Names to Honor My Mom - Initials or Meaningfulness

[name_m]Hi[/name_m], all. [name_m]Long[/name_m] post so please bear with me.

I’ve always been very adamant that I would never name my children after anyone, but I lost my mom a few weeks ago, and I am changing my mind as I contemplate going into motherhood without her.

My partner also lost his mother several years ago, so I am not sure that I could choose a name to honor my mom without including his mom, as well. In order to do that, I was thinking perhaps using their first initials. My mom’s first initial is B. His mom’s first initial is L. The last name sounds much like [name_u]Carter[/name_u]. I would preferably like for the first name to start with B and middle name to start with L. Unfortunately, there are not a plethora of girl’s B names that I love, so I’m looking for help.

At the top of my list at the moment are [name_u]Blair[/name_u] and [name_f]Brynn[/name_f]. I kind of like [name_f]Briar[/name_f], but I don’t think that it would pair well with the last name since they both end with the -er sound. I’m iffy on the name [name_f]Brenna[/name_f], but I haven’t ruled it out. I like [name_f]Becca[/name_f], but I don’t want a “nickname as a name” situation, and I’m not a fan of [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f], which I know would be assumed as the full name, anyway. I’m okay with unisex and “last name” names. For example, [name_u]Bailey[/name_u] has grown on me.

For L names, my top L name is [name_f]Lilah[/name_f]. Honestly, I haven’t thought any more about L names past that so far.

If there aren’t any great B names that feel right, I’m open to a different connection to my mom, such as a meaningful connection to our relationship. Our favorite thing to do together was travel, so I’d be interested to see if any of you have any creative ideas on names that may connect to that. Over the summer, we went on an amazing 6-week trip all over [name_f]England[/name_f], [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], [name_f]Scotland[/name_f], [name_m]Wales[/name_m], [name_u]Paris[/name_u], [name_m]Amsterdam[/name_m], and Brussels. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and will always hold many of my favorite memories of her, so if you see some geographical or travel-related name connection, that may be a really cool way for me to honor her. I’ve toyed with [name_u]London[/name_u], and it would also be an L name to combine them both, but I don’t know that I love it. I do not like the name [name_u]Paris[/name_u]. We also loved traveling to beaches, so there may be another possible avenue.

My mom’s name means “foreign woman.” My partner’s mom’s name means “bay laurel.” I don’t see a lot of easy links there, except maybe going back to [name_u]Bailey[/name_u], which might potentially honor them both since it is a B name and incorporates the “bay” sound of his mom’s name meaning.

Anyway, I know that’s a lot, but I wanted to lay out some thoughts and possible avenues I’ve thought of to honor my babies’ grandmas. If you think of anything else, I am definitely open to ANYTHING! Thanks so much!

Some combos

[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_u]London[/name_u]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lavender[/name_f]

[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lorena[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_u]London[/name_u]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lola[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Luella[/name_f]

B names for consideration
[name_u]Beck[/name_u]
[name_f]Bella[/name_f]
[name_f]Birdie[/name_f]
[name_f]Bonnie[/name_f]
[name_u]Bay[/name_u]
[name_f]Bianca[/name_f]
[name_f]Bee[/name_f]/[name_f]Bea[/name_f]/[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]/[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]

L names for consideration

[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]/[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]/[name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]/[name_f]Lux[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]/[name_f]Lily[/name_f]/[name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_u]Lou[/name_u]/[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]/[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavender[/name_f]
[name_f]Lana[/name_f]/[name_u]Lane[/name_u]/[name_f]Lainey[/name_f]
[name_u]Landry[/name_u]

Some ideas for travel meanings

[name_f]Journey[/name_f]
Wanderer
[name_u]Sky[/name_u]
[name_u]Love[/name_u]
[name_f]France[/name_f]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]

Good luck!

