I think [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] is adorable and I love it, but I feel like a longer first name goes better with your son’s names. I don’t love Menodora, but it could grow on me. I prefer the name [name_f]Pandora[/name_f]. I like @lateaugust’s suggestion of [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]!
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Haha, toilet Menonites is not too great…
Oh, no need to be hesitant or shy about feedback. As with [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f]'s name saga, often hearing the negative feedback is helpful in either dissuading me OR letting me know that my love is stronger than the reasons not to love it.
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f]'s sounds are so much stronger but I agree that the ideas and feelings behind [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] are less solid and demonstrative.
Thank you all again for the feedback. If I have a singleton, I’m not sure after this past week that [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] Menodora can make the cut but I do feel like she might be right on the off chance I have twins (not likely at all).
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Week 12:
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[details=“[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]”]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] was one of the very first girl names my partner and I could whole-heartedly agree we both loved. I love her strength and power, the wisdom and the “of the mind/intellect” meaning. I love the imagery of grey-eyed [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and the amazingness of [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] McGonagall.
As HF’s name was always slated for a boy, we had always imagined [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] as an excellent sibling to H. We did have [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] Geneviève picked out as the backup “if we chicken out” name for our first daughter, so that kind of lost her favor with us because she has always since felt like a very “safe” option.
The biggest downside, however, is the sound of the name in [name_u]French[/name_u]:
It has always held me back, but I feel like calling her “[name_f]Mina[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Nim[/name_f]” would work well in [name_u]French[/name_u]. I recognize that I’m not sounding super chipper about the name on the whole, which does little to win you over to her cause, but [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] really will be the one that got away if we don’t use it. I do feel a slight tinge of regret at the thought of not using [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], despite the reservations we have. I also think that I spent enough of my early Nameberry years going on about loving [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] that many of you associate the name with me, and I love that. She does feel “me” to me. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband is also still thoroughly in love with her, and every time I get overwhelmed with names and think there is no hope of us coming up with the perfect name, he continually comes back to, “But what about [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]?”
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[details=“[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]”]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f] would neatly honor both of my biological grandmothers, [name_f]Margot[/name_f] and [name_u]Marie[/name_u], but (I feel a bit badly saying this), those aren’t nearly as important honors to me as many others. Nevertheless, it is nice to be able to honor them with such a lovely name.
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[details=“[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]”]
I love the alliteration. I feel that they are perfectly balanced together and this name has been on our list and a favorite for a very, very long time (which has both positives and negatives).
And while this isn’t one of my meaning-forward combos, and the name doesn’t necessarily sing out their meanings, I do love the vibe I get of the “sunny flower of the mind.” I get vibes of a warm and inviting but incredibly wise and courageous woman, and I love that.
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Alright… this is week 12. We are now half-way through my proposed 24 week experiment. Finally sharing [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] here also rounds out the shortlist of first names: [name_f]Petra[/name_f], [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f], [name_u]Tempest[/name_u], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], [name_f]Octavia[/name_f], [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f], and [name_f]Olympias[/name_f]. I believe that shortlist still stands since I made it a couple months ago. I have made MAJOR progress since we started this weekly ritual. I thank you for your patience and continued feedback and support, which really do help me clarify things. I feel closer to a true shortlist of combos for our final girl than ever before.
The remaining 12 weeks I will continue sharing my combos, but you may find them a bit more repetitive by necessity as I truly narrow and hone. Please do continue to share your feedback as it oh so helpful to me, and this weekly meditation has done so much to help clarify my priorities and desires for the naming process with this little one.
You all are the best!
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Oh, I LOVE [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. The alliteration is fabulous, and I love the contrast between the names. <3
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Okay, time to play catch-up.
[name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]:
This one grew on me the more I looked at it. Initially, I would have preferred [name_f]Olympia[/name_f], but looking at it more and reading the reasoning, it looks better and better. It has a regal, bada** feel to it. This is also my favorite combo to include [name_f]Petra[/name_f]. [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is also one of my favorite names and it ties the whole thing together.
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f] [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]:
I love both names. [name_f]Octavia[/name_f] is so strong and regal, while [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] (both pronunciations) has such a sweetness to it. I feel they balance each other out.
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] Menodora:
This is my least favorite of the bunch. I like both names, but the combo feels lacking. However, it does remind me of a character I had in high school named [name_f]Luna[/name_f] [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f], named so because it meant “moon lover” (I was fourteen, don’t judge me).
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]:
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite since [name_f]Rosmerta[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. It has the same energy and I absolutely love the mythology reference. Also, while my love for HP has waned over the years, Professor McGonagall was my childhood hero.
For me, as of now, my top three are [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f], [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], and [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f] [name_u]Jule[/name_u].
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I really like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. 
I think the nicknames [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Nim[/name_f] are adorable and perfect to fix the problem in [name_u]French[/name_u]. The alliteration is great and the fact that it has been a favorite for both of you for so long means you likely won’t regret using it.
I still really love [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] Menodora and [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] but [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] feels like a very “Metal [name_m]Ox[/name_m]” type name. Who wouldn’t want to be named after such a cool goddess?
