34 weeks and still stuck! Need help with both first and middle!

Girl Names
1

I posted 2 months ago and everyone was really helpful, but I’m still stuck on a name for our baby girl!

The only two names my husband and I agree so far are [name]Holly[/name] and [name]Julia[/name]. I like them both better than anything else we can come up with, but for some reason, I not positive that I [name]LOVE[/name] either of them. They are the only ones that I haven’t found a problem with though! So I am open to other ideas for a first name… or help me love [name]Holly[/name] or [name]Julia[/name]! :slight_smile: I want a name that is not overly popular, sounds cute for a little girl, intelligent for an application or resume, and pretty/sophisticated for a young woman.

(FWIW - [name]Holly[/name] would be after my friend who recently died of cancer… [name]Julia[/name] doesn’t have any significance… we just like it. Though, I did have a grandfather whose name was [name]Julius[/name], but he went by something else so that would be kind of a stretch).

We did decide on [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Kathryn[/name] for the middle name, to honor my mom and/or sister, but we can’t decide on the spelling. My mom is “[name]Catherine[/name]” and my sister is “[name]Katherine[/name]”. [name]Kathryn[/name] would be sort of a compromise between the two and we could say it’s in honor of both of them. However, my sister just had a son (1st grandbaby) and gave him our father’s name as his middle name, so it would be sort of neat for my baby just to have my mom’s name (though we could say that [name]Catherine[/name] was meant to honor both of them). I guess maybe it comes down to whatever middle name goes best with [name]Holly[/name], [name]Julia[/name], or whatever other first name.

I haven’t decided for sure, but I think I also want to use my maiden name as a second middle name (my DH doesn’t care either way). [name]Do[/name] you think her name would be too long with two longer middle names?

Our last name is pronounced “Nav-a-lynn” (but is spelled -line). [name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Kathryn[/name] kinda rhymes with our last name… do you think that’s an issue?

Currently, these are the top options:

[name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] [Maiden Name - 8 letters long] Navaline
[name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] Navaline
[name]Julia[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] [Maiden Name] Navaline
[name]Julia[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] [Maiden Name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] [Maiden Name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] Navaline

Thoughts?!

ETA: The only other bit of info. that is relevant is that my grandmother’s name was [name]Mary[/name], and I wanted to honor her too. We considered a variation of [name]Mary[/name] for a first name, such as [name]Marin[/name]/[name]Maren[/name]/Maryn, but I’m not sold. We also considered [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Kate[/name] or [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Mary[/name]-[name]Kathryn[/name] as a middle, but not sure how that sounds, especially if we include my maiden name…

2

I like [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] Navaline

3

[name]Julia[/name] [name]Maris[/name] Navaline
[name]Catherine[/name] [name]Holliday[/name] Navaline
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Junia[/name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Kate[/name]/[name]Cait[/name] Navaline
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Hollis[/name] Navaline
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] Navaline
[name]Grace[/name] [name]Holliday[/name]/[name]Holly[/name] Navaline
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Grace[/name] Navaline

I really like [name]Mary[/name] [name]Hollis[/name] & [name]Holly[/name] [name]Kate[/name]/[name]Cait[/name] best. I think it’s so sweet to honor your friend in this way so [name]Honor[/name] could be a cool middle as well. I don’t know how adventurous your naming style is.

4

I think [name]Holly[/name] is beautiful!

For the middle name question, I would recommend going with just your mother’s spelling. Not that you wouldn’t want to honor your sister as well, but honoring your parents is something special, and I would keep it just that–a special gift to your mother.

Personally, I am not a fan of double middle names, and would stick to just first-middle-last.

Other name suggestions that I think fit your criteria:

[name]Meg[/name]
[name]Nora[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]/[name]Sara[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name]
[name]Virginia[/name]

5

Well [name]Julia[/name] is currently pretty high up on my girls list so I say go for [name]Julia[/name]! :slight_smile: [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is so lovely and classic. I love two middle names, all of our children will have two, so I vote for [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] maiden Navaline. Good luck!

