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! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.
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WHAT GOES WITH M@B3L?
Lauren writes:
I am a lifelong name nerd and I’m so excited to finally have a baby on the way. For lots of reasons! But choosing her name is a special kind of thrill.
Here’s my dilemma: My husband’s last name is a common, kind of granny first name. It’s the name of the character Selena Gomez plays on Only Murders In the Building, rhymes with cable and stable.
I really like this last name, and I love saying my name: Lauren M@b3l.
My husband’s name is Matthew, and when I first met him, his friends called him “Matty M@b3L,” which made him sound like some sort of cartoon character. I thought they were calling him Maddie Maple.
Now that we’re naming a daughter, I feel like it’s harder than I expected. Short names that end with the EE sound will probably end up sounding like Maddie Maple. Sadie, Sophie, and Josie were all names I used to like, but I wouldn’t use with our last name.
I also want to avoid M names. My husband and both of his siblings have M names and it’s time to break that streak.
Which is too bad, because Maren is one name that I really liked, probably because I like my name so much, and the way it’s not gender neutral at all, but it’s also not super feminine. While I can appreciate long, pretty names like Seraphina and Rosalie, they’re not really for me.
When I try out short names, like Sloane or Quinn, I worry that it will be like we’ve reversed her first and last names. (People will think her first name is M@b3l because her last name is a first name, if that makes sense.)
Word names can sound like adjectives. Briar M@b3l, Violet M@b3l. Not sure I would use those names, but just for example.
So far, the only girl’s name that I think goes with our last name is mine.
Can you please suggest some new ideas!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
THE CHALLENGES OF A FIRST NAME AS A LAST NAME
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new daughter!
This question has come up before, but it tends to be a masculine name, like Robert or James, causing the challenge. This question feels a little different somehow. Maybe it’s because of that cartoon character quality. I agree – I’m getting heavy Minnie Mouse vibes from Maddie Maple.
Not in a bad way necessarily … but maybe in a way that isn’t ideal for a real person.
Names like Maren and Lauren do seem like the answer. They’re tailored, restrained, feminine. And while I can imagine you might occasionally be called M@b3L Lauren, I feel like it’s still a great combination.
That means we don’t just need a name that’s tailored, restrained, and still feminine. We also need one that feels current, rather than vintage. Anything that’s too obviously a surname or a word is more likely to cause confusion.
I also think popularity helps, too. A name like Simone could be great … but I think it’s unusual enough that I’m back to mishearing or reading her name as M@b3L Simons.
So let’s jump in. What first names work with your last name, without giving animated character?
CAROLINE
Some traditional names, like Anna or Rose, end up sounding like a double name with your surname, or a middle name. (AnnaM@b3L; M@b3L Rose.) But longer, established names can be great choices. They’ll function a little bit like your name, Lauren, does – we’re so used to hearing women named Katherine and Elizabeth that we hear that as the first name, obviously. Caroline is my pick because it’s rarely shortened today, and I think that length helps, too.
DELANEY
Another three-syllable option. Lainey is a fast-rising favorite, but Delaney has held steady around the 200-mark for the last 25 years. The repeating long A sounds might be a bonus, creating just enough repetition to be memorable.
EDEN
An obvious choice in the names-like-Lauren category for girls born now. It could be shortened to Edie, which takes you back into Maddie Maple territory … but I think most Edens use their name in full.
EMERSON
Emerson is, at least on paper, unisex. But it’s more popular for girls, especially factoring in the many girls named Emersyn, too. Something to ponder: while it’s not an M name, it is an EM name. Whether that’s a plus or a minus is up to you.
HADLEY
I agree that names like Sophie and Sadie can read a little cute with your surname. But a choice like Hadley hits a little different. Yes, there’s that same EE ending sound, but there’s a strength to Hadley, thanks to the strong D sound in the middle. And Hadley has been just outside the US Top 100 for over a decade, making it nicely familiar.
ROWAN
My first thought for a name-like-Lauren circa 2024. My only hesitation? Rowan is very much a unisex name, currently ranked in the Top 100 for boys and Top 250 for girls – and gaining for both. While I think the sound and style are perfect, you’ve mentioned loving Lauren because it’s clearly a girl’s name. If that’s a factor, then Rowan isn’t ideal in the way that, say, Hadley or Delaney might be.
SUTTON
Rowan leads me to Sutton, a name I tend to overlook. It’s the reverse of Rowan – almost Top 200 for girls, ranked around 450 for boys. Actress Sutton Foster put this name on the charts, but it just plain fits with names we love for our kids now. Sutton makes me think of one other possibility. While it’s very rare as a given name, Hutton is a possibility – as in Lauren Hutton, the iconic model and actress who made the name Lauren a Top 100 favorite.
VIVIAN
Another option in the key of Caroline. Vivian is traditional, tailored, and feminine without being too elaborate.
Overall, my favorite is Rowan, but with the caveat that Rowan is very much a unisex name. (And that means it’s more popular, overall, than it first appears, since your Rowan could easily share her name with a male classmate/teammate/future colleague.)
Caroline seems like a great choice in the traditional/feminine category, but maybe not as much of a style star as you might like. Would a sparky middle name help?
In third place, I’ll put Delaney – but since it’s more clearly feminine than Rowan and a little more modern than Caroline, maybe it’s the best option overall?