Hmm…if [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] and [name_u]Tempest[/name_u] are not the ones then I guess [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] are tied for me right now.
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Solid shortlist!
I hope this would be the case. I have so many options I love and naming the last baby is just so hard as there will always be unused names left on the table.
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Very pretty, although I don’t pronounce it the way you say it.
Genevieve that is.
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I tend to prefer one middle combos, but the last three options have all felt somehow like “settling” for you. Pretty, but no spark.
Thisbe Menodora comes closest for me. I so love [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] and really vibe with the moony, mystical imagery I get from her next to Menodora. This combo feels very YOU. I think the problem is that I am unconvinced by the sibet as a whole.
But, enough criticism. I mostly hopped on to say that [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f] has been on mind for the last couple of weeks and I am now wholly persuaded by her. I saw it used in “real life” as a character on a show and it was much more natural than I had thought it might be. [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f] [name_u]Jule[/name_u] is definitely my frontrunner, followed by the [name_f]Petra[/name_f] options. [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] is also so perfect, but I think [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is a weak link. I’ll be so interested to see what you narrow it down to, because I feel my own opinions growing stronger each week! 
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I love [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], it’s one of my favorite girl names and [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is so sweet. I like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] but I’m not crazy about it. I’m personally not a fan of alliteration, so I prefer [name_f]Rosmerta[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. Also, I don’t think [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] sounds safe! It’s really pretty and unique 
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A bit short and sweet today, I might add more later but I couldn’t just scroll past
First, I just noticed they made a name page for [name_f]Olympias[/name_f]!
Second, [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is gorgeous! Feels like sunbeams and reading on a picnic blanket outside. I like that all the names are gently underworldly (and otherworldly). I’m still team [name_f]Olympias[/name_f], but [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] deserves to be a serious contender.
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Minerva [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is lovely! The alliteration really sings
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I really like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]! The alliteration is nice, and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is one of the most perfect ‘Metal [name_m]Ox[/name_m]’ names I’ve heard. Sturdy and strong, with a mind made of steel, and I think that [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] helps to add a hint of sweetness and sunshine to this combo. All in all, a perfectly balanced contrast between the two!
I’d say my top three are probably [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Apolline[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f], and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] 
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I love [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. The goddess association is beyond cool but there’s also the incredibly brave [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] Mirabal. (And actually because of the similar rhythm, I might have assumed the name was after her. I’m not sure how well known she is.)
Mina is a lovely nickname.
And I definitely associate [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] with you – I remember seeing it in your signature when you were pregnant with H. (username change 
)
I want to say it’s less honor heavy than some of your others.
My favorite is still [name_f]Olympias[/name_f], but I’m tied between [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f] [name_u]Jule[/name_u] and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f].
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Omg, to me, Minerva [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is a 10/10.
I think [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] would be awesome with H. and A. names. All three of them long and classic (in a old latin/greek way I mean), and with a short, spunky nickname option. I really love [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] as a name, not only because growing up I admired [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] McGonagall, but also because I do love the meaning and the goddess association. Plus, somehow this name (to me) represents both intelligence/smartness and bravery and those are attributes I’d like for my own daughter.
I know a [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]. She was my uni classmate, and the name suits her pretty nicely. At first it might sounds a bit out-of-there but inmediately you get used to it. And, to me, [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] has the same slightly melancholic/romantic vibe as [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f].
I cannot say a bad word about [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. It’s a very special name to me as I associate it with my granny. I have [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] as middle name for [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_u]Antonia[/name_u] and [name_f]Alice[/name_f].
I do like the double M in this name.
So,by now, my top 3 would be:
- Minerva [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
- Petra [name_f]Apolline[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]
- Olympias [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
And special mention to both [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] and [name_f]Octavia[/name_f].
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I planned to keep up with this thread but I didn’t really find the time to comment every week. However, I do read all of you descriptions of the names. It’s amazing to read how in dept your considerations are!
Right now [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is my favourite for you! [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] feel like a pefect fit with H and A and I love the moon cycle connection. I really like [name_f]Petra[/name_f] and I think the imagery of [name_f]Petra[/name_f] complements that of [name_f]Olympias[/name_f]. I enjoy [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] as a second middle here, although I’ve to admit that for me the real magic is in [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] [name_f]Petra[/name_f].
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Minerva [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] feels like a different style for you, closer to your style from a few years ago. It makes me think of an overgrown [name_f]English[/name_f] garden. The rhythm is great, something I also enjoyed about [name_f]Rosmerta[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]. However, this combination is missing the crispness of the ‘t’ and comes out sounding more nasal than I would like. The meanings you have listed all feel equally nice, but there isn’t any one meaning that feels exceptional. I do adore how you have described the name as “sunny flower of the mind.” Given other options, I just can’t see this name near the top of your list.
I want say some things about [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] as ‘the one that got away.’ I believe this feeling is probably linked to the nostalgia this name carries for you. It being one of the first girl names you both felt strongly about, and it being the back up option for your first daughter. Those are long lasting, positive associations. It’s almost as if you’ve already written the narrative that if your chosen name doesn’t work out, it should’ve been [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]. It sounds like part of the motivation for [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is protective, to avoid a negative outcome as opposed a pure pursuit of a positive outcome. I may be reading into too much, but there you go.
