In a few weeks our third child - gender is a surprise - will join our family.
After months of searching for the perfect name, I am hoping the nameberry community can help us finding THE name…
DD: Ser@phine, 2-syllable MN, 3-syllable last name.
DS: R@ph@el, 2-syllable MN, 3-syllable last name.
The ideal name…
not often used, but also not unheard of
meaning is important to us (e.g., we personally find DD’s name strong, and would like for something equally strong - not frilly - in a girl name)
angelic connection/ association — I’ve been through ‘angelic’ name lists over and over, and reached the point where an angelic name could also be in the MN position
3-syllable first name; 2-syllable MN
containing a ‘ph’ would be nice to have but not as important as the other criteria.
From your list, I love [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] and [name_m]Phineas[/name_m] – unfortunately, we have close friends/ family who already have these names
From the sound of the names, I also like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] (NN [name_u]Jo[/name_u] :)) and [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] – but I know too many people with these names
[name_f]Nephele[/name_f] ([name_m]How[/name_m] would one pronounce this name?) is quite unusual but interesting
[name_f]Ophelie[/name_f] – like the sound, not sure about the meaning/ [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] association
Thanks for giving me new ideas to think about! And keep your ideas coming!
The ‘ph’ is also one of the minor requirements as long as the name is not very common and fit’s the sibling’s styles
[name_m]Alistair[/name_m] / [name_m]Alasdair[/name_m] – “defender of mankind”
[name_m]Lucian[/name_m] / [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] – “light”
[name_m]Malachi[/name_m] – “my messenger” or “my angel”
[name_u]Orion[/name_u] – possibly from a phrase that means “light of the heavens,” plus the constellation…
[name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]
[name_f]Apolline[/name_f] (would you pronounce it [name_f]APPLE[/name_f]-een or Apol-leen?)and [name_f]Adira[/name_f].
Boys name are always more difficult for me, I like:
[name_m]Pheonix[/name_m] (what would be a nice nn?), [name_m]Lysander[/name_m], [name_m]Leander[/name_m], and Ev ander.
I also adore [name_m]Leo[/name_m], but unfortunately a friend’s son is named [name_m]Leopold[/name_m], and I haven’t found any other [name_m]Leo[/name_m]-name that I like (and [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] might be too much :))
I don’t have any suggestions, but nicknames for [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u] can be [name_f]Nix[/name_f] or even [name_u]Finn[/name_u] (kind of a stretch but I think it works.)
[name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] actually pairs well with Raph@el in my opinion, but then of course you have two famous renaissance artists as boy names (as well as two ninja turtle names which most boys would think is pretty cool.)
[name_m]Leander[/name_m] could also go by [name_m]Leo[/name_m]!
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] both work really well with your sibset for girls, and [name_f]Apolline[/name_f] is pronounced apo-leen.
I’ve always loved Jophiel for a girl ever since I learned of the archangel and until recently had [name_m]Uriel[/name_m] on my list as a middle for a boy. I also love Chamuel for a boy and pronounce it [name_u]CAM[/name_u]-you-el. I love what each of these archangels does and think they’d all make great first or middle names Not sure how you feel about Mother [name_f]Mary[/name_f], but to me she’s an angel and there are sooooo many beautiful variations of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] out there. My favourite is the [name_m]French[/name_m] Merane I don’t pronounce it very frenchly though lol
Maybe [name_f]Estella[/name_f] as a first name or [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] in the middle?
[name_f]Celia[/name_f] means heaven. I am not sure whether that sounds like two or three syllables to you.
This is such a fun sibset. You probably already ruled this out, but I think [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] / [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] would fit in beautifully. Perhaps you find [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] to frilly and [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] too popular?
[name_f]Estella[/name_f] [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] would mean radiant star.
[name_f]Stella[/name_f] or [name_f]Celia[/name_f] for your two-syllable middle?
Things that came to mind that may slightly fall outside of your rules but give you food for thought…
[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] ( I’ve known boys and girls with this spelling- no need for -elle for girl and stronger imho)
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]
[name_f]Michaela[/name_f] (feminisation of archangel [name_u]Michael[/name_u])
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f]
[name_m]Leviticus[/name_m] ([name_m]Levi[/name_m]- third son in bible)
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] ( good news - angels brought glad tidings of great news)
Good luck!
So many great ideas, everyone - and many suggestions to think about! Thank you!
Two questions…
would you prioritize sound/ stylistic fit over meaning of the name, or the other way around?
Is the angelic connection actually obvious (especially for non-name nerds :D)?
@auroracallista: While I don’t mind the artists collection I might not be ‘brave’ enough for the ninja turtle association
@itisthyme: I have not heard of Jophiel before - it has indeed a very nice meaning.
@erin beth: Thanks for your suggestions of [name_f]Celia[/name_f] and estele (two-syllable! very appealing as a mn :)), which I did not have on my list yet!
@wilkie8709 and auroracallista: I would also pronounce it as apo-leen, but read on the comments section that some would say apple-leen - so I was wondering (I like the first one but not the apple-one)
@aurora31: You are right, [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] is a bit too popular for my taste. But it is a very nice name - no surprise it’s so popular. The suggestions of [name_f]Stella[/name_f] and [name_f]Celia[/name_f] are great.
@penguinkin: I really like [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], I was not aware of this name’s backstory (just knew the potter-association) so that definitely gave my food for though.
Lots of suggestions to think about! If you have more ideas - especially for boys - let me know.
[name_m]Azriel[/name_m]/ [name_m]Azrael[/name_m] for a boy? Too dark? [name_u]Angel[/name_u] of death
My husband has an angel of death tattoo and he’s one of the most positive people you could ever meet, he chose it as a reminder of the need to make good choices in life and to embrace life and make the most of your opportunities but you would have to feel like this about the name to choose it I think!
