Bridging the gap between our tastes

General Name Discussion
1

Hello there!*
This is my first time posting so I thought I’d introduce myself a tad. My name is [name]Zooey[/name]. Yes, spelled like [name]Zooey[/name] Deschanel, and yes, pronounced the same way as [name]Zoe[/name]. (You have no idea how many times I’ve been called zoo-y). I’ve had a love hate relationship with my name over the years. I love that it’s quirky and matches my, at times, excessively sarcastic personality. On the other hand, it does seem childish to me at times, particularly with my spelling. My relationship with my name has made me acutely aware of naming and when my husband and I started talking about names, I knew we’d go for a less unusual name.

But as I said, parts of me do love my name so I wanted to find the right balance between classic and quirky. My husband is strictly a ‘classic’ namer, while my taste tends to lean towards vintage. Similar, yet different enough to cause a few fights. In the end, we selected a classic first and a vintage middle for both of our daughters, and I think we successfully achieved the balance I was looking for.*

We have a four year old and a three year old named [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Violet[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] [name]Mabel[/name], respectively. They go by [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] the majority of the time, but we occasionally call them [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Jules[/name], more as pet-names than nicknames. We love their names and they fit them to a T.*

Now that we’re expecting our third (and final!), though, we seem to be having a tough time agreeing. The ‘next time’ argument falls flat when there won’t be a next time. He’s pushing for names like [name]Caroline[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name], while I prefer names like [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name]. I know they’re not worlds apart style wise, but the gap sure seems big when neither of us will give in.*
That’s where you come in! We need help finding the perfect name in between. Can you suggest any names that will help us bridge the gap? Boys and girls names would be appreciated, as we won’t be finding out the sex.*

Thank you so much!*
[name]Zooey[/name]*

2

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Zooey[/name]! [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] have great names, and I think either of his names or your names would fit great with them! Hmm. A few thoughts:

Well, first of all, I’m impressed how you seem to be valuing a different ending for children (not mission critical if you decide to let it go, but nice).

what do you think of using [name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] with a funkier than usual nn, like [name]Caro[/name] or Zabby? Or [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Betty[/name] or [name]Betsy[/name], which reminds me a lot of [name]Beatrice[/name] and is very vintage.

what does he think of “updating” [name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name], like [name]Carolina[/name] or [name]Eliza[/name]? [name]Don[/name]'t know if those are really vintage, but maybe close.

What else seems somewhere between the two of you, or closer to one but with a bridging nn…

[name]Catherine[/name] nn [name]Cat[/name]?
[name]Adele[/name]/[name]Adelia[/name]/[name]Adela[/name] (all seem more “classic” than spunky [name]Adelaide[/name] or [name]Ada[/name], but spunkier than [name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name])
[name]Josephine[/name] (to me is both classic and vintage, and spunky [name]Josie[/name] or [name]Posey[/name]? I guess this is two J’s with [name]Julia[/name], but…)
[name]Susannah[/name] (Biblical and yet old Southern?)
[name]Rosemary[/name] (it does not get more staid and traditional than [name]Rose[/name] or [name]Mary[/name], but put them together? A little vintage!)
[name]Charlotte[/name] nn [name]Lottie[/name]?
[name]Margaret[/name] nn [name]Margo[/name] or [name]Greta[/name]
[name]Miranda[/name]

Anywhere near the right ballpark?

For boys…it’s harder without examples of your taste and his (it was a little tricky for the girls too : D), but a few that come to mind
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]William[/name]
[name]Nathan[/name] or [name]Nathaniel[/name] nn [name]Nate[/name]
[name]Robert[/name] nn [name]Rob[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name] nn [name]Ted[/name] or [name]Theo[/name]
[name]Alexander[/name] nn [name]Alec[/name]

Anything close? Yes? No?

