Ethiopian Daughter -- final 4

See the results of this poll: Which name do you like best? Almaz is her current Ethiopian name. Thanks :slight_smile:

Respondents: 23 (This poll is closed)

  • Naomi Faith Almaz Howard: 6 (26%)
  • Naomi Winter Almaz Howard : 1 (4%)
  • Naomi Charlotte Almaz Howard: 7 (30%)
  • Evelyn Ruby Almaz Howard: 9 (39%)

[name]Hi[/name]! [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz and [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] Almaz are my absolute favorites! I love their meanings and flow, and they’re honestly tied for me. I ended up voting for [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz, but, only because I could only choose one!

Good luck! :slight_smile:

I chose [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] Almaz. Obviously since it is one of the combinations I loved before. I really hope you give her a name that you absolutely love and that you and your new daughter will be very happy with it.

Good luck with everything, and let us know what you decide!

Okay…I know I voted for [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz at first, but I love the [name]Evie[/name] nickname from [name]Evelyn[/name], and just love the sound of [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] Almaz, so I’m changing my vote to [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] Almaz. I love how she’s your little gem! :slight_smile:

(If popularity is an issue for you though, [name]Naomi[/name] is less popular than [name]Evelyn[/name], which could be another deciding factor.)

I love both of these combos so much! :slight_smile:

Take care!

When I try to picture your daughter, [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz just fits her! I also adore [name]Naomi[/name]'s meaning and the fact that the gorgeous [name]Charlotte[/name] is a family name…

Good luck! :slight_smile:

Each of these names is lovely! You can’t go wrong with any of them. Your explanation of how Almaz means diamond and [name]Ruby[/name] continues the theme of her being your gem has made me warm up to [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name]. That kind of special meaning is an important factor to consider.

It’s kind of tough, but I think I like them in this order:

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Faith[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Winter[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]

Which name are you learning towards? Name her the one that delights you the most. ALL four of them are so beautiful!!

I’m sorry to hear that your family “were way too opinionated/hurtful about the whole thing” and am wondering if you mean hurtful about your adoption of a child from Ethiopia or about the names you were considering…or both.

While it’s helpful to have friendly strangers willing to give feedback on your names, we will not be a part of your child’s life, while your family will be. Perhaps if your closest family member(s) – a sister or brother or one or both of your parents – could give you some feedback too, this would help your family feel that this child belongs not just to you, but to them too.

I voted for [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name], with reservations. It appears that you prefer the name [name]Naomi[/name], and its meaning appeals to you. As an adoptive parent myself, I really support your idea of giving your daughter a family name somewhere in her name. [name]Charlotte[/name] is pretty, but who is the [name]Charlotte[/name] in your family – someone you’re close to or just a name in your family tree? If the former, then I think it’s a good choice, but if not, I would suggest that you use one of your names or that of your mother, sister, grandmother, or special aunt. Someone who is both part of your family and special to you will make the family name a stronger tie for your daughter. As I recall, you decided to have two middle names so you could include both a family name and your daughter’s present name. I think the family name should be one that’s especially meaningful to you – or else just go with one middle name.

My suggestions are:
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Joy[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]

I don’t think the sound of the full name is as important as the meaning it may have for your daughter.

Best wishes!

Very good points are being made! [name]Charlotte[/name] is the name of my cousin who passed away before I met her. But [name]Charles[/name] is also prominent in that it’s the name of my dad’s brother (also passed) and two of my cousins. I got to thinking that by using [name]Charlotte[/name], though I love it, wasn’t directly honoring my parents in anyway.

However, I am adopting and single (and by the way it was the name choices that were hurtful not that fact that I am adopting) so my dad’s surname, [name]Howard[/name], will be used…unless of course I get married. My niece has my mother’s middle name, [name]Elizabeth[/name] so my sister has used it already. One of the meanings of [name]Naomi[/name] I found was joy so with my name also meaning joy, I am honoring both of my parents indirectly.

The name I am leaning towards is [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Winter[/name] Almaz. This name has no direct family connection other than what I mentioned above but this way no one feels slighted either. Having a family connection was/is very important but the only other ones I can see are [name]Evelyn[/name] (with the E from [name]Elizabeth[/name]) or once again [name]Charlotte[/name]. Maybe I should just stick with [name]Naomi[/name] Almaz and leave it at that.

Oh the stress of it all!!!

Thanks again for all the suggestions and things to consider.

What is your name? Maybe we can find a variant of that for [name]Naomi[/name]'s first middle name? :slight_smile:

I choose [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] because I love the name [name]Naomi[/name], ut once a nameberry reader pointed out that backwards its I moan. So I havent gotten over it since then. I still think it is a beautiful name, though.

