Help me choose the PERFECT name for our first baby!

Girl Names
1

[name]Hi[/name] everyone! I’ve been “stalking” nameberry for several months now but this is my first post. My husband and I are expecting our first child in early [name]August[/name]! We are so excited but we’re having a hard time choosing the PERFECT name. We’ve decided to keep the name a secret from our family and friends until the baby is born so… if you’re willing, I’ve decided to enlist all of you in helping us decide!
So, I’ve been through literally thousands of names and these are the names that my husband and I have been able to agree on. I really like all of them but I’m not sure I’ve fallen in love yet. I’m so picky I have little reasons I’m not positive about each of them which I’ll share below.
Our last name is [name]Reese[/name]… AND I haven’t really thought about a middle name yet so feel free to share some suggestions (except I’m not really into the multiple middle name thing… one will do for me). The only middle name I’ve really considered using so far is [name]Grace[/name]… as my mom’s name ([name]Nancy[/name]) means [name]Grace[/name].

Here’s our list:

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name]) - I’m slightly concerned about the growing popularity of this name esp with the nn [name]Mia[/name]. I also kind of feel like some people make this beautiful name sound bad when they rush through it… “Uh-meal-yuh” but the 4 syllable pronunciation is a bit of a mouthful “A-mee-lee-ah”.

[name]Estella[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name]) - I know this is actually an old name but part of me feels like “[name]Stella[/name]” sound kind of trendy. Also an acquaintance named her baby this about 2yrs ago… it is possible she would never know if I choose to use this name as I don’t know her well but I would feel slightly like I “stole” it if she did haha.

[name]Rosalie[/name] (nn [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], or [name]Rosa[/name]) - I like the sound of [name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Reese[/name] but I don’t love the flow of any of the nicknames with our last name.

[name]Charlotte[/name] - Also a concern with the rising popularity. [name]Love[/name] the name but don’t really like the nickname possibilities which doesn’t bother me but I think my DH would like a nickname. Then there’s the [name]Charlotte[/name] Russe store which kind of sounds like [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Reese[/name] (teasing possibilities).

[name]Cora[/name] - I really like the sound of [name]Cora[/name] but I kind of feel like it seems incomplete to me and I can’t get my DH on board with any of the names you can use to get [name]Cora[/name] as a nn.

[name]Layla[/name] - Again another without any nickname possibilities (not necessarily a deal breaker). I also don’t feel like this name really fits with the feel of the other names, it’s more current etc. I still like it despite this but wonder if I’ll regret choosing something different later.

OK sorry to be so long winded… PLEASE help me with opinions/suggestions/etc!

Thank you!

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[name]Hi[/name] there! Finding the perfect name is so difficult. I’ve commented on the names you listed plus added some suggestions. If you’ve been through 1000s of names you might have considered some/all of these but I figured it can’t hurt to throw some out there.

[name]Amelia[/name] ([name]Mia[/name])- I agree with all of your concerns with the name. It is becoming more popular but if you love it that shouldn’t deter you from using it. [name]Mia[/name] is an adorable nickname, so the Uh-meal-ya pronunciation might not be such an issue if the nickname is used most of the time.

[name]Estella[/name] ([name]Stella[/name])- [name]Stella[/name] is becoming trendy. I think it works on its own but as a nickname for [name]Estella[/name] it works too. I prefer [name]Estella[/name] actually since it distinguishes the name plus the nickname [name]Essie[/name] is very cute.

[name]Rosalie[/name] - I agree that the nicknames are too close to your last name. If you plan on calling her [name]Rosalie[/name] though it’s a great name and it sounds great with [name]Reese[/name]. [name]Rosemary[/name] is another option that is similar to [name]Rosalie[/name].

[name]Charlotte[/name] - Though it’s becoming more popular it’s such a classic, lovely name and I don’t think of it as trendy popular but more like classic popular. I don’t think of [name]Charlotte[/name] Ruse when I hear [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Reese[/name] so I don’t think that’s something too big to worry about.

