Name Help: A Sibling for Wren, Mira, and Orin

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!

Bonnie writes:

My husband and I take a long time picking out our kids’ names. Our three kids (two girls and a boy) are getting a brother or sister soon; we won’t find out which.

Our daughters are Wren Olivia and Mira Belle. Our son is Orin Scott.

I need help settling on a girl and boy name.

Names we sort of like, but haven’t quite clicked are:

• Dune, Remi, Lark, and Gavin for boys
• Mavis, Rue, Eden, Reina, Aya, Anya, and Serena for girls; we also like Moira, but maybe it’s too similar to Mira?

Our last name is one syllable, with a long A sound.

Thanks for your input!

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

Abby replies:

Congratulations on baby four!

I love the way your kids’ names feel current, but a little different, too.

Once a family has two or three kids, it’s so tempting to see patterns – even when they’re not planned. Or meaningful! Or necessary to continue.

But it does strike me that your kids all have four-letter names with an R sound: Wren, Mira, Orin.

Moira feels much too similar to Mira. Lark would be, I think, very close to Wren. (Not impossibly so, if it were your absolute first choice. But since it’s not, my inclination is to drop it from your list.)

While you haven’t mentioned popularity – and I don’t think it should necessarily be a dealbreaker – I’m tempted to drop Gavin and Eden because they’re both fairly common.

That leaves Mavis, Rue, Reina, Aya, Anya, and Serena for girls, and Dune and Remi for boys.

Before we go any farther, let’s talk about Remi.

Sometimes trends catch up to us as our families grow. That happened with Wren, right?

Something similar is happening with Remi. I expect this spelling – with the I – to break into the girls’ Top 100 soon. It’s less common for boys, but still rising in use. That said, the spelling Remy is more popular for boys and, again, will almost certainly be more common in the future.

I’m tempted to ask if Remi/y is an option for a daughter, too? But with the caveat that it would probably be the name most likely to be shared.

A SISTER FOR WREN, MIRA, and ORIN

Anya, Aya, Mavis, Serena, Reina, and Rue all seem like great options. I’m particularly drawn to Rue for your family. It hits the same familiar, not common, note. Or maybe Anya?

If not any of these, would you consider something like:

BRIA – We’ve gone through years of Brianna and Leah, but Bria sounds like an expected choice that’s not too much like either of those former favorites.

DELIA – I’d say Delia falls midway between antique Mavis and romantic Serena.

EDIE – It’s rarer than Eden, but plenty wearable.

LEDA – Or Lita, Lida, or Leta? Like Mira, it’s the kind of name we feel like we should know, but can’t quite place.

RITA – Delightfully old school, Rita shares sounds with Reina and Rue, but also seems similar to Mira.

SCOUT – Like Wren, it’s a word name with a fresh, adventurous spirit.

VITA – Or maybe Vida. Both come from the Latin words for life. Vitus is a Latin name; Vito, a masculine staple in Italian. But Vita/Vida feels nicely unexpected in English.

ZORA – It’s tempting to suggest Cora, but that’s maybe too common compared to your other children’s names. Thora is a little out there. But Zora? It feels just right.

A BROTHER FOR WREN, MIRA, and ORIN

I do think Dune is perfect, but if it’s not quite right, maybe:

ARLO – Currently a Top 200 choice and rising, but Arlo just sounds perfect with Wren, Mira, and Orin. Also, all four names contain an R, are exactly four letters, and have a different ending sound. If such things matter …

FORD – A surname name with a certain Americana vibe.

GREY – Would a color name appeal? It can also be spelled Gray.

RAFE – Rafe is smooth and strong, and just a little unexpected.

RIDGE – Word names, and nature names, keep coming up, like Wren and Dune. So maybe Ridge is worth a look?

RORY – If Remi isn’t quite right, maybe Rory would appeal?

TRUE – True is a modern virtue name possibility with some history. Currently, Tru – hold the E – ranks in the boys’ Top 1000.

ZEKE – A little retro, Zeke is probably a slightly more mainstream choice than Dune, but still nicely different.

I keep coming back to names like Rita/Vita and Rory/Zeke.

Maybe the first question is whether the pattern matters to you at all? I’m guessing it does not, but it might help you rule out (or in) some name possibilities.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sibling for Wren Olivia, Mira Belle, and Orin Scott?