Looking for opinions on my name list please!

Girl Names
1

Sorry to bug you lovely berries, but I will be away from tomorrow until next monday so I want to get my last fix of name discussions in before I go!

I’d like honest frank opinions on the following names (some of which were mentioned on a previous post and some are new). If you can be bothered, put them in order of your favourites from most to least, but if not just comments on your favs and least favs would be great!

For those of you with the time, and patience lol, I would also like to know what image the names conjure up for you, which names match in style for sib-sets and if you love or hate a name, your reasons :slight_smile:

Thanks guys, you’re all awesome!:

[name]Adriana[/name] (guilty pleasure a la [name]Adriana[/name] Lima, and it’s very uncommon here in the UK)
[name]Angelica[/name] (another guilty pleasure which my partner loves and refuses to give up!)
[name]Althea[/name] (alternative to [name]Thea[/name] which we both love, trying to make it more substantial and less common as [name]Thea[/name]'s creeping up the charts in the UK)
[name]Enid[/name] (too old lady? Or the right amount of old lady like [name]Ruby[/name] and [name]Evie[/name]?)
[name]Leola[/name] (this is a name I found scouring the SSA top 1000 names from the year my grandmother was born and it instantly popped out to me. I think it softens [name]Leona[/name] and freshens up [name]Lola[/name]/[name]Lila[/name]/[name]Leila[/name]. Although it’s not, will it sound made up?)

As usual I’m always happy to be inspired with new names too if you have any, I tend to like pretty, girly (but not soft), unusual names.

Thanks guys :slight_smile:

2

[name]Don[/name]'t have much time, but just real quick - here are my favorites from your list:
[name]Adriana[/name]
[name]Leola[/name] (never heard this, but I think it’s pretty)
[name]Nola[/name]
[name]Selena[/name]

3

[name]Adriana[/name] - pretty but feels pretty common to me… then again, I’m stateside. If it feels more whimsical across the pond then by all means go for it!
[name]Angelica[/name] - first thought: character from 90s Nickelodeon show called Rugrats. Not such a nice girl. Second, more grown up thought: [name]Anjelica[/name] [name]Huston[/name]. Second thought wins – [name]Anjelica[/name] is fabulous, as is her name!
[name]Althea[/name] - interesting and pretty. Feminine without being frilly, which is good. And [name]Thea[/name] is adorable.
[name]Claudie[/name] - definitely French! And sweet. Not as substantial, to my mind, as some of your other choices, but its adorableness makes it ok to me.
[name]Enid[/name] - I’m from Oklahoma, where there is a (rather … sad, we’ll say) town called [name]Enid[/name], so for me it doesn’t sound too sweet. Secondly I think of [name]Thora[/name] [name]Birch[/name]'s character from Ghost World, who’s pretty cool. I think more people will think of the latter than the former! It’s quirky but it doesn’t feel very feminine to me. Maybe because I think of the town?
[name]Leola[/name] - this does sound made up to me >.> first thought was areola, too :confused: I like the idea I’m just not sure I like the result
[name]Mirabelle[/name] - cute and French, yet again!
[name]Nola[/name] - I love [name]Nola[/name]. Feminine but not overly so, sounds good on both an adult and a child, sounds pretty, looks pretty, and isn’t too overly complicated. Short, sweet and to the point. [name]Love[/name] it.
[name]Penelope[/name] - it’s cute, but a little too cute for my taste.
[name]Rosalia[/name] - I’d pronounce it like you. Also not sure if that’s right. But, if it is it’s rather pretty.
[name]Rosalie[/name] - yes it sort of does sound like an adverb, I’d never noticed that! And probably wouldn’t have if you hadn’t’ve pointed it out :slight_smile: but expect this to rise with Twilight…
[name]Selena[/name] - not my style
[name]Sidonie[/name] - ehh. I can’t get behind this one either. Normally I love French names but this one doesn’t sound as nice in English to my ear.
[name]Tessa[/name] [name]Morgan[/name] - [name]Tessa[/name] is by no means plain! And it makes me think of [name]Boston[/name], which is always good in my book :smiley: I think it’s more popular on your end, though.
[name]Thea[/name] [name]Morgan[/name] - If nickname names can stand on their own ([name]Johnny[/name], [name]Ella[/name], etc) than surely [name]Thea[/name] can too. Plus, it sounds like its own name to me.

[name]Hope[/name] that helped!! And best of luck :slight_smile:

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[name]Thea[/name] and [name]Nola[/name] are gorgeous!

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I just [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Adriana[/name], [name]Althea[/name], and [name]Tessa[/name]!!!

I’m sorry, but I’m still not a fan of [name]Claudie[/name] (though I still love [name]Claudia[/name]), and I think [name]Nola[/name] is way too nicknamey. [name]Enid[/name] and [name]Leola[/name] and very charming, but perhaps not quite names a little girl would want to have. I hate to say it, but really really really dislike [name]Angelica[/name], but I think you’ve already gotten all that negative feedback on your last post, so no need to rub it in :slight_smile: I think you would regreat [name]Sidonie[/name] if you used it, as its so different in style from your other choices and I can’t imagine how you’d possibly ever name a sister for her (maybe in the middle, though?). [name]Selena[/name] has a pretty sound, but just sounds awfully trendy (maybe because I can’t get past the pop star). The other names on your list - [name]Rosalie[/name], [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Mirabelle[/name], [name]Thea[/name] - are all nice enough. Not my favorites but good solid choices.

6

LJ, I think I’ve already commented on most of these, but just wanted to add some associations etc. in case that is useful!

[name]Adriana[/name]- exotic, sexy, kind of fierce (I guess [name]Adriana[/name] Lima is my association for this one!) Would be a bit much for me, but I see the appeal

[name]Angelica[/name]- don’t love this one; then again I don’t like any [name]Angel[/name]- names

[name]Althea[/name]- [name]LOVE[/name]!! chic, strong, girly but not too frilly. makes me think of ancient Greece or [name]Rome[/name], but sounds totally usable [name]IRL[/name].

[name]Claudie[/name]- you are starting to win me over with this one! I picture a cute little French girl :slight_smile:

[name]Enid[/name]- I don’t picture an old lady for this one, I picture a woman from the '50’s with a beehive hairdo and cat-eye glasses! This name is just stuck in that era, to me

[name]Leola[/name]- I don’t think it sounds made up, but I do prefer [name]Leona[/name]

[name]Mirabelle[/name]- I know most berries like this one, but it’s a little too sugary sweet to me

[name]Nola[/name]- like! very down-to-earth. I picture a girl who is outdoorsy, or maybe has a little bit of an alternative vibe

[name]Penelope[/name]- I like this name, but I must admit that for some reason I picture a girl who is a bit ungainly and awkward! I have no idea why this is, though, so just ignore me!

[name]Rosalia[/name]- beautiful! it sounds exotic and lovely, not old and stuffy at all!

[name]Rosalie[/name]- like, but actually prefer [name]Rosalia[/name] for you!

[name]Selena[/name]-- I do think of [name]Selena[/name] the murdered Mexican singer :\

[name]Sidonie[/name]- cool name!! is this si-DOH-nee? I like it!

[name]Tessa[/name] [name]Morgan[/name]- this is plainer than most of your list, but v pretty

[name]Thea[/name] [name]Morgan[/name]- I do think this can stand on its own, but I just love [name]Althea[/name] and think it’s a bit more special. If you’re worried about the popularity of [name]Thea[/name], I would definitely go with [name]Althea[/name] instead

Least favorites are [name]Angelica[/name], [name]Mirabelle[/name], and [name]Selena[/name]. My very favorite is [name]Althea[/name], with [name]Rosalia[/name] coming in next. :smiley:

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[name]Just[/name] two quick opinions:

I think [name]Thea[/name] is definitely substantial, but if you’re really concerned about popularity, then [name]Althea[/name] nn [name]Thea[/name] is the way to go.

[name]Claudie[/name] is adorable! While it definitely sounds nickname-y, you live in the UK where that is more widely acceted ([name]Evie[/name], [name]Alfie[/name], etc.), so I think it’s fine.

Quirk

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[name]Adriana[/name] - this isn’t a bad name, I’m just personally not fond of DR and BR sounds. You might also like [name]ARIADNE[/name] or [name]ORIANA[/name].

[name]Angelica[/name] - a nice name. I know a couple of Angelicas, and all seem to love their name. One downside is no really good nn options, though. You might also like [name]EVANGELINE[/name] or [name]VALENTINE[/name].

[name]Althea[/name] - so, so lovely! An unusual vintage choice. You might also like any of these to give the nn [name]Thea[/name] - [name]THEODORA[/name], [name]TIMOTHEA[/name], AMALTHEA, [name]ALETHEA[/name] or [name]MATHEA[/name].

[name]Claudie[/name] - adorable. You may also like [name]SYLVIE[/name].

[name]Enid[/name] - you know I don’t think this one is too old lady; lovely. You may also like [name]EDITH[/name] or [name]GWEN[/name].

[name]Leola[/name] - it sounds made up to me in the same way that [name]Sophronia[/name] does - as though it were made up centuries ago by a wealthy family. This doesn’t bother me at all, whereas modern invented names do, because the names are normally pretty, not ridiculously hard to spell, and have acquired history over time. In short, the fact that they were at one stage invented is much less obvious. That said, it’s not my favourite of your options. You may also like [name]LEONORE[/name]/A, [name]ZOLA[/name], [name]VIOLA[/name], [name]ROMOLA[/name] or ISOLA.

[name]Mirabelle[/name] - I love it, and the nn [name]Mira[/name]! You may also like [name]PALMIRA[/name].

[name]Nola[/name] - I adore this one, as it is spunky, fun and unusual, but pretty. You may also like [name]FINOLA[/name], [name]ZOLA[/name] or [name]NOVA[/name].

[name]Penelope[/name] - just so beautiful, it rolls off the tongue and, like you said, has a plethora of nn options. You may also like [name]DAPHNE[/name] or [name]CALLIOPE[/name].

[name]Rosalia[/name] - you are saying it exactly how I say it, which I think is right. This is such a pretty choice, and it feels both vintage and exotic, in the same vein as [name]Cosima[/name]. You may also like [name]COSIMA[/name] or [name]ROSETTA[/name].

[name]Rosalie[/name] - this flows very nicely, but I wouldn’t recommend it for you, both because I worry about the popularity of -lee endings at the moment, especially as this one was given a visibility boost by Twilight, and because her name would rhyme with [name]Claudie[/name], which I know is your favourite. [name]Claudie[/name] and [name]Rosalie[/name] could get a bit -ie theme-y. You may also like [name]ROSALINE[/name].

[name]Selena[/name] - not a bad name, but it doesn’t blow me away. There’s something about it that seems quite mysterious, though. You might also like [name]DELPHINA[/name] or [name]SERENA[/name].

[name]Sidonie[/name] - personally, it reminds me a little too much of the dated [name]Sidney[/name] - sorry! Other names containing ‘sid’ include [name]CASSIDY[/name] and [name]CRESSIDA[/name].

[name]Tessa[/name] - I don’t think it’s too plain, I think it’s a sweet, laid-back choice. It can also be a nn for [name]Theresa[/name]. You may also like [name]THESSALY[/name] or [name]Flora[/name]/[name]Florence[/name] nn [name]FLOSSIE[/name].

[name]Thea[/name] - I met a young [name]Thea[/name] recently, and while I personally think on its own it lacks pizazz, it isn’t a bad name and seems substantial enough without being a nn. My one issue would be that as [name]Theodora[/name] means ‘gift of God’, just [name]Thea[/name] really means ‘goddess’ which I find a little bizarre. I think [name]Althea[/name] makes the name far more interesting. You may also like [name]SIENNA[/name].

