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!
Sam writes:
I am the youngest in a big family, and the last in my circle of close friends, to start a family of my own. Many of the names I always imagined using for my daughter are already taken by nieces/friends’ kids.
My boyfriend was set on naming the baby William if it was a boy. (Not a family name, he just likes it.) He doesn’t have any opinions about girl names, except to mostly say “yeah, that’s good” to everything I suggest.
The names I really liked that we can’t use are Aubrey, Avery, Chloe, Evelyn/Everly, and Harlow.
I’m Samantha, but I’ve always been Sam, so I’ve thought about giving my daughter a name like Joanna/Jo or Alexis/Alex, but not those names, if that makes sense.
She’ll have my boyfriend’s last name, which sounds like Hirsh-ner.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
I think your idea is a clever one. While a name like Joanna-called-Jo isn’t exactly naming your daughter for yourself, it’s a fun way to link your names.
And since your boyfriend has given you a blank birth certificate, well … as frustrating as that can be, it might also mean you can choose a name you really love!
Let’s focus on feminine names with a built-in boyish short form. While Joanna/Jo and Alexis/Alex fit that brief, they’re names from an earlier generation. Joanna peaked in 1984; Alexis in 1998. Instead, let’s focus on names that feel more current now.
NAMES LIKE SAM
AURORA/RORY
A popular name borrowed from mythology, folklore, and the night sky, Aurora easily shortens to boyish Rory – a popular pick for both genders.
FRANCES/FRANKIE
Francesca works, too. There’s something fun about classic, refined Frances answering to sparky Frankie. Frannie is another choice.
GEORGIA/GEORGIE
When it comes to names that nearly everybody loves, Georgia makes the list. It’s a good mix of traditional and current, and it sounds like a sister for William, should you ever grow your family.
KATHERINE/KIT
Speaking of traditional names, Katherine is an obvious sister name for William. Kate might be the obvious nickname, but Kit works, too – and feels more like Sam.
LUNA/LOU
Lou could also be short for Louisa, Louise, Lula, Tallulah, Lucy, Lucille, Lucinda … and lots more Lou names. But Luna is quite popular right now, so I’m leading with that possibility.
NICOLA/NICO
Nicole is more of a sister for Alexis or Joanna, but Nicola is something different – a little more timeless, at least in the US. And nickname Nico is vibrant, edgy, and undeniably unisex.
THEODORA/TEDDY
Most Theodores answer to Theo. Theodora could, too, but Teddy feels like another possibility, one that’s less expected but every bit as wearable.
WILLOW/BILLIE
If you think this child will complete your family, maybe it’s worth talking about a feminine form of William. Willa and Willow are two options, as is Wilhelmina. Because Billie is quite stylish for a daughter now.
NAMES LIKE AVERY
Though your shortlist makes me wonder if what you’d really like is something a little more unisex in style … even if it’s used predominantly for girls? Avery, Aubrey, Everly, and Harlow bring to mind names like:
EMERY, EMERSON
A logical extension from Emily and Emma, with a dash of Avery or Allison mixed in.
HADLEY
Popularized by The Paris Wife, a 2011 work of historical fiction about Hadley Richardson Hemingway, the author Ernest Hemingway’s first wife.
HAVEN
Another H name in the key of Harlow with an appealing meaning.
QUINN
Brief, complete, and ranked in the Top 100 for girls since 2015.
SLOANE
Sleek and sophisticated, Sloane falls somewhere between neglected classic Joan and modern favorites like Quinn.
TATUM
A surname name that’s gaining in popularity for boys and girls alike.
Overall, my favorite is probably Emery or Emerson. It gives you both the unisex style you like, as well as a feminine nickname – Emmy, choose your spelling.
I’m suggesting Audrey, nickname Rey. Similar sounds to the names you like and gives you an option of feminine first name with unisex nickname.
What about Josephine/Jo or Charlotte/Charlie? I think more classic names with boyish nicknames fit between your style and your boyfriends.
Other ideas:
-Alexandra/Alex
-Eleanora/Leo/Noah (or Eleanor or Lenore or Leonora)
-Maxine/Max
I have a friend Jennifer who went by Jeff for a while. Other ideas: Solvieg or Solange/Sol, Philippa/Flip, Alexandra/Xan or Sandy or Sasha; Edwina/Eddie; Edith/Edie; Sydney/Syd; Anastasia/Stas; Constantina/Stan; Juliet/Jet; Alberta/Bert; Hallie/Hal; Darlington/Dare; Carlotta/Lot; Jacqueline/Jake
More unisex names that might appeal: Riley, Remy, Mackenzie/Mac/Ken; Sutton, Sullivan; Dale; Carlisle/Cai
Similar to Aubrey, Avery, and Evelyn: Audrey, Ainsley, Vivian
Chloe made me think of Zoe, Cleo, Mackenzie, Josie, Jovie, Mara, Zara, Maisie, Kaia (ky-ah), Jade
Harlow made me think of Margo, Marlowe, Hallie, Hadley, Norah
First names with boyish nicknames:
Charlotte “Charlie”
Mackenzie “Mack” or “Mickey”
Emerson or Susannah or Sutton or Madison or Addison “Sonny”
Cassandra “Casey” “Andy”
Or you could do something like
Ainsley Jade “AJ”, Margo June “MJ”, Kaia Catherine “KC/Kacey”, Cleo Jane “CJ”, Jovie Catherine “Jace/Jacie/JC”
Stevie on its own is another one that’s popular for little girls, though I think Stephanie as a full name with Stevie as the nickname also works. Also Joey, with Josephine as a full name.
Some of the more modern sounding surname style names that are popular in this area: Brinley/Brynlee (Bryn); Oakley/Oaklyn; Paisley; Rylan, for both boys and girls. Emersyn is quite trendy and I also know of a number of little girls called Hadley. The latter name and pictures of all the little Hadleys pop up a lot on my Facebook feed. Ellie is also extremely common as a nickname or stand alone. I’ve also heard of a few little girls named Elliott and called Ellie. You might want to take note of your state’s popularity rankings for last year to figure out who is likely to be in your daughter’s class and what is is in use but not as common. It might give you a few more ideas.
Frances named Frankie is such a good option! I also love Hadley and feel like it’s in the same vibe as a lot of the names on the no-use list.
Some other ideas:
Charlotte called Charlie
Juliet called Jude
Maxine called Max
Olive called Ollie
Veronica called Ronnie
Evangeline nn Evan was my first thought.
A little bit of the v sound of Avery and Evelyn/Everly, a little bit of the long name/boyish nn vibe. And there are options if her daughter wants to choose a more feminine nn later.
My suggestion would be Embry and goes by Em or Bree
Fernanda/Fern
Harriet/Hattie or Harry
Philippa/Pippa or Pippin
Antonia/ Annie or Toni
Basilia/Baz
Sylvie
Isolde
Tabitha
Etta