[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone, I’m due in about 10 weeks with a baby girl. She has an older brother called [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], and our surname is [name_m]McDonald[/name_m].
My husband and I have long LOVED the name [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], but my cousin recently chose that name for his daughter, so we feel like we should avoid using it.
Other names that we really like include [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] (but is it too juvenile/cute for a grown woman?), [name_f]Nora[/name_f] (but it may be too popular in our area), and [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] (but we live in the US where it might be too hard to pronounced).
Please help us, friends! We obviously really like Irish names but we are open to any ideas. Thank you in advance!
I adore [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], and I think it still has potential to grow up with time (if you think about it, names like [name_f]Katie[/name_f], [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], [name_u]Bailey[/name_u], etc. all have the same cute sound but work just fine on adults). Some other ideas:
Eve
Greer
Anneka
Paige
Rowan
Orla
Ailish
Freya
Reese
Hazel
Chiara/ Ciara
Astrid
Fern
Carys
I really like Maisie but would use it as a nn for Margaret myself. Nora is cool but for what it’s worth I personally find “ra” names a bit dissatisfying to say. Aoife is a nice name but probably a lot to saddle someone with outside Ireland?
I really like [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] and think it could age just fine. You could do [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] nn [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] if you were concerned about that…
I adore [name_f]Nora[/name_f] and I really don’t hear it much at all (east coast USA) so I say if you like that one, use it!
Some other thoughts -
[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Isla[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] nn [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]
[name_f]Maren[/name_f]
[name_f]Marni[/name_f]
[name_f]Maura[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Neve[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sadie[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] is beautiful though, you’ll definitely have problems (and it will be your daughter who has to live with the name), but I always say the name is spoken more than it is read. I guess you would have to weigh the pros vs cons, but personally I don’t see it as being extremely difficult, somebody has to be a trail blazer, why not you? I do think of [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] (and the similar [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]) as being either extremely juvenile (I can see it on a baby or a young girl) or as someone’s grandmother (the type that bakes a mean chocolate chip cookie LOL), but I can’t see it on a teen or younger woman.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you live in the same area as your cousin? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you see each other quite often? [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is rather popular and gorgeous, so if you have long loved it, I would still consider using it. Or, using it in the middle name spot.
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is fabulous. Personally, I would go with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] (they could be The Maeves as cousins, like a girl group!).
[name_f]Mauve[/name_f] is lovely too and [name_f]Maud[/name_f] and [name_f]Mara[/name_f] ([name_f]Connemara[/name_f]?). [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] is not Irish so maybe the name doesn’t have to be Irish? [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] is sweet and so is [name_f]Muriel[/name_f].
Thank you all so much- there are some great suggestions in these posts! For those who asked, my cousin does not live nearby and we rarely see him— so maybe using [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] would be okay. But please keep the suggestions rolling in! So far, I really like the suggested names of [name_f]Mae[/name_f] (with [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] as a nn), [name_f]Neve[/name_f]/[name_f]Niamh[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], and [name_f]Fiona[/name_f]/[name_f]Fia[/name_f]!
I wouldn’t cross out using [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. [name_f]May[/name_f], [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Neve[/name_f]/ [name_f]Niamh[/name_f] are all lovely too.
I do think of [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] (and the similar [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]) as being either extremely juvenile (I can see it on a baby or a young girl) or as someone’s grandmother (the type that bakes a mean chocolate chip cookie LOL), but I can’t see it on a teen or younger woman.