HELP needed, first baby...

General Name Discussion
21

@ [name]Jill[/name]

Wow, you gave so much help, I almost forgot about your boy names

”[name]Benjamin[/name]: I really love [name]Benjamin[/name], but the ending sounds too close to your last name’s ending to me.” ” Agreed, I don”t think I really put these together in my mind

More Biblical names:

[name]Abraham[/name] - NMS
[name]Abner[/name] - NMS
[name]Abel[/name] ” Too biblical
[name]David[/name] ” Nice, but BTDT
[name]Daniel[/name] - Ditto
[name]Ezra[/name] ” Sounds girly (although I know it isn”t), and I think I may have something against the letter Z. Poor letter, I don”t know what it ever did to me.
[name]Eli[/name] ” [name]Love[/name] this one
[name]Gabriel[/name] ” Always reminds me too much of [name]Gabrielle[/name] (and thus seems too feminine)
[name]Joseph[/name] ” [name]Haven[/name]”t seen this one used so much lately, maybe it”s time for a comeback, although I don”t particularly like the idea of [name]Joe[/name]
[name]Nathaniel[/name] ” [name]Love[/name], as discussed in other responses
[name]Simon[/name] ” Nice name, but yeah, [name]Simon[/name] Schuurman is a whole lotta” wrong!
[name]Samuel[/name] ” Not sure, kinda like it, but again, not so fond of the NN, [name]Sam[/name] doesn”t do it for me
[name]Tobiah[/name] ” Agreed that it sounds like [name]Tobias[/name] with an ”S” LN, and we watched far too much Arrested Development for this to remain an option!

”[name]Carter[/name]: [name]Carter[/name] is very popular/trendy in the U.S. (#65)” ” Didn”t realize that this one made it so high up there, I knew a few my age, and my mom considered it when she was having kids, but I guess it has taken off more recently.

[name]Archer[/name] ” Like it, but this feels pretty current as well
[name]Abbott[/name] (nn [name]Abe[/name]) ” Like [name]Abbott[/name], [name]Abe[/name] not so much
[name]Bennett[/name] ” Pretty nice, and [name]Ben[/name] is one boy NN I like (although I would still probably use the full name myself)
[name]Conrad[/name] ” Knew one who wasn”t too bright
[name]Donovan[/name] (oops…N ending) ” Yep, bad flow
[name]Everett[/name] - [name]ADORE[/name]
[name]Grady[/name] ” Hmm, this fits perfectly with the other names I like, wonder why I didn”t come up with it myself. It”s going on the list, thanks!
[name]Miles[/name] - NMS
[name]Reed[/name] ” Not doing it for me

”[name]Clark[/name]: It’s kind of awkward for me to say with your last name…” Hmm” I wonder if others feel this way too, I was starting to get attached to this option

”[name]Elliott[/name]: I love it!” ” Thanks, me too!

”[name]Emmett[/name]: I think it’s great, but [name]Emma[/name] is the #1 name and [name]Emily[/name] is the #4, so there are a lot of Ems around…” Meh, if they are girls, I suspect people would be able to tell [name]Emmett[/name] apart from the crowd.

[name]Henry[/name] ” Taken, DH”s uncle
[name]Leo[/name] ” Like it, but it”s too short, definitely don”t like [name]Leonard[/name] or [name]Leonardo[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name] ” Better, [name]Theo[/name] is cute & brief, but [name]Theodore[/name] is more formal

”[name]Garrett[/name]: I like [name]Grant[/name] more…” Me too, and the [name]Gary[/name] talk has put me off this one

”[name]Grant[/name]: Oh! Here’s [name]Grant[/name]! :-)” And here it will stay

”[name]Landon[/name]: It feels really trendy to me, and I think the names that don’t end in an N sound better with your last name.” Yeah, besides, I like [name]Lyndon[/name] better, but EVERYONE dislikes that one. It just isn”t a good fit no matter how you slice it.

”As I think about it more, I really love longer first names with your last name.” I would mostly agree, but I will admit that I find it to be a pain that I have the longest email in my company at 8+9 letters! I am preferring things that are for the most part, not 2 syllables, as they sound bland with our last name. I like short names that have some bang for the buck (few letters, many syllables) or 1 syllable names with at LEAST 4 letters. 3 letters does not a name make.

