Steph is expecting her second child — gender unknown — a sibling for Alice.
Steph writes: "We are not planning on finding out the gender for baby number 2 but already have a boys name in mind [after family].
The problem we have is finding the perfect girls' name, we absolutely love the name Alice so it was so easy the first time around but struggling to find something we love this time.
We are looking for a name that compliments Alice, a beautiful vintage / literary name and seem to gravitate towards names starting with E like Eleanor (Ella), Emilia, Elodie. We also quite like Lydia or Harriet (Hattie) but there’s nothing we really love."
Names they cannot use: Charlotte, Evelyn, Sophie and Athena
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Alice has so much going for it. It's a strong name, borne by medieval royalty (and was once the most popular name in Medieval England) but also has the gentility of Victorian princesses and the antique charm of literary characters created by Dickens and Austen.
Amelie – A variant of the popular Amelia but with a sleek French twist. Like Alice, Amelie boasts royal connection and was used by Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal.
Beatrice – Like Alice, Beatrice has an awful lot going for it. It has a great meaning, has been borne by queens and princesses since the Middle Ages, and has a wealth of nickname options.
Clara – Clara is a Roman (and therefore Italian heritage) name meaning "clear, bright, famous". It is also a literary name, borne by the protagonist in Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker and) was also used by Austen, Dickens and Charlotte Bronte.
Edith – In terms of matching Alice in terms of strong meaning, heritage and wonderful, pioneering namesakes, Edith is a perfect compliment.
Eliza – A genteel Georgian and Victorian name with a feisty edge. Eliza is a spunky short-form of queenly Elizabeth. It also has plenty of literary clout. Eliza is the intelligent and courageous protagonist in Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin and Eliza Doolittle is the delightfully plucky heroine of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and musical My Fair Lady.
Eloise – Like Alice, Eloise is a medieval name with Germanic roots. Eloise was the subject of a great medieval romance and was used alongside Alice in the Middle Ages.
Felicity – A lovely virtue name meaning "happiness" which hails right back to a Roman goddess.
Grace – Sweet yet strong, Grace is a staple virtue name used by Dickens and the Brontes.
Imogen – A Shakespearean heroine who is based on the legendary first "Queen of Britain". It is a strong yet sweet name with plenty of nickname options.
Lucy – Lovely Lucy is an ageless perennial that, much like Alice, never truly goes out of style. It was not only used by Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, it is perhaps best known as the plucky heroine in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Mabel – With its wonderful meaning of "lovable", Mabel shares an equally rich medieval heritage as Alice.
Margot – A French twist on regal classic Margaret. La Reine Margot (1845) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas and the name was also used in Evelyn Waugh's novel Decline and Fall (1928).
Martha – A steady and sweet Georgian-era name, borne by Scandinavian royalty, and with a wonderful "dragon-slaying" medieval legend.
Matilda – Like Alice, Matilda is a Germanic name brought over by the Normans to become one of the most common names in the Middle Ages. Several warrior queens answered to the name and later became a Georgian and Victorian darling.
Ottilie – Elegant Ottilie is gaining more attention for its refined style. To Ottilie is a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Penelope – Pretty and strong, Penelope is a wonderful character in Greek mythology who is loyal and never bends from her principle, even under extreme pressure.
Phoebe – A Greek goddess of bright intellect and of the moon, whose name became a Georgian staple and was used by both Shakespeare and Tennyson.
Pippa– Bouncy, uplifting Pippa is a shortened form of queenly Philippa, made famous by Robert Browning's Pippa Passes (1841).
Rose – Not only does sweet Rose evoke the beautiful flower, it came into use as a given name in Britain thanks to the Old Germanic name Hrodoheidis meaning "famous sort" and therefore shares the element heit "sort, type" with Alice (from the Germanic name Adalheidis "noble sort"): Hrodoheidis > Rohesia > Rose / Adalheidis > Adelisa > Alice. Dickens and Tennyson used the name in their works.
Verity – Another lovely virtue name which is sweet and accessible yet pleasantly unexpected.
I hope this has been useful for you. All the best in searching for the perfect name.
