Big sister feels like they know the baby's name before they are born?

I have been mulling over baby names for a while now, our surprise gender little one is due April 1st.

We love earthy/vintage & family names best.

We already have two daughters “Chava Mae (hebrew for eve, silent c ~ also my mothers middle name) & Hazel Oak” …their full names are actually Chavilah Mae & Hazel Oak Olivet though!

If we have a boy, we will probably name them Woodrow “Woods” ~ also family name :heart:

Our 5 yr old daughter has been calling this baby ‘Fern’ since we found out we were expecting, and now her little sister hazel does the same. Its seriously hard not to feel a little attactched to the name at this point, Im not sure why- but she is quite set on fern. And it feels like it fits, I always liked it, but it truly feels like part of us now. Its made me love it. As well as my husband, who wasnt much if a fan at first actually.
Does that make sense?

Should also mention, shes not one for naming things. Like most of the names she picks for things are like, made up noises no one can remember haha. I mention names often, but no other name has stuck like this at all for her.

Has anyone else had a child feel like this about a baby on the way? Has it influenced your decision?

We’ve of coarse assured her that we dont know the gender, and it will be a surprise, and we wont choose a name until we meet them, but its for sure been a big part of our naming journey with this baby!

I sort of feel like unless this baby just does NOT feel like a Fern when we meet them, (if they are in fact a girl at all-) Fern needs to be in her name.

Any similar stories out there?

Thats all :heart:

No decisions have been made of coarse, just find it to be an interesting circumstance. Need to find more fern middle name options maybe…

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first of all, your daughters have the most beautiful names! i’m just swooning! 🫶🏼

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i’m also currently pregnant, and we’ve been having a hard time choosing a name for this little one, so i can relate to the journey being a little different than what one has expected.

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i did have a dear friend whose nephew was set on calling his little sister ‘grace’. they didn’t know they were expecting a girl, at the time, but did end up having a girl! they made it her middle name, and she is celia grace.

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maybe you could do something similar with fern, if you love it, but it doesn’t feel quite right when baby is here— something along the lines of rosalie fern or kindred fern would fit nicely with your girls’ names, imo! :herb:

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i’ve always thought it was pretty darling how little ones can be so in tune with the other side— much more than us adults! and truly, it is so special that your daughter has such a connection to this baby already, even if she/he isn’t fern! :sparkles:

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i hope my rambling can help or ease your mind a bit. i know your baby will have the most wonderful name regardless of what you choose— and of course, it will be perfect for him or her!

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We had kind of a similar situation, when we were pregnant with our 2nd we had it narrowed down to 2 names. And it was our oldest daughter who swayed us to what her name is now. I think its pretty common for oldest children to have an influence on their younger siblings names. I know someone whose oldest insisted the baby be named pirate ship, so they went with the [name_f]French[/name_f] word ‘corsaire’ as a middle. I also know someone whose daughter called the baby gummy bear, so they named her [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] because it sounded similar.

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And at least [name_f]Fern[/name_f] is already a well established, beautiful name and it fits so well with your girls names! If you hated it I’d say you wouldn’t have to use it (or you could use an alternative like Irata or something that sounds similar like Frances/Francesca) but it sounds like you like the name so I do think using it would create a sweet bond/memory for your family.

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[name_f]Fern[/name_f] is a great name! I love it with [name_f]Chava[/name_f] and [name_f]Hazel[/name_f].

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I’m an older sister and I really wanted my baby brother to be [name_m]Alexandros[/name_m] (the Greek form of Alexander) and while I still like that name a lot, I’m happy my parents chose the name that they[name_f][/name_f] loved the most! :sweat_smile:[name_f][/name_f] It fits him perfectly and I couldn’t imagine my brother as [name_m]Alexandros[/name_m] now. So I’d say that, if [name_f]Fern[/name_f] doesn’t feel right for you, don’t feel pressured to use it.

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Aw, love that [name_f][/name_f]- and [name_f]Fern[/name_f] is such a lovely name :heart:

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Not quite the same but when my aunt was pregnant with my younger cousin, she was going through a name book and the one my cousin liked was [name_f]Darby[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- I remember she thought that was the baby’s name for a while! Not sure how much influence it really had but my youngest cousin is [name_f][/name_f] [name_f]Ruby[/name_f][name_f][/name_f], so quite a few of the same elements.

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[name_f]Fern[/name_f] is an excellent choice and she fits so well with your other daughters. If you love the name and they do, I would go for it. [name_f]Fern[/name_f] would feel special knowing that her whole family had a role in naming her.

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If you love it, I would say go for it!

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Not exactly the same, but I do like to hear the older kids say the names on my shortlist to see how it sounds for them to say it. I am not into letting my kids name their siblings, but if they fell in love with a name it would really make me love it more too.

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That said, [name_f]Fern[/name_f] is such a great name! [name_f]My[/name_f] [name_f]Fern[/name_f] [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] (7yo) is great. I thought of [name_f]Fern[/name_f] as such a sweet name for a sweet child, and my [name_f]Fern[/name_f] is definitely not sweet like her sisters, but she’s fun and creative and strong and hilarious. I think it’s a name that can fit any personality. She gets excited about seeing ferns in the wild, and was excited to come home from school and report that they studied ferns that day. I definitely recommend the name :smile:🩷:herb:

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My oldest wanted her youngest sister to have an E name just like her and her younger sister. She fell in love with the name Emerald. As a jeweller this name has appeal to me and the nn Emmy I thought was sweet but I wasn’t sold… another E name felt like I was asking for trouble… it’s hard to resist the kids thoughts sometimes… the way they say everything is so sweet! In the end our 3rd didn’t look like an Emerald… so we chose an A name and big sister didn’t like it. For a whole week she called her baby sister by her middle name because she preferred it better…
Now she loves her sisters name and she has a doll called Emerald.

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I love everything about this! I can picture a little fern with us quite easily and I love it. Whether as a first or middle, and in either case, its been magical to have a pregnancy where my other little ones are so invested and excited over their new little baby on the way. Im so excited for you and your baby on the way! Im already excited to find out whatever name you choose. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:[name_f][/name_f] when are you due again? Thabk you fir your kind words and encouragement!

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I love that! I feel like we have such a similar naming style and youre set for sure helps me feel convinced I would love a Fern in ours :heart: How did you choose her middle name? I also lovee fern mabel, it was our top choice, but being that my oldest’s middle is Mae Ive been on the fence. I love love it though. I have an oddly difficult time finding middle names that flow with Fern as the first name, at least ones I love.
I feel the same way about siblings naming siblings, if it was a name I didnt like, I wouldnt seriously consider it. But being that it was one of my top choices already, it has given me the thought of perhaps being meant to be, and I just find it endearing the attachment she has to it. Esspecially now that even my husband who wasnt sure of it, has come to love it. And hearing their little voices constantly asking about “baby fern” and speaking of her as though she is already here, has become quite precious to me. So its become even sweeter in my mind.
That said, we are totally destined to have a boy now :joy:
Also I love that, I also imagine Fern as a sweet, gentle little soul, but I can see it now on a firey, fun little one as well and it still suits so well. :white_heart:

i am so excited for you and your family! i can tell how loved and lucky that little one is. and fern is just truly darling, i’ll be excitedly awaiting your birth announcement, as well, and i hope that you and baby stay healthy and safe! :white_heart:

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i am due on mother’s day, may 11. how about you? :face_holding_back_tears: