I want to name my baby a fairly exotic, fairytale-like name, bur I’m wondering about what people might think of them as they grow up. As my mother says, it’s hard to take an adult seriously who is named [name_f]Solstice[/name_f] or [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f]! I wouldn’t want my child to grow up to hate his/her given name either, as someone I know (named [name_u]Porter[/name_u]) does.
With that in mind, I tried to keep my choices firmly in plausible-name territory, although these are still uncommon choices, especially in the conservative community I live in. What do you guys think of [name_f]Dominika[/name_f] (nicknamed [name_f]Nika[/name_f]) or [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] (nicknamed [name_f]Libby[/name_f]) for a girl? Those are my top choices. For a boy I’d lean towards [name_m]Odin[/name_m], [name_m]Kaspar[/name_m], or [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]. I don’t really believe in middle names, but if something goes nicely phonetically I’m open to it.
[name_f]Dominika[/name_f] is nice (I like the [name_f]Dominica[/name_f] spelling more, but that may be me) and wouldn’t regard it as too unusual where I live - [name_f]Nika[/name_f] is spunky and gorgeous! [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] is a bit cutesy though - I would prefer something like [name_f]Lisabet[/name_f] or [name_f]Lisbet[/name_f] nicknamed [name_f]Libby[/name_f]. [name_m]Kaspar[/name_m] and [name_f]Dominika[/name_f] is a fabulous sibset.
I don’t think your choices are too fairy tale and they seem versatile enough that the bearer of those names could make them work regardless of personality or interests.
[name_f]Dominika[/name_f]. Did immediately bring to mind dominatrix… Not a great assoiciation. I like the nickname [name_f]Anika[/name_f] and might get to by using the name [name_u]Nikita[/name_u] or [name_f]Nicolette[/name_f]. [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] is pretty and do like the nickname [name_f]Libby[/name_f]. If your child doesn’t care for [name_f]Libby[/name_f] when she gets older, she can choose to by her full name for [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or [name_f]Beth[/name_f].
[name_m]Odin[/name_m] and [name_m]Kasper[/name_m] are nice, [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] seems very trendy these days.
[name_f]Dominika[/name_f] is nice, though I prefer [name_f]Dominica[/name_f] as well. [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] is way too cutesy for me, I prefer it as nickname. Sorry.
I’ll answer your question as I was given a weird out there name. It was/is challenging for many different reasons. But, that was in a sea of [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]'s and [name_f]Amy[/name_f]'s. these days most girl names are outside the top 10. That said I think your name choices are totally fine. Like [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] and [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]. Now if you’d said [name_f]Frostine[/name_f] and [name_m]Aloysius[/name_m] I’d maybe given pause- but honestly name giving is so different in this generation.
Is [name_f]Solstice[/name_f] hard to take seriously? It has a lot of “s” sound but otherwise it is very interesting imo. Didn’t know it is a princess name. Like the previous poster, I have an unusual name and love it. I like [name_m]Odin[/name_m] but the rest of your choices are NMS for the same “too cutesy” and “dominatrix” reasons mentioned above. I agree that [name_f]Lisbet[/name_f] is a great suggestion.
Thanks for the input, guys. I agree that [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] is a bit fluffy and little-girly, but I always thought that there was a romantic, Edwardian, film noir-ish air to it as well, which is why I like it! [name_u]Nikita[/name_u] is a great option, one of my favourites, but I probably wouldn’t go there because of the TV show [name_u]Nikita[/name_u], who is half-white half-[name_f]Asian[/name_f] just like any of my kids would be - just a little too reminiscent of the character for me.
DH likes the idea of just going with [name_f]Nika[/name_f] as a name in itself. His picks are: [name_u]Colbie[/name_u], [name_f]Vela[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f] or [name_f]Estelle[/name_f]. Pretty, but I’m not really feeling it. Now if I were to really go “out there” and list all the names I’d privately love to give a girl, we’d have: Avalanche, [name_u]Rebel[/name_u], Anarchy, Riot, [name_f]Avada[/name_f], [name_f]Euphemia[/name_f] and [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]. Not too much of a stretch in the nameberry community, I note, but would definitely raise some eyebrows where I’m from.
I imagine you’re all much better name exoerts than I am though, so if anyone would like to throw up some suggestions from their vast name collections, please do - our last name is [name_u]Perry[/name_u]!
Well, you know, [name_f]Solstice[/name_f] is a word that isn’t typically used as a name, so it does tend to get double-takes. DH thinks it’s a very “hippie” name, for instance.
Looks like [name_f]Dominika[/name_f] is too close to dominatrix! Hmm, I never thought of it like that.
Good point, but in my secret dream world, an edgy tomboy girl who could own and wear the name [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] just as spectacularly as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo owned the name [name_f]Lisbeth[/name_f] would be SO COOL.
[name_u]Hero[/name_u], however, has too much of a comic book superhero connotation for me. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I still do have strong heart feelings for Batman…
[name_f]Nika[/name_f] [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f] sounds like a winner to me. I would seriously consider giving you child a middle name. Neither of my in-laws have one and they both ended up with a middle initial of N, for none.
I really like [name_f]Dominika[/name_f] (though [name_f]Dominica[/name_f]), and I didn’t see dominatrix until others pointed it out. I much prefer it to the cutesy [name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f]. [name_f]Nika[/name_f] is a great nickname and since I took Russian studies and have never seen the TV show, [name_u]Nikita[/name_u] is all male to me.
As for your other question, it really depends. I grew up with a name that is somewhat uncommon for my generation, but very well-known. Personally, I was a shy kid who wanted to blend into the background, so a really weird name would have made me more uncomfortable; other people, however, love having an unusual name that makes them stand out. It’s hard to tell what your own children will be like, so it’s a bit of a gamble. Some of your “out there” suggestions, I’d consider useable: [name_f]Euphemia[/name_f], [name_f]Solstice[/name_f], and [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] are lovely and very different from Riot or [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f].
I was also a shy kid who wanted to blend into the background, but a unique name made me feel special. My sister has a very common name and she likes hers, too. It seems to me that if you explain to a child why you picked their name and why it is special/neat, they will like it. Unless they get teased for it but as we’ve discussed before, children can get teased for any name and how a child responds to teasing and thus whether it continues is largely dependent upon the personality of the child. So in summary, choose something you think is wonderful and that you will be happy to tell your child why it is so neat just like they are.
