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!
Liz writes:
My husband and I have a son named George Daniel, after my father-in-law and my husband. We call him Geordie, which I love so much.
Part of the reason we used family names for our son is that I always sort of thought I’d name my daughter Elizabeth. I’m the fourth Elizabeth in four generations. It’s not my mom’s name, though. Her older sister, Elizabeth “Beth” passed away before I was born, and so I’m named for her. (And my grandmother and great-grandmother, who went by Liz and Betty. I was Lizzie when I was little.)
But now that we’re expecting a daughter, I’m not sure if that’s what I want to do. This is probably our last baby, and so it’s my last chance to choose a name. But while I see mostly upsides to having a family name, I never actually lived in the same house with someone with the same first/last name as me. Would I resent having to explain that I wasn’t that Elizabeth all the time?
There isn’t necessarily another name I’d like to use, but I feel like I need some outside perspective on whether there’s another name out there.
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your daughter!
It’s funny … men rarely say that they worry about naming a child after themselves. But women really do hesitate. And because women have traditionally given up our surnames at marriage, a daughter with a family name is often not going to share a full name, like a junior will.
There’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s worth reflecting on that difference, I think.
Because it sounds like you’ve always planned to continue a long-standing family tradition. You don’t have to, of course! But I also don’t hear any other names that you’re considering.
So let’s assume your daughter’s name is meant to be Elizabeth – or maybe some form of Elizabeth? – and our task is to figure out exactly how to work with this lovely, classic, and significant name.
BETTY
There’s already an Elizabeth-called-Betty in your family, but it’s been a few generations. This sweetly retro nickname name is ready for a comeback.
BILLIE
Boyish Billie might come from Wilhelmina. But Lily likely originated as a nickname for Elizabeth. And so Billie – with that strong middle B – seems like a contender, too.
BIRDIE
Take the “bet” from Elizabeth, and Birdie emerges as a nickname option. It has the same retro, kicky spirit of Geordie.
ELIZA
Eliza can stand on its own, a spirited update to elegant Elizabeth.
ELLA
The first syllable of Elizabeth naturally leads to nicknames – or names – like Ellie and Ella.
ELSIE
The sound Elsie is right there, if you slur all the syllables of Elizabeth together. It has a delightfully vintage vibe.
LIBBY
A long-time Elizabeth nickname, Libby isn’t especially common right now … but it’s also not out of favor, either. If Abby can be a Top 100 favorite, but not Libby?
LIESEL
A German nickname for Elizabeth, made famous by The Sound of Music.
Some of these names – like Eliza and Liesel – might stand on their own as formal names. And, of course, if you find another name you really love, Elizabeth could always be your daughter’s name.
But my suggestion is Elizabeth called Birdie. Geordie and Birdie are beyond adorable together, and George and Elizabeth feel strong and substantial.
Also: if you do decide to stick with Elizabeth for your daughter’s first name, I’d suggest you choose a daring, bold middle name that you just plain love. It might satisfy that urge to choose a name that’s just for you – and, in a way, that’s a time-honored custom, too.
I love Geordie, a Scottish nickname for George.
Elspeth, the Scottish form of your family name, is also a unique take on Elizabeth and pairs well with her brother’s name.
Elizabeth nn Elspeth
Elspeth nn Elsa or Elsie
I also like Elizabeth called Betsy — classic.
Geordie and Elsa
Geordie and Betsy
I would definitely use some form of Elizabeth to include your daughter in your family tradition. Can’t wait to hear what you choose!
You can always choose to change the spelling of the family name you love to “Elizabeth” with an ‘s’ instead of a ‘z’ for variation? ELISABETH instead of Elizabeth!
That way… I think the nickname recommendation of ELISE that a previous commenter mentioned offers a different feel than the tradition E name makes you wonder.
There’s Libby, but you could also consider Liddy (with D’s) like in 30 Rock.
Or Izzy (traditionally from Isabella, but could work). Might be too close to Liz, though.
Just wanted to say that I love Betsy! Elizabeth Sybil called Betsy would be amazing. Libby is also cool. I have a good friend called Libby. Elizabetta is the Italian version of Elizabeth.
I vote for Elizabeth as a first name, and then select a nickname that you love.
I’m familiar with a family with multiple women named Ebeth (pronounced with a long E at the beginning). For them it’s a standalone name, but I think it is a cool nickname for Elizabeth.
I adore the suggestion Elizabeth nn Libby – absolutely beautiful. You might consider a B middle name such as Beatrice or Brigitte to emphasise the nn. There is also Lisbeth as a possibility (far less frumpy than Elsie and far less twee imo than Lilibet). Isabella is a lovely alternative, nn Belle. But why settle for anything less than the full classic Elizabeth and a charming nn?
I’m liking the idea of doing a similar take to Geordie by playing with the middle name to get a variation.
Edie Elizabeth Delaney (ED) (like Geordie)
Evie Willow suggested Elizabeth with V middle being Evie (EV)
Eloise Elizabeth Louise
Ella as Abby suggested is Elizabeth with an A middle
Bethany Elizabeth Ann (An name eg Anneke, Angel.. Etc)
Emery Elizabeth Mary
Eva Elizabeth with V and A middle names eg Vivienne Ann
Elodie Elizabeth Olive Delilah
Eleni Elizabeth Delaney or Elena
Estelle Elizabeth Stella
Eliana Elizabeth Lana
Elizabeth is a great name. Lots of options
I love Eliza especially.
Elizabeth is probably the best family name to want to pass on, because it’s so versatile. If I were you, I think I’d want to use Elizabeth in full, to maintain the family connection, with a nickname to distinguish.
Of course there are plenty of options for a nickname! I don’t think Liza has been mentioned, so I’ll add that. You could take a further step and use Lisa, which sounds delightfully retro to me, or contract down to Lia.
Elza or Elsa would be lovely choices.
I’ve always like Bethan or Bethel. Or, if you’re really daring, use Ethel!
Abby (from ElizABeth) is a possibility is you want to lessen the nickname’s connection with your name. The letters of Bea are there too, you just need to rearrange them. Bebe works, too.
I could also see Zazie or even Zelie working.
Or, riffing off Betty – Lettie, Ettie, Etta or Zeta. Or just Bette?
If you do decide to go a different route with a name, it struck me that Beatriz shares a lot of letters with Elizabeth, so Beatrice or Beatrix could be a fun choice.
My middle name is Claire, in honor of my mom (Clara), my maternal grandmother (Klara), and my paternal grandmother (Mary Claire). I love that there’s a connecting thread without any of us sharing the exact same name.
That said, I think Elizabeth is a wonderful choice for your daughter. There are lots of great suggestions for nicknames here – Libby is probably my favorite.
I would add Lissy to the list. Geordie and Lissy sound adorable together!
Great suggestion!