Naming Baby Four: How To Match Siblings and Middles

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. 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! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.

NAMING DOESN’T GET EASIER

Kayla writes:

Hi! I am pregnant with baby #4.

We have three girls already: Kira Rose, Amelia Grace called Millie, and Delaney Jayne, called Laney or Janey.

We do not know if this baby is a boy or girl. We won’t find out until birth!

If it is a boy we want the middle name to be Logan, and if it is a girl we want the middle name to be Lee.

We are having a really hard time coming up with any boy or girl names we really like that sound good with our girls’ names and the middle names.

Our last name is three syllables, starts with S and ends with -son.

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

FINDING THE RIGHT STYLE FOR BABY FOUR

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your fourth!

Here’s what I hear when I say Kira, Millie, and Laney. Your girls’ names are familiar, friendly, and current. There’s a range of styles – I’d call Millie a little more vintage, and Kira more modern, with Laney falling somewhere in between. That distinction is even more apparent when I say Kira, Amelia, Delaney – they go together, but it’s not as easy to find a single adjective to describe them.

I’m going to look for girls’ names that don’t end in the “ee” sound. There’s no reason you can’t choose one, but I’m wondering if that’s part of the challenge. Sometimes we think of names we like, but they’re too similar to our older child’s name, so we (rightly) move on. That’s even more true because your daughter’s middle name would be Lee, with a strong “ee” sound.

For boys, the question is a little tougher. We often have a slightly different style for naming a son, even if it’s not immediately obvious. Because your chosen middle name and surname both end with N, I’m going to avoid more N-ending names, as well as anything ending with the “ee” sound, while trying to cover a bunch of different styles.

A SISTER FOR KIRA, MILLIE, and LANEY

ANYA

Kira always strikes me as just a tiny bit Slavic. Anya is the equivalent of Annie in much of Europe. Anya Taylor-Joy has made it more familiar, and I love it as a bookend for your girls’ names: Anya, Kira, Millie, and Laney.

ARIA

Again, Aria seems closer to Kira, and I think that could be a good thing.

COLETTE

Maybe a name eneding with a -T sound would appeal? Colette is gently French, familiar, and easy to spell, but a little different from your girls’ names – in a good way!

GEMMA

I think I suggest Gemma a lot, but it could be perfect for you. Brief, complete, but with lots of energy. I particularly love it with the middle name Lee.

JULIETTE

Another longer name that’s a little bit like vintage Amelia, but also something like modern Delaney. Yes, it might shorten to Julie, but there’s also Jules, and I think that would introduce a new sound to your kids’ names.

MARIE

I hesitate only because Marie Lee is not great. But I wonder if it hits the sweet spot between familiar favorites and slightly more surprising names?

WILLOW

Your style is a bit eclectic, and that opens the door to using another name with similar appeal, but from a different category. A nature name like Willow sounds right at home with Kira, Millie, and Laney.

ZARA

One of the first names that came to mind, a blend of all the best qualities of your older girls’ names – a hint of tradition, a distinctive sound, and an upbeat vibe.

A BROTHER FOR KIRA, MILLIE, and LANEY

BECKETT

Because Colette and Juliette made the girls’ list, it’s inevitable that I include a few boys’ suggestions ending with T. It’s a great balance to that N-ending middle and your N-ending surname.

HAYES

A shorter first works really well with intended middle name, Logan. Hayes is a modern favorite with a distinctive sound.

JACE

Jace is a little more modern, but the same thought process applies here – Jace works beautifully with the other names you’ve chosen. It’s in the same general category as Cade and Tate, but I think Jace hits the same note as Kira, Millie, and Laney.

JUDE

If Jace feels too modern, would Jude appeal? It’s an Old Testament name, but the enduring Beatles song brings it forward in time and adds a different energy.

KNOX

Another one-syllable name with a specific sound, Knox isn’t new, but it’s more popular today than was true even thirty years ago – just like your other kids’ names.

NATHANIEL

I wonder if you’d rather have another long/short option? Nathaniel, nickname Nate, seems like a good brother option.

REED

There’s something distinctive and polished about the name Reed. It’s a surname like Knox, but a little more buttoned-up.

THEO

Lots of boy names ending with O have potential. Hugo or Arlo, maybe? But Theo offers one key advantage: you might name him Theodore and call him Theo, giving you the same long/short flexibility Millie and Laney have.

Overall, Willow and Hayes are my favorites. Willow Lee and Hayes Logan are names with plenty of balance that sound like a sibling for Kira, Millie, and Laney.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sibling for Kira, Millie, and Laney?