Your comments have been incredibly helpful! I finally found a name that feels right: [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] ‘Elle’ [name_m]Campbell[/name_m]. I love the nickname options for [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] including [name_f]Elle[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], & [name_f]Leni[/name_f]. I love the Sense and Sensibility spelling of [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] Dashwood. [name_f]Ava[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is still a beautiful front runner, but my main reservation with [name_f]Ava[/name_f] is the current popularity in the US. [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] has a vintage classic charm and playful nickname options, which may give it a leg up for me!
[name_m]Can[/name_m] you please help me with a middle name? Is there guidance on how to pick a middle that flows well? Some ideas:
I love [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]! What a lovely name – the [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] variant has always seemed nicer than [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] to me!
I think all of your middle name ideas flow well enough! I do like [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Maxine[/name_f] & [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] a bit more than the rest, since they’re a little more unexpected and more exciting! I think if I had to pick one it’d be [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] – I like [name_f]Maxine[/name_f] the best as a name, for its cute, retro & spunky feel, but [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] just feels really sleek and chic with [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]! You can’t go wrong with any of the 3 options.
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] are beautiful!
I love [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]
Some other ideas could be…
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Audra[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Anne[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Clover[/name_f]
Both names are lovely. Regarding middle name flow, a single syllable usually works well. I see you have lots of those on your list.
Another winning formula is using a middle with the emphasis on not-the-first syllable. I see you have [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] (which I pronounce vi-vee-ENN) and [name_f]Maxine[/name_f]. This is why [name_f]Marie[/name_f] became so popular, and [name_f]Nicole[/name_f], and [name_f]Michelle[/name_f], and [name_f]Renée[/name_f]. There are also [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], [name_f]Savannah[/name_f], and [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] in this category.
I also think there’s nothing wrong with middles that have the emphasis on the first syllable. Many names do in [name_f]English[/name_f]. It’s especially difficult to find iambic middles for boy names, which makes the emphasis-on-the-first-syllable-with-both-names also a common option. [name_f]Florence[/name_f] is a beautiful name.
I really like Elinor - though I would use Elle/Ella, Leni, Nellie or Nora (anything but Ellie, I really don’t like Ellie - seems squishy and jelly like compared to the grand and confident Elinor).
Of your middles I would choose: Rose, Maxine, Florence or Jane. I think they flow best to your last name. Maxine is the least expected (and with Jane has the best flow imo), Rose the most expected but popular for a reason (I love Rose), and Jane - the most literary/Austenesque. Florence if you want more drama/romance and length.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorites from your list with your last name would be [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. They flow really well and have timeless appeal.
I think a middle with a different number of syllables would work well or one with quite different sounds?
I like:
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] - classic and simple
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] - elegant and charming
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] - spiky [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] works well
So last year there were over 9,000 Ava’s born and over 6,000 Eleanor’s. As far as popularity goes - they’re both popular! so if you love [name_f]Ava[/name_f] I would go for it! Since [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is so popular and the [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] spelling is not popular, it will undoubtedly leave your daughter constantly correcting the spelling which could be frustrating. I personally would never choose an uncommon spelling for a common name, to me it doesn’t make the name more unique. [name_f]Ava[/name_f] really is beautiful
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] is beautiful and the middle names are perfect!
[name_f]My[/name_f] favourite combos are
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] C……
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] C……
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] C….
I picked these as my top favourite combos because of the flow. I actually love the name [name_f]Maxine[/name_f] , I think it’s wildly underused . But I would personally save it as a first name contender.
For me when naming my kids I picked middles that had special meaning of significance to us. Is there a family tie or meaning that you want to include ? I think because all these options are stunning I would lead with my heart and go with the name that maybe as a subtle family tie or a meaning that’s important to you
Thank you! I feel like i’m in the minority with the spelling preference and I know they sound the same (to me at least) but I prefer [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] so hopefully will be worth the corrections here and there! Good to hear others prefer this spelling too
I am loving too many of these ideas! [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Maxine[/name_f], [name_f]Juliette[/name_f], [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f].
I think Juliette’s a great option (and for me, it’s up there with Jane, Maxine & Rose*) but I would consider the Juliet spelling.
Elinor Juliet Campbell looks better to me.
*to my ear, Elinor Claire before Campbell feels like two names rather than a single name (as if there’s a full stop/period before Campbell). Similar feeling for Grace. Florence is pretty but a teeny tongue twister, and I’m not a Vivienne fan but many are on here (though I also don’t think it flows as well as some of your others).
You had mentioned [name_f]Avie[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Ava[/name_f], and I personally think it would be beautiful as a mn for [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]. [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Avie[/name_f] would be my top pick.
[name_f]My[/name_f] other choices-
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Lizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Liza[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_m]Bellamy[/name_m]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Jo[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f]
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] [name_f]Aveline[/name_f]
I tried to go off of variations of names you already mentioned in previous posts.
