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Name Help: Hadley, Easton, and …

August 23, 2019 By appellationmountain 17 Comments

Name Help: A Sibling for Hadley and EastonName 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?

More names you might like:

  • Name Help: Babies We Have NamedName Help: Babies We Have Named
  • Marlowe: Baby Name of the DayMarlowe: Baby Name of the Day
  • Piper: Baby Name of the DayPiper: Baby Name of the Day
  • Name Help: Unisex Surname Names for Baby 5Name Help: Unisex Surname Names for Baby 5
  • 73 Spunky Girl Names: Pippa, Romy, and More73 Spunky Girl Names: Pippa, Romy, and More

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Comments

  1. JK Garrisin says

    September 10, 2019 at 5:49 PM

    Parker and Piper sound like sisters to Hadley! Here are some other names similar to Hadley, Peyton, and Mackenzie:

    Harper, Emery, McKenna, Ainsley, Blakely

    Reply
  2. AlexiswithaG says

    August 26, 2019 at 7:30 AM

    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

    Reply
  3. Maddison says

    August 25, 2019 at 2:52 AM

    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

    Reply
  4. Jaime says

    August 24, 2019 at 4:48 PM

    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

    Reply
  5. Em says

    August 24, 2019 at 12:44 AM

    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

    Reply
  6. Keats says

    August 23, 2019 at 9:47 PM

    What about Peyton? Seems like a good mix of Hadley and Easton. Or Avalon is a lot like Alison, but more fresh. Congrats!

    Reply
  7. Jean C. says

    August 23, 2019 at 9:22 PM

    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.

    Reply
  8. R says

    August 23, 2019 at 5:26 PM

    How about Sutton?? 🙂

    Reply
  9. Megan says

    August 23, 2019 at 1:43 PM

    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.

    Reply
    • The Mrs. says

      August 23, 2019 at 5:02 PM

      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!

      Reply
  10. Kate says

    August 23, 2019 at 1:32 PM

    How about Arden? It’s a place name/surname, and echoes a lot of the sounds in Parker.

    Reply
  11. Cece says

    August 23, 2019 at 9:56 AM

    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!

    Reply
  12. Liz says

    August 23, 2019 at 9:23 AM

    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.

    Reply
  13. Dana says

    August 23, 2019 at 8:21 AM

    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?

    Reply
    • Liz says

      August 23, 2019 at 9:19 AM

      Oh I love the suggestion of Kendall!

      Reply
  14. Erin Beth says

    August 23, 2019 at 8:17 AM

    One final suggestion that has some of the sounds you enjoy: Kerrigan.

    Reply
  15. Erin Beth says

    August 23, 2019 at 8:10 AM

    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

    Reply

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