Help with baby girls name - arriving in June!

Girl Names
1

[name]Hi[/name] all,

This is my first post, though I’m a long time reader and searcher!

We’re having a huge amount of trouble narrowing down our names, and to be honest I’m not completely sold on the ones we are considering.

Firstly, we already have a Marilla [name]Susan[/name] (NN [name]Rilla[/name], from [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables and [name]Susan[/name] is a family name). Our first has LOADS of meaning to us and we had a boys name ready but we are blessed with another girl, so I’m feeling a bit out of my depth.

[name]Marilla[/name]'s a [name]Leo[/name] (ruled by the sun) and this little one will be a Cancer (ruled by the moon).

Secondly, our last name is a food type (Oi!) and ends with “ey”. So lots of my favourites have gone. ([name]Sage[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Rose[/name] etc).

These are some of the first names we have been consdering but am happy to hear other suggestions.

Adelaide nn [name]Adie[/name]
Harriet nn [name]Hattie[/name]
Willa (lots of [name]Williams[/name] in the family line)
Magnolia - nn [name]Nola[/name] or [name]Maggie[/name]
Luna
Pheobe - nn Phe
Sylvia

Also middle names are a bit of a dead end though we have considered Lillian - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity for a Girl | Nameberry to honour my [name]Nana[/name], it’s her middle name, her first is Mabel, Charlotte to honour my mum (her middle name) but I like [name]Lottie[/name] better or something “purple” as her [name]Sister[/name] has always refered to her as the “purple baby”. So [name]Violet[/name], [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Viola[/name] have been options.

Thanks in advance for any help!

2

I think [name]Sylvia[/name] [name]Lillian[/name] would be a beautiful fit with [name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name].

3

[name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Harriet[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name] are nice enough but don’t have quite the same feel as [name]Marilla[/name].

[name]Willa[/name] sounds so much like [name]Marilla[/name] that I’d leave it as a middle choice.

[name]Magnolia[/name], [name]Luna[/name] and [name]Sylvia[/name] are probably my picks of your list, although I think [name]Sylvie[/name] might work slightly better with [name]Marilla[/name].

Some other suggestions you might like:
[name]Orchid[/name]
[name]Wisteria[/name]
[name]Petra[/name]
[name]Estelle[/name]
Abbilene
Adona
Eluna
[name]Enid[/name]
Junissa
[name]Eliska[/name]
[name]Lotus[/name]
[name]Aura[/name]
[name]Sadie[/name]
[name]Isadora[/name]
[name]Sable[/name]
Caspia
[name]Pheodora[/name]
[name]Fenella[/name]
[name]Fiorella[/name]

4

BlueJuniper you’ve hit the nail on the head when you write

"[name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Harriet[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name] are nice enough but don’t have quite the same feel as [name]Marilla[/name].

[name]Willa[/name] sounds so much like [name]Marilla[/name] that I’d leave it as a middle choice".

I love [name]Adelaide[/name] but don’t feel it’s a good match and I don’t like [name]Addy[/name] (ad-dee) as a nn but rather [name]Adie[/name] (Aa-dee), but know what she’ll probably get.

I do like [name]Sylvia[/name]/[name]Sylvie[/name].

I also like [name]Enid[/name] and [name]Enid[/name] and a few other suggestions you said. Thanks!

5

Some Ideas:

[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Sylvie[/name] [name]Iris[/name]
[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Lottie[/name] [name]Viola[/name]
[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Mabel[/name]
[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Harriet[/name] [name]Luna[/name] nn [name]Hattie[/name]. [name]Rilla[/name] and [name]Hattie[/name] are cute.
[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Sylvie[/name] [name]Luna[/name]
[name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] & [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lilian[/name]

6

Some great suggestions, when hubby gets home I’m going to pounce on him with these :slight_smile:

Anyone else have any suggestions? Our boys name was going to be [name]Rafferty[/name] [name]Albert[/name] (wasn’t set but very close) and I liked the idea of a sibset with having double letters in the names…

I also liked [name]Acacia[/name] but felt it’s to out there compared to more elegant [name]Marilla[/name].

7

With your ither daughters name I really I love [name]Luna[/name] from your list and [name]Sylvie[/name] rather than [name]Sylvia[/name]!
[name]Luna[/name] [name]Mabel[/name] or [name]Sylvie[/name] [name]Mabel[/name] would be very sweet!! I love that [name]Sylvie[/name] [name]Mabel[/name] had reverse initials [name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name]! Another option that’s coming to mind is [name]Selena[/name] (goddess of the moon)[name]Mabel[/name]!