Also would like to add I love [name]Julia[/name] [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Kate[/name] as well. :slight_smile:

6

I think if you choose [name]Holly[/name] to honor your friend, you won’t regret it. [name]Holly[/name] [name]Katherine[/name] doesn’t totally work for me…
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Mariel[/name]
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Kate[/name]

7

I love [name]Holly[/name] and I like that you want to honor your friend.

I do think you want to honor a lot of people. I always feel the more people you want to honor, the more the single one loses significance.

Also, do you want to have more kids? Then just leave some names so you can give it to that one :wink:

I think [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] / [name]Katherine[/name] is great. I would just decide for the spelling of the person I feel like I really want to honor, because I think sharing “your honor” with someone else again loses significance.

8

alzora & taylorblueskye - you both make a good point. While I adore both my mom and my sister, I wouldn’t want to dilute the honor! :wink: If I had to choose, I’d most want to honor my mother, so that is pushing me towards [name]Catherine[/name] for the middle. Expecially because my nephew, the first grandson, is [name]Lachlan[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] (after my dad, [name]Thomas[/name])… it seems fitting to have the first granddaughter be ___ [name]Catherine[/name] (after my mom, [name]Catherine[/name]).

So [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]…

I think I prefer the sound/look of [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]; however, part of me really wants to honor my friend and I think [name]Holly[/name] is less common/more unique. [name]Do[/name] you think it’s a good or bad thing to name a baby born in late Nov/early Dec. [name]Holly[/name]? [name]How[/name] common is [name]Julia[/name]… would there likely be another [name]Julia[/name] in her class??

We do plan to try for a 2nd child in the next year or two… if we have a 2nd girl, we could give her whatever name we don’t choose for the first. [name]Do[/name] [name]Holly[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] go together as a sibset? My [name]MIL[/name]'s name is [name]Dana[/name]… I don’t like [name]Julia[/name] [name]Dana[/name] very much, but maybe [name]Holly[/name] [name]Dana[/name]?? [name]Dana[/name] is a tough one… My husband also likes the name [name]Georgia[/name], after his grandfather [name]George[/name], so maybe [name]Holly[/name] [name]Georgia[/name]? [name]Julia[/name] Georia is a no… I feel like if we are choosing a name that is meaningful to me for the first child, we should go with a name that is meanful on his side for the second.

If we have a boy for our second, our current favorite is [name]Andrew[/name] [name]Edgar[/name] (DH has 2 uncles named [name]Edgar[/name] and my uncle and gradfather are also named [name]Edgar[/name]). Would [name]Andrew[/name] go with [name]Holly[/name] or [name]Julia[/name]?

A final consideration (silly) is that our dog is named [name]Hailey[/name] (nn Hales)… is that too close to [name]Holly[/name]?

I am probably overthinking this!

alzora - I do like [name]Susanna[/name] and [name]Nora[/name]. [name]Nora[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] was on our list for awhile, but my husband likes the other two options slightly better. I haven’t asked him about [name]Susanna[/name], but that’s another good one. I don’t know if I like [name]Susie[/name] though as a nn. I love [name]Sara[/name] but I have a cousin, [name]Sarah[/name], so I’m not sure about that one.

libbyj06 - yeah, I really like [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] too. [name]Just[/name] need to decide if I can give up on using [name]Holly[/name] after my friend. I’ll also have to decide about the maiden name!

emmabobemma - I agree that [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] does not flow quite as well as [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]… but the more I think about it, I want to use [name]Catherine[/name] and not [name]Kate[/name]/[name]Cait[/name] because my mom goes by [name]Cathy[/name] and my sister by [name]Katie[/name], so [name]Kate[/name] would appear to honor my sister more than my mom, when I’d like to error the other way!

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your input!

9

I love [name]Holly[/name] and the significance towards your friend really makes it special. I also agree that [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] doesn’t flow the best but I think that [name]Holly[/name] [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Catherine[/name] sounds really pretty. Maybe you can use a variation of [name]Catherine[/name] for a mn? [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catrina[/name] and [name]Holly[/name] [name]Caterina[/name] both sound really nice.

