I am looking for girl names that aren’t exactly made up but aren’t that common (hey, aren’t we all?). I’d like to avoid the -ia, -a, -ana type endings although they don’t automatically rule any name out because there are only a few sounds that go well with out last name. It is short, begins in N so -ille, -s and -n/-ne names are hard to pronounce or make an unflattering sound! Below are some of my faves and why I love them – if there are any you like, please comment! Middle name ideas accepted also (:
[name]Lillith[/name]
Pros: It has a less common female name ending, which helps in avoiding –ia, -a, -ana endings.
Cons: Biblical/Myth reference – but we don’t buy into it or care. [name]Lily[/name] nn [name]Ginger[/name]
Pros: Clearly feminine, a former classic name. DH likes “[name]Ginny[/name]” bc of harry potter and forrest gump references.
Cons: Sometimes a pet name Would be problematic if we somehow have a redhead. [name]Lux[/name]
Pros: Latin name, means light. DD1 has a name with a latin translation also. Literary reference (virgin suicides – not exactly a happy reference, however).
Cons: A LOT more uncommon than DD1’s name or the other names on the list. For me, this is also a pro though. [name]Eliette[/name]
Pros: A French female name, not common at all. [name]Author[/name] Namesake. NN ellie, ella.
Cons: [name]May[/name] get confused with [name]Eliot[/name], loses some appeal when not seen written. [name]Elizabella[/name]
Pros: Not quite [name]Elizabeth[/name], not quite [name]Isabella[/name], but retains much of the beauty of these names.
Cons: [name]May[/name] get confused for either of the more common names it is comprised of. [name]Violaine[/name]
Pros: [name]LOVE[/name] V names. This is the least common out of violet, violetta, viola etc while still meaning purple. NN [name]Lainey[/name].
Cons: It ends in an N sound and our last name begins with N, so there would have to be a strained pause between enunciations. BUT! For this name I’m willing to sacrifice flow [name]Geneva[/name]
Pros: “[name]Genny[/name],” “[name]Evie[/name],” “[name]Eva[/name]” NNs. Very flowy and uncommon.
Cons: Not many… [name]Eliora[/name]
Pros: Uncommon, NN [name]Ellie[/name]. Also, purported to mean light.
Cons: Possibly difficult to pronounce, but people butcher DD1s name and my name all the time. We’re used to it. [name]Rosalie[/name]
Pros: Beautiful floral name that avoids –a, -ia etc endings.
Cons: My daughter’s middle name is [name]Rose[/name] – this is another “version”… don’t know how I feel about that. [name]Emmanuelle[/name]
Pros: [name]Long[/name], not incredibly common in the US.
Cons: It sounds almost like a male name, [name]Manuel[/name]. [name]Evangelina[/name]
Pros: Feminine, often used in the Cajun community in previous generations (so a nod to my heritage) but not common now. LOTS of NN possibilities
Cons: A mouthful of a name!
What do you guys think of when you hear these names? Good, bad? Old lady? (:
[name]Lux[/name], [name]Eliora[/name], and [name]Evangelina[/name] are beautiful names. [name]Lux[/name] is spunky, and [name]Eliora[/name] could be shortened to [name]Lia[/name] or [name]Liora[/name]. And [name]Evangelina[/name] has many different nicknames that could be used!
I like [name]Ginger[/name] and [name]Geneva[/name]. The others are nice, but a bit overly feminine for my taste. Excepting [name]Lux[/name], obviously, which is a name I secretly love but can’t get behind using =/
I love [name]Eliora[/name], [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Ginger[/name].
A lot of Greek and [name]Roman[/name] mythological names have lovely, unique-sounding names that match your standards.
Here are some of my ideas:
Others I came up with, many of them literary:
[name]Bronte[/name]
[name]Amoret[/name]
[name]Mirielle[/name]
[name]Calixta[/name]
[name]Desdemona[/name]
[name]Corisande[/name]
[name]Rosamond[/name]/[name]Rosamund[/name]
[name]Cadence[/name]
[name]Linnea[/name]/[name]Linnet[/name]
[name]Elinor[/name]
[name]Dido[/name]
[name]Garnet[/name]
[name]Cosette[/name]
Euphrasie
[name]Villette[/name] (this one’s got double literary cred, as a [name]Bronte[/name] novel and the ‘[name]Rue[/name] de [name]Villette[/name]’ of [name]Les[/name] Miserables)
[name]Antoinette[/name]
[name]Mariette[/name]
[name]Elisabet[/name]
[name]Eluned[/name]/[name]Lunette[/name]/Lunet
[name]Musette[/name]
[name]Hyacinthe[/name]
[name]Maelle[/name]
[name]Florentine[/name], [name]Leontine[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name]
[name]Indigo[/name]
[name]Raphaelle[/name]
[name]Axelle[/name]
[name]Maelys[/name]
[name]Elspeth[/name]
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Lillith[/name] and [name]Rosalie[/name]! I don’t think having [name]Rose[/name] as your first daughters middle
name would bother me too much…but if it bothers you I would cross it off the list.
I also think [name]Geneva[/name] and [name]Eliora[/name] are stunning. [name]Evangelina[/name] is stunning- but it would be alot of letters for a little girl to write out! Maybe as a middle name as it has meaning for you? [name]Lillith[/name] [name]Evangelia[/name] is gorgeous!!! GL
My favorites from your list are [name]Lux[/name], [name]Lillith[/name], and [name]Eliora[/name]. Would you be pronouncing [name]Eliora[/name] as ‘Eel-ee-or-uh’ or ‘[name]Ell[/name]-ee-or-uh’?
With regards to [name]Violaine[/name], I love the nn idea of [name]Lainey[/name]; however, when I firstI saw the name I felt it looked sort of ‘harsh’ and now I realize why: unfortunately,
it seems a bit close to the word ‘Violence’ to me. Maybe that’s just me, though!
I think [name]Ginny[/name] by itself is pretty cute too though, I must admit! And I don’t hear it often (or ever, really!) on little ones anymore!
Thank you for all the opinions! If we chose [name]Eliora[/name], I believe “L-E ora” would be the smoothest sounding with our last name.
I’m a huge fan of [name]Lux[/name] but also a bit afraid to bestow that upon a baby girl… Does it go with any of the others as a middle? As someone noted, it’s less than feminine and the others are all quite frilly which is one of my husband’s absolute necessities in naming. I like the idea of giving a girl options in nicknames/middle names so if she should be a tomboy or a diva she can feel comfortable in her moniker!
[name]Lux[/name] [name]Evangelina[/name] is simply gorgeous, and I think that if you rearranged some of the names on your list they could work as well. For example:
[name]Lux[/name] [name]Rosaline[/name]
[name]Lux[/name] Geneve (I like [name]Lux[/name] [name]Genevieve[/name] better, but it sounds more ‘common’)
[name]Lux[/name] [name]Ginevra[/name]
With a short name like [name]Lux[/name], you sort of need more grounded, consonant-heavy names to balance it out, and I’d try for some more clearly feminine (while still original) names, so, as you said, you daughter can choose a more girly name if she sees fit.
[name]Emmanuelle[/name] has a distinct superiority. It’s long, to be sure, but has been elevated recently by the new appointment of an editor in chief at French vogue - a lady whose understated beauty is sure to make her a historic figure.
[name]Geneva[/name] pops out at me as intelligent - with a possible nickname [name]Ginny[/name].
[name]Rosalie[/name] sounds like a kick up your heals sort of girl. She’s happy go lucky and is the person enjoying the moment. Seems like a simpleton at first, but I give it a nod.
