Alice and Olive for sisters - good together or just too similar?

[aliboo7]

I'm expecting a baby girl at the end of May and we love the name Olive. My older daughter is Alice and although I think they go really well together (in terms of name type) I'm a bit worried they are just a bit too similar? What do you think? We have a long European surname so are looking for a short, traditional, English first name - any other suggestions? TIA!

Alice is lovely , Olive not so much.

Very interesting reading - thanks all! Funnily enough, I hadn't even thought about sister 'rivalry' for the best name - I only have a brother so it's never really come up!

She will be Olive Rose and Liv/Livy for short so I think that opens up 'pretty' options ...?

Olivia has never really been on our radar - it's a lovely name but too popular. We also had Evie, but have pretty much discounted that for the same reason.
Other options are Flora and Pia - any views? I also love Clara but it's one letter off my name so that really is too much I think!

Olive is not a very pretty name. It's stodgy.

I'd go with any of your other names tbh.

You are probably nor old enough to remember this, but this is what the name Olive brings into my mind.

Olive / Liv is wonderful.

I refer to it as a Marmite name. Much like a lot of the names on this site tbh.

I like Olive, my neighbour is French, Olive is her DD name, the way she says 'Oleev' is just so lovely.

Why not Livvy which can stand on its own? Flora is nice. Pia sounds like pee and is meh

Alice is very pretty, I see the same thing as soontobe when I hear Olive, but quite like the short form Liv and in principle prefer it because it's less 'pretty'. I do like Flora and know a Clare with a Clara so you wouldn't be the first!

Too similar. Olivia is much prettier and goes well. I am a bit biased as I think Olive is a horrible name and olive oil always comes to mind.

Agree that Alice is so much prettier than Olive (an oily green fruit to me).

Just noticed that you asked for other alternatives, how about:

Alice & Erin
Alice & Lucy
Alice & Louisa
Alice & Emily
Alice & Laura
Alice & Lillian

Also just worked out that you have both Flora and Olive - are you spending too much time looking in the fridge for the spread while thinking of names? have you thought about Clover? :o

Sorry.

I love Flora.

Alice and Flora, fab sibling combo.

You hit the nail on the head ThinkIveBeenHacked - clearly a Marmite name! Luckily I'm as much a Marmite as an Olive fan :-)

soontobeslendergirl - yes, I'm aware of the On the Buses connection and the Olive Oyl connection but I don't think either will have any resonance with this generation. But I do take your point ...
And thanks for your suggestions, but there is more to the Alice, Olive/Flora combo than just looking in the fridge :-) My grandparents have both passed away in the last 18 months so I wanted to use their family names for my children and have taken these 3 from their family tree. So I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one!

Not keen on olive and I do think it looks a bit close to Alice.

Flora on the other hand is a marvellous name. Alice and Flora - lovely!

Olive definitely says to me - plain, oily, greasy. Not nice connotations. It's a mystery to me that it has caught on & become popular again.

Clover or Flora are both lovely but ruined by their association with margarine...it's a real shame. Though I do still know of a Flora, and I might consider it myself if DH's surname wasn't one that doesn't suit floral names.

I know sisters who are Alice and Nancy, which I also think is a lovely name.
Alice and Celia
Alice and Cordelia
Alice and Emilia
Alice and Rosalind

It would be a pretty strange world if we all like the same things and it's lovely to use family names though you could always use them in the middle?

I like Flora and Clara (or Carla maybe?). Alice is such a lovely graceful name, and for me Olive just sounds lumpen next to it. But, I guess that's because of my age and probably your daughters peers will have none of that baggage.

Good luck for the new arrival.

The opening passage of "Life According to Garp" by John Irving describes a lady who changed her name from Alice "a maid's name" to Olive, "only changing two letters" as it was so much more exotic and classy. Strange how perception of the names has changed.

The twins that voice Peppa Pig are called Alice and Oliver.

Flora just makes me think if the three fairies in sleeping Beauty, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.

Flora is beautiful.
I like Olive too, but just think they may get called Ali and Oli by friends as they get older and those are very similar!

I think they go loverly together but I love the name Olive, Flora is pretty too very nice choices xxx

Alice and Olive fine, Ali and Oli not so good, would be like alioli the garlic butter.

I much prefer Flora personally.

I don't think they are too similar but, as others have said, Alice is so much prettier. I quite like Olive for its quirkiness but Alice is beautiful, feminine and timeless.

Flora or Clara would be lovely or Lucy, Emmeline, Celia, Rose (first name, instead of mn), Julia/ Juliet, Marianne/ Mary, Elinor/ Eleanora.