When we found out that my daughter was a girl, we almost immediately decided on the name [name]Harper[/name] [name]Mae[/name] ([name]Mae[/name] is a family name). However, now that we are expecting our second daughter, we are at a loss. HELP!
We would really love to name this baby after someone on my family’s side since [name]Harper[/name] is named after my husband’s, however, the women in my family have some tough names to make cute! She is due around my mom’s birthday, but her name is [name]Marsha[/name] [name]Lynn[/name], so it is tough to find something cute there. [name]Even[/name] just using an “M” name would suffice, but we haven’t come across any of those we like. We tend to like surname-y first names and not names that are Top 20 popularity, but have really been all over the place this go round. We would also consider naming her after my grandmother with a middle name of “[name]Kate[/name]” (after [name]Kathryn[/name]) or after my sister with a middle name of “[name]Cole[/name]” (after [name]Nicole[/name]). Any suggestions there?
So far, our favorite name has been [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Cole[/name] or [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Kate[/name], but one of my best friends (who lives in another state) is having a daughter in February and naming her [name]Ellie[/name]. Does that make [name]Ellington[/name] out of play? We would plan to call her [name]Ellington[/name], but if it did get shortened, it would be to [name]Elle[/name]. What do you think, nameberries?
I think it is okay to use [name]Ellington[/name] with the nn [name]Elle[/name] since you guys are in different states. I prefer [name]Ellery[/name] and [name]Ellison[/name] with the nn [name]Elle[/name] over [name]Ellington[/name]. I also think [name]Ellery[/name] would be less likely to get a nn.
Other first names I think go well with [name]Harper[/name].
[name]Emery[/name]
[name]Reese[/name]
[name]Kennedy[/name]
[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Campbell[/name]
[name]Delaney[/name]
[name]Lennox[/name]
[name]Blair[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name]
I like the middle name of [name]Kate[/name] if you have a fn that is more than one syllable. [name]Kate[/name] is a great way to honor your grandmother.
If you are looking to honor your mother.
Like [name]Lynn[/name]
[name]Linnea[/name] (li-nay-ah)
[name]Evelyn[/name], [name]Adelyn[/name], [name]Ashlyn[/name], [name]Jocelyn[/name], [name]Brooklyn[/name], (any name with a lyn ending)
[name]Marilyn[/name] (lyn ending and M start)
[name]Katelynn[/name](lynn ending and [name]Kate[/name] start, it’s a two for)
Linley
[name]Lynnette[/name]
Like [name]Marsha[/name] or all start with [name]Mar[/name]
[name]Marisol[/name]
[name]Marielle[/name] or [name]Mariella[/name]
[name]Mara[/name]
[name]Mariana[/name]
[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Mariam[/name]
[name]Maribel[/name]
[name]Marla[/name]
[name]Maris[/name]
Other M names
[name]Mira[/name]
[name]Mila[/name]
[name]Milena[/name]
[name]Mavis[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Micah[/name]
[name]Mabel[/name]
[name]Merry[/name]
[name]Mercy[/name]
[name]Merryn[/name]
[name]Mairead[/name]
[name]Maisie[/name]
[name]Maude[/name]
[name]Maple[/name]
[name]Mercedes[/name]
First name that came to my mind was [name]Monroe[/name] for a girl. With an older sibling who has such an unisex name like [name]Harper[/name], you can’t do an overly feminine name. But I also don’t really know if [name]Monroe[/name] would go with the two middle names you’ve picked out.
[name]Monroe[/name] [name]Kate[/name],
[name]Monroe[/name] [name]Cole[/name] ([name]Colette[/name]),
[name]Monroe[/name] [name]Lynn[/name].
([name]Monroe[/name] [name]Masha[/name]?)
(Also, I would switch the middle name of [name]Cole[/name] to [name]Colette[/name] or a variation of the name [name]Nicole[/name]. If you do another unisex surname, plus with the middle name of [name]Cole[/name], people will definitely think its a boy and not a girl.)
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Kate[/name] is beautiful! If you use [name]Ellington[/name], I think you need a feminine middle name and [name]Kate[/name] flows very well. [name]Cole[/name] will only work with a first name that’s feminine on its own, in my opinion.
I also don’t think it’s a problem with the nickname [name]Elle[/name] or [name]Ellie[/name] even, since your friend lives in another state.
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Cole[/name] is entirely too masculine. Have you considered [name]Ellery[/name]? [name]Ellery[/name] is still unisex like [name]Harper[/name], but much more feminine than [name]Ellington[/name]…
love your list of names to go with [name]Harper[/name]! We have talked about [name]Reese[/name] and [name]Quinn[/name], and I love [name]Campbell[/name], but husband does not. Any ideas for a middle name for [name]Reese[/name] or [name]Quinn[/name]? I know we’d need a longer middle name, and I haven’t really thought of any I love. [name]Elizabeth[/name] seems to go with everything, but it’s the middle name of my not-so-liked stepmother, so no go.