Somemore B girl names:
[name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] - means female warrior
Bexley - woodland clearing; meadow of box trees
[name_u]Blaze[/name_u]/[name_u]Blaise[/name_u]
Barkleigh
[name_f]Bessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Blossom[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Bria[/name_f]
[name_f]Briony[/name_f]
[name_u]Bay[/name_u]
Belladonna
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] (nickname [name_u]Billie[/name_u])
[name_u]Blue[/name_u]/[name_u]Bleu[/name_u]

L names:
[name_u]Laken[/name_u]
Lakelyn
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
Larkspur
Larkyn
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_m]Lynx[/name_m]
[name_f]Liberty[/name_f]
[name_f]Leilani[/name_f]
[name_f]Lia[/name_f]
[name_u]Lexi[/name_u]
[name_u]Leighton[/name_u]
[name_f]Lyra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilith[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilia[/name_f]

An honor name could be [name_m]Britain[/name_m] (nickname [name_f]Bree[/name_f]) since that’s where y’all visited. Maybe there is a town y’all vistsed that starts with L or B you could use.

[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_u]Linden[/name_u] instead of [name_u]London[/name_u]?

Did you go to any islands on your trip because then you could use [name_f]Isla[/name_f]?

If you took any boat trips then you could use [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]/[name_u]Saylor[/name_u], [name_f]Marina[/name_f], or [name_u]Harbor[/name_u].

[name_f]Journey[/name_f] is also adorable!

[name_m]Atlas[/name_m] could also be an honor even though it’s a boys name it would be very cute on a girl! [name_f]Rose[/name_f] too because of Compass [name_f]Rose[/name_f].

[name_f]Maren[/name_f] means “star of the sea”, [name_u]Kai[/name_u] means “ocean/sea”, [name_f]Marilla[/name_f] means “shining sea”, [name_f]Merrigan[/name_f] is an irish surname that is related to the sea, [name_f]Moana[/name_f] means “sea”, [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]/[name_f]Morgana[/name_f] is Irish for “sea-circle”, [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] is Irish and means “hound of the sea”, and [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] means “son of the sea”, maybe that could be a slight nod to your beach trips.

[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] came from the Latin Viatrix meaning voyager. [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m] comes from the Latin Peregrinus which means traveller.

[name_f]Arcadia[/name_f] means “unspoiled paradise” which I’m sure somehow connects to the nature spots you visited in [name_f]Scotland[/name_f] and the rest of the countries.

Could you use their middle names?

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps :slight_smile:

Some B names :slight_smile:

[name_f]Bella[/name_f]
[name_m]Bergen[/name_m] (a place name too!)
[name_f]Belle[/name_f]
[name_f]Brielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Britta[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u]
[name_f]Bonnie[/name_f]
[name_f]Brianna[/name_f]

Similar L names
[name_f]Leona[/name_f]
[name_f]Layla[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]/[name_f]Laragh[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Luciana[/name_f]

I also think [name_u]Bay[/name_u] on its own would be a really beautiful name that starts with a B but includes the meaning of your partner’s mom (could be a middle or a first!)

[name_u]Bryn[/name_u]/[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] is super pretty and would flow well with lots of mn.
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Layla[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f] [name_f]Lovisa[/name_f]

I quite like [name_f]Brynn[/name_f]! [name_u]Blair[/name_u] is a lovely name but has too much of a Gossip Girl connection to me (that could just be me though).

Other options:
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f]
[name_u]Blake[/name_u]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u]
[name_f]Beverly[/name_f]
[name_f]Belle[/name_f]
[name_f]Blythe[/name_f]

I like [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] a lot! Would you also consider [name_f]Lilac[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]?

[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Beverly[/name_f] [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]
[name_f]Bella[/name_f] [name_u]London[/name_u]

For the European connection could you do popular names in those areas or names that feel distinctive to those countries like [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] ([name_f]England[/name_f]), [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] ([name_f]Ireland[/name_f]), [name_f]Colette[/name_f], [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f], [name_f]Esme[/name_f], [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f], [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] ([name_u]Paris[/name_u]), etc.

[name_f]Colette[/name_f] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there.

[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] would be really pretty. And I think that [name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_u]Carter[/name_u] (or, similar to [name_u]Carter[/name_u]) sounds very movie star-ish. In a cool way.

