Congratulations! I’m going to do you the courtesy of being perfectly honest.
Almost all of your boy names and quite a few of your girl names’ variants are on my long list. Sounds like we have similar taste. However… [name]Natalia[/name] and [name]Gabriella[/name] are way too similar to [name]Eliana[/name] [name]IMO[/name]. All 3 names are 4 syllables long; end in “-ah”; have the main stress on the third syllable; and have the secondary stress on the first syllable. Check it out:
[name]El[/name]-ee-AHN-ah
[name]Gab[/name]-ree-[name]ELL[/name]-ah
[name]Nat[/name]-ah-[name]LEE[/name]-ah
Also, this is just my thing, but I despise tacking on an “a” to the end of perfectly sensible, feminine names just to make them more feminissa. [name]Gabrielle[/name] and [name]Natalie[/name] are great names; I don’t see a point to adding an “a” at the end. It’s like an unnecessary adverb or something; I don’t like it. 'Course, for all I know, [name]Gabriella[/name] and [name]Natalia[/name] could be older names than [name]Gabrielle[/name] and [name]Natalie[/name]; but frankly, I don’t care. I don’t have anything against the “-a” ending when it’s intrinsic to the name (e.g. [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Rebecca[/name], [name]Eliana[/name], etc. - there’s no Sar, Rebek, or [name]Elian[/name]), but the totally arbitrary and unnecessary “-a” pisses me off. So:
[name]Gabriella[/name] - Dislike; [name]Gabrielle[/name] - [name]Love[/name]
[name]Natalia[/name] - Dislike; [name]Natalie[/name] - Like
Gracelynne/[name]Gracelyn[/name] - Hate. I have utter loathing for this name. It’s the only one on your list I cannot stand.
[name]Johanna[/name] - Like. Whatever happened to [name]Johann[/name], huh?
[name]Delilah[/name] - Like. But I’d never pick it because of the negative connotations from the Bible. Name’s got too much baggage.
[name]Lorelei[/name] - [name]Love[/name] (DH does not)
[name]Cordelia[/name] - [name]Love[/name], as does DH; on our short list
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]William[/name] (will, [name]Liam[/name])
[name]Reid[/name]
[name]Zachariah[/name] (zach)
[name]Josiah[/name] (joey)
Like or love all of these except the “[name]Liam[/name]” nn (unless, that is, you’re British; then it’s ok). [name]Zachariah[/name], [name]Maxwell[/name], and [name]Josiah[/name] would be on my short list if it weren’t for DH. I’m going to keep pushing for [name]Zachariah[/name], because it’s so awesome. Definitely my fave from your boy list; but, they’re all pretty great.
So… here’s the harsh part. I’m not feeling the love for nearly any of your girl middle names (except [name]Noelle[/name] and, to a lesser extent, [name]Sage[/name]); some of them feel trite (e.g. [name]Rayne[/name]), others overused to the point that I don’t care. 'Course, middle names aren’t that big of a deal most of the time; they are rarely said aloud or even thought about. Their only real function, I think, is to provide an alternative name just in case we have an utter loathing or horrible relationship with our first name for one reason or another. And for that reason, I think trite or overused names should be avoided. A middle name should be given the same kind of consideration as a first name, and not just put in place because it’s simple, one syllable, traditionally a middle name, and can be given without too much thought (e.g. [name]Rose[/name]). I think there’s a tendency to do this with girls because it’s like our middle names are just throwaways; we’ll “lose them anyway.” Well, maybe not. Give a real name, one that’s funky or spunky or weird. [name]Don[/name]'t treat your girls like 1/3 of their name doesn’t matter. That’s just my thoughts on girl middle names in general.
Anyway, hope I haven’t caused offense, and good luck!
