Perhaps he was feeling especially maudlin/festive due to the holiday, but my husband actually spontaneously had an adult conversation with me about names for our impending bladette. We didn’t make it all the way through the list of 20 or so names-- I can only ask so much-- but here are the ones that meet with mutual agreement, many of which were his actual suggestions:
The ones he strongly vetoed, with reasoning if there was any:
[name]Helene[/name] (“sounds old and white.” When pointed out that this is the quintessential Greek name, he did not relent)
Eanswythe (death stare)
[name]Eirene[/name], [name]Irene[/name], [name]Irina[/name], or any variant thereof (“you’re a girl, would you like to be named [name]Irene[/name]?”)
[name]Myriam[/name] (“the Y is just weird, and [name]Miriam[/name] isn’t [name]Christian[/name] enough”)
[name]Nerissa[/name] (“I’m pretty sure this isn’t really a name”)
[name]Endellion[/name] (laughter)
[name]Sylvia[/name] (we have a friend by the name, he thinks it would appear in honor of her)
[name]Rosamond[/name] (“Mound! You would put MOUND in your daughter’s name?!”
Photini! That’s bold. Sounds like some kind of radioactive cocktail. And yet [name]Rosamond[/name] is just too much for him. Good idea, saving [name]Cosima[/name] for a fresh conversation. Not to mention beautiful Theophane, [name]Meriel[/name], Myrrine…
My favorites (of those agreed upon) are [name]Aquila[/name], Chrysanthe, [name]Noor[/name], [name]Verity[/name], [name]Anastasia[/name], and Kyriake! [name]Love[/name] it. What a wild and woolly Greek name. Cyriaca is quite nice too.
[name]Thalassa[/name] I know makes you think of thalassemia. [name]Philippa[/name] is a bit horsey to my ears, like girls in polo shirts. Penagia is really unfamiliar to me but lovely. I like that it’s close to Pangaea.
[name]Alas[/name], Eanswythe! Too beautiful for this world. [name]Endellion[/name] got the axe?!?! What’s his problem? You cooked!
I’d say, framing is important. Pick your absolute favorites, back them up with meaningful associations, and see if you can put some kind of [name]Christian[/name] spin on them. Use your most melodious voice.
Thanks emms. Photini is a very common name in Greece, meaning ‘light,’ but of course it conjures up photons (and now glowing cocktails). Panagia = [name]Pan[/name] + hagia, or “all-holy.” It’s a very reverent Greek name given in honor of the Virgin [name]Mary[/name]. I was rather surprised he came up with it. I think he knew a hot, somewhat slutty, girl named Kyriake once, which is why he thinks it’s OK, but not Kyrielle (which is much smoother to my ears).
I like [name]Pelagia[/name] a lot more than [name]Thalassa[/name] and think I’ll have to ix-nay that one, despite being bowled over that he actually suggested it.
Chrysanthe, [name]Mariam[/name], [name]Phillipa[/name], [name]Cosima[/name], and Everild are my favorites. I absolutely love Everild and wish my hubby would consider it! But he thinks it is too unusual compared to our other kids (and he’s probably right!). I also really like [name]Sunniva[/name] – there is a girl in my son’s class with this name and I think it is gorgeous! Good luck!
Ha! Yes Kyrielle is better. I think I like Kyriake because it’s… so gleefully manIAKally Greek and crackly. But Kyrielle is a million times more wearable.
I know a Kyriaki who gets called [name]Kyrie[/name].
[name]How[/name] is [name]Miriam[/name] not [name]Christian[/name] enough?! The Theotokos, [name]Mary[/name] of [name]Egypt[/name], [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]…! I do love [name]Mariam[/name] as well, though, and it’s a bit more rare.
I still love [name]Cassiane[/name]. I met a little [name]Cassia[/name] the other day, named for [name]Cassiane[/name], and she was spunky, clever, and exuberant.
[name]Verity[/name] is so sweet.