”Also, I forgot about your dog and the EV names, so sorry about suggesting [name]Everett[/name] so many times!” Oh, this doesn”t bother me so much, I just don”t want it to sound like I named the baby after the dog, or like I was trying to be cutesy-matchy. My family would sure tease me if it came out that way. I really don”t think [name]Everett[/name] is too close for comfort. If Everrett were a girls name, we may have an issue, because the natural NN would be [name]Evey[/name].

22

Yeah, just as I suspected, nothing that I really love as a name. [name]Andriana[/name] was the best I ever came up with, and much like you, it gives me a headache! Looks like a horrible thing happened to [name]Andrea[/name] and [name]Adriana[/name] (perhaps a car accident), and they were forever smushed together. Thanks for the suggestions though, I may have to leave the [name]Andy[/name]/[name]Andrew[/name]/[name]Anderson[/name] thing to the boys, or keep [name]Andie[/name] as a girl’s MN (although it doesn’t seem to fit with many of my choices).

23

[name]Brittany[/name],

I’m too lazy to compile your “shortened long list” from what you liked of everyone’s suggestions, so I’m just going to do mine. If it didn’t have a strong “cute” or “love” reaction, I nixed it…

Possible First Names:

[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Ivy[/name]

Possible Middle Names:

[name]Katherine[/name]
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Olive[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]

I will also add [name]Rosalia[/name] into the middle name category, but you can honor Gran with [name]Rosalind[/name], [name]Rosaleen[/name], [name]Rosamund[/name], [name]Rosalie[/name], [name]Rosemary[/name], [name]Rosa[/name], or just plain [name]Rose[/name]!

I would suggest that the best first names out of this collection, with your last name, are [name]Caroline[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name], both of which I happen to adore. [name]Alice[/name] Schuurman seems to abrupt in my opinion, while [name]Ivy[/name] Schuurman sounds a bit harsh…

[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rose[/name] Schuurman
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Kate[/name] Schuurman
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Willa[/name] [name]Rosalind[/name] Schuurman

[name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name] [name]Katherine[/name] Schuurman
[name]Hazel[/name] [name]Katherine[/name] [name]Rose[/name] Schuurman
[name]Hazel[/name] [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rosalind[/name] Schuurman

Possible First Names:

[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Rupert[/name]
[name]Thomas[/name]

Possible Middle Names:

[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Nathaniel[/name]
[name]Wyatt[/name]

Going of the fact that you don’t want two [name]Tom[/name]'s in your family, I think the best first names for you, with Schuurman, are [name]Everett[/name] and [name]Rupert[/name].

[name]Rupert[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman
[name]Rupert[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Hendrik[/name] ([name]Henry[/name]) Schuurman
[name]Rupert[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] [name]Wyatt[/name] Schuurman
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]John[/name] Schuurman
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman

You mentioned that you loved the suggestion of [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] Schuurman almost enough to nix the idea of a family middle name. Did you not care for the suggestions of [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]John[/name] Schuurman or [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman? I think that an ideal way of guaranteeing a name you love while also honoring family may be to use two middle names…

Tell me if any of these strike your (and your husband’s) fancy! Best of luck!

24

[name]Margo[/name] would fix the maggot issue, but now it doesn’t seem as pretty & complete (less exotic?) - Maybe it’s just not working for me with our last name.

[name]Elodie[/name] is beautiful, I loved it the first time I saw it mentioned on one of these name sites. I suspect it would only really be an issue in phone conversations, and lets face it, I get [name]Betty[/name] and other random names all the time, so it’s probably no worse.

[name]Lilia[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t know what I was reading, sounds much prettier now that I actually looked at the letters though :wink: Has the same feel as [name]Emilia[/name], which does sound pretty good with our nightmare of a surname, doesn’t it. (Sometimes I just wish DH had been British with a normal, short, spellable, pronounceable last name. Unfortunately, my maiden name wasn’t worth keeping either!)

Thanks again to everyone for all the great names!

ETA [name]Annora[/name] - it’s probably partly anorexia, but also amenorrhea (less several letters). Odd associations to have, considering it seems like a perfectly pretty name.

25

I am sure that if you spelled [name]Margot[/name] like this you would not have a ‘maggot’ teasing problem, and I prefer it with the ‘t’ on anyway.

