Help! Can't choose the perfect name...

We’re expecting a baby girl in a few months. We have one little boy, [name]Colin[/name], and our last name is Lafferty. I would love to use an Irish name to go with our son’s extremely Irish-sounding name, but a lot of the Irish names I like are too trendy right now. On the other hand, there are some names I love that are NOT Irish. Strongly considering the middle name “[name]Rose[/name]” with all of these…

[name]Amelia[/name] (my husband says this makes him think of “[name]Amelia[/name] [name]Bedelia[/name]”)
[name]Celia[/name]
[name]Annabel[/name]
[name]Marin[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name] (my husband complains she would get compared with a green ogre)
[name]Clara[/name]
or even [name]Rose[/name] as a first name…

I also like [name]Rowan[/name], which is an Irish name, but I don’t think I like it as well as any of the names I have listed above.

Actually, [name]Rowan[/name] is my favorite of all your options. It’s a lovely name, and [name]Colin[/name] & [name]Rowan[/name]? Gorgeous.

[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Marin[/name]-- I like [name]Marin[/name] a lot, but maybe the double ‘in’ endings are awkward?
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name]-- I don’t think of [name]Bedelia[/name], but it’s just okay for me
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Celia[/name]-- [name]Celia[/name]'s pretty, but not a favorite for me
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Annabel[/name]-- In my region, all the -bel names are a little too popular
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name]-- another pretty name, but I see his point on the ogre
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Clara[/name]-- I like the name, but the alliteration doesn’t work for me
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Rose[/name]-- I’m tired of [name]Rose[/name] as a middle name, but putting it first makes it new and fresh. I like this combo!

[name]Colin[/name] Lafferty is a gorgeous name.
I love
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name]
[name]How[/name] about
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] - uh, oh, I don’t really like [name]Ivy[/name] Lafferty, or do I? Maybe I do like it. It looks pretty in print.
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Esme[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Nora[/name] - [name]Nora[/name] Lafferty - very pretty! This is my fave with Lafferty. So elegant and also Irish!
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Iris[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Sorcha[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Daphne[/name] - hmmm…don’t like [name]Daphne[/name] Lafferty too much. What do you think?
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Matilda[/name] nn [name]Tillie[/name] - I like [name]Tillie[/name] Lafferty, and [name]Matilda[/name] Lafferty is a mouthful, but sounds nice. Lafferty is fun to work with!
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Pippa[/name]
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name]! so cute!

I love the combos of [name]Colin[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Colin[/name] and [name]Sorcha[/name]. So Irish! [name]Tillie[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Gemma[/name], and [name]Nora[/name] are so much fun with Lafferty! I think I’d go with [name]Colin[/name] and [name]Nora[/name], [name]Colin[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name], or [name]Colin[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name] if it were my choice.

[name]Just[/name] have to speak up in [name]Fiona[/name]'s behalf. Yes, she’s an ogre in the movie, but she didn’t start out that way and she’s still a thoughtful and caring [name]Princess[/name], ogre or not.
My brain forgets about the ogre [name]Princess[/name], [name]Fiona[/name] for me brings up the gorgeous (late) Cyd [name]Charisse[/name], who played [name]Fiona[/name] in my favorite, favorite, favorite musical “Brigadoon”.

I think she’s really awesome with Lafferty too. just sayin’. :smiley:

[name]Amelia[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: A gorgeous name!

[name]Annabel[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: I love [name]Annabelle[/name]/[name]Annabel[/name], but I’m not liking [name]Annabel[/name] with your last name, as the L’s run into one another.

[name]Marin[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: While I do love [name]Marin[/name], it’s just not classic enough for me, and your other names flow much better with [name]Colin[/name]. (Also, [name]Marin[/name] [name]Rose[/name] is too “R” heavy.)

[name]Fiona[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: This is stunning, and I [name]LOVE[/name] it with [name]Colin[/name]. My friend has a baby [name]Fiona[/name], and I just love the name! [name]Fiona[/name] Lafferty is amazing!

[name]Clara[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: I do like [name]Clara[/name], but not with [name]Rose[/name].

[name]Rose[/name]: [name]Rose[/name] is my favorite name, and it’s fantastic as a first name! :slight_smile:

[name]Rowan[/name]: I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Rowan[/name], and [name]Rowan[/name] Lafferty is wonderful!

Some more Irish ideas:

[name]Aveline[/name]
[name]Bronwyn[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name] (would be gorgeous as a middle name, too…)
[name]Kathleen[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Teagan[/name]

Other ideas:

[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Celia[/name]
[name]Cecilia[/name]
[name]Diana[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Frances[/name]
[name]Francesca[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Miranda[/name]
[name]Simone[/name]
[name]Tessa[/name]
[name]Georgia[/name]

I really like [name]Lola[/name]'s suggestion of [name]Gemma[/name]. :slight_smile:

Best wishes to you!