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Minerva [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is great. Very cute on a little girl but I can also see it on a serious adult. I think [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] goes great with with H & A, love the goddess association, and [name_f]Nim[/name_f] and [name_f]Mina[/name_f] seem like great solutions to the [name_u]French[/name_u] issue. I would say this is one of my favorites on its own, just a question of whether you are OK not having the honor/symbolism that some of your other choices have.
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Ok, so it has obviously taken me a minute to get back here. Lately I have been so fatigued and nauseated and vomiting several times a day and it has taken every ounce of my energy just to get through the day with the two kiddos… so I have put off anything more than lurking on Nameberry. [name_f]Every[/name_f] two weeks I have a day to myself, though (my partner takes care of both kids from the time they wake up until they go to sleep), so today I’m back for the first time in two weeks since I last convalesced all day, lol…
I have obviously not stopped THINKING about the names, however, and I’ve come to some realizations. I haven’t really had the time or energy to sit down and talk to my partner much about names at all lately, so I’m not sure where he is with them but for myself, I’m tentatively narrowing: [name_f]Petra[/name_f], [name_f]Perpetua[/name_f] “[name_f]Petra[/name_f],” and [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] are the clear frontrunners for me. I’m not quite at the point (without talking to my husband) of downright eliminating the other first name options, but right now I can’t quite picture the others on this baby. [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] [name_f]Apolline[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is a tough combo to give up (I hadn’t introduced her in this thread yet, but she had been a favorite from the beginning of this year), but the other [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], [name_u]Tempest[/name_u], and [name_f]Octavia[/name_f] combos on my shortlist just weren’t speaking to me anymore.
That said…
I had completely forgotten about this association. Years ago when I first read The Brief Wondrous Life of [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wao, I remember thinking what an awesome combo [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] Mirabal was, and that she seemed like a feisty, feminist bonus namesake for our [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]. This had just faded from memory. Thanks for the reminder!
I’m totally with you here!
You and me both, lol! I always appreciate your thoughts, however, so do come back whenever you have time!
I agree that this combo is by far the most CLASSIC option to my taste and the most reminiscent of my combos from 5 years ago. This combo and your musings on the general nostalgia have definitely made me concentrate on those intuitive feelings I have that [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is just not the right name for this moment for me and that she partly belongs to a bygone era of possibility for me. But then again, I still have no idea how my partner feels about this and it may still be his favorite, in which case I’ll have to see if it can feel more relevant and current over time.
I’ll be drafting a new post right away so stay tuned…
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13:
[name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] Líadan
[haha, apologies for A’s babbling “dadada” in the background from the other room]
[details=“[name_f]Petra[/name_f]”]
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[details=“[name_f]Olympias[/name_f]”]
Too much to quote from my prior Olympias post in this topic but please go back if you didn’t read it a couple months ago or if you need refreshing!
I have really been feeling lately like she MUST be included somewhere, whether as first, solo middle, middle 1, or middle 2.
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Líadan
Wildly underused… undermentioned to a scandalous degree here on Nameberry (I see her infrequently), I think Líadan is an incredibly fresh-sounding yet ancient Irish name. Straightforward enough in its pronunciation (I feel like most people can get it upon one correction, I pronounce it [name_f]Leah[/name_f]-din with an emphasis on the first syllable) unlike so many other favorites, which is I think what ultimately won her favor with my partner.
She is solid, stoic but elegant, the “grey lady,” legendary poetess. A great metal ox name, but perhaps with softer sounds than many of my metal ox choices. And I would be tickled to get to honor my Irish heritage more directly, particularly in a [name_u]Roche[/name_u] honor name (that’s my Irish side).
[details=“[name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Olympias[/name_f] Líadan”]
Together, I get grey stone mountain rock imagery… it actually reminds me a bit of the alpinist Runaway [name_f]Bunny[/name_f] page:
"If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,” said his mother, “I will be a mountain climber, and I will climb to where you are.”
I absolutely love these initals POL, which feels an honor to the Pauls and Paulines and I could also call her Poline/Pauline as a pet name in [name_u]French[/name_u]… POLK is not quite as cute in its totality, particularly considering I’m not at all a fan of the ‘dark horse’ US [name_m]President[/name_m] (my only association)… but “polka dot” would be adorable!!
It also might bother some others, but I LOVE the interlacing Ps and Ls in this combo (here I come back to the triskelion knot imagery from [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]'s run). And a bonus in that the entire combo encapsulates my name with all its letters in order… kinda cool. I also didn’t mention this in Líadan’s intro but I like that the din syllable is also very close if not identical to the [name_m]Den[/name_m] in my mom’s name (D3ni$e).
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Overall, I have been loving repeating this combo to myself over the past weeks so I figured it was time to share her officially (I had already mentioned these names together in early comments to @kachenka).
Well… that wasn’t so hard or time-consuming. I’m glad I had the energy for this post today. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] to be back next week, but if I’m not, you’ll know why and just sit tight for 2 weeks when I’ll have another day with downtime and lounging about.
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