How do you know when to stop looking?

When it comes to names relating to trees or the forest or things like that, there are so many boys’ names compared to girls, and apart from the ones already suggested (loving [name]Daphne[/name] and [name]Arden[/name]!) I found [name]Pomona[/name] who was the [name]Roman[/name] goddess of fruit trees, Pomeline is the cute alternative, [name]Silva[/name], as a [name]Sylvia[/name] alternative, but it kind of sounds like a “modified” [name]Silver[/name], and my own suggestion of Embla which is derived from the old Norse word for elm tree, and she was also the first woman according to Norse mythology, which is pretty cool ^^ She’s a bit clunky, but I think she could work…
Also could [name]Linnea[/name] be an option?
And [name]Undine[/name] was a water nymph, but her name might appeal to you? I always pictured her by a pond deep inside the forest…

I also thought of [name]Briar[/name] and [name]Bryony[/name], but they’re both the actual names of plants, so it might not appeal to you… I always loved them though, especially [name]Bryony[/name] ^^

I’ll try to look for some more once I have time… I need to bake some muffins now ^^
Best of [name]Luck[/name]!!

Thanks for these suggestions. Many are ones I hadn”t already thought of ” so I particularly appreciate the broadening of my horizons.

[name]Alas[/name], [name]Sylvana[/name] could never work because of our last name starting with [name]Van[/name] (a Dutch name).

[name]Pomona[/name] would be nice if it weren”t for the fact that the college in southern [name]CA[/name] immediately comes to mind for me.

Perhaps I should reconsider [name]Daphne[/name]. I”ve gone over that one a bunch of times and never liked the sound of it. I knew someone in college who was named [name]Daphne[/name] & didn”t like her much. But she was really just an acquaintance. The sound does remind me of ”daffy”, though.

[name]Arden[/name] ” I see it is now being used as a girls” name, but it still sounds like a boys” name to me. I”m not hugely fond of unisex names.

I have to admit ” part of the reason that I”m in a bind is because I tend to prefer classic names, but don”t want the name to be too popular. Then, quite a few of the remaining possibilities are already being used in our family or by close friends.

Arggh ”

Thanks again, and if you think of other names, please do let me know!

What about something tree-like with a Dutch flavour? Why not ask [name]Nephele[/name]??

Thanks, [name]Ailsa[/name], but I’m afraid I can’t think of any Dutch tree-like names. The Dutch word for tree – “Boom” – makes a very unlikely name.

However, there’s a Finnish word for a young tree that’s also used as a feminine name: Taimi.

Taimi isn’t a modern trendy name, either, as it’s been used in Finland since the late 19th century. I believe it’s pronounced “TIE-eh-mee.” (If there’s anyone here who’s familiar with Finnish, can you either correct or confirm the pronunciation?)

– [name]Nephele[/name]

Thanks, [name]Ailsa[/name], but I’m afraid I can’t think of any Dutch tree-like names. The Dutch word for tree – “Boom” – makes a very unlikely name.

– [name]Nephele[/name][/quote]

My brother used to call my mother McBoom, and sometimes he would just call her Boom.

[name]Berkeley[/name] is a name I’ve always loved and think it has unisex feel to it it. It means “where the birches grow”. I love birch trees! [name]Berkeley[/name] is also a college in [name]CA[/name] but I think it would still make a nice fn or mn.
I also love the name [name]Daphne[/name] (already suggested), I think the meaning is beautiful, has a mythological tie and isn’t very common.

I’m not sure if these have been suggested yet, my apologies if they have.

[name]Hollis[/name] - “dweller at the holly trees”
[name]Lennox[/name] - “with many elm trees” could nn Lenni or [name]Leni[/name].
[name]Acacia[/name]
[name]Alani[/name] - Hawaiian and means “orange tree”
[name]Ayla[/name] - Hebrew and means “oak tree”
[name]Cassia[/name]
[name]Evonne[/name] and [name]Evette[/name] both mean “yew” trew alt. sp. [name]Yvonne[/name] and [name]Yvette[/name]
[name]Juniper[/name]
[name]Lara[/name] - “laurel”
[name]Olivia[/name] or [name]Olive[/name] - “olive tree”
[name]Tamera[/name] - “palm tree”
[name]Bodhi[/name] - the tree Buddha sat under when he reached enlightenment.

