If you could name your baby anything you wanted, without any boundaries (DH not liking it, worried about bullying, people having bad opinions, etc.) what would you choose?
For a girl I would choose [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f], I’ve liked it since we read that book about the mouse being named [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] when I was a child. Personally I would use it in a heartbeat, but I highly doubt anyone would think that it’s as beautiful as I do. There’s also the fear of bullying, people never knowing how to spell or pronounce it and I worry that she wouldn’t like it as an adult. Maybe I’ll just have to settle for it being a MN!
For a boy I would choose Hades, I loved reading greek mythology books as a kid and I just like the look of the name. As Hades was the god of the dead and king of the underworld, I feel like those associations wouldn’t be good for a child lol.
I would love to hear your choices in the comments!
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] for a girl! It’s been my favorite since I was in high school (18 years ago…) My does like it though, it’s unique enough for me, but honestly most people seem to like it.
As for a boy, my favorite name is [name_m]Colm[/name_m]. It’s only been on the list for about a year after reading it in a book. I’ve always liked [name_m]Calum[/name_m] a lot, but fell in love w/[name_m]Colm[/name_m]. It’s more like ‘[name_m]Cole[/name_m]-um’. It would absolutely be mispronounced, dh thinks it’s weird, everyone else thinks it’s weird, & our ln starts w/an ‘M’. All sorts of reasons not to use it in real life. Probably would end up doing [name_m]Ewan[/name_m] if there were ever a real person to name.
For a girl, [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]. I think it’s the sweetest and most beautiful name but it’s too popular for me to use. Maybe for a middle name, though probably not as I usually like long first - short middle combos.
For a boy, my favorite name, [name_u]Lionel[/name_u], is thankfully fine to use! So is second favorite [name_m]Edmund[/name_m]. But [name_m]Fraser[/name_m] and [name_m]Angus[/name_m] are too common in [name_f]Scotland[/name_f] (where I’m moving next year) and [name_u]Stanley[/name_u] in the top 70 and rising in neighboring [name_f]England[/name_f]. Other ones I love and can’t use are [name_m]Clay[/name_m] (means “cry” in my language) and [name_m]Klaus[/name_m] (too close to [name_f]Santa[/name_f] [name_m]Claus[/name_m]).
[name_u]Hero[/name_u] or [name_f]Endellion[/name_f] “[name_f]Nell[/name_f]” or “[name_u]Dell[/name_u]” for a girl.
[name_u]Sasha[/name_u] for a boy. I’ve loved it forever and can so imagine us with a little [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]… DH is definitely done though so it’s never going to happen!
[name_f]Odette[/name_f] for a girl. Currently a guilty pleasure. Only problem is family has a boat named [name_f]Odette[/name_f].
[name_u]James[/name_u] for a boy. This name could actually work, even though [name_f]Star[/name_f] Trek is one of my favorite things in the world. I love the nn [name_u]Jamie[/name_u].
Ocelot ,[name_f]Marvel[/name_f], Hades , [name_m]Lucifer[/name_m] or [name_m]Neville[/name_m] lol for a boy
Moth, [name_f]Cricket[/name_f] , Maleficent, Ponyo or Sunflower for a girl
I’ve never really given it too much thought, and I’m sure it’s changed for me since I was last in a spot to choose a name without a partner (3 years ago LOL), but I’d say [name_u]Addison[/name_u] or [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] for a boy and maybe [name_f]Sapphire[/name_f] or [name_f]Emerald[/name_f] for a girl?
If I had a boy, and I could name him anything I wanted to, I would name him [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]. I’ve loved that name for years because it means “God’s lion,” and it has the super cute nickname [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. But if I had a girl, and the same was true, I would name her [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] after the character in the book by [name_m]Kevin[/name_m] Henkes.
I just realized that @asunflower, who started the thread, said some of the same things I was thinking about the name [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f]. I’m glad I’m not the only one who likes the name! Also, I think [name_f]Chrys[/name_f] or San would be super cute nicknames. Maybe I will use it…
For a girl, it’s always been (and will probably always be) [name_f]Harriet[/name_f]. For a boy, [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]. Neither of these is particularly ‘out-there’, but they’re the ones I’d really use.
[name_f]Andromeda[/name_f] and [name_m]Caradoc[/name_m] are probably my top usable guilty pleasure names.
My all-time favourite guilty pleasure names are (inner nerd coming out):
For a girl, Æthelflæd (probably better written as Ethelfled), after an Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] ruler whom I really admire.
For a boy, [name_m]Bede[/name_m], after the monk and annalist.
Of course, neither of these would be even remotely usable beyond the 11th century.
I would use my top names but I think others would be higher on my list. [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] would definitely be up there with the nn [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]
I don’t really have any off-limit names but I will say [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] for my son. I guess it’s just the five family members and one close friend that doesn’t like it. I’m not worried about bullying considering almost every young boy I’ve asked has given nothing but positive remarks (surprisingly!).