Bored of My Favourites - Need a "Happy Medium"

General Name Discussion
1

I keep getting extremely bored with every name list that I make.

My first list was a vintage/classic/traditional one ([name]Alice[/name], [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Thomas[/name], [name]Samuel[/name], [name]Edward[/name]), but those names are so popular here in [name]England[/name] that I’m just bored of them. My name is [name]Amelia[/name], which is the #1 name here right now, and although I was born a fair while ago, I just don’t like having a popular name. I want my children to have an interesting name, but one that’s rooted in history and is still legitimate (i.e no [name]Jazlynn[/name] or Kaidynn or anything made up).

My second list was more “out there” (Belladonna, [name]Nephele[/name], [name]Fiammetta[/name], Finland (b), [name]Zephyr[/name], [name]Romulus[/name]), but I just felt like a lot of them were too different and that my child would get teased for having such an unusual name.

So my question is, are there any names that you feel would be almost like a combination between the two categories, a “happy medium”? Not an amalgamation of two of the names, but names that would fit that middle category, which I guess would be along the lines of “historical and classic names that are unpopular in [name]England[/name]”. Any ideas?

For reference, here is the top 1000 in [name]England[/name] & [name]Wales[/name]: http://www.babynamewizard.com/the-top-1000-baby-names-of-2011-england-and-wales

My boyfriend and I are hoping to start TTC soon, but we’re not pregnant yet, just brainstorming haha.

Thank you! And sorry this was long.

2

…anyone?

3

I think obscure Bible names are your best bet–even Biblical place names. They are rooted in history, very recognizable as legitimate names, yet different and far underused. To name a few:

[name]Carmel[/name]
[name]Bethel[/name]
[name]Salome[/name]
[name]Moriah[/name]
[name]Shiloh[/name]
[name]Orpah[/name]
[name]Jerusha[/name]
[name]Keziah[/name]/[name]Cassia[/name]
[name]Sapphira[/name] (not a good namesake, but beautiful name)
[name]Delilah[/name] (ditto)

[name]Zebulon[/name]
[name]Simeon[/name]
[name]Abel[/name]
[name]Thaddeus[/name]
[name]Ishmael[/name]
[name]Nicodemus[/name]
[name]Theophilus[/name]
Asaph
Appollos
[name]Samson[/name]
[name]Solomon[/name]

4

Maybe some of these?

[name]Alys[/name]/[name]Alix[/name]
[name]Artemis[/name]
[name]Artemisia[/name]
[name]Augusta[/name]
[name]Calliope[/name]
[name]Callista[/name]
[name]Constance[/name]
Cyrene
[name]Deirdre[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Guinevere[/name]
[name]Gwendolen[/name]
[name]Isolde[/name]
[name]Lavinia[/name]
[name]Letitia[/name]
[name]Lucretia[/name]
[name]Mariana[/name]
[name]Noor[/name]
[name]Octavia[/name]
[name]Rhiannon[/name]
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Vanessa[/name]
[name]Vashti[/name]
[name]Zenobia[/name]

[name]Benedict[/name]
[name]Bran[/name]
[name]Cassian[/name]
[name]Cornelius[/name]
[name]Crispin[/name]
[name]Damon[/name]
[name]Evander[/name]
[name]Fionn[/name]
[name]Gareth[/name]
[name]Gawain[/name]
[name]Hadrian[/name]
[name]Hector[/name]
[name]Julian[/name]
[name]Leander[/name]
[name]Leonidas[/name]
[name]Leopold[/name]
[name]Nestor[/name]
[name]Oisin[/name]
[name]Orion[/name]
[name]Owain[/name]
[name]Percival[/name]
[name]Remus[/name]
[name]Rufus[/name]
[name]Silvan[/name]
[name]Tristan[/name]

5

I took a look at the ‘unusual vintage’ names outside our top 500:

Boys: [name]Otto[/name], [name]Ernest[/name], [name]Jonas[/name], [name]Alec[/name], [name]Archibald[/name], [name]Gregory[/name], [name]Gideon[/name], [name]Fergus[/name], [name]Magnus[/name], [name]Walter[/name], [name]Colin[/name], [name]Edgar[/name], [name]Simeon[/name], [name]Percy[/name], [name]Kenneth[/name], [name]Gilbert[/name], [name]Wilbur[/name], [name]Winston[/name], [name]Harold[/name], [name]Aubrey[/name], [name]Clement[/name], [name]Julius[/name], [name]Leopold[/name], [name]Ambrose[/name], [name]Roscoe[/name], [name]Edmund[/name], [name]August/name, [name]Barnabus[/name]

