We had first agreed on the name [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], then rejected it because it was so common, it’s in the top ten here and almost everywhere else. We weren’t happy though because we all really liked it.
Then I came with a list of names, he didn’'t like. He suggested [name_f]Alice[/name_f], I don’t really like because it’s pretty common as well and it doesn’t match with her last name starting with ST.
Then he suggested [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and that was OK with me. I don’t like it as much as [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], but it sounds good, it isn’t too common, and I find it rather classy, so why not if he likes it ?
So that was us left with [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] -and [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] still on our minds- when he talked to his mother on the phone and told her about our choice. And she laughed out loud at both the names we had on our list. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is far common and she made a list of all the neighbours and people she knows having a daughter/grand-daughter named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is old-fashionned and she will be called “dafty” at school and scooby Doo yada yada yada
So now he’s changed his mind about those names and wants to find another one. And of course, he thinks [name_f]Alice[/name_f] again.
I suggested we could change [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] a bit to make it more original: [name_f]Zoelie[/name_f]? or Zoelyn ? both sound pretty good to me. I can’t find a good variant for [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. he isn’t really convinced I’m afraid.
So what would you do if you were me ? Would you insist on [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] ? or on [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] ? After all his mother is only the grand-mother, she shouldn’t get to chose a name.
Or would you go with [name_f]Zoelie[/name_f] ? or Zoelyn ? That’s roughly the same as [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] but not as common and [name_f]MIL[/name_f] didn’t say anything against them (I’ll try and convince him to keep the chosen name secret until the baby’s born !).
Would you accept [name_f]Alice[/name_f] ?
Or would you try and find a completely different name ?
After talking so much about it, I didn’t expect such a sudden change of mind, I’m a bit lost ! Thanks in advance for your help
I love both [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]! [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] has my heart, and I would have no qualms about using it, but [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is gorgeous, too. It seems like [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is still what you both love, so I would honestly go for that. I mean, I grew up with a popular name (number 2 in my country!) and I didn’t attend school with another [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] until I was in my eleventh year. Popularity doesn’t guarantee that she’ll end up [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] R. or [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] Z. And popularity is a lot less concentrated than what it used to be. I adore everything about [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]–her zippiness, her meaning (can you get better than “life”?!), the way that she feels super modern but has literally been used for centuries–on women anywhere from empresses to adorable little inner-city girls, from Parisiennes to Americans to Brits and Aussies, and it apparently ranks in over 15 countries in their top 100s. That’s not just a fad, imo–that’s international staying power, which almost makes her a classic. She may not be [name_f]Mary[/name_f], but she’s still pretty great! The word “zoe” was one of the first words I learned in Koine (Ancient) Greek, too, so I like that she’s a legitimate Greek word name (sort of like [name_f]Violet[/name_f] in English or [name_f]Claire[/name_f] in [name_m]French[/name_m], as opposed to [name_f]Sunshine[/name_f] in English or Miette in [name_m]French[/name_m], which are used, but aren’t really mainstream). Maybe she’s too popular and cutesy for some, but I’m head-over-heals in love with her, and she could be anyone from a soccer player (footballer?) to a lawyer to a violinist to a nanny to a stay-at-home-mom to a foreign minister. I like that she’s Greek, but not really associated with mythology (to my knowledge, anyway). She’s a firm fixture on my own list.
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]'s really great, too, but I can’t imagine to gush about her like I do [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. I grew up with a girl about 10 years younger than me named [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] (with a very different spelling), and she did just fine with it, and as far as I know, had no regrets. I grew up in an area that has more unusually named kids than commonly named kids, though, so bear that with a grain of salt. [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]'s very vogue right now, though, so I can’t imagine the teasing would be that bad? I think “Daph” is a rather cool nn, sort of like [name_f]Soph[/name_f] for [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]/[name_f]Sophia[/name_f].
If you don’t love [name_f]Alice[/name_f], I definitely wouldn’t agree to it, though.
