Do these sibling names work?

[bigsislittlesis]

Dd1 is Maeve and we are expecting dd2. Only name we can agree on is Anna. Do you think they would work as sisters' names? Is it odd to have one Irish name and one not? And would Anna seem 'dull' (I know it's not) compared to the more unusual name?

Just musing really, and interested to hear thoughts.

Also considering Elizabeth and Eleanor...

Love Maeve. I don't think you need to go for another irish name. Anna is a lovely name and so timeless. You could always give her an irish middle name!

I know siblings called Emma & Sadhbh (pronounced Sive to rhyme with five, for anyone who's not sure) and I'm not sure that particular combination goes particularly well together, tbh.

It's more important that you love the names you choose, though, and both Maeve and Anna are beautiful names.

As a suggestion, how about Áine as an alternative to Anna? I know they don't sound anything like the same, but it's the nearest I could think of in the same vein as Maeve.

I think they are absolutely fine together, they sound nice when you say them out loud.

I much prefer Anna to Elizabeth. I do really like Eleanor, the the ubiquitous Ellie would put me off. If you liked Nell as a nn for Eleanor then that would sound fab with Maeve!

Maeve and nell would be nice

i love Maeve. I think Anya goes better with Maeve than Anna. NO idea why I feel this.

Your other names would be too long compared to Maeve I think. But Ellen instead of Eleanor, and Beth or Bethan would be lovely.

Sounds pretty good IMO.

Thank you for all your replies. Not keen on Aine or anya, no particular reason, just not doing it for us. Would also try to avoid the nn Ellie if we went for Eleanor but I think that it would be inevitable even if we tried to go with nell!

I think they are lovely names.

nell makes nellie roll off the tongue! But Ellen is short enough to match Maeve and it doesnt seem to cry out to be shortened like Eleanor does

Dd is Anna so I am biased but I think they sound lovely together. One is irish but it's a classic name, it's not like you've gone for something crazy and then something very plain. And they match in terms of sounding grown up rather than cutesy and are similar lengths. Good choice I think. I like Eleanor too though but don't think it's a better match.

Any names go together for siblings as soon as the younger/youngest is born and people start using the names together.

The MN Jury of Vipers would loathe my siblings' names, but they sound perfectly normal to me, and my friends and family.

As far as your original Q goes, Anna is a lovely name and you should use it if that is the name you like best.

I do generally agree bikerunski, although I was at school with sisters who had such different types of names (one seriously flowery and posh, one quite plain and ordinary and very dated now) that it did jar a bit. But hopefully Anna and Maeve aren't that far apart in style.

I prefer Elizabeth and Eleanor but really dislike Ellie.

I think Anna is beautiful and it doesn't strike me as boring or overused. I know three grown-up Annas (all lovely, I've never worked with an Anna who wasn't), one of them Irish, and one baby Anna; I thought it was such a fantastic choice when my friend told me.

IMO it goes better with Maeve than Eleanor/Elinor and Elizabeth (although those are pretty too - both would have been on our shortlist if we were having a girl possibly because of our shared Jane Austen obsession)