Lighow, no need to stress about the name (and I am happy to hear that was what you were referring to and that your family is supportive of the adoption). Choosing a name is often a process, and I can see you moving closer to selecting the best name for your daughter.

Some further thoughts about giving your daughter two middle names in order to include a family name:
For an adopted child, I wouldn’t look at the family name so much as honoring a family member, but as a tie between your daughter and her new family. A child born into a family has a “blood tie” which an adopted child doesn’t have. I think giving an adopted child a family name can make her feel more a part of her (adoptive) family if the name is that of her parent or very close relative. It seems to me that the name of a more distant relative (as was your case with [name]Charlotte[/name]) or a name not the actual name or a form of it (as with [name]Evelyn[/name]) doesn’t necessarily fulfill the goal of giving the adopted child a name that when she hears it helps her feel like she belongs.

I think it could be most meaningful for your daughter to have your first or middle name as one of her middle names. (It certainly has been for our adopted daughter and son who have my first name and my husband’s first name as their middle names.) I don’t know your first name, but your middle name [name]Joy[/name] is a lovely name and would certainly be meaningful, more so, I think, than telling her that [name]Naomi[/name] can mean [name]Joy[/name]. I don’t think using both [name]Naomi[/name] and [name]Joy[/name] would be redundant because most people have no idea what [name]Naomi[/name] means. [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Joy[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name] would be a name with a lifelong connection between your daughter and you. (I know a mother named [name]Jennifer[/name] [name]Joy[/name] who shared her middle name with both of her (birth) daughters - [name]Emily[/name] [name]Joy[/name] and [name]Abigail[/name] [name]Joy[/name]. I find that very special too.)

It seems that you were hesitant to give her two middle names, but then decided it would be alright to do that because you wanted to include a family name. As I said, I think it would be ideal to share one of your names with your daughter. But if that doesn’t work for you, then I would suggest not going with a second middle name. You asked to know what we think about your name ideas, and so I feel that I can tell you that I don’t see the point in adding [name]Winter[/name] to her name. I can understand your happiness in becoming a mother and that that happened in the winter, but that seems to be more about you than your daughter (who was born in the [name]Spring[/name]?). It seems to me that [name]Winter[/name] adds nothing to the name you want for your daughter - [name]Naomi[/name] - and her present name - Almaz, and that [name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name] is enough of a name without it.

Thus I would suggest:
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Joy[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] yourfirstname Almaz [name]Howard[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]

When is your daughter coming home? I know how difficult it is to wait for a child “from afar”, so it’s good that you have this naming dilemma to help pass the time before you’re united with her. :slight_smile: I’m sure you’ll figure out the perfect name for her.

Best wishes!

Wow, I am so appreciate of all this help. I just love winter and thought about it as a first name but i see your point. she was born in the summer and coming home in the spring so i guess it is more about me! ha! i also see your point about evelyn. that makes a lot of sense, too!

my name is laura ligaya howard. ligaya (pronounced li-[name]GUY[/name]-uh) is a philippino name meaning joy. i am not philippino, my parents had a connection to the Philippines and just liked it.

so, per your suggestions it sounds like i should go with:

naomi elizabeth almaz
naomi ligaya almaz --one of my friends suggested using ligaya
naomi joy almaz
naomi lawrence almaz (this would be different! kind of like it actually)
naomi laura almaz (yuck)

hmmmm… elizabeth surely sounds the nicest… hmmm… i was kind of getting used to calling her naomi winter almaz…

i hate the imoan thing!!! i am just thinking though, that by the time she’s of the age when anyone is thinking about (high school?) that she will love her name and be secure with it or have a witty comeback and it won’t be an issue.

Okay, this is my first time commenting, but I have followed your other posts. Of the names that you just listed, I really like [name]Naomi[/name] Ligaya Almaz and [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] Almaz. However, I definitely lean towards [name]Naomi[/name] Ligaya Almaz for a couple of reasons. First, you said that your niece already has [name]Elizabeth[/name] as a middle name. That really isn’t much of a problem because it is just a middle name and could help form a bond between cousins, but if your family is very opinionated about the names I worry about their reaction to using the same middle name. It could be nothing, though. But more importantly, you are single and have decided to adopt on your own. You obviously have a lot of love for this child and I would imagine that you two will have an amazing bond. I think it will mean more to your daughter to carry part of your name with her for her life than your mother’s name. So, I think [name]Naomi[/name] Ligaya Almaz would be the best choice.

