It's a girl!! Ahh!

Girl Names
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DH and I had THE sonogram yesterday and it’s a girl! I can’t believe it. We’re so so excited. And, of course, completely stumped when it comes to names. We pretty much have to name after both my two grandfathers, [name]Sol[/name] and [name]Bernie[/name] (I’ve posted before about trying to find names after them), and having a girl makes doing so that much more challenging. But we’re up to it–I think.

The Grandfathers:
[name]Bernard[/name] [name]Mendel[/name] (Yiddish name: [name]Beryl[/name] [name]Mendel[/name]): a very strong, athletic man. He was a practical joker and a 5’3" Jewish cowboy.
[name]Sol[/name], nn [name]Solly[/name] (no middle name, Hebrew name: [name]Shlomo[/name]/[name]Solomon[/name]): bookish and charming, very very smart and loved to tell jokes.

[name]Bernard[/name] means “Strong as a [name]Bear[/name]” or “Brave as a [name]Bear[/name]”, [name]Mendel[/name] means “The Comforter”, [name]Shlomo[/name]/[name]Solomon[/name] means “[name]Peace[/name]” and in Spanish [name]Sol[/name] means “[name]Sun[/name]”.

If she were a boy, we were thinking of Hebrew/Yiddish name: [name]Baer[/name] [name]Shlomo[/name] and using [name]Solomon[/name] as a middle name.

We’re happy with choosing a name that starts with the same letter (B or S) or a name that has a similar meaning. Or if you guys have any other ideas of ways to name after these two, I’d love to hear them. My favorite style is elegant, timeless, and very feminine and I’m a sucker for fun nickname options. We will give our baby girl an English name (first and middle) and a Hebrew name (first and middle).

Any suggestions, berries? We’re totally lost!

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[name]Bernadette[/name] [name]Salome[/name] or [name]Salome[/name] [name]Bernadette[/name]!

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[name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Selma[/name]?
[name]Susannah[/name] [name]Belle[/name]?

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The problem with [name]Bernadette[/name] is that it’s fairly Catholic. (I didn’t realize until my closest Catholic friend told me not to use it.) I think it could be usable as a middle name, though.

[name]Salome[/name] is a [name]New[/name] Testament name, so it’s not really an option–it’s a weird concept, I know, but it’s considered weird in my circle to have a [name]New[/name] Testament name that isn’t well-known elsewhere.

I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name], but when I mentioned it to DH he laughed out loud for 10 minutes! I kid you not. He won’t even consider it for a middle name!!

And [name]Susannah[/name] is too close to [name]Susan[/name], my aunt’s name. And I’m not allowed to name after the living. Though maybe for a middle, it wouldn’t be a big deal? I actually adore the name. What I wouldn’t give for a little [name]Susannah[/name] or [name]Beatrice[/name].

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My friends name is [name]Bernice[/name]:slight_smile:

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Congratulations! Girls are great. Well, I’m definitely more equipped to help with the English name, but I hope you find the perfect Hebrew one as well. :slight_smile:

B names:
[name]Bryn[/name]
[name]Brooke[/name]
(Surprised how few of these B names for girls don’t feel dated)

Names meaning [name]Bear[/name]:
[name]Auberon[/name] nn [name]Aubrey[/name]

S names:
[name]Sullivan[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Sylvie[/name]
[name]Sophie[/name]/a
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Sage[/name]

[name]Peace[/name] names:
[name]Peace[/name] :wink:
[name]Irina[/name]
[name]Serenity[/name]

You could even just use the name [name]Beryl[/name]. The meaning is lovely in English.

This is a good puzzle. I think my favorite so far is [name]Auberon[/name] [name]Sullivan[/name] or [name]Bryn[/name] [name]Sullivan[/name]. I like [name]Irina[/name] too, but [name]Sullivan[/name] has a more obvious link to [name]Solomon[/name].

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[name]Marisol[/name] would be pretty for its “sun” meaning. [name]Marisol Bernadette[/name] would be really pretty!

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[name]Irina[/name]! I never would have thought of that name on my own. Funny how you think you’ve combed through every name in the universe, twice, and it turns out you haven’t. I brought it to DH and I’m putting it on the [name]Sol[/name] list. I like the Russian Ballerina feel that it has, though I wonder if it’s a little harsh? Or last name is one syllable and has a very [name]German[/name], harsh sound to it.

I also love [name]Sophia[/name]/[name]Sofia[/name] and I think it would work well for [name]Sol[/name], especially considering he was so smart. But because it’s the #1 name here, it’s really only an option for a middle name.

