We named our baby girl Lily Alexandra in 2022 in the state of New Mexico. There was the rare Liliana but Lily was by far not a popular go-to name.
Now we’ve relocated across the country to the east coast - like an hour from touching the Atlantic ocean and I’ve already met 3 toddler Lily’s in my neighborhood alone. Today at a playdate, my kid was the Little Lily and the older one was the Big Lily. looked up the most popular names for our state in 2022 and all the variants of Lily (lily, Lillian, and Liliana) put it at like #3 most popular at this rate, we could have went with Olivia (another fave but it was way too popular).
Should I start calling her Alex (or some other variant of her middle name) to prevent her from forever being Lily (Initial) or Big/Small Lily? She’s 16 mo old and answers to her name, I feel like just automatically shifting to Alex would be very jarring for her. BUT I can’t get over how she already had to be Little Lily
I grew up with a popular name and was always referred to by my name + last initial. I hated it!
You could refer to your DD as [name_f]Lil[/name_f]. If you don’t mind the shortened version. Not as much of a change for her but would differentiate her from the other Lily’s.
[name_u]Or[/name_u] you could start referring to her as [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Alex[/name_u]. I grew up with a friend who had two first names and no one blinked an eye.
That’s tricky maybe you could call her [name_u]Lexi[/name_u] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or just [name_u]Lexi[/name_u] as that’s like a blend of her two names and might be easier to adjust to for a 16 month old.
[name_u]Or[/name_u] does she have another nickname she could use when she’s in a place with a few other Lilys? I often use anothe affectionate name for my kids like blossom, possum and bubbles. She could be that other nickname…
[name_u]Or[/name_u] you could have some fun and go with something a little different like one of the varieties of the lily for example: [name_f]Calla[/name_f], [name_u]Day[/name_u], [name_u]Tiger[/name_u], [name_u]Storm[/name_u], [name_f]Pixie[/name_f], [name_u]November[/name_u], there are so many…
Its annoying but I guess it’s nice to lnow [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is popular because it’s beautiful. All the best!
I agree, I think it would be too much to just switch the name right now, especially just because you think it’s too popular.
How about a nn that isn’t necessarily related to her name, like [name_f]Honey[/name_f] or [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] (Lily starts with L)? You could even do something based off of your last name, and then she could choose to be [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or keep that name when she gets a little older!
I know it’s frustrating, but as someone who grew up with a very common name and ended up choosing to go by my middle when I got older, you really can’t control how these things are going to go unfortunately.
Best of luck to you and little Lily!! (I think the name is gorgeous by the way)
I love the name [name_f]Lily[/name_f], but it’s a shame how it’s so popular.
Like @Akarupertandollie suggested, [name_f]Lil[/name_f] could work, and also perhaps a variant of a [name_f]Lily[/name_f] like @Frostivich suggested.
I also second the idea of [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] (L initial) by @winterlyricalfox, so it seems like you’ve got some great suggestions here already!
I wouldn’t recommend her going by [name_u]Alex[/name_u], though. (Just my opinion).
A relative of mine called [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f] got nicknamed [name_u]Alex[/name_u] from a young age, and she often mentions how that really messed with her self perception and identity as someone quite feminine presenting. Of course, some kids love having a gender neutral name, but it doesn’t work for everyone. She wishes she’d chosen a more feminine nickname of [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f] to go by, as she very often had to share classes with male Alex’s.
Likewise, my name in real life also has a gender neutral nickname that comes quite intuitively, and as a feminine presenting person can make me incredibly uncomfortable as it just feels too masculine.
It really depends on your child, however, but these are just some anecdotes from my end.
I’d recommend another nickname from [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] as a possibility. Have you considered these?
[name_u]Allie[/name_u] / [name_f]Ally[/name_f]
[name_u]Lexi[/name_u]
[name_f]Annie[/name_f]
[name_u]Anne[/name_u]
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Andie[/name_f]
[name_f]Andra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lexa[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_u]Sandy[/name_u] / [name_f]Sandie[/name_f]
Good luck, and hope this gets all worked out soon!
I think it’s a bit late now I’m afraid - [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is her name, and, if being [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [INITIAL] bothers her in the future, she’ll find a nickname she likes
She’s had this name for over a year, that seems like a long time to then change it. You can’t guarantee that there will always be lots of Lilys around her - you might switch a name you loved to something you’re less keen on and then find there aren’t any others in her class after all.
That said, my ideas if you want an alternative would be…
[name_f]Lilia[/name_f] (Lily + A from her middle name)
[name_f]Ally[/name_f] (like a combo of [name_f]Lily[/name_f] and Alexandra)
[name_f]Lilou[/name_f] (French pet form of Lilian)
or to start nicknaming her with a longer name like [name_f]Lilibet[/name_f] or [name_f]Liliwen[/name_f], if you can do it without feeling forced.
I would just keep calling her [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. It’s gorgeous. Maybe just adding to [name_f]Lily[/name_f], so she would still be [name_f]Lily[/name_f] first? [name_f]Lilybeth[/name_f]? Lily-Alexandra? Lilyandra? Lilandra? Lily-Alex? I had a completely random nickname at school and a lot of people were called by their surname instead.
