Help me replace Etta

I am trying to find the perfect girl name for baby #3. I have a few names that I love for a day or two but nothing that makes me fall in love as much as [name_f]Etta[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Etta[/name_f] because It’s beautiful and classic yet rare to find one. It is a name we all know and can spell but don’t hear very often (Yet). She isn’t close to the top 100(at least last I checked I could be wrong on that). [name_f]Etta[/name_f] was my one of two top names when I was pregnant with DS right along with [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]. I of course had a boy so didn’t use [name_f]Etta[/name_f] or [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]. We named Him [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Jon[/name_m]. I’ve dropped the name [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] because DH never really liked it and a friend of a friend has a [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] so [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] has lost her charm. But [name_f]Etta[/name_f], I can’t help but keep going back to [name_f]Etta[/name_f]. The problem is I have a [name_m]Henry[/name_m]. [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_f]Etta[/name_f] is just way too… It’s what you would name siblings in a cartoon lol.
I’m looking for something with similar style.
NOT [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Eva[/name_f], Or [name_f]Eva[/name_f] those names are [name_m]WAY[/name_m] too popular for me. I like real names, classic names that you don’t hear often.

My list:

[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] NN [name_f]Bea[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] - DH thinks of movie says its a character name
[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] -getting too popular and I know a dog [name_f]Mable[/name_f] but DH loves it
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]- DH hates
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]- DH doesn’t hate but doesn’t love. But I’m over the moon about [name_f]Opal[/name_f]!

Oh and I also can’t use [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] or [name_f]Evy[/name_f]. I have a niece [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] NN [name_f]Evy[/name_f]

It took me a minute to figure out the issue with [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_f]Etta[/name_f]. When I did, yes, I smiled a little. But if I loved [name_f]Etta[/name_f], it wouldn’t keep me from using the name. They will only live in the same house together (likely speaking) for the first 1/4 of their life. Yes, it’s a bit goofy, but I’d still use the name.

On another note, where did you get the idea that [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is popular? It’s one of the least popular on your list There were 238 girls named [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] born in the US in 2012. There were 2000+ girls named [name_f]Cora[/name_f], 425 named [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], 382 named [name_f]Willa[/name_f], 250 named [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. There were about 400 named [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and another 150 named [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]- the ones named [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] matter because most of them will be [name_f]Bea[/name_f]. [name_f]Etta[/name_f] was one of the most unusual at about 125, [name_f]Opal[/name_f] even less at 105.

If you love [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] and also love obscurity, rest assured, they do not exclude each other. It’s really unlikely that your [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] would have another one in her class or even her school, unless some huge celebrity picks it in the next few years or something along those lines. You can’t predict that kind of thing. I don’t think it is very likely that [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] will get stratosphere-level popular without some kind of event like that, because while its style of names (homespun, vintage, old-fashioned…like [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Willa[/name_f], etc.) is in vogue right now, [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] doesn’t quite rise to the top of the heap-- its sounds are a little harder to love.

Wow, that got longwinded. Sorry! Basically, I think it is ok to use [name_f]Etta[/name_f] with [name_m]Henry[/name_m].

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_f]Rosetta[/name_f]? It’s a secret favorite of mine and would break up the [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] thing, while still enabling the use of [name_f]Etta[/name_f] as a nickname.

[name_f]Etta[/name_f] reminded me of [name_u]Simone[/name_u], too-- I guess it is the [name_f]Etta[/name_f] [name_u]James[/name_u]/[name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u] connection.

I guess I think [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is too popular because I know of two. Not closely and they won’t by in the same class but still the fact that I know if two makes me second guess. Where did you get the number of how many were born in the US? I know where or find this list but is there a way to search the name and the find the rank along with the number born in the US last year? Or 2012

[name_m]Just[/name_m] a shot in the dark here but [name_f]Etta[/name_f] [name_u]James[/name_u]’ first name was really [name_f]Jamesetta[/name_f] (full name [name_f]Jamesetta[/name_f] Hawkins).
So if you love [name_f]Etta[/name_f] so much maybe attach it to another classic name -male or female- and call her [name_f]Etta[/name_f]?

Maybe you could name her something else ending with [name_f]Etta[/name_f]? (Though I think you could still use [name_f]Etta[/name_f] with [name_m]Henry[/name_m]!)

[name_f]Anetta[/name_f]
Bretta
[name_f]Carletta[/name_f]
[name_f]Claretta[/name_f]
[name_f]Coretta[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosetta[/name_f]
Lisbetta
[name_f]Floretta[/name_f]
[name_f]Gretta[/name_f]
[name_f]Jamesetta[/name_f]
Jolietta
[name_f]Lauretta[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Pauletta[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Suzetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Zetta[/name_f]

You can google “ssa baby names” “beyond the top 1000” for a zip file with complete info on all names given to more than 5 children every year since the late 1800s. Warning, it is really overwhelming!

The site Name Nerds also has a list of the top 7000 for 2012 organized by spelling. It is really nice. Go to the name nerds site and then look for their popularity lists. (I’d link but I’m on my phone! Slow browser.)

Funny how there are micro clusters of names, right? Going by the numbers there shouldn’t be two Mabels so close together-- but there you are. [name_m]Chance[/name_m]! I live in NYC and work with kids so hear a lot of names, including very uncommon or retro ones. But no [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] yet. It is really cute, though.

The name I hear the most, by far, is really a group-- variants on the sound [name_f]Lila[/name_f]. [name_f]Leila[/name_f], [name_f]Layla[/name_f], [name_f]Lila[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Liliana[/name_f]. A [name_f]Lola[/name_f] or two. Talk about saturation!

I saw a name today that might work for you: [name_f]Metta[/name_f]. Also, ourbabynamer.com shows number of children given a particular name last year.

Also, I should add, I know someone named [name_f]Jettie[/name_f], which is a spunky replacement for [name_f]Etta[/name_f].

Ones that feel similar to [name_f]Etta[/name_f] to me:

[name_f]Elsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Isla[/name_f]
[name_f]Ada[/name_f]
[name_f]Veda[/name_f]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]

HTH! I particularly love [name_f]Veda[/name_f].

[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_u]Ever[/name_u]?

Maybe [name_f]Juliette[/name_f] or [name_f]Julietta[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Etta[/name_f]?
But I still think that you could totally use [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] together :slight_smile:

[name_f]Love[/name_f] your list especially [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]

[name_m]How[/name_m] about names that end in an ‘ett’ sound, this might be a bit of a stretch…
[name_f]Betta[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudette[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]- too close to [name_m]Henry[/name_m]?
[name_f]Odette[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]/[name_f]Juliette[/name_f]
[name_f]Minette[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]

or if you cant go down the [name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Evie[/name_f] route how about Hesta/[name_f]Esther[/name_f]

[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is lovely too, how about [name_f]Martha[/name_f] or [name_f]Mae[/name_f]?

[name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]!
What about:
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Enna[/name_f]/[name_f]Enya[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Margo[/name_f]/t
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Edie[/name_f])
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Coralie[/name_f]/[name_f]Coraline[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]/[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Effie[/name_f])
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]