Hello and welcome back to the Name Warehouse! Today, I’m having some fun with an aspect of the Name Warehouse that I have only recently touched on: the Name Factory. With my Opinions On… Made Up Names and now this double-barrel buffet, I’m taking a deeper dive into created names. This fine afternoon, I’m specifically investigating the world of double-barrel names. Typically girl names, these baby names take one name and smush it with another. The main distinction between double barrel names and made up names? The hyphen. For instance, Kiara-Rose or Julie-Kate. Particularly popular in the United Kingdom, with choices like Amelia-Rose, Ella-Rose, and Ivy-Rose all ranking in the mid 200s, double barrel names are adorable and sweet with spunk and sweetness for days. For this mini series in particular, I’m laying out some lovely first and second components for double-barrel names that you can mix and match to make a baby name brimming with cuteness and sass. Today, I’ll be focusing on some lovely first names with which to do whatever you please. If you’d like me to do an Opinions On post about double-barrel names, I’d be happy to hear from you, but for now, let’s take a peek at the first section of my double-barrel buffet!
Top Ten Picks
Names from the top ten tend to be versatile, flexible, 3 syllables max (I see you, Olivia and Isabella) and spunky sweet, all lovely qualities for the first part of a double-barrel name. When used as double-barrel name components, they also represent a growing group of parents who resourcefully use their popular favorite with another choice on their shortlist in order to distinguish their little girl from the rest of the little Amelias or Harpers she’ll encounter in her life. Your Amelia-Sage might share a class with another Amelia, but chances are, she’ll never see an Amelia-Sage on the list.
Charlotte- Charlotte is beautiful and classic, and a lovely first part of a double-barrel name at #6. Something like Charlotte-Belle is stunningly traditional, a name fit for your little princess. And when shortened to Charlie using that same example, Charlie-Belle gives a cheerful Southern twist to an evergreen baby name. At only two syllables, Charlotte also allows for the option of not shortening, preventing everyone around her from defaulting to Charlotte alone instead of the full double-barrel name.
Amelia- Sweetly feminine and frilly with a nice dash of fierceness from namesake pilot Amelia Earhart, Amelia has plenty of aspects that are beloved by the public, putting her at #7 on US baby name data as of 2019. Although three syllables can feel overwhelming in a double-barrel name, Amelia suits the cutesy spunk of the double-barrel style so well, it’s hard to overlook her. For example, Amelia-Hope just has a glimmering magic about her, and if you add a pretty nickname to the mix, the name just gets better. I mean, Millie-Hope? Mimi-Kate? Lia-Rose? Amelia and her many nicknames add such a magical flavor to a double-barrel choice.
Olivia- Olivia ranks at #1 for her lovely four syllables, and while this quality normally prevents a name from reaching such heights, and from appealing to parents interested in a double-barrel baby name, Olivia manages to sound wonderful with a brief, one syllable second middle. Maybe something like Rae. And again, as with Amelia and Charlotte, it’s really the nicknames that sell Olivia as a double-barrel possibility in addition to her fluid sound and contemporary yet traditional sound. I mean, Livvy-Rae. Need I say more?
Mia- A mini moniker that only consumes three little letters, a double-barrel name like Mia-Wren won’t prove to be a pain to scrawl on all of your child’s forms and tests in school. A modern classic with a distinctly feminine sound and the successful shortness of Ava and Lia, #8 Mia feels like a perfect solution to your double-barrel woes if you love the sounds of Amelia or are considering a two syllable second name but fear that the frilly names you love are just too lengthy. Mia also doesn’t have the potential to be shortened, so if you want everyone to call your daughter by the name on her birth certificate, Mia might be a good option for you.
