What names or name combinations do you love, but haven’t hit your top 10 (or drift in and out of it from time to time)? [name]Do[/name] you just love other names more or find the names harder to use?
Can’t believe no-one else has replied yet, what a good idea!
Some near-misses over the last 10 years for me: Girls
[name]Ingrid[/name] (like I-names and the fact that this is not very feminine and also Scandinavian; but other I’s are a bit sweeter)
[name]Romy[/name] (love the sounds, don’t like [name]Rosemary[/name], now becoming a bit popular)
[name]Thecla[/name] (love, but can’t get over the religious meaning)
Elkie (like E-names and again the slightly quirky and [name]German[/name] [?] sound; but others just beat it)
[name]Tula[/name] & [name]Tess[/name] (simple and sweet, [name]Tabitha[/name] has more to it and therefore comes first at the moment)
[name]Rhiannon[/name] (an old favourite, less so now but I wonder if it will prove a real sticker in my top 20 or so)
Boys
[name]Hector[/name] (like the sounds, but not the association with ‘hectoring’)
[name]Thor[/name] (old, old favourite, just sometimes worry that it’s too blunt/pretentious)
[name]Theo[/name] (only reason it’s not in top 5 are religious connotations, maybe glad it’s getting popular so I can like it less?!)
Dragan (met this years ago and loved it, not sure I’m brave enough!)
[name]Kolya[/name] (on-and-off, sometimes seems too girly, other times I like it)
I don’t know that I actually have a top ten; it’s more like a top three or top five that I would really have a hard time choosing from. But here are others that are further down on my list–great names that could grow on me and become more serious options over time. They are not my top choices simply because I love other names more than them:
Boys
[name]William[/name] - This is a family name that spans generations. The only real sticking point is popularity.
[name]Lincoln[/name] - This is a name my mother considered for me had I been a boy.
[name]Christian[/name] - This is another family name. I love it, but again, the popularity bothers me. Also, it is the middle name of one of my cousin’s children. Not necessarily an impassable barrier, but definitely a sticking point.
[name]Wilder[/name]
[name]Jesse[/name]
[name]Edmund[/name]
[name]Abraham[/name]
[name]Augustus[/name]
[name]Eli[/name] - It’s too close to my favorite name, [name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Sirius[/name]
Girls
[name]Arizona[/name]
Galadriel - This is probably too much for Ohio.
[name]Zoe[/name]
[name]Artemis[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Carolina[/name]
[name]London[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Juniper[/name]
Girls:
[name]Holly[/name]
[name]Gwendolen[/name] (though it’s in use as a middle for a top ten name)
[name]Adriana[/name]
[name]Alexia[/name]
[name]Allegra[/name]
[name]Aurora[/name]
[name]Dahlia[/name]
[name]Candace[/name] nn [name]Dacey[/name]
[name]Hailey[/name]
[name]Karen[/name]/[name]Karine[/name]
[name]Liliana[/name]
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Meredith[/name]
[name]Meghan[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name]
[name]Natalie[/name]
[name]Natalia[/name]
[name]Noelle[/name]
[name]Odette[/name]
[name]Rebekah[/name]
[name]Selena[/name]
[name]Serena[/name]
[name]Sierra[/name]
[name]Sienna[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Taylor[/name]
[name]Tatiana[/name]
[name]Tahlia[/name]
[name]Valentina[/name]
[name]Zara[/name]
[name]Cassia[/name] - The pronunciation issues drives me bonkers. But I love sound of “[name]Cass[/name]”. [name]Cassandra[/name] is unusable for me and [name]Cassidy[/name] just doesn’t quite do it for me.
[name]Andromeda[/name] - [name]Love[/name] Greek names. Hubby and I both love this name, but it is too unusual for us to actually use.
[name]Lacey[/name] - Doesn’t have enough meaning/history behind it. Other people seem to find it a little low-brow/trashy, which I don’t understand.
[name]Gwendolen[/name] - I love this name so much, but it might be a little too unusual. I live in a small french community where people tend to be very close-minded and ignorant of anything that isn’t pop-culture!
[name]Caroline[/name] - Often mispronounced at [name]Carolyn[/name] here. Might be more trouble than it is worth.
[name]Arthur[/name] - [name]One[/name] of my favorite boy names, but my son’s name is [name]Luther[/name], and they are possibly too matchy.
[name]Cade[/name] - Too simple maybe?
[name]Tiberius[/name] - I love it. Handsome, strong and ancient! People will think we are crazy.
[name]Scarlett[/name] is eliminated for popularity only- I [name]LOVE[/name] the sound. Ditto [name]India[/name], [name]Gemma[/name], [name]Zara[/name], [name]Etta[/name], and [name]Thea[/name].