All best,
[name]Jess[/name]

3

My husband likes classic names for girls and I like vintage, old-fashioned names so I understand your challenge. I have been surprised by going through name lists with my husband. There are names that he likes that I might consider “old fashioned” … so I’ve found that there is some overlap. It’s just hard to find. And it gets harder with each girl. Coming up with a name for potential baby girl #4 was rough.

Here are a few ideas for you. Most of the names are ones that my husband and I both liked, but there some that we didn’t agree on. I figured I throw them in there anyway. You never know!

Girls:
[name]Margaret[/name] (I love, my husband doesn’t - cute nickname, [name]Maggie[/name])
[name]Penelope[/name] (nn [name]Penny[/name])
[name]Dorothy[/name] (nn [name]Dottie[/name])
[name]Winifred[/name] (nn [name]Winnie[/name])
[name]Jane[/name] (Our 3rd daughters name, nickname [name]Janie[/name])
[name]Lucy[/name] (It took me a while, but I finally convinced my husband to use this name if baby #4 is a girl)
[name]Audrey[/name] (My husband loves it, I don’t)
[name]Bridget[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Clara[/name] (I love, my husband doesn’t)
[name]Mary[/name] (nn [name]Molly[/name], our 2nd daughter’s name)
[name]Rosalind[/name] (nn [name]Rosie[/name], my husband doesn’t like it)
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Cecilia[/name]
[name]Irene[/name] (I like it, but no chance my husband would go for it)

Boys: (We have an easier time agreeing on boy names. Of course, we haven’t actually had a boy yet)
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name]
[name]Arthur[/name]
[name]Edward[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]

4

First of all, I think you both have wonderful taste in names and have given both your daughter fantastic names. I also must say I [name]LOVE[/name] the suggestion of [name]Charlotte[/name] with the nickname [name]Lottie[/name]. So adorable. And I’ll throw out [name]Lola[/name] as another potential nickname for [name]Charlotte[/name], which, though rather popular, is an absolutely beautiful name.

Some other ideas are-

[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Evelyn[/name]
[name]Lily[/name]
[name]Annabel[/name]
[name]Colette[/name] (I think of it as a french version of a classic name)
[name]Estelle[/name]
[name]Margot[/name]
[name]Camille[/name]
[name]Vivienne[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Cora[/name]
[name]Felicity[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Isadora[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Cordelia[/name]
[name]Edith[/name]
[name]Lila[/name]
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Celia[/name]/[name]Cecelia[/name]
[name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Frances[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Georgia[/name]
[name]Leah[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name]
[name]Coraline[/name]

And for a boy-

[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Benjamin[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Oscar[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Ezekiel[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Owen[/name]
[name]Sawyer[/name]
[name]Liam[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Cole[/name]
[name]Micah[/name]
[name]Ian[/name]
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Ethan[/name]
[name]William[/name]
[name]Harrison[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]
[name]Levi[/name]
[name]Asher[/name]
[name]Cormac[/name]
[name]Dominic[/name]
[name]Reed[/name]
[name]Dexter[/name]
[name]Sullivan[/name]
[name]Moses[/name]

5

So many great suggestions that Im not sure I can add much.
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Louisa[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name](too close to [name]Eleanor[/name]?)
[name]Clara[/name](my vintage baby)
[name]Mae[/name]
[name]Anne[/name]

6

I love love love the name [name]Eleanor[/name], it is at the top of my list!

I am assuming you would rather traditional names rather than more modern/made up names. Here are some of my suggestions

Girls
[name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Florence[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Cecelia[/name]
[name]Frances[/name]

Boys:
[name]Alexander[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]William[/name]
[name]James[/name]

7

Thank you all for not only taking the time to read my ridiculously long post, but to respond to it as well!*

First of all, I completely forgot to mention boys names! Much like girls, my husband favors uber classic and traditional names. Basically, names that have always been widely used, such as [name]John[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]William[/name], etc. I prefer more vintage names like [name]George[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name]. Again, they’re not drastically different so I have hope we can compromise. There are names that we both really like.*
The suggestions for boys name were great.*
I love [name]Henry[/name], [name]Leo[/name], [name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Owen[/name], [name]Theodore[/name] and [name]William[/name]. Which do you think go best with [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name]?*