[name]Cora[/name] - I agree that it seems incomplete on its own. If [name]Coralie[/name]/[name]Coraline[/name] aren’t your style, maybe [name]Carolina[/name]/[name]Caroline[/name]? It’s similar to [name]Charlotte[/name] and is classic and pretty. [name]Cora[/name] is a bit of a stretch for a nn but I think it works.

[name]Layla[/name]- Its trendier than your other names and is definitely a hot name at the moment. [name]Lilia[/name], [name]Lillian[/name], [name]Lilah[/name] and [name]Lillith[/name] are all similar and have nickname potential (except for [name]Lilah[/name]).

Of your list so far I love [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name], and [name]Rosalie[/name] in it’s full form. I perceive your style as classic but not too popular with possible nicknames. Here’s some options that I came up with:

[name]Addison[/name]/[name]Adelaide[/name]/[name]Adeline[/name]/[name]Adele[/name] - growing in popularity, esp. with nn [name]Addy[/name] but all are great, classic names that can stand on their own.
[name]Annabelle[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]/[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Georgia[/name]
[name]Talia[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Katherine[/name] - classic with tons of nicknames.
[name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Natalie[/name]
[name]Leona[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Meredith[/name]
[name]Allegra[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name]
[name]Tabitha[/name]
[name]Cassidy[/name]

[name]Hope[/name] that helps!

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[name]Hi[/name] Duster! Here are my thoughts…

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name]) - I will agree, this is growing moew popular but its still no where close to [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Emma[/name] or [name]Alexis[/name] etc. Esp if you call her [name]Mia[/name], I don’t think she would be one of many in her class…
[name]Amelia[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is pretty.

[name]Estella[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name]) - I prefer [name]Estelle[/name] and you can still nn [name]Stella[/name]
, but I like [name]Amelia[/name] better with your lastname.

[name]Rosalie[/name] (nn [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], or [name]Rosa[/name]) - I think all [name]Rose[/name]-names are going to increase with the whole Twilight phenomenon, so if you worry about popularity you may want to avoid.

[name]Charlotte[/name] - ever since someone pointed out that the word Harlot is in there I could never get over that. I would say skip it since you like others better.

[name]Cora[/name] - [name]Cordelia[/name] could be an option? [name]Cordelia[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is much more complete than [name]Cora[/name] [name]Reese[/name].

[name]Layla[/name] - Hmmmm I don’t love this with [name]Reese[/name] but its not bad.

Of your options I like [name]Amelia[/name] [name]Reese[/name] best.

[name]Grace[/name] as a middle is a little tricky with your last name. I think I would avoid unless its very important to you.

Some other options you may like:
[name]Vivienne[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Reese[/name] (I am liking an ‘n’ sound for you with [name]Reese[/name])
[name]Jillian[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Adeline[/name] [name]Reese[/name] “[name]Addie[/name]”
[name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Phillipa[/name] [name]Reese[/name] “[name]Pippa[/name]”
[name]Jaqueline[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Dierdre[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Finola[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Tamsin[/name] [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Reese[/name]

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I like most of your names…especially [name]Charlotte[/name]! [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Grace[/name] [name]Reese[/name] sounds really pretty, and I wouldn’t worry about her being teased because of the [name]Charlotte[/name] Russe store!
Since you like [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Cora[/name], have you considered [name]Caroline[/name]?
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Grace[/name] is a beautiful name.

5

I like all of your names, my favorites being [name]Estella[/name], [name]Amelia[/name], and [name]Charlotte[/name].
I also would not worry about popularity with [name]Amelia[/name] or [name]Charlotte[/name] because they’re both true timeless classics.
As for middle names, if I were you, I think I would actually go with [name]Nancy[/name] over [name]Grace[/name]. It’s a more direct way to honor your Mom, [name]Nancy[/name] is already starting to take on a sort of vintage feel and regain some of its charm, and finally [name]Nancy[/name] sounds much better next to your last name ([name]Grace[/name] and [name]Reese[/name] are both one syllable names ending with a hard s sound, so they don’t sound so great back to back). Also, even though [name]Grace[/name] has personal meaning to you, it’s a rather popular middle and can sound a bit like filler, where [name]Nancy[/name] is much more interesting.
If you hate the name [name]Nancy[/name], you might also consider other [name]Anne[/name] variants, since [name]Nancy[/name] is a variant of [name]Anne[/name].

