My first daughter’s name is Aderyn [name_f]Joy[/name_f]. We really like her middle name and so we wanted to give each of our children a virtue name as we love how much character they give to the child.
I am expecting this winter (not sure of the gender yet) but if it is a girl we are really set on ‘Merit’ for a first name.
(I read an Egyptian novel and one of the character’s names was Merit and I fell in love with it. It means ‘[name_f]Beloved[/name_f]’ in Egyptian and then also has the English meaning of ‘[name_m]Worth[/name_m]’ etc.)
As for a middle name we are really liking ‘[name_u]Truth[/name_u]’. I love how strong it is, and it is one syllable like ‘[name_f]Joy[/name_f]’, and my grandma’s name is [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], and it kind of has that sound to it.
But is Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u] too many virtue names in a row?
My other grandma’s name was [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] and I like the idea of spelling is ‘Surely’ and my mom’s name is [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f] and I like the idea of spelling that ‘Sharelle’ as SURE and [name_f]SHARE[/name_f] kind of go with the virtue theme as well.
So the options are:
Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u]
Merit Surely
Merit Sharelle
What are your thoughts…
a. Should I go with a none virtue name for the middle name?
b. what do you think of the different spellings of [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] and [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f]?
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] isn’t just a name, it’s a word meaning compassion - so Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] seems perfect to me! I like it better than Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u] - the t’s run together and make it sound like Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] anyway.
You could also skip the virtue name in the middle because you’ve already covered it in the first name. It can be tricky using two word names in a row because it can sound like a phrase instead of a name, but [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] works because it is both a word and a name.
I would pronounce Sharelle as Shuh-RELL instead of [name_f]SHARE[/name_f]-ul, so I don’t like that different spelling. I also pronounce Surely and [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] differently, but in the middle I don’t really mind Surely.
You aren’t seeking feedback on the first name, but I really like it
I think Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u] is a bit too virtue heavy. What about using a name that means truth? Like [name_f]Verity[/name_f], [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] or [name_f]Alethea[/name_f]/[name_f]Elethea[/name_f]. Or maybe another name with a virtue meaning. Maybe [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] or [name_f]Asha[/name_f] (both mean hope), [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] (mean joyous), etc…
Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u] also runs together. I second the suggestion of Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f].
With Surely/Sharelle I’d stick with [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] or [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f]. I say surely more like ‘shoe-er-ly’ so it wouldn’t sound anything like [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] and Merit Surely is too ‘wordy’ (merit with confidence? / “you got a merit surely?”). Plus if you use [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f] or [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] (or [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]!) then both girls would have one virtue name and one not.
I think two word names in a row, especially two virtue names, is too much. I would consider your pattern met by using Merit as the first name (which I love btw). I didn’t realize [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] was a word either - it seems like that is a great option and Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is lovely.
I don’t care for either of the alternate spellings you provided. Merit Surely sounds like a phrase. Sharelle wouldn’t be pronounced the same as [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f] - maybe [name_f]Sharyl[/name_f] would still give you the ‘share’ meaning. [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f] itself means darling/dear, that could be a close-enough virtue name too. Merit [name_f]Cheryl[/name_f] isn’t the best flow anyway with the rhyming ‘er’ syllable.
Thanks for you input everyone. I am agreeing for the most part with your thoughts and the things you are pointing out. Thanks.
Other family names include:
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] & [name_f]Elsie[/name_f]
Thoughts on:
Merit [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
Merit [name_f]Elsie[/name_f]
Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
and I also like
Merit [name_u]Everly[/name_u]
Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and Merit [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] are my favorites. For some reason I run the two names together with the vowel beginning middles. Meritelsie, Meriteverly. I like that [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] really separate themselves from Merit. Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is my favorite of the two.
Surely doesn’t sound like [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] to me. Sharelle looks like sher-[name_f]ELL[/name_f]. Two virtues in a row is too much. And Merit is distracting because it’s a word not a name, plus it doesn’t go with Aderyn. So I’d make it the middle. If you like the sound of Merit then consider [name_f]Meryl[/name_f].
[name_f]Verity[/name_f], [name_f]Liberty[/name_f], [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] (happiness), [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] (hope), [name_f]Hope[/name_f], [name_f]Faith[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f]…so many virtue names. Since you picked [name_f]Joy[/name_f] - a pretty traditional virtue name - then I’d use a one syllable virtue ([name_f]Faith[/name_f], [name_f]Hope[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], etc) for the MN of the second one.
Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] or Merit [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] seems the most balanced. Aderyn means bird, but it’s more subtle, so I like the idea of an obvious word with a subtle name.
Aderyn [name_f]Joy[/name_f] & Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] would be my vote
Merit [name_u]Truth[/name_u] sounds pretty. But it is a little virtue-heavy. I think a girl could pull it off, though.
Merit [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is a nice alternative.
Maybe you could save truth for another baby? Makes a nice name for a boy. [name_m]Truman[/name_m]/ [name_u]Truly[/name_u]/ [name_u]Truth[/name_u] are awesome names!
