[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone! I’m expecting my first - a girl - this [name_u]June[/name_u].
It’s funny, I’ve “collected” names for about as long as I can remember and always had a favorite, but now none of those that I had loved in the either past feel right or clash with my husband’s last name!
Would love some opinions on where we are with our list right now. I’m Jewish, so we’d like to incorporate honoring one a passed family member. For reference, my husband’s last name is one syllable and starts with an “L”.
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] ([name_f]Aviva[/name_f] after my grandfather who I was very close with. His name was [name_m]Albert[/name_m], formerly [name_m]Abraham[/name_m] – would most like to name her after him)
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] “[name_f]Thea[/name_f]” (This is in honor of my two great-grandmothers. We would call her “[name_f]Thea[/name_f]” )…also considering [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Philippa[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] “[name_f]Pippa[/name_f]” ([name_f]Ruth[/name_f] was the name of another great-great grandmother)
Other names we both love but are unsure on usability:
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u]
Congratulations! [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] is my favorite, as [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is a solid classic that isn’t too popular. I also love [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]. All of your names are very nice though and definitely usable!
I love [name_f]Thea[/name_f]. I prefer [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] to [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f].
Other options for a full names for [name_f]Thea[/name_f] are
Dorothea
Theodosia
Anthea
Athena
I think that [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] would work with any of these names.
Lucy [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]–I love, love, love this! It’s so happy and sunshine-y sounding (perfect for a [name_u]June[/name_u] baby!), but with plenty of substance. And it sounds like it has a really special family meaning for you. Definitely my favorite from your list overall!
Dorothy [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] “[name_f]Thea[/name_f]”–I love [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]! I don’t feel quite as enthusiastic about [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], but it’s a beautiful name. And again, more wonderful family connections. This combo is a teeny bit long/heavy-feeling to me, but on the flip side it’s definitely a strong name! I prefer [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] to [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] personally.
Philippa [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] “[name_f]Pippa[/name_f]”–[name_f]Pippa[/name_f] is really fun! And I love [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] (and adore [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f]!). [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] isn’t my personal favorite, but it has a nice distinctive sound! This combo has a fairly serious vibe for me, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing at all.
From [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], and [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], I think all four are very usable! [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] and [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] are maybe slightly more mainstream choices, but I think any of them would work. I love [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]! [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], or [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] would all be sweet!
You have a wonderful list! Overall, my favorite is [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]–I adore that combo! But you really can’t go wrong here.
I feel like we’re kindred spirits. I am Jewish too, & the top of my list is [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] to honor my grandpa, [name_m]Albert[/name_m]. It also honors my grandma, [name_f]Annette[/name_f]. And [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] is to honor my dad, [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]. Anyway, you can have [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] if you like it.
Now onto your list-
Lucy [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]- Soooooo darn sweet. [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] is just bright, smart, friendly, classic & lovable. It’s a teeny bit popular, but not really too much.
Dorothy [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]-[name_u]Golden[/name_u] Girls names! That’s totally not a downfall. It’s cute & extremely outdated that most people won’t even notice. [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is lovely. It’s smart & down to earth but spunky at the same time. I really like [name_f]Thea[/name_f] too. It’s simple & well known, & a good balance of spunky & serious. I don’t think that [name_f]Thea[/name_f] comes that naturally from [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] though. [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] makes more sense, & is beautiful. I also like [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]! [name_u]Or[/name_u] if you want something a little more exotic, maybe [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] or [name_f]Althea[/name_f]? That honors your Grandpa too.
Philippa [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]-I can see the appeal of [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] being kind of fun & charming. I can’t get into [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] though. It’s like I don’t know which syllable to stress, you know? [name_u]Phil[/name_u]-IP-uh or PHIL-ipuh? I love love the [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] part though. That’s on my first name list.
Juliana-I think it’s okay, but I don’t know. I like the sound but not the look. That’s just my issue?
Ruby-It’s cute & kind of glamorous. I like it. It’s similar to [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], but kind of more dramatic & less sweet. Not in a bad way.
Minerva-It’s different, but I’m not a fan. [name_m]Just[/name_m] don’t like the sound of the ‘nerv’ part. I do like [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] though.
Artemis-This is my little boy kitty’s name (we call him [name_u]Ari[/name_u] though). It’s totally unisex & maybe even more common on girls. [name_m]Just[/name_m] sounds boyish to me.
Lucy [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] is darling and probably my favorite combo here. It just sounds so fresh and summery! And it flows beautifully. [name_u]Love[/name_u] it. <3
Dorothy [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] is nice – I like the pairing, even if it does make me think of the [name_u]Golden[/name_u] Girls. ([name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] were a mother-daughter pair in that show – not a bad thing by any means, but I’m just throwing it out there because that was my first thought. )
Philippa [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] flows very well and sounds nice as a combo, and [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] is really cute as a nn! It’s probably my least favorite of this list, though, personally, but it’s a great combo!
I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with any of these three. But those are my thoughts. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this could help!
Lucy [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] is my favorite, mainly because I just adore [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]! [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] flows a bit better than [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], for me, but I find it hard to see [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] on a little one, sadly. I would go for [name_f]Thea[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] myself, but if you’re honoring a family member with a “D”, I can understand [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]’s appeal ([name_f]Thea[/name_f]’s so sweet!). [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is gorgeous and [name_f]Pippa[/name_f] is sweet, but I’ve just never fully identified with [name_f]Philippa[/name_f].
Juliana is lovely, and I would love to see it added to your list. [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] or [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], maybe? [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is also sweet.
Ruby I am not hugely fond of, but think she makes a nice middle. [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] aren’t my style but I can see why others would love them.
I would probably rank them [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] (I am loving [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] more and more as I see her! Plus, [name_f]Thea[/name_f] is fab), then [name_f]Philippa[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f].
I honestly love all 3 names! I think [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f] and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] are my favorites. [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] is really amazing too.
I think the others you listed are certainly usable. [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] isn’t really my style but the rest I like.
Thank you
I think I like [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] better than [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] too, but I think my hesitation is around it sounding too “heavy” on kid. But maybe I’m just imagining that.
@dandy_orchid Thank you! You’re making me lean toward [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Aviva[/name_f]
Agreed on not being enthusiastic about [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]. I’m a primary school teacher and can’t count how many Sophias I’ve taught in recent years. But, it is a family name for a beloved relative. Trying to make it work
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is lovely. It’s smart & down to earth but spunky at the same time. I really like [name_f]Thea[/name_f] too. It’s simple & well known, & a good balance of spunky & serious. I don’t think that [name_f]Thea[/name_f] comes that naturally from [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] though. [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] makes more sense, & is beautiful. I also like [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]! [name_u]Or[/name_u] if you want something a little more exotic, maybe [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] or [name_f]Althea[/name_f]? That honors your Grandpa too.
