Would it be strange to use [name]Chester[/name] as a middle name for a baby girl? It was my grandfather’s name and I would really like to honor him… I’m in my early 40’s and not sure if I will have another baby or not, so I’d kind of like to use the name even if it’s for a girl.
Her first name will be [name]Magnolia[/name]. I’ve always loved this name but feel like I would need to use something more serious as a middle name to counteract the girlyness of [name]Magnolia[/name]. I know that [name]Magnolia[/name] is kind of unusual, too… would giving her a boys name/surname as a middle name be over the top on the weirdness scale?
Thoughts on [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Chester[/name]…?
Thanks!
I’m gonna go with… NO. You’ll be saddling your poor daughter with a lifetime’s worth of misspellings, corrections, and weird looks. Plus, honestly, it just sounds really, really weird. [name]Magnolia[/name] is an unusual and beautiful name. Paired with [name]Chester[/name]… not so much.
Maybe consider feminine versions of [name]Chester[/name]:
[name]Christine[/name]/[name]Christina[/name]
[name]Cherie[/name] (pronounced [name]Sherry[/name] or [name]SherRY[/name], if you want have fun with accents)
[name]Cherish[/name]
[name]Cheyenne[/name]
[name]Cheryl[/name]
Chessa
Or, does your grandfather have a middle name? Perhaps using a feminine version of that would work.
No, sorry, [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Chester[/name] sounds really unattractive, no offence. [name]Magnolia[/name] is a gorgeous name and I think it needs to be paired with something different. [name]How[/name] about [name]Francesca[/name]? Same kind of sound in the middle. Like above, I would recommend something with the name sounds or beginning as [name]Chester[/name]. [name]Charissa[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Charisse[/name], [name]Chiara[/name], [name]Chantal[/name], [name]Chanel[/name], [name]Charlize[/name], etc.
Thanks for responding… it’s hard to be objective when there’s an emotional tie to a name! But my daughter is the one who will have to live with it forever, so I don’t want to saddle her with something horrible! I am liking the sound of [name]Francesca[/name] with [name]Magnolia[/name]. I’ll have to do a little more looking to see if there is something more similar to [name]Chester[/name] but feminine. Chessa is good, too, but I wonder if it’s too weird with an already weird first name.
I think [name]Chester[/name] is fine. It works because many people give their children last names as middle names and [name]Chester[/name] sounds like a last name and it also has meaning. Although I will say I know 3 girls with the names [name]Emily[/name] [name]Douglas[/name] __, Stevi [name]Hill[/name] _, and [name]Katharine[/name] Stevens, and they all don’t like it. I think maybe instead of honoring him in the namesake way you should give her a name you love and he would have loved? I am a big fan of unisex names though, just giving some thoughts.
Also I love Chessa, it is really pretty, also, [name]Chester[/name] to me seems like a really good pet name, you could honor him in that way, which might sound really stupid but just throwing things out there.
Personally, I think middle names are where you should do whatever you want. If it were me, and it meant that much to me, I’d go ahead and do it. [name]Chester[/name] has a sort of “last name” feel to it, too…and my sister’s middle name is [name]Martin[/name], so I kinda like last namey middles. A middle name often doesn’t see much daylight, so I think that creativity, honor names, and such should go in that place.
I might be the only one, but I dig [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Chester[/name] far more than [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Francesca[/name], which just seems like a whole lotta name.
I personally believe that yes you can use [name]Chester[/name] as a middle name. I personally dont believe that by giving your daughter the middle name of [name]Chester[/name] that you would bestow your daughter a lifetime of weird looks because when do we really use our middle names in a day to day basis. And if it holds so much significance I saw go for it. Like the pp said that [name]Chester[/name] has the appearance of a last name, which in certain cultures bestowing a last name as a middle name is very common. Like in my family, most of my cousins and I have the same middle name of [name]Garcia[/name] to honor my grandparents. And I never felt weird about it or robbed because I dont have a regular middle name. My grandparents died when I was 4 years old, so I am proud that I have a part of them in my name. So I think you should go for it, it was your grandfather’s name and it has the appearance of a last name, so I dont believe most people would raise an eyebrow. Good luck.
I think it’s great! And I also think the most important thing is that it means something and honours someone. I would be proud to have that name, especially as I would be named after my great grandfather! I love it and I think that you should use it because you love it too. And to top it off, [name]Chester[/name] is super cute for a girl! I have an unusual name too and to be honest, I didn’t like it when I was a kid, but I am SO glad now that my name is unique and I wear it proudly because it has a history. I think your daughter will grow into her name and learn to love it.
I think you should go for it! [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Chester[/name] may not have the most perfect flow, but in my opinion having meaning behind the name is more important in the real world. Part of what I find so great about names is how they are used to honor people and I’m sure that your daughter will love having such a connection to her great grandfather as he was obviously so important to you.
I’m not liking [name]Chester[/name] for a girl, even as a MN. I do like that it has family significance. What about [name]Hester[/name] or [name]Esther[/name]? They are similar in sound to [name]Chester[/name].
I also like the suggestion of [name]Francesca[/name]. Chessa is cute too.
I agree about [name]Esther[/name] and [name]Hester[/name] as a way to honor him. What was his middle name? Maybe it would lead to a better choice. I think that jonoring family is lovely. My names are family names and all the names we have for future children honor family. Try to put yourself in her shoes. Would you like this to be your name?
I understand the desire to honor your grandfather, and for that reason I’m sorry to say that I still would in no way name my daughter [name]Chester[/name]. IF this was my name or part of my name, I would be embarrassed every time I had to tell someone. I would save the name in case you have a boy, or look for feminine alternatives that sound similar.
I love that you want to honor your grandfather, but I still wouldn’t give a little girl the middle name [name]Chester[/name]. Perhaps he had a more gender neutral middle name, like someone else commented? Otherwise, maybe you have a special memory such as a special place you visited together, a favorite book you would read together (you could use the name of a beloved character), his favorite flower that he would give you or your grandma, maybe the street name that he lived on if he lived there for many years, or maybe even some sort of connection to a favorite sports team or a Bible verse or character. [name]Hope[/name] that helps! Either way, I’m sure your little one will be honored to know that you wanted to connect them with this special person in your life.
Honestly I think it’s awful on a girl, if my middle name was [name]Chester[/name] I would never tell anyone. I would find another name with the same or similar meaning or something else that makes you think of him but [name]Chester[/name] on a girl is just bad
I understand the need to honor your grandfather, but your daughter is going to have to live with the name. I would go with an alternative–maybe his middle name would give you another option. Or possible Chessa or [name]Esther[/name] or something of that nature.
I have a special place in my heart for [name]Chester[/name], as it is a town where a lot of my extended family lived for many generations, and I was delighted and a friend of mine just recently named her new baby boy [name]Chester[/name]. Saying that though, I have a bit of trouble with [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Chester[/name]. I think its a lovely tribute, but I really think that [name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Hester[/name] would be better, or something with a more feminine twist on [name]Chester[/name]?
) I think [name]Chester[/name] is fine in the middle spot.