Strong, Vintage Names Like Luna

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 A SISTER FOR LUNA

Nicole writes:

It took us months and months to agree on our daughter’s name, Luna Marie. Our second daughter will be here in a few weeks, and we cannot agree at all this time.

What I love about Luna is that it’s old-fashioned and feminine and strong. I know it’s popular, but we don’t really hear it all that often.

Here is our list:

• Aria – Almost Luna’s name. Husband still likes it. I’m over it.
• Billie – We had talked about naming a boy William, and I found myself thinking about Billie for a girl. We don’t like any longer names, like Willemina, and we’re not sure about a boy name for a girl. I know people do it, but should we do it?
• Casey – A name I liked for years. I’ve moved on, but probably my husband’s favorite name now.
• Juniper – Perfect, but Luna and Juniper becomes Junie and … Lunie? Not ideal.
• Margot – Love it, but it’s getting popular.
• Rue – Would it be awful to name her after Euphoria? Also, more of that OO sound.
• Waverly – Love it, but it’s a little long.
• Violet – I think this might be the right name, but I feel like maybe I’m talking myself into it, if that makes sense.

What I love about Luna is that it’s vintage and feminine and strong, but still fun to say. I’d like to find another name that I like just as much. My husband keeps saying if we just choose, we’ll like it and she’ll grow into it. But I don’t think that’s as much of a certainty as he does, and really, it hasn’t made it any easier to pick a name.

Our last name sounds like Travis.

We would love any help!

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

CHOOSING NAMES LIKE LUNA – POPULARITY, STYLE, OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your second daughter!

Naming is that rare task that gets harder with experience. What are the secrets to naming a second child?

First, decide whether names from your first pregnancy are still on the table. Plenty of parents happily choose a name from their original list. But choosing to start with a blank slate is every bit as common.

In your case, it sounds like these names should probably be put aside, at least for now. Luna and Aria could be great together. If you’re not into it, then I’d probably drop Aria and Casey, too.

The next step: identify a quality you’d like to match. Do you love Luna’s meaning? The way it’s short, complete, and (mostly) nickname-proof? Or is that vintage energy that draws you in?

One think that feels like it’s not the best criteria: popularity. Luna has hovered in the Top 30 or higher for the last few years. It briefed made the US Top Ten. If that’s not too popular for you? I think we can safely consider other Top 100 names for your daughter.

RANKING YOUR LIST

ARIA, CASEY

Not out for any specific reason, but because they feel like they belong to your prior pregnancy. They’re Luna’s names, somehow … even though they’re not at all Luna’s name!

JUNIPER, RUE

I want to love these names for you, and I think they almost work. But Luna and Juniper or Luna and Rue? I think you’re hesitant and would likely regret the repetition.

WAVERLY

I think Waverly has plenty of potential. It’s a strong, distinctive sound. Like Luna, it’s nature-adjacent, but not like being named Fern or Dove. But if you’re thinking shorter, Waverly does miss that mark – plus there’s really no easy nickname. Wavey? That said, between Waverly and Casey, I think there might be a hint about your preferences.

MARGOT, VIOLET

To my ear, these both work very well. But it also sounds like maybe you’re not all that excited about either. I feel like they could be names to beat, so let’s keep them in the mix.

BILLIE

Something else that changes after the first child: we often have a better sense of our preferred family size. If this child will likely complete your family, you’ll never use the name William. If you imagine you might welcome more children in the future? Then that makes it somewhat less appealing to use a favorite boy’s name now.

Here’s the thing about Billie: we tend to use it as a feminine form of William, particularly in this spelling. Billie Eilish has helped raise the name’s profile, but it’s been around for ages. In fact, the name Billie for a girl peaked in the 1920s and 30s, making it nicely vintage. While it’s still much less common than Luna, it’s rising in use right now.

Billie – lots of questions here – boy names on girls can be controversial, but they’re very common – Billie ranks top 700 for girls as of 2025, Billy doesn’t make the boys’ Top 1000 – still William and Willow and Willa other ways to get to Bill/Billie/Billy but Billie feminine same way Charlie is unisex fix

FRESH SUGGESTIONS FOR LUNA’S SISTER

CASSIE

I wonder if Cassie might be a twist on Casey that feels a little more traditional, a bit more feminine.

DAISY

Sweetly vintage, tied to the natural world, with plenty of energy – just like Luna.

HALLIE

If Billie is close, but not quite, could Hallie be the right choice? It’s similar, and while it could be related to Hal/Harold/Henry, Hallie feels more like a stand-alone choice.

HEIDI

Another name with a lot of spirit, brief and complete.

ISLA

When it comes to names like Luna, Isla immediately comes to mind. It’s just four letters, but with a nicely distinctive sound.

SADIE

It’s sort of Daisy with the sounds re-arranged, right? Sadie reads a little more vintage and sparky versus a fresh nature-inspired choice. But they’re both perfect sisters for Luna.

SAYLOR

This might be a little out of the ordinary, but because you like the long A sound of Casey and the surname style of Waverly, I wonder if Saylor is worth considering?

SYLVIE

Sylvie is the French form of Sylvia, shorter but still complete. I think Sylvie goes with Luna especially well because Sylvie suggests silver, like the light of the moon.

Overall, I think Margot, Violet, and Billie are excellent choices, and I think it’s worth considering Billie. Paired with a feminine classic, Billie might be exactly right. Luna Marie and Billie Grace, maybe?

If not any of those three, I’m going to put Hallie Rose at the top of the list, for all the reasons I listed.

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest more names like Luna for their younger daughter?