A reader named Eva is expecting twin girls and would like some help naming them. She says:
One of the twins should have a unisex first name and a very girly middle name. For the second twin we want a girly first name and unisex middle name.
Here are the names Eva likes so far:
- Unisex: Avery, Harper, Morgan, Kennedy, Madison
- Feminine: Anastasia, Michaela, Caroline, Sofia, Kristina
Her husband is only on board with Avery, Caroline, Kristina and Michaela (he prefers the spelling Makayla).
The twins will have an older brother named Thomas Aiden (nn Tommy) and their surname will be similar to Damon.
Eva’s criteria reminded me of the twins named Charlotte and Dylan I wrote about a few years ago. I think the name Charlotte is a good option in this case, but Dylan plus that surname might be D/N-overload. Here are some other possibilities:
Feminine names | Unisex names |
Adeline Amelia Anne/Annie Bethany Camille Cassandra Cecilia Cynthia Esmé Fiona Gemma Genevieve Hannah Helena Julia Lydia Lucy Maria Melanie Melissa Monica Nicole Olivia Phoebe Rose Samantha Sarah Tabitha Theresa Victoria | Addison Ainsley Alexis Bailey Cameron Casey Cassidy Emery Finley Harley Jamie Jordan Kendall Leigh Paige Parker Piper Quinn Reagan Reese Riley Rowan Sage Shea Sidney Skylar Tatum Taylor Teagan Willow |
Which of the above names do you like best for Tommy’s sisters? What combinations (either unisex+feminine or feminine+unisex) sound best together, do you think?
Here are a few combinations I like, just to kick things off:
- Unisex+Feminine: Avery Helena, Cameron Nicole, Riley Caroline
- Feminine+Unisex: Amelia Quinn, Olivia Willow, Victoria Leigh
This is interesting – I’m always surprised one sister is Sloane and the other is Julietta. They’re both great names, but it feels uneven – as if they’ve been designated the tomboy and the princess at birth.
But I think this can work, especially if the unisex name is one more often use for girls – besides the great lists above, Hadley, Emerson and Delaney spring to mind. I especially like the idea of Emerson, as she would have girly nickname options if SHE turns out to be the frilly one. :)
I love the name Michaela, but WOW there are a lot of spellings. And that puts me off a name …
So maybe:
Violet Sofia and Harper Anastasia
Genevieve Gray and Cameron Celeste
Delaney Grace and Caroline Quinn
Emerson Sofia and Eliza Morgan
Uni + Fem: Mackenzie Rose, Piper Grace, Rowan Sofia, Brooke Anastasia
Fem + Uni: Emily Teagan, Abigail Harper, Samantha Kennedy, Jasmine Elliot
Oooo, I really like
Delaney Grace and Caroline Quinn. Most of the -y suggestions would work as a substitute for Delaney if that’s too many Ds (Avery Grace).
I know you didn’t ask for suggestions, but I got some anyway… sorry for repeats:
Very girl:
Amalia, Alicia, Alyssa, Alice, Appolonia, Annika, Alison, Bettina, Cecilia, Clementine, Constance, Caitlin, Charlotte, Diana, Donna, Daniela, Elizabeth, Elisabetta, Elena, Eleanor, Emma, Gwendolen, Holly, Juliet, Jenna, Katherine, Magdalena, Melina, Marina, Natalia, Ophelia, Penelope, Rebecca, Sylvia/Silvia, Therese, Veronica, Valerie, Valeria.
Unisex:
Brett, Ellery, Francis/Frances, Julian, Kelsey, Lee, Madison, Mallory, Meredith, Reid, Robin, Skye, Skylar.
I like the pairs:
Unisex+Feminine: Ellery Victoria, Willow Gwendolen, Sage Penelope, Skye Phoebe, Piper Charlotte.
Feminine+Unisex: Rose Meredith, Michaela Hadley, Jenna Emerson, Genevieve Cassidy, Rebecca Emery, Donna Finley.
Good luck!
Nancy, did Eva explain WHY they want to give one girl a unisex name and one a super feminine name? I understand the need to give twins separate identities, but this seems extreme.
I love Abby’s suggestion of Harper and Violet.
I’ll give this a shot:
Marlo Juliet and Delia Piper
Greer Alexandra and Fiona Jude
Flannery Adele and Caroline Lyle
@Anya – I forgot to ask for more suggestions! Duh. Oversight on my part. Name suggestions are always welcome. Thanks!
@Elisabeth – Eva didn’t mention her reason for wanting this specific mix of unisex and feminine names, but I did e-mail her this morning with the link to this page, so hopefully she’ll see your comment and leave a reply.
@C in DC, Maisie, Abby – Thanks for the ideas! Abby, I like the idea of Emerson (nn Emmie) as well. To balance things out, maybe her sister could have the opposite–a feminine name that shortens to an androgynous nickname, such as Nicole (nn Nic) or Samantha (nn Sam).
Feminine + Uni: Georgia Flynn, Felicity Sage, Celia Rowan, Nora Vale, Gillian Blair
Unisex + Fem: Connelly Pearl, Micah Naomi, Arden Olivia, Linden Julia, Frances Claire
Just heard from Eva. Here’s what she says:
You’re welcome! And maybe we can help out even more. Do you guys prefer Taylor Amelia or Avery Anastasia? (Why?)
I love Genevieve and Avery together, probably because they share a v, but it’s subtle. Viola and Vera would be too much, but Genevieve and Avery is perfection!
Instead of contributing anything useful, I’m just going to note how amused I am at something random: the name “Thomas” means “twin”. :)