The basics: [name]Hi[/name], I’m [name]Jay[/name], and my partner and I are expecting our fourth child in [name]January[/name]! We’re keeping the baby’s gender a surprise, but secretly hoping for another little girl.
The problem: My partner and I have fallen absolutely in love with the name [name]Romy[/name] for a girl, but never felt bold enough ourselves to use it on its own. But we keep coming back to it. Is it too nickname-y? He thinks so; he won’t use it unless we come up with a more “solid” name to fall back on. I could go either way.
Potential solution: I love the name [name]Ramona[/name]. I admit it. Actually, though, it was my oldest daughter who suggested it – we took the kids to see [name]Ramona[/name] and Beezus, lol. It got us all thinking about it, and I think my partner’s warming up to it. It sounds alright with our last name (sounds like Johansson but spelled differently). But…can we get [name]Romy[/name] out of it? What do you think? If not, what would you suggest? Is the name [name]Ramona[/name] even worth considering, or will people always think of “The Pest?”
Other than that, we were also thinking about making her first three initials ROM and going from there – but not too many R names stand out to us. I’d really appreciate any advice here.
Our three children are [name]Camille[/name] [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Rose[/name] ([name]Milly[/name]/[name]Mia[/name], 7), [name]Zachary[/name] [name]Sebastian[/name] [name]Hart[/name] ([name]Zach[/name], 5) and [name]Laura[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name] [name]Alexis[/name] (Lo, 3), just to give you an idea of some of the names we go for.
Sorry to make this so long, it’s just been on my mind all day and my partner doesn’t care nearly as much as I do about our children’s names, so I have no one to bounce my ideas off of!
I love your other kid’s names! Congratulations on #4.
[name]Romy[/name] is cute, but way too insubstantial to be used alone, especially since her siblings will all have nice full names. I really like [name]Ramona[/name], and I don’t think it’s too tied to the Pest-- in fact, I think [name]Ramona[/name] is a great association. She’ll love reading the books and sharing a name with the main character! And [name]Romy[/name] is definitely not a stretch for [name]Ramona[/name].
My favorite way to get to [name]Romy[/name] is [name]Rosemary[/name], which I think is lovely and goes great with [name]Camille[/name], [name]Zachary[/name], and [name]Laura[/name]. There’s also [name]Rosamund[/name]/[name]Rosamond[/name], though it may be a little too ‘out there’. [name]Romola[/name] is another option, but I don’t like it nearly as much as [name]Rosemary[/name] and [name]Ramona[/name]. That’s all I can think of right now.
[name]Romy[/name] is a nice name! I have a friend named [name]Romy[/name], and it is her full name. It is used as a full name ([name]Romy[/name]/[name]Romi[/name]) in eastern europe - Slavic, Czech, etc. I have never thought of it as a nn, I’ve just always seen it as “her name”.
Other than [name]Ramona[/name]:
[name]Romana[/name]
[name]Romella[/name]
[name]Romina[/name]
[name]Romia[/name]
[name]Andromeda[/name]
[name]Promise[/name]
[name]Roma[/name]
[name]Romaine[/name]
[name]Romana[/name]
Romeeka
[name]Romilda[/name]
Romillly
[name]Romona[/name] (pref it with an A and I don’t think it is a stretch for a nn [name]Romy[/name]. I also don’t think it’s a negative connotation because of the books)
Yeah, I’m pretty much leaning toward [name]Ramona[/name] too. My partner thinks it reminds him too much of this guy he once knew named [name]Ramon[/name] (as in, a Hispanic male name, lol). But I don’t know. I remember my little sisters loved the [name]Ramona[/name] books.
[name]Rosemary[/name] is a sweet name, and I love that it isn’t trendy. I’m just worried that she’ll end up being called [name]Rose[/name], which is already my daughter’s middle name.
That’s interesting, I actually didn’t know that [name]Romy[/name] on its own was eastern European. It’s good to hear that it works as a full name for some people! I’m just kind of worried that it’ll sound strange next to my other kids with longer/fuller names.
Hm, I like [name]Romia[/name]. It’s interesting. I’ve never heard of it before! I had actually been thinking of [name]Roma[/name], but thought it would sound weird with a Scandinavian last name (and neither of us are Italian, lol).
