Raquel and Nick are expecting their first child -- a girl! -- but agreeing on names has become a sticking point.
My most favourite name is Annabel, but my husband is reluctant as a good friend named their daughter Annabelle last year. His favourite name is Harriet, which I love, but I’m slightly concerned is a bit too English.
Other names we like:
Matilda – We really like the name, but don’t like Tilda/Tilly as nicknames
Flora – sounds lovely, but it just doesn’t feel like the right name
Abigail – again, lovely, but not quite right…"
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A name that works in English, Danish and Portuguese and is traditional but not too popular is quite a challenge! I can see why you have been struggling. Lucily, there are a handful of names that do match the criteria. And, if we bend the criteria slightly, plenty of alternative options.
Just a quick word on popularity: the most common names today are nothing like what they were 30+ years ago. The number one name in 2016 -- Olivia -- only represented 0.72% of all babies born that year, while ten years before, the top name -- Sophie -- was more like 1.1%. And it was much higher the decade before.
I've been teaching for ten years and have only ever taught three Olivias, even though it has been in the top 5 since 2005. The same can be said for other top fivers such as Sophie, Emily, Grace and Amelia.
That said, there are duplicate names in every class I teach, but it is always totally random and different each year. This year, my class had two girls named Esme, even though it was only #74 in the year they were born, and there were only two girls in the class with a top ten name. So don't be too afraid of a name in the higher ranks -- these days it is no guarantee that there'll be others in the class with the same name.
Your Favourites:
Matilda - This seems like a great choice for you. Nicknames these days aren't prerequisite so you can just call her simply Matilda with no nickname. I have taught several boys called Thomas who are only ever "Thomas" while others only answer to "Tom."
If you really like the idea of a nickname, but not Tilda/Tilly, how about Milly? It is less obvious but still works. There is also Matty, Maddy, Tally or Milla.
Anna - If Annabel is off the cards, how about sleek and chic, streamlined Anna with its simple elegance? It's only #73 in England and Wales but has a timeless quality as well.
Royalty:
Royal names are a fantastic source for not only traditional names, but also pan-European names. Thanks to the trend of most royal families up until the 20th century only marrying other royals, most of Europe's monarchies have been intermarrying for centuries. Princesses frequently left their native country to become queen in a foreign land -- and their name travelled with them!
Alice – Sweet and strong Alice has namesakes from princesses to poets. Once a strong medieval favourite, Alice has spread across the world making it a perfect traditional pan-European choice. In fact, it is not only the English form of the Old Germanic name Adalheidis, it is also the Portuguese form! Alice has also been used in Denmark since the 19th century so it is a traditional choice in all three languages. Currently, Alice ranks #17 in England and Wales and is very popular in Brazil. It isn't in Denmark's top 50 but it is on the rise (52 births in 2017 putting it around the #100 mark) and is #1 in neighbouring Sweden.
Adele – Less common, but also from Adalheidis, and a sister-name to Alice, is chic Adele. Various forms of the name have been borne by European royalty including Adela, Adelaide and Adeliza. At #550, Adele is a sweet spot name of being easy to spell and pronounce but not being too common. Similarly, Adelaide is at #594 and Adela at #1172.
Adele has been in use in Denmark since at least the 13th century. Today it is much rarer, but it is gaining ground in other Scandinavian countries.
In Portugal, Adelaide was quite common in the early 20th century. Adele made the list of approved names in 2017 and Portuguese blogger Filipa points out that, though Adele is not a typical Portuguese name, the spelling and pronunciation aren't a barrier in Portuguese.
Alexandra – A pan-European name which has its roots in ancient Greece. Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925) was Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of Edward VII so the name is also royally refined. At #113 in England and Wales it is well known but not too common. It also ranks in the top 100 in Portugual, so it works in Portuguese as well.
Marina – Another pan-European to join the British royal family is Marina. This Latin name meaning "of the sea" and epithet of the goddess Venus, had early medieval usage. One of the first bearers was Portuguese!: the 2nd century martyr Saint Mariña of Aguas Santas. It has also been used in Denmark since the 15th century.
Jane Austen used the name for one of her early characters, but the name really kicked off in Britain when Princess Marina of Greece married Prince George, Duke of Kent in 1934. Marina ranks #40 in Brazil but is less common in Britain. It only ranks at #727, but is familiar and easy to spell and pronounce. It is also registered for a handful of girls each year in Denmark.
Helena – Helena is both a name of British and Danish royalty (Princess Helena can refer to both a daughter of Queen Victoria and a 12th century Danish princess). Helena is also the Danish and Portuguese form of Helen. It currently ranks at #3 in Brazil and, although it is now outside the Danish top 100, it was a top 50 favourite back in the 90s.
