Desperately need help with name for baby number 2!

[handsonthewheel]

[name]Hi[/name]! This board helped me settle on the name [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Louise[/name] for our first baby a few years ago and we are now expecting baby number 2 and cannot settle on a name for either gender! We have some ideas already but are just feeling a bit unsure about the current list and having trouble coming up with fresh ideas for number 2–most of these names are leftover from our list the first time around, and I’m not sure we’re completely in love with them anymore.

A bit of background:

we are a British family living in [name]America[/name] and like literary/Shakespearian names (but don’t necessarily have/want to stick with that pattern for number 2) and are big film geeks ([name]Imogen[/name]'s middle name is after [name]Louise[/name] [name]Brooks[/name], the silent film star). I’m also a big ‘old lady name’ fan.

Here’s where our list currently stands:

Girl:

[name]Beatrice[/name] (nn [name]Bess[/name]–does this work? We love [name]Bess[/name] but don’t want to go with [name]Elizabeth[/name])
[name]Lena[/name] ([name]Helena[/name] is not a possibility for us, or we would use this as a full name instead)
[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Elodie[/name]
[name]Mila[/name] (would prefer this as a nickname for a longer name, but not sure what?)
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name]

middle name possibilities: [name]Clara[/name], [name]Josephine[/name], [name]Rosamund[/name], [name]Wren[/name] – or ??? – still open to ideas!

Boy:

[name]Theodore[/name] (this is my top choice but may take some huge convincing to win my husband over)
[name]Elias[/name] (my husband’s favorite at the moment, but I’m unsure)
[name]Beckett[/name]
[name]Miles[/name] or [name]Milo[/name] (I like just [name]Milo[/name], my husband likes [name]Miles[/name] nn [name]Milo[/name])

and we’ve tossed around [name]Samuel[/name], [name]Julian[/name], [name]Asher[/name], and [name]Leo[/name] but none of those feel right to one or both of us.

middle name possibilities: [name]Valentine[/name], [name]Rufus[/name], [name]Virgil[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Arthur[/name] or ???

We are least in agreement when it comes to boy names, so are particularly desperate for help there!!

Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts of advice you may have!

[Mischa]

With [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Louise[/name], I like…

Girls

1 [name]Matilda[/name] [name]Wren[/name]
2 [name]Alice[/name] [name]Rosamund[/name]
3 [name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Clara[/name]
4 [name]Susannah[/name] [name]Wren[/name]

Other FN and MN Suggestions

[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Philippa[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Felicity[/name]
[name]Juniper[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Mirabel[/name]
[name]Jessamine[/name]
[name]Bryony[/name]
[name]Amabel[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Cecily[/name]
[name]Cordelia[/name]
[name]Flavia[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Romilly[/name]
[name]Leonie[/name]
[name]Clover[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Violet[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Daphne[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
[name]Elspeth[/name]
[name]Olive[/name]
[name]Lydia[/name]
[name]Cora[/name]/[name]Coralie[/name]
[name]Georgia[/name]
[name]Lavender[/name]

Boys

1 [name]Theodore[/name] [name]James[/name]
2 [name]Leo[/name] [name]Valentine[/name]
3 [name]Milo[/name] [name]Arthur[/name]
4 [name]Elias[/name] [name]Virgil[/name]

I don’t really like the harsh sound of [name]Beckett[/name].

Other FN and MN Suggestions

[name]Bennett[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Oscar[/name]
[name]Tobias[/name]
[name]Barnaby[/name]
[name]August[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Ezra[/name]
[name]Josiah[/name]
[name]Silas[/name]
[name]Jude[/name]
[name]Cornelius[/name]
[name]Balthasar[/name]
[name]Alastair[/name]
[name]Cassius[/name]
[name]Ivor[/name]
[name]Marcus[/name]
[name]Casimir[/name]
[name]Benedict[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Seneca[/name]
[name]Horatio[/name]
[name]Matthias[/name]
Revere
[name]Ulysses[/name]
[name]Thaddeus[/name]
[name]Lysander[/name]
[name]Prosper[/name]
[name]Galen[/name]
[name]Atticus[/name]
[name]Ambrose[/name]
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Hugo[/name]