We aren’t married to those middle names, just would like to use them if they work out. I do like [name]Monroe[/name], and we’ve actually had that come up during our name search.
I think [name]Ellington[/name] is a fine name, however it is very very close to your best friend’s choice with [name]Ellie[/name]/[name]Elle[/name]. It might make waves at some point.
Have you considered [name]Emmerson[/name]/[name]Emmy[/name]/[name]Emmie[/name]?
Some others that are nice with [name]Harper[/name] are…
I would like to second [name]Marlowe[/name]! I think [name]Harper[/name] and [name]Marlowe[/name] would make gorgeous sisters!
Some middle name suggestions:
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Corinne[/name]
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Marissa[/name] (not sure if you like the double Ms?)
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Kate[/name]
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Katrina[/name] (I really like this!)
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Colette[/name]
[name]Marlowe[/name] [name]Michelle[/name]
I guess I had no idea [name]Ellington[/name] was considered so masculine! The only [name]Ellington[/name] I’ve known is a little girl, and it just seems really feminine to me with the whole “[name]El[/name]-” trend. Although she has a brother named [name]Emerson[/name], which I think of as a girl name now, so maybe they like really confusing gender names! I don’t think of [name]Harper[/name] as masculine either now that it has gotten so much more popular as a girl’s name.
My husband’s best friend (and our closest local couple friends) just named their daughter [name]Emerson[/name]! I think we just needed to get pregnant a year before.
[name]Ellington[/name] is very masculine/unisex to me, so I’d definitely pair it with a more feminine middle name. [name]Harper[/name] and [name]Ellington[/name] would make a good sister pairing though! I like the suggestions of [name]Monroe[/name] and [name]Marlowe[/name] for you as well.
I agree with others that [name]Ellington[/name] strikes me as more masculine than unisex. [name]Harper[/name] is unisex, but more common for girls, so I fear that a sister named [name]Ellington[/name] would be mistaken for a boy. I like previous suggestions of [name]Emery[/name] and [name]Ellery[/name], but given that there is an [name]Emerson[/name] and an [name]Ellie[/name] in your life, I’m going to cast the net a little wider.
Unisex names to pair with sister [name]Harper[/name]:
[name]Shiloh[/name]
[name]Winslow[/name] or [name]Winslet[/name]
[name]Sawyer[/name] (this could skew a little masculine, so I would pair it with a clearly feminine middle like [name]Kate[/name] or the longer [name]Katherine[/name])
[name]Ainsley[/name]
Gracen
[name]Devon[/name] / [name]Devin[/name]
[name]Arden[/name]
[name]Prentiss[/name]
[name]Ashton[/name]
[name]Greer[/name]
[name]Darcy[/name]
[name]Monet[/name]
[name]Austen[/name] (as in [name]Jane[/name]! ^_^)
[name]Finley[/name] / [name]Finleigh[/name]
[name]Sheridan[/name]
M names with a unisex vibe:
Manen
[name]Marlowe[/name] (preferred spelling, but there is also [name]Marlo[/name] and [name]Marlow[/name])
[name]Monet[/name]
[name]Merle[/name]
[name]Mercer[/name]
[name]Marin[/name] / [name]Maren[/name]
More feminine middles to pair with [name]Quinn[/name] (I wouldn’t use [name]Mary[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Isabella[/name] because it starts to sound like [name]Queen[/name]) or [name]Reese[/name]:
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Sophia[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Elise[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Olivia[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Ava[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Violet[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Elodie[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Anabel[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Renee[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Ariana[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Collette[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Jemima[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Adele[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Felicity[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Audrey[/name] (as in Hepburn. [name]Love[/name] it with [name]Harper[/name] [name]Mae[/name]!)
[name]Quinn[/name] [name]Simone[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Nicole[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Delaney[/name] (another one I love with [name]Harper[/name] [name]Mae[/name])
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Katherine[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]McKenna[/name] (might be too much uni for one name)
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Evelyn[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Anette[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Leanne[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Elinor[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Isobel[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Colleen[/name] would be pretty!
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Kate[/name] [name]Marie[/name] would be sweet too and could honor both mom and grandma.
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Lyndsey[/name] Is kind of fun.
[name]Ellington[/name] [name]Katie[/name] [name]Cole[/name] is cute too!
You could also name her after your mom in another way… her maiden name, her place of birth, her day of birth, something that means a lot to her… for example if she is a librarian find out her favorite book and name after a character, if she is a singer something like [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Melody[/name], if she loves to cook [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name], if she is a nature lover [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Poppy[/name] or [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Fern[/name], if she loves the stars [name]Ellington[/name] [name]Celeste[/name]… Get creative.