A meaningful middle for Sarai

Girl Names
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone!

Not expecting or anything, but I’ve been struggling and one thing that’s helping me through is thinking of future possibilities. That’s led me on to think about my top name, [name_f]Sarai[/name_f], and what I’d really use as her middle.

So, these are some considerations in short form:
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Nadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]

(Side note, I’m sure most of you know, but [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] is pronounced Suh-rye)

Now for some lengthy explanations that you can skip over if you wish

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] - I love the sound of this. [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] give me warrior princess vibes. It’s full of strength and femininity too. It’s balanced between familiar and distinctive. What’s holding me back is that I don’t have a deep attachment to [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. I was never a huge Dahl fan so that connection doesn’t win me, but i do love the feel and sound of the name

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] - [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is lively and sweet. It’s a subtle nod to my mum as it’s similar (but not overly so) to her name and my mum is really important to me. [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is also associated with the name [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f], one of my favourite characters from fiction. What holds me back is that they might be too much together?

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]- [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is a favourite classic of mine. It honours [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] Brontë, one of my favourite authors. It’s a nod to my mum and nan whose middle names are [name_f]Jane[/name_f] ([name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] Brontë wrote [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Eyre[/name_f]). It reminds me of my trip to Haworth/Brontë country this year with my mum. It’s well balanced. What holds me back is that [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is my go to middle for two other fave names.

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is a nod to the Brontës and it’s my mum and [name_f]Nan[/name_f]'s middle name. I’ve also had two dreams in which i have a daughter called [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. I like the simplicity of it but what holds me back is I’ve always said I wouldn’t do direct honours and though my nan likes her middle, I’m not sure my mum would

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f] - [name_f]Opal[/name_f] is a beautiful sounding word and it’s a stone that reminds me of holidays, the sea, the summer and the sky. It captures different colours and reflects, it was the name of the class I was in, my great nan had a special opal ring she passed down through the family. Gemstone names also seem to ve a thing in my family. What holds me back is that it might be too much together?

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]-for the meaning, daughter of the sea. The sea is so important and healing for me. Again, is it too much?

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] or [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f] - [name_f]El[/name_f]- names are important to me at the moment for various reasons, and these are also two names my mum loves and considered

A few miscellaneous choices are:
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] (joy), [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] (hope) and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]

What would you pick? Or do you have any ideas based on those descriptions?

Thank you so much if you read through all that ramble!!

2

Thank you for telling us how its pronounced, I thought it was Sar-eye, like a version of [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]. I liked your descriptions and all of them are nice choices. I think for dream factor alone, I would choose [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. It seems to speak to you the most if you are literally dreaming about it.

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3

I love that you included your explanations for the combos!

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] is a beautiful name. I think, for you, I’d choose [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. Because of the name dreams and [name_f]Jane[/name_f] honoring two women in your life, I feel like it’s a winner.

I do also enjoy [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f] (this reminds me of the sea), [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u].

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4

Wow, those explanations were amazing! I love your thought processes and how much meaning goes into the middle names for you. I’m similar in the way that I can’t imagine giving my child a middle name that doesn’t have at least some personal meaning. My top picks summed up are [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f].

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] - This is beautiful, and I really love the flow! I didn’t realise that [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] actually meant “strength in battle,” I had to search it up, but that’s a lovely meaning. I don’t think it matters that you don’t have a strong connection to the novel, even if that would add to your love for the name. It was a name before the novel, after all. Besides, you don’t have to be an avid Dahl reader to know that [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] was a wonderful, bright character and is a fantastic namesake.

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] - This is really sweet! I don’t think [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is too much together, I think it’s fresh and interesting. I feel like those strength and warrior vibes you get from [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] might win out in my opinion, but this is a stunning combo.

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]- I literally can’t find fault in any of these. [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] remains my personal favourite, but this is gorgeous. It clearly has so much meaning to you, and I think you should use it - however, I think that if you have an overwhelming amount of options for [name_f]Sarai[/name_f], you could always use it with one of the other names!