[shealahtoba]

[name]Theodore[/name] [name]James[/name] [name]Arthur[/name] sounds nice to me. As do [name]Matilda[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name], [name]Susannah[/name] [name]Elodie[/name] [name]Alice[/name], [name]Edward[/name] [name]Graham[/name], [name]James[/name] [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Graham[/name], [name]Sadie[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name] or [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Arthur[/name]… hope I helped and congratulations!!

[ottilie]

[name]Imogen[/name] [name]Louise[/name] is beautiful!

Here are some suggestions:

[name]Marion[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Lillian[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Lucille[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Marlene[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Veronica[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Brigitte[/name]
[name]Alice[/name] [name]Rosalind[/name]
[name]Alice[/name] [name]Hermione[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name] [name]Olivia[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name] [name]Viola[/name]

I think [name]Ludmila[/name] is a beautiful long version of [name]Mila[/name], it means beloved people (or something).

[name]Ludmila[/name] Malrene
[name]Ludmila[/name] [name]Claudette[/name]
[name]Ludmila[/name] [name]Bette[/name]
[name]Ludmila[/name] [name]Vivien[/name]

Some shakespeare women + vintage movie star names:

[name]Clara[/name] [name]Rosalind[/name]
[name]Rosalind[/name] [name]Bette[/name]
[name]Portia[/name] [name]Brigitte[/name]
[name]Marion[/name] [name]Cressida[/name]
[name]Vilma[/name] [name]Hermione[/name]
[name]Julia[/name] [name]Constance[/name]
[name]Hermia[/name] [name]Claudette[/name]

[jessicalucy]

Here’s some Shakespearean names you might like:

Girls
~ [name]Beatrice[/name] (Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing)
~ [name]Cleopatra[/name] ([name]Anthony[/name] & [name]Cleopatra[/name])
~ [name]Cordelia[/name] ([name]King[/name] Lear)
~ [name]Cressida[/name] (Troilus & [name]Cressida[/name])
~ [name]Desdemona[/name] (Othella)
~ Goneril ([name]King[/name] Lear)
~ [name]Hermia[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Hero[/name] (Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing)
~ [name]Hermione[/name] (A [name]Winter[/name]'s Tale)
~ [name]Isabella[/name] (Measure for Measure)
~ [name]Julia[/name] (The Two Gentlemen of [name]Verona[/name])
~ [name]Juliet[/name] ([name]Romeo[/name] & [name]Juliet[/name])
~ [name]Katherina[/name] (The Taming of the Shrew)
~ [name]Lavinia[/name] ([name]Titus[/name] Andronicus)
~ [name]Miranda[/name] (The [name]Tempest[/name])
~ [name]Olivia[/name] (Twelfth [name]Night[/name])
~ [name]Ophelia[/name] ([name]Hamlet[/name])
~ [name]Portia[/name] (The Merchant of [name]Venice[/name])
~ [name]Regan[/name] ([name]King[/name] Lear)
~ [name]Rosalind[/name] (As You Like It)
~ [name]Titania[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Viola[/name] (Twelfth [name]Night[/name])

Boys
~ Egeus (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Lysander[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Oberon[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Demetrius[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Theseus[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Quince[/name] (A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name])
~ [name]Orlando[/name] (As You Like It)
~ [name]Oliver[/name] (As You Like It)
~ [name]Adam[/name] (As You Like It)
~ [name]Jaques[/name] (As You Like It)
~ Belarius ([name]Cymbeline[/name])
~ [name]Jupiter[/name] ([name]Cymbeline[/name])
~ [name]Lucius[/name] ([name]Cymbeline[/name])
~ Armado ([name]Love[/name]'s Labour’s Lost)
~ Berowne ([name]Love[/name]'s Labour’s Lost)
~ Boyet ([name]Love[/name]'s Labour’s Lost)
~ Dumaine ([name]Love[/name]'s Labour’s Lost)
~ [name]Claudio[/name] (Measure for Measure)
~ [name]Lucio[/name] (Measure for Measure)
~ [name]Angelo[/name] (Measure for Measure)
~ [name]Benedick[/name] (Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing)
~ Leonato (Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing)

