Is 'Hazel Violet' Too Many Colours In One Name?

Girl Names
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My first daughter’s name is [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Gail[/name]. The second name is after her grandmother (my mother-in-law). Not my favorite name, but it works well as a middle and it ended the brutal months-long battle in choosing a name.

I’m now expecting my second daughter, and we right away we both like the names [name]Ruby[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] (husband prefers [name]Ruby[/name], but [name]Hazel[/name] hasn’t been vetoed yet). My mother’s name is [name]Yolanda[/name], which I’m not really keen on. This time I want a middle name that I really like, but I don’t want to hurt my mom’s feelings by leaving her out.

[name]Yolanda[/name] means ‘violet flower’, and I’m actually fine with [name]Violet[/name] as a name, but my question is – is it all too much colour? I feel like we just cracked open a box of crayola crayons.

[name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name]

Actually, seeing them printed out for the first time, they both look like quite pretty names. If we don’t go with my mom’s middle name, I’d love to do [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] or [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name].

So that’s my dilemma right now – any thoughts or advice?

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I’m not sure why but to me [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name] seems too much colour but [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] doesn’t!

Maybe it’s because I had a great aunt [name]Hazel[/name] so I really think of it more as a name than a colour whereas [name]Ruby[/name] is a strong colour association for me. And I guess [name]Ruby[/name] and [name]Violet[/name] are both in a similar colour scheme too! (reds and purples)

[name]Ruby[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name] are lovely too though - [name]Hazel[/name]'s got to be my favourite though!

Does your mother have another way you could honour her? Middle name? Maiden name? Birth month? Birthstone? Birth flower?

Good luck!

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Ha ha, just looked up her birthstone. Its a [name]Ruby[/name], lol. My mom won’t believe for a second that its why we picked the name, but that might be the best we can get.

I like the name [name]Ruby[/name] better, but I really really like that [name]Hazel[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name] are both tree types. For some reason I feel like they ‘go’ together better, although I’m not sure what I’m basing that on. :slight_smile:

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I’d love to hear more opinions on either [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] or [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name] as a name, so I’m bumping this up again. :slight_smile:

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Hmmm well when I hear [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Violet[/name], and [name]Ruby[/name] I don’t really think of the colors. I think of the nut, the flower, and the gem. after that impression [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name] does give me a flash of red and a flash or purple, so yes it could be considered a very colorful name. [name]Hazel[/name] never gives me a color connotation, but maybe I’m the only one. I think it’s because I never hear people describe something’s color as [name]Hazel[/name] unless they’re talking about eyes. And even then [name]Hazel[/name] eyes don’t have a particular color, anything that isn’t all [name]Brown[/name], [name]Green[/name], [name]Blue[/name], or [name]Grey[/name] gets called [name]Hazel[/name], so I have a hard time attaching a particular color to it.

As far as the actual names, I like the sound of [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name]. I don’t care for the flow of [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] though. So the [name]Hazel[/name] combo doesn’t have a color issue like [name]Ruby[/name], but it just doesn’t sound great together. Maybe you would consider a variation of [name]Violet[/name] to go with the names? Maybe [name]Violetta[/name] or [name]Viola[/name]. I love [name]Viola[/name] actually, and I think [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Viola[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Viola[/name] both have excellent flow to me, and also don’t throw off a bunch of color.

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When I first saw your post with [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] I didn’t think of the colour [name]Hazel[/name] but the hazel tree. When I was a young girl, I knew a little Dutch girl named [name]Yolanda[/name] and she was the only one who had that name in my neighborhood. I quite like the name [name]Yolanda[/name] so it’s a shame that you’re not keen on it. [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name] is too many colours for me! I like some of the other suggestions as an alternative to [name]Violet[/name]: [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name] is pretty, [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Viola[/name] has a Southern ring to it. There is also [name]Violetta[/name] (Italian) and [name]Violaine[/name] (French). [name]Do[/name] you like [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violaine[/name]?

