I am a bit of a name nerd and have lurked on this forum for years! Now that we are having a girl, I am coming out of the closet. I think girl names are so much fun, but also a bit trickier than boy names…so please help!
My husband and I are having a girl (sibling to our son [name_m]Charles[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], whom we always call [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]). After much discussion, we have decided we just love [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], so despite an upswing in popularity in our area we are going with it.
We tend to like having a nickname, but we also love this name as-is. If we do a nickname, would prefer [name_f]Nora[/name_f] or maybe [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ella[/name_f]. I don’t [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], although I don’t hate it either. But it seems way too popular. Would you start right off by telling people her name is [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Nora[/name_f]) to prevent people nicknaming her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] on their own? This is totally something I could see my family doing. Or just go with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and see what nickname she adopts over time?
Second question…middle name. We love [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]. ([name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is actually our favorite name, but it’s vetoed for a first name b/c I hate the nickname [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] and the “belle/bella” names are so popular.) I could see myself calling her [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f] as a playful name when super tiny, which I love despite it being so overly cutesy. But of course there are tons of less-cute name options as she grows. I mentioned the name [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] to someone and they said “that’s a lot of name.” [name_f]Do[/name_f] you agree? Is it too much? We have a 1 syllable last name so I don’t mind long. But I also really like names like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f], so could go shorter.
If you definitely don’t want her called [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], I think you do have to get in there early and introduce her by your preferred nickname, or tell people when she arrives that that’s what you’ll be calling her for short. I know it seems a bit awkward to do it, and of course it’s nicer to let a nickname develop over time, but [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] is the most likely nickname so I do think you need to nudge people in a different direction early if you don’t want it. Another option is to let them call her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] at first and try and nudge it towards [name_f]Elle[/name_f] or [name_f]Ella[/name_f] by setting an example, since it seems like a logical progression.
I don’t think [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is “too much” at all! Both are perfectly lovely, traditional, “normal” names. Together they make for quite a long combo, but I don’t think it’s too long at all, especially with a short surname. You could always use the [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] spelling to make it look a bit more streamlined.
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is not too long but I like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. My favourite nickname for [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is [name_f]Elle[/name_f]. If you want people not to call her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], just correct them every time they use [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] with “Her name is not [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], it’s [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]”. If that doesn’t work, you will have to keep your daughter away from them until they learn to stop calling her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] since it is important to teach your daughter that people don’t have the right to call her whatever they want.
If you want to call her [name_f]Nora[/name_f], just include it in your birth announcement - ‘[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], born this morning etc etc [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Nora[/name_f] is doing well’ or something. That way it’s not awkward but the nickname is stated off the bat.
[name_f]Lea[/name_f], [name_f]Lena[/name_f]/[name_f]Lenna[/name_f] and [name_u]Norrie[/name_u] are all from the same sounds and are a bit more unusual and unexpected. I have no idea how it happened, but I have a cousin who has a little [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and her NN is [name_f]Lily[/name_f].
Nicknames stick and if you don’t announce often and loudly what her NN is, people will assume their own. [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] has so many possibilities, perhaps write them all down, and when she’s born, decide what suits her best.
I would just call her by the full [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. If you will mostly use [name_f]Nora[/name_f], I would introduce her as [name_f]Nora[/name_f]. [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] is a long name, but not overly so. I prefer the sweet [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f].
I would also introduce her by your preferred NN. I like NNs [name_f]Leni[/name_f] or [name_u]Nori[/name_u] too. I don’t think it’s too long but I would personally prefer a two syllable middle.
First of all, I love that you have chosen [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. What a great name! It is a fun bonus to have lots of nickname options, also.
I think @easterbunny gave a great suggestion of how to introduce whatever nickname and establish one before they go on picking their own.
Also, just my two cents, but [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is a lovely choice and would lend itself better to the [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f] nn while she’s little. So adorable!
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is stunning.
My husband and I had boy-girl twins in [name_u]November[/name_u] and we also named our son [name_m]Charles[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]. (And we have a one-syllable last name, too, just like you). [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] was a top contender for our daughter, but in the end we named her [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Libby[/name_f].
We announced their birth with “[name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_f]Libby[/name_f] have arrived!” followed by the details of their full names, weights, etc.
