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!
Lauren writes:
We’re expecting our third and final child in a few weeks. We aren’t finding out the gender in advance, but if it’s a boy, his name will be Parker James. If it’s a girl, we have a long list, but no favorites.
Our older kids are Hadley Karen (my mom’s name) and Easton Matthew (middle name for my husband).
We have a list of girl names from our last pregnancy: Peyton, Vivian, Kinsley, Finley, and Emerson. My husband also really liked Annabelle, but it’s too frilly for me. I always thought I would name my first daughter Alison, but it seems like a mom name now.
Hadley might have been Mackenzie, except good friends of ours already had a Mackenzie.
We’re not sure about middle names, but we do think that none of the names on our list are right. Help!
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Lauren –
Congratulations on your third child!
Here’s what leaps out at me: Hadley and Easton are clearly surname names. They both claim roots – Hadley brings to mind The Paris Wife, and Easton appears all over the map. So they’re modern favorites, not invented, but seldom heard on children in big numbers until the last dozen years or so.
Peyton, Finley, and Emerson fit that pattern. So does your boy name, Parker, and Hadley’s almost name, Mackenzie. Kinsley almost fits, though it feels more like Ryker – a surname in style, but a little on the creative side, maybe less likely to be found on Harvard’s crew team circa 1919.
Annabelle and Vivian feel more like outliers, as does Alison.
But if you’ve been considering most of these names for years, I’m not surprised they feel a little tired. Parents often feel like names belong to a pregnancy – or perhaps a moment. Only rarely does our list from our first child still work when we’re welcoming baby three or four.
So let’s find some new names in the key of Hadley and Parker and Easton.
Langley – Lots of -ley names have caught on over the years, from Ashley to Everly. Langley feels a little less discovered, rarer even than Hadley. But … is it too close to Hadley? Or the perfect match?
Hollis – It reminds me of 70s favorite Holly, but with a very current twist.
Maren – Maybe Maren splits the difference between surname names and more traditionally feminine choices? While it can be a surname, Maren is often considered part of the Mary/Margaret family. Or it ties back to the Latin marinus – of the sea.
Parker – Here’s a thought – if this is your final child, would you consider Parker for a daughter? It ranks #96 for boys and #162 for girls … which makes me think it could be great for a daughter, too, especially with a more conventionally feminine middle. Parker Jane, maybe?
Piper – Of course, part of Hadley’s appeal might be the name’s status as a surname used primarily for girls. The same is true for many of your favorites, like Mackenzie. So maybe you’d like Piper? Similar in sound to Parker, but with a strongly feminine vibe.
Quinn – Quinn might be considered Parker’s opposite – it’s far more common for girls at #84, but it still ranks #384 for boys. Still, that makes it more like Piper and Hadley, and maybe a perfect fit.
Winslow – It could be that Winslow is just too rare to consider, but I do think some of the o-enders could be good candidates. There’s Harlow and Marlowe, too, of course.
From your list, my favorite is Emerson. I think it feels very much like a sister for Hadley and Easton (and Parker, too, should it come to that) while still being different enough.
Overall, I’d put Emerson and Piper at the top of my list, but I feel like I could keep suggesting names forever!
Readers, help me out – what are your favorite girl names in this category? Which ones go best with Easton and Hadley?
Parker and Piper sound like sisters to Hadley! Here are some other names similar to Hadley, Peyton, and Mackenzie:
Harper, Emery, McKenna, Ainsley, Blakely
Two hands in the air voting for Parker Jane. I’ve seen several girls in our family circle get the middle name James (Avery James in particular is my favorite of the bunch) and it works great but I’d go more feminine with Parker for balance. Peyton is my runner up for you- great fit with the sibs!
Delaney
Ellis
Sinclair
Weslea
Brennan
Eden
Greer
Georgia
Neve/Neva/Nova
Reva
Honestly if you love Parker why not use it either way? If you don’t like James for a boy she could be Parker Jayne/Jane or Parker June or Parker Jolie or Parker Jewel.
Other suggestions –
Scottie
Shelby
Shiloh
Albany
Waverly
Britta
Connie
Josie
Callie
Kenna
Lincoln
Micah
Denver
Kelsey
Monroe
Merritt
Sheridan
Tamsin
Journey
Chesney
Poppy
Savannah (too popular?)
Cassidy
My favorite suggestion is Piper for you. I love Hollis but wouldn’t personally advocate for repeating a first initial. I’d also not recommend having another “ley” or “on” ending which precludes Emerson and Finley.
A few additional suggestions:
Tiernan
Tierney
Blair
Sutton
Shae
Merritt
Collins
Ellison
How about Ellison? It feels like an updated version of Alison but also has the surname style of your other names and is similar to your pick of Emerson.
Some other ideas…
Ainsley
Everly
Sawyer
Emery
Teagan
Paisley
Ellery
Delaney
Callyn
Kennedy
What about Peyton? Seems like a good mix of Hadley and Easton. Or Avalon is a lot like Alison, but more fresh. Congrats!
Another vote for Parker for your baby regardless of sex. I even like Parker James for a boy or a girl. It’s a lovely name, and surname/unisex names are not really my personal preference.
I also like Sloane, which has been mentioned. I wonder if you might like Pippa? Pippa isn’t unisex or surname-y but feels like it might work with your style.
How about Sutton?? 🙂
I think Parker is perfect for either gender. Abby always says if there’s a name you like, use it. Winslow fits nicely. I noticed both first names are also two syllables. I think Blakely and Darcy fit that pattern, and sound nice with Easton and Hadley.
Since Hadley was the name of Hemingway’s wife, she feels historical (but enjoying a moment in the limelight because of her sound). Love it!
This makes me think of other famous women who have names that are cool right now…
Vivian totally fits! (Vivian Leigh)
Ada (Ada Lovelace)
Camille (Camille Monet)
Ingrid (Ingrid Bergman)
Rosalind (Rosalind Franklin)
Indira (Indira Ghandi)
Florence (Florence Nightingale)
Phoebe (first name of Annie Oakley)
Congrats and best wishes!
How about Arden? It’s a place name/surname, and echoes a lot of the sounds in Parker.
My first thought was that Parker also works for a girl. I’d also like to throw Holland into the mix, it has the same preppy gender neutral quality as Hadley!
Avery, Sydney, Sutton and Monroe came to mind after seeing your style. I also really love the suggestion of using Parker for a daughter too.
I love Hollis (and the sounds it shares with both Easton and Hadley make it a great match!), and Piper, Kendall and Quinn are very sweet. Also, we know a family with a newborn girl named Parker, and I like it! Would you consider Schuyler?
Oh I love the suggestion of Kendall!
One final suggestion that has some of the sounds you enjoy: Kerrigan.
Lots of good suggestion here. My first thought when I saw the sibling names was Sloane. Other ideas:
Tierney
Shea/Shay/Shaye
Mallory
Sheridan
Reese
Paige
Blair/Blaire
Blaine
Bryn/Brynn
Kendall
Larkin