Thanks, ladies! I think we are leaning towards [name]Fiona[/name]…my husband has actually gotten over the green ogre thing and the name is really starting to “grow on him,” as he put it. The same thing happened with [name]Colin[/name] (he didn’t like the name at first) so I have a feeling it may end up being our final choice. :slight_smile: And I think Fi is just the cutest nickname!

Now that [name]Baby[/name] Girl is due in 3 weeks, a lot of our name ideas have changed. I’m kind of over the whole Irish idea–[name]Colin[/name] Lafferty is a great Irish name, but [name]Colin[/name] is also English and I love the classic English names so much more. I don’t want to name my baby an Irish name if there’s another name I like better. Having said that…here are some of our final choices (some are repeats):

[name]Eliza[/name] (my concern with this is she could end up getting called [name]Liza[/name], and I think of [name]Liza[/name] Minelli)
[name]Nora[/name] (I just feel like this name isn’t as “pretty” as some of my other choices)
[name]Amelia[/name] (concern with this one is nickname–my husband likes [name]Mia[/name], but I feel that is too trendy and I would like her to be called by her full name)
[name]Jocelyn[/name]–we would call her [name]Josie[/name]
[name]Tessa[/name]-this is an Irish name that I think is super cute, but my husband’s not a huge fan. My 2 year old loves it, though!
[name]Annabel[/name]-I love this name, but I love [name]Belle[/name] as the nickname and two of my best friends have girls named [name]Bella[/name], so we would have to use [name]Anna[/name] as a nickname, and I’m not as fond of that.

Other possibilities: [name]Claire[/name] or [name]Clara[/name], [name]Fiona[/name], [name]Celia[/name], [name]Rowan[/name]…

FYI, most of my family/friends love [name]Amelia[/name]. And we still like the middle name [name]Rose[/name] with most of these names. I know it’s overused as a middle name, but I don’t care–I think it’s beautiful! I would totally use it as a first name, but my husband is totally against that.

[name]Eliza[/name] - love [name]Eliza[/name] so much. Also love [name]Lizzy[/name].
[name]Nora[/name] - it is kind of plain for a little girl.
[name]Amelia[/name] - love it!
[name]Jocelyn[/name]–we would call her [name]Josie[/name]. In [name]California[/name], [name]Jocelyn[/name] is super popular. I prefer [name]Josephine[/name], but [name]Jocelyn[/name] is very pretty, too.
[name]Tessa[/name] - love it.
[name]Annabel[/name] - I really like [name]Annabel[/name]. [name]Love[/name] [name]Anna[/name], too.

Other possibilities:
[name]Claire[/name] or [name]Clara[/name] - love these two so much!
[name]Fiona[/name] - love
[name]Celia[/name] - one of my very favorites. [name]Love[/name] as a nn for [name]Cecilia[/name].
[name]Rowan[/name] - not my style

[name]Do[/name] you like [name]Celeste[/name]?

[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Nora[/name] - Did you ever watch [name]Nick[/name] & [name]Nora[/name]? That must be why I love this name. So distinguished, yet feminine. I think it’s absolutely darling.
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it.
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Rosie[/name] - updates the overdone “[name]Rose[/name]”
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Beatrix[/name] - “[name]Bea[/name] Lafferty” may be a little much, but the full name is nice. And eventually she will get married and change her last name anyway. I like it. Plus, you could give a middle name that you call her by.
[name]Colin[/name] and [name]Gwendolyn[/name] ([name]Gwen[/name]) - it’s kinda matchy, but not too matchy

[name]Eliza[/name] - I adore [name]Eliza[/name]! I’d be a little concerned about the [name]Liza[/name] thing, but not too much. It’s not very difficult to say [name]Eliza[/name] in full! i know an [name]Eliza[/name] that is always called her full name.
[name]Nora[/name]- I know what you mean, but every [name]Nora[/name] I’ve ever met has been pretty, nice, and popular.
[name]Amelia[/name]- I don’t think people would call her [name]Mia[/name] if you didn’t tell them too, as it’s not like just taking a syllable off the name (as in [name]Liza[/name]). I love the name [name]Amelia[/name] and I think it matches [name]Colin[/name]'s popularity nicely, making them both feel classic rather than trendy.
[name]Jocelyn[/name]-- I dislike [name]Jocelyn[/name], what about [name]Josephine[/name] with the nickname [name]Josie[/name]?
[name]Tessa[/name]- It’s cute, but I like some of your other choices better.
[name]Annabel[/name]-Two best friends with Bellas? That’s a shame. I wouldn’t use [name]Annabel[/name] if you don’t get to use [name]Belle[/name] as the nickname.

Other possibilities:
[name]Claire[/name] or [name]Clara[/name]- Like them both, but do you want both of your children to have the same initial?
[name]Fiona[/name]- L.O.V.E.
[name]Celia[/name]- I think [name]Cecilia[/name] is prettier
[name]Rowan[/name]- This is all boy to me.

I think my top pick would be [name]Amelia[/name], but very closely followed by [name]Eliza[/name], [name]Nora[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name]. You have lots of beautiful options, good luck with picking just one!