Name Help: A Sister for Fraser James

 

 

Joanne and Mark are expecting their second child soon; a sibling for their son Fraser James. Joanne writes:

"Fraser is from my side of the family who are Scottish and we love his name. It was an easy choice, so we were spoiled last time around! This time we need a girl's name for our baby.

Our current joint list of possible names is:

 

Phoebe – we both like it quite a lot, but  there's no real love for it, and it seems to be getting quite popular.

Nancy – more a choice of mine than Mark's, but both happy enough with it.

Felicity – both quite like this, but not keen on the obvious nicknames and particularly dislike Flick.

Robyn – we both love Bobbie, not so much Robyn, and think Roberta is a bit fancy.
Eliza/Elizabeth – I prefer Elizabeth but Mark thinks it sounds 'dumpy'.

Josephine – like Josie, but not so much the long version.

 

Rejected names:

Annie – my favourite (save for maybe Isla) Mark thinks it sounds a bit feeble/girly girly and has vetoed it.

Isla – we both LOVE this name, especially with the Scottish connection and it has a similar sound to Fraser, but it's just too popular we think.

Beatrice – Mark's favourite. I'm not at all keen. To me it's one of the real granny-vintage names that are a bit trendy.

Megan/Lucy/Chloe – all used recently by friends/family. Quite liked Megan.

 

I think we both want a name that isn't too floral/pretty-pretty, and that will grow up well.  We'd also both like to avoid anything too popular (one of the things we love about Fraser is that here in England we don't encounter any others of Fraser's age). From my own point of view, I'm not too keen on the 'trendy' vintage names like Beatrice, Evelyn, Florence, etc."  

 

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Hmmm... an interesting dilemma. You want a non-frilly name that isn't popular or trendy but your current favourites suggest you aren't particularly a fan of outlandish or particularly unusual names. The classic names you are drawn to (Josephine, Elizabeth, Beatrice) can be seen by the other as "frumpy" or "granny-vintage", and the vintage diminutive-style names (Nancy, Annie, Josie) are bordering on "girly-girly." Those names that you have found that are in the sweet spot between the two (Phoebe, Isla, Eliza) are unfortunately rather popular -- precisely because they are in that illusive sweet spot that most parents are looking for.

What I love about Fraser is that it is a strong and traditional heritage choice that is uncommon, but not outlandish or too unusual. Isla seems like the perfect compliment, although the only draw back is that it is no longer uncommon. Phoebe is far less common and compliments Fraser's traditional-yet-modern, not too outlandish vibe. 

In the choices below, I've tried to keep in mind the perfect balance that Fraser strikes and emulate that in a girls' name, using your current favourites as a starting point.

 

If you like ______, you might like:

Isla:

Aila – Aila is a Scandinavian name which is pronounced eye-la, just like Isla. Aila is a form of Helga and therefore derived from the Old Norse heilagr meaning "holy, blessed". Similarly, Ayla is a Turkish name meaning "halo of moonlight" which is also pronounced eye-la. 

Orla – An anglicised spelling of the medieval Gaelic name Orflaith. The name is made up of the elements ór "gold" and flaith "sovereign, person of nobility" and is most commonly given the meaning "golden princess." Orla is in the same sweet-spot as Fraser: Gaelic heritage, easily accessible but uncommon in use. 

Iona – Isla is a lovely island which has a lovely sound. So too is Iona, a name taken from the beautiful Isle of Iona. It is a familiar name yet doesn't even rank in England's top 300. 

Vaila – Another pretty Scottish island name is Vaila (VAY-la), an island in Shetland. It is a rare name -- mostly confined to baby girls born in Shetland -- but it is remarkably accessible and stylish.

Alba – A sleek and stylish choice, very close in sound to Alba. It has equal Scottish heritage, being the Scots Gaelic name for the country. As an added bonus, Alba is outside of the top 100. 

Phoebe:

Hebe –  Take the 'P' off Phoebe and you get Hebe, a sweet ancient Greek name, borne by a goddess, meaning "youthful." Given their equal Greek routes and similar sound, it is remarkable that Hebe remains rare outside of the top 2000. 

