At least for girls, I tend to like names that have a history but are still not used quite as often, if that makes sense. Elegant but not overly posh, and unusual enough to be interesting without being too far out there. Names like this are sort of a tradition in my family, for example [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] [name_f]Anne[/name_f] (my name) or [name_f]Mariette[/name_f] [name_u]Drew[/name_u].
For the girl I’m expecting some names I like currently are [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_u]Simone[/name_u], [name_f]Elsbeth[/name_f], [name_f]Lilah[/name_f], [name_f]Winifred[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], etc. but I’m not so good at middle names. Also, I like [name_f]Addie[/name_f] and [name_f]Mara[/name_f] as nicknames but am unsure about what they’d be short for.
Thoughts on middle names for these? Or potential first names with a similar feel? Surname sounds like [name_m]Brannon[/name_m], we’re open to double or single names, unisex or less feminine, potential nicknames, different combinations… we’re early in the process of brainstorming, the only hard limit is we don’t like word names. Aside from that, anything goes - any thoughts or suggestions you may have!
EDIT: I’m aware some of these names have become more popular in recent years, but not so much in the area where we plan to raise her. Emilia specifically is also a feminization of my late grandfather’s name.
From the ones you’ve listed, I really like [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_f]Elsbeth[/name_f] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]!
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u], [name_f]Elsbeth[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_f]Holly[/name_f] would be sweet
Some more suggestions:
[name_f]Adele[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Addie[/name_f]’
[name_f]Marissa[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Mara[/name_f]’
[name_f]Tamara[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Mara[/name_f]’
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Addie[/name_f]’ (maybe a bit much though?)
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]
[name_f]Nadine[/name_f]
[name_f]Anya[/name_f]
[name_f]Francine[/name_f] ‘[name_u]Frankie[/name_u]’
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Emmie[/name_f]’ ‘[name_f]Milly[/name_f]’
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f]
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Celine[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosa[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] ‘[name_u]Romy[/name_u]’
[name_f]Addie[/name_f]'s full names: [name_f]Adeline[/name_f]/[name_f]Adalynn[/name_f]…
[name_f]Mara[/name_f]'s full names: [name_f]Margot[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f]…
[name_m]How[/name_m] worried are you about it being unusual? Of course this depends where you are in the world, but [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] is extremely popular now (although gorgeous) and the pronunciation of [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is pretty much indistinguishable from the very, very popular [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (although fwiw I also think both [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] are lovely names).
I think [name_u]Simone[/name_u] is a great choice, familiar and easy to spell but not commonly used.
In terms of [name_f]Addie[/name_f] and [name_f]Mara[/name_f]:
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f], [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Adele[/name_f], [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Adriana[/name_f], [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f], [name_f]Adela[/name_f] or even [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] would work?
My read is that you would like something that isn’t overly common, but known and interesting, so from your list I think [name_u]Simone[/name_u] and [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] fit best. I would drop [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] as they seem to be everywhere, and [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is so close to the very popular [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. I love the pp’s suggestions of [name_f]Delilah[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] for you.
Some of the listed names were suggested by my spouse who has different reasons for selecting names. I also forgot to mention that [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is a feminine version of my late grandfather’s name [name_m]Emil[/name_m] as a potential way of honoring him. In that case I’d be looking for a middle name or double name to make it stand out more. I agree with you about [name_u]Simone[/name_u], and [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is a lovely name!
Thank you!! I love [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u] and [name_f]Elsbeth[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f], and your suggestions of [name_f]Nadine[/name_f] and [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] are beautiful as well. I particularly like [name_f]Nadine[/name_f]! I started another thread with name combinations and some of what I listed came from or were inspired by your suggestions!
Thanks for your input! You have a very good understanding what I’m going for. [name_f]Delilah[/name_f], [name_f]Justine[/name_f], and [name_f]Margot[/name_f] are very nice! I like [name_f]Elena[/name_f] as well, but that name seems to be gaining popularity lately…
Thanks so much! You suggested some very nice middle names, I love [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. I hadn’t considered [name_u]James[/name_u] as a middle name! [name_u]Simone[/name_u] [name_f]Odette[/name_f] is lovely and flows very well, it’s exactly my style, but unfortunately that would leave her with the initials S.O.B. and we’ve had to rule it out even though I adore it.