Victoria - Queenly Victoria was once the name of the Roman goddess of Victory. It currently ranks at the modest #91 in England and Wales which makes it perfect as a traditional but not too popular name. It is also popular in Denmark where it ranks #18. In does not rank in the Brazilian top 100, though, the Portuguese form Vitória is at #55. In Portugal, however, not only is Vitória at #33, but Victória is at #45, showing that Victoria works perfectly well in Portuguese.
Beatrice – Another stately sweet name with plenty of rich history and royal links. It ranks at #80 in England and Wales. It isn't common in Denmark or Brazil, but it isn't unused either. A modest number of girls are given the name each year in Denmark and it is on the approved list of names in Portugal. Portuguese blogger Filipa also suggested Beatrice as a good dual English-Portuguese name option.
Leonor / Leonora – Leonor is the Portuguese form of Eleanor which has been used by royalty since the 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine's daughter (also called Eleanor) became Queen Leonor of Castile in 1170. Currently ranking at #3 in Portugal, several Portuguese princesses answered to the name. One of the Portuguese Princess Leonors even became queen consort of Denmark! Leonor also doubles as a short-form of the Danish version: Eleonora. Even more common in Denmark today is variant Leonora which ranks just below the top 50.
Others:
Hannah – Part Annabel, part Harriet, sweet Hannah is a sturdy and gentle Biblical choice which means it is famous around the world. It ranks at #57 in England and Wales and #41 in Denmark. Though it isn't popular in Brazil, it is one of the approved names in Portugal.
Esther – Like Hannah, Esther is a strong and feminine Biblical name with a fascinating ancient heritage. It is also a British Georgian favourite alongside Harriet, Matilda and Abigail. Esther is #30 in Denmark, #33 in Brazil and a modest #146 in England and Wales so it definitely ticks all the boxes.
Rosa – The Latin (and Portuguese) word for the rose which has centuries of usage. Long before it was adopted as a given name in honour of the flower, it was used as the Latinised form of the Norman name Roheis which itself derives from the Old Germanic name Hrodohaidis [hrod "fame" and heit "sort, kind, type."].
Rosa was #37 in Denmark in 2017 and sits at a comfortable not too hot, not too cold spot of #189 in England and Wales. Rosa currently doesn't rank in the Brazilian top 100 -- its heydey was from the 1920s to the 1950s -- but it is very traditional. An added bonus is that Rosa isn't super popular in Britain but it is easily spelled and pronounced.
Clara – Another name with Georgian style to match your favourites is Roman Clara which was used across Europe in the Middle Ages. It is traditional in Portuguese and Danish as well as English, ranking currently #13 in Denmark, #53 in Brazil and #88 in England and Wales.
Bella – For a simple, easy to spell yet classic name, Bella ticks many boxes. It is #66 in England and Wales, and, though it isn't in the top 100 in Brazil or Denmark, its use in Denmark is rising, and is familiar in Brazil with its many -bel names. Brazilian stars Débora Nascimento and José Loreto recently named their daughter Bella.
Stella – Easy to pronounced and spell but, at #343 in England and Wales, not too common, Stella is a Latin heritage name meaning "star." It is in moderate use in Denmark currently (though is top 20 in neighbouring Sweden). Though the spelling Stela is more standard, famous Brazilians such as Letícia Spiller and footballer Ganso have daughters named Stella.
Martha – Sweet, sturdy and stylish. Martha has Biblical heritage, use by Scandinavian royalty, and also was a Georgian favourite that fits Harriet, Matilda and Abigail. Legend even has her as a dragon slayer. Gentle Martha is #77 in England and Wales and is in moderate (yet rising) use in Denmark. The Portuguese form is Marta, which you could use as a used-by-our-Brazilian-family-form, but Martha is on the approved list for Portugal.
Evelyn – A medieval heritage name with a ladylike style. It ranks at #27 in England and Wales and is moderately used and rising in Denmark. In Portuguese, the y is not common but Evelyn did make the list of approved names in Portugal in 2016.
Aurora – The Roman goddess of the Dawn, a Disney princess and European favourite. Aurora is at #105 in England and Wales and rising and #89 in Brazil. It has been used in Denmark since the 19th century in modest numbers.
Petra – Petra is a stylish Latin name that (like Lydia) derives from an ancient city. It also serves as a feminine form of Peter meaning "stone, rock" -- most likely originally used as an allegorical nickname. At #1013, it isn't common in England and Wales but (like similar ranking names such as Miranda, Rosalind and Adela) it is perfectly familiar, easy to spell and pronounce. In contrast, Petra is in the top 100 in Portugal and rising in use in Denmark where as it has been used since the early 19th century.
I hope this has been useful. Best wishes for finding the perfect name!