I think you can pick a name you like without worrying overly. Some people might think her last name is her first, but it’s quickly corrected. Delaney or Rowan could just as easily be the last name after all. I think names that end in a consonant could work nicely: Belen, Blythe, Brynn, Claire, Corinne, Elise, Faith, Grace, Gwen, Hope, Isabel, Jacqueline, Lane, Laurel, Paige, Rhiannon, Taryn, Tess. You could add a longer middle name.
I don’t quite see a problem with your list of would-be favorites. They are all great! To my ear, Sadie, Sophie, and Josie all sound fine with M@b3l as a last name. Sophie in particular is such a classic name that it doesn’t sound cutesy or cartoonish.
Of course, if you like Sophie, you might consider Sophia as an alternative that avoids the “-ee” ending.
Abby suggested some lovely names, but most of them are actually common as surnames: Delaney, Emerson, Hadley, Rowan, Sutton, and even Eden. They all sound great with Mabel, but if your main concern is avoiding confusion between first and last name, I’d be cautious about any of those.
Since you love Lauren and Maren, here are a few other options with the same “-en” ending:
Ellen
Gretchen
Helen
I agree with Abby that it makes sense to take popularity into account. The more that people automatically associate your daughter’s name with “common names for girls”, the less like they are to confuse it with her surname.
Here are some possibilities from the current Top 100 list that might suit your requirements:
Alice
Amelia
Charlotte
Clara
Eleanor
Emily
Lyla (or Lila / Lilah, though those spellings are slightly less common)
Nora
Hope you’ll update us once you make your choice!
I understand names like Sadie and Josie sounding a bit cutesy with your surname, but I think Sophie is actually lovely. Because it doesn’t sound like a nickname and is well established as a first name, it feels more grounded somehow and actually has all the qualities of Lauren to me.
Say it over a few times … Sophie “Maple” … would you reconsider Sophie?
I second Claire M…el, Vivian M…el and Tessa M…el
And suggest:
Georgia M…el
Alice M…el
Willa M…el
Fiona M…el
Nora M…el
Olivia M….el
Juliet M…el
Lydia M…el
I think the fact that Lauren is and expected first name for a woman your age helps people figure out easily that it is your first name. So if you want the same for your daughter, choose a first name people expect to hear on a baby nowadays.
Natalie came to mind first as it shares a lot with Lauren since it’s clearly feminine but not too frilly. I think the 3 syllables helps break up the cartoonish vibe of other names ending in -ee. Natalie M@bel
Tessa is another femme but not frilly choice.
Tessa M@bel
I love Abby’s suggestion of Eden. It’s a great tailored choice for a daughter.
Congratulations!!
I think Rhiannon Mable works.
Not unisex, that I know of.
Not that common, but I will have to hand you over to Abby’s expertise for it’s rating over the years.
Feminine with lots of variety for shorter names like Ria, Annie, Anna even Nonnie.
It’s long enough to keep the confusion away from it being reversed, as Mable being first name.
Goes well with Lauren too.
Best reason for suggesting this name….it’s our first daughter and she’s just beautifully awesome in every way.
Hope you find the name you are searching for.
I agree with Cristina. And I like Nina from her list. I think more fringe classic names are what you’re looking for – like your own name Or even classics like Sarah or Kate. How about Nora or Joelle or Whitney or Vera?
I think you could can still use Maren, if that’s what you love! It is lovely. If you have more kids, they can be another initial, like L for you?
Maddie Maple is peak “boys will be boys” energy, it’s hilarious! I suspect, the potential to hear your husband’s name as that is exactly why his friends called him by his full name to begin with! So, I don’t necessarily think ‘ends in EE’ names are completely off the table, it’s highly unlikely your daughter will go by her first and last name in day-to-day life. (Do your friends refer to you as Lauren M@b3l? Or just Lauren?) I wonder if something like Anniston M@b3l, just “Annie” to her friends would appeal? Josephine “Josie” M@b3l?
I love Caroline, Sutton and Vivian from Abby’s list. Other names that come to mind:
Blair
Campbell
Delphine
Estelle / Stella
Raven
Rooney
Winslet
Congratulations on your little one! Whatever name you choice will end up perfect for her.
Hi! I like Abby’s suggestions & the names listed by the others who have commented. However, I would rethink Sutton and Delaney of Abby’s suggestions because I think this could be seen as last names. (I have a minor character in my novel-not yet published-called Delaney, a teenage girl, but until recently it was very much a last name.)
Here are some more that might work:
Elowen
Ingrid
Greta
Eloise
Aurora
Audrey
Juliet
Camilla
Gemma
Agnes
Ines
Nina
Ione
Sabina
Sasha/Sascha
Best wishes!!
Anwen
Daphne
Embla
Etta
Lydia
Rosa
Lois
Lenore
Diana
Naming actual humans is so much harder than naming hypothetical babies! My top boys’ name ended up rhyming with my husband’s surname and the most common nickname was only one letter different. So it was off the table. 🙁 but I have 3 boys, so I would have loved to use it.
Heidi M@b3l
Cora M@b3l
Adelaide M@b3l
Sylvia M@b3l
Claire M@b3l
Ada/Eva/Ava M@b3l
These names all seem to fit the brief of tailored yet feminine names like Lauren.
Congratulations on your baby!