Help me decide!!

Girl Names
1

I am having a hard time picking a name for my baby girl who is due in just a couple of weeks!!! My dilemma is that I really, really love the name [name]Olivia[/name], but I feel like it will become too ordinary because of its current popularity. But I still do love it, I think its a great name for a little girl (love the nn [name]Liv[/name]) and a strong adult name.

Here are the other names I am considering:

[name]Lucille[/name] (nn [name]Lucy[/name])
[name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Elle[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name])
[name]Elizabeth[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name])
[name]Isla[/name] (is this name too uncommon for people to know how to pronounce?)

(Also, I have a 2 year old son named [name]James[/name] and our last name is Poole.)

2

If you love [name]Olivia[/name] that much I would go with it. It’s a beautiful name.
I like [name]Isla[/name], everyone may not be able to pronounce it but people will get it soon enough. [name]Isla[/name] is gaining popularity but I think you will be fine there.
Also I love [name]Elle[/name] And [name]Elizabeth[/name] but I think those are, or are becoming just about as popular as [name]Olivia[/name].

3

“I am having a hard time picking a name for my baby girl who is due in just a couple of weeks!!! My dilemma is that I really, really love the name [name]Olivia[/name], but I feel like it will become too ordinary because of its current popularity. But I still do love it, I think its a great name for a little girl (love the nn [name]Liv[/name]) and a strong adult name.”

I really like the name [name]Olivia[/name] - I do think that it feels strong as a name, even if popular, it’s not really flashy like [name]Brittany[/name]. It’s sort of singular in its popularity in that it’s not [name]Emma[/name] or [name]Emily[/name] or anything that aggregates with that sound. I often wonder about how overstated popularity is - I know it seemed like half my school was named [name]Jennifer[/name] always, but anything farther down the list was common but not overpopulated or confusing (at least it didn’t seem like there were too many Amys). So - [name]Olivia[/name] is a beautiful name, people will like her name, other people will have it, other people will have several friends with that name, but I think it grows. A grown up [name]Olivia[/name] will have a friendly approachable name that doesn’t really plant her in a particular fashion of the day or seem like too whimsical a choice.

This is a list by percentages of the top 20 names of last year:
(edit: it was when I looked at it but the url was temporary.)
Go here and scroll down to the box on the bottom left and look up names from any year (2008 by default) and choose the button for percents, then enter:

[name]Olivia[/name] was #6 with 0.8196% of births. [name]Even[/name] [name]Emma[/name] (#1) didn’t break a full 1%. By contrast, the year I was born, [name]Jennifer[/name] (#1) was 2.5% and #6, [name]Angela[/name], was 1.3610%. It’s more common to pick different names to be different now, so even popular names aren’t as saturated. You can see the stats in your home state or I would also look at other states if you have any idea you’ll be making a big move in the foreseeable future.

[name]Lucille[/name] (nn [name]Lucy[/name]) - [name]Lucy[/name] Poole, but not [name]Lucille[/name] Poole. I have grown to really like [name]Lucille[/name], and sometimes she’ll introduce herself as [name]Lucille[/name] Poole, so no, too hard to say, too close to [name]Lucille[/name] Ball (whom I’m sure everyone her age will have no idea who that was, an icon, not that she’s a bad namesake or cultural reference).
[name]Charlotte[/name] - I like [name]Charlotte[/name] a lot also. [name]Charlotte[/name] Poole sounds great.
[name]Elle[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name]) - [name]Elle[/name] Poole. No. Nothing that ends in a L sound ([name]Carol[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], what have you). [name]Ella[/name] Poole, maybe. It has a lot of Ls but adding a syllable makes such a difference in the clarity. That you would call her [name]Ellie[/name], you would get the same pleasant rhythm, but she wouldn’t always be able to call herself [name]Ellie[/name].
[name]Elizabeth[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name]) - Better than [name]Elle[/name].
[name]Isla[/name] (is this name too uncommon for people to know how to pronounce?) - [name]Isla[/name] Poole. I’d go more with a [name]Lila[/name]. Althought [name]Isla[/name] Poole does sound cool and relaxing. I don’t really like [name]Isla[/name] so much as the other names. I think this one by contrast with [name]Olivia[/name] will be a clear indicator of the overall fad of the day. [name]Isla[/name] as a pleasant and distinctive alternative to [name]Kayla[/name] or something, they are in that whole family of variations and tweaks which I feel will burn out eventually. [name]Even[/name] if it’s a different name, and not as common, it will be attached to a flavor of this period in time.

4

Have you considered [name]Olympia[/name]? I like both [name]Olivia[/name] and [name]Olympia[/name] so it seems like a natural suggestion. Unfortunately [name]Liv[/name] wouldn’t work with [name]Olympia[/name] ([name]Pia[/name], perhaps, although that’s a nickname with a very different feel), and you might regret not going with your first choice. It depends on how much the popularity of a name is a turn-off for you, and how much of the specific appeal of [name]Olivia[/name] is lost on a sound-alike name.