As much as I love some of the suggestions of vintage names ([name]Rosemary[/name]! [name]Frances[/name]!) I know my husband won’t go for them. With that in mind, the names that I think we could potentially agree on are:
[name]Amelia[/name] - but the ending is very similar to [name]Julia[/name]
[name]Cecilia[/name]*
[name]Charlotte[/name]*
[name]Eliza[/name] - too close to [name]Eleanor[/name]?*
[name]Katherine[/name] nn [name]Kit[/name]*
[name]Louisa[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]*

My husband loves [name]Katherine[/name]. I think it goes really well with [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name], and I love the nicknames [name]Nell[/name], [name]Jules[/name] and [name]Kit[/name] together. It seems a little boring and predictable to me, though.*
For boys names, I think we’d probably end up going with [name]Henry[/name] or [name]William[/name], with a more vintage middle name.*

Keep the suggestions coming! We’re still searching for the perfect names!*

8

[name]Zooey[/name],

[name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name], [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Jules[/name], are wonderful! I love so many of the suggestions that you’ve been given, and I’m sure I’ll repeat a few - oops!

Of the names you think you and your husband could agree on, here’s my take:

[name]Amelia[/name] - Too close to [name]Julia[/name], as you said.
[name]Cecilia[/name] - Has the same problem [name]Amelia[/name] has.
[name]Charlotte[/name] - [name]Lovely[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you want to use another three syllable name, though?
[name]Eliza[/name] - I don’t like repeating first initials, especially when you’d have one daughter out, but [name]Eliza[/name] is my favorite name ever!
[name]Katherine[/name] - Also on my list for a future daughter because of the nickname [name]Kit[/name]! Predictable? Maybe. But, [name]Kit[/name] sure isn’t!
[name]Louisa[/name] - [name]Lou[/name] and [name]Lulu[/name] are so sweet and versatile, and I like this one for you.
[name]Margaret[/name] - [name]Meg[/name] would be divine with [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Jules[/name].

So, I think [name]Katherine[/name] ([name]Kit[/name], [name]Kat[/name], [name]Kate[/name]) and [name]Margaret[/name] ([name]Meg[/name], [name]Pearl[/name]) are your best bets for a girl. I’d also suggest:

[name]Adelaide[/name] - Vintage and very lady-like, but too much so for your husband?
[name]Adeline[/name] - Perhaps more amenable to both your tastes, as it’s similar to very classic [name]Madeline[/name] and vintage [name]Adele[/name].
[name]Briony[/name] - Very vintage for you, so hubby might not care for it, but spunky [name]Brie[/name] as a nickname might help.
[name]Coraline[/name] - Almost [name]Caroline[/name], but with a funky spin! [name]Pet[/name] names [name]Coco[/name] and [name]Cora[/name] are nice, too.
[name]Cecily[/name] - Solves [name]Cecilia[/name]‘s issue! Plus, how cute is Cece?
[name]Gwendolyn[/name] - Or the literary [name]Gwendolen[/name] ([name]Oscar[/name] Wilde). Go spunky modern with [name]Gwen[/name] or vintage sweet with [name]Dolly[/name] or [name]Wendy[/name] for short.
[name]Isabel[/name] - Too common for you? Well, I like this most classic spelling with your girls’ names. Call her spunky [name]Ibby[/name] for something unique.
[name]Lillian[/name] - [name]Lily[/name] is everywhere, but spunky vintage [name]Lil[/name] is very cute with your [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Jules[/name].
[name]Madeleine[/name] - I’d say this or [name]Madeline[/name] might be perfect for your husband if you’re willing to use [name]Maddie[/name]. Though, [name]Del[/name] is sweet, too.
[name]Rosaline[/name] - Pronounce it like [name]Rosalyn[/name] or like [name]Madeline[/name] with [name]Rose[/name] out front (my fave). [name]Roe[/name], [name]Rose[/name], or [name]Rosy[/name] for short? Adorable.
[name]Vivian[/name] - Hot name right now, spelled this way or [name]Vivienne[/name] or [name]Vivien[/name]. [name]Viv[/name] or [name]Vivi[/name] are playful but sophisticated short forms.

