Baby girl name

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]!
[name_m]Just[/name_m] coming here for some advice from a third party as I have a hard time filtering the nonstop opinions from family.

We are having a baby girl soon and I am feeling the pressure of naming her. We both like more classic and timeless names vs trendy/overly unique. Our last name is short (hall) so I’m not sure how to factor that in. I have always liked the idea of having a name with a natural nickname (especially more masculine nickname) since I don’t quite have that myself but I am not sure we’ve found anything we like that fits the bill.

[name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] came natural to both my husband and I and we have been calling her that most of my pregnancy.

Now that we are getting closer I am second guessing that we haven’t explored enough options! A few other names I have liked more recently are [name_f]Nora[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] (nn Millie) and [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] (unsure on mn for the last 3). Any advice? I am a chronic overthinker and don’t want to make the wrong choice on such a big decision!

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I would take a handful of choices to the delivery room. You have some wonderful choices I love [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] and [name_f]Nora[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]!

it’s totally fair to be second guessing - it is a big decision! [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is lovely (though, for what it’s worth, i’d consider the [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] spelling more classic and timeless).

i’m not sure if [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] really has a natural nickname, though, so i’d take that into consideration. of course, [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] has plenty of nicknames and is incredibly timeless, so i think it would make a good first for you!

[name_f]Nora[/name_f] and [name_f]Mia[/name_f] also don’t have natural nicknames - it’s maybe worth thinking about how important that is to you!

some other ideas:
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] “Liss”
[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] “Anna / [name_f]Annie[/name_f] / Belle”
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] “Elle / Ella”
[name_u]Florence[/name_u] “Flora”
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] “Jo” - perfectly fits the criteria of having a natural, more masculine nickname!
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f] “Lou” - same as above!
[name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] “Maddie”
[name_f]Marianne[/name_f] “Mary”
[name_f]Miriam[/name_f] “Miri”
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] “Rosie”

have you talked to your husband about this at all? does he have any additional suggestions or opinions on the matter?
if i were you, i’d take a few different choices, or a small list, into the delivery room and decide once you meet her. good luck!

[name_u]Welcome[/name_u] to NB! Deep breath! [name_u]Baby[/name_u] girl will have a name!

And you are her mother. There is no wrong choice apart from naming her something offensive.

[name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is beautiful and timeless. If you both like it and are okay, don’t let FOMO hormones mess with your head!

However, it’s okay to explore around too! The others are lovely but don’t let yourself get overwhelmed! There are lots of options out there! It’s fine to allow family members and friends to express their opinion but at the end of the day, you and your husband made her and will be taking care of her so you both take precedent. Anyone who doesn’t like that can just not be in her life.

You got this!

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First piece of advice: the opinions of your family members don’t matter. This is a decision for you and your husband to make. If these opinions are coming from your parents, just tell them: “you had the chance to name your kids, please let us name ours”.

Second piece of advice: There are no red flags at all in the names you are choosing. They are all timeless and your last name goes well with all of them. I don’t think you can really “mess up” naming your daughter.

Now for some combos you may like and potential masculine-leaning nicknames…

[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] nn [name_u]Eli[/name_u]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] [name_f]Nora[/name_f] nn [name_u]Eli[/name_u]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] nn J/Jay
[name_f]Nora[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] nn [name_u]Nori[/name_u]
[name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] nn [name_u]Jo[/name_u]
[name_f]Georgia[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] nn George/Georgie
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] nn [name_m]Al[/name_m]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f] [name_f]Hope[/name_f] nn [name_u]Jules[/name_u]
[name_f]Maxine[/name_f] [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] nn [name_u]Max[/name_u]

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Thank you so much for the advice and suggestions everyone!! You have eased my mind greatly!

[name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is lovely and would be a perfect choice.

I wonder, since you are keen on a nickname, would you consider naming her [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] and then using [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] as the nickname? [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] also gives you the option of the more masculine [name_u]Jo[/name_u] or [name_u]Joey[/name_u].

I second @venezio 's suggestion of using the [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] spelling if you do go with [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] as the first name, just because it’s the more common spelling and therefore less likely to get comments from people that it’s spelt unexpectedly.

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I feel you!! I’m due with a boy in [name_u]January[/name_u], and I’m constantly second guessing myself on the name we’ve had picked out for a while.