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allygurl13 - I do think I like [name]Holly[/name] [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Catherine[/name] better than [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]… I could do that and drop my maiden name. That combo succeeds in honoring all 3 people I was most interested in honoring. Question though… does [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Catherine[/name] sound too Catholic? Nothing wrong with that, but we’re not Catholic, so… I don’t know! [name]Holly[/name] [name]Caterina[/name] is really pretty, but I am thinking I’d prefer to use my mom’s actual name, and not a variant… thanks though!

What do you think of [name]Julia[/name] [name]Dana[/name] N. if we use [name]Holly[/name] for this one? It’s not the prettiest, but it’s important to me that the middle name is meaningful…

11

[name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] for sure.

[name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Mary[/name] is also nice.

12

Between [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], which is better?

What about between [name]Julia[/name] [name]Dana[/name] or [name]Holly[/name] [name]Dana[/name] (if our 2nd child is a girl)? Or does that middle name not work with either? If we end up having a second girl, I think it would be nice for each daughter to be named after a grandmother (as both my mom and [name]MIL[/name] are pretty great).

[name]Do[/name] you think it would be helpful to wait until the baby is born to decide? [name]Will[/name] she look like either a [name]Holly[/name] or [name]Julia[/name], or will we just be stuck without a name?

What kind of person/personality do you picture for each name?

Thanks so much for the input… this is really helpful!

13

I like [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] the best I think. :slight_smile:
[name]Mary[/name] is a great name on it’s own. Not too popular these days but definitely a classic. [name]Marie[/name], [name]Maria[/name], [name]Marilyn[/name] would be another option.

14

I like [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Holly[/name] [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Kate[/name]. Using your maiden name is totally up to you. It’s a sentimental thing.

15

What about [name]Molly[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]? [name]Molly[/name] is a traditional nn for [name]Mary[/name] and sounds like [name]Holly[/name]. Could be a stretch, I realize!

Definitely [name]Catherine[/name] spelling after your mom. I prefer the sound of [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] but prefer the name [name]Holly[/name] over [name]Julia[/name] as a whole, I think. I think you’ve narrowed down enough to wait and see what she looks like. We were decisive with our first and then waited to see our second. Good luck to you!

16

I like [name]Julia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] best too… I think the reason [name]Julia[/name] works better with [name]Catherine[/name] than [name]Holly[/name] does is because of the number of syllables. [name]Julia[/name] (3 syllables) & [name]Catherine[/name] (2) works better than 2 + 2 with [name]Holly[/name]. However, I like the reason why you’d use [name]Holly[/name] more than using [name]Julia[/name]. So, if you wanted to use [name]Holly[/name], it’d probably flow better if you modified [name]Catherine[/name] so it has a 3rd syllable:
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Catherina[/name] or [name]Holly[/name] [name]Catrina[/name]… but you’ve already mentioned that you don’t want to do that.
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Catherine[/name] accomplishes the same thing, but somehow doesn’t sound quite right either, flow-wise, to me. The issue I have here, I think, is the -y at the end of [name]Holly[/name] and [name]Mary[/name]… it’s a bit too matchy.
[name]Holly[/name] [name]Marika[/name] would be cute -[name]Mari[/name] for [name]Mary[/name] and Ka for [name]Catherine[/name]… but that might be changing things up too much for you.
I’m sorry -I seem to be pointing out all the problems but don’t have any good solutions for you :frowning:

imo [name]Holly[/name] is very cute for a baby born at the end of the fall. You’re right -it’s a more unique name but could still work through a child’s whole life from childhood throughout adulthood.
[name]Julia[/name], though less unique, is still not overly used. I know of 3 [name]Julias[/name]… one is in her 90s, one is in grade 5 and one is in diapers. :slight_smile: This tells me it is a classic, timeless name.
Personally, I prefer the spelling of [name]Kathryn[/name], but it makes more sense for you to spell it [name]Catherine[/name] since you want to honor your mother.
If you are leaning towards adding your maiden name as a 2nd middle, I say go for it. My mother wanted to do that for us, but decided against it… and has regretted it ever since then… mostly because she has 3 sisters, so their maiden name is not being passed on to anyone in the next generation. I was thinking of doing that too, but my son already has 2 middle names, so adding a 3rd would be pushing it!

Although it seems really difficult right now, I’m sure that when you see your baby for the first time, one name will stand out as HER name and everything will come together. :slight_smile: