Looking for more advice on specific names

I’m back with some follow up questions! I had posted about my name list being totally different from my husband’s and asked for some suggestions that might please us both. I like shorter, simpler names, and he likes longer, more popular/throwback to our generation-type names.

Mine are: [name]Tessa[/name], [name]Eliza[/name], [name]Greta[/name], [name]Lucy[/name], [name]Clara[/name]

His are: [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Amelia[/name], [name]Genevieve[/name], [name]Valerie[/name], [name]Veronica[/name], [name]Vanessa[/name], [name]Alexandra[/name], [name]Eloise[/name], [name]Jessica[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Emily[/name], [name]Juliet[/name]

At this point I’m hoping maybe we can agree on [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Eliza[/name], or [name]Tessa[/name] will grow on him because of his love of [name]Vanessa[/name] and their similarity. I do kind of like his suggestions of [name]Juliet[/name] and maybe [name]Genevieve[/name] (see question below).

Some questions about some of your recommendations:

[name]Annika[/name]: [name]How[/name] do you say this? Rhymes with Hannukah or [name]Danica[/name]?
[name]Elisabeth[/name]: with this spelling, is the pronunciation basically the same as [name]Elizabeth[/name]?
[name]Marina[/name]: what do you think of this name? I liked it a while back but took it off my list due to the association with boat docking - I thought people would find it odd for a name.
[name]Matilda[/name]: what do you think of this name? I don’t like [name]Mattie[/name] or [name]Tilda[/name] for a nn. Is [name]Tillie[/name] a good choice? Any others?
[name]Molly[/name]: I like this name but worry about its popularity and cutesy-ness. What do you think?
[name]Emilia[/name]: Is this basically pronounced the same as [name]Amelia[/name]? Any nn options?
[name]Quinn[/name]: Is this too unisex to use? Also, with the last name K***ler, do you think it sounds strange and too repetitive with the hard “k” sounds?
[name]Genevieve[/name]: What would you use for a nn? I don’t like the idea of [name]Genny[/name]/[name]Jenny[/name] or [name]Evie[/name]. Maybe [name]Genna[/name]?

Thanks again so much - you’ve all been a big help!

I always thought [name]Annika[/name] rhymed with [name]Danica[/name], but I’m not sure. I think [name]Elisabeth[/name] is pronounced the same as [name]Elizabeth[/name], but I prefer the Z myself. Plus, I picture her always having to correct the spelling. [name]Marina[/name] is too boat-ish for me, but I love your short list of names! I was thinking that [name]Vivi[/name] could be a cute nickname for [name]Genevieve[/name], but you might not like that because you don’t love [name]Evie[/name]. [name]Genna[/name] would definitely work.

[name]Annika[/name] - I always thought it rhymed with [name]Danica[/name].
[name]Elisabeth[/name] - Same pronunciation.
[name]Marina[/name] - I’m a city girl so the boating association wouldn’t be as strong for me. I do like it but I prefer [name]Marian[/name] or [name]Miriam[/name].
[name]Matilda[/name] - [name]Tilda[/name] is my favorite nickname with [name]Tillie[/name] as a close second. I love [name]Matilda[/name] it’s perfectly vintage. Another nickname option could be [name]Mimi[/name].
[name]Molly[/name] - Too cutesy for my taste. I don’t think it’s too popular, judging from girls I know named [name]Molly[/name], but it is somewhat dated. Also, it’s a slang term for marijuana.
[name]Emilia[/name] - It’s pronounced pretty much the same way just with more of an ‘E’ instead of an ‘A’. I personally prefer [name]Amelia[/name]. Nickname options could be [name]Emme[/name], [name]Amy[/name], [name]Mila[/name], and [name]Lia[/name].
[name]Quinn[/name] - Too unisex for my taste but I do find ‘Q’ names interesting. I wouldn’t find it too repetitive with your last name.
[name]Genevieve[/name] - What about just [name]Eve[/name]? I think [name]Genna[/name] could work, but it’s not my favorite. I’d use [name]Eve[/name].

I think that compromise is key with naming! I love [name]Eliza[/name] too, but would you be willing to have an [name]Elizabeth[/name] nicknamed [name]Eliza[/name]? To me that seems like a perfect way to keep both of you happy! I also think that [name]Tessa[/name] could work as a nickname for [name]Vanessa[/name], especially if her middle name started with a “T”. [name]Juliet[/name] is a sweet little name as well, and I would keep it in your back pocket for now, along with [name]Genevieve[/name]!

[name]Annika[/name]- I’ve always pronounced it like “[name]Danica[/name]”.
[name]Elisabeth[/name]- Same pronounciation as “[name]Elizabeth[/name]”, but it kind of takes away the possibility of [name]Eliza[/name] as a nickname, which wouldn’t be fair to you.
[name]Marina[/name]- I read a book with a main character named [name]Marina[/name], and thought it was a beautiful name. I wouldn’t discount it because of the boat association.
[name]Matilda[/name]- I love [name]Matilda[/name]! And [name]Tilly[/name] is a great nickname. I also think that [name]Mia[/name] could work.
[name]Molly[/name]- It is a cute name, but matures well too! I honestly don’t hear it all that much either, so I wouldn’t worry about popularity.
[name]Emilia[/name]- Pronounced like [name]Amelia[/name]! I actually prefer this spelling, and it makes the name unique without being weird. [name]Emmy[/name], [name]Mia[/name], [name]Lily[/name], and [name]Lia[/name] are all nickname possibilities.
[name]Quinn[/name]- Not at all too unisex! I love it with both genders, and I honestly can’t say that I prefer with one or the other. I also like alliterative names so I think that a [name]Quinn[/name] Kessler (as an example) would be fine.
[name]Genevieve[/name]- I like [name]Genna[/name] best! I’m stumped on other options though. Nicknames often come from the strangest of places though, so I wouldn’t cross it off your list because you don’t have one now.

Best of luck!

There should be many names that would appeal to both of you because you seem closer than you think :slight_smile:

[name]Marina[/name] is a lovely suggestion! [name]Miranda[/name] and [name]Tabatha[/name] came to mind for me… What about [name]Viv[/name] for a nn of [name]Genevieve[/name]?

What about [name]Margo[/name], [name]Daphne[/name], [name]Camille[/name], [name]Zara[/name], [name]Gretchen[/name], [name]India[/name], Jessamin, [name]Mara[/name], [name]Carina[/name], [name]Sabine[/name], [name]Elaina[/name], [name]Gemma[/name], [name]Laurel[/name]?

I think [name]Vivi[/name] is a cute nickname option for [name]Genevieve[/name]. :slight_smile:

Taking his favorites and giving them spunky nicknames:

[name]Charlotte[/name] - [name]Lotte[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name] - [name]Millie[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name] - [name]Gigi[/name]
[name]Valerie[/name] - Nothing I can do for [name]Valerie[/name]!
[name]Veronica[/name] - Vinca (Vinca is a neat little flowering plant, also known as periwinkle.) or lovely [name]Vera[/name]!
[name]Vanessa[/name] - This one’s hard to nickname. [name]Nessa[/name], but that’s a bit [name]Loch[/name] Ness.
[name]Alexandra[/name] - [name]Sasha[/name], [name]Sandy[/name], [name]Zandra[/name] (or spell it [name]Xandra[/name]) maybe [name]Zadie[/name]? It’s a bit of a stretch, but if [name]Sasha[/name] works, why not [name]Zadie[/name]?
[name]Eloise[/name] - [name]Lou[/name]
[name]Jessica[/name] - Jesca (Medieval version of [name]Jessica[/name]) or [name]Jess[/name], obviously
[name]Elizabeth[/name] - [name]Bette[/name] ("[name]Betty[/name]!") What could be better? or [name]Eliza[/name].
[name]Emily[/name] - There’s [name]Millie[/name] again.
[name]Juliet[/name] - [name]Etta[/name]

I also really like [name]Annika[/name] and [name]Marina[/name]. [name]Annika[/name] makes me think of [name]Pippi[/name] Longstocking. It’s spunky but also grown-up and Scandinavian without being unfamiliar. [name]Marina[/name] is watery of course, but also a bit mysterious and sexy.
Of your favorites, I adore [name]Lucy[/name] and [name]Greta[/name]. Perhaps your husband would like [name]Lucy[/name] more as nicknames for [name]Lucille[/name], [name]Lucinda[/name], [name]Lucia[/name], [name]Lovisa[/name]?
[name]Greta[/name]- [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Margareta[/name], [name]Marguerite[/name], [name]Gretchen[/name]?

I like [name]Lucy[/name], [name]Clara[/name] and [name]Eliza[/name] on your list.
I like [name]Amelia[/name], [name]Veronica[/name], [name]Juliet[/name], and [name]Genevieve[/name].

I like [name]Genevieve[/name] nn [name]Eve[/name], [name]Evie[/name]. I prefer [name]Tilda[/name] over [name]Matilda[/name]…

Another suggestion to consider: If you like [name]Tessa[/name] and he likes [name]Vanessa[/name], perhaps you would like [name]Nessa[/name]. Or [name]Essie[/name].

Have to voice my love for [name]Greta[/name] - my current #1 name.

For your questions
[name]Annika[/name]: I’d prn like [name]Danica[/name].
[name]Elisabeth[/name]: I’d pronounce it like [name]Elizabeth[/name], but agree that you should stick with the “z” name to get [name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Marina[/name]: NMS
[name]Matilda[/name]: I love this name, but maybe I’m biased because it’s what I chose to name my daughter. We decided not to use any nickname, but [name]Tillie[/name] definitely works. Also I have had people ask me if I might call her [name]Millie[/name] as a nickname, which is more of a stretch but I personally like it better than [name]Tillie[/name].
[name]Molly[/name]: I don’t see this as too popular, but it does seem slightly cutesy to me too. Like I’d want it to be a nickname for something more substantial.
[name]Emilia[/name]: I’d prn this basically same as [name]Amelia[/name], and at that point I feel like it’d be easier to just use [name]Amelia[/name] - more familiar, less confusion
[name]Quinn[/name]: I’m not a big fan, but don’t think it would be a problem with the 2 K sounds. I was a KK before I got married and never had any issue with it (other than people asking if my middle name started with K a lot, but with a Q you dont have to worry about that one)

I think [name]Elizabeth[/name] with the nn [name]Eliza[/name] would be a great choice. Or [name]Margaret[/name] with the nn [name]Greta[/name].

Great, thanks everyone. You’ve been such a huge help for me during this process. We’ll see where my husband and I land eventually - time to ponder and think things over for a while!

I know an [name]Annika[/name] who pronounces it like Hanneke without the H. It’s up to you. I think the majority pronunciation in [name]America[/name] is with the short A, but I like the other much better.

Your husband has very good taste actually, it’s just different from yours. I tend to like shorter, spunkier names too, but I like the idea of giving one of your favorites a more feminine spin and see how he likes it.
[name]Lucy[/name]>>[name]Lucia[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]>>[name]Clarice[/name]

You like [name]Eliza[/name], he likes [name]Elizabeth[/name], that seems like a great option to me. [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Eliza[/name]. Gorgeous.

I prefer [name]Marin[/name] to [name]Marina[/name]. [name]Marin[/name] is a chic place name.

The only [name]Annika[/name] I’ve ever met pronounced her name to rhyme with Hannukah, but people pronounce it both ways