After months of collecting names for our girl due in [name]June[/name], I think we are close to final but I’d love to hear opinions.
We are looking for something a little old fashioned but not too retirement home with a classy feminine touch. Really trying to stay away from hot trending names but it’s tough. Name choice of the moment is:
[name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name]
or
[name]Lydia[/name] [name]Mattea[/name] (to honor my father, [name]Mathias[/name]). Is 2 names ending in “a” too much? We could save it for baby number 2, assuming there is one
I don’t think either middle you are considering fits perfectly. Yes, the repeating endings are problematic with [name]Mattea[/name] (though honoring your Dad is a great idea), and also the back to back vowel sounds in [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name] make for an abrupt transition and take away from the flow of the name.
Some other suggestions: (of course, if you have someone/something else you’d like to name her after, that’s always the best source of inspiration)
[name]Lydia[/name] is my favorite! It definitely fits that vintage, sophisticated feel you are going for. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to agree with JLM on this one - I, too, don’t feel either [name]Iris[/name] or [name]Mattea[/name] are right with [name]Lydia[/name].
[name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name] has the unfortunate problem of awkward vowel sounds, where the A in [name]Lydia[/name] runs into the I in [name]Iris[/name]. It makes for less than stellar flow. What attracted you to [name]Iris[/name]? Was it the color, the meaning, the flower? If it is the color, you might like [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Hazel[/name]. If it is the meaning, I can’t really endorse [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Rainbow[/name], so you might want to nix that one. And, if it is the flower, you might like [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Marigold[/name], [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Hyacinth[/name], [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Rose[/name], or [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Fern[/name].
As for [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Mattea[/name], I’m not a huge fan of the first and middle names ending in the same letter, and it seems to bother you a bit, too. Also, [name]Mattea[/name] feels very off, style-wise, with [name]Lydia[/name]. You might want to save [name]Matthew[/name] (or [name]Mathias[/name]) for a middle name for a future son, if you have one. Now, if you want to honor your dad, you could do so in several ways. One is by honoring the meaning of his name, which is “Gift of God.” [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Dorothy[/name] might work, as [name]Dorothy[/name] also means “Gift of God.” Another thing to do would be to honor a hobby of your father’s. [name]Say[/name], for example, your dad was a bird watcher - something along the lines of [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Lark[/name], [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Jay[/name], or [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Wren[/name] might be pretty. Finally, you could honor your father’s birth month with [name]Lydia[/name]'s middle name. For example, if your father was born in [name]June[/name], you could name your little girl [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Pearl[/name], as the pearl is [name]June[/name]'s birth stone. So many possibilities!
Finally, I’d just like to say that my own personal favorite [name]Lydia[/name] combination is [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], #1 on my list for a future daughter. [name]Catherine[/name] is the ultimate in vintage sophistication, and its meaning - “pure” - is quite lovely, too.
I like [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Matteo[/name] because it honors your father. [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name] is really pretty but does it have any personal meaning to you? You could save [name]Iris[/name] for a future daughter. [name]Lydia[/name] and [name]Iris[/name] would make a lovely sibset.
Oh! Can I just say that I considered [name]Mattea[/name] for our little girl. I was really wanting to call her “[name]Thea[/name]” and that was one of the routes. Very pretty, not common. Like it.
Hmmm…well that’s a hard one. Out of your two suggestions, I prefer the sound of [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name] - I think it is beautiful. But will you regret not using [name]Mattea[/name] in honor of your father? That said, if you have a boy next, you could use your father’s actual name in the first or middle name spot which would be very special as well.
I disagree that the double a ending is too much. I think it’s pretty…as long as your last name isn’t 3 syllables and doesn’t also end in an “a”. Then I think it would be too much!
I also think honouring your father is a lovely idea. You could wait til you have a son to honour him but then that may never happen and I think [name]Mattea[/name]'s lovely for a girl
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Iris[/name]! I don’t think the A to I transition is a problem at all. My name very close to this one, and I haven’t minded it one bit. It’s a great combo!
[name]Lydia[/name] [name]Mattea[/name] is a bit of a mouthful. It’s not just that both end in A ([name]Lydia[/name] [name]Seraphina[/name] would be fine) but that they have very similar sounds-- three syllables, D or T sound in the middle, IA or EA ending. I would save it for #2. [name]Will[/name] you use [name]Mathias[/name] for a boy? I [name]LOVE[/name] that name, and [name]Lydia[/name] and [name]Mathias[/name] is an awesome sibset!
I think [name]Lydia[/name] is a lovely choice! I would say go with [name]Lydia[/name] [name]Mattea[/name]. Using your father’s name in there makes it special and a name you will appreciate all her life. I wouldn’t worry too much about the endings being the same because you’ll rarely call her by both names at once.
not sure if anyone is checking this thread, but i wanted to give a bit THANK YOU to everyone for such great thoughts and opinions. I love all the suggestions. We STILL haven’t finalized our middle name choice but are very close. thanks nameberries!
