[name_f]Helena[/name_f] has been at the top of our girls’ list for #2 ever since our first was born. We love the full name, but it’s the cute, stylish nn [name_f]Nell[/name_f] that really sealed the deal for both of us. I’ve been wondering if we ought to just cut to the chase and give [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as a standalone name.
What do you berries think? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you prefer [name_f]Helena[/name_f] or just [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as a sister to [name_f]Juno[/name_f]?
I’m also struggling with middle names for [name_f]Nell[/name_f], since it’s such a short, abrupt-sounding name. I’d prefer something longish and not too popular, but not too weird either - something recognisable but unexpected, basically. I love underused classics and I’m a sucker for medieval and mythological names too. Any ideas?
I think [name_f]Helena[/name_f] nn [name_f]Nell[/name_f] is great, but I actually feel like [name_f]Nell[/name_f] on its own makes a cooler sibset with [name_f]Juno[/name_f]. Ideas for middles:
I am in love with [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] and [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Ramona[/name_f]! I love lots of the other suggestions too but the flow of some of them doesn’t quite work to me.
So pleased to get such great suggestions straight off the bat - keep them coming!
I love both [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and [name_f]Nell[/name_f], but in this case it seems to make more sense to go with [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as the given name.
[name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Theresa[/name_f]
I love [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as a stand alone! I like [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]… They are feminine and seem to soften [name_f]Nell[/name_f] a bit.
I think [name_f]Helena[/name_f] is a gorgeous classic, but I think [name_f]Nell[/name_f] and [name_f]Juno[/name_f] make a pretty compatibly adorable pair.
I adore [name_f]Nell[/name_f]! It’s my all time favorite but I don’t know if I could use it as a stand alone but I would love others to do so. My pick would be [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f].
Thank you everyone for all the additional comments! You all have a really great handle on my style - I love [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] (too close to [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_u]Gwyn[/name_u] though maybe?), [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] and [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Tigerlily[/name_f] especially.
Still not sure on whether we should go with [name_f]Nell[/name_f] on its own or as a nickname…
The problem is that [name_f]Helena[/name_f] has a lot of personal significance to us, but I’d always want to call her [name_f]Nell[/name_f]. I don’t really feel like [name_f]Nell[/name_f] would be fully “her name” if it were short for something else, but at the same time we do both love [name_f]Helena[/name_f] too and it’s a really special honour name for our two mothers. I’m also a little bit concerned that having a legal name vs everyday name might make things like school/medical/banking/etc. registration problematic down the line. I’d want to register her as [name_f]Nell[/name_f] wherever possible, but I know lots of things would demand the full legal name so I’m worried it could get confusing for her and for companies/services later in life if she had “two” names, as it were.
Nicknames are crazy common. I don’t think she’d have any problem with it, and if [name_f]Helena[/name_f] is really meaningful you should go with it.
All my family goes by nicknames and has a longer name. [name_u]Kimberly[/name_u] ([name_u]Kim[/name_u]), [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] ([name_m]Tim[/name_m]), [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] ([name_m]Jon[/name_m]), [name_m]Ronald[/name_m] ([name_m]Ron[/name_m]), [name_f]Valerie[/name_f] ([name_u]Val[/name_u]), [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] ([name_m]Zac[/name_m]), etc. And I can’t think of any time that it was a problem.
I think [name_f]Nell[/name_f] sounds great with [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and I understand wanting to honour your mothers with [name_f]Helena[/name_f], but if you plan to call her [name_f]Nell[/name_f] nearly all of the time, I would just name her [name_f]Nell[/name_f]. Could you use a variation of [name_f]Helena[/name_f] as a middle maybe? Or a name with the same meaning? Maybe something like [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] or [name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f].
[name_m]Will[/name_m] you feel badly if you don’t use [name_f]Helena[/name_f]? I don’t think it will be confusing to use [name_f]Nell[/name_f] as a nickname since it’s already well established and while [name_f]Nell[/name_f] and [name_f]Juno[/name_f] are cute together, [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and [name_f]Juno[/name_f] are gorgeous too. [name_f]IMO[/name_f] it comes down to: will you regret not using [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and will you feel weird calling her [name_f]Nell[/name_f] and never using [name_f]Helena[/name_f] unless you’re at the doctor’s office? Would you like her to have a more formal option when she is older and applying for jobs, etc.
I’m a bit jumbled today, hope this helps.