[name]Auburn[/name]

9

my favorites from your list:

[name]Adriana[/name]
[name]Claudia[/name] love the nn [name]Claudie[/name] too (:
[name]Mirabelle[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Tessa[/name] [name]Morgan[/name]: you could always name her [name]Theresa[/name] nn [name]Tessa[/name]
[name]Thea[/name] [name]Morgan[/name]

10

[name]Claudie[/name] is my favorite, love it!

[name]Enid[/name] is my least favorite :frowning:

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1.)[name]Adriana[/name]
2.)[name]Angelica[/name]

These are my 2 favourites on your list.

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Thanks [name]Amelie[/name]! It did help a lot. I just got back from a few days away and I’m sifting through all the responses - you guys are great :slight_smile:

That’s interesting about [name]Enid[/name] but it obviously wouldn’t be an issue here. Having said that, I do also wonder if the names feminine enough? I’m more likely to use it as a middle name I think.

Why does [name]Tessa[/name] make you think of [name]Boston[/name]? hehe. Sorry I didn’t get the connection but glad you like the name! And yes you’re very right about nickname names in the UK, every other boy born at the mo is a [name]Frankie[/name], [name]Freddie[/name], [name]Alfie[/name] or [name]Archie[/name]! Not sure I want to go that route though but we’ll see :slight_smile:

Thanks for the opinions!

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[name]Hi[/name] again Hoodie,

I think most of our associations with the names are very similar. I’m glad you love [name]Althea[/name], this is growing on me at the mo, and I’m glad [name]Claudie[/name]'s starting to win you over! I literally have an extreme love hate relationship with this name now. Anytime I think maybe I don’t want to use it (because being so name obsessed I change my mind about my fav names and find new ones I love all the time!) I’m reminded by my partner how much he loves it and already feels like he knows the little girl attached to the name and then I feel like I’m taking his frigging child away from him or something! Lol. Everyone else’s doubts about the name sometimes get to me too so I have to just remind myself that I do love it!

Your description of [name]Enid[/name] made me chuckle a lot by the way :slight_smile: Haha. I do believe that [name]Sidonie[/name] is pronounced si-DOH-nee but not positive! And I think you’re right about using [name]Althea[/name] instead of [name]Thea[/name]. It just seems more logical and I also love the nn [name]Allie[/name].

Thank you!

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Thanks so much Quirk :slight_smile: [name]Just[/name] what I needed to hear about [name]Claudie[/name]!

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Hey [name]Auburn[/name],

Thanks again! [name]How[/name] do you pronounce [name]Ariadne[/name]?

I like [name]Evangeline[/name] but partner shot it down, I like [name]Valentina[/name] but the nn’s [name]Val[/name] and [name]Tina[/name] just make me think of someone from my mum’s generation. And I kinda like [name]Annie[/name] as a nn for [name]Angelica[/name] though my partner likes [name]Angie[/name] (I don’t like this one).

[name]Mathea[/name] is very interesting! I like this :slight_smile: Is it pronounced math-EE-uh?

I do like [name]Sylvie[/name] but it’s too matchy matchy with [name]Claudie[/name]. I love love love [name]Edith[/name] nn [name]Edie[/name] but my partner hates [name]Edith[/name] [name]Bowman[/name] with a passion - it’s out haha. I also like [name]Viola[/name] and [name]Leonora[/name], will think more about these thanks. [name]Zola[/name]'s interesting but just makes me think of an alien unfortunately! Isola’s interesting too but I can’t find it on nameberry. Where’s it from and how is it pronounced?

[name]Thessaly[/name] is very cool, I will have to think about that one more also! Again, how is it pronounced just to make sure I’m saying it right?

Thanks again!

[name]Laura[/name]

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Aww thank you so much [name]Jamie[/name]! This literally made my day :slight_smile: Any others you think go well with [name]Claudie[/name]?

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[name]Just[/name] had a search for this post, as I wanted to see if you’d replied - I’m glad you like several of my suggestions, even if your husband doesn’t agree - I feel like I’m gradually getting your style pinned more.

To answer your questions :
[name]Ariadne[/name] is pronounced a-ree-[name]AD[/name]-nee. The ‘a’ sound at the front is short, as in apple.

I have heard of a [name]Mathea[/name] who pronounces it as you do, ma-TEE-ah. However, Nameberry says it is a version of [name]Mattea[/name], which is apparently pronounced ma-[name]TAY[/name]-a (Italian).

Isola is the Italian word for island, and from what I can tell was infreqently used in the Victorian era and the early twentieth century. It gives me that some vintage upper class vibe as [name]Leola[/name]. Brilliantly, it was the name of [name]Oscar[/name] Wilde’s younger sister, who although she unfortunately died as a child was the inspiration for his poem Requiescat.

There’s also a character in The [name]Guernsey[/name] Literary and Potato [name]Peel[/name] Society named Isola, who is a lot of fun. Actually, there are a lot of other great names in the book, like [name]Kit[/name], [name]Juliet[/name] and [name]Remy[/name].

[name]Thessaly[/name] is pronounced THEH-sall-ee, ‘the’ being not the word the but like the beginning of Thespian. I’m not totally sure where the emphasis comes, but it comes most naturally on the first syllable to me.

Oh, I love the nn [name]Annie[/name] for [name]Angelica[/name]! I don’t know why I hadn’t though of that, but I think [name]Annie[/name] is a really adorable, classic choice.

[name]Auburn[/name]

18

[name]Adriana[/name]- Pretty name, I always liked it.
[name]Angelica[/name]- I don”t like this name.
[name]Althea[/name]- So cute!
[name]Claudie[/name]- See it as a nn only.
[name]Enid[/name]- I love it.
[name]Leola[/name]- Cute and interesting.
[name]Mirabelle[/name]- [name]Love[/name] this!!
[name]Nola[/name]- Cute name.
[name]Penelope[/name]- Cute
[name]Rosalia[/name]- I feel neutral.
[name]Rosalie[/name]- Too popular right now.
[name]Selena[/name]- [name]Love[/name] [name]Selena[/name] and [name]Selina[/name]! So pretty!
[name]Sidonie[/name]- Nope.
[name]Tessa[/name] [name]Morgan[/name] [name]Love[/name] it!
[name]Thea[/name] [name]Morgan[/name]- Cute

19

Wow thanks for that, learning all that about Isola is really making me fall for that name! It is without a doubt on the middles list and if I can sell my partner it could go on the first names list :slight_smile: I love finding new name loves! Lol.

[name]Just[/name] need some clarity on the pronounciation? Does it begin with EYE or I like in [name]Isobel[/name]? and is the s pronounced “s” or “z”. I can’t believe this name isn’t used more?! [name]Do[/name] you know if it’s more common in other countries like maybe [name]Italy[/name]? When I wikipedia’d it I could only find it as a last name.

Would love opinions on a few other names I’ve discovered (or re-discovered) recently too!:

Tathana (probably only as a middle name) - I found it in a book 100 Great Welsh Women and it came from a Welsh saint called Braust who later moved to a place called [name]St[/name] Tathan and was renamed Tathana after the place.
[name]Zadie[/name] - is it just too close to [name]Sadie[/name]?
[name]Sapphira[/name] (again probably only as a middle name, [name]Sapphire[/name]'s have a special meaning to us. It’s the september birthstone (my partners born in september) and the birthstone for taurus (my star sign) and I’m having a sapphire engagement ring (yay! lol) instead of a diamond, but the name [name]Sapphire[/name] just sounds too tacky and stripperish to me. [name]Sapphira[/name] seems a good alternative, what do you think?)
[name]Jane[/name] - This is my middle name, and there were only 31 born in the UK in 2008! I like it cos I like the nn [name]Janie[/name] but on it’s own it seems to short and plain with the other names I like. What do you think?
[name]Eleanora[/name] - there were only 7 of these born in the UK in 2008! Seems crazy. What do you think of it?
[name]Cleone[/name] (as a middle) - means glorious in Greek, I can’t decide if it’s pretty or not but I’m very drawn to it and it’s association with [name]Cleopatra[/name].
[name]Catalina[/name], I keep coming back to this one! [name]Love[/name] the nn [name]Lina[/name]
[name]Alba[/name] - is this just too unisex sounding to go with my other names? I think the answer is probably yes!

20

It is pronounced is-OH-la, I believe, with the is- being the same as the beginning of [name]Isabel[/name]. I love all of the Is- names, even the oh-so-popular [name]Isabel[/name]! I’m sure if it was brought to people’s attention by celebrity usage, Isola would quickly become a favourite, as the Is- beginning makes it seem familiar.

Well, I looked on some Italian baby naming sites, and can’t find it in use as a name there (although I did find [name]Isotta[/name]). That’s presumably a combination of the fact that, meaning island, it is part of the name of many places for Italians, and the fact that it seems to be a not uncommon Spanish and Italian surname (originally used for people who came from islands).

Tathana - this would make a great middle, with such an interesting history behind it! I can’t say the sound of the name itself wins me over, but it’s not a bad name and certainly isn’t unusable, as it seems familiar enough due to a similarity to [name]Tabitha[/name] and [name]Tamara[/name].

[name]Zadie[/name] - I love this one! Unfortunately, I think a lot of the time it would be misheard as [name]Sadie[/name]. Also, it has the same ending as [name]Claudie[/name], so perhaps it would be better in the middle or as a nn for another Za- name.

[name]Sapphira[/name] - I definitely think this seems less tacky than [name]Sapphire[/name]. Probably because it shares sounds with [name]Sophia[/name], it doesn’t seem too ‘out-there’ at all, and would make a great middle name because of all the personal meaning to you. [name]Claudie[/name] [name]Sapphira[/name] sounds lovely (sorry, I couldn’t resist a combination!). On a side note, I’ve always thought that having a coloured engagement ring would be so much more fun. Diamonds are lovely, but everybody likes diamonds! For me, they are the jewellery equivalent of [name]Sophia[/name] - beautiful, but overused.

[name]Jane[/name] - I like [name]Jane[/name]. I’m actually not a fan of the AY sound in most names, but the fact that [name]Jane[/name] is just the ultimate classic, with such history, and somehow manages to be feminine despite being so short, wins me over. I wouldn’t find it strange to meet sisters called [name]Jane[/name] and [name]Claudie[/name] at all - perhaps some would think [name]Jane[/name] was a plainer name, but it’s such a classic I think it can go with most names, bar an ultra-frilly choice like [name]Sophronia[/name] or [name]Tallulah[/name].

[name]Eleanora[/name] - wow, only seven? I would have expected this one to be much more popular! What with [name]Ellie[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name] being favourites at the moment, and the popularity of feminine choices like [name]Isabella[/name] … I think it is lovely, with two sweet nicknames, [name]Ellie[/name] (popular, but nice) and [name]Nora[/name], which is a vintage favourite of mine. That said, it might bother me personally that the similar names [name]Ellie[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name] were so popular. Other [name]El[/name]- names include [name]Elodie[/name], and other [name]Nora[/name] names are [name]Honora[/name], [name]Annora[/name] and [name]Leonora[/name].

[name]Cleone[/name] - as a middle, I think this is stunning! I love Greek names, and this one sounds so unusual, but also sweet and relaxed.

[name]Catalina[/name] - this isn’t my favourite of your options, just a matter of personal taste, but the nn [name]Lina[/name] is great and it does have a fun feel to it.

[name]Alba[/name] - I don’t think it sounds unisex at all! Perhaps less feminine than the sweet [name]Claudie[/name] or the vintage [name]Eleanora[/name], but I wouldn’t assume she was a boy next to her sisters’ names. That said, it isn’t my favourite of your choices.

[name]Auburn[/name]