Danielle and her husband are expecting their second child soon; a sister for their daughter Rheya.
Danielle writes: "We loved (and still love) that [Rheya] is rarely heard, but with strong, historic roots as well as a name that is unlikely to be abbreviated and works on a little girl but you can also imagine she will say with confidence interviewing for a job one day. Neither of us is into new, made up or last name turned first name style names.
So far, we have:
Fiana - it ticks all our boxes and we both like it and definitely considering as a first or middle name, but we'd pronounce it like Fiona but with an "a", which is butchering the accurate Irish pronunciation as far as we are aware, and I'm also slightly concerned about the "warrior"/political meaning...
Elowen - really liked it originally, but all I can hear now is L.O.N. So going off it.
We would like to avoid 2-syllable names ending in -a as to not to be too similar to Rheya... Which rules out Isla and Nola, which we both liked but eventually dropped for Rheya when we picked for our first born."
I think both Fiana and Elowen are great options as a sister for Rheya. With regards to the 'L.O.N' sound, it isn't so prominent when said with the correct Cornish pronunciation (el-OW-en) which may help you love it again. That said, here are some other suggestions which I think match your style:
Lowen / Lowenna – If Elowen is not quite right, how about similar Cornish name Lowen (LOW-en) which means "happy, joyful." It is used as a unisex name in Cornwall, while variant Lowenna/Lowena "happiness, joy" is used as a feminine name.
Parisa – Pretty Parisa is a Persian name meaning "fairy-like." In ancient Persian mythology, the Pari (or Peri) were beautiful and benevolent winged fairies.
Kennera – The name of a 4th century Scottish martyr who is now considered a saint and gave her name to Kirkinner. Of a similar ilke (and possibly from the same source -- Irish cain "beautiful") is Kinnia, the name of a 5th century Irish woman, baptised by St Patrick, who is also considered a saint.
Thessaly – India, Isla, Florence, Skye, Lydia, Sienna, so many place names provide perfect inspiration for names with style and history. One of my favourites is Thessaly, an ancient region of Ancient Greece, homeland of the mythological heroes Achilles and Jason.
Briar / Bryher – Feminine but not frilly nature name, Briar is in the sweet spot of "known but little used."Even rarer is homophone Bryher, the name of one of the islands of the Isles of Scilly which is used as a feminine name in Cornwall and Devon.
Cliona – Similar to Fiana is Irish Cliona (or Cliodhna), goddess of love and beauty in ancient mythology.
Betsan – A quirky and stylish Welsh diminutive of Elizabeth. As accessible as sister Bethan but much less common.
Kezia – A sweet Hebrew name meaning "cassia spice," which was born by one of the beautiful daughters of Job in the Bible.
Taryn – A modern name with ancient Celtic roots that feels fresh and spunky.
Amora – From the Latin amor "love," Amora is an underused gem that fits nicely with fashionable favourites Amelia, Ava and Orla.
Zelie – A sleek and chic French diminutive of Azelie, the French form of the floral Azalia.
Sephora – The Biblical Greek form of the Hebrew Zipporah meaning "bird." For alternative spellings you could also use the Latin Seffora or Scandinavian Sefora.
Peony – Another uncommon nature name that is feminine without being too frilly.
Marigo – A Greek diminutive form of Maria, which is a spunkier and quirkier twist on Marigold and Margot, yet still sharing the same bold style.
Merryn / Mirren – Merryn is a Cornish saint's name, turned place name, turned girls' name. Similar Mirren (or Merren) is a slick Scottish form of Miriam.
Celyn – A fresh twist on Holly is the Welsh cognate Celyn. It's used as a unisex name, but is currently more common for girls.
Kyria – A bold but ladylike choice meaning "lady" in Greek.
Maelie – This variant of the Breton name Maelys, is found in Francebut little known this side of the channel, despite how accessible it is.
Sidonie – Sidonie is the French and Sidony is the English feminine counterparts to the latin Sidonius.
Viera – A stylish Slavic name, pronounced vee-AIR-a, meaning "faith,"
I hope this has been useful. Best wishes with the name choosing. Please keep us updated.
