We’re due a little girl, who we will be calling [name_f]Oona[/name_f]. She’s due today!
Still undecided on a middle name though.
Our son’s middle name is [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] and we’d like to give her something equally exciting and to do with the universe. It doesn’t have to be as well known a thing as [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] though. The priority is that it also sounds good.
Ones we like but have had to reject:
Europa - we adore this, but discovered it has fascist connotations
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f] - again, we adore this, but then her initials would be O.C.D. which I don’t think is a big problem, but my husband is really against any letter ‘C’ middle names
Considering but not sold on:
[name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f]. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband likes this one a lot and I think it’s okay.
[name_f]Eudora[/name_f]. I love this (my grandmother was [name_f]Dora[/name_f] so there’s a nod to her) but my husband isn’t sold on it at the moment.
Can anyone think of ideas we might not have considered? Probably 2-4 syllables will work best with our single syllable surname.
[name_f]Zephyrine[/name_f]/[name_f]Zephyra[/name_f]
[name_f]Nephele[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Zora[/name_f] (dawn)
[name_f]Callisto[/name_f] (too bad I your husband won’t do C names, maybe this suggestion is void, but I would like to mention it)
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u] (goodess of moon)
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f]
[name_f]Leda[/name_f] (this is listed in astronomy baby names list, but I do not know why, it’s still pretty, though)
[name_f]Alcyone[/name_f]
[name_f]Gaia[/name_f]
[name_f]Stella[/name_f]
[name_f]Moira[/name_f]
It’s such a pity about Europa, I also think it’s very pretty. The Europa moon itself is also very beautiful, fascinating and mysterious as well.
Ideas for astronomical names you might not have considered include:
[name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]; a nearby galaxy, is usually depicted as having a more pinkish hue in contrast to the bluish hue of the Milky [name_m]Way[/name_m]
[name_f]Io[/name_f]; it’s a really small name, but the largest moon of [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]; from the [name_f]Earth[/name_f]'s own moon, simple but quite pretty
Kalyke; I really adore this name actually. It’s a very pretty name belonging to one of the moons of [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m]. However, it’s quite a small and (mostly) uninteresting moon though compared to moons like [name_f]Io[/name_f] or Europa though
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Thalassa[/name_f] (means “sea” and is pronounced THAH-lah-suh) was one of the first names that came to mind, and I think it is my favorite! I love [name_f]Thalassa[/name_f] and can never find anything to put with it, but [name_f]Oona[/name_f] actually works!
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] is gorgeous! I don’t think the initials are a really big problem, to be honest. [name_f]My[/name_f] best friend is A.S.S. and I was the first one who noticed it.
[name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] and [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] is a stand out. I also [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] suggestion of [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] and like [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Pheobe[/name_f].
Others that haven’t been mentioned:
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Selene[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Calypso[/name_u] (though another C)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f]
[name_m]How[/name_m] about
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Juno[/name_f] - the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of the heavens- actually its a bit OO heavy
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] - The Greek [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of the Clouds
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Tanith[/name_f] - The Phoenican [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of the [name_f]Moon[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Yvaine[/name_f] - [name_f]Evening[/name_f] star - I really like this one
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Venus[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Stella[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Ursa[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Vega[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Nova[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Io[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Narcissa[/name_f]
I too am going to include the ‘C’ ones I like just because
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f]
Cassiopea
Also love the suggestion of [name_f]Pheobe[/name_f]
Moons:
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] after Phobos - a moon of [name_m]Mars[/name_m]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Alma[/name_f] after Amalthea - a moon of [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] Carme - a moon of [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m], or [name_u]Carmen[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Leda[/name_f] - a [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] moon but with a fairly unfortunate myth backstory
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Dione[/name_u] - a moon of [name_m]Saturn[/name_m]. Could become [name_f]Diana[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] - a moon of [name_m]Saturn[/name_m]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Helene[/name_f] - a moon of [name_m]Saturn[/name_m] - also [name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Larissa[/name_f] - a moon of [name_u]Neptune[/name_u]
Uranus’s moons are named after Shakespearian heroines:
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] ([name_m]King[/name_m] Lear)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] ([name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] - although tragic)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] (Taming of the Shrew)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] (Troilus and [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] - although [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] betrays her lover in this very dark play)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Desdemona[/name_f] ([name_m]Othello[/name_m] - tragic)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] (R+J)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Portia[/name_f] (Merchant of [name_f]Venice[/name_f])
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] (As You Like It)
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Miranda[/name_f] (The [name_f]Tempest[/name_f])
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] (The [name_f]Tempest[/name_f])
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Titania[/name_f] (Midsummer’s [name_m]Night[/name_m])
another of Uranus’s moons is named [name_f]Belinda[/name_f], from [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] Pope’s ‘The Rape of the [name_m]Lock[/name_m]’.
Another option could be Satellite names:
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Ariane[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Freja[/name_f]/[name_f]Freya[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Topaz[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Rosetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Dove[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Alexis[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Elisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] is another name that came to mind.
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] is beautiful, but I’m with your husband on OCD initials. [name_f]Kinda[/name_f] funny, but really not a good association. Are 2 middles an option?
I love a pp’s suggestion of [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Yvaine[/name_f]! Stunningly beautiful, and how cool are the initials [name_m]OY[/name_m]! Good luck! I also kind of like [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Star[/name_f], or even [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Starling[/name_f]
Thank you so much for all the wonderful ideas! We haven’t had a baby yet so we are going to mull some of these over while we wait.
I think [name_f]Adhara[/name_f] and Auriga are among my favourites, but I do like [name_f]Yvaine[/name_f] too. We’re in [name_f]Scotland[/name_f] and it’s supposedly a Scottish name but I’d not heard of it before! Is it pronounced EE-Vain? Or is it EE Vain EE?
I’m keeping [name_f]Eudora[/name_f] on the list for now, and I think we might have possibly ruled out [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f], just because neither of us like the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] connection, which I think is very strong in people’s minds a the moment.
On another note, while looking at nameberry we’ve added ‘[name_f]Arcadia[/name_f]’ to our list of possible middles. Not astronomical but we liked the history and concept of it. And somehow it just has a ring to it.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] wanted to pop back on and say [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Arcadia[/name_f] gets my vote, too! [name_f]LOVELY[/name_f]! I still adore [name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Yvaine[/name_f], as well:) What a lucky little girl!
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] is one of my favorites. Have you ever seen the painting [name_f]Una[/name_f] & the [name_m]Lion[/name_m] by [name_m]Briton[/name_m] Riviere based on the Faerie Queene?
Probably some repeats, but that just means I agree!
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Selene[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Theia[/name_f] – is what the asteroid that created our moon is sometimes called.
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_m]Galileo[/name_m] / [name_f]Galilea[/name_f] / Galilei
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Carina[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Lux[/name_f] – means “light”
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Caeli[/name_f] / Caelia – means “sky” in latin
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_u]Sky[/name_u]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Etoile[/name_f] – “star” in french
You can also look at the different names of moons throughout our solar system or constellations. They are often myth / greek based, but lots of great inspiration.