Suniva is simply stunning! I have it as a MN on my list but [name]Sunniva[/name] and [name]Antoine[/name] are great together. The Greek in me loves Photini and Panagia but I’m not sure how well they would translate in the US… [name]Philippa[/name], [name]Mariam[/name], and [name]Verity[/name] are all so lovely as well. [name]Anastasia[/name] would be my second favorite as long as you are alright with both names beginning with An-. Such great names
@brigid [name]Mariam[/name] = the Arabic form of [name]Mary[/name]. [name]Miriam[/name] = sister of [name]Moses[/name], and a name most commonly given in Jewish families. The Kyriakes we know (including the hot slutty one) all go by [name]Kiri[/name] too.
Thanks to shields and milena-- I am really rooting for [name]Cosima[/name], and hope to bring it up when the mood is equally felicitous.
@milena, I pronounce [name]Aquila[/name] the English way- ah-KWIL-uh- and [name]Mariam[/name] the Arabic way, Maahr-ee-aam. (The R is somewhat rolled).
@dillonsfan are you Greek? I don’t think I knew that. I share your suspicion of Panagia in particular (no one will do the Greek g-y sound).
From your longer list, I love [name]Cosima[/name], [name]Maris[/name], Myrrine and Theophane.
Your husband is ridiculous for vetoing [name]Eirene[/name] (et al), [name]Helene[/name], [name]Myriam[/name], [name]Nerissa[/name], [name]Rosamond[/name] and [name]Sylvia[/name]!
As I look at these choices, I come to realize I have a bias for names that are spelled pretty much exactly the way they sound. I’m not sure why this is…perhaps it’s the residual (still very much living?) trauma of a childhood of having my name misspelled at every possible opportunity.
Anyhow, I think all of your listed options are rich and interesting, but these four feel the best on my eyes and ears:)
Thanks [name]Tawny[/name] (is your name tawnysaurus? I can see why it was frequently misspelt). I love those options you listed, too (along with Theophane, a recent discovery/crush).
@brigid I think many people will assume the same. I wonder if it would help to spell [name]Maryam[/name] thusly? It’s the other common variant in Western countries.
[name]Anastasia[/name] is simply stunning and I really love it with [name]Antoine[/name]! Other favourites are Casianne, [name]Miriam[/name] and especially [name]Verity[/name]. I really don’t like Chrysanthe or [name]Aquila[/name] (it looks like tequila to me).
[name]Aquila[/name]
[name]Cassiane[/name]
[name]Mariam[/name] - I find it pretty but with a sweet and simple feel.
[name]Noor[/name] - I love this name.
Panagia - [name]Lovely[/name] pronunciation. It makes me think of nager, swimming the ocean. Good associations.
[name]Verity[/name] - [name]One[/name] of the few virtue names I like.
Kyriake - I am loving the sounds of this name. It fascinates me.
[name]Anastasia[/name] - I used to really dislike [name]Anastasia[/name], but I am warming to it lately, usually when I think of it as a Greek moniker rather than a super frilly choice. Potential pitfall is the 50 [name]Shade[/name] of [name]Gray[/name] character, but, I don’t know how bad that could be - didn’t read it.
[name]Philippa[/name] - Cute, old-fashioned, but a little different from what I’d assess your style is as a whole.
[name]Thalassa[/name] – I like the sound of it muchly, but on the downside it does makes me think of thassalemia… though that’d hardly be a common association I’d assume.
Off the veto’d list I liked: [name]Helene[/name], [name]Irene[/name], [name]Nerissa[/name], [name]Endellion[/name] and [name]Sylvia[/name] (prefer [name]Sylvie[/name]).
From the rest, I like [name]Cosima[/name], [name]Maris[/name], and [name]Sunniva[/name].
I adore [name]Cassiane[/name], [name]Cosima[/name], Everild/[name]Averill[/name], [name]Verity[/name] as firsts, and [name]Maris[/name], [name]Meriel[/name], [name]Noor[/name] for middles. I also like Theophane, for a first or middle.
[name]May[/name] I suggest…? [name]Ariadne[/name]. Greek, pre-Schism saint, Byzantine empress.
Photini is a very common name in Greece, meaning ‘light,’ but of course it conjures up photons (and now glowing cocktails). Panagia = 
