[name]Gwyn[/name] (short for [name]Gwyneth[/name])
[name]Arwen[/name] (I would in a second but the relationship to the Lord of the Rings character is just too much)
[name]Isa[/name]
[name]Isla[/name]
[name]Iness[/name] (said “Ihn-niss”, not the French Inés)
[name]Bronwyn[/name]
[name]Ryan[/name]
[name]Asha[/name]
[name]Ava[/name] (love but it’s just too popular now)
Thayet
[name]Evan[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Anouk[/name]
[name]Thena[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
[name]Auden[/name]
[name]Arden[/name]
Aera
[name]Aine[/name]
[name]Aivan[/name]
Reghan
Rheannon/Rhiannon
Thayne
Riordan
Any suggestions? And do the above names seem to follow the qualities I mentioned in the Subject? I’m looking for a name that really conjures up a certain impression/set of characteristics for most people. FYI the middle name will be Elizabeth.
I lean toward names that start with vowels or the letters T, R or B. I also seem to like names that are or sound Gaelic, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Hebrew or androgynous.
Background that may or may not be useful: I’m changing my first name from [name]Elizabeth[/name] to something less formal and less COMMON. Ideally my new first name will flow nicely with the rest. ([name]Elizabeth[/name] will become my middle name and my last name starts with an O’–.)
I say “freshness” because over the course of my relatively short life (I’m in my mid twenties) I’ve been characterized as “fresh,” “a breath of fresh air” and “buoyant” frequently.
I’ve been thinking about changing my name since I was in 8th grade and now I’m going to do it. : D
[name]Gwyn[/name] (short for [name]Gwyneth[/name]): I prefer [name]Gwen[/name], as [name]Gwyn[/name] is the masculine form (as I understand it) in [name]Wales[/name].
[name]Arwen[/name] (I would in a second but the relationship to the [name]Lord[/name] of the Rings character is just too much); Yes. Definitely too Tolkienian.
[name]Isa[/name]: EE-sa? EYE-sa? Not sure about this one. I like the EE-sa pronunciation better.
[name]Isla[/name]: Super popular on nameberry, but not my fave. Not a fan of the ambiguous pronunciation.
Iness (said “Ihn-niss”, not the French Inés): Like this name, but think it’s more of a boy’s name (usually spelled [name]Innis[/name]).
[name]Bronwyn[/name]: [name]Love[/name]. Strong, unusual. More deep and soulful feeling than “fresh” feeling to me.
[name]Ryan[/name]: Too popular as a boy’s name to work for girls, I think. [name]How[/name] about Ryah?
[name]Asha[/name]: Feels like [name]Sasha[/name] lost it’s first letter. Also reminds me of ashes. Not very fresh.
[name]Ava[/name] (love but it’s just too popular now): [name]True[/name] that.
Thayet: I’m intrigued by this one. Definitely never heard of it. Sort of sounds like someone with a lisp is saying “[name]Say[/name] it”!
[name]Evan[/name]: Again, to me this is a boy’s name. I bet most people have known a male [name]Evan[/name], so they will likely think of that person, for better or worse, when they hear this name. [name]How[/name] about [name]Evadne[/name]? Too long?
[name]Fiona[/name]: Shrek. Not my fave. I prefer [name]Finola[/name], [name]Fenella[/name], or [name]Finella[/name]
[name]Anouk[/name]: I like it okay. French-feeling.
Thena: Sounds like the sister of [name]Xena[/name], Warrior [name]Princess[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]: [name]McDonald[/name]. Pretty. I definitely picture the Broadway star.
[name]Auden[/name]: Like this better for a boy. W.H. [name]Auden[/name] is a wonderful poet; using this name would seem a deliberate reference to him.
[name]Arden[/name]: [name]Fantasy[/name]-esque. Reminds me of the clothing store chain [name]Arden[/name] B.
Aera: I like this one. Definitely feels fresh! Also consider [name]Eira[/name]
[name]Aine[/name]: pronunciation issues. I assume the final “e” is pronounced, but most will say AIN.
Aivan: AY-van? EYE-van? Too close to [name]Evan[/name] and [name]Ivan[/name].
[name]Reghan[/name]: Despite the spelling, this name still evokes the former President.
Rheannon/[name]Rhiannon[/name]: Too witchy for me. Blame [name]Fleetwood[/name] [name]Mac[/name].