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[name]Hi[/name]! My favorites from your list are [name]Amelia[/name], [name]Estella[/name], and [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Reese[/name]. I love [name]Cora[/name] so much, but [name]Cora[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is a bit hard for me to say because of the back-to-back R sounds. (It’s may just be me, though!) :slight_smile:

Some more you may like with your last name:

[name]Annabel[/name] ([name]Nancy[/name] is a form of [name]Anne[/name]…)
[name]Adelia[/name] (close to [name]Amelia[/name]'s sound, but less popular)
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Camilla[/name]
[name]Camellia[/name] (floral name, close to [name]Amelia[/name]'s sound…)
[name]Claudia[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Lydia[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name] (nn [name]Annie[/name])
[name]Vivian[/name]

Sorry for any repeats! :slight_smile:

Good luck!

7

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name]) - [name]Amelia[/name], nn [name]Mia[/name], is growing in popularity, along with its “antique” counterparts. I like [name]Amelia[/name] on its own, it has a certain spunk to me.

[name]Estella[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name]) - [name]Stella[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is more pleasing to my ear than [name]Estella[/name] [name]Reese[/name], I think it is all of the “e” sound that sounds out of place to me.

[name]Rosalie[/name] (nn [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], or [name]Rosa[/name]) - I like [name]Rosalie[/name] with your last name, and as with [name]Amelia[/name], I think it stands just fine on its own.

[name]Charlotte[/name] - I really love [name]Charlotte[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name], to me, is a name that has elegance, spunk, warmth and sass all wrapped up in one neat little package. [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Reese[/name] also sounds nice together. I love the nn [name]Lottie[/name] and [name]Lottie[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is adorable.

[name]Cora[/name] - I am not crazy about this name, all I hear is [name]Coral[/name]. [name]How[/name] about [name]Clara[/name]? [name]Clara[/name] [name]Reese[/name] sounds great to me.

[name]Layla[/name] - I don’t think there is anything wrong with [name]Layla[/name] but you have so many better choices, in my opinion.

[name]Hope[/name] this helps! Good luck, names are so much fun!

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I agree – [name]Grace[/name] and [name]Reese[/name] do not flow well…[name]Anna[/name] is another name that means “grace.” And so does [name]Hannah[/name]. WDYT?

9

[name]Cora[/name] - I am not crazy about this name, all I hear is [name]Coral[/name].

I like [name]Cora[/name], but I like [name]Coral[/name] even more, and it might feel more “complete”.

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[name]Man[/name], this IS difficult! [name]Reese[/name] turns out to be a pretty tricky last name. I agree with some of the other posters that you should reconsider [name]Grace[/name] as a middle name with [name]Reese[/name]. There’s nothing wrong with [name]Nancy[/name]! Besides how [name]Grace[/name] sounds with [name]Reese[/name], I think most baby girl newborns I know that weren’t named with [name]Grace[/name] as a first name were given it as a middle name. and [name]Nancy[/name] sounds great before [name]Reese[/name]…

Here’s my comments on your first names

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name]) - I agree with your “Uh-meal-yuh”/“A-mee-lee-ah” issue. It won’t ever go away. Also, if you check Babycenter’s 2009 baby name popularity list, [name]Mia[/name] is #13!! More popular than you’d think.

[name]Estella[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name]) - This is my favorite from your list. [name]Estella[/name] [name]Nancy[/name] [name]Reese[/name]. [name]Stella[/name] sounds great with [name]Reese[/name] and isn’t as popular some of your other choices.

[name]Rosalie[/name] (nn [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], or [name]Rosa[/name]) - I don’t like any version of this with [name]Reese[/name]. Too many Rs and Ss. Especially if you end up using [name]Grace[/name] as a middle name.

[name]Charlotte[/name] - Super popular, but still like if you used the nn [name]Charlie[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Nancy[/name] [name]Reese[/name] sounds great, as does [name]Charlie[/name] [name]Reese[/name].

[name]Cora[/name] - I love [name]Cora[/name], but again… not with [name]Reese[/name]. It doesn’t flow well.

