Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every Saturday, 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!
Jen writes:
We’re expecting baby number three in September. It’s a girl. Naming our first two children was easy, but this time, we agree on NOTHING!
Our son is Henry Elliot. Henry has been my favorite boy name forever. Elliot is from my husband’s family tree, but really, we just kind of liked the two names together.
Our daughter is Alice Kimberly. There’s no real story to Alice, it just was the first name we agreed on, and I’ve come to love it more and more. Kimberly is my aunt’s name. She’s also Alice’s godmother, and I wanted Alice to have a name from my side to balance things out.
Last name sounds like Woffet, but with an M.
Names I like, but my husband does not: Cora, Louise/Louisa, Clara
Names my husband likes, but I don’t: Sarah, Emily, Ruby, Daisy, Jane
We agree on Charlotte, but we know three already. (We also know two other Henrys, and we know of one other Alice, but we didn’t know any of them before our kids were born, and somehow I’m not bothered by the idea that there are other kids out there as much as I feel like I’m repeating when I already know the kids.)
Also, Charlotte doesn’t sound great with our last name. That’s probably why we dropped Violet, another name that we almost agree on.
Because his dad and my grandfather are both Joseph, we like the idea of Josephine, but I hate, hate, hate Josie. So I don’t want to use it as a first name. And I really don’t care for nicknames in general. I think that’s why I can’t get behind Jane, which I almost like and might not rule out if we really had nothing else – but would it always be Janie? I don’t irrationally dislike Janie the way that Josie makes me cringe, but it’s still not a name I would choose.
If Alice had been a boy, we would probably have named her Max or maybe Maxwell.
Talking about this is making me nuts, and we’re getting closer and closer to my due date with no names. Help!
Read on for my response, and please leave your helpful suggestions in the comments.
Hi Jen –
Congratulations on baby #3! It feels like you and your husband have very similar taste in names, and you’ve done a beautiful job naming your older children. I’m sure the right name is close – even if it doesn’t feel that way right now!
We’re looking for a girl’s name that is:
- Traditional
- Nickname-proof
- Goes well with Henry and Alice
A great many traditional names come with nicknames galore. Katherine, Elizabeth, Margaret, and company are all out. But I think there are still quite a few to consider.
Claire – Claire is close to Clara, from your list, but also reminds me of Jane. Unlike Jane, it’s relatively rare to meet a Claire called Clary. (It happens, of course. In The Mortal Instruments, Clary is short for Clarissa.) Claire is classic, and sounds like a sister for Henry and Alice. Plus, I love the sound of Claire Josephine!
Lucy – Lucy sounds a lot like Ruby from his list, but also the Louisa/Louise from your favorites. Henry, Alice, and Lucy work nicely together.
Margot – Daisy is sometimes considered a nickname for Margaret, but you’ve ruled out nickname names. Margot also started out as a form of Margaret, but stands on its own in 2016. I love the way Margot sounds with your surname. (And since you’ve considered Max, I’m assuming you’re on board with the initials M.M.)
Kate – Recommending Margot rather than Margaret made me think of Kate. The downside to Kate is that it could easily become Katie, which is exactly the problem you’re hoping to avoid with Jane/Janie. And yet, I do feel like it fits with your overall style well, so I’ll let you decide if it works or not.
Emma – Normally I don’t recommend the most popular names. Except. Emma would be a great compromise between your Cora and his Emily. And you haven’t mentioned knowing any other Emmas, the way you know Charlottes.
Iris – Because Violet was almost the name, and Daisy is on his list, I wanted to find another floral name. Iris is elegant and nickname proof, but I wonder if runs together a little bit with Alice? To me, Henry, Alice, and Iris sound great together, but I’ll be curious to hear others’ reactions.
Nora – If Cora is out, how about Nora? I think it feels a little more traditional and buttoned-down, but still has some of Cora’s vintage appeal.
Georgia – I would probably call Georgia nickname-rich. There’s Georgie and Gigi, after all, and I could probably find a few more options. Except that the Georgias I know typically don’t use nicknames. So I think Henry, Alice, and Georgia would go together nicely.
Overall, I think Claire is my favorite. It’s so close to names you’re already considering, but it sidesteps the problem of Jane/Janie. Though there are lots of options that work beautifully, and I also love the sound of Henry, Alice, and Nora.
Readers, what would you suggest to Jen? Are there other names they should consider for Henry and Alice’s sister?
I know this isn’t exactly traditional, and the baby is already born, but I adore the thought of MAXIE with the other two. It doesn’t fit your style, but its what first came to the top of my head. Sure, jokes galore. But, if you could look past the jokes, and initial reaction, its a really cute name!
Oh, I’m late to this one but I love a lot of the suggestions, and am going to throw Carrie in the mix!
Mary was the first name to come to mind. Or Marie if you want to stay with 5 letters/2 syllables. Both work with Josephine as a middle. Macy or Maisy, too.
Audrey Josephine
Hazel Josephine
Teresa Josephine
Delia Josephine
Betty or Betsy Josephine
Ella Josephine
Annette Josephine
Adele Josephine
Maeve Josephine
Flora Josephine
Fiona Josephine
(So many options!)
