[name]Hi[/name] Berries,
I’ve been pondering this one a lot recently- when we have our second baby (which will be our last) we really want to use two names that have great meaning for us, like we did with our daughter’s name. Unfortunately, a lot our most meaningful names don’t sound brilliant together and I’m having trouble coming up with cohesive combinations, so something’s gotta give. So which matters more in your opinions- perfect flow or meaning?
Definitely meaning, if it is a super important one. However, can a compromise be made? For example, in honoring a family member, you could choose a variation of that name or choose a different name with the same meaning. (For example, if the name meant “of the sea” or something, you could find a name with a similar meaning. That way, the name itself is different, but its root is the same.)
For me meaning is the most important part of choosing a name. Meaning trumps flow, popularity etc. every time for me 
Meaning definitely
What’s important is different for everyone. There are some people like me, who don’t care what the actual meaning of the name means. For example, I love the name [name]Claudia[/name] and don’t care if it means lame. Its not as though my child is going to end up that way. However, I do like names that have literary connections like [name]Daisy[/name], [name]Alice[/name] or [name]Dorian[/name] for example. I could see myself giving my child a name from a favourite book or something like that. I guess one could argue that name would hold some special meaning.
It seems like meaning is important to you. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on flow. There is an advanced search here on nameberry. If let’s say the meaning is “kind” you can search names that mean exactly that. You might find a name that you like, that also flows well with the rest of the name.
Thanks for your comments everyone!
Taliawhat- i will look for a compromise where possible, i love having as many possibilities as possible. But sometimes, only the actual name feels appropriate, you know?
Mrs_anton- its not the database meaning of a name that i’m talking about, rather its personal associations- sorry, i should have made that clearer. [name]One[/name] example is the name [name]Susannah[/name]: it was the name of my great-aunt who was dear to me and i’d like to honour, it is also a reference to my best-friend and is the name of a song which is very important to me and my husband. But i’m having trouble matching it with some of the other names on our list that are also very special to us because they honour family or remind us of a special place or song.
If you’d like to tell us the names, we’d be glad to help you with suggestions!
To me, meaning trumps flow except for extreme circumstances in which something would sound downright ridiculous.