Her only nicknames as of right now are not very “other people” presentable - like baby bop. Sometimes there’s an occasional lily pad but it’s mostly just [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. That’s one of the reasons we picked it! Short and sweet. We had the feminine in [name_f]Lily[/name_f] and the stronger/masculine in [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]. I knew lily was popular nationwide but didn’t imagine it’s be this popular.
Changing her name due to meeting other girls with the same one feels like it’d be unnecessary and complicated—in part due to her age. Since she’s old enough to respond to her name, I agree that it would indeed be a very hard switch for her.
Perhaps she could be [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], used as a double name! (I loooove this idea myself. I know a little girl who exclusively goes by her first name and middle name together, to distinguish herself!) If that’s a mouthful, perhaps [name_f]Lily[/name_f] + a nickname for her middle name.
Ideas in this vein, using nicknames for her middle:
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Alex[/name_u]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Andra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Lexa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Alexa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Lex[/name_u]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Alla[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Leanne[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Allie[/name_u]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Xandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Andy[/name_u]
When I was younger, my little sister had a friend who shared my name and neither of us went by a nickname or anything. So, when we were together, I was Big M_____ and she was [name_m]Little[/name_m] M_____. And she loved that! She thought it was the coolest thing that we shared a name! And it didn’t bother me at all.
I don’t know if that will make you feel better about the situation, but I can say as someone who has a very typical late-‘90s/early-‘00s name and has shared it with many girls over the years, it’s not that big of a deal. In my experience, people generally find that it’s fun to share a name! And, besides, those connections come and go. (Currently, I don’t know anyone with my name.)
So, your daughter isn’t necessarily doomed to be “Little Lily” or “Lily [Last Initial]” forever!
All that to say, you chose a lovely name for your daughter, and I would encourage you to stick with it and embrace the fact that other people also love your daughter’s name.
Firstly absolutely love the name [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
I know [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is popular however I feel like [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is popular due to being a classic that has always been popular she isn’t ‘trendy’ or feels like a fad name. However I do appreciate that having your child sharing her name with other children isn’t always the best. Still I think popularity can be looked in a negative light as a child I enjoyed sharing my name with others it meant that I had common ground with another child helped me overcome my shyness as I already had that common ground. Popularity really isn’t such a downer that people make out. I’m in the UK where [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is popular but her variants not so much I actually would love [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] (my daughter’s name) to be a bit more popular. Her name is very rare and people often look at me like I’m mad when I say her name honestly name obscurity isn’t always the best. I’m normally overcome with joy when [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] encounters another [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] and I know from the way my two year old lights up when she encounters a [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] (even just a Lily) that she loves it too. So honestly I would embrace your daughter’s name including the popularity learn to love [name_f]Lily[/name_f] again! I also think changing her name referring to her as [name_u]Alex[/name_u] isn’t going to work due to her being 16 months old. Your [name_f]Lily[/name_f] knows her name and it’s part of her identity. I think maybe to differentiate between the different Lily’s you could call her [name_f]Lil[/name_f] but that’s as far as I would go.
I love the idea of using a nickname for her that was suggested!!! Maybe [name_f]Callalily[/name_f] , [name_f]Lila[/name_f], [name_f]Lola[/name_f], [name_f]Lala[/name_f], or [name_f]Lilou[/name_f]
There are certainly not a million Lilys in any of the Atlantic states, or any of the United States. [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] is an excellent name for a long life that will include interacting or observing other people that have the same given name, which you and she will need to get used to like the vast majority of people. Having a unique name doesn’t make anyone more or less special and I’d think you’re likely to encounter more Alexs in any case. Please keep calling daughter by the lovely name you’ve given her.
Ugh I’m sorry. I feel for you and really relate. We have an [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] nn [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]- very common when you account for all the actual and nickname Ellies And it also seems to be worse in the state we moved to.
I’d give it more time and try not to read into your initial experiences too much. That can’t be representative of the actual ratio. We had an experience like that after we moved (an [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_u]Elia[/name_u], and our [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] all on the same small soccer team) - it was pretty ridiculous but nothing that extreme has happened since.
[name_f]My[/name_f] advice is to try and embrace [name_f]Lily[/name_f] and reconnect with what drew you to it in the first place It’s a beautiful name, it’s what your daughter knows herself as, and the popularity is an affirmation of how great it is.
Changing what you call her sounds like a drastic option, and it might not play out the way you hope. There’s no guarantee that there will be another [name_f]Lily[/name_f] in her grade at school, or that she’ll be the only [name_u]Alex[/name_u] (or anything else) in class. Would that make you regret the switch? It seems a big sacrifice to give up a name you like, and you could still run into the same problem anyway.
As a playground solution, I like others’ suggestions of using her middle name or some variation to distinguish her when necessary: maybe [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Alex[/name_u], [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Lex[/name_u], [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Xan[/name_u], [name_f]Lily[/name_f] X. Then you get to keep her beautiful name and she can still feel unique
And it also seems to be worse in the state we moved to.