And [name]Sylvia[/name]/[name]Sylvie[/name] is one of my favorites, but it’s my grandmother’s name and I can’t name after the living. I think [name]Sage[/name] is an amazing middle name, but DH hates it. And I think that [name]Sullivan[/name], [name]Auberon[/name], [name]Beryl[/name] and [name]Bryn[/name] are a little too unisex for me. I’m all about the girlie vibe. :wink:

So we have some decent middle name options: [name]Bernadette[/name], [name]Susannah[/name], [name]Belle[/name], [name]Sofia[/name]. [name]How[/name] do I make [name]Irina[/name] or [name]Bernadette[/name] softer? Any other name ideas? Thanks so much for all the ideas!!!

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I think [name]Bernadette[/name] and [name]Soledad[/name] would work!

[name]Bernadette[/name] “[name]Bernie[/name]” “[name]Etta[/name]”
[name]Soledad[/name] “[name]Sol[/name]” “[name]Solly[/name]”

Soledad Bernadette/ Bernadette Soledad

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Congrats!

This was my reaction when I found we’d be having a girl! I have so many boy names stock-piled, and am stumped when it comes to girls.

For names that mean bear, there’s [name]Ursa[/name] and [name]Ursula[/name].

I think [name]Sol[/name] definitely works for a girl, especially as a middle. I’d suggest [name]Soledad[/name], but it’s perhaps overly [name]Christian[/name]. [name]How[/name] about [name]Alba[/name], which means sunrise? There’s [name]Eleora[/name], which is the [name]Lord[/name] is my light with Hebrew origins. [name]Helen[/name] is also light, but even though it’s Greek, there’s a famous Catholic saint that heralds the name, so maybe a no go. [name]Leonor[/name]/[name]Leonora[/name]/[name]Lenora[/name].

There’s [name]Ayelet[/name], which means [name]Morning[/name] [name]Star[/name] in Hebrew, so works quite nicely with sun/light.

[name]Esther[/name] (one possible meaning is star, coming from Persian and Greek, [name]Aster[/name])

[name]Orly[/name], Or, [name]Ori[/name], [name]Orit[/name] all = light

[name]Lucy[/name], [name]Lucille[/name]

Any and all star names should work, I think! [name]Aster[/name], [name]Estelle[/name], [name]Estella[/name], [name]Stella[/name]

Names meaning “peace” for [name]Solomon[/name]: [name]Irene[/name] (Greek, but too Catholic?), [name]Selima[/name], [name]Frederika[/name], [name]Orya[/name] (Russian), [name]Winifred[/name] (also too Catholic? I think the association is pretty far-removed, and people don’t think of it as being [name]Christian[/name]),

[name]Hope[/name] this was helpful!

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[name]Soledad[/name] and [name]Marisol[/name] both refer to [name]Mary[/name] from the [name]New[/name] Testament, so I really can’t use them for a Jewish baby. And [name]Bernadette[/name] would have to be a middle name because it’s a Catholic name (and my favorite nn from it, [name]Etta[/name], isn’t usable because my [name]MIL[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], goes by it).

This is SO hard!! You guys are great with all of the ideas, though. Please please keep them coming. Thank you for not giving up!

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[name]Marisol[/name] doesn’t necessarily refer to [name]Mary[/name], as it’s also thought to be a combo of Sea & [name]Sun[/name], which is gorgeous. I understand still not wanting to use it, though, as the [name]Maria[/name] [name]Soledad[/name] / [name]Maria[/name] del [name]Sol[/name] may resonate with a few people, though I doubt very many. But if you [name]DO[/name] love the sound of it, it’s not necessarily [name]Christian[/name], so maybe it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker. My understanding from meeting people with the name is that it’s more of a nick name, like [name]Annabeth[/name]. [name]Just[/name] a combination of any names that fit the sounds.

I’m afraid I wore out my store of suggestions in the previous comments, but I’ll come back if I think of more!

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[name]Breanna[/name] / [name]Brianna[/name] = nobel and strong

Many [name]Sol[/name] names mean sunlight / sunny:
[name]Solana[/name]
Solane
[name]Solange[/name] = rare jewel
[name]Soleil[/name] = sun

Other general B and S names:
[name]Britt[/name] - [name]Bridget[/name]
[name]Bliss[/name]
[name]Belinda[/name]
[name]Bianca[/name]
[name]Blythe[/name]

[name]Serena[/name]
[name]Sophie[/name]
[name]Simone[/name] ([name]Simona[/name])
[name]Solveig[/name] = strong house

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I really don’t think [name]Irina[/name] is too harsh. Actually, I offered it because it has such a lovely SOFT sound to my ears. If you roll that R and pronounce it Ee-ree-na, it’s just gorgeous. So many vowels (but “I” not “E” so a bit unexpected) and a rolled R and N are soft consonants. I know someone with this name, and I have always thought it’s quite a stunner. Very gentle.

