What are your guilty pleasure names that don’t go along with your naming style?
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f], and [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] are my favorites.
Names that I find beautiful/handsome that either have really bad associations/meanings or are just too “out there” for me to use in real life.
[name_m]Othello[/name_m]
[name_f]Parisa[/name_f] (usable but not for me)
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] (also usable but not for me)
[name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] (see above)
[name_f]Electra[/name_f]
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] (I could see someone using this but it just doesn’t go with my style)
[name_m]Talon[/name_m] (embarrassed to say I like this)
[name_m]Thor[/name_m]
[name_m]Theon[/name_m] (too greyjoy for me)
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f] (usable for some but the associations are just to much for me)
Wilhelmina (perfectly usable for some but not for me)
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f] (same a Wilhelmina)
Aella (would get mispronounced all the time)
[name_m]Aries[/name_m] (I’m an [name_m]Aries[/name_m] but my boyfriend would never go for this)
I’m sure there are I just can’t think of anymore at the moment.
Names that I find beautiful/handsome that have really bad associations or meanings or are just too “out there” for me to use in real life.
[name_m]Othello[/name_m]
[name_f]Parisa[/name_f] (usable but not for me)
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] (also usable but not for me)
[name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] (see above)
[name_f]Electra[/name_f]
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] (I could see someone using this but it just doesn’t go with my style)
[name_m]Talon[/name_m] (embarrassed to say I like this)
[name_m]Thor[/name_m]
[name_m]Theon[/name_m] (too greyjoy for me)
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f] (usable for some but the associations are just to much for me)
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] (perfectly usable for some but not for me)
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f] (same a Wihelmina)
Aella (would get mispronounced all the time)
[name_m]Aries[/name_m] (I’m an [name_m]Aries[/name_m] but my boyfriend would never go for this)
I’m sure there are I just can’t think of anymore at the moment.
Mine are:
[name_f]Zipporah[/name_f]
[name_m]Abraham[/name_m]
[name_m]Solomon[/name_m]
[name_u]Zion[/name_u]
[name_m]Moses[/name_m]
[name_m]Isaiah[/name_m]
[name_m]Jeronimo[/name_m]
[name_m]Myles[/name_m]
Evergreen – I love the imagery and the feel of this name but it probably is only middle name material
[name_f]Primrose[/name_f] – also only as a middle, I think
[name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] – so spunky and badass
[name_f]Zelda[/name_f] – my husband would never go for it
[name_f]Boheme[/name_f] – I love the nn [name_u]Bo[/name_u]/[name_u]Beau[/name_u] for a girl and the Bohemian vibe in general
[name_f]Crimson[/name_f] & [name_f]Clover[/name_f] as siblings from the song, it reminds me of my childhood, it was a favorite of ours while road tripping
[name_m]Augustine[/name_m]/[name_m]Augustus[/name_m]/[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]
[name_f]Eugenie[/name_f]/[name_f]Eugenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Eulalie[/name_f]/[name_f]Eulalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Oceane[/name_f]/[name_f]Oceana[/name_f]/[name_m]Oceanus[/name_m]
I could see a [name_m]Finnegan[/name_m] and [name_m]Myles[/name_m] going really well together!
Unfortunately, [name_m]Myles[/name_m] is my cousin’s name so I can’t use it.
I really love Irish names, but unfortunately the pronunciations would be too difficult in the U.S.
[name_f]Aislinn[/name_f] (ash-lin)
[name_f]Aoibhe[/name_f] (ee-va)
[name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] (kee-va)
[name_f]Mairead[/name_f] (mawr-aid)
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f] (neev)
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] (ro-sheen)
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (seer-sha)
[name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] (sheh-vahn)
For boys, it’s usually because they are too feminine sounding. Others around me have called some of them ([name_m]Alistair[/name_m]/[name_m]Lysander[/name_m]) too pretentious. For girls, they are usually too long and probably would never be called by the full name. Or they are seen as too odd/pretentious.
