I’m due with our little girl very soon and we still haven’t settled. My husband and I keep cycling through which name on our list is our favorite, and nothing feels perfect.
The other day, my husband comes out of the shower suggesting the name Calli0pe R0se. [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] was on my long list at the very beginning of pregnancy, but my husband quickly nixed it, so I was taken aback by his suggestion. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] had also never been a consideration for us, and I quickly wrote it off as predictable. However, my husband really likes this combo (it’s a package name deal for him, haha) and explained why [name_f]Rose[/name_f] actually has quite some meaning to him, so I’m ok with it - particularly given the rarity of [name_f]Calliope[/name_f].
So, opinions on this name? I have two real concerns:
(1) We currently live in a [name_m]German[/name_m]-dialect speaking country/region, so I’m not exactly sure how it will be pronounced here.
(2) I’m a bit worried that she’ll just wind up a [name_f]Callie[/name_f] forever, which I don’t want. I like the nn [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], but ‘papi’ (pronounced like poppy) is how you say ‘daddy’ here, and my 2-year old who is learning the language is actually starting to use the word, so I don’t think that will work while we live here (undetermined length of time).
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f] is cute but I’m also not a fan of [name_f]Callie[/name_f], which I think would be the go to nickname. Kids these days are more likely to go by their long full names though ([name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_m]Christopher[/name_m], etc) so maybe it’s not a huge issue.
I do think [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is very predictable. It doesn’t add anything interesting to a name for me. I don’t dislike it but it doesn’t light any fires for me either.
The only [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] I knew went by [name_f]Popi[/name_f] (Pope-ee, not [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]) and I always thought that was cute.
I love it! I see why you’re worried about the “[name_f]Callie[/name_f]” thing but you can probably avoid it for the most part if you use a different nickname for her often (such as [name_u]Cal[/name_u] or [name_u]Lee[/name_u] or [name_f]Lia[/name_f]). It’s likely that other people will end up calling her [name_f]Callie[/name_f] sometimes, but it doesn’t feel like a deal breaker to me. The combo is gorgeous and perfectly paired!
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f] is a lovely name, very fresh and lively. The combination is pretty, but like others (and you!) I’m pretty bored of [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in the middle name spot. It’s a shame that it’s so often used as a “default” middle, because it does sound pretty and flows well here and it sounds like it has some meaning to you, but I’m not in love with it.
I also think you’ll struggle to get nicknames other than [name_f]Callie[/name_f] to stick, unless you plan on calling her by an alternative nickname 99% of the time, and introducing her as such. Another potential pitfall that I can see is that you say you’re in a [name_m]German[/name_m]-speaking area for now, but you may move in future. I’m guessing you’re in mainland Europe somewhere, and there are many European languages in which alternative nickname options like [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], etc. have an undesirable meaning, which is definitely something to bear in mind if you or she will be travelling or living in different countries in future.
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I’ve tried to convince my husband to go for [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] or [name_f]Rosa[/name_f] or [name_f]Rosamond[/name_f], but he’s pretty firm on this specific combination. It’s going to stay on our list (of 8 names, eek) for now, but we’ll see!
If you live in Switzerland or [name_f]Austria[/name_f] they’ll definitely butcher the name. Northern Germany would be ideal in terms of pronunciation lol.
I like [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]. It’s different. [name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f] was on our list but my husband thought it was too out there.
I don’t think the [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]/Papi dilemma is really a thing. We know a little girl named [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and when people call her I hear a clear distinction phonetically