I love [name]Marisol[/name]. It’s like a poem, but a name. We have no equivalent name in English. I probably wouldn’t use it because I have no Spanish-speaking heritage, so I would feel like a poser, but it’s gorgeous. And goodness, [name]Soledad[/name] is just terrible. It’s like naming your daughter “Lonely.” I know it’s a little different, but that’s how I always feel when I hear it.

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The first name I thought of when I saw [name]Sol[/name], nn [name]Solly[/name] was [name]Sally[/name], a nickname for the Hebrew name [name]Sarah[/name]. I could [name]Sally[/name] as a nickname or on it’s own.

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Wow–I’m really impressed by all the responses. Thank you so much! I’ve combed through every comment and some of my notes from years ago and put together a list. The [name]Sol[/name] list is much much longer than the [name]Bernie[/name] list, but both could use some more names, especially considering I included some names (like [name]Sabrina[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name]) that DH has vetoed in the hopes that I could somehow bring him around to use them as middle names. So if anyone has any ideas of what names I could add to either list, I’d love to hear them. Thanks again, berries! You guys are amazing!

After [name]Sol[/name]:
[name]Irina[/name] (means peace)
[name]Sofia[/name] (middle name)
[name]Sabrina[/name]
[name]Sonia[/name]
[name]Sage[/name] (middle name)
[name]Stella[/name]
[name]Estella[/name] (means star)
[name]Sol[/name] (middle name)
[name]Olivia[/name] (means olive branch, middle name)
[name]Alba[/name] (means dawn)
[name]Eliora[/name]/[name]Eleora[/name] (means God is my light)
[name]Zia[/name] (light)
[name]Eleanora[/name] (means bright, shining one)
[name]Helena[/name] (means bright, shining one)
[name]Lavinia[/name] (from [name]Levin[/name])
[name]Livia[/name] (from [name]Levin[/name])

After [name]Bernie[/name]:
[name]Bianca[/name] (middle only)
[name]Beatrice[/name] (middle only)
[name]Belle[/name]
[name]Batya[/name] (Hebrew name)
[name]Bernadette[/name] (middle only)

Any ideas for name combinations? Or more names? The hardest part, for me, is that I really want her first name to be girly and beautiful. I love names that end in an -a, but that isn’t a requirement at all.

Other names that I love (just to give you a sense of style): [name]Eloisa[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Juliette[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Sylvia[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name], [name]Mirabelle[/name], [name]Louisa[/name].

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Congrats! Too bad DH doesn’t care for [name]Beatrice[/name], that’s my favorite!

More S names:
[name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Shoshana[/name]
[name]Shira[/name]
[name]Sadie[/name]- as a given name or nickname for [name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Sasha[/name]
[name]Sybil[/name]
[name]Stella[/name]

B Names:
[name]Brielle[/name]
[name]Briony[/name]
[name]Beth[/name] - probably too close to [name]MIL[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Belle[/name]

Good luck! I am also Jewish, and I can totally empathize with you! Naming after deceased relatives is a lot of added pressure! We went with the first initial.

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Betheli (nn [name]Beth[/name]) mean house of god in Hebrew. Or you could shorten [name]Rebekah[/name] from the old testament to Bekah. [name]Both[/name] of these B names could honor [name]Bernie[/name].

[name]Sela[/name] means strength of the rock in Hebrew, [name]Selima[/name] means tranquil in Hebrew, both of which can stand as names on their own. [name]Sol[/name] comes from [name]Shalom[/name]. There is a new name out there that is very cute, if somewhat anglo, but I think you can get away with it due to the similarity, and that’s Shaleigh. On this logic, you could also go with [name]Sharon[/name] or Shoshaunna.

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Could [name]Mirabelle[/name] work for [name]Bernard[/name] [name]Mendel[/name] in English? (We could still use a B-name honoring him in Hebrew)

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[name]Mirabelle[/name] could definitely work for that! And the “[name]Mira[/name]” could also be a nice nod to [name]Miriam[/name], though I think it has a different origin. It’s a gorgeous name. If you’re feeling adventurous, Belphoebe is an option (though I’ve never figured out if people pronounce it bel [name]FEE[/name] bee, or how I tend to pronounce it, BELPH-uh-bee), which means something like beautiful moon.