[name_m]Alistair[/name_m]
[name_m]Laszlo[/name_m] (only because my surname ends with the same sound)
[name_m]Lysander[/name_m]
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m]
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]
Ithuriel
[name_m]Raphael[/name_m]
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]
[name_f]Viviana[/name_f]
[name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f]
[name_f]Viviette[/name_f]
[name_f]Gemma[/name_f]
[name_f]Mina[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f]
[name_f]Philippa[/name_f]
[name_f]Saskia[/name_f]
[name_f]Aiko[/name_f]: this was my best friend’s nickname for herself. She loved anime and Japanese culture
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f]: last name is also 4 syllables and starts with E
[name_f]Esperanza[/name_f]: see [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f]
[name_u]Genesis[/name_u]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Selena[/name_f]: too connected with the singer
Shizuka: this was my Japanese nickname my friend gave me
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f]: a brand of hot sauce that we use
[name_f]Willow[/name_f]: in Spanish, sounds the same as his brother’s nickname
[name_m]Eliseo[/name_m] & [name_m]Emiliano[/name_m]: see [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f]
[name_u]Onyx[/name_u]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]: was the last name of my best friend who passed away
[name_m]Romeo[/name_m]: love how it sounds in Spanish, but not sure I could use it
I have a number of Guilty Pleasures, including (but not limited to): [name_f]Fedora[/name_f], [name_f]Coco[/name_f] and [name_f]Narcissa[/name_f] for girls, [name_m]Adolph[/name_m], [name_m]Ichabod[/name_m] and Meriwether for boys. However, for the most part, while I love them dearly, I am more than happy to keep them on my official GP list. Having said that, there is one name I covet which I am at constant battle with in terms of whether or not it too should be relegated to the GP list. The name I’m speaking of is [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f].
I found it during a period where, for five years, I could not find one girl name that I liked. That time has passed, and now girl names are my absolute favourite and I’m treasuring far too many of them, if I’m completely honest. And therein lies the problem. On its own, I think that [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] works wonderfully. It’s strong and sophisticated, legitimately unique and respectable. But when paired with others, if in the future a little [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] of mine had a sister (or sisters) named [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] or [name_f]Primrose[/name_f], I can’t imagine her being happy with a name that is so obviously the odd one out.
So, [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] is a guilty pleasure, that is not on my GP list.
I have way too many to list… Here are some of them:
[name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]
[name_m]Apollo[/name_m]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] (I absolutely adore this for a boy!)
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_m]Dimitri[/name_m]
Spiros
[name_m]Raphael[/name_m]
[name_u]Jules[/name_u] (pr. the [name_m]French[/name_m] way)
[name_m]Merlin[/name_m]
[name_m]Frey[/name_m]
[name_m]Silvan[/name_m]
[name_m]Vlad[/name_m]
[name_m]Koa[/name_m]
[name_m]Wolf[/name_m]
[name_m]Valdemar[/name_m]
[name_u]Silver[/name_u]
[name_f]Fauna[/name_f]
[name_f]Antonella[/name_f]
[name_f]Aisling[/name_f]
[name_u]Hero[/name_u]
[name_f]Iseult[/name_f]
[name_f]Luella[/name_f]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvana[/name_f]
Eilonwy
[name_f]Tigerlily[/name_f]
Most of them are GP’s because my OH doesn’t like/hates them. The rest are unusable because of pr. issues where we live.
I secretly quite like [name_u]Harper[/name_u] for a girl, even though it’s painfully trendy and completely different from my usual style.
I feel the same about [name_m]Wilder[/name_m], [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] for boys.
[name_m]Abraham[/name_m], [name_m]Solomon[/name_m], and [name_m]Moses[/name_m] are all on my non-guilty pleasure list. I have a thing for old testament men’s names. [name_m]Abel[/name_m] and [name_m]Amos[/name_m] are also loves of mine
I wouldn’t call this a guilty pleasure, but one name that I love but doesn’t go with our style of our existing kiddos: [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f], I love, but its quite a bit more feminine and frilly than most of our girl names. Looking through my long list, I might consider [name_m]Rocco[/name_m] a guilty pleasure for me.
