Back to the Drawing Board

[system]

Ok so [name]Harriet[/name] and [name]Alice[/name] are definitely out because of our difficult last name, Manis (pronounced [name]May[/name]-nis by us, but [name]Man[/name]-is by others). >:( The first name that’s really standing out to us at the moment (besides those two that we love and can’t use) is [name]Imogen[/name]. I’m actually starting to think having a daughter named [name]Imogen[/name] would be super cool. Not to mention I think [name]Imogen[/name] will fit right in with our family of names; [name]Brian[/name] (DH), [name]Cathryn[/name] (me), and [name]Benton[/name] (DS). We all end in N. Plus [name]Imogen[/name] Heap adds a cool factor in my opinion.
So now the task is to find the perfect middle name. I like the idea of using a family name in the middle spot since [name]Benton[/name] is named after great grandfathers, but I’m not married to that theme. I would like the name to have some kind of significance to us though. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far…

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] - I know for some of you the 3-3 syllables will bother you, but I love [name]Isabel[/name] so much more than [name]Isabella[/name] (yes, I’m a twilight hater). I like this combo because it reminds me of my great grandma, [name]Emma[/name] [name]Maebelle[/name]. Plus [name]Isabel[/name] is the Spanish variation of [name]Elizabeth[/name] which is my middle name.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] - Like I said, [name]Elizabeth[/name] is my middle name. There’s always been something odd to me about naming my child after myself. Especially since my mother can no longer stand the x-best friend that I was named after. My sister has tried to ease that pain for me by telling me about all these ancestors that we have named [name]Elizabeth[/name], but I’m still not so sure about using it for my own child. On top of that [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] seems like a mouthful to me.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name] - I have a little cousin named [name]Emma[/name] [name]Rose[/name]. She’s not a close cousin, nor do we see her often. Not sure if this should be a concern. [name]Rosie[/name] was my DH’s great grandmother’s name.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] - My DH and I both have great aunt Hazels that we have fond childhood memories of, and the hazel nut tree is the tree for [name]March[/name] which is when baby is due.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] - [name]Garland[/name] is a SUPER old family name on my dad’s side of the family. Originally we just thought it was a random name chosen by our great grandmother for her son, but my sis is big into genealogy and she discovered that the name has a really long family history and was originally a surname. The [name]Judy[/name] [name]Garland[/name] connection doesn’t hurt either.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Briar[/name] - This would be a nod to my DH. What’s funny is he’s not crazy about it. Apparently neither of us really want a kid named after us. lol

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name] - Us giving a child the name [name]Wolfe[/name] would mean a lot to my mother in-law, her mother, and her step-dad. Her step-dad is a great man and loving father and grandfather. It would be a cool way to honor him since it’s his surname and he has no biological children. My DH isn’t a fan of [name]Wolfe[/name] on a girl even though it’s in the middle. I love the idea! Frustrating.

What are your opinions? Any other suggestions? I love to hear others’ breakdowns of my names, so don’t be afraid to be lengthy and honest.

And one more question. lol Sorry, I know this is long. [name]Benton[/name] is 2 and a half and cannot say [name]Imogen[/name]. I’m going to keep working with him on it, but I figure he’ll end up calling her [name]Immy[/name] (Immie, Immi, Imme?). I have no idea how to spell it though. I don’t expect it to be a nickname that will stick lifelong, more like just a family pet name. Thoughts?

Thank you for sharing any thoughts you may have!

[september]

I love [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] and the history behind it! That is my favorite of your picks, but [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] are also really nice.

[name]Immy[/name] is cute as a family pet name!

[system]

I really like the history behind it too, september. Thanks!

[taz]

[name]Garland[/name]! So cool! But I love [name]Judy[/name] [name]Garland[/name] so I am partial to it.

As for the nn let your son do whatever. My sister called me Yaya!

[shanbrownie]

I also like [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name]. It’s pretty and unique and I love the story behind it. I wanted to love [name]Wolfe[/name] for this reason too, but it would sound much better on a boy. And you can’t go wrong with the beautiful [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name].

[system]

lol Thanks, taz. My son probably will rename her in his own way. He’s already done that with several family members. My mom wanted to be Granny, but he named her GingGing. My sister was supposed to be Aunt [name]Pamela[/name], but he calls her [name]LaLa[/name]. My brother in-law was going to be Uncle [name]Dave[/name]. His moniker is now [name]Biff[/name]. lol

That’s two votes for [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name]! Keep 'em coming!

[system]

I mean 3 votes! hehe Thanks for your input, shanbrownie!

[system]

I love [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name]. [name]Garland[/name] is an old family name and lovely, but I think [name]Wolfe[/name] would be more sentimental. It’s a great way to honor a man in the family with no biological children of his own to carry on his name.

[blade]

I have [name]Wolfe[/name] as a close family name, too (mother’s maiden name) and thought long and hard about using it for a girl. Unfortunately I just don’t think it works; it’s too closely wedded to the animal and seems a bit too ferocious for a little girl. I even have reservations about using it for a boy.