First of all, I wouldn’t be concerned about [name]Naomi[/name] spelled backwards. So many names have some word connection through a similar sounding or rhyming word.

Hearing that your middle name means joy (also one of the meanings of [name]Naomi[/name]) but isn’t actually [name]Joy[/name] and that your first name is [name]Laura[/name] changes things a bit for me. Too, it seems that choosing a name for your daughter is becoming more complicated than it need be. :slight_smile:

  1. What first name (regardless of connected meaning or not) do you love most? As I recall, you had a rather lengthy list of possibilities? If it’s [name]Naomi[/name], then no need to rethink that. But if there’s another name you actually prefer and only chose [name]Naomi[/name] because of the meaning of the name, then you may want to reconsider.

  2. [name]Do[/name] you like your first or middle name enough to want your daughter to have it too as her middle name?

  3. Would you like [name]Naomi[/name] [name]Laura[/name] better without adding Almaz? As I said before, although I now like the idea of including a child’s previous first name, we didn’t include the names that our internationally adopted children were called in their birth countries in the names we chose for them. None of them has ever said she/he wished that we had; in fact, I’m pretty sure one adult daughter would not want – or use – that name as part of her name now and another has said she doesn’t like the sound of her Korean name at all. They all know what their pre-adoption names were. If you decide that including Almaz in her American name is too cumbersome, I think it’s fine to leave it out. She’ll always know that that was her name in Ethiopia. And I think it may be more meaningful to her to share a name with you, her mother, than to have Almaz as part of her name if you feel you have to chose one or the other to make the name work.

My reconsidered suggestions are:

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Laura[/name] [name]Howard[/name]

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Laura[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name] (sounds very nice to me)

[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Laura[/name] [name]Howard[/name]

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Joy[/name] [name]Howard[/name]

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Joy[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name]

[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Joy[/name] [name]Howard[/name]

[name]Naomi[/name] Ligaya [name]Howard[/name]

In other words:
First name – the first name you love best of all

Middle name(s) [name]Laura[/name] or [name]Joy[/name] or possibly Ligaya --sharing a part of your identity with your daughter: [name]Laura[/name], the name you are known by or [name]Joy[/name] because that’s what your middle name means and also because being able to adopt this little girl is bringing you so much [name]Joy[/name]) or possibly Ligaya. I think [name]Naomi[/name] Ligaya [name]Howard[/name] sounds fine, but I wouldn’t include Almaz because that would give her 2 names that are unknown to most Americans and somewhat difficult to pronounce correctly. As for Almaz, if it sounds good to you to include it, then do so, but if you have to omit it to make the name work for you, then just let it be her “Ethiopian name”.

Ellen_b makes some excellent points. Your daughter will derive a more solid family connection by being named after you (or your mother) than being named after your long-deceased cousin, [name]Charlotte[/name].

Yes, the first order of business is deciding which first name you truly prefer. [name]Naomi[/name] seems perfect to me, but it needs to be what you love most. If it is [name]Naomi[/name], for your consideration, I also recommend…

[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz [name]Laura[/name] [name]Howard[/name] – which I think flows well.
or
[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] Almaz [name]Howard[/name] - which Ellen_b suggested if you decide to go ahead and use your mother’s name.

[name]Naomi[/name] is the first name. That is solid.

I’m debating between these as full names:

naomi almaz
naomi elizabeth almaz
naomi ligaya almaz
naomi almaz ligaya
naomi winter almaz
naomi rose almaz
naomi almaz rose
naomi rosemary almaz
naomi almaz rosemary

thanks for all your suggestions. at this point i think i just need to reflect and see which one fits and which i like the best.

the rose/rosemary comes from this: my birth announcement said “announcing the arrival of a june rosebud” and it’s february so roses and valentines and love and all. rose[name]MARY[/name] is nice because my dad’s sister was named mary and she passed away as a little girl. i did not have any connection to her but she was about the same age as my daughter. i don’t think that’s too morbid but a nice thing to consider.

I chose [name]Evelyn[/name] because I love lyn names and this is a name that I have liked for ages.

[name]Naomi[/name] in the Bible was lovely but I have a problem with all names that have No or Nay in them eg [name]Nathan[/name]. I see them as giving the child a negative style name.

Best wishes

As you mull over your new list to determine your favorite, if you have any trouble deciding between two or more of the combinations, feel free to post a new poll.

[name]Naomi[/name] Almaz - I like the simplicity of it: a name you love plus your daughter’s name before she was adopted.

[name]Naomi[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] Almaz - sounds very nice, with a meaningful family connection - her adoptive grandma’s middle name too – added to the name above. This is my favorite of the names you’re now considering.