9

When I hear [name]Marilla[/name] the first thing I think of is dignity and a charming 19th century vibe. I also like the rarity of it.

My impressions of your list, in comparison to [name]Marilla[/name]:

[name]Adelaide[/name]–charming but just not in the same league
[name]Harriet[/name]–misses, in my book, because it doesn’t quite have the beauty of [name]Marilla[/name], and because it’s a bit too familiar
[name]Willa[/name]–love the name, fits, but too rhymey. I like [name]Lillian[/name] better as a middle…echoes [name]Marilla[/name] (that double letter tie-in), but doesn’t rhyme
[name]Magnolia[/name]–again, to my ear, [name]Magnolia[/name] is an overblown belle whereas [name]Marilla[/name] has dignity and containment
[name]Luna[/name]–love [name]Luna[/name] Lovegood, she’s too, well, loony, to stand next to [name]Marilla[/name]
[name]Pheobe[/name]–one of my favorites, but it seems too familiar
[name]Sylvia[/name]–best fit, to my ear

I think you need something, unusual but with substance, almost regal. Here are my suggestions, but I didn’t do well trying to come up with double-letter names…

[name]Annora[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Phaedra[/name]
[name]Verena[/name]
[name]Ardith[/name]
[name]Honora[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Claudia[/name]
[name]Leticia[/name]
[name]Flavia[/name]
[name]Sabina[/name]
[name]Felicia[/name]
[name]Portia[/name]
[name]Vida[/name]
[name]Corinna[/name]
[name]Lenora[/name]
[name]Livia[/name]
[name]Annia[/name]

Good luck and congrats!

10

[name]Adelaide[/name] is one of my favorite names! Nn adie is cute, I also like [name]Della[/name]. [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Iris[/name] or [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Violet[/name] is stunning

11

Thank you everyone! missmolly I loved what you wrote regarding [name]Marilla[/name]'s name, what you wrote really helped me to articluate to my husband why I have been so funny about just going with some of the names on my list.

So we have a new name to consider and wondered what you all thought.

IIleana (pn ill-ee-[name]AH[/name]-nah) it’s derived from the Greek name [name]Helen[/name], which would honour my Husband’s [name]Sister[/name] [name]Helen[/name] who died three days after being born, without being over the top or in his parents/family’s face about it.

We both like it, it has the double letters (by chance), goes with our surname and has a coincidental family connection, plus we feel it’s not very common but not crazy either. Thoughts? And help with mn suggestions please!

12

I honestly like [name]Helena[/name] better than IIleana w/ sister [name]Marilla[/name] to honor a [name]Helen[/name], not that both aren’t quite pretty.

I also love [name]Marilla[/name] & [name]Loretta[/name] together

13

[name]Sylvia[/name] would be my first choice!! I also like [name]Adelaide[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name]. [name]Love[/name] [name]Marilla[/name] by the way.

14

First off, I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Marilla[/name]! I would love to use it (unfortunately hubby is not a fan), as I grew up watching [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables and the Road to Avonlea series. IIleana is pretty, and a good reference to [name]Helen[/name], you should use it if you love it. It doesn’t quite seem to match with [name]Marilla[/name] though, so I thought I’d throw out some more ideas. But obviously, personal and family meaning trump any sort of sibling set name matching, so go with what you love!

Another double letter form of [name]Helen[/name], is the Irish - [name]Eileen[/name]

[name]Eileen[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] or [name]Eileen[/name] [name]Mabel[/name] or [name]Eileen[/name] [name]Violet[/name]

You like [name]Harriet[/name], so I thought of [name]Henrietta[/name] or [name]Henriette[/name]. Has the same feel as [name]Marilla[/name] plus double letters, and a multitude of cute nn’s.
I thought of the character, [name]Henrietta[/name] [name]King[/name] “Aunt [name]Hetty[/name]”, from the Road to Avonlea series, I also like nn’s, [name]Etta[/name], [name]Hattie[/name], and [name]Henie[/name].

[name]Henrietta[/name] [name]Iris[/name]

You like [name]Willa[/name], how about [name]Wilhelmina[/name]? This was a contender for us for #2, and I love the nn’s, [name]Billie[/name] or [name]Minnie[/name] (for your double letters). Of course you could do nn [name]Willa[/name] as well, but I agree that it rhymes too much with [name]Marilla[/name] “[name]Rilla[/name]”. The name contains the “hel” of [name]Helen[/name] too.