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - This name must really speak to you if you’ve dreamt of it. I’m glad you adore the simplicity of [name_f]Jane[/name_f], but it’s never really appealed to me - this being said, I love the meaning behind the choice for you! [name_f]May[/name_f] I ask why you don’t want to do direct honours?

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f] - This is beautiful, but I do understand your concern. I definitely don’t think [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f] is too much, but I do think that [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] is better when balanced out by a more ‘classic’ name. That being said, I’m once again blown away by the meaning behind your choice. Perhaps you could use it with another of your top choices?

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]- I definitely feel you on this one, as this is exactly why I love the name [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] myself. I think [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] are my top choices from your list. I don’t think it’s too much at all, I think it’s intriguing and magical.

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] or [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f] - While I adore the meaning behind them, I have to admit at [name_f]El[/name_f]- names aren’t my personal favourite, so these don’t appeal to me all that much. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get me wrong, they’re lovely - I just prefer the other names you suggested!

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] also stuck out to me, I adore the meaning behind [name_f]Nadia[/name_f], and I think that could be especially symbolic if you’ve been going through a hard time lately.

5

I love [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] for you. While the others are beautiful too, I think a more grounded and meaningful middle nicely balances out the uniqueness of [name_f]Sarai[/name_f].

6

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f] is my favourite of your options! It sounds like it’s important to you to have a little honour to your mum.

I also reallt like [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] :slight_smile:

7

I love [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opal[/name_f]! They both sound like they have a lot of meaning for you, which is a good thing to have in a name. [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] sound lovely too, even if they don’t have as much significance. They are all beautiful combos though!

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9

[name_m]Just[/name_m] to start, I really love your love of this name!

My pick is [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. I love the familiar/unusual balance. It’s got such a classic name feeling, while keeping [name_f]Sarai[/name_f]'s unexpected, slightly exotic feel. It feels very romantic… both British and tropical at the same time. Like the name of a nineteenth century explorer. They just feel really great together and seems to nicely encapsulate a lot of the sentimentality you want.

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] are my joint second choice. It’s interesting you have the same ‘‘problem’’ with them both being too much with [name_f]Sarai[/name_f], and I see what you mean. But for me there is something kinda folksy and homely about them both that it just works. I fit them into the same category (through my typical lens of origin) of… comfy, bohemian, a bit pagan feeling… While also being brilliant and slightly eccentric contemporary choices. I think of the mysterious Celtic etymology, [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], mermaids. And juniper trees, botanicals, [name_m]Roman[/name_m] kingdoms. I think they bring out this magic feeling of [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] but keep her nicely familiar.

Finally I like [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]. For a combination of the reasons above. I usually don’t like other people’s middle name suggestions because I need a strong personal/emotional connection too, but one that also ‘‘feels’’ like the others too me is [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]. It’s maybe a bit of a mouthful, idk.

There’s a couple of options that just aren’t my style or don’t appeal to me, but really I don’t think any of them don’t work. It all just depends on what you want to bring out of [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] the most, and which meanings you most value in a middle.

10

Thank you so much everyone for your such thoughtful and considered answers. I’ve really enjoyed going through these and you’ve given me a lot to think over. Thank you again; I appreciate it so much

As for why I don’t do direct honours, I’ve always just wanted my kids to have their own names

11

For meanings, my favorite combo is [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. I also love how it sounds. I also like [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]!

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[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Helene[/name_f],
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] Geneve
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] Neama

13

I’ve always loved your [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f].

[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Wynn[/name_u]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Azalea[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Opaline[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Keturah[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Noemi[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Maeva[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Lenora[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Leora[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Winslow[/name_u]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Holland[/name_u]
[name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]

14

Sound-wise, I like [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] best. Sentimentality-wise, I like [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] best, though personally I would use [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] instead–since I’m a [name_m]Doctor[/name_m] Who fan and I really love [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m].

15

I just found this thread as I was looking for middle name ideas for [name_f]Sarai[/name_f], a new favorite of mine. I love [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Nadia[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]! I also love [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Keturah[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] [name_f]Athena[/name_f].

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16

Imso happy you’re loving [name_f]Sarai[/name_f]! Thank you for the thoughts

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