Pippa or Cecily

Name Advice
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Hi berries! So thankful for this space to process our kids’ names and all they encompass. Thank you for all your wonderful feedback as we’ve been slowly but surely narrowing down our list of girl names before our thirdborn, due in December 2023. Copying and pasting some of what I wrote on another thread regarding our name choices.

We’re expecting our third baby (second daughter) this winter, sister to big brother, [name_m]Griffin[/name_m] [name_m]Turner[/name_m], and big sister, [name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_f]Colette[/name_f]. I’ll write out a few thoughts that we’re considering with each name—would love to hear your favorites and anything you notice. We like names that feel like they could be literary or “new world,” yet have a vintage vibe as well. Our last name is Scottish and starts with an E if that’s helpful. We’re open to any middle name suggestions as well!

We’ve narrowed it down from 9 names to 2—would love for you to cast your vote and share your thoughts about why you think the name pairs best with the others.

What should we name our third baby?

  • Pippa
  • Cecily
0 voters

[name_m]Griffin[/name_m], [name_f]Willow[/name_f], and [name_f]Pippa[/name_f]
[name_m]Griffin[/name_m], [name_f]Willow[/name_f], and [name_f]Cecily[/name_f]

Here are the thoughts I posted previously on these two names:

[name_f]Pippa[/name_f] - We love that this name is both whimsical and classy at the same time. It has a UK feel to it, and lots of sweet nicknames. I know the name from a character in the book, The Goldfinch, and we think it works well for both a little girl and an adult woman. It was our second choice next to Willow when we named our first daughter.

My husband loves this name and would be excited to nickname her Pip or Pipsqueak while she’s little, but I am really stuck on the fact that all three of our kids would have matching double letters in the middle of all their names. I’m not a fan of sibsets that all have the same first letter or coordinating sound. It feels way too matchy-matchy for my taste. I keep thinking this name would work so much better for a fourth child/youngest daughter, and we could choose a name for this baby that doesn’t have the matching double letter in the middle to make it less of an intentional, obvious choice. But! We don’t even know for sure if we’ll have more kids, let alone if our fourth would be a girl! Convince me that the matching double letter in the middle isn’t a big deal. :slight_smile:

[name_f]Cecily[/name_f] - This was also a consideration for our second daughter. We’ve always liked this name—it’s pretty, and we think it pairs well with Griffin and Willow. We can’t get past that it means “blind,” though, and are trying to figure out a middle name that would make sense with that meaning. I’m also wondering if it’s too dainty or lacy? Too boarding school-esque and not as epic as Griffin and Willow?

My husband is a graphic designer, and I’m a writer, so the imagery of our kids’ names is important to us. I like to imagine that all of my kids’ names could be translated into literary characters in one way or another.

Thank you for listening! We really do appreciate your feedback. It truly helps us think about our kids’ names from all perspectives.

1 Like
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i actually love the matching double letters and was going to say that was my main reason for voting for Pippa even before i saw your comment on it! i think the double letters look very visually appealing together. i really don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, nor do i think it’s matchy at all. i doubt most people would realize that they all have double letters in passing. it’s not like it’s a matching initial or sound like you mentioned, so i don’t see a problem!

it’s also worth noting that your kids won’t always be referred to and thought of as a sibset. when they grow up, they’ll very rarely be referred to together. is it worth letting go of a name that is clearly a great choice for you two just because of the double letters? that’s your call, but i don’t think so! you could also wait until the baby is born and see if she fits one name better than the other.

also adding that i think Pippa Cecily would be an adorable combo if you wanted to use both names!

2 Likes
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I think [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] fits really well with [name_u]Griffin[/name_u] and [name_u]Willow[/name_u]! I don’t think the double letters make them matchy, but it does add in a very subtle tie-in between them :slight_smile: When I think of matchy names, I think of same first letter or use of a rare letter like x or all flower names, etc. All things that are more apparent that people would pick up on pretty quickly. The double letters is small and subtle, and not anything most people would notice. And the people who do notice wouldn’t think anything of it, I’m sure :slight_smile: I also like what was said about how they won’t always be referred to as a sibset. It won’t be long before your daughter will be known as just [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] or [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], and not as a part of a set.

Good luck and congrats :tada: 🩷 :white_heart:

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I actually didn’t notice the double letters of [name_u]Griffin[/name_u], [name_u]Willow[/name_u] and [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] … what I noticed is that they all have an i as their first vowel. Which makes the sounds a bit same-y - for that reason I voted for [name_f]Cecily[/name_f].

I’ll also add that in some languages, pippa has an unfortunate slang meaning which may be another reason to reconsider it. It would be much more tease-worthy than Cecily’s meaning of blind, I think.

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Going from your last post as well, I get the vibe that you both really love [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] and shouldn’t let the double letter thing bother you because not everyone (obviously) or even most people will notice!

It’s [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], I think!

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I voted [name_f]Pippa[/name_f]! I love [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] and it flows nicely with the other but I agree doesn’t have quite the same whip and vim as the others. I have an aunt called [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] - who is an awesome person, a clever clogs and looks like a fine featured, sunny faced [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] - so I’m attached to the name but I don’t love the nicknames she gets (Ces, Cessy - could of course get Ceci /CeeCee but she doesn’t). I think Pippa’s a better option - because I actually like that they all have double letter (and I’m generally vocally against matchy - but this isn’t in your face, evidently matchy), the nicknames are fab, and it goes with the others a little better than [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] does.

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I love [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] for you :heart: [name_f]Gorgeous[/name_f], bright, zippy, literary and charming!

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Tough choice. I prefer [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] but [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] might go better with the others if that is important to you. I wouldn’t worry about the double letters at all. For things that go with blind maybe something like blind love? [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]?

2 Likes
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You can’t go wrong with either as they’re both beautiful. Popping in to say that I love @Casea33 suggestion of choosing a middle name meaning love!

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I love [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] for the exact reason you are hesitant about it. It just feels like she fits so seamlessly. I think have the double letter is a sweet way that’s not an obvious tie to [name_u]Griffin[/name_u] and [name_u]Willow[/name_u]