Vintage Girl Names with Edge: A Sister for Cleo

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.

THEY FOUND THE PERFECT NAME FOR THEIR FIRST DAUGHTER

Kaycie writes:

My husband and I agree on lots of things, but somehow names aren’t one of them! He has a very traditional, popular in every year, kind of name. I have this super trendy, very 1990s name. For our kids, I want names that are a little bit different, but not made up, and hopefully not too trendy.

I’d always wanted to name a daughter Margot, but when our daughter was born two years ago, it felt like that was The Name every one we knew was using. My husband liked Ava, but I just didn’t want a Top Ten name. I pivoted and found Cleo on a list of girl names ending with O. I like the way it actually was popular in the early 1900s, and I don’t mind that it’s a little more popular again now.

Her middle name is Elizabeth, because I did worry just a little that Cleo might be a little bit much, but so far everyone loves her name and it really fits her personality.

For a boy, I liked Caspian, Rhodes, or Raphael/Rafe.

But we’re having another girl, and I don’t know what goes with Cleo. My husband still likes Ava, but I feel like we hear it all the time. The only name I keep coming back to is Noemi, but my niece and nephew are Noah and Emma, so that’s another name we really can’t use.

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

NAMING A SISTER FOR CLEO

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

As it happens, I have a Clio – so this list was extra-fun for me to think through.

It sounds like we need to match Cleo’s energy in a few different ways:

• A sister for Cleo has to share that unexpected feeling.
• And yet, her name should be at least a little bit familiar – vintage, rather than freshly invented.
• There’s a certain high energy to Cleo, partly because of that O ending. We need something that matches that vibrant, upbeat sound.

While that list sounds specific, we could still go lots of different directions. I’m guessing you’d probably prefer to stick with a nickname-proof name – but I don’t think that’s necessarily a rule.

Let’s look at some options.

WHAT GOES WITH CLEO?

AFTON

The name of a river in Scotland, a Robert Burns poem, and a name that’s been used in small numbers over the years, too, Afton is complete and distinctive.

DINAH

I think Dinah has the same vintage, surprising energy as Cleo. They’re sisters in 1919 … or in 2026.

GOLDIE

There’s a shimmer to Goldie that reminds me so strongly of Cleo. Both names were popular in the early 1900s, too, making them sound even more like sisters.

JOVIE

Strictly speaking, Jovie is a a newer name. But it comes from Jove, another name for Jupiter from Roman mythology. It means cheerful, from our word jovial. (That’s because we once believed that anyone born under the sign of Jupiter was destined to be happy.)

LUELLA

Vintage and sparky, Luella started out as a variant of any of the Lou- names. It sounds fresher than Isabella, more upbeat than classic Louise. This is the one name on the list that might shorten – to Lulu or Lula. Of course, Lula might also be a great sister for Cleo, too.

ROMY

Okay, it’s on the list partially because it’s always been my favorite name if I were naming my Clio’s sister. But Romy also has history. It’s a contracted form of Rosemary or Rosemarie. Midcentury European actress Romy Schneider makes this name every bit as glam as Ava.

VEDA

You might also spell it Vida, Vita, or Veta. This particular spelling tends to be associated with a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge, while Vita is from the Latin word for life. I think they all work, though, and Veda had a good run during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, making it a vintage sister for Cleo.

ZORA

On paper, it’s a Slavic name meaning dawn. In practice, it sounds a lot like current favorites Nora, Cora, and Aurora. Any Z name feels a little more interesting. I think Zora stands up nicely to Cleo’s cool, edgy sound, while still being different enough. While Zora ranks in the current US Top 1000, just like Cleo, it’s less common. And while Zora might be misheard as Zara (or Nora or Cora), I think it’s likely to wear every bit as well as Cleo.

I think my favorite for you is Zora, particularly balanced with another classic middle. Zora Katherine, maybe? I do also really like the sound of Dinah. Cleo Elizabeth and Dinah Louise, maybe?

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sister for Cleo Elizabeth?