Hi there!
(Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I’m Dutch 
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I’m expecting a girl in March (a sister to 3yo Tobias) and I’m stuk with finding the right name. At the top of our list right now are Ginny and Rosemarijn. However, especially Ginny has been in consideration for so long (since our first pregnancy back in 2021), that I’m no longer sure how I feel about it.
On the one hand, I love Ginny - it comes from a book my husband and I both love (not Harry Potter). The same book actually inspired us to choose Tobias for our son, so Ginny would feel really special to us. I also like the vibes/associations of Ginny and somehow it fits us, but I’m not sure I find the name conventionally beautiful, if that makes sense? Although I did fall in love with the idea of Ginny Louise as the full name.
On the other hand, I adore names like Anna, Isedora, Rosemarijn. While Anna feels a bit too elegant for us and Isedora too uncommon, Rosemarijn (a Dutch variation of Rosemary) is certainly an option. But I’m not sure whether I’ll still really love it in a few years, or if i’t just a passing fancy. I’m especially doubtful since it’s quite long with four syllables, at least with the Dutch pronunciation. Of course we could use a nickname, but that’s not very common in the Netherlands, and personally I would prefer to choose a name that we’ll actually use. So then we looked into Rose, but the Dutch pronunciation is a bit too harsh for us. Rosa to me has very different vibes from Rosemarijn. So then we’d choose Rosie, but I’m not sure about that for an adult.
So I’m wondering: how do you know which name is the one?
And in this case in particular, what vibes do both names give to you or what do you love about them?
I’m so curious about your ideas!
Love, daliah
1 Like
It’s a hard question! Going with a long time favourite vs a new love is always challenging. I will say, I know an adult [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] and it worked really well! And as far as I know short names and nickname-names are pretty common in the Netherlands so I don’t think a [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] would stand out too much?
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[name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] is beautiful in full, but if you don’t like the idea of saying the entire name and you don’t like the idea of a nickname, maybe it’s not the one. Could you practice saying it? [name_m]Just[/name_m] tests like “Rosemarijn, come down for dinner!” or “My daughter [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] is 4 months old” [name_f][/name_f] or just referring to the baby as [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] for a couple of weeks, to see if the length of the name is actually a problem in daily use.
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I personally like both names! [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] feels classic, pretty, feminine and strong, sweet and cosy. [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] feels cute, bubbly, friendly and cosy too!
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Generally, I’d recommend going for the name that feels like it fits you and your family and your daughter, over the name that you find more conventionally beautiful.
[name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is light, bright, and energetic [name_f][/name_f]- a quietly confident name. To me, it feels pretty but tough, sweet for a kid but well suited on an adult too 
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[name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] feels sophisticated and distinctive, a name that’s bold, yet not over the top.
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Still, I think I like [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] best [name_f][/name_f]- it seems like a long time favourite for you and is a lovely name
[name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f], definitely [name_f][/name_f]- it’s gorgeous, evocative, and rich.
I love that [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] comes from same book as [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. [name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f] But how I’m reading rosemarijn has “gin” in it so maybe [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] could be a nickname (but ignore me if that’s not how it’s pronounced)
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I do think [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] and [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] sound better as a sibling duo
I love [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] and I think it sounds great with [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. If you’re not sold on either name though, I’d go back to the drawing board.
I didn’t personally know my daughter’s name was “the one”. I had a list of five names [name_f][/name_f]- and I still like all of them [name_f][/name_f]- and then I went with the one that flowed easily to the last name, was an honour name of sorts/had a special meaning, felt energising for me to say and hear, and didn’t have any bad associations for anyone in my family (funnily enough, my mother nixed [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] because of a workplace bully she had [name_f][/name_f]- to be fair, for almost a decade).
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So I personally wouldn’t aim for “the one”, I would aim for a shortlist of 3-5 and go from there. It seems to me as if you might need to build up your list a little before then going back down.
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I also think it’d be good for us to know if you want a [name_m]Dutch[/name_m] name or an Anglo/Anglo-friendly one? The pronunciation of [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] will not be intuitive to practically any English-speaker. That might not (and shouldn’t) matter but just pointing it out because most people on here seem to be from [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking counties where [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is more familiar.
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[name_f]My[/name_f] quick thoughts are what about [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] nn [name_f]Romy[/name_f]? [name_m]Or[/name_m] [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] nn Immy/Ginny?
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Overall, though, I think you might need to build up your list and then whittle back down.
From what you’ve said above, it sounds like [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is closer to your heart and has a special [name_f][/name_f] meaning for you both. Based on this, that’s the name I would go for.
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I think [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] is a perfectly fine nickname for an adult. It’s classic to me, not childish.
I prefer [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f], and [name_f]Romy[/name_f] might be a nice nickname too! So elegant and evocative.
You guys are amazing, thanks for all the input 
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We’ll definitely practice using the name, that helped us so much when choosing [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]!
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And it’s true that the name [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is more special to us, and indeed it has the added benefit of being Anglo-friendly. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I are both [name_m]Dutch[/name_m], but work in international environments and always wanted a name that works both in [name_m]Dutch[/name_m] and [name_f]English[/name_f], so in that sense obviously [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] doesn’t fit the bill (although maybe our daughter could use [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] in international settings?). Perhaps the fact that it’s a contender regardless is a testament to my love for the name 
[name_f][/name_f] [name_m]Or[/name_m] it shows that I’m unintentionally hopping on the Dutch-name trend here in the Netherlands 
[name_f][/name_f] (Names like [name_f]Saar[/name_f], [name_f]Elin[/name_f], [name_f]Lieke[/name_f] or [name_f]Yara[/name_f] are ranking quite high right now.)
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[name_f]Romy[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] are unfortunately both vetoed by my hubbie.
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Some of you suggested building up our list a bit more, which indeed seems wise [name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f] Thank you all so much for your advice! I love hearing your input and experiences in naming your children
2 Likes
I personally love [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f]. It’s a very beautiful name. I think it goes perfecrly with [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is also nice and I love how special it feels to you. I think I get what you mean about [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] not being conventionally beautiful. It’s a very likeable name but to me it’s not necessarily elegant or pretty. It’s more beautiful in the sense of joyfull and bright.
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If you’re open to suggestions, have you considered [name_f]Roosmarijn[/name_f] or [name_f]Rosanne[/name_f]?
[name_f]Ginny[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] are both beautiful! [name_f][/name_f] I love how special [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is for you, and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] and [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] are sweet together. [name_f][/name_f] [name_f]My[/name_f] only concern is, if both names come from the same book, could it be TOO thematic? [name_f][/name_f] It’s sweet and cozy and storybook and spunky. [name_f][/name_f] If it’s not too thematic, it’s a lovely option.
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[name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] is lyrical and romantic, storybook but in a completely different way. [name_f][/name_f] It is quite long but I would love to meet a [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f]. [name_f][/name_f] I’m not usually a fan of [name_f]Rose[/name_f] names in general but somehow [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f] is an exception… she’s so lovely.
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She would be my preference of the two, but it sounds like you are leaning more toward [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] in your heart, based on how you speak about each. [name_f][/name_f] I don’t know if it’s less appealing than both, but what about [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]? [name_f][/name_f] I think she’s spunky and storybook which feels like a happy medium between [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f], but has the elegance of [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Isadora[/name_f], and [name_f]Rosemarijn[/name_f]? [name_f][/name_f] If [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] doesn’t feel right as a nickname, maybe it’s not the best option, but I thought I’d suggest it just in case. [name_f][/name_f] If not [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f], though, [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] would get my vote.
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Good luck!