Anyway, [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] is perfect! She gets a smooth first name, ending with N, with lovely literary connotations and yet a style that blends in with the Jadens and Gracens. She gets an old family middle name, like [name]Grover[/name]. She gets a grown-up name that works one little girl. She gets a botanical image, what with a garland of flowers. It really is perfect-- good job!

[capturedcastle]

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] is SUCH a cool name, and even cooler considering your family history! [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name] is really pretty too. I wouldn’t worry about the distant cousin–besides, if the original [name]Rosie[/name] was a great-grandma, she’s already got exponential namesakes, I’m sure. [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name] is my 3rd favorite–I like tough names for girls =P

[pam]

Yes, I was going to vote [name]Garland[/name] or [name]Wolfe[/name] too, absolutely, with [name]Hazel[/name] a distant third. To me, scratch [name]Rose[/name] off the list – sooooo much more ordinary.

[lilysong]

I really like the name [name]Imogen[/name], but since it’s not that common a name, some people might have trouble with it (non Nameberry people I mean). I think it’d be a great idea to pair the name with something better known. Several of the names on your list would fit that criteria -[name]Rose[/name], [name]Isabel[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Hazel[/name], unless you want to have an educative role in your circle of friends and family -unless you have enlightened friends & family already.
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] - You’re right, I have trouble with the 3-3 syllable count, and yet [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] seems to work well together. I also like the sound of [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Sable[/name] as suggested by a pp, but I don’t really like the meaning of [name]Sable[/name].
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] - I like this combo too -it doesn’t seem like too much of a mouthfull to me. If you want a name to reflect Your name and bring in the idea of [name]Isabel[/name] too, you could of course use a name related to both such as:
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Anabelle[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Bethany[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Lizbeth[/name]
etc.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name] - This is a really pretty combination. I think that your distant cousins would understand your desire to honor your DH’s great grandmother. You could of course change it up a bit and use a name related to [name]Rose[/name]:
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rosina[/name] (my great grandmother’s name )
[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rosabelle[/name]/ Rosabel (I didn’t make this up -but this could be a way to bring in [name]Isabel[/name] & [name]Rose[/name])

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] - I like this combination & the family meaning behind it.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] - This name is nms. It flows nicely and has a nice meaning but it sounds kind of masculine to me.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Briar[/name] - If DH doesn’t like it, I would avoid it. [name]Briar[/name] always makes me think of Sleeping Beauty ([name]Briar[/name] [name]Rose[/name] was her original name before Disney got a hold of her)

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name] - [name]Wolfe[/name] seems very masculine to me too.

I really like your DS’ names for your family members. It would be fun to see what he comes up with for your DD whether [name]Immy[/name] or something else. Did you know that [name]Buzz[/name] Aldrin got his nickname from his sisters who couldn’t pronounce “brother” and said “[name]Buzz[/name]” instead? His actual name is [name]Edwin[/name] [name]Eugene[/name]. !!!

[c11]

Vote for [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name]. [name]Garland[/name] would be my 2nd.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] - 3-3 syllable is not a huge problem for me, but I won’t choose [name]Isabel[/name] for [name]Imogen[/name] because the same initial (with exactly same emphasize on ‘I’).

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] - Pretty. But I understand your… incertitude about whether to name your daughter after you or not. (I experience this too in my naming plan)

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] - I love this and the meaning behind.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] - So pretty that I’m torn between this and [name]Hazel[/name].

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Briar[/name] - I’m neutral about this. Good combo.

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name] - agree with @lilysong I’m not sure to even consider [name]Wolfe[/name] for girl.

[samanthamwebb]

I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name]! I’ve never thought of [name]Garland[/name] as a name, but it is beautiful! It would be cute as a first name too.

[system]

Yay! It seems that [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Garland[/name] is the way to go. I still love [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Wolfe[/name]. I kind of like the ferociousness of [name]Wolfe[/name] for a girl since I’m a bit of a feminist, but I just don’t think I’m going to be able to convince my DH. He does like [name]Garland[/name] though. While I do love [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Rose[/name], I agree with [name]Pam[/name] that it doesn’t stand out like the others do. [name]Even[/name] [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] is sounding a bit plain to me. I really want something strong and spunky for my daughter. I’m thinking [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name] need to be removed from our list because they’re really too frilly/girly for my liking. I mean the reason why I liked [name]Alice[/name] so much was because of the connection to the character, [name]Alice[/name] Abernathy of Resident Evil. There’s nothing frilly or girly about her. She’s a zombie killing bad a$$! lol I’m also a fan of [name]Alice[/name] in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and how brave [name]Alice[/name] has to be to face and kill the Jabberwocky. I want my daughter to know that she can be anything she wants and do anything she wants with her life, and I want her name to encompass some of that power… if that makes any sense.

Thank you so much for all your responses! I was especially stoked to see your comment, [name]Pam[/name].

[pam]

Of course! You have several great choices – and I think narrowing it down by ruling out [name]Isabel[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], and [name]Rose[/name] is smart.