NOTE: I saw that there is already a thread about middle names for [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f], but since our criteria are quite different from the previous poster’s I hope it’s alright that I’ve created a new thread.
[name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I have chosen [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] (pronounced SOON-uh-vuh) as our baby girl’s first name. We love the sound of it, the nickname potential ([name_u]Sunny[/name_u], [name_f]Neve[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f]/[name_f]Eva[/name_f]…), the meaning (“gift of the sun” - perfect for our midsummer baby!), and the origin (my family is Norwegian, and in fact [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] is the patron saint of the region we come from).
So we’re looking for input on two subjects…
1. Spelling
There are many alternative spellings for [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f]. From what I can tell the most common spelling in Norway is Synnøve, but we definitely want to avoid anything that would make pronunciation confusing for people where we live (in [name_f]France[/name_f]). We’re hesitating between [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] and Sunneva. It seems [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] is the more common spelling, but we think [name_u]French[/name_u] speakers might be more likely to pronounce it correctly on the first try with the Sunneva spelling. Which one do you prefer?
2. Middle name
We have quite a few constraints for our middle name choice and we’re having a hard time finding one that we like that meets all our criteria.
- We want something that isn’t too long, since [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f]/Sunneva will have a four-syllable, difficult-to-pronounce last name. Ideally it would be one or two syllables.
- We would love for it to be [name_u]French[/name_u]. Since her first name will be honoring my (Norwegian) side of the family, we’d like her middle name to honor my husband’s ([name_u]French[/name_u]) side.
- We like names that make reference to nature, but that isn’t an absolute requirement.
- And obviously it needs to sound nice with her first name. Unfortunately a lot of the short [name_u]French[/name_u] names we like tend to end in an “A” sound or contain an “OO” sound, which sounds a little rhyme-y with [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] - but maybe this isn’t as much of an issue as I think! Name lovers, what’s your opinion?
Here are ones we’re currently considering:
[name_f]Lys[/name_f] (pronounced (LEESS) - We love the sound of this one, and I really like the way it looks, too (three letters, y as the only vowel). We’re hesitating because [name_f]Lys[/name_f] means “lily” in [name_u]French[/name_u], and it’s not a flower I particularly like! Also, my husband worries that it “makes us seem like royalists” (the fleur de lys is the symbol of the [name_u]French[/name_u] monarchy).
[name_f]Lilas[/name_f] (pronounced LEE-lah) - Means “lilac” in [name_u]French[/name_u]. I love this one, but it has the rhyming issue with [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f]. We have the same issue with Léa, another name we love.
[name_f]Lune[/name_f] (pronounced LOON) - We just thought of this one last night and we really like it. It means “moon” in [name_u]French[/name_u]. But the “OON” sound is present in both [name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] and [name_f]Lune[/name_f] = rhyming issue again.
[name_u]Lou[/name_u] - a pretty common girl’s name in [name_f]France[/name_f]. It’s cute, but something about “[name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] [name_u]Lou[/name_u]” sounds like a Dr. Seuss character to me.
[name_f]Mai[/name_f] (pronounced MAY) / [name_f]Rose[/name_f] - I group these together because I think they’re both just fine. They would be fallback options for us, but ideally we would like something a little more out of the ordinary.
We’re very open to suggestions and advice!