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@tea4tamara

Hm. I’m rather perplexed by this one, honestly. First off, I much prefer [name]Hazel[/name] as a sister to [name]Rowan[/name]. [name]Ruby[/name] just isn’t working for me. [name]Ruby[/name], to me, is like this little pretty princess, sassy and spunky and too smart for her own good. I imagine her to be determined, demanding, and a little bit of a baby diva. But, at the end of the day, [name]Ruby[/name]'s a little sweetheart, kind and generous and delicate. Now, don’t ask me where I get this picture, because the only [name]Ruby[/name] I’ve ever met was my late grandma, and I couldn’t tell you how she acted in the so-called “prime of her life.” Not only does [name]Hazel[/name] seem to fit better with [name]Rowan[/name] because of the tree connection, they both feel very natural, organic, and energetic in a really clean way. [name]Hazel[/name] is a maybe a bit more reserved and guarded than [name]Ruby[/name] in my opinion. I see [name]Hazel[/name] as a spunky little girl, cheeky and adorable and sweet. She’s an adventurer, eager to try new things, but careful not to go too far. I don’t know what your [name]Rowan[/name] is like, but [name]Hazel[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name] just feel more alike to me, more natural. And, honestly, I love them together!

As for the issue of [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name], I don’t terribly mind it. Yes, they are both colors, and similar colors at that, but it isn’t like, “Oh, ha, your mom named you after a rainbow, [name]Hazel[/name]!” At least I don’t think so. That being said, there is something about [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name] that really thrills me. That combination feels so alive and invigorating and energetic and fresh. I love it! Would it really hurt your mom not to be honored with this baby’s name? Is there any other way you could honor her? You said her birthstone is a ruby, and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Ruby[/name] isn’t too bad, but that means she was born in [name]July[/name]. [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Julia[/name]? [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Juliet[/name]? [name]Both[/name] pretty lovely. The birth flowers for [name]July[/name] are the Larkspur and the Water [name]Lily[/name] - don’t love [name]Hazel[/name] Larkspur, [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Lark[/name], or [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Lily[/name] because of those L’s, but [name]Hazel[/name] Skylark is quite the combination! Hm. But I personally keep coming back to [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name]. That’s just so incredible. [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Gail[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name]? You expecting to have more children? You might be locking yourself into a two-syllable tree name first name and one-syllable G middle name pattern, but those are such stunners. I know [name]Briar[/name] isn’t a tree, but [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], and [name]Briar[/name] would be nice. [name]Briar[/name] [name]Grace[/name]. There, I solved your problem. Ha! Okay, I’m going to stop now…

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

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[name]Hazel[/name] does feel more earthy than a color- again because hazel is more a mesh of colors than one particular one. [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Violet[/name] would be too much color yes, but [name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Viole[/name] is not. [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] makes a rather lovely combo. but i do love [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Gwen[/name]. something about it seems perfect especially withssister [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Gail[/name] :slight_smile: pairing [name]Hazel[/name] with [name]Rowan[/name] gives it a more earthy feel rather than the color.
you have lovely choices!

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Thank you everyone for your feedback! I’m glad to hear that most people don’t right away think of [name]Hazel[/name] as a colour. I really love the idea of [name]Rowan[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] together – to me it just seems to fit.

@triceratops – I like your ideas, but I think that we’ll stick with [name]Violet[/name] rather than [name]Viola[/name] (SOOO pretty, and I love the musical connotations too) or [name]Violetta[/name]. I think my husband prefers simple names, and he’d find those too frilly. I’m actually surprised he went for [name]Violet[/name] at all.

@mischa – my mom is Dutch too, and I know of another woman named [name]Yolanda[/name], also from [name]Holland[/name]. I was surprised when I looked it up to find out that it isn’t a Dutch name at all!

@lemon – lol. ‘[name]Little[/name] pretty princess, sassy and spunky and too smart for her own good’ – you’ve just described my first daughter. She did not get the memo that she is supposed to be the easy-going, nature-loving earthy girl that I’d envisioned when I picked her name. But its okay, she’s teaching me to embrace my inner pink, and now I’m a more complete person. :stuck_out_tongue:

@karenp – thanks! We got a lot of strange looks when we picked ‘[name]Rowan[/name]’ and I anticipate more with [name]Hazel[/name] (when we’ve brought it up before our family always mentions some old cartoon witch named [name]Hazel[/name]). It’s so nice to hear support!

I’m not sure how we’ll end up on the middle name, but I’m less concerned with that. I’m not sure my hubby likes [name]Gwen[/name] that much (bummer, I’ve always loved that name), but he’s okay with [name]Violet[/name] and it would make me happy to include my mother in that way.

Wow, we have a tentative name picked out and there are still four months to go! :slight_smile:

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I love [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name], I think it’s beautiful!

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I know it’s probably “too much” to most people but I was thinking, you said your mum’s from [name]Holland[/name] and I happen to love [name]Holland[/name] as a name.

