Right now my sister and her DH can only agree on [name_u]Carter[/name_u] for their baby girl. Please no comments about the name itself. [name_f]Remember[/name_f], we all like different names 
They do need help deciding on a middle. Their son has a family middle name ([name_m]William[/name_m]) and they’d like to use another family name but nothing is really clicking. They like [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (which is our sister’s name) but her initials would be COC. Other family names are; [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Ione[/name_f] (rhymes with last name though), [name_f]Elisa[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. Her DH already nixed [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Paige[/name_f] and [name_u]Laine[/name_u]. I’m pushing for [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] but she’s not sold (although her DH probably will be). Can you come up with any variations on our family names? Or just any other pretty combos? She does not really care for old-fashioned names though.
Hmm…
I would rule out [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] those initials are awkward. I would also rule out [name_f]Ione[/name_f] due to the rhyming, [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] sounds dated and I think [name_u]Carter[/name_u] needs something more feminine. [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is a grand name but feels strange with [name_u]Carter[/name_u] stylistically clashing. [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Mary[/name_f] sounds quiet southern it’s pretty and [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] feels quiet predictable and would be a relatively easy combination, pretty. I think [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is pretty despite the repeat double ‘r’ endings. I think [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is pretty but [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] sounds like a mouthful. [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is a lovely combination. The best out the bunch for sure : )
Have you thought of using variants…
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] variants: [name_f]Maia[/name_f], [name_f]Manon[/name_f], [name_f]Mariana[/name_f], [name_f]Miriam[/name_f], [name_f]Marigold[/name_f], [name_f]Marissa[/name_f], [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] variants: [name_f]Eleonora[/name_f], [name_f]Leonora[/name_f], [name_f]Ellen[/name_f], [name_f]Lenore[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] variants: [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_f]Enrica[/name_f], [name_f]Hallie[/name_f], [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Hatty[/name_f],
But I really like [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] & [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] : )
Hm, I’d probably try and steer clear of initials like COC. I think [name_u]Carter[/name_u] sounds fine with [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Elisa[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Ione[/name_f] is my favorite but if a rhyming middle and last name bother your sister, then don’t use it. Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal for those two to rhyme. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Marie[/name_f] are a little bland for me, though they do a good job of feminizing the gender-neural [name_u]Carter[/name_u]. [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] sounds dated and not quite ready for a comeback. Personally, I dislike [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] but the flow is good if your sister likes them. [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is already popular in the uk and both it and [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] are the sort of clunky vintage names that daring parents are resurrecting these days. But if your sis dislikes old fashioned names, she isn’t likely to love these.
I agree that [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is pretty. If your sister doesn’t love it, then there are dozens of other forms of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] that she might prefer. Behindthename.com has a long list of English and international variations on this name.
Thanks for the replies so far. Since she knows I’m a namenerd, she’s been asking for my help but this middle name is proving to be tricky.
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Maren[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Marielle[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Mara[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Isaura[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Nora[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Miranda[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Talia[/name_f]
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]
I like [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] best.