Just totally freaked out by naming a person!!

Girl Names
1

I have loved baby names ALL my life! I have about 20 scraps of paper with lists of names that I have loved at different stages. But, now that my husband and I are expecting a little girl (secret to everyone but us), I am so nervous about picking just ONE. And, so nervous about giving this name to an actual person! I really thought a name would just stand out - but it hasn’t!

If we were having a boy, the name most likely would be [name_m]Pendleton[/name_m] [name_m]Kent[/name_m]. These are both family names. But, our girl names are so up in the air. We are both drawn to names that have a Classical or British meaning. We really shy away from trendy names (except for the few below), and love family names. But, there are so few family girl names in our family.

Right now our top contenders for a girl’s name are:

[name_f]Honor[/name_f] - my favorite
[name_u]Piper[/name_u] - my husband’s favorite, I kinda love
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] - [name_m]NEW[/name_m] to the list. I really love it, abut am nervous about naming her something that we [name_m]JUST[/name_m] thought of.
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] - we both love, but not as much as we love the names above

Middle names could be one of the ones above, or one of these family names (or something totally new!):

[name_f]Louise[/name_f] - I love this after his mother’s name. But, his mother HATES it, so I’m nervous to use it lol.
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] - Great-aunt name we love - but HATE that its SO popular in our area
[name_u]Lane[/name_u] - my middle name but neither of us love it.

Names we have liked in the past:

[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] (my name - love it but don’t want to use)
Lumen
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_u]Lisa[/name_u] (is there a good variation of this? this is a family name - might not want the actual name.)

These are variations I’m liking:

[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u]
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Mia[/name_f]
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Piper[/name_u]

Our last name is single syllable and begins with H - and I love the double H’s with the name [name_f]Honor[/name_f]. Oh, also my dh hates nicknames, so we plan on calling the baby by the full first name.

I am really just looking for confirmation! Are any of these your favorite? Any thoughts or preferences? Also, any names not on this list that we might love even more? Thanks for the help! I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] reading these forums and your suggestions! :slight_smile:

2

I think your top 3 choices are all very trendy which surprises me as you said you’d usually shy away from trendy names; [name_f]Mia[/name_f] is also on-trend but not trendy as it is very classic and somewhat timeless, the other three are modern (word) names.

From your middle name ideas I really like [name_f]Louise[/name_f] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]; maybe [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], [name_f]Eve[/name_f] or [name_f]Eva[/name_f] are variations you’d consider if you don’t want to use the actual name, [name_f]Elena[/name_f] prn. Eh-lai-na for [name_u]Lane[/name_u] might also work.
[name_f]Elise[/name_f] or [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] or even [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] might be ways to avoid [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] while still including her.

Overall, I do prefer you “past” list to your present one, [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] & [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] are lovely names and very timeless, they won’t feel dated in 30 years which I think will be the case with your current Top 3, however, I do think [name_f]Mia[/name_f] is lovely and [name_u]Arden[/name_u] isn’t bad either.

My favourites from the combos are [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] & [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f], I’d like to suggest [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Elena[/name_f] & [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] / [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f], though I do really love [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] H_.

3

If not [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] maybe [name_f]Liza[/name_f] or [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]? I think these two liven it up a lot. [name_f]Liza[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] or [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] [name_f]Honor[/name_f] are beautiful.

Other names: [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Nova[/name_f], [name_f]Aria[/name_f], [name_f]Adele[/name_f] or [name_f]Adeline[/name_f], [name_f]Lovisa[/name_f], [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]…

4

My favorite from your list is [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. And I think [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] is stunning! [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Lane[/name_u] is also very cute. I’m fact I think I like [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_u]Lane[/name_u] the best! I actually know an [name_u]Arden[/name_u] who is in her 40’s and I remember when I first met her and she told me her name I just thought it was so unique and beautiful. Plus if you are planning on having more kids I think that [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_m]Pendleton[/name_m] are great together! Your other girls names seem too popular to go with such a one-of-a-kind name like [name_m]Pendleton[/name_m]. Good luck!

5

I would say [name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] or [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Lane[/name_u].

6

I love [name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]!

7

Your list includes a lot of great names in very different styles… I think [name_u]Piper[/name_u] is pretty trendy, which isn’t a big deal to a lot of people, but it doesn’t necessarily seem like what you’re going for. [name_f]Honor[/name_f] is pretty, I can see how you grow to love it, but a virtue name always comes with a lot of baggage, especially since honor is more about other people (honoring your family, etc.) than about yourself.

Honestly, it’s great to have a list this long. I collected names forever and started with a huge list, and got tired of most of them long before my first baby arrived. We ended up going with a name we hadn’t seriously considered until a few weeks earlier and haven’t regretted it a bit. If you start feeling a bit “meh” about any name, cross it off and move on.

