Sister for Miles. Struggling!

For some reason when I had a boy, I thought naming a girl would be SO MUCH EASIER. Now I am having one and I feel the opposite. Boy is [name_m]Miles[/name_m], last name is R, and so I would like to avoid any R or M names, or names that sound too matchy with [name_m]Miles[/name_m]. Currently our top picks are [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] and [name_f]Annabel[/name_f], but [name_m]Miles[/name_m] wasn’t remotely on the list until the last few weeks so you never know. We told him both names and he is stuck on [name_u]Abby[/name_u]. He talks about “[name_u]Abby[/name_u]” all the time (he is two), he struggles with [name_f]Annabel[/name_f]. Of course this is not a huge factor in naming this baby but it is so cute when he randomly goes for the ultrasound pictures and says “[name_u]Abby[/name_u]!!” Although I am kind of struggling with parts of that name - Is it too popular? Never planned on going for a name in the top ten. Is it too religious? We are not religious, so although I know most people don’t see this as an issue, its sort of in the back of my mind. And with [name_f]Annabel[/name_f], too frilly? [name_m]Will[/name_m] she just get called [name_f]Anna[/name_f]? kind of vanilla (but is [name_u]Abby[/name_u] not?). It would be [name_f]Annabel[/name_f] [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] (after my grandmother). [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] is not as cute. Other options would be [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] (stuffy), [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Alison[/name_f] (repetitive). None really scream out “THE one” to me, but it is really important to me to honor her. Naming is so fun to think about until there is really a baby then I feel like my mind goes blank and nothing sounds good. My husband’s favorite that I vetoed is [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (I know too many). My favorite is [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] ([name_f]Hattie[/name_f]) that he vetoed. I would love some feed back on [name_f]Annabel[/name_f] vs [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] vs other suggestions! Thank you!!

I like both [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] and [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]. As far as popularity goes, that is really a personal decision whether or not it bothers you. I, personally, prefer to stray away from popular names. However, my sister went with all popular names for her three children and they are perfectly happy and well adjusted. It all comes down to what you prefer. So I hesitate to steer you one way or the other on that one. As to your other concern, the nickname for [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], if you go with this spelling, you could use: [name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f] or [name_f]Ella[/name_f] which are all lovely and very different from one another.

If you want to pick a similar name to make it easier on your son who is gravitating towards “[name_u]Abby[/name_u]”, you could think of naming her “[name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Gabriella[/name_f]” which could go with nicknames: [name_u]Gabby[/name_u], [name_u]Abby[/name_u], [name_f]Brie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ella[/name_f].

I think [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] is a bit too popular for a first name, but you could get [name_u]Abby[/name_u] out of any of these

[name_f]Anabelle[/name_f] [name_f]Sheila[/name_f]
[name_f]Anabella[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]
[name_f]Aubree[/name_f] [name_f]Alison[/name_f]
[name_f]Gabriella[/name_f] [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]
[name_u]Andrea[/name_u] [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]

[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] is a lovely name. It has a cheerful feel, but it’s also serious. [name_u]Abby[/name_u] is surely a very cute and name, but the full name of [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] feels unique even though it’s common. [name_f]Annabel[/name_f], to me, doesn’t seem as interesting.

I like [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] and [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]. They feel classic to me.

When you said [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] ([name_f]Hattie[/name_f]), I instantly thought of [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] with the possible nn of Haddie.

[name_f]Sheila[/name_f], via name berry–> Sheila - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity | Nameberry , is the Irish form of [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]. Would it be too much of a stretch to use that as a middle name but still honor your grandmother?
[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Hadly[/name_f] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]

Also there’s [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], which sounds similar to [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] but spelled different. You could call her [name_f]Emmie[/name_f] for short.
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Annabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Cecile[/name_f] (didn’t want the alliteration “a” sound)

Both are very nice names if popularity doesn’t bother you. I would try to choose a name that you love aside from what your two year old loves, as cute as it is him being involved, as in the end he will accept whatever name his baby sister comes with, and you want to be thrilled with her name. I’m thinking that you may like [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] as it is similar to [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] for your husband’s taste and not as common as [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]. There just seems to be so many little Abbys running around :). Suggestions…

[name_f]Amelie[/name_f]
[name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mirabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Arielle[/name_f]

[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] seems more serious than [name_f]Annabel[/name_f], but they aren’t that far apart. You could save both and see what fits the baby most when she comes. You could switch up the middles-- [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f], [name_f]Annabel[/name_f] [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] (same meaning as [name_f]Sheila[/name_f]), etc.

Some other possibilities:

[name_m]Miles[/name_m] and

[name_f]Alice[/name_f]/[name_f]Alicia[/name_f]
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Gloria[/name_f]
[name_f]Helen[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Nora[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f]
[name_f]Susan[/name_f]
[name_f]Sybil[/name_f]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]

I like [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] better in general. But if you wanna go with [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] I do think it matches [name_m]Miles[/name_m], and you can always nickname her [name_u]Shelley[/name_u] instead [name_u]Shelley[/name_u] and [name_m]Miles[/name_m] go well together and [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] is the more legit official name.