[name]Nerissa[/name] is another [name]Shakespeare[/name] name from “The Merchant of [name]Venice[/name]” It means “sea sprite” or nymph, in case you love ocean names.

I love the name [name]Cordelia[/name] nn [name]Cora[/name], [name]Corrie[/name], or [name]Delia[/name]. It means “daughter of the sea”. She was [name]King[/name] Lear’s daughter. I really love [name]Cordelia[/name].

[name]Love[/name] [name]Daphne[/name], too! One of my faves.

[name]Love[/name] [name]Maeve[/name].

Classics that aren’t too popular is actually right up my alley ^^
[name]Just[/name] going of that, I have these suggestions:
[name]Agatha[/name]
[name]Agnes[/name]
[name]Alethea[/name]
[name]Ailsa[/name]
[name]Amadea[/name]
[name]Annora[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
[name]Augusta[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Bridget[/name]
[name]Cecilia[/name] or [name]Cecile[/name] or [name]Cecily[/name]
[name]Clarity[/name]
[name]Cosette[/name]
[name]Cosima[/name]
[name]Delta[/name]
[name]Dinah[/name]
[name]Ernestine[/name]
[name]Elida[/name]
[name]Elspeth[/name]
[name]Emiliana[/name]
[name]Eulalie[/name]
[name]Fallon[/name]
[name]Farah[/name]
[name]Fidelia[/name]
[name]Hermione[/name]
[name]Ianthe[/name]
[name]Imelda[/name]
[name]Ione[/name]
[name]Junia[/name]
[name]Lenore[/name]
[name]Lileas[/name]
[name]Lucia[/name]
[name]Manon[/name]
[name]Margot[/name]
[name]Mara[/name]
[name]Maud[/name]
[name]Melisande[/name]
[name]Nova[/name]
[name]Opal[/name]
[name]Octavia[/name]
[name]Phaedra[/name]
[name]Philippa[/name]
[name]Romola[/name]
[name]Romina[/name]
[name]Romilly[/name]
[name]Rosamund[/name]
Roswitha
[name]Rosalba[/name]
[name]Selene[/name]
[name]Sinclair[/name]
[name]Sonya[/name]
[name]Susanna[/name]
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Thalia[/name]
[name]Twyla[/name]
[name]Undine[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Vianne[/name]
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Viola[/name]
[name]Virginia[/name]
[name]Winona[/name]
[name]Una[/name]
[name]Unity[/name]

that’s going through my entire list, avoiding names that aren’t really classics, but I think of them a such because they have some connection to mythology or such… ^^
Sorry for the length of the list… I got slightly carried away :wink:
You may find 10 % of the names on this list in the top 1000, but they won’t be very high, or they will be diving off it (like [name]Virginia[/name])… I also excluded word/nature names (with the known exception of [name]Opal[/name], but something else might have made it’s way past my mind, I don’t know…) I included some virtue names though, but perhaps you like those?
Good luck with finding something you love! I’m sure you will eventually!!! ^^

Thanks again for the suggestions. To give you a little bit better sense of my “style” (though I’m not entirely certain I have a clear "style), here are some of the names on my current short list:

[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Rosemary[/name]
[name]Eudora[/name]
[name]Winifred[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name] - appears to be about to explode in popularity, though
[name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Fern[/name] (might make an exception to my dispreference for botanical names for this one)

Here are a few names that used to be on my short list, but which have been moved off of it for one reason or another (at least, for now):