[name]Layla[/name] - Isn’t so bad, but I’m getting the feeling this is going to be huge this year. All the people wanting to avoid [name]Lily[/name]/[name]Lila[/name] or [name]Kayla[/name] going with [name]Layla[/name].

Other suggestions:
[name]Julia[/name] or [name]Juliette[/name] nn [name]Julie[/name]
[name]Alaina[/name] nn [name]Lainey[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name] nn [name]Liza[/name]

Good luck! Keep us posted!

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I [name]LOVE[/name] your names…and I feel your pain. We are expecting our first baby in [name]August[/name], too.

[name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name] are on our list, too. We have dropped [name]Charlotte[/name] to a middle name because of the nickname issue.

Right now our favorite is [name]Victoria[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] with [name]Amelia[/name] (not sure of a middle name for that one) as our second favorite.

We like [name]Tori[/name] for a nickname for [name]Victoria[/name] and [name]Amie[/name] as a nickname for [name]Amelia[/name].

Any thoughts?

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[name]Coral[/name] may make it feel complete but [name]Coral[/name] [name]Reese[/name] sounds like coral reef.

[name]Reese[/name] is tricky because of its popularity as a fn.

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THANK YOU so much for all your feedback and suggestions… it has helped so much! You have made me feel much better about some of the concerns I had!
I think I have been able to take two of the names off my list ([name]Layla[/name] and [name]Cora[/name]… and btw I never thought about the possibility of [name]Cora[/name] [name]Reese[/name] sounding like coral reef haha!) They just seem to pale in comparison to the other names.
There were some other suggestions made that I like and have made appearances on my list before (but either got vetoed by my DH or taken back off because I felt so-so about them) with my favorite being [name]Adelle[/name] (nn [name]Addy[/name]). As with a few of the other names I worry a bit about the rising popularity of [name]Addy[/name] with the name [name]Addison[/name].
Thanks for the honest feedback about the possibility of [name]Grace[/name] as a middle name… you guys are right… it doesn’t flow very well with [name]Reese[/name]. I think I’m going to look into some other options especially those with more than one syllable. Although I wouldn’t mind using [name]Nancy[/name], I think my [name]MIL[/name] would feel a bit offended which is why I was going for a more subtle approach. I did think the idea of using a form of [name]Ann[/name] was a good suggestion I’m going to consider though. I don’t have to use a form of my mom’s name… I just thought it might be nice.
Lizaster… good luck with your name hunt! It sounds like our lists are/were very similar. I also had [name]Victoria[/name] on my list nn [name]Tori[/name] but I didn’t like the repetition of sounds [name]ToRI[/name] [name]REEse[/name]. So off the list it went. [name]Amie[/name] as a nn for [name]Amelia[/name] is cute… I have a close friend [name]Amy[/name] as well as an [name]Amie[/name] in my family though so I personally wouldn’t use it.
So I guess I’m down to a “Final Four”… five if I decide to reintroduce [name]Adelle[/name] to the list. (Oh and I forgot… I do think I like [name]Estelle[/name] better than [name]Estella[/name] as someone suggested and agree [name]Stella[/name] would work just just as well as a nn). Here they are…

[name]Amelia[/name] ___________ [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Charlotte[/name] _________ [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Estelle[/name] __________ [name]Reese[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name] __________ [name]Reese[/name]

and maybe…
[name]Adelle[/name] __________ [name]Reese[/name]

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Oh how I love [name]Adele[/name]! I agree that the nn [name]Addy[/name] is quite popular and honestly, does not appeal to me. [name]How[/name] about [name]Adelle[/name] with nn choices of [name]Elle[/name] or [name]Ellie[/name]? I love these. [name]Adele[/name] and [name]Elle[/name] are on our list.