Girls:
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]- I love it, but I would never use it as I’m not usually a fan of surnames as full names. Plus I had a teacher whose last name was [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]
Polaris- A constellation, but I think it might be a bit too weird
[name_f]Noemi[/name_f]- My cousins name is [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], and I feel like this is too close
[name_u]Sutton[/name_u]- See [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]
[name_f]Isis[/name_f]- A GP for obvious reasons
Hinode- this is Japanese and means sunrise. I really love it, but wouldn’t use it because I’m not Japanese myself
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]- Could never use it as a first name
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]- I have a cousin called [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], so this is unfortunately in the same boat as [name_f]Noemi[/name_f]
[name_f]Titania[/name_f]- I think this is beautiful but the beginning is just asking to be teased
[name_u]Ever[/name_u]- I love this a lot, but I’d never use it as a first name on its own
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]- Too close to my name
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]- My sisters name. No fair
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u]- See [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f]- I really love this, but it’s too tied to the (evil) witch
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]- The same as [name_f]Morgana[/name_f], I feel like this is too tied to the legend
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]- My sisters name is [name_f]Sofia[/name_f], and it think this is way too close to use. Plus, it’s very popular
[name_u]Clare[/name_u]- Too popular!
[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]- Cousins name
Boys:
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]- My brothers name
[name_m]Flint[/name_m]- Would never use it as a first name myself, but I do like it
Larkspur- A bit too unique for me to actually use for a baby
Lazuli- I’d only use it as a middle
[name_m]Sirius[/name_m]- See Lazuli
[name_m]Lysander[/name_m]- My brothers name is [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] so I can’t use this (which sucks cause I love it a lot)
[name_m]Vincent[/name_m]- The name of my uncle. It was one of my favourites for a while, and I think the nn [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] would be adorable for a boy, but the connection is way too strong
[name_f]Hannelore[/name_f] - love it, but it does feel a little too much somehow. Maybe if my future SO loves it I’ll be brave enough. 
[name_u]Winter[/name_u] - adore it, but probably wouldn’t want to give a season as a name, although I really love when other people use it!
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] - so beautiful, but as PP’s have said, tied too strongly to the legend
[name_u]Harmony[/name_u] - I knew a lovely NZ girl with this name growing up, and I think it’s beautiful, but wouldn’t actually use it myself
[name_m]Magnus[/name_m] - adore this strong name with Scandinavian flavour, but since I’m a [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], it would be a bit weird for my child
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] - so lovely, but I just can’t settle on a nn I like other than [name_u]Ali[/name_u]? Maybe a middle.
Satu - a beautiful Finnish name meaning fairytale. So gorgeous, but not being Finnish, I don’t think it would feel right or ‘me’
[name_m]Thorsten[/name_m] - I like the [name_m]German[/name_m] pronunciation ‘[name_m]Torsten[/name_m]’ but this would never get said right
[name_f]Ivalo[/name_f] - gorgeous, just a little too unusual, not quite brave enough!
[name_m]Valdemar[/name_m] - love it, but would be hard to use
[name_f]Samantha[/name_f] - loved it for ages but feels too tied to SATC sadly, also not sure I like [name_u]Sam[/name_u] for a girl
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f] - I might use this but it’s GP to me due to popularity and over-use. [name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_u]Jessie[/name_u] as the nn.
There are also quite a number of nature names that I love but I wouldn’t be brave enough to use as a name.
My main GP right now is [name_u]Ashby[/name_u], totally different to my naming style, but I am crushing so hard on it at this moment in time!
[name_u]Chelsea[/name_u]
[name_u]Carmen[/name_u]
[name_f]Valletta[/name_f]
Aurélie is probably my top one right now. I love it said aw-[name_u]RAY[/name_u]-lee, but it’d most likely get pronounced just like orally. I can’t do that to a child, lol.