[name]Thayne[/name]: Adding the “y” doesn’t make it more feminine than just [name]Thane[/name], to me. And [name]Thane[/name] just makes me think of Macbeth (the [name]Thane[/name] of Cawdor)
[name]Riordan[/name]: A bit surname-y and difficult to pronounce. I don’t really get a “fresh” vibe from this one
Some other Celtic ones to consider:
Aela
[name]Afton[/name]
[name]Bethan[/name]
[name]Ena[/name]
Enda
Elwa
Ethna
[name]Rhonwen[/name]
[name]Rona[/name]
[name]Rori[/name]
[name]Rowena[/name]
[name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Tierney[/name]
Triona
[name]Una[/name]
[name]Olwen[/name]
[name]Orla[/name]
[name]Orna[/name]
[name]Iona[/name]
Inira
Ineda
Thank you for your feedback! Yeah, I like a lot of names that are androgynous/boyish because it kinda screws with people’s assumptions about gender : ) I loveee [name]Rhonwen[/name]!
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I do like a lot of names that are androgynous/boyish–in part because I like contradicting people’s assumptions about gender.
From your suggestions I adore [name]Rhonwen[/name] and [name]Tamsin[/name]. This has been so helpful!
Oh my gosh now I have so many more names to pick between. Thank you. I checked out this site for the name meanings: Welsh Names
I really like Tesni, (and it means warmth! : ) )
[name]Seren[/name]!!(I could also see this being spelled Saren— Apparently this means star! Very nice.),
Haf (this is haunting, similar in quality to [name]Hala[/name](which is one of my favorite names in general) It means summer. [name]Love[/name].),
[name]Anwen[/name]!! (I have seen this name and LOVED it but then thought it was too obscure/that something about the “An-” would be mistaken for “anus” by too many people…but maybe not? Argh I just love this name.)
[name]Rhian[/name] would be a nice nn for [name]Rhiannon[/name]—and some people would probably pronounce the last as “hree AN on” or the Scotch way of “HREE an on”. I think I like it both ways.
[name]Gwyn[/name] – I wouldn’t mind it if you used the full [name]Gwyneth[/name].
[name]Arwen[/name] – What about [name]Arlen[/name] then? That’s my friend’s name. It’s cute!
[name]Isa[/name] – I’ve never heard of this, but I don’t like it much.
[name]Isla[/name] – [name]Love[/name]! Very beautiful.
Iness (said “Ihn-niss”, not the French Inés) – I don’t like this. But I don’t like [name]Ines[/name] either.
[name]Bronwyn[/name] – It’s okay. The “[name]Bron[/name]” part has always sounded very masculine to me.
[name]Ryan[/name] – No way. Sorry, but this a boys’ name. I know there are some who will argue, but soon enough there will be no names left for boys if people keep using them on girls…. Since few people want a “girl name” on their boy.
[name]Asha[/name] – I don’t like it. It sounds made-up.
[name]Ava[/name] (love but it’s just too popular now) – It’s okay. What about [name]Vera[/name] or [name]Eva[/name]?
Thayet – I’ve never heard of it, but it has a rather unappealing sound. [name]Do[/name] you mean [name]Thayer[/name]? If so, I much prefer it on a boy.
[name]Evan[/name] – No way. Maybe as a nickname for [name]Evangeline[/name], but otherwise, this is a boys’ name.
[name]Fiona[/name] – It’s okay. I’m just kind of tired of it.
[name]Anouk[/name] – I don’t like this. It has a harsh, bitter sound to me.
Thena – What about the full [name]Athena[/name]? I don’t like Thena alone.
[name]Audra[/name] – I love this name. It’s really feminine and pretty.
[name]Auden[/name] – I don’t like this either. It sounds too harsh.
[name]Arden[/name] – See [name]Auden[/name].
Aera – I’ve never seen this before, but I like it.
[name]Aine[/name] – No, I don’t like this. It feels incomplete.
Aivan – This is okay.
[name]Reghan[/name] – I don’t like this name, and I’m not sure why.
Rheannon/[name]Rhiannon[/name] – I know it’s a legit name, but I just keep thinking about [name]Rihanna[/name].
[name]Thayne[/name] – No. Sounds too masculine.
[name]Riordan[/name] – It’s okay. It just sounds kind of masculine to me.
[name]How[/name] are:
