My husband and I have polar opposite taste, but think we’ve narrowed it down to these two. I’ve been given the task to come up with my favorite middle names for each, and we’ll narrow down from there! I personally prefer [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] ([name_u]Julie[/name_u]-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-nuh, not [name_f]Anna[/name_f]) while my husband is leaning toward [name_u]Brooke[/name_u]. Our last name starts with L, and older sister is [name_f]Holly[/name_f].
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [love that it means “wished for child”]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
apparently I have a plant/flower theme I didn’t know about
etc.
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Noelle[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Emmanuelle[/name_f]
I feel like nothing sounds good with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] except [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] and [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], which are too popular for my taste.
These are all I can think of but would love more suggestions. Thanks!!
I prefer [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] since [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] sounds a little 1990s to me. I think [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] is really pretty and not overused. My favorite of your middles is [name_f]Rose[/name_f], but all are nice.
If you go with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u], middle name ideas:
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_u]Addison[/name_u]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_u]Avery[/name_u]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_u]Waverly[/name_u]
I much prefer [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] myself! I find [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] to be elegant, classic yet refreshingly ready for a comeback. I also think it has a lot of good nickname options (if you’re into that), my favorite being [name_u]Jules[/name_u]!
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] strikes me as somewhat…trendy, and not in a classic and therefore understandable way. It doesn’t have the flow or the grace of [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
My favorites are [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] and [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. So gorgeous!
I really like [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]! I wanted it for a first but didn’t think of pairing it with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u].
We ruled out [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] because initials would be JB, which is my brother’s name he’s always gone by, so we thought it would bother us too much. [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] also didn’t sound right, but we did try to consider both! Initials are usually the first thing I think about, and I’m really weird about it :-?
My trouble with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] is any middle name that pairs well, I always want to flip it. For instance, I love [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] as the first name but my husband’s ruled it out already.
[name_u]Love[/name_u] love love [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]. Adding that pairing to my list! I agree with the 1990’s comment, but I do like the idea of not having to correct people constantly about pronunciation. That’s my only hangup with [name_f]Juliana[/name_f].
My thoughts in a nutshell! We are big nickname people, and I like the idea of [name_u]Jules[/name_u] too, but hubs is pretty set on [name_u]Julie[/name_u] or [name_f]Annie[/name_f] ([name_m]AH[/name_m]-knee).
I’m wondering if [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] is too matchy-matchy with older sister being [name_f]Holly[/name_f] [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f]? [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f] was a family name we passed down so it made picking the first a lot easier!
I really like [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] although I also like the idea of having both daughters connected by a nature name. I think [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is also really pretty and has that nature theme.
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u] also fits in with that theme though. Both [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] and [name_f]Emanuelle[/name_f] go nicely with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u], but if your last name starts with an L you might want to avoid L ending middle names. I actually like the sound of [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] and I think a longer middle compliments it. What about [name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Lilliana[/name_f], or [name_f]Naomi[/name_f]? [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
I do love [name_f]Helena[/name_f] (hel-EEN-uh) because it’s almost my grandmother’s name (Which we pronounce “[name_f]Elle[/name_f]-any”, it’s the greek name for [name_f]Helen[/name_f]). That would be easier to convince the name police (aka my husband) of since it has meaning. Good suggestion!
I really love the sound of [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] better, and the opportunity for nicknames, but I don’t want her to constantly have to correct people with “it’s [name_m]AH[/name_m]-nh, not [name_f]Anna[/name_f]”. So if I find a [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] name that sits well with me, we’ll likely choose it. I agree with the tie of the nature theme, I just was doing it unintentionally at first! Now I know why.
Thanks so much for the help so far I’m still open to more feeback or suggestions! I also would love to know how would you pronounce [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] at first glance?
I would pronounce [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] as [name_u]Julie[/name_u]-AHN-a since I think of [name_f]ANNE[/name_f]-a as having two Ns. I think [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] is so pretty and [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] would be really cute if you’re open to using your grandmother’s name.
It’s growing on me already! And after thinking about it, my other grandmother (who passed away a few years ago, but I was very close to and miss dearly) her middle name was [name_f]Ilene[/name_f] and it would be the same letters. That would be a very nice way to honor both her and my grandmother who is still living but not very healthy. I think we’ve found the middle name!!! I also didn’t realize [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] was an actual name, because we always spell it [name_f]Helen[/name_f].
Now the real question is [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] or [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f]? To stick with the nature theme or not…
I agree that it needs a middle name with a vowel! [name_f]Elianna[/name_f] is the name of a friend of our’s daughter born the same time as our first so it feels “taken” to me, although it is beautiful!
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think you might have a 3rd? If you have a [name_f]Holly[/name_f] and a [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] and then only 1 more than I think the pressure would be on for a 3rd daughter not to be left out.
That is a good point, to find a name that also has meaning. We planned on passing down my husband’s middle name should we have a boy (which is also his father’s middle name, and his grandmother’s maiden name) so I’m sure if we had a third daughter, we could stick to that choice and search out a name with family ties that we liked. Both our mother’s names are [name_f]Mary[/name_f], so that’s always an easy option.
I think that’s why I’ve been having a hard time picking names this time around (I didn’t find out I was pregnant until 20 weeks along, so it seems like everything has been a rush!) but all the names I love, my husband hates & vice versa. So the ones we’re left with are compromises that don’t feel perfect. I think giving family middle names is something that will make the name mean more to us than just “sure, that’ll do”. I appreciate the feedback!!
**Edited to add - Unless you meant the nature name theme?
I like [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] more with [name_f]Holly[/name_f]. I think [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] is a beautiful combo and that would be my suggestion.
At first I was going to say I prefer [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] (which I pronounce [name_u]Juli[/name_u]-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-na), but [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] has grown on me as I’ve read through this thread, I think the combo [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] is quite beautiful.
I also think [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] would be a beautiful combination ([name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] works too, imo, but I think [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] is even better).
Thanks for the feedback everyone!! I really like the idea of honoring my grandmother’s now in a way I didn’t think of before with [name_f]Eleni[/name_f]. I still prefer the sound of [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] to [name_u]Brooke[/name_u], but [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] may be a bit much…
I also feel [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] growing on me, especially since it’s been my husband’s top pick from the get go. I think if we go with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], I’d give her “[name_f]Belle[/name_f]” as a nickname. I just love names that can be shortened affectionately!
I’m wondering if Juliana Ivy is too matchy-matchy with older sister being Holly Lorraine? Lorraine was a family name we passed down so it made picking the first a lot easier!
I think [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] would be the PERFECT sister with [name_f]Holly[/name_f] [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f]. Both would have one nature name and one elegant, romantic, feminine name.
I like the idea of [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] or [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] [name_f]Helena[/name_f]. With either of those combinations, you’d essentially be in the same place as with [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] in regards to name patterns: you’d have one family name, and one nature name.
I think you should consider what names you like for future children, both for boys and girls. Would you want to use another nature name for either sex? Would you want to use another family name? Can you think of any nature names that you prefer for boys? Any more for girls? Are there any other family names you’d be interested in passing along, or are you mostly tapped out? Does it bother you if you had two kids with a nature name and one without, or two with family names and one without, etc… These might help you narrow it down more.
P.S. I saw that [name_f]Mary[/name_f] is a family name for you. I have to say, [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f] is probably my favorite combination that’s been suggested. I love that each girl would have their own name and a family name.
I’m still open to more feeback or suggestions! I also would love to know