[name]Wilhelmina[/name] [name]Iris[/name] or [name]Wilhelmina[/name] [name]Violet[/name]

Maybe too familiar for your taste, but I love the name [name]Esther[/name] with sister, [name]Marilla[/name]. Her name means “star”, which are in the night sky with the moon. I personally only know one [name]Esther[/name], and she’s the nicest, friendliest lady. I think [name]Esther[/name] would be great on a little girl, as well as an adult. No double letters, but you could use the nn’s, [name]Essie[/name], [name]Ettie[/name], or [name]Hettie[/name]. I like [name]Esther[/name] paired with [name]Lillian[/name].

[name]Esther[/name] [name]Lillian[/name]

Good luck and blessings to your family! Our 2nd sweet little daughter is due in [name]June[/name] as well! :slight_smile:

15

Illeana is pretty and is ok with [name]Marilla[/name]. If you love it, go for it!

16

I like Illeana, and I don’t think would be a bad choice. But, it feels more lightweight than [name]Marilla[/name].

If I were you and wanted to honor a [name]Helen[/name], I’d go for [name]Elenora[/name], [name]Leonora[/name], [name]Eleonora[/name], [name]Lenore[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name] or even [name]Elna[/name] to balance with [name]Marilla[/name].

But that’s just me…others may see [name]Marilla[/name] is a bit frillier than I do.

17

Oh wow! You are going to need another rare gem to match [name]Marilla[/name]! [name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name] is a lovely combo.
I love the purple names and the meaning behind them. They are not uncommon enough though. Except [name]Viola[/name], but I don’t like that they both end in an A.
[name]Lilac[/name], [name]Lavender[/name], Larkspur, [name]Wisteria[/name], [name]Zinnia[/name], [name]Tulip[/name], [name]Freesia[/name], [name]Veronica[/name], [name]Angelica[/name], [name]Petunia[/name] and [name]Morning[/name] [name]Glory[/name] are all names of flowers that are shades of purple. They would make great middles!
Possible first:
[name]Maud/name
[name]Mavis[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] - cute nicknames [name]Mim[/name], [name]Mimi[/name] or [name]Miri[/name]
[name]Ramona[/name], [name]Mona[/name]
[name]Rowena[/name]
[name]Rosemary[/name] or [name]Rosemarie[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], [name]Rose[/name] - I guess these are out? Too bad, I love [name]Rose[/name] names!
[name]Hester[/name]
[name]Winifred[/name], [name]Winnie[/name]
[name]Wilhelmina[/name], [name]Minnie[/name]
[name]Lenore[/name]
[name]Lucille[/name], [name]Lu[/name], [name]Lucy[/name]
[name]Leatrice[/name]
[name]Edith[/name], [name]Edie[/name]
[name]Polly[/name]
Sorry, a lot of them start with M…not sure you want to start an M pattern!
Good luck!

18

Well, first off, I think [name]Marilla[/name] ([name]Rilla[/name]) and [name]Willa[/name] are wayyyy too similar!

I think that [name]Diana[/name] would be a perfect name for you. She’s an “[name]Anne[/name]” character, and she’s a goddess of the moon.

[name]Diana[/name] [name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Diana[/name] [name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Diana[/name] [name]Harriet[/name]

Ps. Your list is spectacular, and the nn [name]Rilla[/name] couldn’t be cuter…you’ve got great taste and a beautifully named daughter!

19

I think [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Violet[/name] is the best choice for [name]Marilla[/name] [name]Susan[/name]'s sister. [name]Rilla[/name] and [name]Addy[/name]!

I definitely don’t think IIleana is the right choice :frowning:

20

[name]Sylvia[/name] is one of my favorite names ever (DH refuses to like it) I find [name]Sylvia[/name] gorgeous.

21

kelchristmas I loved many of your names, but hubby can’t move past an [name]Esther[/name] he’s reminded of, he liked [name]Wilma[/name] but I couldn’t get past the Flintstones so I suggested [name]Wilhelmina[/name] but he wasn’t keen, I liked [name]Henrietta[/name] better than [name]Harriet[/name] but hubby likes [name]Harriet[/name]!

Thanks for all your suggestions, I do like a lot of the [name]Esther[/name] nn too, something to look into.

Congrats on your 2nd daughter, I love the name [name]Elowen[/name], it was my list!