So we welcomed a new baby girl into our family 4 weeks ago and we still have not named her :eek:
We had for the longest time (2-3 years) been decided on either [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], however, we just cannot decide and my Husband is not sure whether either is the right choice. He has suggested a name that was not on our list, but which I quite like - that name is [name_f]Iris[/name_f].
However, neither of us are 100% sure whether we should switch from names we have liked for the last 3 years to a name we have liked for 3 weeks … seems odd to go completely off list and maybe we are making a mistake? But at the same time we have not been able to pull the trigger on [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] for this entire time because of doubts - so maybe it is time to scrap them both?
I say go with [name_f]Iris[/name_f]. It’s so beautiful and maybe the other two just don’t fit your daughter and that’s why you can’t commit to them even though you loved them before you met her.
Dreaming of names and naming an actual baby can be very different, so I don’t necessarily think you should go with names you loved for a long time if they don’t feel right anymore. You need to go with what feels right. I’ve heard many people say when it came to actually naming a living child, the names they loved before didn’t seem right anymore, so you’re definitely not alone.
Going based on the names above, I like [name_f]Iris[/name_f] best. It’s soft, sweet, simple, and beautiful. If you want to hang on to one of the other names, perhaps [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]?
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] is one of my all time favorite names!
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] is a lovely name as well if you want something short and nickname proof.
That being said, maybe you should go with [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. So many nicknames: [name_u]Penny[/name_u], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Nellie[/name_f], you could change your mind a dozen times. Try calling your baby these names and see if one sticks!
If neither [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] nor [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] are sitting right with THIS baby, then that tells you something. It doesn’t mean you no longer love those names if you choose something else. We haven’t met our baby yet, but for a long time before this pregnancy I thought [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f] “[name_f]Hildie[/name_f]” was our girl. It turns out we wound up going way down to the bottom of our like list to retrieve [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f], a name I had previously felt iffy on. Things may change again when we meet our baby on the outside, but the name has to feel “right” for THIS baby, not a hypothetical child.
I think [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is a great option. But don’t be afraid to scrap that one, either if it also doesn’t sit right. You may need to go back to the drawing board completely to search for names you never would have picked before. But whatever you do, you and your husband need to follow your hearts. Take a couple days with each new name you throw on the table just to be sure there aren’t major drawbacks to it, but be sure to find something you love so much you can’t give it up because it feels just right.
We have been switching between all three for some time and all three seem to fit.
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is the choice (we think) if we stick to the original two and I love it, but my husband is unsure. He is not sure if he likes the length/complexity (our son is has a one-syllable name - so no nicknames and easy to say) and not sure if he wants an adult named [name_u]Penny[/name_u].
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] is great and I really like it as does my husband, and we have no problems with it (compared to the other two) except that we don’t have the “connection” we do to the other names - but I think that “connection” may only be because they were what we assumed we would name her before she was born.
I think you should go with [name_f]Iris[/name_f]! Once you name an actual child that, the connection will be there. Plus, you mentioned your son has a one-syllable name. This makes me think that [name_f]Iris[/name_f] would be a better match for your family, since it is short and simple, too - yet with all the distinctiveness of [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]. I love the suggestion of [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. Sigh. That’s gorgeous!
All three names are lovely but I’m not a nickname person as it is difficult to have control over which nickname others choose, so I would go with [name_f]Iris[/name_f]. It is beautiful, will work well with your son’s name, not too common, and is nickname proof.
If [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f],were meant to be her name, it wouldn’t take 4 weeks to figure it out. If [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is the name that comes to mind after living with your daughter 4 weeks, then very likely it is her name.
We pick names in the abstract for hypothetical children. No matter how much we like the name on paper or how much we like the sound of it sometimes it just is’t right for the child in front of us. My sons name, which we picked out ahead of time, wasn’t right for him. Luckily, a typical nickname of that name suites him perfectly. He has never been called anything but his nickname and signs everything using his nickname. If I could back to his birth, I would just use his nickname as his full name. Go with the name that best suites the daughter you have. Maybe your next daughter, if you have one, will be a [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f].
I would go with [name_f]Iris[/name_f], then. If [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] seem not right, and [name_f]Iris[/name_f] does, then it’s the logical choice. Especially if you both like it. It’s such a beautiful name, too:)
I should clarify that over the weeks I have moved away from [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]. However, I still see her as [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] - however, my husband, who likes the name [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], is more the one who feels it does not fit her quite right (it bothers him and he doesn’t really know why).