Cutesy Nickname Names
Names like Ellie-Mae, Elsie-May, and Evie-Rose belong to a category of cutesy short forms given a bit more depth without the sacrifice of their playfulness by a double-barrel name choice. These nicknames have all of the bouncy brightness often present in this trend of the double-barrel name, but also allow your daughter to go for her more serious or simple second name if a nickname style first doesn’t suit her or her career choices. Lilly-Jane’s parents don’t need to stress about the name Lilly not fitting their daughter when she grows, so long as evergreen Jane is present. And a huge plus? All of these cutesy nickname names paired with their second name are positively cute, and no excess syllables or unwanted nicknames either.
Poppy- One of the latest cutesy flower names for girls often used as a condensed version of the newly popular Penelope (a successor to Lily and a predecessor to Posey, and hopefully one day, Peony), #495 Poppy holds plenty of potential as a part of a double barrel name. A truly optimistic and adorable baby name, Poppy lightens up a heavier second name or can be anchored by a more simple choice if your concerns lie in her potential inability to grow with, say, a lawyer. Of course, the name scene will be much different when your daughter is handling court cases, but something like Poppy-Faye might bring some parental comfort if you’re not a fan of full form Penelope.
Macie- An update to Jacey and Kasey of the 80s and 90s, Macie is frilly and lively, a lovely choice at #481. She has an accessible two syllables, and feels grown up enough to suit an older teen and young adult, as we’ve seen through older names like Jacey and Kasey which I’ve mentioned above. If, for instance, you put together Macie-Claire, you get a girly and cute combination that feels sweet to the max, partially in thanks to the cute-sifying factor of the name Macie. If you’re seeking out a double-barrel name that grows with your child but feels perfectly fit for a toddler without a nickname change, then Macie might be a nice buffet option to put on your plate.
Betty- If you’re feeling hungry (sorry, my longing for a buffet is beginning to get out of hand) for a vintagey double-barrel name combination, maybe start with Betty. She has that same image of golden morning light pouring into a well-kept cottage that all vintage names tend to give me, but she also has a plucky charm to her, lending her well to a two part name. Add something like Paige to get the charming Betty-Paige and you have such an adorably retro name with plenty of cuteness but with a healthy amount of tradition mixed in.
Short Sweet Spot Names
If you find Poppy-Kate and Evie-Rose positively adorable but worry about their versatility between differing personalities and ages, perhaps you’ll find some of these short but frilly favorites just as appealing for a baby girl or adult woman, and even for a variety of personalities. These are relatively popular, but primarily that appealing sweet spot for popularity, in the mid 200s to late 400, choices that have plenty of lilting, mature sounds yet fit a young person spectacularly if need be. Isla-Mae may have a sophistication that Pippy-Kate lacks, and that’s a very appealing aspect to these first names with plenty of frills.
Tessa- At #260, Tessa feels sassy and cute, a lovely combination for a double-barrel name. She also, however, has the transformative power of being professional and composed, a name with a vintage touch that feels very appropriate for a child today as we run to name our daughters Teagan and Taylor and Ella. If we take Tessa-Kate as an example, it’s evident that the name fits a young girl, but would also grow well into adulthood. And Tessie-Kate is pure perfection for a childhood short form! Thanks to Tessa’s sweetness and flexibility, she makes a lovely component for a double-barrel name.
Willa- This #354 beauty is simple and retro, a name that feels equally as appropriate for this time period with her double Ls (Layla, Lilly, Ella) as Tessa. Clever and cute with a sound that appeals to a double barrel name due to her two syllables and -a ending. Take Willa-Jane and you’ll see what I mean. Not only does Willa add a lovely vintage sheen to whatever name she’s paired with, she also shortens to Billie (a stretch perhaps, but nevertheless absolutely within the realm of possibility when it comes to nicknames that aren’t the most intuitive), making adorable combos like Billie-Jane and Billie-Mae possible.
That’s all that the buffet is offering for now, but head on down to the second name article in a couple of days, and be ready to pair up some other names with the monikers piled on your hypothetical plate. Thank you so much for reading, and have a lovely rest of your day friends!
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon
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