[name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I are expecting our first child. If it’s a boy, we are happily continuing a family tradition and naming him [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_u]Neely[/name_u] IV. However, we are so stuck on a girl’s name. We love traditional and family names, and know if we did have a boy one day, his name would be [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_u]Neely[/name_u], so we want to make sure that our girl’s name would be equally as meaningful. Additionally, I am from [name_f]Alabama[/name_f] and have very different cultural “norms” about naming little girls than my husband, from [name_u]Texas[/name_u], does. Here’s our list, we’d love some feedback from someone who isn’t our family.
First and Double Names we like:
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u] ([name_f]Maggie[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u])
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Camellia[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] ([name_f]Maggie[/name_f]) Loper
[name_f]Ann[/name_f] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]
Middle Names on the list:
[name_f]Ann[/name_f]
[name_u]Lee[/name_u]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
Loper
[name_f]LeeAnn[/name_f]
[name_f]Camellia[/name_f] I don’t know how to pronounce… [name_u]Cam[/name_u]-ell-ee-ah? [name_u]Cam[/name_u]-e-ya? I like [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u] Loper the best
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] is adorable, and there are so many nickname options! I also like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], and Loper. Have you considered [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], or [name_f]Rose[/name_f]?
I love [name_f]Camellia[/name_f]! [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] or [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] would be nice combos from your lists I think. Or what about [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]?
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Evelina[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Aveline[/name_f]? [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]? [name_f]Eva[/name_f]/[name_f]Eve[/name_f]?
I like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and [name_f]Margot[/name_f] the best from your list. Good, solid names. One of my favorite names ever is [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. Is [name_f]Ann[/name_f] to honor someone or would you consider [name_f]Anna[/name_f]?
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and [name_f]Louise[/name_f] would all be great matches for the classical and distinguished depth of [name_m]William[/name_m]. I like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] too but then you may end up with [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] (like the monarchs and the college). [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] and [name_f]Ann[/name_f] are ok although I do prefer [name_f]Anne[/name_f] spelled with an “e”.
I [name_f]ADORE[/name_f] [name_f]Camellia[/name_f]! [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] or [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u] would be so pretty! [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] sounds nice,
Oh my goodness, please use [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]! The rest of your list is lovely, I especially like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and [name_f]Margot[/name_f], but I never see [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. I think [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_u]Neely[/name_u] IV and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] or [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Anne[/name_f] (I agree, please use the e) would be adorable.
There are a few cultural differences that pop up. Albeit, in both [name_u]Texas[/name_u] and [name_f]Alabama[/name_f], names tend to be very southern.
One thing that my husband finds foreign is the idea of a surname or a masculine name used as a female middle name/ double name ([name_f]Mary[/name_f]-Loper, [name_f]Ann[/name_f]-[name_m]Thomas[/name_m], [name_f]Mary[/name_f]-[name_m]Smith[/name_m], for example). This is very uncommon in [name_u]Texas[/name_u] and my husband was perplexed when he was first introduced to Alabamians with names of that nature. I remember him asking “Is that her first and last name?” “[name_f]Do[/name_f] I call her both names?” He’s very familiar with the more common double names like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f], but had never met anyone with a surname-double name.
The other thing is the use of very traditional names. I will concede that this is becoming more of a national trend in the US lately, and traditional names are being used more frequently everywhere. However, I grew up with Florences, Ediths, Blythes, etc. and I’m under 30. This poses a problem when I suggest using the family names [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] or [name_f]Louise[/name_f]. He only knows elderly women with those names and I know children, teenagers, adults and grandmothers with these type of names. These very old-fashioned names have been frequently used in the culture I grew up in, but not so much his.
Here in [name_u]Texas[/name_u], I feel like the naming “trends” catch on here before they do in [name_f]Alabama[/name_f]. That’s probably indicative of any trend, though. [name_f]Alabama[/name_f] is probably later to catch on than most other states.
I had never, ever thought about the culture of names until we started thinking of names and I got a lot of raised eyebrows from my husband…It has been really interesting and fun, nonetheless.
Thanks for sharing! Here in [name_m]Hawaii[/name_m] we have such very very different naming trends and cultural influences that I sometimes don’t appreciate the differences between states that from my vantage point, are “on top of each other” LOL
But I have always been fascinated by the trend for very “masculine” names on southern belles – I think it must just be that tradition trumps all. I think it makes for some wonderful names
And for the record I love Margaret Lee or Margot Lee. Also Camellia is lovely. I would like Camellia paired with a more masculine middle (lol no suggestions). I want to get on board with Dorothy but can’t. Like your husband I only know an older generation with the name Dorothy, but not so old that is feels usuable again (like Hazel or Estelle).