[blade]

I think you should consider the name [name]Milena[/name]. It would give you a longer, more formal route to nn [name]Mila[/name], and also incorporates [name]Lena[/name], which made your short list. It means ‘a Milanese’ and feels Shakespearean, what with his fascination with smooth, elegant Italianate names, even though it isn’t.

I would pair [name]Milena[/name] with one of the more formal, film-star-esque middles, like [name]Rosamund[/name].

I quite like [name]Theodore[/name] [name]Elias[/name] as a combination, which would of course please both you and your husband, but paired with [name]Imogen[/name] my favorite would be the realistic Shakespearean [name]Orlando[/name]. [name]Orlando[/name] [name]Miles[/name], [name]Orlando[/name] [name]James[/name], [name]Orlando[/name] [name]Beckett[/name], & [name]Orlando[/name] [name]Julian[/name] all work quite well.

[southern_belle3]

I adore [name]Beatrice[/name],[name]Matilda[/name], [name]Mila[/name], and [name]Scarlett[/name] for you! I think of [name]Violet[/name], [name]Juliet[/name], [name]Mia[/name] and [name]Etta[/name]. Of your boy’s names I would throw out [name]Beckett[/name] and [name]Miles[/name]. They do not seem to follow the same style. I like [name]Theodore[/name] and [name]Elias[/name] for you. Maybe [name]Thomas[/name], [name]Walter[/name], [name]William[/name], [name]Alexander[/name], [name]Ellis[/name] or [name]Benjamin[/name].

[niteowl13]

My pick for a sister for [name]Imogen[/name], from your list, would be [name]Alice[/name].
A brother - [name]Elias[/name].
[name]Imogen[/name] and [name]Alice[/name], [name]Imogen[/name] and [name]Elias[/name], sound lovely together!
[name]Alice[/name] and [name]Elias[/name] are both quiet similar sounding. Maybe you would like [name]Elise[/name] instead of [name]Alice[/name]?
[name]How[/name] about [name]Elsie[/name]? You mentioned not caring for [name]Elizabeth[/name], but perhaps you would like [name]Elspeth[/name] and nn [name]Elsie[/name].
I love [name]Beatrice[/name] and [name]Bess[/name], and I guess that could work, but most people would think that her nickname would be [name]Bea[/name], not [name]Bess[/name].
[name]Do[/name] you like [name]Bette[/name]? You could use [name]Bette[/name] as a nickname for [name]Elisabetta[/name] or [name]Bettina[/name].
[name]How[/name] do you feel about [name]Theodora[/name]? Or [name]Theodosia[/name]? There was a silent film star [name]Theda[/name] [name]Bara[/name] whose birth name was [name]Theodosia[/name]. [name]Theodora[/name] and [name]Theodosia[/name] have several great nickname possibilities!
Middle name possibilities: [name]Anna[/name], [name]Anne[/name], [name]Pearl[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Jean[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Helen[/name], [name]Rosalind[/name], [name]Rosa[/name], [name]Rose[/name], [name]Eve[/name], [name]Eva[/name], [name]Evangeline[/name], [name]Evelyn[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name]
Sorry, it takes me forever to put together combos.

Boys names you might like: [name]August[/name], [name]Rupert[/name], [name]Silas[/name], [name]Lev[/name], [name]Leon[/name], [name]Lionel[/name], [name]Vaughn[/name], [name]Vincent[/name], [name]Walter[/name], [name]Henry[/name], [name]Montgomery[/name] ([name]Monty[/name])