We are expecting our first daughter in 6 weeks, and I just can’t find a name to get excited about.
A few years ago, my beloved husband usurped the naming of our son, [name]Declan[/name] [name]Michael[/name], by announcing it over dinner with my in-laws while I was 6 months pregnant.
Forgiveness for that was a long time coming but as I now take the reins to name our daughter I am at a loss.
As my husband is making rumblings about making another unapproved name announcement, I really need to make a decision soon.
The naming ‘guidelines’ I was trying to keep in mind are thus:
Nothing too popular. I am hoping to stick with# 500 and below in ranking on the Social Security name list.
I would like the name to sound well with our surname, McMahan ([name]Mick[/name]-man). I think my husband hit that one with [name]Declan[/name]. The sounds M,K,A,N.
We lean towards Irish and French names, but right now I will settle for using a middle name that fits that guideline.
While I don’t have a clue about naming a girl, I am confident that any future son will be named [name]Noble[/name].
The name [name]Noble[/name] got me thinking that a female name that included an L and an N would add continuity to the future sibling set.
Here is the current list of acceptable names (according to my husband) but I still can’t get fired up about them.
Léonie-The name my husband is threatening to announce to the family. Pronounced [name]Lay[/name]-o-nee. [name]Will[/name] it carry as an adult name too?
[name]Marguerite[/name]-I can’t warm up to any of the nick names. Ex. [name]Rita[/name], [name]Margo[/name], [name]Maggie[/name]
Here are some names that I actually like, but took out of consideration due to their popularity:
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Evangeline[/name]
[name]Georgia[/name]
[name]Sophia[/name]
[name]Lillian[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Camille[/name]
[name]Cosette[/name]-with the release of [name]Les[/name] Miserables in the theaters, it will be popular.
[name]Jillian[/name]-sounds too similar to [name]Declan[/name]
[name]Olivia[/name]
[name]Ella[/name]-[name]Declan[/name] loves this name.
[name]Fiona[/name]
I think Léonie isn’t a good idea because of the accent on ‘E’ I really like [name]Marguerite[/name]. You could call her [name]Daisy[/name] or [name]Pearl[/name].
Léonie - This is very pretty and I do think that it would age well, but I suspect that the accent mark would get lost pretty frequently and that people would often pronounce it [name]Lee[/name]-oh-nee.
[name]Marguerite[/name] - What about [name]Daisy[/name] or [name]Maisie[/name] as nicknames?
Suggestions:
[name]Liberty[/name]
[name]Nola[/name] / [name]Finola[/name] “[name]Nola[/name]” / [name]Magnolia[/name] “[name]Nola[/name]”
[name]Etta[/name]
[name]Marlo[/name] / [name]Marlow[/name] / [name]Marlowe[/name]
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Olwen[/name]
Liadan (Meaning, origin and history of the name Líadan - Behind the Name)
[name]Cleo[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Lydie[/name]
[name]Linnet[/name] (Emphasis on the first syllable, [name]LIN[/name]-net rather than on the second syllable as in [name]Lynnette[/name].)
[name]Elowen[/name]
[name]Iselin[/name]
Suggestions:
[name]Florence[/name] nn [name]Flora[/name] or [name]Flossie[/name]
[name]Flora[/name]
[name]Alienor[/name], nn [name]Nora[/name] or [name]Allie[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Elodie[/name]
My cousin’s name is [name]Margaret[/name] nn [name]Meg[/name]. A [name]Marguerite[/name] could go by [name]Meggie[/name] as a child and [name]Meg[/name] as an adult too.
Rose --> Rosalind
Evangeline or Ella --> Emmaline, Elinor/Elinora, Elena,
Georgia --> Guinevere (no L), Gwendolyn, Gwyneth
Sophia --> Selena, Serena (doesn’t have the L though)
Lillian --> Linden, Luna
Claire --> Cornelia
Olivia --> Octavia, Oralie, Aurelia
Fiona --> Faye (no L or N), Florence,
I really don’t get the whole thing of your husband “threatening” to announce a name to your family. Does a name have to be announced at all? And shouldn’t you, the woman bearing the child, have a little say in that? [name]Just[/name] thinking out loud here…
In any case, congrats on your new addition! I do like Léonie, but it’s a little bit complicated [name]IMO[/name]. And I really think, considering there are like a bazillion names to choose from, you should def find one to get really excited about.
