So, I’m due in 6 days and DH made it obvious today he loves the name Maureen for a girl (honor name for his gram). I had Ruby and Eva picked out as a sister for our first, Anna. I was cool with using Maureen as a MN for either of those but DH seems super set on using it as a FN. Specifically he’d like Maureen Theresa.
I’m trying to compromise. We already have a Maren, Mary Theresa, Marian, Maeve, Mary and Maryellen all living in the close family (hello Irish). And actually 2 other Maureens. He seems to think this is a good thing, to name after other people in the family. I call it redundant when there are 3 people in everyone’s recent memory with the same name and we’d add a fourth. I’m actually trying to steer clear of Mary names as much as possible for a lot of reasons including messy family history.
My compromise would be the name Mae. Cape May is our family vacation place and I love the way saying Mae sounds. It’s so pretty and short. It can be seen as honoring any Mary based name including Maureen if he wants that. I can think whatever I want to in that respect ”. To respect the fact that DH really wants it to be the FN, I’d love a double barrel that BEGINS with Mae. I feel like it also might bypass some of the super cutesy country feel that can come with Mae ending names (Ellie-Mae, Lola-Mae etc). I’m also trying to rectify it with Anna. Saying “Anna and Mae” kind of sounds like Anna Mae, or even Anime if I’m being mumbly ”. So I feel like a second name will make them distinct.
Finally, do you DO a MN with a double barrel first? If yes, let me know. I feel like it might get a bit long.
So, fill in the blank! Maybe keep in mind that I love Ruby and Eva just about equally and am kinda bummed he’s not going for either!
Anna Dorothy and Mae-__________ (possible MN?) Rodgers.
Just for an example of my taste beyond my daughter’s name, here’s some that were on my list: Noelle, Lynette, Elise, Leila, Vivian, Clara (which I’d absolutely use if it wasn’t terrible with LN Rodgers)
Have you considered [name_f]Tess[/name_f], [name_f]Tessa[/name_f], and [name_f]Therese[/name_f] as diminutives of [name_f]Theresa[/name_f]?
In the spirit of compromise with your husband- I wonder if [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Tessa[/name_f] could work, admittedly I’m not very familiar with double FNs and it might not have the best flow. Because [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is so short, I think you can still do a middle! (Speaking as a person with two longish middle names myself).
What about [name_f]Mathea[/name_f]/[name_f]Mattea[/name_f]? [name_f]Thea[/name_f]?
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Sienna[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Hattie[/name_f]’
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Flossie[/name_f]’
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]’
[name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
Mae Clara (I think with Mae in front of it, it sounds fine with your surname)
If you don’t want a “[name_f]Mary[/name_f]” name, but you want to honour a [name_f]Maureen[/name_f], would you be open to variations on the “reen” sound? Such as [name_f]Rena[/name_f], [name_f]Renee[/name_f] or [name_f]Renie[/name_f]?
I’m sorry, I can’t think of any new combinations with [name_f]Mae[/name_f] at the front, but I second the previous suggestions of [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_u]Wyn[/name_u], [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Tessa[/name_f], [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]. [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_u]Wyn[/name_u] is my favourite.
I think you can definitely have a middle name for a double barrel combination. My friend had her baby last [name_u]August[/name_u] and named her [name_u]Peyton[/name_u]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f] with the middle name [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] and it definitely works.
I also like the suggestion of [name_f]Renee[/name_f] to honour a [name_f]Maureen[/name_f] that’s really pretty
Suggestions…
[name_f]Renee[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Renee[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Renee[/name_f] [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Renee[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Renee[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
It’s a great idea when you can’t agree on your favourite name to remove all the favourites from contention even though it’s saddening to not use them. [name_f]Mae[/name_f] sounds like a good compromise. I think even with [name_f]Mae[/name_f] at the front though, it will be difficult to avoid a double name from sounding Southern or overly sweet, or from feeling part of the name trend. Sticking to a traditional or classic name for the second spot would help limit this.
From all the possibilities on your list I like [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Elise[/name_f] the most, but I assume you’ve already tried them all out and they’re a no-go. Similar to this is [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Louise[/name_f]. I think it’s a fantastic option. It fits in with your style and flows well with your surname. [name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Louise[/name_f].
I’m honestly struggling to see any other great options. Most have flow issues. Some have blending issues like [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Alice[/name_f] becoming ‘malice.’ [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Catherine[/name_f] sound lovely but I’m concerned they would overwhelm her sister’s name. The other thing to consider is how often [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is used in the second spot. I think it’s reasonable to assume some people will accidentally reverse her name. For instance, [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Sarah[/name_f] will probably be confused with [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]-[name_f]Mae[/name_f]. However, with all that said, none of these things I mention are deal breakers.
I don’t see any strong reasons against choosing a middle name with a double first name if you would like her to have one. A three syllable double first name will likely sound the best with a two syllable name in the middle. For instance, [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Louise[/name_f] [name_f]Helen[/name_f] R____. See, it’s not a long name. In fact, [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] shares the same amount of syllables, there are just a few more short vowel sounds.
If there isn’t a double name you like, I think you have a great thing going with [name_f]Mae[/name_f] as a first name on its own. I know you have a concern about the way “[name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f]” might be misheard or mispronounced but I truly believe this would only be incidental or occasional at worst. It will be such a familiar phrase that no one in your family will misunderstand you, and in almost all situations it will be obvious you’re referring to your daughters. If it really bothers you though, instead of “[name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f],” you could say “[name_f]Mae[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f].” I think if you did end up saying “[name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Mae[/name_f]” you would instinctively add a little pause in after [name_f]Anna[/name_f] anyway.
Some other suggestions. One step away from [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. It shares similar sounds with [name_f]Leila[/name_f] and [name_f]Noelle[/name_f], and the ‘b’ in [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]. It’s not a direct diminutive of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] like [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is, but it still seems like a plausible honour and worth the compromise if you both like the name. [name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. There’s also [name_f]Esme[/name_f] although that’s yet another step away. Or you could go in the other direction with [name_f]Irene[/name_f], focusing on the ending of [name_f]Maureen[/name_f] instead. [name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Irene[/name_f]. I also wonder about [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. I don’t personally see the issue with the way [name_f]Clara[/name_f] R____ sounds. I just add an instinctive pause between the first and last names to tackle the two r’s. What other issues are there? I can’t find any.
I hope you’ll let us know what you decide! Best of luck.
My first thought was [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Louise[/name_f], which actually could lend itself to [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] as a nn, if you wanted that!
I’m sorry you’re finding it so hard to name your baby! My sister had the similar problems naming my niece as she wanted [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] but her partner didn’t, so they compromised with [name_f]Bella[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f].
Have you thought about [name_f]Mae[/name_f] variants and using [name_f]Mae[/name_f] as her nickname? Like [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Macie[/name_f]/Maecie etc.
If you’re set on [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-, how about
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Violet[/name_f] (I think this has been suggested and I love it!)
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
I like the suggestion of [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Tessa[/name_f] to tie back into [name_f]Theresa[/name_f]
Sorry if there are any other repeats
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Helen[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Irene[/name_f] or [name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Eileen[/name_f] (similar to [name_f]Maureen[/name_f] but a bit of a twist)
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Vera[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_u]Lynn[/name_u]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]-[name_f]Lynette[/name_f]