So, I have a daughter who was born in [name_f]May[/name_f], and is now 11 months old. Her name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], a name I went with because her father liked it (we are not together) and at the time I was very depressed and felt like I couldn’t come up with anything better, and after months and months of trying to repress the feeling, I’ve admitted to myself, him, and most of my family that it doesn’t feel right at all, even after having months to adjust to it. It’s not that I don’t like the name, I like the crisp, simple sound of [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and the meaning (bay laurel, which is associated with victory). It’s just that a) I feel like I’ve known or heard of so many [name_m]Laurens[/name_m] growing up that the name never felt like it was entirely hers (we also have a very common last name), and b) there just doesn’t seem like there’s any way I can think of it that makes me feel like it fits my style. Stylistically, I’m very inspired by gothic and alternative fashion (although I don’t usually have the self-confidence to wear it) and I love anything with a fantasy or historical feel. Having a daughter named [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] just feels… really wrong. Not that I’m against the simplicity of it- I like that, it’s been so heavily used for the last three decades (it was #14 the year I was born) that it feels overly expected and not very fresh. And it’s not that I have bad associations with the name [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], I imagine the name belonging to a friendly, attractive, intelligent person. But I also can only imagine her coming from a very conventional family. I can’t imagine her coming from mine. I tried to tell myself for a long time that [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] was associated with victory and strength, because of the bay laurel connection, but even then I knew I was kidding myself. Telling yourself that people associate [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] with victory is like telling yourself that people associate [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] with Shakespear. [name_m]Even[/name_m] early on I would catch myself thinking things like “it’s not that I don’t like her name, I just really wish that I could call her and introduce her as something entirely different.” It’s an awful way to feel, because she’s the most important person in my life and I want to give her a name that fits how I feel about her. I also do not think that she associates it with herself, I call her a hundred different nicknames at least as frequently as I use her real one. So essentially, I want some suggestions on names that might be a better fit for her. Her middle name is also [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], which is my grandmother’s name so I can’t change it, so it will need to be something that goes well with that. There are so many factors that you have to weigh in with names- it seems like there’s something wrong with every name. Many names that I like are already taken. I like [name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_f]Elora[/name_f], and [name_f]Clara[/name_f] but already know babies close to her age with those names. I also like the names [name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], and [name_f]Freya[/name_f], but I know three different cats with those names ([name_f]Luna[/name_f] being mine). I love [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] and [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] but they’ve become so popular in my daughter’s generation that it would feel more like giving her a number than a name. Here is a list of names that I’m considering, as well as what I like and don’t like about them. Hopefully some of you can give me some input or offer some suggestions. I’m looking mainly for names that aren’t too out there, but have a bit more intrigue than [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], and preferably on the simpler side to go with [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], but if you think of something that sounds like it might fit don’t hesitate to share regardless. Thank you in advance!
[name_f]Amaya[/name_f]: Means night rain in Japanese. I think that this is a very pleasant and calming image. However, I’ve also heard that it isn’t an actual name in Japanese and doesn’t actually mean night rain either, which is the main reason that I liked it.
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]: Means dawn, and is associated with the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] goddess of the sunrise, which would work ell for her since she was born in the morning (9:27 so not technically dawn though). I’m not sure if [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] would sound a bit too frilly though.
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]: Means emerald, which is her birthstone, and also means esteemed or beloved, which also fits her very well. [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] sounds good to me, but her initials would be EEW, and I don’t know if that would be associated with a grossed-out sound like ew.
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]: This is my sister’s middle name, who’s always been close to her but is moving away for college soon. I think it works well with her middle name. It means rainbow, which I think is appropriate for her since it signifies a reward after a period of hardship, which definitely fits how I feel about her and some of the circumstances of her birth. I’m not sure if it would be weird for her name to mean rainbow though, since I’m not the most colorful person aesthetically (I wear a lot of black and grey), but I do love color in nature.
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]: This would be the easiest transition for everyone since it’s one letter off from [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], but doesn’t sound as generic or overused. I’m really trying to come around to it, but every time I say it out loud I just feel like there are a lot of L sounds in it, especially since L and R are pronounced as the same letter in many languages, or at least similarly. I think that I may like the stronger sound of the N in [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] more, but it also may be because I’m still more used to saying it.
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]: Means victory, same as [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]. I like that it’s very classic and has an aristocratic allure without being over the top. However, it is very popular (#20) and has been for a few generations. I also feel like [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] might be a bit long.