Dear Nameberries,
I’m due with our first daughter in 4 weeks - and we still haven’t decided on a name!
I’ve thought of two names that hubby doesn’t love, and I’m not sure enough of them to fight for them…
The third name on my “maybe” list is an unusual name, not common at all in Germany, but has sentimental value for us both.
On top of hubby’s list is an all-time classic, very usual and common, that has been in Germany’s top ten list for the last decade… and it’s the name of my niece’s mom, so already tied to the family.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any invaluable tips on how to find a name for our girl?
I feel the more time passes and the more names I look at, the least likely I am to find a name - I feel there’s already a kind of blockade going on.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you dear fellow nameberries have any ideas how to help? I’m counting on you! 
I’d love to help! What family names could you honor? Maybe variations or combinations of them could be what you’re looking for. Any specific styles you like? What’s something of sentimental value that we could make a name out of? 
It’s more that the name of my niece’s mom is coincidentally the same one, that hubby would like.
I’m not very comfortable with using the name, since it’s 1. very common 2. my brother and my niece’s mom are seperated, though on good terms.
I think it would be confusing for my family to have her name twice, you know?
Unfortunately there’s only one family name that we could honor, since the rest suck 
And this name, my great-grandmother’s, only varies from my first name with one letter - they sound almost exactly the same, so this one isn’t usable either.
Well that’s unfortunate…maybe a combination of mommy and daddy’s names? As for sentimental value, I know of a woman who named her daughter [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], because she had lilies at her wedding, and her mother’s name was [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f]. Maybe you could do something like that!
that’s a nice idea!
We actually named our cat [name_f]Lily[/name_f] and I’ve come to regret that decision - if we hadn’t, I could name our daughter [name_f]Lily[/name_f] 
You are not the first to make that minor mistake. I know a guy who always loved the name [name_f]Ava[/name_f], so he and his wife named their cat [name_f]Ava[/name_f]. They got pregnant with a baby girl two years later, and wished they could use [name_f]Ava[/name_f]… but had to settle for [name_u]Avery[/name_u].
No idea- I feel like I am in the same boat except I’m 29 weeks along.
I get rather jealous of people who are 100% sure of the name before they even meet the baby.
With my last it took 3 days to name her- and in the end none of the ones on the proposed name list made it.
Perhaps you are like me? when you see her the right name will fall into place.
I sincerely hope that’s the case
Maybe I’ll meet her and think: “Of course, she’s a XXX!”
What irks me most:
I’m very anglophile and many of the names I like would sound weird to my fellow Germans 
Why not start with deciding on the style and feel you want the name to have?? What about [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] do you love?
You could also use a classic first with a less used nick name so you and your husband are both satisfied. So [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] nn [name_f]Beth[/name_f] or [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] nn [name_f]Greta[/name_f].
With [name_f]Lily[/name_f] it’s how it flows, with its soft L’s and repetitive sounds.
I like your second tip!
Actually I’d like an “[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]” and call her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], but the “nor” sound feels “dark” to my hubby 
You still have a month so I think the best thing to do at this point is take a break from your search. It’s like smelling too many perfumes at the department store…pretty soon they all start to smell the same and you feel sick ha ha. Maybe there is a better analogy…anyway, my advice is to take a short break from your search and come back with fresh eyes. If that is too hard to do, I would think about which names you’ve liked longest or keep coming back to. Most likely your daughter’s name will be one that you’ve already considered, not one that you still have yet to come across. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps~ let us know how it goes.
Thank you, I’ll definitely let you know
You’re right, it’s hard to stop thinking about it - even more since I’m now 37 weeks and the baby could come any day…But I’ll try to relax and let things roll, maybe it’ll all work out in the end. Let’s hope it will
Similar feel of [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] or [name_f]Lily[/name_f]:
[name_f]Eloise[/name_f]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]
[name_f]Lila[/name_f]
Some soft “L” german lady names
- [name_f]Willa[/name_f]
- [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
- [name_f]Alice[/name_f]
- [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f]
thank you, those sound lovely!
If the “nor” in [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is too dark for your husband, you might consider [name_f]Eleanora[/name_f] instead.
What are the two names that you like (but aren’t sure you want to fight for)??
I wouldn’t use the name of your ex-sister-in-law. You are clearly uncomfortable with it and I think you should [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] your daughter’s name - you will be saying that name 100 times a day for the first five years alone!
I completely understand your [name_m]German[/name_m]/English dilemma. Half my family is [name_m]German[/name_m] and every name I consider has to pass the pronunciation test “hmmm, how would this sound with a [name_m]German[/name_m] accent?”
[name_m]Viel[/name_m] Gluck!
The first is “[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]”, the second is “[name_f]Lina[/name_f]”. [name_m]Both[/name_m] lovely, I think.
I understand your dilemma, making families from two countries happy with the naming can’t be easy 
so good luck to you too!
Some ideas…
[name_f]Elliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Elena[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonora[/name_f]
[name_f]Leona[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucilla[/name_f]
All the best and good luck in finding the right name!