When people ask me what my daughter’s name is, I either just say [name_f]Libby[/name_f] or else I say “[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and we call her [name_f]Libby[/name_f]”.
I think [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is lovely – and with a short last name, I also wanted more syllables in the first and middle!
Of course you can establish what her nickname is! If you, family and close friends call her [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f] or [name_f]Ella[/name_f], and she is presented like that, I would say it is unlikely that people would still call her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]…
By the way, exactly because of that ([name_f]Ellie[/name_f] being so popular), my favorite nickname for [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Eleonore[/name_f], ect. is [name_u]Nori[/name_u]! I think it is sweet and it’s not the first thing that comes to mind. As it stands out, people are much likely to remember that that [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is called this and not [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]…
Thanks everyone! This is super helpful. Sounds like we probably should steer people a little. We did that with our son and it’s worked perfectly. I like the idea of doing it subtly as @easterbunny suggested
I think I’ll list out some more nicknames to discuss with my husband. It’s fun to have options! [name_m]Will[/name_m] definitely add [name_u]Nori[/name_u] and maybe [name_f]Lena[/name_f]/[name_f]Leni[/name_f] to the list. I think [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] & [name_u]Nori[/name_u], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] & [name_f]Nora[/name_f], and even just [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] & [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] would all be good.
For some reason I just can’t spell it [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]! Not sure what my hangup is there. I know it’s a bit cleaner and shorter. I agree a 2-syllable middle would be perfect, but have had trouble thinking of good ones. (We had the same problem with our son, hence [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]!)
@sbw- that is so funny! We definitely have the same taste! [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] was on our list too. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the twin names you picked.
My cousin is called [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and she went strictly by [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] until she decided to use [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] when she was 14. No one gave her a nickname because her parents didn’t and so she never thought to give herself one until she decided [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] fitted her better than [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].
Saying all of the above, I would definitely get in there as soon as she is born and introduce her as [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] but with the nickname you want so they avoid [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], if that isn’t what you want. I much prefer [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] called [name_f]Elle[/name_f] or [name_f]Nora[/name_f] than [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] too! With [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], I also don’t think it’s a lot of name! It is technically just [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], and that looks fine, just a variant spelling so it may look longer than it actually is when said.
I love the nickname of [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f]! I think it is adorable, a certainly something you could use for longer than when she is little. My name is [name_f]Holly[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and my mother called me “[name_f]Rosie[/name_f]-La” for a very long time, and I loved when she called me that. I think its important for Mommie to have a very special nickname for her girl
I have a similar nickname preference when it comes to the name [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], same as you (I prefer [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] over all the others)
I think that if you have a preference, you can call her by that nickname. If she likes the nickname as she gets older, she’ll start introducing herself that way. “[name_m]Hi[/name_m], I’m [name_f]Nora[/name_f], what’s your name?” I don’t think you can ultimately control what other people will want to call her, or what she’ll want to be called herself (which is more important, I think.) Like someone before said, you can correct others if you are really against the nickname. I also like the suggestion to put it in her birth announcement so that [name_f]Nora[/name_f] becomes synonymous with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], and it becomes a natural nickname for those close to her.
My suggestion is just to use the ones you like ([name_f]Nora[/name_f] and especially [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f]) and let things sort themselves out as she gets older.
@eoxima - Those are good points! It’s good to hear about your cousin’s experience! Definitely helps me feel comfortable “suggesting” a nickname I like right off the bat.
@hollyrose90 - Oh good! I’m so glad you like [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-[name_f]Belle[/name_f] too! I really love your idea of it being a special nickname that I call her because I’m mom, like your mom did. So sweet. And it totally makes sense, because I call my son a couple of silly/sweet names nobody else uses. I never thought of it that way before. And yes, so true that she is going to do what she wants with the name as she gets older anyway! It will be fun to see what happens. That’s one reason we love [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. We want her to have options and to choose what suits her personality best. Thanks for the insight!
I think girl names are so much fun, but also a bit trickier than boy names…so please help!
(And we have a one-syllable last name, too, just like you). [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] was a top contender for our daughter, but in the end we named her [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Libby[/name_f].