As someone said it makes it more exotic or in my mind French I understand the Germans pronounce the ‘t’ though which spoils a pretty name,

Have you considered [name]Claudia[/name]; I think it would work well with your name?

26

I know what you mean about my shortened long list, I haven’t even gotten around to that yet! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell you what DH thinks about any of these names anytime in the near future. I have taken some great advice from a FertilityFriend name goddess and will not be nagging about the name issue until he is ready to discuss it on his own. Until then, I am working on my short list.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman and [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]John[/name] Schuurman are just too lengthy for me. Also, I am all for name eqaulity between sibilngs, and I just don’t want to get myself stuck on finding 3 names for a potential of 3 more kids! [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] has a perfect flow, and for me, the extra names, while adding sentiment, take away from the names.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman, now that could work! The “[name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman” part doesn’t flow quite as nicely as it did when you added [name]Wyatt[/name], but I think 4 names is just 1 too many for me. [name]How[/name] often do you say the full name anyway?
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] Schuurman would be nice as well, but the [name]Anderson[/name] family means more to me than [name]Isaac[/name].

Also loving [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] (I really prefer [name]Rosalie[/name] over [name]Rosalia[/name] too, one letter different, but it flows so much better!) and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name].

Thank you!

27

Aww, finally someone else who likes [name]Heather[/name]. Thanks for the input! Those are some of my favourites too.

28

I know what you mean about my shortened long list, I haven’t even gotten around to that yet! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell you what DH thinks about any of these names anytime in the near future. I have taken some great advice from a FertilityFriend name goddess and will not be nagging about the name issue until he is ready to discuss it on his own. Until then, I am working on my short list.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman and [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]John[/name] Schuurman are just too lengthy for me. Also, I am all for name eqaulity between sibilngs, and I just don’t want to get myself stuck on finding 3 names for a potential of 3 more kids! [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] has a perfect flow, and for me, the extra names, while adding sentiment, take away from the names.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman, now that could work! The “[name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman” part doesn’t flow quite as nicely as it did when you added [name]Wyatt[/name], but I think 4 names is just 1 too many for me. [name]How[/name] often do you say the full name anyway?
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] Schuurman would be nice as well, but the [name]Anderson[/name] family means more to me than [name]Isaac[/name].

Also loving [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] (I really prefer [name]Rosalie[/name] over [name]Rosalia[/name] too, one letter different, but it flows so much better!) and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name].

Thank you![/quote]

I’m glad you really like [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name]! I think they are both really elegant and sophisticated, and they sound wonderful with Schuurman!

I honestly agree with you about the dual middle name issue - it just isn’t my cup of tea either (perhaps because I’m a big fan of monogramming, and four initials can be a challenge…). If you do decide that [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] is okay, I love it! But, since you mentioned [name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman, I thought I might suggest something else. [name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] certainly works, but might you consider [name]Everett[/name] [name]Andrew[/name] Schuurman? Like [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Rosemary[/name], [name]Andrew[/name] honors the [name]Anderson[/name] surname without being exact…

29

Re [name]Mildred[/name] I met a lovely, lovely [name]Mildred[/name] in her late twenties this week but I understand your reticence with this name, however why not take the [name]Mil[/name] part and see what names you can find with that combo eg

[name]Emily[/name]
[name]Milly[/name] (I won’t suggest [name]Millicent[/name])
[name]Emilia[/name]

30

[name]Ralph[/name] is a fantastic name - its in my top 5 for my 3rd child.

Re [name]Heather[/name]. When i had my twin boys in Dec 2006, the lady in the bed opposite had named her baby [name]Heather[/name]! I am in the UK, but ‘granny’ names are becoming uber trendy here and a couple of them are on my list for a girl - [name]Edith[/name], [name]Martha[/name], [name]Agatha[/name] for instance.
I wouldn’t worry about so called dated names, by going this route you may find you get trendy names that aren’t massively popular x

31

Thanks everyone… I think I have my list figured out (for now).

