I would be so grateful for everyone’s thoughts and ideas. We are expecting a little sister for our daughter [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] next year and struggling to find a name we love as much. We really like the associations [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] has with Greek mythology, the flower and the author [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] du Maurier. Ideally we would like a name that pairs well with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and has a similarly interesting meaning. Connection to a strong female role model would be a bonus.
This is our list so far, which are your favourites and do you have any other ideas?
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] (long time love, is it too short with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]?)
[name_f]Vera[/name_f] (love the sound and v initial)
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] (Like [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] nn but possibly too popular in the UK where we live)
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] (love this but prefer Hel-ay-na pronounciation and worry would be constantly correcting others?)
[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] (new contender, growing on me)
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f] (we like [name_f]Thea[/name_f] as a nn for this)
I love [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]–and I love names with literary associations and strong female role models! Of your choices, my favorite is [name_f]Ada[/name_f]! I don’t think it is too short with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. I also think [name_f]Thea[/name_f] on its own complements [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] well without overwhelming it.
Other ideas:
[name_f]Miranda[/name_f]
[name_f]Sybil[/name_f]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] (for [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m] and [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I)
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Miriam[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Portia[/name_f]—not a great meaning, but [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s [name_f]Portia[/name_f] is a favorite of mine
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucretia[/name_f]/[name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Hazel[/name_f]
[name_f]Verona[/name_f]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Zara[/name_f]
[name_f]Zelda[/name_f]
[name_f]Zora[/name_f] (for the American author [name_f]Zora[/name_f] [name_u]Neale[/name_u] Hurston)
[name_f]Adele[/name_f]
[name_f]Adela[/name_f]
Beatrice or Beatrix
Paulina
Paloma
Cora on its own or as nn for Cornelia or Cordelia
Thank you [name_f]Erin[/name_f]. I have loved [name_f]Ada[/name_f] so long it is good to be reminded it hasn’t lost it’s shine. We also love [name_f]Thea[/name_f] on it’s own but worried it is getting quite popular. I am very used to having the only [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] now and would like to pick a name with similar usage.
Really like [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] and [name_f]Adela[/name_f] from your suggestions.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is a sweet name and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f] are lovely together! Or maybe you would like [name_f]Elena[/name_f] (eh-[name_m]LEN[/name_m]-nee) or [name_f]Elena[/name_f] (ee-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-na or eh-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-na) as they may be more intuitive to for others pronounce correctly than [name_f]Helena[/name_f]. I also love [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] ([name_m]ZAN[/name_m]-thee) for you.
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] is lovely and not a name I’d thought of. [name_m]Just[/name_m] mentioned to my husband who also really likes it but I feel like the double ee ending might make the name too close to [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] for us. Still, it’s so brilliant to get a suggestion we love when I keep thinking we’ve been though all our options. Leaning towards [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f]
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] is definitely a lovely companion for [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. I don’t think it’s too short, the two complement each other well!
Other suggestions:
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]/[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Genevive[/name_f]
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] - could be shortened to [name_f]Ada[/name_f]?
[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_u]Jude[/name_u]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
I like [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], and [name_f]Helena[/name_f] best. I do think you will have to tell people how to pronounce [name_f]Helena[/name_f] since there are several acceptable ways.
[name_f]Flora[/name_f] comes to mind, and so does [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] (but then you have another ending-in-ee name.) I think that since you’ve loved [name_f]Ada[/name_f] so long, use [name_f]Ada[/name_f]. It’s a beautiful name and goes well with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]!
You might want to consider [name_f]Odette[/name_f] – strong feminist association and seems to fit your style. I love [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f].
You have a great list of options. I would rule out [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] because of its popularity and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] because I don’t think it’s as good a match with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] as [name_f]Vera[/name_f] (it’s frilly, whereas [name_f]Vera[/name_f] sounds stronger). [name_f]Helena[/name_f] is a perennial favorite of mine that I’ve given up because of the pronunciation issues. I assume the Hell-uh-nuh pronunciation (especially with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] I would think [name_f]Helen[/name_f]). Regardless of its pronunciation, I think I prefer [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], or [name_f]Thea[/name_f] with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. I do pause a little with [name_f]Vera[/name_f] because of the Scooby Doo characters [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Velma[/name_f]- is it too close? My personal pick would be [name_f]Thea[/name_f]. But it seems like your heart is with [name_f]Ada[/name_f], and it is a lovely choice! I don’t think it’s too short (it’s 2 syllables like [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]), but you may prefer the [name_f]Adah[/name_f] spelling. [name_f]Ada[/name_f] reminds me of the biblical figure as well as [name_f]Ada[/name_f] Lovelace, the mathematician that is regarded as the pioneer of computer programming.
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] is a very good choice. What about [name_f]Athena[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]? [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]? There is [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] too. [name_f]Thea[/name_f] is lovely but very popular I feel.
Thank you for everyone’s suggestions and encouragement to use [name_f]Ada[/name_f]. We have just found an [name_f]Ada[/name_f] in my husband’s family tree so that may just be a sign! I love the [name_f]Ada[/name_f] Lovelace connection and the National song.
Lots of you like [name_f]Vera[/name_f] too and I think I just don’t have the confidence to go with it and get a bad reaction. In the UK there was an old lady character in a popular soap called [name_f]Vera[/name_f]. It’s such a beautiful name and if I had a story or family connection I would probably swing towards it.
The middle name we are considering is another A name which would make the initials AAH. Is this a no go? I don’t think I mind too much, it’s just a bit funny rather than embarassing or awful right?
It sounds like [name_f]Ada[/name_f] is the one for you! I think it is a fabulous, pretty but substantive underused name. The initials AAH would not bother me personally, since when I initial things, I generally just use my first and last initials. And AAH isn’t bad, in my opinion.
[name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], & [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] are my favourites with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. [name_f]Ada[/name_f] is not too short next to it. You will be correcting people with [name_f]Helena[/name_f], but very few names have no pronunciation issues. All lovely names!
I adore the name Faphnenqndnit has been on my list for ages! From your list I would choose [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], I think they are lovely together.
What about…
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Eulalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Tatiana[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabine[/name_f]
[name_f]Fleur[/name_f]
[name_f]Althea[/name_f] (this has that ethereal quality that I would attach to [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] but it also has the [name_f]Thea[/name_f] nickname you like)
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
[name_f]Elodie[/name_f]
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]
[name_f]Selena[/name_f]
I have to say I really think [name_f]Ada[/name_f] is perfect for [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]'s sister!
I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] Greek names (I know that’s not the only criteria), but these are my fave threads:
[name_f]Eve[/name_f]
natural, pure name, the first woman on earth (not Greek, but feels an obvious fit)
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f]
mythological first woman on earth
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
only realised recently that this is Greek, meaning thunder, with the obvious literary connections, pronounced bron-tay for a different ending to [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f]
just because I love the name, plus her character in the hunger games is kick ass
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
nature connection, Greek with possibly the best mythological connection as the personification of the rainbow, taking messages between heaven and [name_f]Earth[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
another user mentioned this one, has a connection to wood nymphs like [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], plus it links to the novelist, Dame [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] Compton-[name_m]Burnett[/name_m].
