with Ethan)
A name ending in “ette” could also be a subtle honor name:
Antoinette
Jeanette
Henrietta
Amelia and Olivia are lovely, just as much separately and as a set! They immediately made me think of Eliana, Lydia, Sophia, and Isabella (forgive repeat suggestions!). Stretching your rules a little but sticking with the same general feeling (long, feminine, and classic but current), maybe you’d like Charlotte, Eleanor, Madeleine, or Caroline? And Penelope reminds me of whimsical choices like Annabelle, so perhaps something more to that effect? I also really like Abby’s suggestions, especially Rosalie and Eliza, and would like to suggest Helena in addition to Elena. How refreshing to embrace more popular choices–many of them are such great names. Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will just as gorgeous as the names you’ve already chosen for your daughters!
What about Elisabeth? It ends with the ‘eth’ that Ethan starts with. Plus, it’s long, classy, and feminine, just like Amelia and Olivia.
Or what about Phoebe? It may be a good replacement for Penelope. I know it’s short next to Amelia and Olivia, but not noticeably so. They all match well in style.
My favorites from Abby’s suggestions are Georgia, Rosalie, and Eliza.
Other ideas:
Isabella
Helena
Matilda
Liana or Eliana
I think Elena is such a wonderful sister name for Amelia and Olivia. Could you pair it with a middle name that has the same initial as Ethan’s middle so they have similar initials in order to honor him? Although it isn’t as long, I think Ella pairs well nicely. I also think Eloise and Juliet would fit well too.
Eliza, Georgia and Rosalie are my favorite of Abby’s suggestions, and I also really like Sienna (though I prefer one “n”) and Valentina. Would you consider Susanna, Gabriella, Francesca, Bianca, Theodora or Veronica? Eden would be a darling middle name!
From Abby’s suggestions, I love Eliza the most, it would go so well with Amelia and Olivia imo! Also, Abby mentioned Alessia, which made me think why not Alexandra, since you like long girl names. It’s longer than Olivia and Amelia but may appeal to you.
How about Julia, Victoria, Mia (or is it too close, as Mia can potentially be a nickname for Amelia?), Helena, Lydia, Sophie, Serena, Matilda, Alice, Maria, Cordelia (as long as rhyming with Amelia isn’t an issue), Louisa, Natalia/Noelia, Lilliana (or perhaps some other Lil- name), Clarissa, Virginia.
I’ve once written a short story with a sibset Amelia and Lucretia as characters, I’ve always felt like those names are fabulous for sisters and Olivia would fit in too, especially that it fits your criteria of being girly, long and ending in -a. But perhaps it’s a bit too bold an option and maybe Lucia would be better.
I am personally not a big fan of neither Ethan nor Eden but I like Abby’s idea of Eden being used as a feminine form of Ethan, it has a modern feel but not overly and definitely does sound similar.
What came to my mind when I was thinking about a possible feminine form of Ethan is that there is Athena for a girl, which obviously doesn’t have anything to do with Ethan etymologically but looks very much like it having all the letters and sounds of it plus one extra a. Perhaps that would be a good idea for you, whether as a middle or a first, and also as a potential alternative for the mythical Penelope. It also has 6 letters just like Amelia and Olivia but doesn’t feel too matchy to me.
A loose anagram of Ethan like Athena is a lovely suggestion. Thea could work too!
Go with Isabella or Sophia. They are good matches and as trendy as your Olivia and Amelia. Pair them with a one syllable name like Jane, Kate, or Rose; and you will have the perfect sibset.