Naming Annabeth’s Sister: Traditional Girl Names with a Twist

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DOES ANNABETH’S SISTER NEED A DOUBLE NAME?

Katelyn writes:

Our daughter’s name is Annabeth. Yes, I got it from the Percy Jackson character. No, I didn’t completely realize that a new series was coming out. It was my favorite girl’s name since I read the books. I don’t mind it, though, because the series is good and because it is helping other people understand her name better, though she still gets called Annabelle a lot.

There are women named Anne/Elizabeth in our families. My middle name is Anne. But it was never planned for that reason and I’m a little annoyed by assumptions that we chose the name for Great Aunt Annie or whatever. If we’d meant it that way, we’d have said so!

Anyway, our second daughter is due in June and I would like another name like Annabeth, not from a series, but in the sense that it’s not too common but has good associations and doesn’t feel made-up.

While I didn’t see it at the time, Annabeth’s name and my name are both combinations. Anna-Beth, Kate-Lyn. Again, we didn’t plan it that way, but I’ve been thinking about other double names.

So far I have:

• Emmaleigh – I’m not crazy about Emily, but maybe changing the spelling makes it more like Emma-Lee?
• Hazelgrace – from The Fault in Our Stars but I don’t know if it really works for real and also naming two girls two double names from two books is maybe too much?
• Mariella – I like this, but maybe too fussy with Annabeth, and is it weird that both girls have one-half of Elizabeth (Ella and Beth) in their names?
• Sophie-Mae – Not sure how to spell this, it’s not really a double name, it’s more of two names said together, right?
• Stella-Rose – Same problem as Sophie-Mae.

Annabeth’s middle name is Presley. My husband picked it, kind of out of nowhere, but I really like it. Our last name sounds like Martin-plus-Ezz. This is another issue. We don’t speak Spanish, but our last name can make it look like we might. We don’t want to use a name like Isabella/Sofia that might be confusing, at least on paper. People at work sometimes assume I’m bilingual just from my last name, and I wish, but no.

My husband is pretty chill about names, so I’ll mostly pick the first name (but he can veto) and he’ll mostly choose the middle (I can veto, but I probably won’t!)

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

THE BEST TRADITIONAL(ISH) CHOICES FOR ANNABETH’S SISTER

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

Let me say it loud and clear here: you don’t have to follow a pattern.

If you find a double name you love, great! But if the right name presents itself and it’s a little different? That can work out every bit as well.

Because there are lots of great names for Annabeth’s sister, and only some of them are double-barreled.

Let’s look at your current list.

EMMALEIGH – I’d rule it out. The spelling makes this look like a double name, but the pronunciation is straight-up classic Emily. Which is a lovely, enduring, classic of a name! But not what you’re after.

HAZELGRACE – I don’t think this is too tied to the book/movie. A solid contender … and yet, it feels more like “Hazel Grace” run together than a new name.

MARIELLA – Very pretty. I wouldn’t overthink the two-halves-of-Elizabeth thing. After all, Mariella is both a Marie-Ella combination and an elaboration of Maria. I think this is the strongest contender so far.

SOPHIE-MAE, STELLA-ROSE – I have the same thoughts on both of these names. First, hyphens are tricky. Second, It feels like you want one name that happens to combine elements of two names, not Sophie-Mae/Sophiemae. So for the same reasons that Hazelgrace doesn’t satisfy, I’m not sure either of these work.

FRESH SUGGESTIONS: DOUBLE NAMES LIKE ANNABETH

ELLAROSE

Building on Stella-Rose, I wonder if you’d like Ellarose? It blends together more naturally and looks like a complete name.

EVANGELINE

Strictly speaking, Evangeline is a single name from the Greek for good news. It reads slightly spiritual, since it’s the same root as the word evangelize. But it also looks a bit like an Eva-Angelina combination.

JESSAMINE

Like Evangeline, Jessamine is a legit name. In this case, it’s an older version of Jasmine. There’s also Jessamy. I like the way Jessamine has the same tailored ending as Annabeth. Jessamy might sound even better with your surname. Both look like Jessa-plus combinations.

JULIETTE

It’s not a double name, but this French elaboration of Julie/Julia seems like it’s a strong option for Annabeth’s sister.

MARIELLE

If Mariella is almost right, would Marielle be exactly perfect? It’s a touch less frilly, but still feminine and strong.

MARIGOLD

Strictly speaking, Marigold started out as two words: Mary’s Gold. But it’s long been a floral. Maryrose feels a little antique, but Marigold is as fresh as Violet or Daisy.

ROSALIE

Emmaleigh is an attempt to make Emily a double name. Rosalie is an elaboration that sounds like a double. I love the way it sounds with Annabeth and with your last name, too.

STELLAMARIS

A double name from a Latin phrase, Stellamaris means “star of the sea.” Because it’s associated with the Virgin Mary, this reads slightly Catholic. But only a little. I think it works as a double name in our moment with nature names so popular.

Overall, I’m most drawn to Ellarose and Marielle, probably because they’re slight variations on your original list. Ellarose Jordan or Marielle Sutton, maybe? From my suggestions I love Marigold. Maybe Marigold Henley. If you’re not wild about the alliteration of Marielle Martin-plus-Ezz or Marigold Martin-plus-Ezz, then Ellarose rises to the top spot. Otherwise, it’s much harder to choose! And since I do like the M.M. initials, I’m especially drawn to Marigold.

Readers, over to you! What would you name Annabeth’s sister?