Reader Katie's looking for the perfect name for baby #3.
We have two children already who both hold family names and are trying to find a name for our third child that fits with the first two. My son is William Charles and my daughter is Elizabeth Marie. We call her Emmie (based on her initials). We have considered Charlotte, Caroline, and Lilian. Any suggestions on a name that fits the traditional/classic sound of our first two? Thanks!
Katie, you're a baby namer after my own heart! I adore those old-fashioned, totally classic names—and Caroline is my Katie's middle name. If I was going for #3, the three names you're already considering would be on my short list.
But there are plenty of other classics that deserve your consideration. Here are a few that I think would work beautifully with William and Emmie.
Adeline is one of my favorite names—it was the name of my great grandmother. It means noble, and comes with an adorable nickname—can't you just picture a pair of sisters named Emmie and Addie? If you like the -ine ending, but not Adeline, consider Clementine, Madeline or Josephine.
Alice also means noble, and seems to fit perfectly with that Elizabeth and William sibling set. I'd pair it with Rose as the middle name. If you like the softer consonant sounds—as you have in both of your other children's names, you could also consider Beatrice, Celeste, Lucy and Helen as options. (I'm a big fan of Beatrice especially!)
I think Clara could be another lovely choice for your daughter. It means bright and clear, and is an up-and-coming name—though still well below the top 100. Since you seem to like names with Cs and Ls in them, it's a perfect option. Other names with a similar sound include Louisa, Julia, and Veronica.
And of course, I'm very partial to Margaret–that's my youngest's name—it's a lovely name that means "pearl," and there are an array of nicknames that come with that, similar to Elizabeth. (Margo or Maggie would be my pick.)
One last note: Since you chose family names for the two oldest children, it might make sense to peruse your family trees to see if there's something that could inspire your name choice. It doesn't have to be a perfect match—you can honor an Alan with an Eleanor, an Anne with an Annabel, or a Harold with a Harriet.
What do you think, readers? What other suggestions do you have for Katie? And what would be your pick? Search for your own perfect name with our Baby Name Finder—or write your own dilemma in the comments or email them to me at lamilbrand@gmail.com.
