Combination names offer instant familiarity with an element of surprise. Several mashup names — like Maryann — have worked their way into our naming culture so much that we no longer notice they combine two names at all. Newer names, such as Ashlynn, join the ranks every year.
Making baby girl name mashups
So, how to get started? Look for names that share common sounds in the middle. Popular names Elizabeth and Isabella can be rearranged to form mixed-up princess name Elizabella. Play around with suffixes like -ana, -ella, and -enne. Look at your family tree and you might be surprised at the mashup name potential.
We started the ball rolling below. With the exception of Samara, a Hebrew name meaning "protected by God," you won't find any of these names at the top of the charts.
Adelia: Adele and Amelia
Alanastasia: Alanna and Anastasia
Alexandrea: Alexandra and Andrea
Andreana: Andrea and Deana
Aubrina: Aubrey and Sabrina
Briannika: Brianna and Annika
Celecia: Celeste and Felicia
Eleadora: Eleanor and Dora
Elizara: Elizabeth and Zara
Emmia: Emma and Mia
Esmarina: Esmeralda and Marina
Gabrianna: Gabrielle and Anna
Ginnifer: Virginia and Jennifer
Kendalia: Kendall and Natalia
Jadence: Jada and Cadence
Josephia: Josephine and Sophia
Lizabelle: Liz and Isabelle
Lydiana: Lydia and Diana
Mackylie: Mackenzie and Kylie
Noreen: Nora and Maureen
Olivienne: Olivia and Vivienne
Samara: Samantha and Tamara
Savanya: Savannah and Anya
Sophelia: Sophia and Ophelia
Tayden: Taylor and Jaden
Wendolyn: Wendy and Gwendolyn
Zoriah: Zora and Mariah
Mashed up meanings
One might argue that made-up names lose appeal for lack of meaning, but we disagree. While it's true that the names above don't have meanings of their own, you can look at the meanings of the root names and combine them into something gorgeous. Adele means "noble," and Amelia means "defender," giving our mashup name Adelia the meaning of "noble defender." Not too shabby. Use lists of girl names with great meanings to find more mashup name ideas.
Mashup outtakes
While the names above turned out super cute, please be careful. Recently parents have become enamored with combinations of Ana and Leah, to sometimes catastrophic ends. Names such as Analia, Analise, Analeigh, and Analee belong to hundreds of baby girls born in 2013. Pay close attention to words you may be inadvertently putting at the beginning of your sweet girl's name is all we're saying. Yikes.
In our quest to create excellent mashup names for girls, we accidentally made a few duds. Can you think of any other unfortunate girl name combinations?
Anne and Gina: Angina
Callie and Mallory: Calorie
Celia and Monica: Celica
Heidi and Annie: Heinie
Helen and Ella: Hella
Ruby and Bella: Rubella
More baby name ideas
Use genealogy to choose a family baby name
International variations of popular baby names
The hottest new baby girl names of 2014