First I have to say that I really [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Avery[/name] Virgina! I love the way it flows and sounds with the repeating v’s in each name as a subtle nod to alliteration. I love the cool and crisp [name]Avery[/name] up against the wam and cozy Virgina. I love how the name is both stately and whimsical at the same time. Really awesome!
I also think it gives you a lot of flexibility for baby number 2, working within the style of names you like. There is, of course, the thinking that one unisex name pairs best with another but in this case I don’t think you necessarily have to use another unisex name in the first spot. [name]Avery[/name], in my mind, is one of the more flexible unisex names that can pair with a lot of different choices. Obviously you could pair it with another unisex name, but I think it has enough of a classic feel to go in a more traditional direction and it also has enough similarity in sound to older names that you could even go vintage. I could easily see [name]Avery[/name] paired with names like [name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Ruby[/name]. The one thing I would suggest is that in this instance baby number 2 will definitely set more of a pattern. So, while [name]Avery[/name] and [name]Ruby[/name] sound great as sisters, [name]Avery[/name], [name]Quinn[/name] and [name]Ruby[/name] sounds slightly off.
Your list:
I’m skipping the a names because I think it would be better to give a second daughter her own first initial (especially since the A in [name]Avery[/name] is so pronounced).
[name]Beatrice[/name] - I like [name]Beatrice[/name]; it’s very warm, much like [name]Virginia[/name]. (I don’t know how you feel about your girls going by [name]Ave[/name] and [name]Bee[/name] or A and B)
[name]Blair[/name] - I like this a lot!
[name]Camilla[/name]/[name]Camilla[/name] - I think I prefer [name]Camille[/name], and I think it works really well with [name]Avery[/name].
[name]Caroline[/name] - I love this with [name]Avery[/name]!
[name]Charlotte[/name] - you really can not go wrong with [name]Charlotte[/name]!
[name]Clare[/name] - Very pretty!
[name]Clementine[/name] - I think this is a little too out there, but could possibly work as a middle
[name]Eleanor[/name] - this is nice, but not one of my favorites, and seems a bit subdued for you
[name]Clara[/name] - I love [name]Clara[/name]! And it is again warm like [name]Virginia[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name] - I do like [name]Eliza[/name], but I think [name]Eliza[/name] is somehow a little plain next to [name]Avery[/name]
[name]Elle[/name] - this sounds like it should be short for something else
[name]Eloise[/name] - [name]Eloise[/name] is very sweet, but perhaps too cutesy next to [name]Avery[/name]; I think [name]Louise[/name] might work better in the first or middle spot
[name]Gemma[/name] - definitely too cutesy
[name]Gillian[/name] ” I”ve never liked this name; to me it lacks substance
[name]Josephine[/name] - another one I don’t like (all I hear is [name]Joseph[/name])
[name]Leila[/name] - oh, I do love this name; unfortunately, this category of names is becoming very popular with [name]Lila[/name] in the lead and I fear it may sound too trendy
[name]Lila[/name] - see above
[name]Lola[/name] - see above
[name]Louisa[/name] - Wonderful!
[name]Lucy[/name] - I would prefer this as a nn for [name]Lucille[/name], or as [name]Lucretia[/name] in the middle spot
[name]Maisie[/name] - this seems very out of place on your list; cute for a baby but not a name to take through life
[name]Miriam[/name] ” I absolutely adore this name; that said, I”m not sure it”s quite right for you because it seems rather different than your other options
[name]Maren[/name] ” this is a great name
[name]Nora[/name] ” I like this
[name]Paige[/name] ” cute, I would prefer it in the middle
[name]Penelope[/name] ” I like the way this name is both regal and down-to-earth at the same time
[name]Piper[/name] ” I”m sorry but I REALLY dislike this one (11 pipers piping, ten lords a leaping . . .)
[name]Reese[/name] ” I can definitely see the appeal, but I think it”s a bit trendy
[name]Ruby[/name] ” I [name]LOVE[/name] this, and I [name]LOVE[/name] it with [name]Avery[/name]!
[name]Ruth[/name] ” this would make a fantastic middle
[name]Sadie[/name] ” I prefer this as a nn for [name]Sarah[/name], but [name]Sarah[/name] doesn”t seem like your style
[name]Stella[/name] ” very cool
[name]Tatum[/name] ” not so much
[name]Willa[/name] ” I think you should just go all out for Wilhemina (either in the middle or as a first name, nn [name]Nina[/name]- [name]Avery[/name] and [name]Nina[/name] sound fabulous together)
[name]Darby[/name] ” I don”t like this one (sounds like derby)
[name]Greer[/name] ” this is a great name
[name]Lane[/name] ” a little too plain
[name]Emery[/name] ” I do like this, but NOT with [name]Avery[/name] ” way too matchy
[name]Quincy[/name] ” this is not unisex to me; it”s just a man”s name
[name]Quinn[/name] ” now, this could work
[name]Ellis[/name] ” not my favorite from your list
After reviewing your list, what I notice is that your names don’t group so much by “style” as they do by “feel,” and, to me, your names divide pretty neatly into two different categories of feel - cool (but not lacking for substance and with a trace of femininity) or warm (but polished and not overly feminine or frilly), much like [name]Avery[/name] and [name]Virginia[/name] respectively. Also, all of your names tend toward the bold rather than the shy, which is what makes them work together in combo. I think the way to go is another combo that combines one name from each “category,” in either order.
Some suggestions that jump out from your list:
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Louise[/name]
[name]Greer[/name] [name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Wilhelmina[/name] [name]Blair[/name]
[name]Clara[/name] [name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Norah[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Avery[/name] is simply a name that my husband and I loved, and he suggested, and [name]Virginia[/name] is a family name (my Aunt). All of our children will have a family name, either first or middle.