Always tweaking my list for the near future. [name]Miriam[/name]'s long been a love, and I like her paired with a J middle name. First-born boys with initials J.M. are a tradition in our family, and I was thinking about perhaps using M.J. as a first born girl to nod to that (especially as we may only have one child). My mom also has an M name so it’s a nice nod to her. I’ve also thought of just using J.M. on a first born girl but have more mixed feelings.
Anyway, I don’t love [name]Joan[/name] in most cases but it’s growing on me paired with [name]Miriam[/name]. The flow seems good to me, and I like the seriousness and strength and history the names share, while also opening up nns [name]Miri[/name] [name]Jo[/name] or MJ, which are much more lighthearted. My husband is [name]John[/name] so [name]Joan[/name]'s a nice nod to him. [name]Jean[/name] and [name]Jane[/name] are both nice names but I think I like [name]Joan[/name] better with [name]Miriam[/name] specifically. I adore the name [name]Johanna[/name] but [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Johanna[/name] feels really long to me. Although our surname is short so it could work. But [name]Joan[/name], I think, is better with [name]Miriam[/name] than [name]Johanna[/name] is.
WDYT? Or what other J middles would you pair with [name]Miriam[/name]?
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joan[/name] is really nice! [name]Both[/name] names are underused classics with a really strong edge. I hope we see [name]Joan[/name] come back a bit. I prefer [name]Jane[/name] slightly, they just have a different energy about them, but there is something about [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joan[/name].
I love your thinking with flipping the traditional initials for a first born girl. I love the combo you’ve landed on, but here are some ideas…
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]June[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joy[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] (I do like this though…)
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josette[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josepha[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josie[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Jill[/name] (I dont like the look of this one as much as the others, but I’ve recently stumbled on a love for [name]JILL[/name] kind of the same way I like the [name]Jane[/name]/[name]Jean[/name]/[name]Joan[/name] names…)
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Julia[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Juno[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Jewel[/name]
Thanks guys! Those are some lovely suggestions. And I’m glad to hear the MJ for a girl, JM for a boy kind of makes sense. Particularly like:
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]June[/name] has a lot of appeal - we were married in [name]June[/name] : D. I know my husband doesn’t like [name]June[/name] in front, but he might like it OK in the middle.
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joy[/name] is also really cool, still could be [name]Miri[/name] [name]Jo[/name] / [name]Miri[/name] [name]Joy[/name], and [name]Joy[/name] is a family name.
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Juno[/name] is also cool - I think the letter o does something good for [name]Miriam[/name], and I’m not bold enough for [name]Juno[/name] in the front, but in the middle I could venture it if my husband was on board. Still has the tie to [name]June[/name], and with our surname would be 3-2-1 which is a great rhythm.
[name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] is really stylish and I love [name]Josephine[/name], but I think it feels too long for me. I also really would love to use [name]Joseph[/name] for a boy, but my husband doesn’t care for it. Hmm. So this might be a chance to get to the name in a way, although it would probably rule out [name]Joseph[/name] if he ever came on board. I’d have mixed feelings about that.
Since [name]Joan[/name] would be a mn, I think you could still use [name]Jonas[/name]-- but it is awfully close so if you really love [name]Jonas[/name], I’d go with [name]June[/name] or [name]Joy[/name] or one of the other suggestions above.
Thanks @davisellu! I think that’s right. I do really love [name]Jonas[/name], but as with [name]Joseph[/name], my husband doesn’t really care for it, so unless he could come around to it it’s such a longshot anyway I might go for [name]Joan[/name] if I continue to like it best. But [name]June[/name] and [name]Joy[/name] are growing on me too : D.
Wow [name]Miriam[/name] is getting lots of love on the boards lately (maybe I just notice more since my DD is also [name]Miriam[/name]).
My fave combo for you is [name]Miriam[/name] [name]June[/name]. It’s just a little more fun than [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joan[/name]. I still picture [name]Joan[/name] as a serious name (can’t really explain this). The name [name]Miriam[/name] gets lots of compliments here on nameberry and in real life, but I do get some people react with “oh its a traditional name” - I assume they think its old-fashioned.
I also adore [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josephine[/name], but I know that you have said you think that its too long. [name]How[/name] long is your last name?
@missv - [name]Miriam[/name]'s a wonderful name! I do think there’s been a bit of an uptick on it here lately, but I’ve been on here for quite a while now and it’s not a bigger uptick than sometimes happens. I think sometimes one person posts about a name and it inspires other people to post sometimes.
@blade - thanks for the long list! You may remember I’m a [name]Jessica[/name] and I have a soft spot for [name]Jessamine[/name] and [name]Jessamy[/name] which I think would have suited me better (though I’ve made my peace with [name]Jessica[/name] and it’s fine). [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Jessamy[/name] (your suggestion) and [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Jessamine[/name] (makes me think of it) are very nice! Again though I just don’t love 3-3 rhythms. I REALLY like [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joia[/name], great idea!
@maggiemary and @remix - thanks! [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Jane[/name] is great too, I love [name]Jane[/name]. [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Joan[/name] is still edging out for me somehow, but it really is just a taste thing.
Someone I don’t remember who asked how long is the surname - 1 syllable, 6 letters, 5 sounds. Pretty short - would accommodate [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] better than many surnames. I still think [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] is kind of a mouthful. Great combo though I’d love it on someone else, I think I just have a block against 3-3 rhythms.
Jesba, so glad you liked [name]Joia[/name]! I first heard it on a scientist/doctor/public health advocate I admire very much named [name]Joia[/name] Mukherjee.