I’m at a loss. You would think as much as I love names this wouldn’t be a problem but I’ve found myself completely stuck. I very much want to honor my two grandmothers, one of whom passed away three years ago and the other who I am still very close to. Here’s my problem though. Neither of their names really fit my style. My thought was that I could use one for the first name and one for the second.
My one grandmother is [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. I certainly don’t hate [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] and wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. But nearly every woman in my family has since used [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] for their little ones so that’s off the table. My other grandmother was [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u]. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] just doesn’t fit for me and [name_u]June[/name_u] I do actually like but was wondering if there was a way to update it (I was initially thinking [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] but fear it’s going to get popular soon).
I tend to like unusual names but do have a soft spot for what has been called “old lady names” I would greatly appreciate any help/suggestions because I am completely lost. Thank you!
[name_f]Polly[/name_f] was the first thing that came to mind - it’s a nickname for both [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]? [name_f]Polly[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], [name_f]Polly[/name_f] [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] or [name_f]Polly[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] would be nice!
Some other ideas - sorry if they’re a bit of a stretch
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] - mix of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]
Marcelline - mix of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], but more unusual
[name_f]Juno[/name_f] - linked to [name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Una[/name_f] - sounds a but like [name_u]June[/name_u] - maybe something like [name_f]Una[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] would work
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f] - from [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]
[name_f]Paulina[/name_f] - a spin on [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]
[name_f]Maren[/name_f] - variation of [name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] - sounds a little like [name_u]June[/name_u] ([name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Maren[/name_f] or [name_f]Maren[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] would be sweet)
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] - for [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] ([name_f]Pearl[/name_f] [name_f]Linnea[/name_f]? [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]?)
What about [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f]? It takes [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] and puts them together (if you stretch the -line in [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] to [name_u]Lyn[/name_u]).
[name_u]June[/name_u] is honestly a great name as is! It works well as a middle with most names and is great in double barreled first names. I do think [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is becoming trendy and if that’s a concern would stick with the classic.
I love the suggestion of [name_f]Polly[/name_f]! [name_f]Polly[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] feels both vintage and now and definitely wouldn’t be over popular. ([name_f]Pollyanna[/name_f] might be close enough to [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] to work too.)
[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] was a nice suggestion too!
Or even just a slight tweak to [name_f]Marie[/name_f]. ([name_f]Pollyanna[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f]?)
A thought on an honor name for [name_f]Mary[/name_f] that is unusual: [name_f]Maris[/name_f]. It comes from [name_f]Stella[/name_f] [name_f]Maris[/name_f] which is both a former name for Polaris (the north star), and an epithet for the Virgin [name_f]Mary[/name_f]. It also means from the sea, and has never cracked the top 1000. I’m currently crushing on this name and think it could be a fun way to honor a [name_f]Mary[/name_f].
I love the suggestion of [name_f]Polly[/name_f]! A few other ideas:
[name_f]Maren[/name_f]
[name_f]Molly[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]
[name_f]Paulina[/name_f]
[name_f]Apollonia[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_m]Paulie[/name_m]/[name_f]Polly[/name_f] was going to be my suggestion. I’m also digging [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]. [name_u]June[/name_u] is rising, as is [name_u]Juniper[/name_u]. I love [name_u]June[/name_u]/[name_f]Junia[/name_f] so much though