Name Help: A Sister for Felicity, Bennett, and Oscar

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!

Marie writes:

We have three children: Felicity Annabelle, Bennett Leo, and Oscar Sam. We are thrilled to be having another girl, but I am so indecisive about settling on a name!

I love too many names, and have a hard time saying THIS is the name.

I tend to like longer antique or classic names for girls, that aren’t too popular, like Eleanor, Adeline, Josephine, Evangeline, Genevieve, Elizabeth, Vivian/Vivienne, and Juliet. But I love sweet short names like Nellie, Molly, Sally, Betsy, Stella, and Eliza, too.

The middle name will be Faith and last name is Is@@c.

My husband is not too opinionated about the names, but we do like the same style.

The ones we have vetoed for various reasons are:

• Adeline – too popular and too many crazy spellings
• Eleanor – close friend’s child
• Nellie – good friend’s name
• Josephine/Josie – have a nephew Joseph
• Eliza – LOVE it and would use it in a heartbeat, but its way to close to our last name
• Stella – husband doesn’t like
• Beatrice
• Cordelia
• Genevieve

The names we are considering are Elizabeth called Betsy, Molly, Vivian, and Evangeline. But is Evangeline too religious paired with middle name Faith?

Alexander called Zander is our top boy name, in cause the doc was wrong! I also love Felix, Anderson, Maxwell, Graham, and Elliott.

Any more suggestions or critique would be appreciated.

Please read on for my suggestions, and leave your helpful thoughts in the comments!

Dear Marie –

There’s a have-your-cake and eat it too, solution here – a longer formal name with a nickname. It’s a way to have the best of Eleanor and Molly. If you’re torn between two styles, I’d always suggest opting for a nickname-rich name.

Elizabeth called Betsy seems exactly, 100% perfect. Elizabeth Faith. Is it classic? Yes. Overused? Maybe in raw numbers, but it doesn’t feel overused to me. Plus, very few Elizabeths these days are called Betsy, so I think you’d find her everyday use name a standout.

Let’s look at some other possibilities:

Adelaide – Adelaide sidesteps the many, multiple spellings of Adeline. Like Felicity, it’s a longer name that is likely to be used in full. It seems very much in keeping with your style, too.

Caroline – We’ve overlooked Caroline in favor of her cousin, Charlotte. But Caroline reminds me of Adeline in style, but without all of the spelling confusion. Will you meet a Karilynn or two? Sure. But the spelling hasn’t splintered the same way. Caroline feels every bit as classic as Elizabeth, but perhaps slightly less common.

Louisa – I’m not sold on Louisa I@@c, and yet, I do love Louisa. The name manages to combine the classic with the underused, and there are plenty of Louisa nickname options. Another choice that reminds me Louisa and Louise, but is slightly more mainstream? Eloise. I mention it because you have Elizabeth and Eleanor on your list already.

Margaret – Speaking of Elizabeth and Eleanor, Margaret claims just as much classic status, plus an almost bottomless number of nicknames. But it’s not quite as popular, and that might make it feel a little more appealing to you. Though I’m not sure Margaret has the same vibe as Felicity. But her French cousin, Marguerite? That’s a name worth considering!

Matilda – I can imagine Felicity with a sister named Matilda. Nicknames like Mille and Tilly are baked in, but not necessary.

Veronica – Veronica feels like a quirky classic. The name boasts history galore, and while the name cracked the US Top 100 in the 1980s, it doesn’t scream “80s Name” to me.

Overall, my sense is that Elizabeth Faith, called Betsy, makes the perfect sister name for Felicity, Bennett, and Oscar.

The question of Evangeline Faith depends on your personal tastes. It strikes me as religious, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the parents of an Evangeline Faith chose it for spiritual meaning. But I think Evangeline is popular for lots of reasons – the sound, the overall style, and, of course, the literary associations with the name. So I don’t think the combination is necessarily a dealbreaker – unless you want it to be.

I should also ask this: do you imagine you’ll have a fifth child? If the answer is maybe, then disregard this next part. But if you’re confident that your family will be complete, I wonder if you might consider Alexandra for a girl?

But I so know how you feel! Great possibilities abound, and it’s tough to shorten your list. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve helped by adding new options!

Readers, what do you think? Is Elizabeth “Betsy” Faith Is@@c the name? Or would you suggest something else?