Here are some suggestions containing an L and an N that aren’t too popular and haven’t been mentioned:
I love [name]Leonie[/name]. It seems like you’re making sure there’s not “something better” out there before you settle on it-- that is, you like it just as much as your husband does.
I think it’s a very beautiful, very strong, very elegant French name. It contains your desired letters; works wonderfully with McMahan; has a good meaning (lioness), and is easy to pronounce. I personally couldn’t think of anything better-- even though you did receive wonderful suggestions above, [name]Leonie[/name] still wins out.
My daughter is [name]Leonie[/name]! We have had pronunciation priblems but we love the name!
I would also suggest [name]Colette[/name] or [name]Corinne[/name].
I don’t know if it’s just the way you worded the post, but it seems like you might be in a domineering relationship. I don’t want to overstep or get off topic but if you’re feeling bullied by your husband beyond this name situation you might want to seek resources online. Message me if you’d like
I agree with Taz that your husband’s behaviour sounds really controlling, but I do understand naming is deeply personal and sometimes really complicated, and can sometimes bring out the worst in all of us.
[name]Leonie[/name], I wish I loved it more than I did! It sounds too close to “[name]Laney[/name]” for me, and therefore gets lumped into a lot of the names I associate with the 90s (like [name]Delaney[/name], [name]Laney[/name], etc). It does, however, have a great meaning. For something similar sound-wise, maybe [name]Lenore[/name] or [name]Eleanor[/name] could work? [name]Nora[/name]? [name]How[/name] about just [name]Laure[/name]? Or [name]Laurel[/name], even? [name]Laurel[/name] is sweet and botanical like [name]Rose[/name], but not as common place. For other botanical names, there’s [name]Calla[/name] (as in lilies), which keeps the “L” theme up, [name]Tansy[/name] (if you’re feeling adventurous, something tells me that since you’re wanting [name]Noble[/name] for a future son, you are!), [name]Lavender[/name] (keeping with the L theme). Regarding [name]Leonie[/name], it sounds like you like it, but that it’s just not the one. That’s where I am with most girl names, too. [name]Feel[/name] free to take your time! People can be very pressuring.
There are a lot of great “ette” names, no reason to be limited to [name]Cosette[/name]. [name]How[/name] about [name]Juliet[/name]? Maybe too popular? [name]Juliet[/name] McMahan sounds gorgeous, and has the “L” theme in keeping up with [name]Declan[/name] and future [name]Noble[/name]. [name]Lucine[/name]? [name]Selene[/name]? [name]How[/name] about [name]Rosalie[/name]? That gives you [name]Rose[/name] in a slightly less common fashion.
I think [name]Leonie[/name] is gorgeous, but I’d only ever pronounce it as [name]Lee[/name]-oh-nee and that’s whay I think most would say in the UK because of similar names [name]Leon[/name], [name]Leo[/name] and [name]Leona[/name] and that’s regardless of the accent on the ‘e’. [name]Declan[/name] and [name]Leonie[/name] are lovely together.
Ditto pp’s comments on your husband choosing a name. WOW. My first thought was “So? [name]Just[/name] because he announced it doesn’t mean it’s the name.” If my husband did that, I probably would have rolled my eyes or laughed and said “No. We haven’t decided yet.” As for this baby’s name, I’d tell him to cool his jets. Naming a baby takes some thought!!
That said, I do love [name]Declan[/name] [name]Michael[/name]. I also love [name]Leonie[/name], but upon seeing it, I would pronounce it lee-oh-nee, which is also beautiful. If you’re not loving that one, I like the suggestion of [name]Eliana[/name] for you because it sounds very similar to [name]Leonie[/name] AND it would give you the possible nn [name]Ella[/name] (since [name]Declan[/name] likes it so much – I love the idea of him feeling like he had some part in choosing the name). There’s also [name]Fenella[/name]/[name]Finella[/name] (and all her variants), which I believe is Scottish not Irish, but Celtic none the less, gives you the N and L and also the nn [name]Ella[/name] (for [name]Declan[/name]) without being one of those popular “ella” names. Good luck!