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yes… i do believe [name]Adele[/name] might be pushing [name]Rosalie[/name] out of the top four for me. i think [name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is maybe sounding a little too R and S heavy as someone mentioned.
although i prefer the nn elle or ellie to addy (thanks for the suggestion) those are nicknames for my DH’s cousin, ellison. i did see someone on another post mention della as a nn for adele which i think is adorable (sounds a lot like [name]Estelle[/name]/[name]Stella[/name] which is probably why the nn appeals to me)! what do you think?
i wish i didn’t change my mind every few days on this subject matter but i’m going to have to revise my Final Four:

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name] or maybe [name]Millie[/name])
[name]Charlotte[/name] (not sure about a nn… might not use one)
[name]Estelle[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name])
[name]Adele[/name] (nn [name]Della[/name])

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I really like [name]Estella[/name]…and you could do so many cute things with stars!

[name]Just[/name] wanted to throw out there that in place of [name]Rosalie[/name] you could use Rosslyn. And instead of [name]Adelle[/name] you could use [name]Adalyn[/name]…I really like the lyn sound paired with [name]Reese[/name]. :slight_smile:

Best of luck!

17

[name]Amelia[/name] [name]Reese[/name]- I love [name]Amelia[/name], but the popularity worries me a bit. However, I agree with the JLM that it is a “true timeless classic”. You may also like [name]Amelie[/name] or [name]Emmeline[/name]/[name]Emeline[/name].

[name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Reese[/name]- I don’t think your daughter would be teased for having a name that sounds like [name]Charlotte[/name] Russe. Same with [name]Amelia[/name] for the popularity. You may also like [name]Scarlett[/name] or [name]Violet[/name] (but those are getting more popular, too).

[name]Estelle[/name] [name]Reese[/name]- I think [name]Estella[/name] sounds more “complete” with [name]Reese[/name].

[name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Reese[/name]- I like alliteration, but this is a bit too much. You may also like [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosa[/name], [name]Rosalind[/name], [name]Rosaline[/name], or [name]Rosabelle[/name].

[name]Adele[/name] [name]Reese[/name]- I love [name]Adele[/name]! You may also like [name]Adela[/name], [name]Adeline[/name], or [name]Adelaide[/name].

Names that mean [name]Grace[/name]:
[name]Graciella[/name]/[name]Graziella[/name]
[name]Engracia[/name]
[name]Grazia[/name]/[name]Gracia[/name]
[name]Graziana[/name]
[name]Anne[/name]
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name]
[name]Hannelore[/name]
[name]Anneliese[/name]
[name]Annabel[/name]/[name]Annabelle[/name]
[name]Ana[/name]”s

18

Well I just want to put my vote in for [name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Reese[/name]. I am a big fan of alliteration and think it woudl be helpful say if your daughter went into broadcasting :slight_smile:

19

[name]Amelia[/name] & [name]Charlotte[/name] are my favorites from your list.

20

Congrats on the baby. You are off to a great start, you have some great names listed!

[name]Amelia[/name] (nn [name]Mia[/name]) - [name]Lovely[/name] classical name. I dont think it is too popular. It is on my list as well, only spelt [name]Emilia[/name]. I like it slightly better that way and it gives better nn options imo ([name]Em[/name], [name]Emmy[/name], [name]Millie[/name], [name]Lia[/name]).

[name]Estella[/name] (nn [name]Stella[/name]) - [name]Stella[/name] isnt trendy at all but it has a lot of personality. A [name]Stella[/name] to me is someone who is spunky and fun. If your little girl has a lot of energy I would suggest naming her [name]Stella[/name]. I really like this name.

[name]Rosalie[/name] (nn [name]Rose[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], or [name]Rosa[/name]) - I love [name]Rosalie[/name], it is on my list as well. I dont love [name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Reese[/name] and [name]Rose[/name] [name]Reese[/name] would be even worse.

[name]Charlotte[/name] - I’m not a huge fan of [name]Charlotte[/name], but it is a nice name. It just seems kinda plain to me. [name]Lottie[/name] would be a cute nn though.

[name]Cora[/name] - Why not [name]Coralie[/name]? It sounds a lot like [name]Rosalie[/name] and you get the nn [name]Cora[/name]. [name]Coralie[/name] [name]Reese[/name] would be lovely. I like this one the best.

[name]Layla[/name] - I still cant get over the star wars association when I hear this, and I’ve never even seen the movies. I agree with you though, it is very different then your other name choices and if you chose [name]Layla[/name] for baby number one it might be difficult to pair sibling names with it later on.