My husband and I are having a baby girl and having some issues finding the perfect name. Our last name ends in A, and while we like many names that end in A ([name_f]Lila[/name_f], [name_f]Noa[/name_f], [name_f]Leah[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f], etc). We feel strongly that we can’t have a name that ends in A as it rhymes too much with our last name. We even named our dog [name_f]Stella[/name_f] because we loved the name but knew it was out for a child because of the rhyming issue. The next dilemma is that a lot of the names we happen to really like, are tending to rank pretty high on the popular lists- We are concerned about having our daughter be in a class with 5 other Penelopes or [name_u]Harper[/name_u]'s. The names we tend to like have a romantic/vintage feel to them, but some of them I worry about sounding too “old lady” ([name_u]Eloise[/name_u]). One of the reasons I really like [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is because a best friend who passed away was nicknamed [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/ [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], and we could use that nickname here. Here is the list we have narrowed it down to so far and the concerns we have with each.
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] - [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f] for short
currently our top choice, but we are getting a lot of negative feedback on [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]- people seem to think its too “old lady”
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]/[name_f]Juliette[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] - [name_u]Jules[/name_u] for short
I really love this, but my husband doesn’t love [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]- he does like [name_u]Jules[/name_u] though
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u]
concerned that [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] may be too popular now thanks to [name_f]Kourtney[/name_f] Kardashian.We don’t like [name_u]Penny[/name_u] for short, would probably try to use [name_f]Elle[/name_f] here.
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u] - not sure about middle name here - [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]? [name_f]Violet[/name_f]?
my husbands top choice for first name is [name_u]Sloane[/name_u], which I like, but it doesn’t have that vintage/romantic feel I’m looking for.
[name_u]Harper[/name_u] - again not sure about middle name - [name_u]Grey[/name_u]? [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]?
We like [name_u]Harper[/name_u], but think it might be too popular
I also really like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] but my husband doesn’t like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]
I would love to get thoughts on our list - ESPECIALLY on [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] as that is our top choice currently
Suggestions of any similar sounding names that don’t end in A are welcome!
I honestly think [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] is your winner. I don’t think [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is old lady at all, it’s a lovely vintage name making a comeback. Vintage names are very much in style so I do not see you having any issues with a little [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]. Another plus is that you both love [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] whereas some of the other names you like more than your husband ([name_f]Juliet[/name_f]/[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]) or your husband likes more than you ([name_u]Sloane[/name_u]).
I absolutely love [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]! I feel like is has so much spunk and is a great name for a little girl. I definitely don’t think it’s too old lady. It always makes me think of the “[name_u]Eloise[/name_u] at the Plaza” books which were a favorite in my house growing up. [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] seems to hit all the points you want and is a wonderful way to honor your friend. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you are concerned about it being an old lady name, the nickname [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f] is anything but and can be used if you feel the urge to make her name more modern or if you feel like [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is too much for her while she’s young. Personally though, I think it’s perfect!
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] would be my second choice. I’m not particularly a fan of [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_u]Sloane[/name_u], or [name_u]Harper[/name_u].
Sorry, honestly I don’t like the name [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], I prefer [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] or [name_f]Elise[/name_f]. Second would be [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], which I think is beautiful and classic I don’t like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] at all and [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] is even worse. [name_u]Harper[/name_u] is okay, [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] sounds too old in my opinion.
You have a great list! I think [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] has everything you are looking for; it doesn’t sound old lady to me at all. I love [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] as well. [name_u]Harper[/name_u] and [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] aren’t my style, but they’re fine names.
I love [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], especially with the nickname [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]. Another option is [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], which could still use the [name_f]Elle[/name_f] nickname. I like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] as well and know of a little girl who goes by [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]. She is the only [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] I know and believe both names suit her.
I think [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is beautiful, and paired with [name_u]Grey[/name_u] it is ESPECIALLY lovely. [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] are also quite pretty. I like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u] as well, but I agree that the popularity is a turn-off. Personally I find [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] to be a horrendous name, even after meeting a sweet baby girl named that.
Family tradition dictates that I can only use girls names that [name_f]DO[/name_f] end in A, so I have the exact opposite problem. However, here are a few possibilities that I love but won’t be able to use myself!
[name_f]Elaine[/name_f]
[name_u]Story[/name_u]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
Peranelle (similar in sound to [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] but without the popularity issue)
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Coral[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
I love [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] [name_u]Grey[/name_u]. I can’t think of anything to top it. “Old Lady” names are back in a big way and aren’t going to sound like that to the generations below us.
I love [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]! I have to say though - [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f] is EXTREMELY popular. I know 3 people who have named their daughters [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] and SEVERAL others who have longer first names that begin with “[name_f]El[/name_f]” so they all go by the nickname [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]. Therefore, I think it’s [name_m]WAY[/name_m] more popular than [name_u]Harper[/name_u] or [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. I prefer [name_u]Lou[/name_u] or [name_f]Lulu[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_u]Eloise[/name_u].
I actually really like [name_u]Harper[/name_u] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]. It’s got a great balance of spunky and vintage. [name_u]Harper[/name_u] IS climbing the charts. I’m not sure where you live, but if you live in the US, you can look up the top 100 names in your state on the social security website. I think that’s more accurate than just looking at the national list.
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_u]Gray[/name_u] and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_u]Gray[/name_u] are also great choices. Again, I would personally steer clear of the [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] nickname since you sound concerned with popularity. I would go with [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Nellie[/name_f]/[name_u]Nelly[/name_u] or [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] as nicknames instead. [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] is probably the safest popularity-wise. Yes, [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is gaining popularity but I don’t think as much as [name_u]Harper[/name_u] and definitely not nearly as much as [name_f]Ellie[/name_f].
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u] is nice, but it doesn’t “wow” me. However, I am really liking [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u].
I like a few on your list but the most beautiful one, in my opinion is [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] [name_u]Grey[/name_u]. I don’t think it’s old lady-ish at all, I worked in a nursing home for 8 yeArs and have never come across an old lady named [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]. To me it is a romantic and classic name. My second choice off your list is [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u]. It’s your choice to name your baby, people will come around to [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] quickly, and it soon won’t sound old lady-ish to them for long.
I have a daughter, [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] and I also have a [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] is called by her full name, as we don’t use the [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]/[name_f]Elle[/name_f] nickname. [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is called, [name_f]Poppy[/name_f].
Thanks everyone! Sounds like most people like [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] and it makes me feel a little more confident about the choice. However, there were some good points, like [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f] being very popular, but I think that’s okay, because we will likely call her [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] most of the time, I just think it’s nice to have a name you can shorten. I will also look into the charts for my state, thanks for that tip!
I don’t like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] at all and [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] is even worse. [name_u]Harper[/name_u] is okay, [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] sounds too old in my opinion.