[name]Sylvia[/name]/[name]Silvia[/name]/[name]Sylvie[/name] - already in use in my circle, prefer [name]Sylvie[/name], but would not want to give the short form when you can get [name]Sylvie[/name] from [name]Sylvia[/name] anyway
[name]Helen[/name] - already in use in my circle
[name]Grace[/name] - too popular
[name]Genevieve[/name] - possibly too trendy and/or cutesy & possibly getting to be too popular & possibly just too French for an American girl
[name]Leonie[/name] - pronunciation issues
[name]Gwendolyn[/name] - I don’t know, maybe should be on the short list, my dh really likes this one
[name]Jessamyn[/name]/[name]Jessamine[/name] - don’t like the fact that it’s so close to the currently popular name “[name]Jasmine[/name]”
[name]Adrianna[/name]/[name]Adrienne[/name] - dated?
[name]Viola[/name] - can’t use most V names b/c last name starts with [name]Van[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name] - there could be a family issue with this name
[name]Bernadette[/name] - can’t get away from Ste [name]Bernadette[/name] of [name]Lourdes[/name]
[name]Calandra[/name] - not sure this name really goes with last name
[name]Camilla[/name] - can’t get away from [name]Camilla[/name] [name]Parker[/name] Bowles
[name]Charlotte[/name] - much too popular & a place name (don’t really like place names)
[name]Clotilda[/name] - meaning (“reknowned battle”) not very appealing
[name]Coralie[/name] - possibly too cutesy/trendy
[name]Cordelia[/name] - doesn’t feel down-to-earth, though love the elegance of this name, too many syllables for 3-syllable last name
[name]Estella[/name] - can’t get away from the character in “Great Expectations”
[name]Henrietta[/name] - perhaps not quite ready for a comeback, also not so great w/ last name (too long)
[name]Leatrice[/name] - prefer the sound of this name to [name]Beatrice[/name], but prefer the associations & meaning that go with [name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name] – too close to [name]Susan[/name], have Susans in the family
[name]Teresa[/name] - love nn [name]Tess[/name]/[name]Tessa[/name] but can’t get away from [name]Saint[/name] [name]Teresa[/name], Mother [name]Teresa[/name], also have a [name]Terri[/name] in the family already

What do you think?

I am working on a longer post addressing something earlier (maybe we’re past it?) that I mean to catch up with, but I just have to suggest a loud no to a girl’s name that sounds like Tie Me. [name]Don[/name]'t care where it comes from or how beautiful the meaning is!

I’m not sure if any of these have been mentioned before, sorry for repeats if they have. I’m coming late into the game on this one.

Names I chose based on your short list - Some seem obvious some just had the same sound, style or feel to them to me.

[name]Phoebe[/name] - I like this name a lot btw.

[name]Flora[/name] nn [name]Florie[/name]
[name]Ophelia[/name]
[name]Daphne[/name] - love this name too.
[name]Josephine[/name] nn [name]Josie[/name] or [name]Posey[/name]
[name]Brie[/name]
[name]Bridget[/name] nn [name]Brie[/name]
[name]Paulina[/name] nn [name]Paulie[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Tabitha[/name]

[name]Rosemary[/name] -

[name]Rosemarie[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Rosalind[/name]
[name]Roxanne[/name]
[name]Annamarie[/name]
[name]Annmarie[/name]
[name]Lillian[/name] nn [name]Lily[/name]
[name]Marian[/name]
[name]Marlena[/name]
[name]Maureen[/name]

[name]Eudora[/name] -

[name]Eulalie[/name] - I [name]LOVE[/name] this name.
[name]Eugenia[/name] - ditto
[name]Isadora[/name]
[name]Eleanora[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Lenora[/name]
[name]Lenore[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name]

[name]Winifred[/name] -

[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Euphemia[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Florence[/name]
[name]Gwyneth[/name]
[name]Henrietta[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Virginia[/name] nn [name]Ginny[/name] or [name]Ginger[/name].
[name]Whitney[/name]

