Mother Asks Reddit for Help Naming Her Daughter
I am NOT the OOP. OOP is u/junkbondtraderr on r/namenerds.
Mood Spoiler: Heartwarming
Status: Concluded
Original: March 6, 2025
Update: March 15, 2025
Original Post: My daughter wants me to rename her!
Subreddit Flair for the post: Name Change
My 18 year old daughter came out as a transgender woman. My husband and I have been 100% supportive (and I very much welcome another girl in the house — she has 3 brothers!). She expressed initially that she was comfortable going by her birth name, as it is gender neutral, but after turning 18 and getting ready for college, she’s decided she needs a new name. And, she wants me to choose it! She says that she still wants to be named by her mama. I melted.🥹
I come seeking ideas! Her only parameter is that it’s nothing that “seems like she renamed herself”; by this I’m assuming more ‘out there’ names are out. It’s such a challenge picking a name for someone you already know so well, and not a newborn!
She’s incredibly intelligent, bookish, shy but spunky, and a total sweetheart. Gorgeous, curly red hair and freckles. We are a family of Jewish-Irish descent and her brothers are Lev, Raphael ‘Raf’ and Elias. I never had girl names picked out, as I found out later in the game.
Do any names come to mind with this description? Her middle name will be Miriam (family name). Thank you in advance!
Top Comments:
(Editor's note: I highly recommend you read the comments and the discourse, at least the top voted ones. A lot of people being supportive, and coming up with appropriate, beautiful names for OOP's daughter. And name nerdery, as is appropriate for the sub).
A helpful Redditor said:
Don't have any name suggestions yet but wanted to quickly say I love this post and wish you best of luck finding a beautiful name
How incredibly touching 🥹
Naomi Miriam – A timeless Hebrew name meaning “pleasantness.”
Esther Miriam – A strong, classic Jewish name with historical significance.
Clara Miriam – A bookish, vintage name that feels sophisticated yet warm.
Maeve Miriam – A beautiful Irish name meaning “intoxicating” with a strong history.
Talia Miriam – A lovely Hebrew name meaning “gentle dew from heaven.”
Fiona Miriam – An Irish name meaning “fair,” fitting her red hair and freckles.
Sylvie Miriam – A delicate yet intelligent-sounding name of French and Jewish origin.
Daphne Miriam – A literary and nature-inspired name with a graceful touch.
Lena Miriam – Simple, elegant, and effortlessly classic.
To not seem like she renamed herself, I would suggest names that were ranking in the year she was born.
Suggestions:
Alicia
Caitlin
Callie
Keira
Phoebe
Nadia
Natalie
OP's reply:
Good thinking! Keira is lovely.
Another Redditor asked:
Did you have any baby names picked out for a girl when you were pregnant with your boys? Personally, I love traditional names. I’d go with something along the lines of Ruth, Rachel, or Anna.
Wanting to be named by her mama :’) that really made my day.
OP's reply:
I did not! I found out about my pregnancies fairly late into the game so it was never really a question.
A Redditor asked:
What about your middle name, Mama?? This entire post brings me joy!!!
OP's reply:
I will be passing on mine (and my mom’s) middle name for her middle. Miriam. 😆
Update: I renamed my daughter! (9 days later)
Subreddit Flair: Story
Let’s preface this by saying that this will be long and mushy. I took this very, very seriously and would love to share the experience. Feel free to skip to the bottom for the name reveal (sharing with her full blessing!)
First of all, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of support. The love far outweighed the hate, and we were absolutely awestruck by the support. I still have quite a few private messages to get through, but please know that I will read each and every one of them and do my best to respond!
I got quite a few comments asking why I would post to Reddit when my daughter asked ME to name her. The answer is that I’m simply not a very creative person, and trying to come up with a name from scratch is so, so hard! I haven’t named a baby in 16 years and we have an enormous family - ie, difficult to think of names that we love AND aren’t taken. I came here for inspiration and received more than I could’ve ever wished for!
Going about choosing was incredibly difficult, but I eventually got my list down to a top 3. They needed to past a few tests. 1. Does the name suit her? 2. Would 2006 me have chosen this name? 3. Does it sound out of whack with her brothers’ names? And most importantly… does she love it?
I brought the top 3 to her and she said “Mom, this is defeating the purpose. I don’t want to choose!” So, I had another idea. We would have 3 little coffee/lunch dates around the city and use a different name to order with, so she could feel each name out and see if any of them were definitive no’s. That ruled out Talia - gorgeous name, but didn’t feel quite right to her. Aviva was also a top contender that didn’t make the cut.
I mulled over the final two for what seems like years… but I chose, and she expressed that it was secretly her favorite too! It felt like divine intervention to be in this situation, considering this name, with Purim so close.
I am the incredibly proud mama of Esther Miriam! I absolutely love it, and so does she. “Essie May” evolved as a nickname from her father overnight, and it made me fall in love even more. May was the nickname of her namesake and she happens to be a May baby. Esther also has immense meaning to us as Jews, and I can absolutely say that 2006 me would’ve chosen it. The runner-up was Naomi.
I could not have done it without this forum. Thank you all so very much for sharing this with me. ❤️
I am NOT the OOP. Please do NOT harass OOP and please refer to rules 1 and 2 of this subreddit when talking to people in the comments.
Editor's notes: Made some edits to make the comments on the original post easier to read, and also added an important comment that OOP replied to.