I’ve been checking out top US hospitals to see what first names are common among doctors. Julia and Anna both make decent appearances, but there are no doctors named Lily so far unless I do a Google search. That concerns me because I love the name Lily, but I don’t want to set her back in life by saddling her with a name that, according to this 538 link, sounds infantile. In this link, people were asked to guess the age of Lily and they assumed the name fit a child. That bothers me, along with the absence of doctors named Lily in top US hospitals. Also, is Lily a cutesy name? Weak sounding? I love Lily, but these are my worries. Please be as honest as possible. I’m American, so I know some of these names may be viewed a little differently globally, but Lily is only recently a common name in my lifetime. This makes me think it’s not a classic either, which once again, deepens my concern.
As for Julia, I am completely enamored with Julia, but I’ve come across a few comments saying it sounds “uppity.” I don’t want a name that is reflective of class or age. I want a neutral name, if that makes sense, but I’m not sure if I’m taking too big of a risk with Julia. Classic names that transcend class are my favorite.
Then there’s Anna. It’s perfect. There is nothing wrong with the name Anna, except my family hates it and I don’t find it as lyrical as the other two names. It’s not my favorite, but it doesn’t have any of the baggage of the other two names and seems unassailable.
Don’t hold back or try to be nice, please. I am not having a baby right now, so your honest feedback is all I ask. If you read all this, thank you <3
Personally feel your overthinking the name, [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is perfectly acceptable and assuming your child wants to be a doctor isn’t the best way to go about when you feel the name is too professional! As someone who plans to be a future doctor I stray away from that thinking due to how in general the medical field is very lacking in diversity and names as normal as [name_u]Maria[/name_u], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], and even [name_f]Alicia[/name_f], aren’t regularly there because of the white space and how often those names are more popular for latin american people! I say don’t worry, [name_f]Lily[/name_f] can be the first doctor if she wants to be one
I always prefer [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lily[/name_f] because it gives a more grown up sounding option. Or i like [name_f]Lillia[/name_f] or [name_f]Lila[/name_f]. But Im not a big lover of [name_f]Lily[/name_f], it does sound very little girl to me and its not my favorite flower name but that is just a personal opinion. With its popularity there are bound to be grown women with the name so go for it if you love it!
I like [name_f]Julia[/name_f]. I can see the uppity vibe but I personally would let it bother me. I really like the nn [name_u]Jules[/name_u] which I think calms that vibe.
I personally dont like [name_f]Anna[/name_f] all that much but theres nothing wrong with it! Its perfectly nice and you shouldn’t care what others think! Naming your child gets to be your choice!!
Yes, that’s an issue I find a lot in these “successful names” lists online because they’re so clearly biased towards “white sounding” names. I don’t expect my daughter to be a doctor, I just don’t want any barriers to her future. Thank you so much!
Whilst I personally don’t think it’s a problem regardless, this is something I don’t think you’ve considered:
The reason [name_f]Lily[/name_f] sounds childlike is because most Lilys right now are children. In twenty years, or whenever your [name_f]Lily[/name_f] might decide she wants to be a doctor, [name_f]Lily[/name_f] will no longer be a child name, because most Lilys will be about twenty. Also, [name_f]Julia[/name_f] doesn’t sound uppity at all.
I don’t see how there being doctors with a name means anything. There are multiple Dr. [name_f]Lily[/name_f]’s at the hospital I work at, but even if there weren’t it wouldn’t mean you can’t be successful with the name [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. There’s never been a US president named [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], nor any female name for that matter, but it doesn’t mean my name is holding me back—it’s just an arbitrary measure.
If you think [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is too cutesy, which it isn’t, it could also be a nickname for [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], or even [name_f]Susan[/name_f] (from the name’s meaning).
Julia and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] aren’t tied to any sort of connotation.
Honestly I’m just really confused by this whole post.
I’m sorry! Is there a way I could explain my concerns better? I just am afraid of criticism And thank you for your wise observations! I really appreciate your feedback.
Personally, most of the Lilys I know are younger than age 20 so they’re too young to be doctors. To be a top doctor at a hospital you’re probably ~40.
[name_f]Julia[/name_f] & [name_f]Anna[/name_f] are both names that are thought of as more popular in the 60s-80s which would mean that people think of them as older.
[name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Julia[/name_f], and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] are all common, decently white names that people won’t turn their noses up at. There are thousands of Lilys who have as much of a shot at working at CHOP as any other woman, the bigger concern would be the Michaels or the Jacks.
