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!
A Sister for Margot Kate
Sarah writes:
We are looking for a sister name for Margot Kate.
Names I love but can’t use are Hazel and Violet.
Top of our list (probably in order) are:
- Lila
- Eliza
- Della
- Poppy
We want to use a form of Jo (probably Josephine) in the middle name spot. We can’t use it as a first sadly!)
Zoe is also on our list, but it’s not great with Jo/Josephine.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Finding More Upbeat, Vintage Favorites
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
This is a great question, because Margot Kate is the exactly right blend of vintage and casual. It’s a name with traditional roots, but a breezy, 21st century energy.
It’s a tough act to follow!
Jo/Josephine is a great middle name – it’s very much in the spirit of Margot Kate. I’m going to assume that Josie is also out as a first name. Otherwise, it would probably be my top suggestion.
Moving on! Let’s look at your current list.
Current List for Margot Kate’s Sister
I’m going to rank these from my least favorite for you to my top choice.
DELLA
A perfect match for Margot, and Della Josephine is great! But I think Della ends up fading into Ella, Bella, and Stella a little bit. Which really isn’t fair at all – it’s a separate, distinct name. So while it’s great, I’ll put it at the bottom of this list.
ZOE
A great mini name, high in energy and style. Except … if Josephine as a middle is important, then Zoe Josephine is good, but not great. Mostly because my brain immediately shortens it to ZoJo. To be honest, I kind of love this … but I can see that it’s not for everyone.
ELIZA
Probably the name I tend to recommend most to go with Margot. (And vice versa.) It’s a great example of a slightly sparky version of a traditional name. Eliza Jo and Eliza Josephine are great combinations.
LILA
Such a gorgeous name! Lyla and Lilah are more popular spellings, but Lila is also a Top 250 favorite and has a spare simplicity that’s very appealing. Still, those multiple spellings give me pause.
POPPY
A cheerful name with a lot of power, thanks to the red flower’s association with remembrance. Poppy feels similar to names you can’t use, Hazel and Violet. Another bonus: PJ for Poppy Josephine is seriously adorable.
Fresh Alternatives to Consider
DELIA
Delia doesn’t appear in the current US Top 1000, but it sounds just like very popular picks Amelia, Emilia, and Cecilia. I think it’s maybe a little more distinctive than Della, so something to consider.
ESME
Because you like Eliza and Zoe, I wonder if Esme isn’t the perfect compromise?
JUNIPER
While Juniper isn’t a traditional name, it shortens to Junie, which makes it feel a little more familiar. And I wonder if a nature name like Poppy, Hazel, or Violet is the right vibe? Only Juniper Josephine is a lot of name, so maybe not …
LUCY
I can imagine Lucy as Margot’s sister. Both names balance the traditional with the casual nicely. And I love Lucy Josephine. (And Lucy Jo!)
NORA
Just like Margot is an independent name derived from Margaret, Nora is traditionally associated with Eleanor – though really stands on its own.
PHOEBE
Another Zoe alternative.
THEA
Short for Theodora, which makes it a cousin to names like Nora, Eliza, and Margot.
VERA
Brief and complete, Vera is similar to Margot in terms of popularity. It’s a vintage name on the upswing.
Overall, my favorite from your list is Poppy. And I’d put Vera at the top of my personal list. And lastly, I’m not positive I’d rule Zoe Josephine out. If the worst case is sometimes calling her ZoJo? I kind of think that’s darling.
I second Blythe and Ada from the comments, and love Delia. Here are a few more that come to mind and that I don’t think were mentioned thus far:
Liesl
Ann/Annie
Vada
Lake (not vintage, I know, but there’s something about “Margot and Lake” and “Lake Josephine”)
Celia
Louisa
Wishing you the best!
Flora!!!! Flora Josephine <3
OH … love that!
Eliza Jo – to me – is the name to beat. I think it goes so nicely with Margot Kate both in terms of style and energy.
Couple fresh ideas…
– Heidi Jo. A old name that isn’t like much else, just like Margot. The mix of formal and informal. I love it! Margot and Heidi.
– Elsie Jo / Elsie Josephine. Again, same vintage sweetness and a distinct happy energy to Elsie. Margot and Elsie.
Best of luck!
I love this style of girl name! I would add..