Girl: [name]Linnea[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] Schuurman or [name]Linnea[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] Schuurman

Backups (in case she doesn’t look like a [name]Linnea[/name], or in case DH decides he absolutely hates it):
[name]Rebecca[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] Schuurman
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] Schuurman
[name]Adeline[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] Schuurman

Boy: [name]Everett[/name] [name]Andrew[/name] Schuurman or [name]Everett[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman

Backups:
[name]Grant[/name] [name]Henry[/name] Schuurman
[name]Clark[/name] [name]Henry[/name] Schuurman
[name]Clark[/name] [name]Matthew[/name] Schuurman

Feels so good to finally have some names that I love. [name]Linnea[/name] just came up in conversation with a co-worker last night, and hearing it aloud it just clicked. I love that it is not common, but also not entirely unheard of. It also doesn’t hurt that it is a nod to my Scandinavian heritage. I am going to try not to even bring it up with the hubby until he decides to talk names, because I do not want his attitude towards the conversation to affect his reaction to the names. I am confident in my choices (and my backup choices), so it really doesn’t matter to me if he’s not ready to talk names until after the birth!

32

GREAT CHOICES!

33

I love [name]Linnea[/name], and your other girl choices are lovely too. The boy choices are classic and handsome. Good luck with everything!

34

I know what you mean about my shortened long list, I haven’t even gotten around to that yet! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell you what DH thinks about any of these names anytime in the near future. I have taken some great advice from a FertilityFriend name goddess and will not be nagging about the name issue until he is ready to discuss it on his own. Until then, I am working on my short list.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] Schuurman and [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]John[/name] Schuurman are just too lengthy for me. Also, I am all for name eqaulity between sibilngs, and I just don’t want to get myself stuck on finding 3 names for a potential of 3 more kids! [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] has a perfect flow, and for me, the extra names, while adding sentiment, take away from the names.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman, now that could work! The “[name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman” part doesn’t flow quite as nicely as it did when you added [name]Wyatt[/name], but I think 4 names is just 1 too many for me. [name]How[/name] often do you say the full name anyway?
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] Schuurman would be nice as well, but the [name]Anderson[/name] family means more to me than [name]Isaac[/name].

Also loving [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] (I really prefer [name]Rosalie[/name] over [name]Rosalia[/name] too, one letter different, but it flows so much better!) and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name].

Thank you![/quote]

I’m glad you really like [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name]! I think they are both really elegant and sophisticated, and they sound wonderful with Schuurman!

I honestly agree with you about the dual middle name issue - it just isn’t my cup of tea either (perhaps because I’m a big fan of monogramming, and four initials can be a challenge…). If you do decide that [name]Everett[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name] is okay, I love it! But, since you mentioned [name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] Schuurman, I thought I might suggest something else. [name]Everett[/name] [name]Anderson[/name] certainly works, but might you consider [name]Everett[/name] [name]Andrew[/name] Schuurman? Like [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Rosemary[/name], [name]Andrew[/name] honors the [name]Anderson[/name] surname without being exact…[/quote]

[name]Love[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Rosemary[/name]! Oh, but I see you’re not thinking about that one anymore.
[name]Love[/name] [name]Clark[/name] [name]Henry[/name] Schuurman! [name]Clark[/name] Schuurman sounds strong and handsome to me.
[name]Rebecca[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] Schuurman is great, and so is [name]Adeline[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] Schuurman! [name]Pearl[/name] softens the last name Schuurman.

35

Firstly, I like [name]Heather[/name] and I don’t think it’s too dated. If you both love it then use it! From your boys list, I like [name]Grant[/name] the best…it’s shorter which works well with a longer name and there are no 'k’s which could sound clumsy with your last name.

As for middles for a girl…
[name]Sera[/name]-English, variant of [name]Sarah[/name] or short for [name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Grace[/name]
[name]Lee[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Lea[/name]

Some ideas for firsts…
Calluna-Latin name for the heather plant
[name]Erica[/name]-also a name for the heather plant
[name]Lena[/name]
Aleida-Dutch and [name]German[/name] short form of [name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Katrien[/name]-Dutch form of [name]Katherine[/name]

For boys:
I like [name]Nolan[/name] and [name]Hendrik[/name] from your list and here are some other ideas…

[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Bram[/name]-Dutch variation of [name]Abraham[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]-somewhat popular
[name]Heinrik[/name]-Dutch form of [name]Henry[/name]
[name]Nils[/name]-Swedish form of [name]Nicholas[/name]
[name]Emery[/name]

…hope this helps and good luck finding just the right name!