It’s a girl! And a change of heart

[greyblue]

I like the sounds of Willa Anne!
Also, with Georgia 'Gigi', people may be more inclined to Eloise 'Lulu'?

Both are stunning but I love Willa Anne best.

A couple of other suggestions:
Estelle/Estella Anne 'Essie' 'Stella'
Eliza Anne
Cecily Anne 'Cece' 'Cilla'

[cece84]

I have a lot of thoughts -

I do not like the flow of Willa Anne, but her full name probably won't be used very often.

I prefer the name Eloise over Willa, and I think it sounds better with Anne.

I checked the popularity of Eloise and Willa. Eloise is at 190, Willa is at 454. However, Eloise sounds way different than most other popular names, but Willa sounds similar to popular names like Lily/Lilla/Lillian, Lola, Ella, etc. I feel like Eloise genuinely is the more distinct choice between the two. That said, screw popularity: it's more important for your child to stand out because of their personality rather than their first name. As for nicknames, you can call her Eloise, you can ask your family to call her Eloise, and she can ask people to call her by her full name. I know plenty of people with more formal/longer names like Elizabeth and Thomas who go exclusively by their full names, and do not shorten them.

Funnily enough, using the same logic I come out with the opposite conclusion. Eloise is a really pretty name, but spoken aloud I always think there’s room for confusion with Louise, and as you’ve mentioned the most obvious nickname is Ellie - which in a generation of Eleanors and Ellas is pretty but possibly not distinctive.

Willa to me sounds like nothing else, in the best possible way - it’s unique and distinctive but still simple. I see why you have some concerns about the flow of Willa Anne but I don’t think it’s bad at all. Of course there are middles with more flow but to me, personal significance and emotion always trump flow.

[meetthec00pers]

Thank you all so much for your replies!!! This has been tremendously helpful and I’m really warming to Willa Anne. The more I think about and say it, the more I hear a sweet, straightforward spunkiness that I think Georgia Lucy also shares.

With regard to Eloise- I adore the nickname Lulu, but aren’t Gigi and Lulu too cutesy/ matchy? Or do they match so well it’s a good thing? I do like Lola, and Gigi and Lola are very cute together so that’s another good option.

I’m inclined to agree with the comment about Eloise overall feeling like a more common choice amongst all the Ellas, Ellies, Eleanors, Ellianas etc. Willa feels a little fresher to me.

One final thought occurred to me- Anne means “grace.” Perhaps Willa Grace? I think it has slightly better flow but I am really sick of seeing Grace in the middle name slot, and I think if you’re using an honor name it’s better to just use the name...

Thanks again everyone!

[erin beth]

Eloise Anne nn Lulu or Lola is heart-melting as a sister to Gigi! That said, Willa Anne is very nice. The only thing to consider is that she likely won't have a nickname, or at least not one that is derived from her first name.

[meetthec00pers]

Eloise Anne nn Lulu or Lola is heart-melting as a sister to Gigi! That said, if you strongly prefer Willa, Willa Anne works fine.

Thank you! You don’t find Gigi and Lulu to be too matchy?

[erin beth]

To my ear, the nicknames work together, especially since the formal names are very distinctive and not all all matchy. Lola's really great with Gigi, too, if you are worried.

[llbaby22]

1st of all I wanted to say that all 3 of my kids I had "named" previous to finding out their gender. And 2 out of 3 times we changed it once we knew the gender and it felt more real, it suddenly becomes clear what things are important to pass on.
I would definitely use Ann. Wouldn't use Grace, I know it's Ann 's definition but to me it makes it's significance more diluted. Plus every girl I meet this generation has the middle name Rose or Grace. Ann was so common a couple generations ago but now it's fresh.
I think Willa Ann is really beautiful in its simplicity. So cute on a young girl, elegant on a woman.
I also love the name Eloise and would never shorten it to Ellie. I don't think just because her sister goes by a nickname she has to. But I do also love the suggestion of Lulu. My daughter goes by Lulu. Gigi and Lulu are a bit cutesy together, yes. But, they are nicknames, nicknames are supposed to be fun and cutesy. I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker if you love Lulu. (Plus they may outgrow their nicknames. My daughter is almost 5 and is starting to prefer Lucille to Lulu already.)

[danakatherine]

I really do like Willa Anne! It goes perfectly with Georgia, and both names feel vintage yet stylish. I don't think Eloise would automatically be shortened to Ellie, and there are plenty of other nickname options for Eloise besides that. (Lois, Elsie, Lou, Louise...) I also don't think that anyone's first instinct would be to give Eloise a nickname; it sounds great as is! One suggestion if you're concerned about the popularity of Eloise: Elodie! It's beautiful, it's sweet, it's feminine, and it's French. Elodie Anne is darling. Emmeline, Mabel, Imogen, Delilah/Delia, and Esther are similar-ish suggestions.

[meetthec00pers]

1st of all I wanted to say that all 3 of my kids I had "named" previous to finding out their gender. And 2 out of 3 times we changed it once we knew the gender and it felt more real, it suddenly becomes clear what things are important to pass on.
I would definitely use Ann. Wouldn't use Grace, I know it's Ann 's definition but to me it makes it's significance more diluted. Plus every girl I meet this generation has the middle name Rose or Grace. Ann was so common a couple generations ago but now it's fresh.
I think Willa Ann is really beautiful in its simplicity. So cute on a young girl, elegant on a woman.
I also love the name Eloise and would never shorten it to Ellie. I don't think just because her sister goes by a nickname she has to. But I do also love the suggestion of Lulu. My daughter goes by Lulu. Gigi and Lulu are a bit cutesy together, yes. But, they are nicknames, nicknames are supposed to be fun and cutesy. I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker if you love Lulu. (Plus they may outgrow their nicknames. My daughter is almost 5 and is starting to prefer Lucille to Lulu already.)

Yes! It makes such a difference when you know the gender. I’ve been playing with names all my life but it’s very different when it’s no longer hypothetical. I’m really starting to love Willa Anne. Thank you! <3