([name]Paul[/name] and [name]Cameron[/name] are family maiden names from both sides of my family. I’ve always wanted to use [name]Alexander[/name], and [name]Brendan[/name] is after a very dear friend of mine. My boyfriend says it’s “too girly” though [but he doesn’t know I want to use it for a friend]. Thoughts? I associate it more sounding like “friend”.)
Girls:
[name]Cara[/name] [name]Philippa[/name] (I know it sounds repetitive, but it has significance for my bf and I. We’ll use it for our daughter when the time comes years from now)
[name]Lyra[/name] ____ (Lye-ruh or Leer-ah? I lean towards the second, but I think both are pretty)
[name]Eva[/name] ___
Laurelyn ____
Oh and I just saw [name]Charlotte[/name], which I’ve always liked anyway, with NN [name]Lollie[/name]. Cute!
Here’s one I’ve never seen but if it wasn’t a word, I would use it. I think it has a very pleasant sound to it:
Idea
[name]Paul[/name] and [name]Cameron[/name] are such interesting family maiden names. [name]How[/name] lucky you are! I personally think that [name]Brendan[/name] is rather dated - as in 1990s. [name]Alexander[/name], on the other hand, is a classic, and I like [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Cameron[/name] and [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Paul[/name]!
As for your girl names, [name]Cara[/name] [name]Philippa[/name] is a bit repetitive and sing-song-y, but it makes for a pleasing, whimsical name in my opinion. So sweet! [name]Lyra[/name] is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and I really like [name]Lyra[/name] (LEER-ah) [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Lyra[/name] [name]Gwendolyn[/name], personally. [name]Lyra[/name] is spunky and sweet, feminine and charming! I’m not the biggest [name]Eva[/name] fan, and I honestly prefer it as a nickname for [name]Evangeline[/name]. As for combos there, I like [name]Evangeline[/name] [name]Ruby[/name], [name]Evangeline[/name] [name]Celeste[/name], and [name]Evangeline[/name] [name]Mireille[/name] (meer-AY). Honestly, I don’t at all care for Laurelyn - 1) it looks trendy and made-up, 2) it sounds dated, and 3) it looks like a butchering of [name]Laura[/name], [name]Lauren[/name] [my name], and [name]Lynne[/name]! Sorry…
So, I think that your best bets for sibling sets are [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Lyra[/name] [name]Gwendolyn[/name], [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Cara[/name] [name]Philippa[/name], or [name]Lyra[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Evangeline[/name] [name]Ruby[/name]!
Take care, and good luck!
[name]Lemon[/name]
PS I’m not a fan of obscure word names - like Idea - used for names, personally. Sorry!
Thanks for your feedback!
Oh yes, I would never use Idea as a name because it is already a word. I was wondering more if anyone else thought that it could be a name if it wasn’t already a word.
I was trying to decide which way around on the boy names to use [name]Cameron[/name] and [name]Paul[/name] with, and I think that way sounded less repetitive/abrupt. (Haha it’s late and I should stop typing when I can’t think as clearly as I want…)
Oh! Well, I suppose if Idea wasn’t a word, it might make a nice name. It does have a soft, sweet sound and gentle but significant melody. It is just a tad bit feminine - without the frills - and has a playful feel to it. Very whimsical indeed…
As for [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Paul[/name], I can see where you might think that it has a bit of an abrupt sound to it. However, I think [name]Alexander[/name], with its length and soft ending, lends a great deal of melody to the name that is “completed” with the straightforward [name]Paul[/name]. [name]Just[/name] my opinion! Also, have you considered [name]Cameron[/name] [name]Paul[/name] as a name? It just dawned on me as an alternative to [name]Brendan[/name] [name]Paul[/name]…
Definitely pronounced lye-ra. It is from the the greek “lyre”, a musical instrument much like a harp. There is also a constellation of the same name and pronounciation, it is named after a story in greek mythology.
Pronouncing it [name]Lee[/name]-ra is much the same as saying “lira” (as in italian currency).
Though both pronounciations are commonly used, I personally prefer the one that sounds like an instrument and a constellation rather than one that sounds like a form of money.
The tricky part will be deciding between our preferences when we’re actually expecting. I am definitely more of a traditional name-person, much like my mother. He likes “strange and uncommon names”-- Fahren?
But we did agree on [name]Alexander[/name] (nn [name]Xander[/name]) because then it could go both ways.
I thought of [name]Torin[/name] ([name]Toryn[/name] for F)… didn’t tell him that one. For some reason, it sounds close to Fahren but I like it a lot better. Maybe “fah” is too nasaly for my liking. And that BF’s last name is Polish (and therefore uncommon)… I don’t know, I just think they would look too intense or something together. Oh and it starts with a B so some initials wouldn’t work.
What about [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Brendan[/name]? I would really like to be able to use my [other] friend’s name in there. He’s not an ex or anything because that would be awkward haha. I think the name flows well.
jill - thanks for that list! My favourites from the girl section are [name]Eva[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Eva[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Josephine[/name]. ([name]Eliza[/name] seems like a clash to me. ‘[name]Charlotte[/name]’ sounds regal to me, and ‘[name]Eliza[/name]’… kind of the opposite. I’m thinking [name]Eliza[/name]-[name]Jane[/name] [name]Wilder[/name] from [name]Little[/name] House on the [name]Prairie[/name], there was an 80s(?) tv series about it that I saw)
Because of BF’s last name, and that it starts with B, I think it’s best to avoid names that start with B that have harsh-sounding consonants. And the ‘cl’ in [name]Declan[/name] is something to avoid for sure. I like only [name]Rowan[/name] from that list really… And I like all of the names under the [name]Alexander[/name]-esque link. And strangely, none of the exotic names appeal to me. I like [name]Nora[/name], [name]Vivian[/name], [name]Amelia[/name] & [name]Emiline[/name] (but they’re too close to my sister’s name), [name]Eleanor[/name] & [name]Lydia[/name].
rbyndlrsn - thanks for the note about italian currency! BF’s family is Italian actually (and Polish), and being in [name]Britain[/name] means they might have heard of that already anyway so the association of that pronunciation might be ‘too much’ for them. But me being in [name]Canada[/name] has never heard of it.
Laurelyn - wasn’t that the name of some fantasy princess? [name]Don[/name]'t mind it apart from that unwanted association with some story I don’t think I even read. Then again, I happen to like [name]Laurel[/name], which is just about to drop off the chart if it hasn’t already.
I don’t mind [name]Brendan[/name]. I guess he thinks it sounds like [name]Brenda[/name], which it does, but that association would never have occurred to me. I still consider 80s and 90s names normal (note that normal isn’t always good), and the current list still seems weird. Having been common then doesn’t make a name bad. I’d rather have a name that was common 10 years before I was born than one that was popular at the same time.
I wouldn’t use [name]Cameron[/name] as a first name - too common right now.
