This happened when naming our son, too. There were only 2 names we could agree on. Luckily we both loved them. We are down to the wire and need a girl name this time around. This time, however, all of my favorite names have been rejected. Here is the short list, do you love any of them?
I don’t care too much about nn, we call our son by his full first name instead of a nn (except when joking, then he has a million nn’s). My DH is concerned [name]Evelyn[/name] is too old lady sounding (as are so many of the popular revival names). I am concerned [name]Ingrid[/name] is too ethnic, although I am 1/8 Swedish and had considered using a different Swedish family name, but it ends and starts with A, which is a big problem with our last name, which starts with A and has several vowels. That is why there are none of the popular names ending with A on our list. They are just too much with our last name.
Thanks for your help! BTW, [name]Joy[/name] is definite for the middle name as it is a family name. And I am aware [name]Beatrix[/name] means [name]Joy[/name], but who can have too much [name]Joy[/name] when talking about your child?
My favorites are [name]Ingrid[/name] and [name]Vivian[/name]! I don’t think [name]Ingrid[/name] sounds too ethnic and plus, it’s a nice family connection for you.
Out of them all, [name]Evelyn[/name] looks best to me! I think it flows really well together. They’re not my style of names, but I do like [name]Evelyn[/name] the most, plus if you do give her a nn, [name]Evie[/name] is sweet, and takes away the worry of her name sounding like and old lady (which I don’t think it does!)
But I do love the nn [name]Bea[/name], a lot, which draws me to [name]Beatrix[/name]! So that would be my second choice (Also thought it was sweet what you said about having too much joy when it’s your child.)
I like [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Joy[/name] the best, with [name]Vivian[/name] as a close second. I would put a slight caution against [name]Beatrix[/name] [name]Joy[/name], purely because I don’t think a girl should have BJ as initials. [name]Ingrid[/name] isn’t a bad name, just not my style. I love [name]Joy[/name]!!!
Hahahaha, my husband doesn’t love [name]Beatrix[/name] [name]Joy[/name] for the same reason!
Thanks so much to everyone, please comment, even if you think our names stink.
I love the flow of [name]Vivian[/name] [name]Joy[/name] – it’s absolutely my favorite. I’d be calling her [name]Vivi[/name] (viv-ee) [name]Joy[/name] all the time, which I think is super cute.
Consider this another “vote” for avoiding the intials BJ, too.
Initials can be tricky!!! I can’t have any E names for a girls first name without her initials being E.Z!!! The teenage years are hard enough without having to be B.J or E.Z!
If anyone loves [name]Beatrix[/name], I am open to other middle names, because as much as I want to use [name]Joy[/name], it is helpful to me to hear that my husband is not the only one who noticed the initials thing!
I like [name]Evelyn[/name] and [name]Vivian[/name] the best! [name]Evelyn[/name] doesn’t sound “old” to me; plus I love the nn [name]Evie[/name]!!! :).
Another vote for [name]Vivian[/name] [name]Joy[/name], with [name]Ingrid[/name] in second place. [name]Evie[/name] is just super-popular where I live and I’ve gone off all [name]Eve[/name]- names because of it, and [name]Beatrix[/name] I’m not a fan of.
[name]Love[/name] that you’re using the middle name [name]Joy[/name]. It’s a family name for me too and one I’m looking to pass on, so it’s always nice to see what other people pair it with.
I really like [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Joy[/name]. [name]Evelyn[/name] is one of the revival names that I don’t find Too old-lady. Though, I would probably use a nn with it while she is very young.
[name]Beatrix[/name] is one of my fav’s though! There are so many names that would work with it. I’d suggest another family name to go with it. What was the other name of the [name]Joy[/name] you were going to honor?
The more I think about it, the more [name]Vivian[/name] [name]Joy[/name] is growing on me too.
The only other family name that has special meaning to us is [name]Knight[/name] … not an easy name to pair … so I could try any of the names (including [name]Beatrix[/name]) with [name]Knight[/name]. I am definitely open to other first name suggestions and even middle name suggestions.
We also like [name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Joy[/name] ([name]Elsie[/name]) and [name]Daphne[/name] [name]Joy[/name] ([name]Dee[/name] or DJ).
I am really stressed about this but DH is of the opinion they are all great (except BJ, haha) and we can’t go wrong … but we still have to pick one!
I love [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Joy[/name]! I don’t think it needs a nn when she is young at all. My boys hang out with a little girl named [name]Esther[/name] (which before I would have said was an old lady name) but she wears it well and, as far as I know, doesn’t go by anything other than her full first name. That said [name]Evie[/name] is an adorable nn so it would easily work if you wanted one.
I do like [name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Joy[/name]. [name]Elizabeth[/name] has always been a favorite of mine.
I’m also a big believer that Any name can be in “honor” of someone, if you choose that particular name to represent them, not that it has to be the exact name. Here are a couple of links that could interest you. First one is names that mean a form of “joy” and then names that mean/have a connection to “knight”.
Thank you to everyone for your help! My conclusion is [name]Vivian[/name], [name]Evelyn[/name], [name]Beatrix[/name], [name]Ingrid[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name] are all great, just a matter of personal preference … except that [name]Beatrix[/name] needs a new middle name. I think [name]Daphne[/name] is out because I just can’t get past [name]Daffy[/name] Duck/[name]Danger[/name] Prone [name]Daphne[/name] (from Scooby Doo). I will update when she is born and we name her in case anyone is interested!
I had the same issue with my dh, we ended up going with [name]Elizabeth[/name] and are very happy we did! It is universally appealing and has a plethora of nicknames that really you can suit to her unique personality!