Ahh I adore the name [name]Andromeda[/name] but he nixed it (along with lots of similar sounding names, lol). It’s probably too out there for me too, though. We’re not really a bold enough family.
[name]Romilly[/name] is nice too. The only times I’ve heard it were in the UK though (where my side of the family is from). Would it work here/with my other kids’ names?
I really need to come up with some middle name ideas now! I want to use the name [name]Olivia[/name] in there somewhere, or perhaps [name]Livia[/name] (or a variant) because it’s my grandmother’s middle name. I was thinking about the name Liviana.
[name]Rosemary[/name] “[name]Romy[/name]” is my favorite full name. [name]Camille[/name], [name]Laura[/name], and [name]Rosemary[/name] would be such a lovely combo. I actually find [name]Ramona[/name] very refreshing.
Aww wow this is my area of expertise right now as I’ve been trying to days to find a longer name for [name]Romy[/name] that I love too!! Most of my options have been listed. The highest on my list were [name]Rosamund[/name], [name]Rosemary[/name], [name]Romilly[/name] and [name]Romona[/name]. Most of the other options ([name]Romolo[/name], [name]Romana[/name], [name]Roma[/name], have been listed).
All I haven’t seen is:
[name]Romany[/name]
[name]Rosemarie[/name]
[name]Romina[/name] (I think maybe this sounds more feminine than [name]Romana[/name])
[name]Romney[/name]
[name]Romilda[/name]
Rosamind
I love your other childrens names! I’ve considered [name]Camille[/name] many a times myself for future children and [name]Laura[/name] is my own name And [name]Zachary[/name] is a name I’ve loved since childhood!
Best of luck, I’ll be interested to know which one (if any) you go with!
[name]Romy[/name] is super cute. I love the idea of [name]Ramona[/name] or [name]Rosemary[/name]. I think [name]Rosemary[/name] is a bit more vintage and delicate, which seems to fit the sibset better, and [name]Ramona[/name] is more hip and edgy. [name]Both[/name] are awesome names though! (As to the [name]Rose[/name] problem, I think if you call her [name]Romy[/name] from the get-go, it won’t be a problem.)
Thanks everyone! I think it’s down to [name]Rosemary[/name], [name]Ramona[/name] and possibly [name]Romilly[/name] for now (but that may be too different considering my kids’ names). I’m trying to convince [name]Derrick[/name] that [name]Rosemary[/name] isn’t too frilly and “oldladyish” and that [name]Ramona[/name] and [name]Romilly[/name] aren’t too weird!
Go see [name]Ramona[/name] and Beezuz. I just got back and am thinking “Hmm…[name]Phoebe[/name] and [name]Ramona[/name]?” The character is so funny and spunky-you will definitely win him over!
We saw it the second day it came out, lol! My oldest daughter loved it. My younger sisters read the [name]Ramona[/name] books and now we’re reading them with our daughters. [name]Mia[/name] says she really, really wants a sister named [name]Ramona[/name]. Couldn’t sell her on [name]Beatrice[/name] (Beezus) though, lol.
[name]Phoebe[/name] is such a great name, by the way! It would be at the top of my list if my sister hadn’t named her daughter [name]Phoebe[/name] six years ago.
Argh… I had this whole post typed out, it was long and gave my well-thought-out opinion, and in my mind, it was somewhat funny… And then, I accidentally deleted the whole post!! I’m so upset… I’ll have to try again.
Alright, take 2, action:
I think that [name]Rosemary[/name] is absolutely beautiful. It’s a classic and I think it works well with your other kids’ names. I wouldn’t worry about her being called [name]Rose[/name] because if you call her [name]Romy[/name] and she introduces herself as [name]Romy[/name], no one should call her [name]Rose[/name].
[name]Ramona[/name] is absolutely gorgeous, and also a classic. As a child I also read the [name]Ramona[/name] books, and I loved them. It’s especially sweet that your daughter suggested it - imagine how special she’d feel if you named your new baby [name]Ramona[/name]. Plus, it’s a wonderful name, and it’s great that she could fall back on just [name]Ramona[/name] if she wants to.
While I like [name]Romilly[/name], I’m not sure how well it will age. It’s not a classic like the names of your other kids (which I love! I think it’s awesome that you used the middle name [name]Hart[/name] for [name]Zach[/name]! It’s wonderful), so it kind of sounds like an afterthought to me. Like you thought, “Well, we like the nickname [name]Romy[/name], so we just went with [name]Romilly[/name], even if it doesn’t work with the others…” So, I wouldn’t go with [name]Romilly[/name]. You have better choices!
