Happy feast of the Queenship of Mary! I know two mamas who chose this day as the feast day for daughters they named Marigold (read their birth announcements here and here) — fantastic! Also fantastic is that today’s family has Marigold on their list of possibilities for their baby, so fun! Enjoy this consultation from Theresa Zoe Williams!

Mama Diana writes in asking for help naming her third baby, a girl!

“I am having a scheduled csection … with our third living child, third girl! This baby is long awaited and prayed for as our older girls will be 10 and 7 years old and I have suffered five miscarriages.”

Baby joins big sisters:

Hannah Elizabeth
Eleanor Claire

She writes,

“Names we are considering: Penelope (nickname Penny), Stella, Evangeline (nickname Evie I think — I’ve noticed this name seems to have different pronunciations though — I’ve heard EvangeLINE, EvangeLEEN, and EvangeLYNN — is it confusing?). I also like Adele but my husband isn’t on board — he could probably be persuaded though.”

Other names they are considering include: Marigold, Maisie, Margaret, Madeleine, Lucy, Catherine, Fiona, Beatrice, Harriet, and Isabelle.

Mama Diana writes that she needs help with the middle name, too,

“I like Marie with the right first name or Julia is a family name I’d love to use if it worked. Barbara is another family name middle name possibility. I also like that my older girls have Saint middle names but don’t have to be totally set on this.”

Names they can’t use at all include: Caroline, Grace, Lynn, Charlotte, Olive, Ivy, Josephine, and Matilda.

First, some thoughts on names they like:

Penelope “Penny”– Love this. It’s a little different from their other girls, but the nickname Penny grounds it and brings it back in line.

Stella– Short, sweet, zippy, has pizzazz. This sounds like a natural sister to their other girls.

Evangeline “Evie”– Same thoughts as Penelope nn Penny.

Adele– To me, this has the same feeling as their other girls but it just doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain that, it’s just my gut.

Marigold– Cutesy and a different from their others.

Maisie– I love this and wish more people would use it! Hannah, Eleanor, and Maisie sound ever so slightly mismatched to me, though.

Margaret– Lovely name but I don’t like it with their others.

Lucy– Cute and fits right in!

Madeleine– A little more buttoned up than their other girls.

Catherine– Classic, can’t miss, and has a ton of nickname options to ground it.

Fiona– This was unexpected to me! I love this!

Beatrice– Different from their other girls but a lovely name.

Harriet– Very different from their other girls. Old lady, clunky cool. I like nickname Hattie with their other girls, though.

Isabelle– Very sweet. Love this with their other girls.

On to new names!

1) Lily/Lillian/Liliana

I wasn’t sure which iteration they’d like more, so I’m including them all! Lillian actually started off as a diminutive of Elizabeth, so with these names, they’re basically getting a two-for-one! Lily ranks at #31, Lillian at #51, and Liliana at #104 (for reference Hannah ranks at #44 and Eleanor at #15) . Lily is hot right now but I don’t think that should deter them. St. Kateri Tekakwitha was known as the Lily of the Mohawks and there is St. Lillian of Cordoba. I love sisters Hannah, Eleanor, and Liliana nn Lily. Lily Marie, Lillian Marie, Liliana Marie, Lillian Julia, and Lillian Barbara all sound lovely to me. Alternatively, I love Penelope Liliana, Stella Liliana, Evangeline Lily, and Liliana Evangeline a lot for full names.

2) Ruby

This gemstone name is currently at #62 and I originally thought of it because their baby was supposed to be born in July! It works for a non-July baby, too (my daughter Ruby has a September birthday). Kate did a magnificent spotlight on the name giving it ties to the Sacred Heart and Holy Spirit! There’s no saint Ruby but there is St. Gemma Galgani, whose name literally means gem! I like the sound of sisters Hannah, Eleanor, and Ruby. Ruby Marie is gorgeous. Penelope Ruby, Stella Ruby, and Evangeline Ruby are all lovely, too. Ruby Isabelle also really strikes me.

3) Arabella

This name was a surprise to me and I’m so glad! I was searching for names having to do with prayer, as this baby is an answer to so many of their prayers. This name means “yielding to prayer” and they certainly did! It currently sits at #195, meaning it’s not trendy or overly common but it’s not weird or out there, either. I really love this unexpected name for them. Hannah, Eleanor, and Arabella sound like meaningful sisters to me. Arabella Marie, Arabella Julia, and Arabella Barbara all are wonderful! I also really like Arabella Lily, Penelope Arabella, Arabella Penelope, Arabella Evangeline, and Arabella Lucy.

4) Genevieve

This came up as a style match to their other girls and I couldn’t overlook it. Great name with lots of nickname potential beyond Genie or Genny, including Viva and Evie! It means “kin” or “family woman”, which this child certainly is, and ranks at #155. There’s the awesome St. Genevieve to go along with it, too. Hannah, Eleanor, and Genevieve sound like sophisticated sisters. Genevieve Marie and Genevieve Lucy strike me.

5) Ophelia

I came across this name in my research and it just kept coming back to me, so I had to include it! It means “help, advantage” and ranks at #321. I just like how this name sounds with Hannah and Eleanor. There’s no saint Ophelia, so she’ll have to get that in the middle spot but Ophelia Marie, Ophelia Lucy, Ophelia Catherine, and Ophelia Margaret all really strike me.

6) Felicity

I also looked up names that mean “happy” or “fortune” and this name popped up! It means “happiness” or “good luck” and this little girl is certainly both. The name ranks at 441, which is a crime! This is such an amazing name that should be used more often. St. Felicity is also a powerhouse. Hannah, Eleanor, and Felicity sound like natural sisters. I love Felicity Marie, Felicity Julia, Felicity Lucy, Felicity Catherine, and Felicity Genevieve.

7) Sophia

This name came up so many times as a style match to there other girls’ names and to names they like that I couldn’t ignore it. My only qualm with this name is that it’s super popular at #6 and having been in the top 100 since 1997. It’s popular with goodreason, as it’s such a solid but beautiful name. It means “wisdom” in Greek and is the name of a saint. They can’t miss with this name but they will probably know others her age. But Hannah, Eleanor, and Sophia sound so good together! Sophia Marie, Sophia Julia, Sophia Barbara, Sophia Penelope, Sophia Evangeline, Sophia Catherine, Sophia Margaret, Sophia Marigold, Sophia Lillian, Sophia Genevieve, Sophia Felicity, Penelope Sophia, and
Evangeline Sophia are all really incredible.

My top names for them are Stella, Lily/Lillian/Lilliana, Arabella, and Sophia. My top combos for them are Stella Lilliana, Lily/Lillian/Liliana Marie, Arabella Evangeline, Arabella Lucy, and Sophia Evangeline.

These are my thoughts! What do you think?

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I’m not currently doing consultations, but Theresa Zoe Williams is available to help you! Email her at TheresaZoeWrites@gmail.com to set up your own consultation! (Payment methods remain the same.)

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!