I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant and am stressing out about a name! We are hoping to keep the name a secret from family and friends until our little girl is born, that way no one can complain about it or try to change our minds! That being said, I’d really like some input on the two choices that my husband and I are discussing right now. We both have top picks but we can’t seem to commit to either one. Our daughter will have two middle names which are already chosen as we lost both my sister and my husband’s grandmother in the past year.
My choice: Aven (A-ven)
Why: Both my husband and I are teachers so I want to steer away from really popular names. I think in 80% of the classrooms I was in last year had at least 1 [name_f]Maddie[/name_f] in the room, often 2! That being said, we both like [name_u]Avery[/name_u], but its in the top 15 names for 2015/2016. Aven is a nice alternative, not too far out there, easy to read and say. The main reason why I love it though is the meaning. The mountain aven is a flower that grows in the arctic and is the territorial flower of the Northwest Territories. We have spent the past 4 years living in the Canadian arctic, teaching, 2 years of which was in the NWT. While we’re currently in Nunavut while I’m pregnant I still love that Aven is outdoorsy and reminds me of the [name_u]North[/name_u].
His choice: Ily/Ailee/Iley (EYE-lee)
Why: He really likes [name_f]Isla[/name_f], but I think it’s going to be too popular so this is a nice alternative (like Aven to [name_u]Avery[/name_u]). He also feels like Aven is more of a boy name, and from checking out stats Aven has been given to more boys recently than girls. While I like this name, I’m not sure how to spell it. I thought Ily was simple, like [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] but with an L. I then realized it stood for “I love you” which is sweet, but maybe too cutesy. Iley, like [name_u]Riley[/name_u], may be easy, but I don’t like the I and L beside each other. Ailee I think may produce an “A-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]” sometimes. I also dislike that I can’t find a meaning for the name.
Anyone have any thoughts to share on these two names?
Aven is beautiful. I like the sounds and meaning! I like it a lot better than [name_u]Avery[/name_u] for a girl.
I love [name_f]Isla[/name_f], but not Ily/Ailee too much. I know [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is super popular (top 5) in the UK, but is it that popular in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]? I know it’s not too popular (yet, I should say) in the US, where I live.
If you like Aven and Ily/[name_f]Isla[/name_f], would you consider going with [name_f]Ivy[/name_f]? You mentioned it above. I am in love with [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] at the moment.
Consider [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], but if not, I’d go with Aven! Best of luck
I like them both but would not go with Ailee spelling as this will be mistaken for AY-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]. In [name_f]Scotland[/name_f] the correct spelling for AY-[name_u]Lee[/name_u] is [name_f]Eilidh[/name_f].
I love Aven. The meaning with your background just seem like the perfect choice to me. I’m not a big fan of Ailee or any of the other spellings tbh, it sounds a little bit made up to me.
If you’re husband is worried about the name Aven being too boyish you might want to consider adding an e to the end- Avene looks and sounds a bit more feminine to me. I would pron it [name_m]AH[/name_m]-[name_m]VEN[/name_m].
Other names that you might like:
[name_u]Arden[/name_u]
[name_u]Adair[/name_u]
[name_f]Neva[/name_f], [name_f]Neve[/name_f] or [name_f]Neves[/name_f]
[name_u]Albany[/name_u]
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f]
We’ve discussed [name_u]Arden[/name_u] before! We both like it. Maybe we should look at it some more. I’m not sure how I feel about Avene yet. I’ll have to think about it, but thanks for the suggestion!
I am not a fan of Aven. When I say it, it feels like [name_u]Haven[/name_u] with the A left off. Isley is the spelling I would use for your other choice. I would use [name_f]Isla[/name_f] instead. It feels like a full name, where Iley feels like a nickname/cutesy name. I have yet to meet an [name_f]Isla[/name_f] yet. I also like suggestion of [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
I met the cutest baby girl named Ily this summer, and i thought that it was adorable. Ily would get my vote. I also like the Iley spelling. Iam not a fan of Aven.
Congratulations on your baby girl! You have two great name options!
