I love [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Martha[/name], and [name]Mary[/name]. Obviously, I can really only use one - but how do I decide?
[name]Margaret[/name] - It is classic and classy, and the nickname options are endless. [name]Maggie[/name], [name]Meg[/name], [name]May[/name], [name]Maisie[/name], etc. I feel like [name]Margaret[/name] is one of those names that you can make your own and can fit any personality. I love the versatility. It just doesn’t seem as fresh as [name]Martha[/name] and [name]Mary[/name].
[name]Martha[/name] - It’s underused and sounds oh-so fresh. Think about it. A little [name]Martha[/name]. I can’t get over the cuteness. And as Ms. [name]Stewart[/name] shows, it certainly works on a woman. But what about a teen? And unlike [name]Margaret[/name], there aren’t many established nicknames.
[name]Mary[/name] - Again, I think it is so underused. It honors family in a big way - both my husband and I have multiple [name]Maries[/name], Maureens, and, farther back, [name]Marys[/name] in our family tree. Plus, as Catholics, we love the religious significance. Overall, [name]Mary[/name] is incredibly meaningful to us. But we didn’t use family names for either of our boys- is it strange to only give one child a family name?
Which one would you choose? Brothers are [name]Theodore[/name] and [name]Philip[/name].
My vote goes to [name]Mary[/name]! I think it is underused and would be absolutely perfect with your son’s names. My 4 yo dd had a [name]Mary[/name] in her preschool class last year, and the teachers and other parents always commented how nice it was to see a little girl in pigtails named [name]Mary[/name]. I love all of your options, so I can see why you are having trouble deciding. I had [name]Martha[/name] and [name]Marta[/name] on my short list…I ultimately decided that the [name]Marta[/name] [name]Stewart[/name] connection was just too strong for me – it was everyone’s first comment when I mentioned the name.
I vote [name]Mary[/name] too. I would love to meet a little [name]Mary[/name]! It has a few nicknames too, like [name]Molly[/name], [name]Polly[/name] and [name]May[/name] and its cute on its own for a little girl and an adult. I think its adorable and fresh and goes great with your sons’ names. I like [name]Margaret[/name] too but I know a lot of Maggies so it doesn’t feel that fresh to me.
For me, [name]Margaret[/name] is easily the first I would veto. It has a seriousness that I don’t love. The nickname thing is nice but I prefer [name]Marjorie[/name] as [name]Margaret[/name] is so common.
[name]Mary[/name] & [name]Martha[/name] I adore. [name]Martha[/name] feels slightly more special & slightly softer. [name]Mary[/name] feels so vintage & sweet but strong & down-to-earth as well.
I would pick [name]Margaret[/name], beautiful name with adorable nn options. [name]Love[/name] [name]Meg[/name]!
[name]Mary[/name] is a really close second.
I wanted to add that I don’t think it is strange at all to give one child a family name and not the others, especially if it is a different gender. If daughter 1 had a family name I might feel like it is only fair to give daughter 2 a family name (first or middle), but in your case with 2 sons and her being your first daughter, I don’t think it is an issue at all.
My favorite is [name]Margaret[/name], but for you I’d suggest [name]Martha[/name] or [name]Mary[/name]. [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Teddy[/name] and [name]Pip[/name] sound incredible together, but [name]Martha[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name] and [name]Philip[/name] are perfectly matched too…
I don’t see it as a problem that you didn’t give your boys family names - now’s your chance!
On the other hand, you do seem to love the cheerful, girlish sound of [name]Martha[/name].
I love [name]Mary[/name]. It fits in with your classic boys names and has tons of significance to you. I don’t think it will matter if you give her a family name. Since its so far back in your family tree, I don’t think any one will mind. [name]Mary[/name] is lovely!!
[name]Margaret[/name] is so elegant and underused - all three are lovely but I fear Downton [name]Abbey[/name] may bring on a tidal wave of [name]Marys[/name] but it will always be timeless however popular.
all are too old sounding, I would be disappointed if my mom named me something so outdated. If you like vintage names, how about [name]Margo[/name], [name]Ruby[/name], [name]Pearl[/name], [name]Mabel[/name], Aibeline, [name]Adalaide[/name], [name]Elsie[/name], [name]Faye[/name], [name]Jemima[/name], [name]Eloise[/name], or [name]Vivian[/name]?
I vote for [name]Mary[/name]. I have one child with a family name and the others don’t so I don’t think it’s weird particularly because in your case [name]Mary[/name] has religious significance in addition to family significance. It’s funny that you are picking your favorite “[name]Mar[/name]-” name because [name]Mary[/name] would be my hands down pick for my next daughter but I have a son [name]Mark[/name] already.
Oooooh. Soooo hard. I like all of them so it doesn’t really matter but I’ll go for [name]Martha[/name]. Oh and it does work on a teen-I know one and its perfecto.
[name]Margaret[/name] was [name]Maggie[/name]. I bet it will be [name]Maisie[/name] or [name]Mae[/name] for the current generation. [name]Maggie[/name] suited her. [name]Margaret[/name] is sweet and fun and like you said, so versatile.
[name]Martha[/name] was just [name]Martha[/name]. She openly disliked her “grandma” name, but this was for mid-80s babies… [name]Martha[/name] will have turned the corner more for the current generation.
[name]Mary[/name] was [name]Mary[/name]… I struggle with this one. It’s simultaneously classic, underused and tired.
I like [name]Martha[/name] the best of all of your choices (I’ve considered [name]Marta[/name] as a middle). Of the few that I’ve known, if they have a nickname, they are [name]Mattie[/name]/[name]Matty[/name] or [name]Marty[/name]/[name]Marti[/name].
[name]Mary[/name] is also a nice choice. Especially when paired with an unusual middle name, that there’s still a lot of spark in [name]Mary[/name]. Maybe something like [name]Mary[/name] [name]Cordelia[/name] or [name]Mary[/name] [name]Gabrielle[/name] (or something like that)
We definitely gravitate toward unusual middles. We haven’t thought much about potential middle names - I’m not even expecting, after all - but, I have thought about [name]Mary[/name] [name]Flora[/name]. It kind of rhymes with [name]Philip[/name]'s middle name, but I don’t really think that matters. I also have a soft spot for [name]Mary[/name] [name]Clementine[/name], but I’m not sure my husband would go for that.
