My husband and I are trying for a baby and we hope to be pregnant by year’s end. The girl name we are most likely going to settle on is [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]. It is my husband’s absolute favorite name, a family name, and it feels like a good fit for us.
My only problem with it is that I can’t settle on a middle name that I love. We are trying to honor my grandmother [name_f]Mary[/name_f], my nana [name_u]Marion[/name_u], and my mother [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]. [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] seemed like a logical choice, as it seemed to lump all the names together. However, [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] is just not my style. I don’t get that excited feeling by saying it or seeing it.
Also, the other middle name options we hope to someday use are more “word-y”: [name_m]Doll[/name_m] (a petname my grandfather bestowed on all of his granddaughters), [name_u]Story[/name_u], [name_f]Snow[/name_f], [name_f]Lovey[/name_f], Darling, etc. I think because [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] is a “word” name that it rules any other “word” names out. I had briefly mentioned [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Snow[/name_f] before my husband very helpfully pointed out it sounds like snow that’s been peed in.
I am trying to find some “word” name combos that work with [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]. Also, any fresh ideas on how to meld the above dilemma about honoring family members? We have also toyed with [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Marielle[/name_f], but again, it doesn’t seem right. Ultimately, I will probably opt to honor my family members, but I would like to find something I really love.
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] would be lovely in my opinion! I think it sounds better than [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_u]Marion[/name_u] etc and think it really highlights the Frenchness of [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]. I also really like the suggestion of [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f] although it might be a stretch from [name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_u]Marion[/name_u]/[name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]. I would agree [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] rules out a lot of wordy middle names. Som other ideas:
I see you have [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] on your list, and I think this could easily be an honorific for [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]. [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] sounds great.
I also think just using [name_f]Mary[/name_f] would be beautiful. Clemetine [name_f]Mary[/name_f].
[name_f]Marina[/name_f] could also be kind of a smush version of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f], and it is technically a word name. Clemetine [name_f]Marina[/name_f].
Overall, though, I tend to think that two word names often end up sounding like a description or a thing rather than someone’s name. I think if you have a word name up front, a not-word name in the middle is a fine way to balance with future girl names. Clemetine [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] Darling or [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] or [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] [name_f]Snow[/name_f].
Also, I don’t know how set you are on Clemetine, but I think it works as a middle name too. It’s very sweet and I can easily see it going along with middles like [name_u]Story[/name_u] and [name_m]Doll[/name_m]. Then you could use one of your names that are less “wordy” with it. [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]? Swoon.
P.S. I myself love word names, but my husband does not, so we compromised on some names that are word-ish but not as obvious. [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] was my choice (it’s a name but also a mythology name and a bird in the area I live in), just as an example. [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] fits this as well, since it has a very literal meaning of “laurel.” [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f], [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_f]Avalon[/name_f], [name_u]Eden[/name_u], and [name_f]Serena[/name_f] also come to mind.
What about [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] or [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Mariane[/name_f]? [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Mar[/name_f], maybe? You could also find names with the same meaning as [name_f]Ann[/name_f] (grace) and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] (possible meanings: sea of bitterness, wished for child, beloved,…).