Oh, boys. Well, I think [name]Nathaniel[/name] is just ideal with [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name]. By far my favorite! He’s really not that vintage, especially not with the yuppy popularity of [name]Nathan[/name]. However, [name]Nate[/name] or [name]Nat[/name] with your girls’ nicknames, [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Jules[/name], are divine. [name]William[/name] is a classic you can’t mess up, though - if you’re sick of [name]Will[/name], try regal [name]Wills[/name], whimsical [name]Wim[/name], or spunky [name]Wiley[/name] for a pet name. And, finally, why not use [name]Benjamin[/name]? I’d say he’s the [name]Julia[/name] of boys’ names - timeless, sophisticated, but cheerful. Call him classic [name]Ben[/name] or something a little more charming like [name]Benno[/name] or [name]Benji[/name] for short ([name]Ben[/name]'s my brother - I’m biased).

[name]Lemon[/name]

9

I love [name]Henry[/name] and [name]William[/name]. [name]Henry[/name] has been our favorite boy name for the longest time. It would go well with many vintage boy names. I was considering [name]Henry[/name] [name]Frederick[/name], [name]Henry[/name] [name]Charles[/name], and [name]Henry[/name] [name]Alvin[/name].

My husband lobbied very hard for [name]Catherine[/name] (or [name]Katherine[/name]) with our 4th pregnancy. I think it’s a beautiful name, but I just couldn’t see myself actually using it. If my husband would go for [name]Margaret[/name], I would have strongly considered using it. I love the nickname, [name]Maggie[/name]. I also really like [name]Charlotte[/name], but my husband didn’t like it. [name]Cecilia[/name] was on our list too.

I hope you keep us updated! I think your preliminary list is great.

10

[name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] are lovely timeless classics.

From your list:
[name]Henry[/name]- perfect- I love it
[name]Leo[/name]- nice but I think a longer form like [name]Leopold[/name] would be more regal like E&J
[name]Nathaniel[/name]- perfect too
[name]Oliver[/name]- [name]Oliver[/name] is a good classic but the endings all sound a little similar
[name]Owen[/name]- I do’t like this and it doesn’t seem classic.
[name]Theodore[/name]- lovel but [name]Eleanor[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name] in The States?
[name]William[/name]- perfect for you.
My top choices would be: [name]Henry[/name], [name]Nathaniel[/name] or [name]William[/name].

Other ideas: [name]Peter[/name], [name]Thomas[/name], [name]Benjamin[/name], [name]Charles[/name], [name]Frederick[/name]

[name]Amelia[/name] - it’s okay but the ending is similar and it isn’t as classic and regal
[name]Cecilia[/name]- lovely name- similar ending though…
[name]Charlotte[/name]- perfect
[name]Eliza[/name] - I wouldn’t pick to Es if possible but it is a lovely name
[name]Katherine[/name] nn [name]Kit[/name]- excellent choice- maybe with a slightly more vintage/ spunky mn (like [name]Violet[/name]/ [name]Mabel[/name])
[name]Louisa[/name]- lovely!
[name]Margaret[/name]- great for you again and I think [name]Meg[/name] is v sweet.
Top choices: [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], [name]Louisa[/name]

Other ideas: [name]Alice[/name], [name]Rosalind[/name], [name]Marianne[/name], [name]Lydia[/name], [name]Susanna[/name], [name]Isabel[/name], [name]Lucinda[/name] (maybe too frilly for you), [name]Clara[/name]…