I want to choose a name that’s unique, confident, and has lots of nickname versatility (nn’s: [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_u]Nelly[/name_u], [name_u]Connie[/name_u]). Most of the really confident women I’ve known have had gender neutral names. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] as a middle name seemed to flow nicely, and balance with some femininity.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] curious what persona/image comes to mind when you hear the name [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]?
Beautiful! It’s really good to know I am not the only one who loves [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] as a girls name haha. [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is a beautiful combination. I picture a whimsical, strong willed, kind girl. Someone who would climb trees in dresses as a child and grow up to rescue animals in heels.
What southern.maple said. My name is [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] (typically considered very feminine, girly, romantic… none of which actually apply to me in practice) and I would consider myself a fairly confident, strong person. If most confident women you’ve met have more neutral/masculine names, then it likely has more to do with the parents’ intention of creating confidence in their child (reflected in their naming choices) then an inherent confidence in the name. As much as we like to think that a child’s name has a huge impact on their life, it’s more something that they grow into and create meaning in for themselves.
That said, I think it’s cute. I’ve always seen [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] as a masculine name, but the feminine nicknames are easily derived and make sense. Pairing it with [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is an easy but natural choice.
For us [name_u]Connolly[/name_u] is a family name (also DH’s mn) so [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] feels really familiar but not overused.
Because the o version is the one I’m more familiar with nn’s like [name_u]Nelly[/name_u]/[name_f]Nellie[/name_f] never really occurred to me.
But I think it’s a cute way to get a more feminine nn from a surname. (Personally [name_u]Connie[/name_u] is nms).
I think [name_f]Rose[/name_f] balances it out nicely and like you said adds a bit of femininity to the name.
My only thought it that it makes [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] sound like a type of [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. Something like [name_f]Mae[/name_f] or
[name_f]Anne[/name_f] could work just as well as a mn without that. (But, I might be the only person bothered by that).
To be perfectly blunt, this name just embodies what I see as the “It’s-not-really-a-girls-name-but-if-I-tack-[name_f]Rose[/name_f]-onto-it,-it-will-sound-like-it-is” philosophy that seems to permeate the name world. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is very filler to me. i’m not opposed to surnames for girls like [name_u]Connelly[/name_u], but I’d prefer it with a more original middle name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] another flower name like [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] would brighten it up for me.
I think of [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_u]Connelly[/name_u], and I like [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] as a combo. It does sounds strong and independent. I [name_f]ADORE[/name_f] [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as a nn and like [name_u]Connie[/name_u] too.
All I think of is billy [name_u]Connelly[/name_u]. He is not very feminine at all, so the name is way too man for me. I also find it a bit tongue-twisty. [name_u]Connelly[/name_u]/colony are getting muddled!
“Most of the really confident women I’ve known have had gender neutral names”
I have a gender neutral name, technically, and I’m one of the least confident people ever, yet my friends named [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Kayleigh[/name_f], [name_f]Vicky[/name_f], etc are incredibly confident. Confidence is a personality trait, not something connected to a name.
Honestly, [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] is not a name I’d choose, as it’s very masculine, and, the masculine-sounding-surnames-on-girls trend is not unique by any means nowadays, when names like [name_u]Collins[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], etc dominating the US top 1000 for girls. If you’d like something unique, I’d suggest picking something that’s not part of a current trend right now
I don’t like [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in any form. Never been a fan of it.
[name_u]Connelly[/name_u] is okay. I am a big fan of the boys as girls names trend, however, I really like to use a ultra feminine first name and attach the boys name as a middle name.
I wasn’t implying the name would create confidence, just that the “name image” that comes to mind for me includes an aspect of confidence because of the women I’ve known in my life. Also, it reminds of the name [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] a bit, which has the imposing presidential quality to it.
I also thought that [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] sounds like a variety of plant - sort of like [name_f]Briar[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. Definitely open to other middle name suggestions too.
Never thought of [name_m]Bill[/name_m] [name_u]Connolly[/name_u] actually! I was too busy thinking of [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_u]Connelly[/name_u].
On a side note, [name_u]Connelly[/name_u] reminded me vaguely of names like [name_f]Coralie[/name_f] or [name_f]Annaleigh[/name_f] - and those have different name images altogether, so this name has a lot of associations for me!
My thoughts exactly.
Now onto what I think of the name. Meh. I am not a fan of boys names on girls but I know lots of people who are. So if you love it! I also think [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is a filler. All I see when I see [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in the middle name spot is ‘Oh I stuck [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in there.’ Especially with unisex names.
If you go with [name_u]Connelly[/name_u], a very feminine middle name should be present.
[name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]
[name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_u]Connelly[/name_u] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]