A sibling for Laura

[greenishfingers]

Giving birth at some point this month and can't settle on a name. We don't even know the sex to help us narrow it down!

We have a Laura already and a convoluted surname... so I think we are looking for something simple, that people know how to spell, but isn't too popular so that the poor child isn't saddled with being (e.g.) Amelia Awfully-Longname or Amelia A-L for their whole school career.

Boys names are so hard! Finding that the really popular ones are popular for good reason, straightforward classic choices!

I like that Laura is internationally popular and so "travels well" so having another name that does that would also be a bonus.

We have had to rule out so many names for sounding wrong with our surname - here are the ones making the long list at the moment... would love to know your thoughts!

Girls

Abigail
Caroline I like but OH says no (the film Carrie)
Emma
Ellen (I love this esp with nickname Nell but OH not keen)
Heather (nice 80s vibe)
Mary (underused with so many amazing Marys in literature/history)
Megan
Natalie (is this okay for a November baby or should it really be Christmassy? Could be Tilly as a nickname?)
Rachel
Sophie (love but too popular probably)

I like Claire but it doesn't sound right. Clarissa too fussy for me.
Julia and Sarah we already have in the family

Boys

Alexander (could be Alec, or is that too smartarsy?)
Benjamin
Daniel
Graham (I like this!)
Gregory I like but think OH not keen
Henry
Jonathan
Joseph
Leonard (too similar sounding to Laura if he's a "Lenny" and also the wrong vintage to really "go" with it?)
Nicholas
Peter (I like but a bit inauspicious in our family)
Samuel
Thomas

Any of these sound good to you?

Anna
Grace

Thomas
Joseph
Benjamin
Daniel

If your surname is very complicated maybe use the diminutives instead for boys eg Ben/Joe as they are longer than the girls names.

Alistair and Catherine

Megan is nice.
Juliet, Clara, Thea?

Love Benjamin.

Girls: Amy, Sophie, Ruth, Hannah
Boys: Daniel, Mathew, Luke, James

My friend Laura is married to a Joseph (Joe) so that gets my vote. Her sisters are Emily and Anna

When I heard Laura I immediately thought Emma or Henry!

Laura and Hannah?
Laura and Matthew?

I'm a Laura, and have brothers Alexander and Edward.

On seeing your title I thought Megan and Dominic.

The Laura I know has a brother called Giles.

For girls Emma & Anna are both quite international & go well with Laura.

Laura and Jessica

From your lists, I really like:
Abigail
Natalie

Alexander
Henry
Nicholas

Other ideas to go with Laura:
Amy, Amber, Adele, Bryony, Charlotte, Chloe, Cassandra, Danielle, Fiona, Georgina, Hannah, Harriet, Isabel, Imogen, Jessica, Joanna, Jennifer, Katie, Katherine, Melissa, Natasha, Nicola, Nicole, Rebecca, Ruth, Samantha, Stephanie, Victoria, Vanessa, Zoe

Andrew, Aaron, Aidan, Bradley, Christopher, Callum, Conor, Dominic, Elliot, Ethan, Gareth, Isaac, Joshua, Jack, John, Jacob, Jamie, Matthew, Michael, Mark, Nathaniel, Oliver, Patrick, Robert, Timothy, William, Zachary

Another Laura here with a brother called Daniel.

I’m reliably informed that had he been a girl he would have been Danielle 🙄

However, the other girls name on the table when I was born was Lydia. Laura and Lydia works well if you don’t mind the alliteration.

James
Rachel

Lee/Leigh
Lydia
Leah
Anna
Stacey
Andrew
Chris
Rebecca
David

Siblings of Lauras I know are:

Rebecca
Ricky
Nicholas
Adam
Katy

The only Laura I know had siblings called Mary, Carrie, Grace and Jack.
I agree with keeping it simple with a convoluted surname.
Ours is convoluted too.

Do you know Laura Ingalls Wilder? Those were her siblings, apart from Jack.

From your girls list I like Emma & Rachel. I would also suggest Clara, Emily & Anna.

From your boys list I like all the names ( maybe Leonard is my least favourite). I would also suggest David.

Helen
Emma
Julia
Susan
Rachel

James
Edward
Henry
Matthew
Daniel

My favourites from your list are Ellen (Nell), Sophie and Mary and Benjamin and Samuel. All very classic and go well with Laura.

Eva is a nice simple name which travels well.

Also

Emma
Lara
Rosa
Cara
Carina

(Anything ending in an a works well for girls!)

Laura and

Heather
or
Gregory

Both great classics that go well with Laura

I'd use Mary - fab name.

How about Clara? Too close in sound to Laura?