What about [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Holland[/name]?

If not I also love the Dutch name [name]Saskia[/name] which could be a nice nod to your mother’s heritage?

Good luck and I adore both [name]Rowan[/name] and [name]Hazel[/name] separately, but even more together! I can’t believe you got strange looks after picking [name]Rowan[/name]! I’ve loved this name since I was a little girl and still do!

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I know this might not be a popular thing to say, but I think you should strongly consider using [name]Yolanda[/name]. If you don’t your mom may be very hurt because you used you [name]MIL[/name]'s name the first time, even though you weren’t particularly fond of the name. I truly understand wanting to really love your baby’s full name, but this might not be worth it. I really wanted to name my daughter’s middle name after my sister, but it didn’t flow as well with the first name as I wanted. I did it anyway, and now both my sister and daughter love sharing the same name. I used my [name]MIL[/name]'s name for my next baby’s middle name and again, they both love it. Sometimes the bond created by honoring someone is so special it is worth the sacrifice of not totally loving the middle name.

If you just can’t bring yourself to use [name]Yolanda[/name] (which actually is pretty) I think the idea of [name]Holland[/name] was a great one. Also, you could use your mom’s maiden name, if appropriate. No matter what you do, good luck. You are in a tough position.

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Thanks for your thoughts – definitely some ideas I hadn’t considered! I don’t think I want anything too specific to [name]Holland[/name] in itself, because our children are only a quarter Dutch and I’d feel weird singling out that particular heritage over the other ones.

As for using my mother’s name, I really think that ‘[name]Violet[/name]’ is a good compromise. Fingers crossed that she’ll agree! :slight_smile:

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tea4tamara (cute login handle, btw!) -
wow, looks like you got your response.
I was sitting here reading out various topics and when I read “Is ‘[name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name]’ Too Many Colours In One Name?”
my wife and I (who really aren’t as mean as we sound sometimes) both replied in unison with a snarky “Yes!”

HOWEVER!!! I read your post carefully, and (as is often the case!) realized I was too quick to judge. You [name]DO[/name] have quite the dilemma and I can certainly respect where you’re coming from. wow, tough call.

The poster above who speculated as to the personality connotations of [name]Ruby[/name] v. [name]Hazel[/name] i think may have been on to something. Personally, I feel I’d rather be friends with cool, mysterious, clever [name]Hazel[/name] than more glamorous and popular extrovert [name]Ruby[/name]. (not that [name]Ruby[/name] isn’t lovely, but I thnk of [name]Ruby[/name] [name]Tuesday[/name] (cool song, just an ok restaurant) and the other lyric “[name]Ruby[/name], don’t take your love to town” - can’t recall who did the original but the cover by the Killers is good) [name]Ruby[/name], for me, does connote a very sassy lady w/ a red dress dealing stud in an Old [name]West[/name] Saloon, accessorized by garters AND a six-shooter. (ok, I’m suddenly really wanting to write a book about two 19th century sisters from [name]Boston[/name] who head to San [name]Francisco[/name] to make their fortune… while [name]Rudy[/name]'s entertaining 49ers, [name]Hazel[/name] is actually inventing the telegraph, an idea which, sadly was stolen by her sometime paramour, [name]Samuel[/name] Morse…)

ahem. I digress. I ALSO agree w/ the [name]Hazel[/name]/[name]Rowen[/name] coupling.

Finally, I think of [name]Hazel[/name] as more an eye shade than a color per se (“oh, honey…let’s paint the family room this nice shade of hazel” is something I’ve never heard) and secondarily as a flavor (ie, hazelnut latte) so I think you’re good there.
I don’t feel [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] is too sharp or too short UNLESS your last name is kind of Teutonic sounding. [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] Hermerscholten or [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] Goltbergerstein would be a bit harsh. If you’re [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] Ahmuda or [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] Maroni or [name]Hazel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] Lemerises I think your’e good to go (obviously, Latin, Italian, French surname tends to be softer sounding…)

Double finally, my wife is also Dutch. our inclination towards [name]Beatrix[/name] is partially due to [name]Queen[/name] B of the Netherlands. too funny.

laters and good luck!

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@nachel LOL, ok either I’m really tired or that was way too amusing. And no worries, my husband and I also enjoy snarky responses to names on forums (seriously, reading name forums has become my new hobby because some of the names out there are just so so hilarious). Thanks for your thoughts, and I look forward to reading your novel. Signed, [name]Tamara[/name] Hermerscholten