Personally, I think that the best way to go about this is to a.) pick a name that you love for the first name & then b.) give her two middle names. And actually use both grandmas real names as the mns. Thank heavens both my mom & [name_f]MIL[/name_f] are still with us, but if I were in your position I would name a little girl [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] [name_f]Marilee[/name_f] [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f]. Those mns are not my personal style, but the special meaning would make it worth it. And they’re just mns, so you don’t have to say them every day.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. :slight_smile:

I like Belanna. Admittedly, I love Startrek Voyager. However, while in the show the character is Be’[name_f]Lanna[/name_f], you would have both B an L letters in the same name.

[name_u]Bay[/name_u] [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] could cover all grounds, if you want it too!

Have you considered [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] (or any spelling of that name?)

I like [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f].

I recently heard the name Brynja ([name_u]Brin[/name_u]-ya) which might be a name for you? There’s also:
[name_f]Briony[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u]
[name_f]Brigid[/name_f]
[name_f]Brielle[/name_f]/[name_f]Briella[/name_f]
[name_u]Brennan[/name_u]

I think the name “[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]” would also fit really well for an “L” name. Some other names are:
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Leia[/name_f]

Hello! Would you consider [name_f]Xenia[/name_f] “hospitable”/“foreign” or [name_f]Wanda[/name_f] “wanderer”?
I did a quick search and I think that your mother’s name is B@rbar@. So, what about this similar names:
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Ambar[/name_f]
[name_f]Araceli[/name_f]
[name_f]Amara[/name_f]
[name_f]Astara[/name_f]
[name_f]Ciara[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Mara[/name_f]
[name_f]Zara[/name_f]

I also believe your [name_f]MIL[/name_f] name is similar to L@ura, L@uren or Lorett@. Have you considered:
[name_f]Aura[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f]
[name_f]Isaura[/name_f]/e
[name_f]Maura[/name_f]
[name_f]Maureen[/name_f]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_f]Etta[/name_f]/[name_f]Ettie[/name_f]

Names meaning “laurel”: [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Kelila[/name_f]

Sorry that you’ve lost your mom :frowning: I really like [name_u]Blair[/name_u], and the meaning kind of goes with your description of traveling around [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]. [name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lila[/name_f] is nice. I’ll also suggest [name_f]Briallen[/name_f]–I’ve only heard it on nameberry but find it really pretty. If you aren’t loving any B names another idea is to just choose a first name you love and use your mom’s middle or maiden name as the middle.

[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]

[name_u]Bryn[/name_u] [name_u]Lennox[/name_u]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u] [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u] [name_f]Liana[/name_f]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u] [name_u]Larkin[/name_u]

[name_f]Briallen[/name_f] [name_f]Liv[/name_f]
[name_f]Belle[/name_f] [name_f]Leonora[/name_f]
[name_f]Bree[/name_f] [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Blythe[/name_f] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] [name_u]Lane[/name_u]

What if her middle name was “LB”
Or Elbie? just an idea
I love the idea of someplace traveling with your mom that will always have a connection with her, I’ve thought similarly for middle names whenever I have my own children.

[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_u]Baylor[/name_u] Laureline? Or maybe [name_f]Belinda[/name_f] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f].

I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mum I hope your holding up okay.

I think using a ‘b’ name is a great way to honour her. I like [name_u]Blaire[/name_u] I think [name_u]Blaire[/name_u] [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] it’s a sweet combination.

B L name combination suggestions:
[name_f]Bella[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_u]Blaine[/name_u] [name_f]Liliana[/name_f]
[name_u]Blake[/name_u] [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] [name_f]Leonora[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronwen[/name_f] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]
[name_f]Blythe[/name_f] [name_f]Leona[/name_f]
[name_f]Brielle[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Bridget[/name_f] [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]

I’m also assuming that your mothers name was [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] so I like the suggestion from estrela of using names similar to [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] I think [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] would be a great shout and similarly I think the suggestion to honour your mother in law [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_u]Wren[/name_u] would be pretty : )

Good luck

My first thought for you was [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Brie[/name_f]!
[name_f]Bridget[/name_f] [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] would be really pretty.
I’ve also always had a soft spot for the names [name_f]Briony[/name_f] and [name_f]Brenna[/name_f]. [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] and [name_u]London[/name_u] make lovely middle names :slight_smile: