So, we are in the wonderful 2 week wait to see if we are indeed expecting a bambino in the fall. I am in love with the name [name_f]Ada[/name_f] (which is a family name) and my husband has vetoed it. We talked about [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] when we didn’t know my son’s sex and that was a fine second option for me.
[name_f]My[/name_f] husband is pretty firmly set on [name_u]Harper[/name_u]. For me, it’s cute. But that’s about it. I like the connection to [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_u]Harper[/name_u] [name_u]Lee[/name_u], but it just falls a little flat to me.
Other options he likes are [name_u]Parker[/name_u] and [name_u]River[/name_u]. Again, just kind of “there” for me. He seems to like the boys name for a girl option, which I’m not against, I just like more of the vintage vibe.
We love the middle name Aves, our son’s middle is [name_u]Jay[/name_u] and we like the bird connection. Other middle options are [name_u]Rhodes[/name_u], [name_f]Pearl[/name_f], [name_u]Ren[/name_u], and [name_f]Kate[/name_f].
Top Names for me would be:
[name_f]Ada[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_f]Annie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
and [name_f]Cora[/name_f]- which we can’t use because apparently my step-brother (who I’m not close with) has claimed it
We like nature names, literary or music names, and vintage or surname type names. Bonus points for meanings including some kind of connection to [name_u]June[/name_u].
the name evelyn came to mind as a vintagey feeling name that’s also somewhat masculine! evelyn rhodes and evelyn kate sound really nice. maybe feminine forms of vintage male names could be a way to compromise- theodora and thomasina both have a clear masculine form and shorter nicknames, since it seems both of you like simpler names. lots of short nicknamey names have a vintagey feeling and are gender neutral, such as frankie and billie. in addition, the name juno has an o ending that makes it sound somewhat more masculine, and clearly connects to june in its sound. from your list, i really like sylvie and ada. what if you moved one of your middle name options to the first name slot? rhodes seems like it could work as a first name and contains some elements of both of your name styles. rhodes eleanor would be really cute. good luck reaching a solution!
Maybe Hazel? It has a vintage vibe and is similar to Harper.
Other suggestions:
Louise (vintage feminization of a masculine name)
Lenore nn Lennie
Juniper (er ending like Harper) - nod to June
Briar
Aster (er ending like Harper)
Lavender (er ending like Harper)
Aria - music name similar to Ada
Lyra
Sage
Rosemary
Willa (or as a nn for Wilhelmina)
Linden
Laurel
Marlowe
Wren
it has a naturey meaning which you both like and definitely has more of a vintagey feel than harper whilst still being gender neutral. it also has the feminine nickname ‘lola’.
others have suggested marlowe which i also love for you guys for the same reasons! x
other ideas:
eden
blaire
elvie
frances/francesca with the nickname frankie
georgina/georgiana with the nickname georgie
harriet (harrie, hattie, ettie).
The five names you list are much better than his suggestions. Raise the idea of using your (maiden) name as the surname for a girl - he might come around to [name_f]Ada[/name_f] as the first name instead.
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] is beautiful. It’s such a shame your husband vetoed it! I also love [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].
A great option that bridges the gap between vintage and unisex/boys-names-on-girls is [name_u]Frankie[/name_u]. [name_u]Billie[/name_u] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u] are similar ones that feel vintage and tomboyish and very spunky. [name_u]Scout[/name_u] is another lovely literary one that fits into this category.
Other ideas:
[name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Luella[/name_f]
[name_f]Olive[/name_f] (with Oli as a nickname perhaps your husband would like it?)
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Della[/name_f]
[name_f]Etta[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f]
[name_f]Margaux[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Lola[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelie[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]
[name_u]Alba[/name_u]
[name_f]Eloise[/name_f]
[name_u]Fern[/name_u]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
[name_f]Gia[/name_f]
[name_u]Florence[/name_u]
[name_f]Allegra[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Clover[/name_f]
[name_u]Rue[/name_u]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
I much prefer your naming style to your husband’s. Ada and Eleanor are gorgeous, and Eleanor has nickname versatility - does your husband like Nell or Norah? Sylvie would seem perfect as it’s not overly feminine (not princessy) and has the nature connection. As your husband seems to like -er endings, how about Amber? Would also fit the nature theme. There’s also Ember, though doesn’t fit the vintage bill. I liked someone’s suggestion of Juno, there is also Juniper and season names Summer and Winter. A good halfway house may be to pick a vintage vibe name which can have a less feminine nn, as someone suggested with Olive / Ollie. I feel like lesser used gemstone names such as Opal and Emerald are feminine without being frilly, sort of fit the vintage thing in an ‘antique jewellery’ / ‘heirloom’ kind of way and fit the nature theme. Pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, so that would be a great way to fulfill nature, vintage and June requirements. Moonstone is another one, so perhaps Moon as a middle?
I think [name_u]Harbor[/name_u], [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] and [name_u]Arden[/name_u] are cooler, more unexpected versions of [name_u]Harper[/name_u]. They all have nature meanings or connotations.
We have the same problem with Willow/Willa which we also both like.