Esme – Though Esme (or Esmee/Esmae) derives from the Old French word for "loved, esteemed," its use as a given name actually originates in Scotland in the 16th century. Like Phoebe, it is feminine, without being too frilly.

Breagha – A Scottish name, derived from the Scots Gaelic brèagha "beautiful." It is pronounced BREE-a -- fairly intuitive -- and posing no more spelling explanations than Phoebe, Isla or Fraser. 

Nancy/Annie/Josie:

Marnie – Quirky and stylish with a vintage edge. Like Nancy, it is feminine with a fiesty edge. 

Sadie – Another vintage doll which is more sassy than soft; more feisty than frilly. 

Lois – Echoing Josie's syllables is sleek and spare Lois which packs a feminine punch.

Pippa – A zippy diminutive name, which (like Nancy and Annie) stands perfectly well in its own right. It's accessible but uncommon, feminine but not too girly. 

Felicity:

Verity – Another virtue name which shares Felicity's bouncy ending. It has the advantage of ranking below the top 300 in England and has a number of nickname options including Eva, Evie, Vivi, Vettie and Reva. 

Amity – An even rarer virtue name woth the same -ity ending is Amity, meaning 'friendship'. 

Calista – The same 'lis-t' sound in Felicity can be found in the ancient Greek name Calista meaning "most beautiful." It is a rare name, but easily accessible with potential nicknames Callie, Calla, Cassie, Clia, 

Penelope – The same syllable pattern and classical heritage found in Felicity -- and similar sounds to Phoebe -- can also be found in stylish Penelope. The name alone may be a little grand for your tastes on its own, but the sweet nicknames Penny, Poppy, Polly, Ellie or Nell make it more accessible. 

Megan:

Bethan – A pretty Welsh diminutive of Elizabeth, ranking below the top 400. It is easy to spell, non-frilly but just a little bit different. 

Mirren – Both Mirren and Merren are Scottish forms of Miriam. Like Fraser, Mirren in a top 100 staple in Scotland, yet is little used south of the border. 

Seren – A sleek and stylish Welsh name with the pretty meaning "star."

 

Getting to Bobbie:

You both love Bobbie, but Robyn and Roberta just aren't cutting the mustard. Here are some other suggestions to get to Bobbie as a nickname:

Bryony – Bryony (or Briony) is a floral name that is non-frilly. Uncommon but not outlandish. 

Bronwen – Welsh Bronwen is a feminine choice with backbone. 

Ebony – Smooth and decorative ebony makes for a chic nature name; it's short 'BO' sound lends itself nicely to Bobbie.

Isobel – Not only is Isobel considered the Scottish form of Isabel, it's 'ob' middle name makes it an ideal longer form for Bobboe. 

 

Other Suggestions: 

Lana – Sleek and chic, Lana is a shortform of Slavic Svetlana. In a similar vein is Lara, a shortform of Larisa. 

Lena – A popular Eastern European short form of Helena which is stylish and spare.

Leila – A stylish Arabic name meaning "night" that was the subject of an ancient love story. Found in the spellings Leila, Layla or Laila. 

Eden – The mythical heavenly garden in the bible is gaining more use as a given name today, though it is still relatively uncommon. Its stylish bell-tones sit nicely between Isla and Phoebe. 

Astrid – Off the beaten track is the ancient Norse name Astrid. In terms of popularity, it sits in the uncommon but not outlandish bracket at #486 

Briar – Similar to Bryony, Briar is a frills-free botanical choice that is very rare but not at all peculiar. 

Maeve – A short name that packs a punch. Maeve has a pretty  girly sound, yet has the namesake of a bold warrior queen of Irish legend. 

Bonnie – If you like Bobbie, perhaps you would consider Scottish heritage choice Bonnie? Meaning "pretty" it strikes the same familiar-yet-uncommon-Scottish chords as Fraser

 

 I hope this has been useful. Best wishes with the name choosing. Please keep us updated.