[name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name] -

[name]Bettina[/name]
[name]Bridget[/name]
[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Carys[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name] nn [name]Claire[/name]
[name]Dilys[/name]
[name]Eunice[/name] nn Niecy
[name]Felice[/name]
[name]Jacqueline[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Ramona[/name]

[name]Fern[/name] -

[name]Flora[/name]
[name]Verna[/name]
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Arden[/name]
[name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Chloris[/name]
[name]Glynn[/name]
[name]Glynis[/name]
[name]Glenda[/name]
[name]Hilde[/name]
[name]Lane[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]

[name]EDIT[/name]: [name]Hilde[/name] is pronounced hill-dee. I use to not like it but I like it a lot now.

Thanks for the suggestions. If you can think of any more suggestions, please do let me know. We would certainly love to expand our options.

After further consultation with my DH, here is our current short list (no particular order):

[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Rosemary[/name]/[name]Rosemarie[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Winifred[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Gwendolyn[/name]
[name]Sylvia[/name]/[name]Silvia[/name] (nn [name]Sylvie[/name])
[name]Adrianna[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Leonie[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]

We nixed [name]Eudora[/name] b/c of the association with the e-mail software of same name. And DH doesn’t like [name]Fern[/name], which I wasn’t so sure of myself.

I am still trying to figure out what my “style” is. Any thoughts? Also, this is our 1st child, but we are planning to have at least one more. Of the names above, are there any pair or triplet combinations that strike you as just really terrible or odd sibling set names (i.e., are there names on the list that you would avoid using together in the same family) – just in case we end up with more than one girl and are still using the same list in the future?

Please also feel free to give your thoughts/reactions to any of the names on our list. We aren’t set on any of them, so if you love them/hate them and/or make associations with them, I’d be more than happy to hear what you think. No need to be reserved for our sake.

Thanks again!

From your list I like the following names paired together, All just my personal opinion of course. I can’t wait to hear what other people group together.

[name]Leonie[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
possibly - [name]Antonia[/name] and/or [name]Sylvia[/name]

Rosmary/[name]Rosemarie[/name]
[name]Gwendolyn[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name]
possibly [name]Sylvia[/name]

[name]Winifred[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]

[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
possibly [name]Phoebe[/name]

[name]Sylvia[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Leonie[/name]

[name]Adrianna[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Leonie[/name]

I really like [name]Leonie[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name] paired together. Also [name]Antonia[/name] and [name]Leonie[/name], [name]Beatrix[/name] and [name]Sylvia[/name], [name]Winifred[/name] and [name]Genevieve[/name], and [name]Rosemarie[/name] and [name]Gwendolyn[/name].

[quote=“deirdre”]

[name]Hi[/name], I signed up under a pseudonym simply because posting on a web site seems like a rather anonymous way to get advice, anyway … and also a little bit to protect my real name, which I [name]DO[/name] love! At the time it was bestowed on me, my name was quite rare for girls in the US. But it’s a bit silly to be protective now, as it is hardly ‘undiscovered’ anymore. My ‘nom de plume’, [name]Deirdre[/name], is just the name I picked for this board. It is without any special significance for me, and I’m not considering it for my daughter.

I think part of my problem with girls’ names is the fact that I really do love my own name. My parents really got it right! So I would feel like I were letting my own daughter down if I couldn’t come up with another name for her that I liked equally.[/quote]

Wow. I really get this! I think this is one of the main things that is holding me back as well in naming my own daughter. I feel a lot of pressure to give my daughter a name that she will love as much as I loved my own name, but every name falls way short for me, despite me having several that I really like. I just had to sympathize…

