I have always loved simple virtue names. Particularly Hope, Faith and Grace.
After becoming a namenerd I still held them close to my heart but I was discouraged from actually experimenting with them, naming my characters like that or making combos, because I did not want to be “basic”.
It makes me literally so happy to finally have the courage to stay true to my taste regardless of a name’s popularity. - or obscurity.
It’s a skill that I would probably never have developed had I not joined nameberry and seen with my own two eyes the diversity in taste among different users.
Each of those names is one that I could see myself giving to a future daughter if it was not for the fact that I will most likely never be involved romantically with a native English speaker. For that reason I also do not intend to use privacy symbols.
Hope Ilaria 
Details
Hope → (verb) to want something to happen and think that it is possible*
Ilaria → (Italian form of Hillary) Happy, cheerful
Hope is one of those names that I find absolutely beautiful in their simplicity and meaning. All I want for my daughter is to never lose hope that her dreams will come true and never do it in her darkest times, either. I wish to contribute to that state of her mind and soul. I’m sure she would be a huge source of hope for the future to me as well.
Ilaria is a name that I love because of its soft, graceful and feminine sound, connection to Italy which was my first ever destination abroad, and of course the lovely meaning. I want my daughter to be a happy individual who brings joy effortlessly into others’ lives.
Faith Sonora 
Details
Faith → (noun) Trust in somebody’s ability or knowledge. Trust that somebody/something will do what has been promised.
Sonora → (Mexican place name) Loud ; Pleasant sounding
Faith is a name that I adore because of how multi-layered the meaning is. It can describe one’s relationship with God, but also “keeping faith in someone” means trusting them. I truly hope that I will never give my daughter any reason to lose faith in my promises and my love for her as a mother, however rocky our relationship may be at times. I also wish for her to find spirtitual happiness in whichever system of belief she finds speaking to her soul. She might not end up believing in the God that I do, but if she wishes to have a relationship with Him, I hope we can be on the path of bettering and strengthening it every single day together.
Sonora is a name I discovered very recently. I instantly fell in love with it because of how simillar it was to my other favourites - Serena and Senara. I find these types of names to be incredibly elegant and feminine without being frilly. I also love the meaning of this name. Reading it, one can think: “How can one be loud and pleasant sounding at the same time?”.
The truth is, sometimes even a child’s loudest scream can be pleasant to hear for a mother, as long as it signals the little one’s true happiness and excitement.
Grace Minuet 
Details
Grace → (noun) An attractive quality of movement that is smooth and done with control. A simple and beautiful quality ; A quality of behaviour that is polite and pleasant and deserves respect
Minuet → (noun) A slow and formal dance that was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries ; a piece of music for this dance
I think grace is a very important quality.
Movement and posture affect others’ perception of us more than we would like to admit. When I see a woman moving gracefully, I assume that she’s confident with her body and personality, as well as not afraid to embrace her feminine side.
When I think of that quality of movement, I imagine a woman dancing, and that’s why I chose a dance-related name like Minuet to match with Grace.
I, however, know, that there are clumsy people out there - clumsy women too. I am one myelf. I truly believe that those people can be graceful too in the way they behave. I associate behavioral grace with politness, respect for others, good manners and the ability to build oneself up without bringing others down.
Minuet is a name that was rivaling Odette for this combo. Odette from “Swan Lake” is one of the most recognisable ballet characters, and ballet is pretty commonly associated with fairy-tale-like themes and graceful spins.
However, at the end of the day I decided that Minuet is the better option because apart from being an actual name of a dance, it also represented my genuine love for history, especially the events that took place in the second half of the 18th century in Poland and France.
Minuet was especially loved by the aristocracy of that time and while it is sadly largely forgotten, we can still see it today performed in various costume dramas or historical reenactments. I will share a link showing one such performance for those who are unfamilliar but maybe interested!
Minuet dance performance
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this post! I don’t remember the last time when making combos brought me as much joy as in these instances and I am delighted to share them with you! You’re free to share your opinions on them, comment on the flow, meaning, or whatever you like.
I love [name_f]Ilaria[/name_f] and [name_f]Sonora[/name_f]. I’ve never thought of [name_f]Minuet[/name_f] as a name before, but it’s really enchanting.