Help, please.

Girl Names
1

Back again because I cannot settle on anything. I have about one billion perfect boy names in my head that I adore, but there are so few girl names that I like.

I’d sort of settled on [name]Mae[/name] [name]Elisabeth[/name] (called [name]Mae[/name] [name]Beth[/name]), and whilst some think it’s fine, others think it’s too plain. I’m starting to find it plain, too, even though I love plain [name]Mae[/name]. Maybe a more original middle would spice it up.

What I really want is a girl name that feels like it was plucked out of a faery tale. Something fantastical and whimsical…but not so much that it doesn’t feel like a real name, or like someone to be taken seriously.

I also prefer some mythological/Biblical resonance, though this is lately gaining less and less importance, as there seem to be very, very few good Biblical girl names.

Names ending an A are not great for us, though some are okay. They all tend to blend in to the same name. Some days I swear I can’t tell the difference between [name]Amelia[/name], [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Dahlia[/name], [name]Ella[/name], [name]Bella[/name], [name]Sienna[/name], etc etc, maybe because I’ve heard them so much.

[name]Juniper[/name] [name]Eve[/name] has the qualities I’m looking for, but S.O. doesn’t think it goes well with the last name (which is one syllable and very plain, like [name]Smith[/name] or White). [name]Eve[/name] as a first, I’m afraid, blends in too much with [name]Evelyn[/name], [name]Evie[/name], [name]Eva[/name], [name]Ava[/name], etc etc. But I do like it.

[name]Fern[/name]? I wish I liked this more. [name]Autumn[/name]? [name]Jessamine[/name] I adore, but it doesn’t evoke that mythological/fairy tale resonance.

Please, name suggestions, both first and middle combos (sometimes combos will make me fall in love with something that I was so-so about), that evoke something fantastical, fairy-tale esque, mythological, but aren’t too silly?

Nixed: [name]Phoebe[/name], [name]Mary[/name], [name]Annabeth[/name], names ending in “bel/belle”, [name]Anne[/name], [name]Helen[/name], [name]Ariadne[/name], [name]Persephone[/name], [name]Penelope[/name], all typical Biblical names.

I feel like nothing is right. And then every time something clicks, I am “meh” about it a few days later.

2

[name]Calliope[/name] [name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Flora[/name] [name]Evangeline[/name]
[name]Aurelia[/name] [name]Eve[/name]
[name]Eden[/name] [name]Mae[/name]
[name]Isolde[/name] [name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Ana[/name]ïs [name]Evangeline[/name]
[name]Winifred[/name] [name]Plum[/name]
[name]Virginie[/name] [name]Mara[/name]
[name]Ingrid[/name] [name]Penelope[/name]

3

[name]Geneva[/name] [name]Seraphine[/name]
[name]Freya[/name] [name]Anastasia[/name]
Hannalore [name]Junia[/name]
[name]Ottilie[/name] [name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Alys[/name] [name]Keturah[/name]
[name]Thessaly[/name] Arianrhod
[name]Esme[/name] [name]Aquinnah[/name]

4

Oooh, I second [name]Anais[/name]. Very fairytale and unique. [name]Calliope[/name] also has that feel. Those two would get my vote, [name]Anais[/name] first, then [name]Calliope[/name].

5

What about [name]Maeve[/name] instead of [name]Mae[/name], or using [name]Mae[/name] as a nn? Or you could use [name]Magdalene[/name] nn [name]Mae[/name] for a more biblical connection. You could also do more of a fantasy/noun-ish mn with a plainer fn-- maybe [name]Mae[/name] Periodot, [name]Eden[/name] Lovejoy, [name]Rebecca[/name] [name]Jubilee[/name], [name]Magdalene[/name] [name]Truth[/name], or [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Star[/name], or something along these lines? I also think that looking at some of the virtue or noun names might help you achieve the type of name you are seeking. Similarly, is there any meaning you are trying to convey-- hope, faith, etc.? Maybe you could look at different names with that kind of meaning. Another suggestion for the biblical names-- what about place names instead of female names-- [name]Jordan[/name], [name]Galilee[/name], etc.?

Some possibilities:

[name]Agnes[/name]
[name]Arwen[/name]
[name]Astrid[/name]
[name]Avis[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name]/[name]Beatrice[/name]
Blessing
[name]Carys[/name]
[name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Clarity[/name]
[name]Clemence[/name]
[name]Constance[/name]
[name]Dawn[/name]
[name]Dilys[/name]
[name]Edith[/name]
[name]Elaine[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Esme[/name]
[name]Esther[/name]
[name]Experience[/name]
[name]Felice[/name]
[name]Garnet[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Guinevere[/name]
[name]Gwendolyn[/name]
[name]Harmony[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Hope[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Isolde[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Jordan[/name]
[name]Jubilee[/name]
[name]Judith[/name]
[name]Justice[/name]
[name]Justine[/name]
[name]Lake[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Leonie[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
[name]Linden[/name]
[name]Lucy[/name]
Memory
[name]Meredith[/name]
Merit
Mirth
[name]Olive[/name]
[name]Nerys[/name]
[name]Persis[/name]
[name]Prudence[/name]
[name]Remember[/name]
[name]Sahar[/name]
[name]Saoirse[/name]
[name]Skye[/name]
Solace
[name]Spruce[/name]
[name]Tallis[/name]
[name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Thais[/name]
[name]Themis[/name]
[name]True[/name]
[name]Truth[/name]
[name]Unity[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Willow[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Zoe[/name]

6

Oh, thank you for all the suggestions!

[name]Magdalene[/name] was on our early list, and I don’t remember why I nixed it because I adore it. It definitely has that magical feel, and has immediate Biblical resonance. The idea of full name [name]Magdalene[/name] with [name]Mae[/name] as a nickname is fantastic. I also like the idea of a fun diminutive being Magpie : ) [name]How[/name] do people feel about [name]Magdalene[/name] [name]Elspeth[/name]?

[name]Calliope[/name] was also on the early list. Again, I wonder why we got rid of it. I think it maybe didn’t seem like it’d be familiar enough to people? We strive for names that everyone has heard of but don’t get much use. I love the bounciness, though. I love nn [name]Calla[/name], but am not a fan of [name]Cally[/name]/[name]Callie[/name]. [name]Calliope[/name] [name]Jane[/name] and [name]Calliope[/name] [name]Mae[/name] and [name]Calliope[/name] [name]Fae[/name] are all fun.

[name]Maeve[/name] is a name I wish I liked more, but I don’t love it, unfortunately. [name]Beatrix[/name] is on the list, too! I’m not a fan of [name]Celeste[/name] but do adore [name]Celestine[/name]. S.O. thinks it’s too contrived. Doesn’t mind it as a middle, though.

[name]Vesper[/name]! Very funky, but feels a little light.

[name]Seraphine[/name] is also gorgeous. Maybe in the middle spot.

And [name]Flora[/name]. Mmmm. Might add this to the list, too.

As it stands now: [name]Calliope[/name], [name]Magdalene[/name] (nn [name]Mae[/name]), [name]Flora[/name], [name]Seraphine[/name], [name]Celestine[/name] (mn only), [name]Verity[/name] (mn only), [name]Beatrix[/name], [name]Thora[/name]

7

I think [name]Magdalene[/name] [name]Elspeth[/name] is lovely!