I’m redoing my list at the moment, so I have a ton of new combos to boast about. A few of my new favorites:
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Heracleia[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] “Hera” [name_f][/name_f]- @winterlyricalfox[name_f][/name_f] opened my eyes to [name_f]Heracleia[/name_f] in a major way. I already think [name_f]Hera[/name_f] is so gorgeous and underrated and [name_f]Heracleia[/name_f] is just golden, heroic and bold. I think [name_f]June[/name_f] brings the whole combo down to earth a little, makes me think of a summer’s day in the woods. I also like the mythological echo of [name_f]June[/name_f] being named for Hera’s [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Counterpart.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Evening[/name_f] [name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] “Eve” and [name_f]Fable[/name_f] [name_f]Renee[/name_f] “Fern” [name_f][/name_f]- [name_f]Evening[/name_f] and [name_f]Fable[/name_f] are one of my all time twinsets, but I never knew how to balance them. Lately I’m favoring gentle, slightly old fashioned choices to settle down the wow factor of [name_f]Evening[/name_f] and [name_f]Fable[/name_f]. [name_f]Evening[/name_f] [name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] seems like a little lullaby, gentle and starry. While [name_f]Fable[/name_f] [name_f]Renee[/name_f] feels like a wild child, wandering through the woods and telling stories.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f] “Dottie / [name_f]Dottie[/name_f] Lou” [name_f][/name_f]- [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f] hit me out of nowhere. I love everything about it, the double letters, the nickname [name_f]Dottie[/name_f] [name_f]Lou[/name_f], the classic elegance of [name_f]Odette[/name_f] with the very offbeat [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f] in the middle. I love the versatility of it. [name_f]My[/name_f] little [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f] can be a straight-laced, feminine [name_f]Odette[/name_f], a quirky [name_f]Dottie[/name_f], or a memorable [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f].
[name_f][/name_f][name_m]Finnick[/name_m] [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- [name_m]Finnick[/name_m] is one of the few unambiguous boy names I like. I’ve loved the Hunger Games for decades, and [name_m]Finnick[/name_m] is a great character. He’s gentle, funny, brave, and kind despite all his pain. [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] never appealed to me until I thought of it as a boy’s middle. I love floral names and feminine names being repurposed for boys, and [name_m]Finnick[/name_m] [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] feels like a good mix of classic masculinity with a bit of playfulness and gender-bendery.
[name_f][/name_f][name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- A name I would genuinely love on a child of any gender, I love lighthearted [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] with the simple sweetness of [name_f]Joy[/name_f]. The double y ending also satisfies my love of names with visual symmetry.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Fern[/name_f] [name_f]Annika[/name_f] “Frankie” and [name_f]Story[/name_f] [name_f]Evelyn[/name_f] “Stevie” [name_f][/name_f]- I’m working on a set of girl names with punky, boyish nicknames to go with [name_f]Fern[/name_f] [name_f]Annika[/name_f] and [name_f]Story[/name_f] [name_f]Evelyn[/name_f] leapt out to me. [name_f]Story[/name_f] isn’t usually a name I’ve shortlisted, but with the nickname [name_f]Stevie[/name_f] I think it’s adorable. I love how both names are gentle and soft, but represent anciency and strength as well. Ferns are some of the oldest life on earth, and stories have been around as long as we have.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Luella[/name_f] [name_f]Ruby[/name_f] “LaRue” [name_f][/name_f]- LaRue is one of my wife and I’s oldest favorite nicknames and I knew I wanted a [name_f]Ruby[/name_f] combo to go with it. I think [name_f]Ruby[/name_f] is playful and energetic and a bit firey, and [name_f]Luella[/name_f] matches it perfectly. I also love how [name_f]Luella[/name_f] is so sweet and lilting, but means “renowned fairy warrior”. The perfect blend of strength and whimsy. I would use this as a sister to [name_f]Eulalie[/name_f] [name_f]Fern[/name_f] “Elfie”.