My favorite suggestion is Nora Josephine. Henry, Alice, and Nora/Norah is gorgeous! If you use the Norah spelling then all 3 kiddos will have names 5 letters long (sweet but subtle connection among them)
What about
Eloise (it’s a nice combo of your Louise and his Emily)
Lydia
Esther
Amelia/Emilia
Evelyn
Caroline
Eliza
Vivian
Lily
Ivy
Vera (this is great with Alice and Henry and virtually nickname proof as well but it also sounds similar to your other choices of Violet and Cora)
Suggestions: Thea, May, Rose, Joanna, Flora, Imogen, Eliza, Eloise, Fiona, Belle, Edie, Helen, Elaine, Tessa
Whoops, hit post too soon. Then I saw your husband nixed Cora, and was bummed. I think you should convince him, but barring that, Nora Josephine is just as good, I think! What lovely names your older two have. Congrats!
First one to come to mind is Cora Josephine Woffet-with-an-M!
Before reading the post, I thought of Charlotte. It’s perfect for your style. If it’s out, though, I like the suggestions of Lucy, Eleanor, Emma, and Claire.
What about Isla? Short, pretty, little bit vintage. Isla Josephine sounds lovely. Henry, Alice and Isla.
Absolutely love the suggestion of Margot.
Do you like peaceful Irene? Henry, Alice, and Irene. It is a bit sing-songy with Josephine as a middle.
How about Estelle? It’s as feminine and tailored as Alice, doesn’t really lend itself to nicknames, and sounds glorious with Josephine. Henry, Alice, & Estelle.
Estelle Josephine _offet.
There’s also Maren. Classic and lovely, two syllables like her siblings, underused, and elegant. Maren Josephine _offet.
Henry, Alice, & Maren.
Best wishes!
Nora Claire?
Hazel Jane?
I immediately thought of Fern. But I love Fern and love suggesting Fern!! I think Henry, Alice, and Fern is truly lovely though. I know a lot of people above like Claire, and I do too, but I know soooo many baby Claires and Claras (why? How? I don’t know but I’ve met at least five in the last year. Too me these names are too similar to count separately, you know?) I’ve NEVER met a baby Fern. I also love the suggestion of Vera. Other names I like for you:
Edith
Daphne
Carmen
Joan
Dorothy (although this one is nickname central, which doesn’t seem to be your thing. Still makes a great sibset I think).
Mabel
Simone
Let us know what you decide!
My first thought was Celia or Cecilia. Do you like Lena?
Caroline or Carolina
Marion
Juliet
June
Vera
Ivy
Sylvie
May
Odette
Eve
How about either Marian or Mariel?
Cora was my instant thought when I saw your other children’s names. Then, I saw you’ve considered it already and it isn’t your husband’s favorite. Hopefully he can reconsider. It also is lovely with Josephine as a middle. If not, Iris is a close second.
How about Ruth? Traditional, elegant, and mostly nickname-proof.
Ooh, or Prose!
What about Delia, Edith, Julie, Leila, Maeve, Olive and Pearl.
Lucy and Claire seem like natural choices with Henry and Alice. Lucy _offett, Claire _offett both sound good. Lucy and Alice / Lucy and Claire sound like sisters without being matchy. Best wishes.
Claire Josephine is a fantastic suggestion. I also like the suggestions of Viola and May. I know two sisters named Alice and Katie. And those are their give names not nicknames. So Kate could work as well, except for the high probability that people will call her Katie.
You can also look at the always classic Mary.
Henry, Alice, and Mary…. though I really do think Claire Josephine is beyond amazing. Best of luck.
Alice and Iris are too close for my taste (in fact, my brain smooshed them when I was writing the sentence and it came out “Alis.”
I like Claire and Lucy, and the suggestion of June is great. June is really growing on me!
What about Lily, Layla, Lila or Hazel? I also think Claire Josephine is great.
Caroline and Beatrice came to me later because Alice and Henry have a sort of British vibe like these 2 – but maybe too long or not nickname proof enough…
I love Claire Josephine! I like that Josephine honors both sides of your family, sort of rounds things out in the name honoring department.
I have a 6-year-old granddaughter named Jane and called Jane. I think you can avoid the nickname. (On the other hand, I know a 6-year-old Alice who was given that name to get to “Allie”; she’s called both.)
I like the suggestion of Claire, but I’d spell it the traditional British way, Clare; I think that goes better with Henry and Alice.
I think JANE, Clare, Emma, and Lucy work well with Henry and Alice. Margot,Georgia and Iris not so much, and Kate seems too much a nickname/shortening, while Henry and Alice are traditional full given names
Just noticed that Mommy’s name is Jen, so Jane is probably too close.
Really like Clare or Claire Josephine for you.
My suggestions: Anna/Hannah, Grace, Eleanor, Audrey, Stella, Rose, and Julia.
Claire, Lucy, Nora, and Georgia are my favorites with Henry and Alice. Claire Josephine is just gorgeous!
Maybe Joanna? Similar to Jane, could be an honor name for Joseph, but a little less nickname prone. (And maybe you mostly hate nicknames that end in -ie).
Or, if you really want nickname proof, how about May?
What about June? I think Henry, Alice and June are lovely together!!
I love Lucy!! I’ll add Grace, Evelyn and Viola as nickname proof names. I know Evelyn can be Evie and Viola can be Vivi but they really don’t have to be since the initial vowel sounds are different. I know a Josina as well, if you want a less nicknameable form of Joseph.
I’ve known several Graces called Gracie, which I think is also pretty, but is certainly a nickname.