Wow, I love your first daughter’s name. I’m seeing a lot of praise for it in the comments above. You’ve definitely set a strong precedent!
I’m a huge fan of a lot of the names on your list - [name_f]Rose[/name_f] nn [name_f]Rosie[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_f]Esme[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] are all on my personal name list. But I’m trying to be slightly impartial in terms of thinking about how your daughter’s name matches with the other names you have.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] are too similar in my opinion - they both end in the same sound, they both have two syllables, and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] only has one letter more than [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] has. So I would eliminate this one, despite how gorgeous it is.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] are a better match. I don’t have much of a view on [name_f]Thea[/name_f] itself as a name, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, so if you end up truly loving it, there’s no harm in choosing it.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] work nicely with each other; they’re distinct in sound but somewhat similar in style. The only difference is that [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] is, by far, more recognizable, and so it seems much more traditional and prim compared to [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], which is unique and has more spunk.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] match a little bit better, in my opinion, than [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], and I personally prefer the name [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]. [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is a little more traditional sounding than [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], but both have an upbeat, peppy sound, which to some extent [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] lacks for me.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Cecelia[/name_f] work very nicely with each other, especially with the nickname [name_f]Cece[/name_f]. Again, they’re distinct in sound, but similar in style. I personally love the name [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]/[name_f]Cecelia[/name_f].
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] seem similar in style phonetically, but the -enne spelling, in my opinion, is too frilly to match with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] would probably be a better match. Besides that, they work quite nicely with each other.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] don’t match in my opinion. [name_f]Etta[/name_f] is a distinctly vintage sounding name, whereas [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is much more modern, and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] doesn’t have the same upbeat sound that [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] has.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] work really nicely with each other and I personally [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the name [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]. If you don’t like how popular [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is, you could easily use a variety of nicknames to circumvent the issues that may arise due to its popularity - [name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f]…I’ve even heard of ‘Emsy’ for a little girl, which may not age well but is adorable for a certain period of time. If you absolutely love this name, regardless of its position on the chart, I’d use it.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f] work nicely together too, although for some reason I view [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] as a much more usable/practical name than [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is. You mentioned that you can’t envision your own child being named [name_f]Iris[/name_f]; I can’t really picture anyone with the name period! It seems much more a fantastical/mythological name to me than a name for a human for some reason. It’s pretty, though.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] do match phonetically, but I personally would warn you against using the name [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] due to the notoriety of a somewhat trashy reality TV star with the same name. I wish the association wasn’t there, because otherwise, I’d agree, [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] would be due for a comeback!
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Fiona[/name_f] are perfect, you’re right! I really like the way these match with each other and can very easily see a [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] having a sister named [name_f]Fiona[/name_f]. However, if your husband dislikes it, you’re unlikely to end up using it anyway, so I’d completely eliminate it early on.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] are too matchy-matchy to me; I have the same issue with this pairing as I do with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosie[/name_f].
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Esme[/name_f] are a bit of a different story, considering that [name_f]Esme[/name_f] ends in an -ay sound rather than an -ee sound. I really like the name [name_f]Esme[/name_f], as I said before, and these names do sound like sister names to me. I would keep [name_f]Esme[/name_f] as a strong contender - it has the same peppy feel that [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] does, but is romantic in a way that many of your choices on your current list are.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Margo/name_f work PERFECTLY with each other, and [name_f]Margo/name_f seems to fit in quite congruously with the rest of your style, so I can see why you thought it would make sense to put it on the list. But if it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel right, no matter if it seems like the perfect choice.
Good luck, congratulations on expecting 