Well, [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] are two of my all-time favorite names, so if I were in your shoes, I’d definitely pick one of them! (Keeping in mind that I don’t care at all about popularity.) If you do decide they’re out, though, I’d keep looking for other names, rather than settling for a name you don’t really like ([name_f]Alice[/name_f]). I’m sure you two can find something the both of you love. (And definitely no more consulting with the [name_f]MIL[/name_f]!) Since you seem to like Greek names that end with that long E sound, what about [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], [name_f]Calliope[/name_f], or [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]? Or if you want some names similar to [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] has a lot of the same sounds. Keeping to the variations of [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] idea, there’s also [name_f]Zoya[/name_f], which is the Russian version of the name. I’m not really fond of Zoelyn, but [name_f]Zoelie[/name_f] could be okay, I guess. I’m actually planning to use [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] if we have another little girl, which is definitely a stretch, but I think it works. (Hubby’s not a fan of [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], so this is the only way I’ll be able to use her.) I could also see it working as a nickname for [name_f]Zofia[/name_f].
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is cute and interesting but it doesn’t speak to me. [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], on the other hand is one of my favourites. I like the combo [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] very much. (“Dafty” is NOT a taunt that anyone should worry about. The word “daft” isn’t used anymore and schoolchildren don’t know what it is.)
If you really feel stuck and need more inspiration, what about:
[name_f]Zadie[/name_f]
[name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u]
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
[name_u]Rae[/name_u]
[name_f]Petra[/name_f]
[name_u]Skye[/name_u]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is a wonderful name. Most of the names being given to children nowadays are old-fashioned. I swear half of them were names of my great-aunts. But now they’re current and those of us who remember a wrinkly old lady who smelled of powder by that name need to get over it. And I don’t think the word “daft” has been used in 50 years. My mother hated [name_f]Margot[/name_f] when I told her that’s what I was naming my daughter, and she pretty much got over it the minute she saw her. Stick to what you love. Your mother-in-law got to pick her children’s names and now it’s your turn. I agree there are a lot of [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s and I’d be a bit hesitant to use it personally. I always tried to go south of the top 100 names myself. But if you don’t mind that, then go with it and don’t look back.
Thanks for giving me your honest opinion. At least, I won’t feel bad for rejecting [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and I won’t feel compelled to spend hours finding yet another name. unless he suggests a name with the Wow factor. So that’s me left with [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Zoelie[/name_f] or Zoelyn (and I like them all for different reasons). Phew !
A variant of [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] is Dafina and a variant of [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is [name_f]Zoya[/name_f].
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] are gorgeous names! [name_m]Just[/name_m] because they are in the top 10 in your state, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them. Depending on the popularity of the name in parts of the state, your [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] may be the only one in her class.
I don’t think it should deter you from using a name you love.
And popularity is a lot less concentrated than what it used to be. I adore everything about [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]–her zippiness, her meaning (can you get better than “life”?!), the way that she feels super modern but has literally been used for centuries–on women anywhere from empresses to adorable little inner-city girls, from Parisiennes to Americans to Brits and Aussies, and it apparently ranks in over 15 countries in their top 100s. That’s not just a fad, imo–that’s international staying power, which almost makes her a classic. She may not be [name_f]Mary[/name_f], but she’s still pretty great! The word “zoe” was one of the first words I learned in Koine (Ancient) Greek, too, so I like that she’s a legitimate Greek word name (sort of like [name_f]Violet[/name_f] in English or [name_f]Claire[/name_f] in [name_m]French[/name_m], as opposed to [name_f]Sunshine[/name_f] in English or Miette in [name_m]French[/name_m], which are used, but aren’t really mainstream). Maybe she’s too popular and cutesy for some, but I’m head-over-heals in love with her, and she could be anyone from a soccer player (footballer?) to a lawyer to a violinist to a nanny to a stay-at-home-mom to a foreign minister. I like that she’s Greek, but not really associated with mythology (to my knowledge, anyway). She’s a firm fixture on my own list.