[name_f]Luisa[/name_f] could be a way to include both [name_f]Louise[/name_f] and [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], especially as a middle. And you don’t have it as one of your favorite combinations, but [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] is so lively and sweet.

8

[name_u]Arden[/name_u] gets my vote. It is not popular, sounds good with your boy choice and it’s one you both like.

Good luck!

9

I really like [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
With [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], have you thought about other variations of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], like [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] is one of?

Possibles for me would be:

[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] (from [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f])
[name_u]Lynn[/name_u] (from [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]) [name_u]Arden[/name_u]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] (from [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f])
[name_f]Lilou[/name_f] [name_f]Mia[/name_f] (Li from [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], [name_u]Lou[/name_u] from [name_f]Louise[/name_f])
[name_f]Elsa[/name_f] (from [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]) [name_m]Louie[/name_m]
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Lana[/name_f] (like [name_u]Lane[/name_u])

10

My favorites of your combos (just based on flow): [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f], [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f].

Other possible combos:
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_u]Arden[/name_u]

Possible variations for [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] (although [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] is quite close, so perhaps adding an ‘a’ to the end of [name_f]Louise[/name_f] word work for you):
[name_f]Analisa[/name_f]/[name_f]Analise[/name_f] (several other spelling options for this name)
[name_f]Alisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Liza[/name_f]/[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Liesel[/name_f]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]/[name_f]Elisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Lisabette[/name_f]/Lisbette
[name_f]Lisbeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Lisabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Lisette[/name_f]/[name_f]Lisetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Lina[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lia[/name_f]

11

I think if you’re drawn primarily to British sounding names, [name_f]Honor[/name_f] and [name_u]Piper[/name_u] best fit the bill. In terms of avoiding trendiness, [name_f]Honor[/name_f] isn’t even ranked in the US, and it’s been at a pretty constant level in the UK for at least 10 years, so you’re definitely avoiding trouble there. [name_u]Piper[/name_u], on the other hand, is at #68, which doesn’t mean your [name_u]Piper[/name_u] will be guaranteed a name twin at kindergarten, but still might be a good divisive factor between [name_f]Honor[/name_f] and [name_u]Piper[/name_u] if you really can’t choose. With that being said, your husband will obviously have to give up his first choice if you’re to choose [name_f]Honor[/name_f].

As for middle names, I really like [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_u]Lane[/name_u]; it sounds and looks beautiful. [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] is nice, too.

And as for variations of [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] - [name_f]Lisette[/name_f], [name_f]Elisa[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f], even [name_f]Alessia[/name_f].

Good luck :slight_smile:

12

From your first set of names my immediate like was [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_f]Honor[/name_f] is growing on me. I think by saying you like [name_f]Mia[/name_f] but not as much as the other three, that gives you your answer for that one; maybe a mn.

Out of your second set for mn, it sounds like you like [name_f]Louise[/name_f] the best, but looking for an alternative. What do you think of the following (some repeats from pp):

[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]/[name_f]Eloisa[/name_f]
Louelle/Luelle
[name_f]Louella[/name_f]/[name_f]Luella[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Luz[/name_f]

Out of your third set (past likes) Lumen is unique, have you considered Lowen/Lowena?

Also [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] alternatives (some repeats from pp):

[name_f]Ailsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Annaliese[/name_f]/[name_f]Annalise[/name_f]
[name_f]Annalisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Elysia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lisabeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Lisabet[/name_f]/Lisavet
[name_f]Lisandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lisette[/name_f]

Some other suggestions just to ponder:

[name_f]Amity[/name_f]
[name_f]Corisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphina[/name_f]/[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Elora[/name_f]
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavendar[/name_f]/[name_f]Lavender[/name_f]
[name_f]Rheya[/name_f]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Vienna[/name_f]

13

My favorite combo is [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]!

14

[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]

15

Great list I really love [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f], and [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f].

16

[name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_f]Honor[/name_f] are so gorgeous! I think they work perfectly with [name_f]Louise[/name_f]. [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] would be my pick.

17

I love [name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]! They are perfect together - beautiful combo!

18

I just wanted to thank you all for your awesome suggestions! I love all the ideas and right now we have narrowed it down to 5 combinations. Still some decision making to do :). I’ll post back what we decide! Thanks :).

19

I can’t say that anything from your first name list is grabbing my attention, but here’s a thought- if you like [name_f]Virginia[/name_f], would you consider using it as a middle name? This way, the baby can be named after you! Your old list is more to my taste, but here are some ideas:

[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Holly[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] (you said you liked the double “H” initials!)
[name_f]Hazel[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]

Good luck!

20

[name_u]Piper[/name_u] [name_f]Lise[/name_f] or [name_f]Honor[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u].