I posted our boy name list in the boy name forum, and would love feedback on our much shorter girls name list.
Our two year old daughter’s name is [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Skye[/name_u] ([name_u]Skye[/name_u] is a name we came with to represent our brothers names, [name_m]Scott[/name_m] and [name_u]Kyle[/name_u]). I am 20 weeks along and we weren’t able to find out the sex at the anatomy scan. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is the flower for [name_u]June[/name_u] and [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] is the stone, which also happens to be my grandmother’s name and would be the middle name, almost guaranteed. Last name is two syllables and starts with a B.
Names are:
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (we love that is a boy’s name and offers a certain uniqueness)
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (we love how it’s both old fashioned and eclectic)
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (we like the name [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and that its red, like a rose)
Thoughts? We have more names we like but these are standing out at the top.
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] is a great middle, meaningful and charming.
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] - I like the rakishness but it’s a little too masculine for me. What about [name_u]Remy[/name_u]? [name_u]Rory[/name_u]?
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] - I prefer [name_f]Harriet[/name_f]. Neither really seem similar to [name_u]Arden[/name_u] to me, not sure how much you focus on sisters’ names fitting together.
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] - nms. I don’t like the ‘scar’ syllable. And two word names might be too much.
My favorite from your list is [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]! I think [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is very spunky. I think [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] is ok, but a bit too wordy for my taste. I am not a huge fan of [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m], but I can see the appeal.
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] - I don’t care for it. Makes me think of the musician [name_m]Raffi[/name_m].
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] - my pick of the three. Cute potential nicknames like [name_f]Etta[/name_f] or [name_f]Hattie[/name_f]. I’m not crazy about the full name.
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] - I don’t care for these together because I feel like [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] before [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] sounds like an adjective (i.e., red pearl).
With [name_u]Arden[/name_u], I like [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] and [name_u]Larkin[/name_u] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f].
[name_m]Scott[/name_m] + [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] --> [name_u]Skye[/name_u]? Well played!
I love [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] for a boy, but it feels too masculine for a girl [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] is my favourite on your list but I can’t decide if [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] sounds like a description more than a name… realistically, though, the middle name doesn’t usually see a lot of use, and apart from both being English words, I do think they sound good together.
I don’t personally like [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] (it still feels "old lady"ish to me rather than the names of 100 years ago that now feel fresh), though [name_f]Etta[/name_f] as a nickname is lovely.
Thanks! I get the same vibe with [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f], but since she wouldn’t go by her full name often it’s not a deal breaker, much.
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] is actually an old fashioned boy name, so we have no issue using boy names, or old names for girls! It does have a certain spunk to it which we find makes it go well with both [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] and [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]. They both make a bit of an impression but grow on you (I swear it!).
It’s funny because when we came up with it, we were standing outside of a restaurant in a dark, forest-y town on our anniversary talking about baby names. We were looking at the sky/stars while talking and my husband said “what about [name_u]Sky[/name_u]?”. I immediately put it together with our brothers names and it instantly became our #1 mn choice.
My favourite is [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]. I really do not like [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] for a girl. Because it is so masculine, not a name that is used for both boys and girls, it may look like you were hoping for a boy so named her [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] anyway.
My favourite is the vintage combo [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]. Stylistically, it is very different from [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Skye[/name_u] but you don’t seem overly concerned so I won’t be either. You do have some great nickname options with [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] - [name_f]Hattie[/name_f], [name_f]Hettie[/name_f], [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_f]Hennie[/name_f], [name_f]Ettie[/name_f], [name_f]Netta[/name_f], [name_f]Nettie[/name_f]… so I think it’s the most versatile of the three.
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_u]Arden[/name_u] both share an strong “ar” sound and that bothers me a bit. I don’t find [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] very attractive although style-wise it’s a good match with [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
I really like [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] with [name_u]Arden[/name_u] . You can use [name_u]Scout[/name_u] as her nickname to go with [name_u]Arden[/name_u] . [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] is too masculine for me & I don’t care for [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] . Feels very mismatched with [name_u]Arden[/name_u] .
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]: I could see [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] on a boy, but I can’t see it on a girl.
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]: [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] this name! [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is bold and beautiful. I also love the name [name_f]Etta[/name_f].
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]: I like this name, but not nearly as much as [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]!
It’s funny that many people find [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] doesn’t go well stylistically with [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. I find both [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] and [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] do. [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] can go with many names and is also generally a more popular name.