Winifred/Winnie
Ruth/Ruthie
Blythe (not sure if that’s old school, but it sounds vintage with some punch!)
Hildie
Xanthe, Zelie, Zalie, Zelda, Willa, Polly, Winnie, Flora…but most of all, I love Poppy! Best of luck to you.
Eloise is another one I could see working nicely with Margot. Actually, the Bridgerton character list would too: Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Hyacinth; Penelope, Philippa, Charlotte. I like Edwina, the sister name from the second season, as well.
I suggest Ada. Ada Josephine.
Margot & Ada.
You have some great options on your list! Eliza really stands out and makes a great pairing with Margot.
For what it’s worth I don’t see an issue with Zoe Josephine but maybe I’m biased because I have that same combo on my list… because I especially love the nickname ZoJo haha
Would you consider Josephine “Josie” as a first name instead of Zoe? Josie and Margot!
I like Abby’s suggestion of Nora (or Norah)
Some short, punchy names that come to mind:
Stella. Stella Josephine. Stella and Margot
Ruby. Ruby Josephine. Ruby and Margot
Hallie. Hallie Josephine. Hallie and Margot
Sadie. Sadie Josephine. Sadie and Margot
Some longer names that have a bit of spark to them:
Georgia. Georgia Josephine. Georgia and Margot
Felicity. Felicity Josephine. Felicity and Margot
Delilah. Delilah Josephine. Delilah and Margot
I’d love to suggest Maisie and Greta but I don’t think that would work since Maisie, Greta, and Margot can all be derived from Margaret
Agnes, Alice, Barbara, Carol, Chloe, Coral, Daphne, Deborah, Delphine, Dora, Flora, Florence, Frances, Garnet, Harriet, Helena, Ione, June, Laurel, Lena, Louise, Mabel, Marion, Nancy Nina, Olive. Opal, Pippa, Rosa, Romy, Ruth, Stella, Tessa, Vivian, Vivienne, Willa, Xanthe, Zora
I like Delia better than Della, but it also has multiple pronunciations. It could be Deal-ya, Dell-ee-uh, or, as my French-Canadian great-great grandmother probably pronounced it, Day-lee-uh. I also like Eliza, Esme, and Zoe. Some of the ones I suggested will probably strike you as outdated but so were Hazel and Vera a handful of years ago. Deborah could be nicknamed Bo; Barbara could be Bar or Varya,, Frances could be Francie, Harriet could be Hallie or Hattie, Louise could be Lulu.
Hi! A few more names to consider:
Charlotte Josephine
Sophie Josephine
Isla Josephine
Clover Josephine
Willow Josephine
Emma Josephine
Phoebe Josephine
Romy Josephine
Iris Josephine
Fleur Josephine
Lyra Josephine
Daisy Josephine
Hannah Josephine
Celeste Josephine
Congratulations & best wishes!
I realize Phoebe is on your list…sorry to repeat! I think a spunky first name like Poppy or from my list, Daisy, Romy, and Sophie, for example … might work best. Also … Clover is a little daring, but has the same vibe, I think.
Oh wow. We have a lot of crossover on our lists, so I’ll throw out a few more that I love too (that I think work with sister Margot and mn Josephine):
Louise
Simone
Tessa
Willa
Edie
Daphne
Holly
Sadie
Penny
Ruby
Of your list, I love Lila best too. I’m not usually one for alternate spellings, but I really like the look of Lyla. Good luck!
Eliza Josephine is the perfect name to accompany Margot Kate
Oh my! What a lot of gorgeous names to choose from! My favourite from your list is Zoe & I really don’t see a problem with pairing it with Josephine. I would never have thought of ZoJo. But ZoJo is cute, not terrible, right? Eliza Josephine is beautiful and sounds like she is a character in a book -Jane Austen maybe. I don’t know any Elizas either, but it doesn’t feel fresh or new.
Abby, you have so many great options on your list – I love Lucy, Phoebe, & Nora. My favourite with Margot Kate is Lucy Josephine.
My first thought was a Rose name: Rosalie Jo? Rosamond Josephine (in case you want to stay away from RoJo)? Rosina Josephine.
The name Della made me think of Adelaide or Adele.
Margot Kate & Adelaide Josephine -they make a very sophisticated but pretty pair.
Congratulations on your baby girl and I hope you can have fun picking her name!