Girls: [name]Genevieve[/name], [name]Henrietta[/name], [name]Millicent[/name], [name]Frances[/name], [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Sylvie[/name], [name]Cecilia[/name], [name]Juliet[/name], [name]Meredith[/name], [name]Elspeth[/name], [name]Bryony[/name], [name]Rachael[/name], [name]Caroline[/name], [name]Emmeline[/name], [name]Sylvia[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Cecily[/name], [name]Rosanna[/name], [name]Miranda[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name], [name]Persephone[/name], [name]Estelle[/name], [name]Viola[/name], [name]Winifred[/name], [name]Rosalind[/name]

:slight_smile:

6

[name]Gertrude[/name]
[name]Ethel[/name]
[name]Filomena[/name]
[name]Mirabelle[/name]
[name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Twyla[/name]
Suthen
[name]Priscilla[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name]

[name]Matthias[/name]
[name]Roderick[/name]
[name]Tavish[/name]
[name]Mercer[/name]
[name]Sirius[/name]
[name]Brice[/name]
[name]Vaughn[/name]
[name]Wallace[/name]
[name]Graham[/name]
[name]Donovan[/name]

7

Oh wow, thank you everyone! There are some really beautiful names here. From everyone’s responses, I love:

[name]Sapphira[/name], [name]Solomon[/name], [name]Emmeline[/name], [name]Gwendolen[/name], [name]Mariana[/name], [name]Noor[/name], [name]Octavia[/name], [name]Evander[/name], [name]Julian[/name], [name]Leander[/name], [name]Leopold[/name], [name]Orion[/name], [name]Remus[/name], [name]Rufus[/name], [name]Matthias[/name]

8

Story of my life, this. In our case, there’s the added element of finding a sweet spot amongst class associations with names - DH is adamant that it can’t sound too pretentious. Options that DH and I have come up with for our own list are:

Felicity
Georgina
Philippa (know this is popular in older women, but I don’t know any little Pippas…)
Zara

Not sure if this helps as you’ve probably already discounted most of these because they’re all still in regular use, but I hear you on wanting something classic and underused. Stalking this thread for the happy mediums!

9

Sometimes the English trends frustrate me… I have friends in [name]America[/name] who are sometimes shocked to hear that names like [name]Alice[/name], [name]Florence[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Callum[/name] are so popular!

I like [name]Georgina[/name], although I think I prefer [name]Georgiana[/name], and I think [name]Zara[/name] is pretty too.

10

Hmm…

[name]Ramona[/name]
[name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name]
[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Wilhelmina[/name]
[name]Sylvie[/name]
[name]Anya[/name]
[name]Pearl[/name]
[name]Opal[/name]
[name]Anushka[/name]
[name]Margot[/name]
[name]Bryony[/name]
[name]Persephone[/name]

Some more unique flower names:
[name]Linnea[/name]
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Marigold[/name]
[name]Zinnia[/name]

I have no idea if those are your style, but I thought I’d give it a try!

11

I love [name]Ramona[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Anya[/name], [name]Persephone[/name], [name]Linnea[/name], and [name]Zinnia[/name]! Thank you (:

12

[name]Amias[/name]
[name]Thaddeus[/name]
[name]Zachariah[/name]
[name]Jeremiah[/name]
[name]Luther[/name]
[name]Barnaby[/name]
[name]Peregrine[/name]
[name]Augustin[/name]
[name]Aloysius[/name]
[name]Ianto[/name]
[name]Julius[/name]
[name]Rafferty[/name]
[name]Raphael[/name]
[name]Martin[/name]
[name]Montgomery[/name]
[name]Giles[/name]
[name]Niles[/name]
[name]Morgan[/name]

[name]Calandra[/name]
[name]Calista[/name]
[name]Camelia[/name]
[name]Jacinda[/name]
[name]Sylvine[/name]
[name]Sylvina[/name]
[name]Ione[/name]
[name]Iona[/name]
Lysandra
[name]Amaryllis[/name]
[name]Raphaela[/name]
[name]Josephina[/name]
[name]Angelica[/name]
[name]Artemis[/name]

13

I feel the same all the time! I also love vintage/classics: [name]Florence[/name], [name]Carline[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Louisa[/name], [name]William[/name], [name]Henry[/name] etc… but I also have a few guilty pleasures: [name]Bartholomew[/name], [name]Asia[/name], [name]Antigone[/name] etc. Some that have made their way to my list are:

[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Vivienne[/name]
[name]Ophelia[/name]
[name]Phyllis[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Mary[/name] (as shown in my signature)
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Nathaniel[/name] (look at [name]Mary[/name])
[name]Silas[/name]
[name]Alistair[/name]
[name]Rome[/name]

14

Achlys (Greek: myst of darkness)
[name]Alys[/name]/[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Ofelia[/name]
[name]Pearl[/name]
[name]Primrose[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Tempest[/name]
[name]Violetta[/name]
[name]Vivienne[/name]