I get what you’re saying, I just really don’t understand the trepidation, and I’m someone who overthinks absolutely everything—especially names lol. I think the biggest thing is why does it matter if a doctor has the name? There’s a PhD who’s name is Marijuana Pepsi. The only real thing that’s going to limit a kid is their access to good mentors and other resources.
@leafsgirl44 always has very good thoughts on this.
Personally, I think name really won’t end up holding a person that far back in life. Especially [name_f]Lily[/name_f], which (as much as I hate to say it) isn’t heavily associated with a minority race. I think you’re all good as far as [name_f]Lily[/name_f] goes.
Odds are, people are saying [name_f]Lily[/name_f] best fits a child because that’s the only age group they currently associate it with - [name_f]Lily[/name_f] wasn’t a common name when I was born 25 years ago, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be worn by an adult. 50 years ago, [name_u]Haley[/name_u] and [name_f]Kylie[/name_f] were unheard of, but in the 90s they became more common, and now, it’s completely normal to find Haleys and Kylies in all professions. Names evolve and change over time - what seems childish in the 2020s won’t necessarily be considered childish 20 years from now when the kids of this decade are young adults.
Likely the reason you’re not finding many Lilys that are doctors is that it wasn’t a very common name (could be nearly unused in your area) 25+ years ago. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be sort of a timeless name, just that little [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] could go visit grandma [name_f]Rose[/name_f]… Which is quite classic… And maybe grandma knows a couple other Roses… Maybe [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] knows other kids who share her name too… But these days you’re probably more likely to meet a [name_f]Lilly[/name_f], [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] or [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] … We can’t know exactly which of these, or other names that the next generation will look back at and say are rather classic themselves… We are currently creating the future’s perspective on names. Also if your concern is that you’re setting you’re child up for failure with a name… Consider that some people really have names that you would see on paper and feel upset about their parents choice… Those kids are probably going to change their names… Typically these forums do give good advice and typically people here seem to care… Neither [name_f]Julia[/name_f] or [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] or [name_f]Anna[/name_f] have ever come up negatively that I’ve seen. And [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] is a nice alternative, a little more formal. As far as [name_f]Anna[/name_f] goes… If you love it use it, even just as a middle… Your family doesn’t need to choose your child’s name. But also you can find something negative about literally anything on the internet if you look hard enough so maybe just put together what you like and if you feel right about it, it sounds like you care that it will age well and your choices aren’t unusual at all. [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] or [name_f]Lilliana[/name_f] are good combinations of [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] & [name_f]Anna[/name_f] actually and [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] is more ‘classic’, you’ll find Lillians of all ages and [name_f]Lilly[/name_f] or [name_f]Anna[/name_f] are both great [name_u]Nick[/name_u] names. Besides who knows if she will even want to be a doctor, we really can’t know things in the future… But whatever her name…she will grow up with children with incredibly varied names and likely it wont be quirky names that determine their futures as much as they would have 20, 40, 60 years ago.
Lily is beautiful
I know one lily and she is the strongest girl I have meet I so many different ways
Its beautiful
I also love love [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
I work in the healthcare and haven’t worked with a doctor [name_f]Lily[/name_f] yet, but I am in my early 30s and growing up I only knew one [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. So I think there may not be a lot of doctors named [name_f]Lily[/name_f] out there yet because the majority of [name_f]Lily[/name_f]’s are still too young. I have worked with amazing female doctors with all sorts of names including first names that would be pretty unknown to Americans because I have worked with doctors who have come from all over the world. I really wouldn’t worry about a name being “unprofessional.” Although I will say that unfortunately I have seen studies about names on resumes and people with “non-white” names do get called for an interview less even with the exact same qualifications and experience as a [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] for example. But that is a problem with prejudice and racism not the person’s name.
All of the names you listed are normal, solid names. I can’t imagine meeting anyone with the name [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Julia[/name_f] or [name_f]Anna[/name_f], and thinking anything unusual about them because of their names.
I think [name_f]Lily[/name_f] will become more “adult” when all the current [name_f]Lily[/name_f]’s become adults. Right now, this name is huge, a ton of babies and little kids have the name. So it makes sense, to me, that it is seen as a bit “infantile” in this moment.
I kinda view it like the name [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] or [name_f]Brittany[/name_f]… This name blew up 20-40 years ago. A ton of kids were given the name. I feel sure that some parents, around that time, felt similarly to how you feel now.
All of these names are perfectly wearable for a child up through adulthood! I love the name [name_f]Lily[/name_f], and I don’t think it sounds childish at all! I know a very strong, determined young woman named [name_f]Lily[/name_f], so to me it suits anyone!
And thank you for your wise observations! I really appreciate your feedback.
