My husband and I are pretty set on the name [name]Brooke[/name] for our little girl due in [name]December[/name].
I was hoping to honor my grandmother (who I was very close with), whose name was [name]Laura[/name] - by picking [name]Lauren[/name] for the middle name.
I think [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] sounds really pretty, and flows well with our last name (Sofer) – BUT:
I am concerned that “[name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name]” - when said/viewed together - could sound sort of like the name “[name]Brooklyn[/name]” – which is personally not my taste.
Any thoughts/feedback? Am I overthinking this one?
Or any other middle name suggestions (starting with the letter “L” or otherwise)?
[name]Don[/name]'t want to be negative but [name]Brooke[/name] makes me cringe a little. Sorry. Please feel free to ignore me if you really love it though! Having said that I’ll try to put that to one side and give this a go for you!
[name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] Sofer sounds a little stilted to me. [name]Brooke[/name] is very abrupt so a slightly softer middle perhaps? um what about: [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lorelei[/name]/[name]Lorelai[/name] Sofer (my fav) or [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Laurel[/name] Sofer?
I think [name]Brooke[/name] is a lovely name, but because of it’s length it is a hard name to pair middles with. My name is also [name]Laura[/name] by the way!
I think a 3 syllable middle would work best and I love the previous posters suggestion of [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lorelei[/name] to honour your grandmother. You could even spell it [name]Lauralei[/name] so it seems closer which is actually the traditional spelling according to nameberry.
Some other longer names containing Lau that I’ve found are:
Alaura
[name]Claudia[/name] (a bit of a stretch though!)
Delauria (a French name)
[name]Laurena[/name] (like a cross between [name]Lauren[/name] and [name]Lorena[/name])
[name]Lauretta[/name]
Laurencia (Spanish)
Lauriel (maybe too close to Loreal)
Lauria
[name]Laurianne[/name]
[name]Laurita[/name]
[name]Laurentia[/name] (pronounced Lau-ren-chee-uh)
[name]Laurenza[/name]
My favs are [name]Brooke[/name] Alaura, [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauralei[/name], [name]Brook[/name] [name]Lauretta[/name] and [name]Brook[/name] [name]Laurena[/name].
As the pp also said, another option is to use 2 middles to improve the flow - I don’t know if you’re open to that idea? If you were to do that, I think using [name]Laura[/name] itself would be a lovely idea as to me it’s more classic than [name]Lauren[/name] and makes [name]Brooke[/name] feel more classic and less 90s, if that makes sense? Maybe something like:
Most of those would also work with [name]Lauren[/name] too if you prefer that to [name]Laura[/name]? Like [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Felicity[/name] [name]Lauren[/name]. Or even a nice 3 syllable a name like [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] [name]Lauren[/name], [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name] [name]Lauren[/name], [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Victoria[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] or [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Olivia[/name] [name]Lauren[/name].
[name]Hope[/name] that helps a bit! I like both the names [name]Brooke[/name] and [name]Lauren[/name] but I do just think that they don’t flow very well together on their own. So either a longer Lau name or a 2nd middle would help
[name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] sounds like an 80s/90s name to me. I find both names extremely dated. If you’re set on [name]Brooke[/name], then I would just do [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Laura[/name]. I really like [name]Laurel[/name], too.
I agree with pp about the stilted quality of [name]Brooke[/name] and [name]Lauren[/name] together - I really like them both ([name]Lauren[/name] is my middle name), but I think together they don’t quite work. I love the suggestion of [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lorelei[/name] - I agree that a 3-syllable middle name would soften things out.
[name]Both[/name] of those names are very late 80’s / early 90’s, so together it’s a little over bearing, and also they don’t really flow very well. IF you’re really settled on [name]Brooke[/name] as the first name, I love the idea of [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lorelei[/name].
Thanks for the input everyone. Names are very personal, so I expected a multitude of responses, both positive and negative.
To be honest, this is why we’re not telling our families/friends any of our proposed names. Everyone has an opinion, and they’ll never, ever be the same opinion!
I did want some honest input/feedback, so thanks for that. I’ll take it all into account. I like [name]Lorelei[/name], but I think it’s a little too modern for my husband and me. We like very classic, traditional names. Also not into double middle names, so that probably won’t work unfortunately.
For the record - I don’t think [name]Brooke[/name] is “dated”, and to me, it’s not 80s/90s at all. It reminds me of [name]Brooke[/name] Astor, who really made the name famous.
