Let Us Name Your Baby
Jadis has already renamed herself once, but a combination of disapproval from loved ones and a malevolent literary association have Jadis second-guessing her chosen name. Can she find a new first, middle, and last name combination that's unique and memorable, but not straight-up weird?
Jadis writes:
Dear Nameberry experts,
I am planning to legally change my name in the near future. My current chosen name is Jadis but I am getting tired of it, mainly due to a lack of support from my loved ones.
I was initially drawn to Jadis when I discovered it in The Magician's Nephew from my Chronicles of Narnia boxed book set and in Nameberry’s Cool Names for Babies.
I love Jadis because of its rarity and its references to the days of long ago, but I hate its negative image because of C.S. Lewis' malevolent character.
Still, I decided to "try it on" and pair it with different middle and last names, until I found the full name combination that turned on the light bulb in my head, and went ahead to deal with the mixture of excitement and fear of sharing my soon-to-be new moniker with other people since then.
I'm looking for a few first, middle, and last combinations to "try on" that are unique enough for other people to ask, "Your name is what?", but not so unique that they will say "Your name is funny/strange/ugly/weird!" I'm an "Influencer/Romantic", based on my results from the Nameberry Name DNA assessment that I took recently.
I prefer something from the "baddie", French, or magical name categories, and names that begin with Jade (this name is more mainstream, but it has less of a negative image, in my opinion).
These are my first or middle name contenders:
Hypatia
Scheherazade/Scheherazot
Katniss/Katness
Seraphina/Séraphine
Ruqayyah
Nameberry Editor-in-Chief Sophie Kihm responds:
What an assignment!
Jadis is a beautiful name, but I understand how the singular association might make it feel less wearable. That’s my concern with your current list of contenders — names like Hypatia, Scheherazade, and Katniss are strongly tied to specific people and characters. Even though these associations are positive, it can be a lot to live up to (and you’ll hear “Oh, like the Hunger Games?” more times than you can count). Choices like this are better suited for middle names.
Seraphina is my favorite of your options. It strikes the exact chord you’re hoping for — it’s unusual but not outrageous and many people are familiar with it. It’d be a great choice of first name. But you’re here for some fresh ideas:
If Jadis is purely evil, you might like bad girl names with a redeemable image: Delilah, Salome, Cleo, Xena
Edgy names without baggage: Petra, Electra, Keziah, Ramona, Zahara, Rumer, Sabine, Jessamine, Zuleika, Zenobia, Cressida, Callista, Larissa, Beatrix, Nova
French: Solange, Josette, Delphine, Angelique, Jolie
Any of the above could be used as first or middle names! In particular, I’m drawn to choices that push boundaries but are largely familiar as given names. Cleo, Ramona, Keziah, and Beatrix are some of the names that do this best.
When consulting about last names, I ask people to consider their favorite words or word names that might be adapted into a surname. For you, maybe Marvel, Maven, Blaise, Lux, Love, French, Sparks, Avalon, Golden, Day, Hart, Taj (Arabic for “crown”)
Do you have any heroes — real or fictional — whose surnames might serve as inspiration? As with first names, we don’t want anything too strongly associated with a single person. Options clients have considered in the past include Lovelace, Joplin, Granger, Wilde, Summer, and Bradshaw.
Since Jadis was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, how about Staples or Lewis (as in Clive Staples Lewis), Baynes (after original Narnia illustrator Pauline Baynes), Barfield (Lewis dedicated one of the books to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield), or even Pevensie, the surname of the children in the series?
More surnames inspired by characters in the series: Kirke, Peters, Ketterley, Aravis, Caspian
Now the fun part — stringing them all together. I put together some sample combinations below:
Cleo Zenobia Sparks
Larissa Rumer Lewis
Angelique Callista Wilde
Xena Solange Granger
Zahara Sabine Ketterley
Seraphina Beatrix Baynes
Jessamine Delilah Taj
Nova Scheherazade Kirke
Petra Pevensie Staples
Keziah Hypatia Blaise
You may also consider keeping your current chosen surname, or even moving your current middle name to the last name position. You've already adopted them as part of your identity, and it's an easier task to choose a new first name than a first, middle, and last name all at once.
I have no doubt you’ll find a name that resonates with you, but your loved ones will likely be a harder sell. Many people are initially resistant to adults changing their names — it can be hard to adjust when you’ve known someone by one name their entire life.
A familiar name like Jade Jolie Lewis or Delilah Josette Day might be easier for your relatives to get on board with but ultimately, you’ll only be happy if you choose a name you love and feels true to who you are. Give your loved ones some grace, but don’t let them dictate this very personal decision.
Want to Let Us Name Your Baby? For the chance to have your baby name question featured on Let Us Name Your Baby, email us at advice@nameberry.com. For a guaranteed response, you can buy your own Let Us Name Your Baby consultation.