I JUST found out I’m pregnant with baby #4! I wasn’t sure this day would come. Of course the thing weighing heaviest on my mind is finding the perfect name.
My three kids (Grant, Will, and Mae) all have honor names that feel really special to us. I have two people in mind I really want to honor but their names don’t feel like our style: Susan Leigh and Marlene Joanne. My middle is Louise so I’m considering Louanne Susan. I love how Lou feels with my kids but Louanne as a whole feels clunky. And outdated… and I worry about spelling issues (no capital in the middle? E at the end). Susan means Lily, which I love but Will and Lily feel too similar.
Of of course I’m over thinking this (isn’t that why we’re all here?) but can you give me either a fresh idea or reassurance that there’s a welcome place for Louanne in 2020? I’d so appreciate any input.
I think leaving [name_f]Louise[/name_f] as a first name will give you the [name_u]Lou[/name_u] name that fits well with your other kids’ names, while combining the two honorees names in some way will honor them. Some examples are:
[name_f]Louise[/name_f] __________
Leigh & Joanne: [name_f]Leeann[/name_f], [name_f]Annalee[/name_f]
Marlene & Leigh: [name_u]Marley[/name_u], [name_f]Marlee[/name_f]
Susan & Marlene: Soolene (pronounced [name_f]Sue[/name_f]-leen) --> the middle name of someone I knew growing up
Susan & Joanne: Susanne
[name_u]Lou[/name_u] works perfectly with your children’s names! I do think [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] sounds a little dated, but [name_u]Lou[/name_u] makes it fresher. You could also use [name_u]Lou[/name_u] as a full name- [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] makes a nice pairing. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with slightly dated choices- they’re still lovely names.
Other ideas:
[name_u]Leigh[/name_u] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] - honors [name_f]Susan[/name_f], [name_u]Leigh[/name_u]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] - honors [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Susan[/name_f]
[name_f]Mara[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] - honors [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Susan[/name_f] (not sure how you feel about repeated initials?)
[name_f]Jolie[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] - honors [name_f]Joanne[/name_f], [name_u]Leigh[/name_u], [name_f]Susan[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Lena[/name_f] and [name_f]Jolie[/name_f] are great ways to incorporate the honor names into more modern choices.
I don’t love [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] but it isn’t bad.
[name_f]Lulu[/name_f] [name_f]Susanne[/name_f]
[name_f]Marla[/name_f] [name_f]Susanne[/name_f] (although [name_f]Mae[/name_f] and [name_f]Marla[/name_f] share the same initials)
[name_f]Marla[/name_f] [name_f]Louanne[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Louise[/name_f] or [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] nn [name_u]Lou[/name_u] or [name_f]Lulu[/name_f] is a great sister name for [name_f]Mae[/name_f]. I also think [name_f]Susan[/name_f] works works well, maybe nicknamed [name_f]Su[/name_f] or [name_f]Zuzu[/name_f] or [name_f]Suki[/name_f]. A few other ideas:
[name_f]Susanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f]
[name_f]Marla[/name_f]
[name_f]Marly[/name_f]
[name_f]Joanna[/name_f] nn [name_u]Jo[/name_u]
Congratulations! Your children have lovely names. I don’t mind [name_f]Louanne[/name_f], but I prefer it spelled [name_f]LouAnne[/name_f]. I know a [name_f]LouAnn[/name_f] (spelled like that), and I think I like it better with the capitalized A so it’s easier for people to read/pronounce it. Since [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] has 3 vowels smushed together it could be misread by people unfamiliar with the name as “loon”…but that’s just my opinion.
I actually really like [name_u]Lou[/name_u] by itself though! Maybe something like [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Selena[/name_f] or [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Marceline[/name_f] (middles = [name_f]Susan[/name_f] + [name_f]Marlene[/name_f]).
I also love [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] by itself. I think [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] [name_f]Anne[/name_f], or [name_f]Leeann[/name_f]/[name_f]Leanne[/name_f] could work.
[name_u]Leigh[/name_u] [name_f]Suzanne[/name_f]
[name_u]Leigh[/name_u] [name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_f]Marcie[/name_f]
My faves are [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Marceline[/name_f], [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] [name_f]Suzanne[/name_f], and [name_f]LouAnne[/name_f] [name_f]Marcie[/name_f]
Best of luck!
I find [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] rather dated and heavy next to your other children’s cool and upbeat names. [name_m]Just[/name_m] [name_u]Lou[/name_u] is appealing to me (and is in the popular lists in [name_f]France[/name_f]). I also like the idea of other names with [name_u]Lou[/name_u] or [name_f]Lulu[/name_f] as a nickname: [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], [name_f]Lucinda[/name_f], [name_f]Lucia[/name_f]. [name_f]Louise[/name_f] is better than [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] as a first name, but [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] is a modern (though ‘old’) and fresh version matching your other kids. [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]Joanne[/name_f] sounds good.
Or what about [name_f]Susannah[/name_f], [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]/[name_f]Joanna[/name_f], or [name_u]Joan[/name_u]? [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]/[name_u]Lou[/name_u], [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]/[name_u]Lou[/name_u], [name_u]Joan[/name_u] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]? I also like [name_f]Leah[/name_f] - [name_f]Leah[/name_f] [name_f]Marlene[/name_f]/[name_f]Joanne[/name_f]?
I don’t particularly like the flow of [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] it just doesn’t quite sound right. [name_f]Louanne[/name_f] is fine but I prefer [name_f]Louise[/name_f] or [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] as a first name which go well better with the other three names.