I’m thinking maybe [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name], or [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name]/[name]Alexa[/name]/[name]Alexis[/name] at this point – I’d love to use the “L” but I may find another way to honor my grandmother…
If you don’t mind me asking, what was your grandmother’s middle name? Maiden name? And what month was she born? Birth stones and flowers, as well as months themselves ([name]May[/name], [name]June[/name], [name]August[/name], [name]April[/name] etc) can be lovely ways to honour someone.
I think both [name]Laura[/name] and [name]Lauren[/name] are lovely names (I am biased about [name]Laura[/name] though :P) but I just don’t think they work with [name]Brooke[/name].
[name]Brooke[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] is stunning!! [name]Elizabeth[/name] is SUCH a classic and elegant name that it makes almost any combo sound timeless.
I personally do like [name]Brooke[/name] and don’t see it as particularly dated, I still think of it more as a nature name. But unfortunatley, despite the likes of [name]Lauren[/name] Bacall, I do think the name [name]Lauren[/name] is very much dated to the 80s/90s because it was so popular during that time. And most [name]Lauren[/name]'s are in their teens or 20s now. I think what previous posters were trying to say was that maybe teaming [name]Lauren[/name] with [name]Brooke[/name] makes the combination seem more dated as both were popular names in the 80s and 90s. Like I imagine in 20-30 years time a name like [name]Olivia[/name] [name]Madison[/name] is going to seem very dated to 2010 no matter how lovely both names may be individually (or not, depending on your opinion :P).
Other L names that sound nice with [name]Brooke[/name] in my opinion:
For what it’s worth, I think it’s a good idea not to tell too many people your choice before baby [name]Brooke[/name] gets here! People can be very rude and pushy with their opinions sometimes. I know me and my partners fav name ([name]Claudie[/name]) gets VERY mixed opinions from people on nameberry etc so when we’re expecting our first, I don’t think we’ll be telling anyone the choice until she/he’s here! Lol.
I quite like the name [name]Brooke[/name]! But I agree, the combo [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] does sound a little 80s/90s to me. I prefer [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Laura[/name] or [name]Brooke[/name] Laureli. Or even [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Laurel[/name]. The name [name]Laura[/name] has always been a favorite of mine!
[name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name] and [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexa[/name] are both lovely. Honestly, [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexis[/name] sounds dated to me.
Ultimately, you need to choose a name that YOU love, and screw everyone else, lol! There will never be a name that 100% of people like, so listen to your gut. This is YOUR child, and as long as you aren’t naming her something ridiculous (Oil, Booger, [name]Barbie[/name], etc), then people will love it when they see it on your little girl. And I would hate for you to choose a name you don’t love as much just because of peer pressure…you would never forgive yourself!
We made the mistake of sharing our ‘short list’ of names with our families, and we got some strong opinions! Of course there wasn’t a name that everyone agreed on. So when we ultimately picked her name, in the back of my mind I was thinking about how much my mother-in-law hated the name. She has since come to love it, but I still think about her initial comments/response, and it does bother me a little bit (but I am letting that go!) You can’t please everyone! I would have rather announced the name after her birth.
I think you would be honoring her more by using [name]Laura[/name] or [name]Lauren[/name] rather than [name]Alexandra[/name]. I don’t think “[name]Brooklyn[/name]” when I hear the names together (yes, you are overthinking that one). And keep in mind that most people she meets won’t have a clue what her middle name is
I think using [name]Laura[/name] or [name]Lauren[/name] as the mn will hold more meaning, which will be satisfying and meaningful for you, and also meaningful for her (when she understands the meaning behind her names). Good luck!
I really appreciate all of the emails. I completely undestand what people are saying about the 2 names together potentially sounding dated.
I don’t mind the feedback at all; and I knew coming into this post that not everyone would be in agreement
I really like the suggestions you have given - switching the order of the names, or even trying maiden names or other ways of honoring my grandmother that may not even involve her first initial. Have to really brainstorm and think that through.
I’m going to take all of your suggestions and talk to my husband --thanks again for all of the helpful - and honest - advice!!!
Oooh! [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name] are both just so stunning!! Those middle names completely elevate the entire name to something so classic. But I understand wanting to honor your grandmother. The following names remind me of your style. Maybe some of these combos will work for you:
I like [name]Brooke[/name], for what it’s worth. I like the simplicity, sound, and the image of a serene slice of nature. It is a green name with some history behind it. I do think [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] is clumsy, and the [name]Lauren[/name] brings out the 90s side of [name]Brooke[/name]. I like [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] hugely and [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Alexandra[/name] as well. If you can let go of the [name]Lauren[/name], I think you make the [name]Brooke[/name] work out fine.
Unlike most posters, I like your choice and predict [name]Brooke[/name] will wear well as a name for quite some time.