The style does matter to me when it comes to first names, not so much middle names. Funny enough, my favorite nickname for [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] hasn’t been mentioned, which [name_m]Henri[/name_m]. We’re a very gender neutral family. [name_u]Arden[/name_u]'s nickname is [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. As for [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m], surprisingly a lot of people who have never been on Nameberry also never heard of it and when I say it as a possible girl name, it doesn’t even cross their mind that it’s actually a boy name. But hey, if people can name girls full blown masculine names, why can’t we, right? DH actually had a harder time connecting it to a boy than girl (it’s on our boy list too).
I’ll throw in some love for [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m]. I think it’s actually the best ‘match’ with [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. Both surnames. [name_u]Arden[/name_u] is admittedly being used on girls now, whereas [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] isn’t, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t make a great sister for [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is a lovely name, but I feel like it’s a different style, [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is a girl wearing a lovely ballgown with rubber boots underneath. Whereas [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] and [name_u]Arden[/name_u] are already out in the garden, playing in mud, late for the ball. [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] is just too common for [name_u]Arden[/name_u], IMHO.
…I posted a huge comment which seems to have disappeared!
But the moral of the story was… [name_m]RAFFERTY[/name_m]! [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] and [name_u]Arden[/name_u] all the way!
They seem to suit each other much better than [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] or [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] would - I do love [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] as names but [name_u]Ari[/name_u] and [name_m]Raffi[/name_m] is just too good to pass up!
The other options are quite frilly, ‘lovely’ names which are certainly beautiful and feminine, but from the sounds of things having a feminine name isn’t a huge concern for you.
I just [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the idea of [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Skye[/name_u] and [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f].
Haha thanks for the [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] love. I find it’s definitely one of those names people love or hate, it’s certainly not for everyone.
Also, I completely forgot that [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] was our other top girl name. Ugh, too many choices! I love them all.
Since posting this I think I’ve come to terms with letting go of the name [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]. [name_u]Love[/name_u] love love the name but I just don’t think its for us. I have more girl names on my list so I just need to make sure not to keep being so indecisive. We aren’t picking a name until baby is born anyways. THAT is when we’ll really know which name fits best.
It looks like you’re moving away from [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] but I did want to point out that first came to my mind when I saw [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]…The [name_f]Scarlet[/name_f] Letter. In the book, [name_f]Hester[/name_f] Prynne (the main character/adulteress) named her daughter [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]. It is a very random and loose connection, but it jumped out at me so I thought I would share.
Of your choices, I like [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] with [name_u]Arden[/name_u]!
If you’re interested in other not so direct nature-y names that are on the unisex side I can come up with some!
I think [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] works best with [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. It’s not overly frilly or super feminine in sound but it’s not a boys’ name either (poor thing, she’d always get mail to Mr. [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] Lastname; Would you like to go through that all your life?
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is a bit too feminine should you want to match the style of [name_u]Arden[/name_u]'s name but very pretty, genereally.
I much prefer [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] as a middle name, it’s not as common and just so beautiful with both, [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f].
I love [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m], but only on a boy.It’s a little TOO masculine. I agree that if you went with it, your daughter might think you wanted a boy. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my opinion.
[name_m]How[/name_m] about another unisex name?
[name_u]Micah[/name_u]
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u]
[name_u]Evan[/name_u]
[name_u]Jude[/name_u]/[name_m]Judah[/name_m] (I know this technically is a boy name, but I think it could work on a girl)
[name_u]Mason[/name_u] (I knew a girl named [name_u]Mason[/name_u] and it fit her quite well)
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u]
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u]
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] {and} [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] would be ideal.
Both are English surnames with Celtic original forms.
Though just as terrific of prospects, [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is too vintage, and [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] are too feminine as sister names for [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
Since [name_u]Arden[/name_u]'s middle honors brothers, could this child’s middle honor sisters?
Or [name_m]Mark[/name_m] + [name_m]Edmond[/name_m] {honors grandfathers?} = [name_m]Meade[/name_m] {a surname middle for either sex}?
Are any of these particularly compatible names from your previous lists still in the running?
You do have some great nickname options with [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] - [name_f]Hattie[/name_f], [name_f]Hettie[/name_f], [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_f]Hennie[/name_f], [name_f]Ettie[/name_f], [name_f]Netta[/name_f], [name_f]Nettie[/name_f]… so I think it’s the most versatile of the three.