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!
Renee writes:
We are pregnant with our fifth baby!
We don’t know the gender yet but already have four girls: Susan (Zuzu), June, Gwendolyn (Wendy), and Diana.
If we have a boy, we want to use the name Reuben, but we have NO IDEA what to do for a girls name! My husband likes Florence, but wants to use the nickname Floy and I am not a fan.
Help!
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Renee –
Congratulations on your new baby! It’s exciting that you have a boy name all picked out and ready to go. But wow, after naming four girls, I can imagine it’s tough to agree on a fifth name as wonderful as the ones you’ve already chosen!
My first question is this: is Florence out only with the nickname Floy? Would Florence called Flossie or Flora or Flick be an option? I don’t think it’s the most obvious style match for your older girls’ names, but that’s not necessarily a problem.
Because if your husband is willing to compromise to make Florence work for your family, I think maybe it belongs on your shortlist.
Moving on!
If we’re naming a sister for Zuzu, June, Wendy, and Diana, we’re looking for a name that is slightly mid-century, a name with some history, but not a Victoriana vintage choice. It should lean a little quirky, too, I think – especially with playful sister names like Zuzu and Wendy, it can’t be too buttoned-down.
Here are my suggestions:
Bettina – We all recognize Bettina as a name, but it’s far from common. It can shorten to Betty or maybe even Betsy, and all three names are cousins to the evergreen Elizabeth. I love the sound of Betty with Wendy and Zuzu and June, but I think Bettina might fit even better when Diana is considered.
Dorothy – Florence feels a little more vintage than your older girls’ names, and so I found myself thinking of Dorothy. Strictly speaking, Dorothy was most popular in the 1920s, a few decades more recently than Florence. But I think they both feel similarly antique. The benefit of Dorothy? All sorts of delicious nicknames, like Dolly, Dot, Dory, and Doe. Or maybe even Rory if you’d like something a little more boyish – which might be a bit like Floy.
Joy – Floy makes me think of Joy – but is it too close to June? It might be short for a longer name, like Jocelyn, but it typically stands alone.
Mamie – Because the novel, musical, and movie Auntie Mame came out in the 1950s, we sometimes think of this as an especially mid-century name. Factor in First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, and it feels right at home in the era. But in truth, Mamie’s been around for ages, a sometimes-nickname for Mary and Margaret. In our age of Maisie, though, I think it stands on its own.
Nancy – A 1940s favorite, Nancy brings to mind the whip-smart heroine of all those detective novels, Nancy Drew. She’d fit right in with Wendy and Zuzu and the rest of your girls’ names. Nancy started out as a nickname for Ann, but today it stands on its own.
Romy – Romy is relatively unknown in the US, but it’s traditional in German, a contracted form of Rosemarie. You can use it on its own, or as a short form of Rosemarie, Rosemary, or even Romilly, though that might be too out-there.
Sabrina – I feel like Gwendolyn and Sabrina are logical sister names, and Sabrina fits in well with Susan, June, and Diana, too.
Veronica – The first name that I thought of when I read your list! Maybe it’s because of the great short forms – Vee, Vera, Nica – or maybe because it’s one of those names that feels a little bit throwback, but isn’t quite antique just yet. I’d call it a quirky classic, just like your older girls’ names!
Overall, I’m drawn to something longer, like Veronica or Bettina, with a sparky nickname. But in the spirit of compromise, I think it might be worth thinking about whether there’s another Florence nickname that you could both love, or whether Joy might stand in for Floy.
But I know the readers will have even more great suggestions, so let’s turn it over to the community.
What would you name a sister for Susan (Zuzu), June, Gwendolyn (Wendy), and Diana?
Picking up on the “oo” sounds from Susan and June:
Gertrude (nn Trudy, Tru)
Luna
Drusilla
Ruth
Picking up on the “oh” sound of Gwendolyn and Florence:
Viola
Heloise / Isadora (nn Izzy)
Jolene
Sidonie
Others that sound like a sister to my ear:
Rhiannon
Roxanne
Evangeline
Linnea
Cynthia
Zady
Meredith
I think Nancy is pretty perfect with your sibset. Or even Nanette, nn Nan. I also like Betty and Betsy.
Personally, I wouldn’t repeat an initial (including W and Z).
A few others I like for you:
Theresa, nn Tess
Colette
Frances, nn Frannie/Francie
Helen (nn Nell?)
Ruby
Millie
Katherine, nn Kit
Edie
Faye
Colette was my first thought too! Coco or Etta for short — adorable. I also like the suggestions of Nancy, Gloria, Beatrice, Blythe, Edith and Veronica for you.
Or how about:
Constance
Sylvia
Maxine
Irene
Lucille
Tess
Francine
Marion
Vivian
Valerie
Celia
Jocelyn
Margo(t)
Rowena
Patricia (Pip?)
Opal
Elaine
Esther/Hester
Ruth
Tamsin
Nanette
Oops, one more: Louise!
I love the suggestion of Nancy! Sally and Rosemary are nice too. I would add Virginia nn Ginny, Valerie, Teresa, Elaine, and Barbara.
Or Margaret nn Margot, Greta, or Peggy!
I like Dorothy with Doro as a nickname
You’re girls names are lovely!! I love Dorothy called Dolly or Dottie! That’s my favorite from Abby’s list and I love with your other girls names.
Some other suggestions with possible nicknames-
Millicent nn Millie
Minerva nn Minnie
Beatrice nn Bea
Adelaide or Adelheid nn Heidi
Rosalie or Rosalind nn Rosie
Edith nn Edie
Alice no nickname but just like with this set
Good luck and Congrats on baby 5!! 🙂
Thank you for the suggestions! Dorothy is one we had not considered before the post. I love Millicent but my husband thinks it sounds evil lol! Rosalind made it to our shortlist yesterday— considering the nickname “Roz”.
I second Colette and Harriet. What about Colleen or Marjorie? I know an adorable toddler named Pauline, which I think hits the sweet spot of totally familiar but never actually used. I think I would go for a name that doesn’t repeat anyone else’s first initial.
I love your daughters names—and I personally love the name Florence, but am also uncertain about Floy.
It’s not very often that I find questions on here where my daughters name might be a good fit, but this might work for your family: Gloria. We call her Glo sometimes. It’s a fun name on a toddler and I think it’ll wear well her whole life.
I also like Ramona as a way to get to Romy. I think Matilda might be a good fit as well, or maybe Helen/Helena (I am just swooning over Helena lately and I’m not entirely sure where it’s coming from other than maybe Abby’s name of the day recently haha).
Another name that Abby mentioned that is on my own baby name list is Dorothy. I just love this name too. And while maybe a year or two ago I might have chuckled at the suggestion of Nancy, the character from the program Stranger Things makes it feel very wearable again actually.
Helena is going on the list! Nickname ideas?
I was going to suggest Helen nn Nell, not sure if Nell is as plausible for Helena though – possibly depends on your choice of pronunciation.
Lena or Ellie?
I like Abby’s suggestion of Veronica…with the nickname of Ronnie. Cute!
That name has actually been on our list before ! My husband doesn’t like nn Ronnie or vera , but I do
If your husband likes Florence how about a compromise – Flora? If not how about :
Althea
Alma
Blythe
Bernadette
Colette
Dorothy
Emerald
Francia
Georgina
Harriet
Ida
Julia
Karen
Kathleen
Louise
Molly
Nicola
Odette
Pauline
Rosemary
Sally
Tara
Una
Viveca
Winona
Yvette
Zosia
Enjoy!!
Good luck
Xanthe!!