5

Interesting to see [name]Olympia[/name] recommended here! I’ve been pondering it as an [name]Olivia[/name] replacement on my future list, too. It seems like it should have the same feel, minus the [name]Liv[/name]/[name]Livie[/name] nickname. [name]Pia[/name] could bring with it some unfair nicknaming in elementary years! My biggest problem with [name]Olympia[/name] is the “limp” sound in the middle…is that crazy?

ETA: Another [name]Olivia[/name] replacement I’m contemplating at the moment is [name]Ottilie[/name]…nn [name]Ottie[/name], [name]Tillie[/name] or even [name]Lilly[/name] seem to work well. I’m rather digging this one right now!

6

Or [name]Lavinia[/name]. I think [name]Lavinia[/name] has more relative similarity to [name]Olivia[/name] than [name]Olympia[/name] does, or things that are O—ia. [name]Evangeline[/name], even. It is, I guess what is appealing about [name]Olivia[/name], turn some of the letters into another name entirely, but I think [name]Olympia[/name] could be similar if you consider taking out what I think is the best part, “similar.” [name]Lavinia[/name] and [name]Evangeline[/name] seem more likely candidates to get the same overall feel with a different name. Or consider [name]Valerie[/name]. That might be too close to the recent past, but I love that name. Names with a MP in them just sound like a different name, but you never know what someone will feel is just the right substitute for the original appealing name.

7

Thanks for all of your advice! It has really helped me see that I should pick a name that I truly love and not worry about it’s popularity.
I do like some of the [name]Olivia[/name] alternatives like [name]Amelia[/name], but [name]Olympia[/name] just doesn’t work for me. I live in Seattle and [name]Olympia[/name] is our state capital so it just sounds like a city to me! But I think it would really cool otherwise. :slight_smile:

Thanks again, I feel more confident that I can pick a name and not worry about the current stats and trends and just be happy because its a name I love to say.

8

I think [name]Olivia[/name] is beautiful!

9

[name]Hi[/name] KC. :slight_smile: I do think [name]Olivia[/name] is really pretty (if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be so popular). You obviously love it, and if you won’t mind that your little girl will be one of many Olivias, you should go for it.

I understand your struggle here, because I love [name]Sophie[/name] (it’s a family name), and while I’m not pregant now, I feel pulled between my love and the name and its popularity.

[name]Lucille[/name] (nn [name]Lucy[/name]): I really love [name]Lucy[/name]! :slight_smile:

[name]Charlotte[/name]: I love [name]Charlotte[/name], too, and really love it with your last name.

[name]Elle[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name]): While I do love the sound of the name, I think [name]Elle[/name] Pool sounds too blunt. I also think [name]Elle[/name] is too close to the too-popular [name]Ella[/name].

What about [name]Eliza[/name] or [name]Eleanor[/name]?

[name]Elizabeth[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name]): I’d use this over [name]Elle[/name]. I love [name]Eliza[/name], too. :slight_smile:

[name]Isla[/name]: I love [name]Isla[/name], and don’t think you’ll have too many pronunciation issues. It’s actually a name in and of itself, and not a variation of another name. [name]Isla[/name] is a place-name, and belongs to the name of a Scottish river.

Because of [name]Isla[/name]'s water associations (even if people don’t know the meaning, it’s really close to Island) I’m thinking that [name]Isla[/name] Poole may bee too much. I think it’s really pretty, though.

If you decide that [name]Olivia[/name]'s popularity is too much for you, you have some great names to choose from!

P.S. What about [name]Olive[/name]?

Good luck!

[name]Edit[/name]: Oops! I missed your last post, and am glad to see that you’re chosing a name you love. :slight_smile:

10

It seems that you have settled on [name]Olivia[/name]. Beautiful name. If, perhaps, you are still considering alternatives, I think [name]Livia[/name] is also lovely. It’s less common (though I agree you shouldn’t be bogged down in concern over popularity if it’s a name you love) and you get to keep the same nickname.

11

If you really love [name]Olivia[/name], then I don’t think you should be deterred by its popularity - also, there are various nicknames for it ([name]Ollie[/name], [name]Liv[/name], Livi), so it’s possible for there to be a couple of Olivias in a class, without your daugher being forever called ‘[name]Olivia[/name] P’.
I like all of your other options as well, although I think [name]Elle[/name] does not go as well with [name]James[/name] as the others, and is also slightly tongue-twister-like with Poole.
[name]Isla[/name] is so pretty, and most people can pronounce it, as it is like isle. Also, pronunciation is never too much of a problem, as most people hear the name first when they meet a child, before they see it written down.

12

My daughter’s name is [name]Olive[/name]. She’s the only [name]Olive[/name] we’ve met - we live in [name]Georgia[/name] and her nickname is [name]Liv[/name]/[name]Livvie[/name].