Reader Tiffany already has a perfect girls’ name all lined up—except for the middle name.
We were all settled on Lily Patricia, after my husband’s grandmother. But we found out over the holidays that Patsy wasn’t the nickname we assumed it was but her actual given name and she hated the name Patricia! Her name was Patsy Lou but I’m not wild about Lily Lou either. Our last name starts with a G, so we have a hard time with middle names that start with vowels as it occasionally creates awkward initials. We like old-ish sounding names (are toying with Frederick and Theodore on the boy’s side). We’re not finding out the baby’s sex until it is born (due in May)!
Oooh, I love Lily Patricia—it’s too bad that your husband’s grandmother doesn’t! Patsy and Lou don’t strike quite the right chord with Lily, so we definitely do need to move in another direction. What about another name that gives you that “Pat” start in homage to his grandmother? I really love the idea of a Lily Patience or Lily Patia.
You could also choose a name that has the same meaning as Patricia, which means “noble.” There’s Freya, the name of an ancient Scandinavian goddess, or Adeline or Alice. (I know you were concerned about the vowel in the middle, but I don’t think LAG is as bad as LUG or LOG.)
Or you could just go with an old-fashioned name that suits your style. I like Lily paired with Rose or Azalea for a super floral, feminine and old-fashioned name. Or try Delphine, Theodora, Beatrice—all up-and-coming vintage names that flow beautifully with Lily.
What other names do you guys think would suit Lily? Share them in the comments! And don’t forget to get a little help with your own name hunt by checking out our Baby Name Finder, and liking In Name Only on Facebook.