I had the same exact problem with my first daughter. She was supposed to be our last child, but now we are having another girl! And again, are having that same problem. I consider my 1st daughter’s name to be the most perfect girls name, and it is not very common ([name]Alanna[/name]), and I want something uncommong for my 2nd daughter, and would prefer an Irish name, but neither my husband nor I can agree. We do have some names chosen, but I’m not IN love with them either.
I can tell you what I did for [name]Alanna[/name]'s name… hopefully this will help you. At first, I was wasn’t totally in love with [name]Alanna[/name], it was just on the list. But every couple of weeks, I made a list of the top 10 names I liked in order of most to least (my opinions kept changing). After a while, I kept noticing that [name]Alanna[/name] kept being in the top 3. Eventually, I really started falling in love with it. And now, 2 years later, I still think it is the most beautiful girl’s name (my poor 2nd daughter, i feel like i’m slighting her on her name!)
So maybe if you make a list of the names u like in order from most to least, you’ll start noticing a pattern, too! I hope this helps! Good luck!!!

btw. i didn’t stop looking until i was almost 8 months pregnant with [name]Alanna[/name]!

This is a great suggestion. Thank you.

Also, thank you disa_lan for putting together some interesting name combos. Knowing that at least one person thinks these names could sound good together on siblings gives me a bit more confidence.

I love a lot of your names and do think they work great together.
When I was pregnant with my last daughter we were set on her name being [name]Samantha[/name] for months. About 3 weeks until my due date I started having serious doubts about [name]Samantha[/name]. After much brainstorming, talking with friends and family, two of my sisters suggested [name]Mia[/name], with out the other knowing they suggested the same name. We chose [name]Mia[/name] and I don’t regret it at all. Funny thing is one my sisters brought up [name]Mia[/name] in the beginning of my pregnancy and I didn’t like it all. It sounded too much like a nn name to be a “real” name to me at the time.
I think that is why I’m searching for names now all though I’m not pregnant yet but trying. You never know when or where that perfect name is going to come from. You may not even like it now but who knows a few months from now it could make your favorites list.
I do think it’s a good idea to try and pair sibling names together even if you only plan on having one child. We planned on only having one, six years later we changed our mind and said we were done. Six years later here we are again :wink:

You have a great list here! These are my favorites from your existing list:
[name]Phoebe[/name] nn could be [name]Bea[/name] or [name]Bebe[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Winifred[/name] great nn [name]Winnie[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name] – love both of these with a slight preference for [name]Beatrix[/name].
[name]Gwendolyn[/name]
[name]Sylvia[/name]/[name]Silvia[/name] (nn [name]Sylvie[/name]) – [name]Love[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name] but [name]Sylvia[/name] may be the next [name]Sophia[/name] :frowning:
[name]Leonie[/name] – sweet.
[name]Genevieve[/name] – ditto!

Similar suggestions:
[name]Elaine[/name]/[name]Elaina[/name] – French version of [name]Helen[/name] but sounds completely different! Classic and elegant but not overused.
[name]Isadora[/name] – seems to fit with your “style” also classic but not common.
[name]Aster[/name] – a nature name that is not obviously so.
[name]Delphine[/name] – kind of similar to [name]Daphne[/name] but without the “[name]Daffy[/name]” association.
[name]Danica[/name] – means “star” but is unusual and elegant too.
[name]Estelle[/name] – a classic starting to come back, cute nn [name]Stella[/name].

Anything getting warm?

[name]Alanna[/name] is a lovely name (with or without the H) - I first heard it when I was a child growing up in the late 50s, and it seemed very unusual and stylish. This particular [name]Alanna[/name]'s mother obviously took great care over her children’s names, and her sister was [name]Celia[/name] - another distinctive and quite “old” name at that time.

I often wish I had included the name [name]Alanna[/name] in one of my girls’ names as their dad is [name]Allan[/name]. It is the feminine equivalent of [name]Alan[/name], yet, seems quite distinct from it.

ANOTHER name for future grandchildren!!!

xx

I love all the suggestions here, and have really enjoyed reading all these postings. You have some lovely suggestions.

I love [name]Rosemary[/name], by the way, but prefer the y spelling as it is like the herb, while [name]Rosemarie[/name] is more a combination of [name]Rose[/name] and [name]Marie[/name]?

xx