As for convincing your partner about [name]Rosemary[/name] and [name]Ramona[/name]…
Tell him that [name]Rosemary[/name] is a classic, as are the names of your other
children. [name]Rosemary[/name] has multiple nickname options for if she grows out of [name]Romy[/name] one day. And give him stats! Show him that it’s not just an “old-lady name” because it’s coming back in style. Some stats to show him: In 2009, 398 Rosemarys were born. 2008, 394 Rosemarys. 2007, 402. 2006, 407. While it’s not overly popular, it’s still pretty well used.
As for [name]Ramona[/name], just bring up that your daughter suggested the name, and that it’s so sweet that she wanted to help. If that doesn’t sell him, I don’t know what will. You can also share all the positive feedback from Nameberry, like that it’s quirky and classic, like your other kids’ wonderful names.
What middle names are you thinking of? And, if it’s a boy, what names are you guys considering?
Congrats and good luck!
We saw it the second day it came out, lol! My oldest daughter loved it. My younger sisters read the [name]Ramona[/name] books and now we’re reading them with our daughters. [name]Mia[/name] says she really, really wants a sister named [name]Ramona[/name]. Couldn’t sell her on [name]Beatrice[/name] (Beezus) though, lol.
[name]Phoebe[/name] is such a great name, by the way! It would be at the top of my list if my sister hadn’t named her daughter [name]Phoebe[/name] six years ago.[/quote]
You saw it and he does’t think [name]Ramona[/name] is absolutely adorable? He’s a tough cookie!
[name]Just[/name] a word on [name]Rosemary[/name], I know a very young, vey hip, very gorgeous couple in an affluent part of [name]Dallas[/name] with a little 4-yr-old [name]Rosemary[/name]. She is darling, with blond curls and VERY sassy! It is SO not an old lady name on her! Maybe your partner would like it better if he thought of it as a nature name after the herb?
Thx for your sweet comments aboiut [name]Phoebe[/name]! It was actually DH’s fave name and he was dead set on it. He was in love with [name]Phoebe[/name] Cates. =) It fits her perfectly now!
You’re so right on all of this. Since we already have three others we really have to stick with names that at least don’t clash, lol. I have a bad sense of that sometimes. But you’re right, [name]Romilly[/name] wouldn’t work. It seems too forced.
As for convincing your partner about [name]Rosemary[/name] and [name]Ramona[/name]…
Tell him that [name]Rosemary[/name] is a classic, as are the names of your other
children. [name]Rosemary[/name] has multiple nickname options for if she grows out of [name]Romy[/name] one day. And give him stats! Show him that it’s not just an “old-lady name” because it’s coming back in style. Some stats to show him: In 2009, 398 Rosemarys were born. 2008, 394 Rosemarys. 2007, 402. 2006, 407. While it’s not overly popular, it’s still pretty well used.
As for [name]Ramona[/name], just bring up that your daughter suggested the name, and that it’s so sweet that she wanted to help. If that doesn’t sell him, I don’t know what will. You can also share all the positive feedback from Nameberry, like that it’s quirky and classic, like your other kids’ wonderful names.
Thank you so much! When he gets home from work I’ll show him this post. I’m kind of getting the feeling that he wants to choose a different name entirely but I’m not sure.
What middle names are you thinking of? And, if it’s a boy, what names are you guys considering?
Congrats and good luck!
We really want to use the middle name [name]Olivia[/name]. Others we’re thinking of are [name]Abigail[/name], [name]Claire[/name], [name]Isla[/name], [name]Thea[/name], [name]Zoey[/name], [name]Daphne[/name] and [name]Aurora[/name]. We like to use one middle name to honor a family member ([name]Abigail[/name], [name]Claire[/name] and [name]Thea[/name]) and one name that we love but wouldn’t use as a first name for whatever reason. We’re also looking at the name Liviana as a variant of the name [name]Livia[/name].
Boys names…we’re so bad at those, lol. Mostly because a lot of perfectly good boys names are tarnished because of bad associations for us. Some names we have so far, though, are:
And [name]Zachary[/name] is a name I’ve loved since childhood!