I really like [name_f]Iris[/name_f], but don’t have the love/feel for it that I do with [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] - but perhaps it is just a time thing (i.e., the fact I always pictured having a daughter named [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]). We have tried [name_f]Iris[/name_f] on for a week now, and I can see her as this name, but just don;t have the connection that I have with [name_f]Penelope[/name_f].
Oh this is hard. I adore both [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] (both are one my long list). If you want something less popular, than I would go with [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]. [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] does have more nickname options though. I think that [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is pretty, but you should go with something that you have loved for years.
i do think that [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is a gorgeous combo.
Definitely [name_f]Iris[/name_f] or [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], as it seems like [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] is kind of bottom of the heap in both your cases. Did your husband ever have the same concerns about [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] before DD was born? Or was it just after he met her? If he faltered beforehand, that might put some weight behind going with [name_f]Iris[/name_f]. If not, then I’d say to consider which of you has the most reservations about using one name. Ergo, does the thought of using [name_f]Iris[/name_f] bother you more than your husband is bothered about using [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]?
Objectively, I’d think the best choice might be [name_f]Iris[/name_f], just by reading everything that’s already been said.
It is different than naming a child but when I knew we were adopting a cat, I told everyone that her name will be [name_f]Noora[/name_f] because I loved it. When she came home, she was NOT [name_f]Noora[/name_f]. I went back to the list and rediscovered [name_f]Vera[/name_f]. She was [name_f]Vera[/name_f] and still is. Besides the differences, that could be happening with your daughter.
Maybe, you thought [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] were the only two choices for your daughter once she arrived. But, she doesn’t suit either of them. If you love [name_f]Iris[/name_f], but are unsure, try calling her [name_f]Iris[/name_f] for a week. If she suits it, bingo. And if she doesn’t, there are dozens of other names to pick. You don’t have to name her right now. Be calm and try with all three if you need it. She will suit one, I promise.
I just discovered [name_f]Iris[/name_f] for my daughter who is due this [name_u]August[/name_u]! It was previously not on my list and both my husband and I thought we didn’t like it. When we rediscovered it, we realised how incredible it’s meaning is and both realised we actually do like it! In addition to this, I just couldn’t find a combo of my fave names that felt right. It wasn’t until I found [name_f]Iris[/name_f] that I felt comfortable and everything fell into place. Anyway - that story may not help you, but since it’s about [name_f]Iris[/name_f] - just thought I’d mention it! Our daughter due in [name_u]August[/name_u] is likely to be named [name_f]Elodie[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] (although, nothing’s definite until she’s born and it’s on her birth certificate! :D).
My other daughter is named [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. Through out my pregnancy with her 5 years ago, I discovered [name_f]Elodie[/name_f]. And I really, REALLY wanted to use it then. It was my absolute favourite name at the time but it just never felt or looked right. No matter how much I loved the name, it just wasn’t her. This time around, [name_f]Elodie[/name_f] feels pretty much perfect. And I think that’s because it wasn’t meant to be [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]'s name, it was always meant to be my fourth child’s name (and my fourth was a surprise!). [name_f]Violet[/name_f] wasn’t on my list before my first daughter was born (although I loved it for a long time) because my husband wasn’t too keen on it. After she was born, people kept giving us purple flowers, purple cards, purple everything and she just seemed to suit [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. So she was named [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f].
This is just a long way of saying what others have already said - some times we love names but they are just not the name for our child. I think they have to feel and look right to both you and your husband, no matter whether they’re your favourite name or not.
If you could choose [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] or [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], I think you’d have a winner!
Basically agreeing with what has been said already. I am inclined to think [name_f]Iris[/name_f] might be the answer but I would entertain -apart from trying them out - using [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]-even that decision may make you feel more for one name over the other and gives an option to use her second name if it does not work out-that sounds negative. I feel sure it will be [name_f]Iris[/name_f] and I just think having the other names as middles is a great way of not losing them.
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] is a lovely name, and if you both really like it now, that’s the one I think you should go with. Sometimes seeing the actual baby changes things, and maybe you’re having a difficult time pulling the trigger because she doesn’t seem like a [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or a [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] to you. And that’s totally okay.
