We’re expecting our second baby and need help deciding on a name that pairs well with our daughter’s name, Isabel Rose. We’ve narrowed it down to two combinations:
• Josephine Lily
• Juliet Lily
Here’s some context:
We love how Isabel Rose feels timeless, elegant, and has Hebrew biblical roots (Isabel comes from Elizabeth, meaning “God is my oath”).
Josephine also has Hebrew origins (from Joseph, meaning “Jehovah increases”), and we love its strength and sophistication. Plus, the nickname Sophie is a favorite for us. There’s many other nicknames to select too like Jo, Josie, Effy.
Juliet feels romantic and lyrical, with a soft sound that complements Isabel. However, we’re not fans of Jules as a nickname, so we’d likely use Lia or Etta, Julie, or Jet instead.
The middle name Lily mirrors Isabel’s floral middle name (Rose), tying the sibset together.
Isabel’s nickname is Izzy
We’d love your feedback on:
Which combination feels more cohesive with Isabel Rose?
Do you prefer the timeless strength of Josephine or the romantic elegance of Juliet?
Any other middle name ideas for Josephine or Juliet?
Thank you so much for your thoughts—we’re excited to hear your ideas!
For me personally I would probably use [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. But after reading through your breakdown, I think I prefer [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f].
This is a hard one! They are both beautiful names. I think [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] “matches” [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] a little bit more with that bit of sparkle that they both have, but I personally like[name_f][/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] a little bit more, so I voted for that one.
Both are beautiful! [name_f]My[/name_f] immediate thought when I saw your post was that I liked [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] better, but I ended up voting for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] after reading your explanation. [name_f][/name_f]With [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], I love the soft classic feel of [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and the lovely nickname [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. I also really enjoy the flow of [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] more so than that of [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f], but I think (the also lovely) [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] fits your family best, considering you like the most of the nicknames, it has the Biblical link you want, and has the ‘pretty but strong’ feel of [name_f]Isabel[/name_f].
[name_f][/name_f]
A few other middle name ideas, just because:
[name_f][/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Josette[/name_f] perhaps [name_f][/name_f]- so you’ve got a bit of [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] in there) [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
Wow. We have explored the name Josephine[name_f][/name_f] Violet[name_f][/name_f], and now I am more intrigued after you suggested the nickname Josette[name_f][/name_f]. Fantastic suggestions and feedback. Thank you!
Both of these names are nice with [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]. There’s no bad choice.
[name_f][/name_f]
But you like all of the nicknames for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], and dislike one of the popular nicknames for [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. I like the flow of [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] better than the flow of [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] as well. So I think [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is a winner here.
I’m agreeing with you here. [name_f]My[/name_f] partner is the one that does not like [name_m]Jules[/name_m] so I need to explain to him that even if we don’t call her [name_m]Jules[/name_m], she may end up being called [name_m]Jules[/name_m] in her lifetime. It is out of control and then discuss is that a game changer. It might be a easy way to eliminate [name_f]Juliet[/name_f].
I love both but I would lean more towards [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] if you’re trying to avoid the nickname [name_m]Jules[/name_m] for [name_f]Juliet[/name_f].
However I love [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] she’s so romantic, floral, with a pan European feel, has a lyrical feel, love the nickname [name_m]Jett[/name_m] and matches the pretty melodic feel of Is@b3l R0s3.
I couldn’t vote! [name_f][/name_f] I love the timeless strength of [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] AND the romantic feel of [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]! [name_f][/name_f] I slightly prefer [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] but I visually and audibly prefer [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] with [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. [name_f][/name_f] That being said, I find my heart drawn to [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] here. [name_f][/name_f] I am not huge fan of [name_m]Jules[/name_m] on a girl either and would opt for the nn [name_f]Lettie[/name_f] myself. [name_f][/name_f] Both names are so lovely; you can’t go wrong!
[name_f][/name_f]
Going to go and vote for [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] now, though, although etymologically I do think [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is a little more like [name_f]Isabel[/name_f].
I am at the point where I might have to wait until I meet the baby to finally have that “aha” moment and select [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] lol. At least I got pretty good contenders! I appreciate your thoughts and am feeling the same!
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. It’s pretty and surprisingly rare. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] just feels a little dated. The obvious nickname is [name_m]Josey[/name_m] and it is not as unique as [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is a beautiful name as well but I don’t feel that it’s necessarily cohesive. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is a lovely name but it feels like [name_f]Lily[/name_f] was chosen just because it’s also a flower name. However, [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] and [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] are both beautiful and therefore are already tied together as a natural sibset combo.
