I’m grateful for all the reply i got from my last post, its really helpful and make me and my husband becoming more sure of what to choose: [name_f]Amara[/name_f], is strongest candidate so far
Bu then i stumbled on this name: [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
And it tickled me. I love the sound of it. I love the meaning of it, its seems easy to pronounce and come with a varied cute nickname. [name_m]The[/name_m] only cons is, just like ophelia (from hamlet) the name has a tragic fate too.
What you guys think? And between lavinia and amara which one should i choose?
I adore the name [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]! It’s elegant & strong, familiar but not popular, & definitely has so many nicknames (Vinny, [name_f]Liv[/name_f], [name_f]Lani[/name_f], [name_f]Via[/name_f], etc).
I wouldn’t say the tragic Shakespearean tale is an overwhelmingly familiar one for anybody who isn’t somewhat into literature/plays. Most are familiar with the popular [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] & [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m], & [name_m]Macbeth[/name_m], and not much else. I would say I’m pretty into literature & plays myself, and even I had to google the Shakespearean [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] connection.
Additionally, there are so many tragic Shakespearean characters whose names rank somewhat high in popularity in the US, including [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] at #264 and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] at #274.
Overall, I’d go with [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]! But [name_f]Amara[/name_f] is a lovely option as well, you can’t go wrong with either!
Personally, I like [name_f]Amara[/name_f] more than [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] purely based on the sound of the name. I think [name_f]Amara[/name_f] feels familiar while still being unique, and “fits everywhere”. [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] gives me more Hunger Games-esque vibes. I don’t think the [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] reference is a big deal-breaker, though.
For what it’s worth, I think [name_f]Amara[/name_f] [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] would be a beautiful first/middle combination!
Oh, I love [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]. [name_m]The[/name_m] only person I’ve heard of with the name IRL is [name_f]Emily[/name_f] Dickinson’s little sister, which endears me even more to the name. (I had no idea there was a Shakespearean [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] too!) So beautiful! If I met a [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] I’d be beside myself—so so wonderful.
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is my absolute favorite girl’s name and one of my top choices should I ever have a daughter. My favorite nickname for it is [name_m]Vinnie[/name_m]. No one in my life I’ve mentioned it to has made the tragic connection. [name_m]Like[/name_m] @snowmaiden, I’ve only come across it as [name_f]Emily[/name_f] Dickinson’s little sister—I was in a play as [name_f]Emily[/name_f], and the frequent mentions of [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] “Vinnie” made it really grow on me. I also really love [name_f]Amara[/name_f], but I’d be more excited to meet a [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f].
Both names are strong, but I prefer [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]. I think the preference is regional, though. I’ve known dozens of students named [name_f]Amara[/name_f] here in the [name_m]Deep[/name_m] [name_m]South[/name_m], but [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is a name that resonates with [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_m]England[/name_m], where I’m from originally. [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] [name_m]Dickinson[/name_m] was a strong woman in her own right, and we would not have the work of [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_m]Dickinson[/name_m] were it not for the fact that [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] refused to follow her sister’s will.
However, [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] [name_f]Amara[/name_f] is gorgeous.
I think [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is beautiful, but can’t have her on my list because the Shakespearean [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] meets, quite possibly, the worst and most gruesome fate in all the plays however I work with the plays, so that association is always going to be more prominent for me than most - most people won’t know it at all, as evidenced by the other replies! [name_m]The[/name_m] mythological [name_m]Roman[/name_m] [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], though, doesn’t seem to have suffered a bad fate, so there’s that.
My one other point against her is that ‘lav’ means toilet in the UK, but your mileage may vary in terms of whether that’s a problem.
[name_f]Amara[/name_f] would travel better, definitely, since she is present in many different languages (and thus has many different meanings). [name_f]She[/name_f] has a more modern, less clunky feel than [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]. She’s reasonably popular, around the 100 mark in most countries, whereas [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] doesn’t rank at all in the US and is only just in the top 1000 in [name_m]England[/name_m] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m]. All of that might make her more generic, or warmer and more appealing - it depends on your take!
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is a lovely name! [name_f]She[/name_f] has lots of wonderful nicknames as well. I admit I prefer just [name_f]Livia[/name_f] to [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], but they are both wonderful options! My heart goes to [name_f]Amara[/name_f] though! If it were between [name_f]Livia[/name_f] and [name_f]Amara[/name_f], I would probably be more torn, but my heart has [name_f]Amara[/name_f].
I like it. It gives me major [name_f]Fancy[/name_f] [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] vibes. Mainly because she named her favorite doll [name_f]Marabelle[/name_f] [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] Chandelier
Both are beautiful, [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] feels more unique in this day and age to me! [name_f]Amara[/name_f] is also lovely, I don’t think you can go wrong!
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] certainly is beautiful! I personally prefer [name_f]Amara[/name_f] a bit more, but they’re both lovely options. Have you considered [name_f]Amara[/name_f] [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] together as a first name & middle name?
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is one of my all-time favourite names! she was my favourite character in a book i read as a child, and i’ve adored it since. someone recently pointed out that it could be thought of as an ‘old lady name’, but i’ve never actually thought of it that way, nor have i ever met an old lady named [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]! especially with a modern nickname such as [name_f]Liv[/name_f], it wouldn’t be an issue. Whilst [name_f]Amara[/name_f] is really nice, i don’t think it quite has the character or nickname oppurtunities that are offered by [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]!
I like both!
[name_f]Amara[/name_f] is very pretty & gives me cool adventure warrior princess vibes
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is super pretty too- it reminds me of a character in my favorite book called the Letter for the [name_m]King[/name_m] shes a cool character in it- it gives me more classy warrior princess vibes ya know
It makes me think of the hunger games character who is enslaved by the capitol and later tortured, so not best association. However it’s a pretty name.
Though uncommon, it has so many familiar sounds and nicknames. And in the era of [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], I think [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] is a great alternative.
I wouldn’t let the “negative” connotation be a deterrent. Literature is full of stories, tragic or otherwise, that we pull names from. I also don’t think the story all that popular. All this to say, names with tragic connections are used all the time. I wouldn’t bat an eye at a [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] or a [name_m]Romeo[/name_m]. As a sibset I would, but individually they’re great, useable names, as is [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]!
however I work with the plays, so that association is always going to be more prominent for me than most - most people won’t know it at all, as evidenced by the other replies! [name_m]The[/name_m] mythological [name_m]Roman[/name_m] [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], though, doesn’t seem to have suffered a bad fate, so there’s that.
