Hello, all! [name_m]Long[/name_m] time browser, first time poster here!
Husband and I are about 99.9% set on naming our first daughter [name_u]River[/name_u]. [name_u]River[/name_u] came to us very easily, and although we’re open to changing our minds between now and [name_u]July[/name_u] when she gets here, we’re pretty sure this is the one!
The middle name spot is where we’re really struggling. We can’t seem to find middle ground or anything that seems to have a good flow to it. We do have a list of names we’re considering, but nothing’s jumping out as THE ONE like [name_u]River[/name_u] did.
We also don’t seem to have a set style. We seem to lean kind of vintage/classic but we’ve also considered a gender-neutral middle, we just haven’t found one we like enough to add to our list.
Bonus points for me, if it has ties to a strong meaning or activist/feminist namesakes— like [name_f]Diana[/name_f] for Wonder Woman.
Any thoughts on our current list or other suggestions for us? Thanks so much for any help you can give us!
I think a traditional feminine middle name would pair well with it and I like your choices of [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_f]Coraline[/name_f] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the name [name_u]River[/name_u], happy you chose it!
Nothing on your list sounds like it would actually flow well, even though [name_f]Jane[/name_f] and Sophie are cute. I don’t know if a overly girly name would fit [name_u]River[/name_u].
I love the pp’s suggestion of [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u].
Maybe [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Vega[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Nova[/name_f] or [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Mars[/name_u]? Idk a space name sounded awesome with it.
I love the idea of a middle name after a strong female role model. My daughter is named for [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] Ball and my son after [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_u]Lennon[/name_u] so clearly, I like the message it sends to your child to give them a name of someone you admire.
[name_f]Coretta[/name_f] ([name_m]Scott[/name_m] [name_m]King[/name_m])
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] ([name_f]Earhart[/name_f])
[name_f]Rosa[/name_f] ([name_m]Parks[/name_m])
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] ([name_u]Austen[/name_u]) already on your list! [name_u]Love[/name_u] it!
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m])
[name_f]Frida[/name_f] ([name_f]Kahlo[/name_f])
I’d think about what is important to you that you want to pass down to your daughter and then consider women, real or fictional, that reflect that. If fighting for justice is the ultimate lesson you’d like to pass to your daughter, wonder woman is a phenomenal namesake to illustrate that. For me, the name [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] was perfect because [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] Ball represented the laughter and happiness she brought to millions and the determination she always had in her own life. And those are 2 things I wanted to always be part of my daughter’s life. So think about what you want her name to represent: strength, compassion, happiness, intelligence, etc. And I bet you’ll be able to pinpoint some pretty great people you feel represent that.
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Diana[/name_f], and [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] are stunners!
You’ve given us some beautiful options to think about! We hadn’t considered [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u] which is gorgeous and so is [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]— I think we officially lean more feminine in the middle name department.
I also love the story behind your kid’s names, llbaby22! Maybe I’m just not quite thinking out of the box enough for strong female role models… I’d love a great meaning like that behind my daughters name.
And for some reason [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] hadn’t crossed my mind, so maybe I need to think more on that one!
I like [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Diana[/name_f], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Fiona[/name_f], and the suggestion of [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. I think llbaby had good advice. Based on sound I like a unisex or not too frilly name with [name_u]River[/name_u].
I would lean towards a one or three syllable name in the middle spot, to avoid the repetition you get with another two syllable name there. I particularly like [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Fiona[/name_f].
I really like the suggestion of [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]!
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u] sounds naturally good and I think that’s because it sounds just like riverbend! I might not use that for that reason (even though I love [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_u]Wren[/name_u].)
Ahh, good point about [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. That’s something to keep in mind.
I’m loving the suggestions of a [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]June[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]… I’ll have to run all these by the husband.
Thanks so much everyone! I feel like we were hitting a wall, but now we’ve got so many options we never would have thought of ourselves!
I like [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u] too! [name_f]Fleur[/name_f] De Force (popular beauty YouTuber) just named her baby [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u]!!
I love [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Diana[/name_f], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], or [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]! [name_f]Diana[/name_f] is probably my most favorite.
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] (the lady with the lamp - [name_f]Florence[/name_f] Nightingale)
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Millicent[/name_f] (campaigner for equal womens rights and helped founded Newnham Collage - [name_f]Millicent[/name_f] Fawcett)
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Holiday[/name_f] (first lady of the blues - [name_u]Billie[/name_u] [name_f]Holiday[/name_f])
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_m]Fletcher[/name_m] ([name_m]Fletcher[/name_m] Hanks, first female superhero)
[name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] (the womens social and political union - [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] Pankhurst)
Awesome, thank you so much for even more suggestions!
I really like [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Florence[/name_f], I think those are gorgeous! Husband’s liking [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and he’s still really liking [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Diana[/name_f].
Maybe we’ll hold off until she’s here, and we’ll have a couple good options for her, to see what fits best.
