So, my husband said today that he doesn’t really like any of the names on my short list… help me come up with some new suggestions for him.
Here were the names I have suggested to him and his reasons for not liking them:
[ol][/ol]
Here are the names he has suggested and my reasons for not liking them:
[ol][/ol]
We both like [name]Anna[/name]… me, because it is both my mom and my middle names, and I’d like to continue that, and him because he just likes the name. But we can’t figure out a version of [name]Anna[/name] that works for us. [name]Anne[/name], [name]Anna[/name], and [name]Anastasia[/name] are out for the reasons above. [name]Annabelle[/name] [name]Lee[/name] is a poem by [name]Edgar[/name] [name]Allen[/name] [name]Poe[/name] that’s in most high school English anthologies now ([name]Annabelle[/name] is dead in the poem). [name]Annamae[/name] would be nice because [name]Mae[/name] was my grandmother’s middle name, so it would be kind of like naming her after me, my mom, and my grandma… but my grandfather (other side) dated an [name]Annamae[/name] after my (other) grandmother died, and while everybody liked her okay, I think my parents and aunts would find it weird. [name]Anneliese[/name] has spelling/pronunciation issues, and [name]Annika[/name] feels too foreign.
Anyway, the good news is that we aren’t that far apart on style… we both like pretty classic names, but he likes a narrower/more traditional range of them than I do. The bad news is that we seem to have run out of classic names AND Li is surprisingly hard to pair names with, because it combines with many, is so short, and is so common.
I suggest going through the top 1,000 names and letting him highlight or write down all the names that catch his eye, and you do the same. [name]Just[/name] names you are interested to know more about. Try and find some common ground.
Then, go research the names, find out the meanings and associations, and put them in order from favorite to least favorite (but all names you’d be happy to consider) have him do the same. Compare notes. Hopefully, after discovering the meanings and such, there will be something you both like.
[name]Arabelle[/name] Li-- sort of like [name]Annabelle[/name] but without the [name]Poe[/name] association. Still classic but not overused
[name]Hanna[/name] Li-- like [name]Anna[/name] but without sounding like anally
[name]Hannah[/name] Li-- same as above
[name]Suzannah[/name] Li-- another [name]Anna[/name] variation so she can be indirectly share a family name
[name]Cora[/name] Li-- classic and pretty
[name]Ava[/name] Li-- something about this sounds strong and classic but still kind of fresh and edgy
[name]Stella[/name] Li
[name]Lola[/name] Li
[name]Eliza[/name] Li
[name]Amelia[/name] Li
[name]Lydia[/name] Li
I really like pp posters suggestion of [name]Hannah[/name].
I was also thinking along the same lines of using a name with [name]Anne[/name]/ [name]Anna[/name] in it.
[name]Arianne[/name] Li
[name]Arianna[/name] Li
[name]Johanna[/name] Li (pp suggested this too)
[name]Adrianna[/name] Li
[name]Alannah[/name] Li
[name]Roseanne[/name] [name]Audrey[/name] Li (nn [name]Rose[/name]- [name]Rose[/name] A Li sounds lovely as it is similar to [name]Rosalie[/name]!)
[name]Brianna[/name] Li
[name]Brianne[/name] Li
[name]Susannah[/name] Li (pp suggested)
[name]Susanne[/name] Li
Maybe too out there for your DH but a double combo?
[name]Anne[/name]-[name]Claire[/name] Li
Some solid classics worth a mention: (I have suggest [name]Anne[/name] as a mn to appease your DH… but [name]Charlotte[/name] works well too!!)
[name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Anne[/name] Li nn options wide and varied: anything from [name]Beth[/name] to [name]Eliza[/name] to [name]Libby[/name] to [name]Betsy[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name] [name]Anne[/name] Li nn [name]Vicky[/name] or even [name]Tori[/name]
[name]Madeleine[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] Li nn [name]Maddie[/name] or [name]Leni[/name] or [name]Lena[/name] ("[name]Lay[/name]-nee"/ “[name]Lay[/name]-nah” similar to your selected name of [name]Elena[/name]- just don’t mention the intended nn to DH!)
With the last name Li I am thinking something with a clear, sharp end to it as not to run into your last name and be confusing. Like [name]Charlotte[/name], it ends strongly and it wouldn’t be unclear where the first name ends and the last begins.
Other ideas with a clear ending:
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Samantha[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name]
[name]Evelyn[/name]
[name]Brianna[/name] as an [name]Anna[/name] variation? [name]Juliana[/name]?
[name]Alexandra[/name]
[name]Madelyn[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Violet[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Megan[/name]
[name]Allison[/name]
[name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Gwendolyn[/name]
Based on your lists:
[name]Ananda[/name]
[name]Alana[/name]
[name]Anya[/name]
[name]Anita[/name]
[name]Anorah[/name]/[name]Onora[/name]/[name]Honora[/name]
[name]Andrea[/name]
[name]Cassandra[/name]
[name]Sonia[/name]/[name]Sonya[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
[name]Gemma[/name]
Li sounds [name]East[/name] [name]Asian[/name] - Chinese? There are so many beautiful [name]Asian[/name] names that are dreadfully underused in the [name]West[/name]. As a 3rd generation immigrant from three different grandparents, I wish I had ways more to remember my heritage - which was largely forgotten after my forefathers entered the United States. I know that the official rules of naming in [name]East[/name] [name]Asia[/name] can be rather complex, but here are some Chinese (sorry if you aren’t Chinese at all) baby girl names that I love:
[name]Meilin[/name] - plum jade ([name]May[/name] or [name]Mae[/name] are both popular English names)
Mulan - magnolia blossom (and Disney heroine, which would make her name more accessible)
[name]Xia[/name] - rosy clouds (accessible through its similarity with the popular name [name]Zoe[/name])
[name]Juan[/name] - graciousness (which, btw, means about the same in an similar English name - [name]Joanne[/name]/[name]Johanna[/name])
Chai Yenn - [name]Rainbow[/name] + swallow (Anglicized into [name]Cheyenne[/name]?)
In general, I appreciate names that connect to a family’s heritage for the deeper resonance beyond trends and preferences (which tend to change over time).
Other thoughts:
[name]Alaina[/name] (enough to get rid of the Vampire Diaries association?)
[name]Angela[/name]
[name]Angelina[/name]
[name]Amaya[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Amara[/name]
[name]Marianna[/name]
[name]Margot[/name]
[name]Milena[/name]
[name]Elliana[/name]
I really like [name]Eliana[/name] -it’s got your [name]Anna[/name] that you both like; it’s got [name]Ellie[/name], which is a classic nn for many names like [name]Eleanor[/name] or [name]Ellen[/name]… it’s unique and yet it’s a known name in many parts of the world. (It’s the top name on my baby girl’s list right now )