I think [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is a great option! If you have been calling her that for so long, it might just be the right one :slight_smile: However, if you are looking for more options just to be sure, I don’t think you can go wrong with your alternate choices :slight_smile:

[name_f]Nora[/name_f] is one of my favorite names, and I think we would choose it for a future daughter if it didn’t end in the same last two letters as my daughter’s name. It’s super sweet, and pairs nicely with [name_f]Jane[/name_f] :slight_smile: [name_u]Nori[/name_u] could be a cute nickname too! [name_u]Or[/name_u] if you wanted to go longer, [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] or [name_f]Eleanora[/name_f] could work :slight_smile:

[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is my second favorite on your list! I think it would pair nicely with so many middle names, including your other mn options of [name_f]Jane[/name_f] or [name_f]Grace[/name_f]. Also [name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_u]June[/name_u]!

Other names you may like:
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] (my too suggestion!)
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Amara[/name_f]
[name_f]Elena[/name_f]
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f]
[name_f]Della[/name_f]

Good luck!!! You’ve got this!

I went through something similar when I was pregnant - we had a clear favourite first name really early and I kept thinking “surely it can’t have been that easy?!”, especially as we got closer to the birth, but it was that easy and it’s still the perfect name now that my son’s nearly 2. Sometimes you just happen upon the right name early in the process! I’d keep an open mind and give yourself permission to change your mind when your baby is here but also she might just be Hanna Elizabeth.

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[name_f]Hanna[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is sweet and classic - nn [name_m]Han[/name_m] or [name_m]Hans[/name_m] could be more masc? [name_u]Or[/name_u] there could be [name_m]Hal[/name_m] and [name_f]Hallie[/name_f] too :slight_smile:

In terms of your other choices, I like:

[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]

[name_u]Bright[/name_u] and zippy but classic too. I’d consider the combosL

[name_f]Lillian[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] ‘Lily Jane’ ‘Lane/Laney’

[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] ‘Millie’ ‘Em’ ‘Miller’

[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] ‘Vivi’ ‘Vinnie’

or

[name_f]Lillian[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_u]Ivy[/name_u]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Faye[/name_f]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_f]Clara[/name_f]

Some classic/timeless names with natural//masc nicknames:

[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] (Matty, [name_f]Tilly[/name_f], Millie)

[name_f]Martha[/name_f] (Martie)

[name_f]Louisa[/name_f] (Lou)

[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (Charlie, Lottie)

[name_f]Harriet[/name_f] (Hattie, [name_u]Harry[/name_u], Hart)

[name_f]Julia[/name_f] (Jules)

[name_f]Naomi[/name_f] (Noa, Mimi)

I do really love Hanna Elizabeth, but for your other names I think Nora Jane is very pretty. Mia Grace is gorgeous. As for Lillian, I think Lillian Grace is beautiful or perhaps Lillian Florence or Lillian Violet. Emilia Jane, Emilia Grace and Emilia Rose all flow nicely, or perhaps Emilia Francesca if you want to go flouncy. Vivian Grace flows brilliantly or Vivian Jade.

Other names that spring to mind

Natalie
Francesca
Florence
Flora
Jasmine
Phoebe
Willa
Saskia
Ottoline
Ottilie
Beatrice
Beatrix
Cassandra
Clara
Clare
Arabella

It is your decision, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Huge congratulations :tada:

I think Hanna Elizabeth is beautiful very timeless, wholesome and classic. I do prefer the spelling Hannah I think this spelling is more visually pleasing and feels more classic.

However you do not need to name your baby before she is born take your time! It’s a huge decision you want to make sure you’ve nailed it by choosing the right name for your baby rather than rushing into an option. Take a few choices into the delivery room! I love Nora Jane so fun and spunky. I really like Mia Grace she’s sweet with a ballerina vibe and I also like Emilia. You could have Emilia Grace ‘Mia’ this would be the best of both worlds and is very glamorous. If you’re preferring Millie nickname maybe Emilia Vivian Hall could work? I love Vivian she’s very polished middle name wise maybe Vivian Florence, Vivian Kate or Vivian Claire could work. Finally I love Lillian she’s such a graceful floral choice with a nostalgic flair middle name wise you could go with Lillian Charlotte, Lillian Joy or Lillian Pearl.

Other names that could work (count any further suggestions as me being in agreement with the berries)

Ruby
Miriam
Juliet
Margaret
Sylvia
Gloria
Felicity
Verity
Martha
Edith
Beatrix
Marianne
Colette
Rosemary
Iris
Harriet

Wishing you the best of luck :sparkles:

I liked this list!