I like Aven. I wouldn’t worry too much about it being given to boys. More and more girls are being given names traditionally used on boys so I think this will be less of an issue for the next generation. Girls today are named very popular boy names (think [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m], and [name_u]Mason[/name_u]!) so I think your daughter would be just fine if someone she encounters happens to have met another Aven who is a boy. I believe the spelling of Aven is pretty straight forward but don’t be surprised if people ask how to spell it just because they aren’t familiar with it. Also, some people might hear “[name_u]Haven[/name_u]” I’m not trying to talk you out of it! [name_m]Just[/name_m] trying to help you see all of the angles of it!
I also like Ily. I prefer this spelling and wouldn’t worry about the “I love you” connection. I knew a very strong, confident girl named [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] once. She mentioned the “I love you” thing but it wasn’t what defined her. [name_f]Imagine[/name_f] if someone’s initials were ILY. It would just be a coincidence, not a big deal. I don’t think it makes it too cutesy.
Sounds like you probably don’t need additional options at this point, but just in case…
[name_f]Avis[/name_f] (I LOOOOVE this and would use it in a heartbeat except for the stupid rental car company)
[name_f]Ardith[/name_f]
[name_u]Arliss[/name_u]
And I like the suggestion someone else gave of [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
I love Ailee, spelt like that. I like Aven too, but I feel like Ailee has a charm and mystical-ness I find intriguing. If you really need a meaning, “ai” means love in Japanese.
EDIT: Eilidh is the Scottish-Gaelic version of Ailee, and it sounds the same. My friend Logan’s little sister has this name, and I now much prefer this spelling.
[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! I really like the sentiment behind Aven, but aren’t they avens, pronounced “AV-enz” without the long A sound of [name_u]Avery[/name_u]? It’s a minor detail — I still prefer Aven, rhyming with [name_u]Raven[/name_u] and [name_u]Haven[/name_u], to Ily, which seems less meaningful and reminds me of [name_f]Eileen[/name_f] without the N — but I thought I’d mention it anyway.
Sound-wise I think [name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (“AY-lee”) is a good compromise between [name_u]Avery[/name_u]/Aven and Ily. A few other ideas:
Eiry - old Welsh name meaning “snow,” an older form of [name_f]Eira[/name_f]. There’s also Eirawen, the Welsh equivalent of [name_f]Snow[/name_f] White. ”
[name_f]Ismay[/name_f] - medieval name, recorded in various forms such as Ysemay and Isamaya, now associated with [name_f]Esme[/name_f].
Isola - similar to [name_f]Isla[/name_f]. This was the name of a younger sister of the Irish writer [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wilde; Isola Wilde died aged 8 of meningitis, and her brother dedicated the poem Requiescat to her memory. She was named “after the Irish name [name_f]Iseult[/name_f],” which might have roots in the Germanic element is meaning “ice.”
I like Ailee. Aven is pretty but sounds made up to me. But where you live people might be more familiar with it so that wouldn’t be a problem. I really like the suggestion of Eiry. I will also suggest [name_f]Ailis/name_f and [name_f]Eilis/name_f which I think are very pretty, and Ailee could work as a nickname. [name_u]Ainsley[/name_u] is another possibility that wouldn’t have the pronunciation problems.
Well, Initally I was more into Ily, and I think the “I love you” part is the best part of the name. However, after reading all you had to say about Aven, all the sentiment to the north, I am leaning more to Aven. Due to the meaning, I don’t see this as a masculine name. I like the floral, northern, naturey meaning. I am Canadian and I have never heard of it, and if you happen to leave the north, it’s a nice nod to where this babies life began.
I think Ily is really sweet and cute, but Aven is also really gorgeous. I would probably go with Aven, because I like the way it looks to, while Ily might get called [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] or [name_u]Riley[/name_u] by accident. I really love the suggestions of [name_u]Arden[/name_u], which is so beautiful, and [name_f]Avis[/name_f], which is actually one of my favorite girl names and much much less popular than [name_f]Ava[/name_f].
I’ve only known one Aven and it was a boy, so that’s automatically where I went. I could however see it being used as a unisex name, I really don’t think it would be a stretch! (Besides, it’s one letter away from [name_u]Haven[/name_u].) After learning of its significance to you and looking up the beautiful mountain aven, it seems like the perfect choice.
