I’m playing around with name ideas for our new addition due in [name_u]June[/name_u] and I was thinking it would be a neat way to honor my mother and mother in law to use their birth flowers as the inspiration for choosing names. My mother’s birth flower is [name_f]Lily[/name_f] of the [name_f]Valley[/name_f] or [name_m]Hawthorn[/name_m] and my [name_f]MIL[/name_f]'s is Larkspur. For larkspur I could use [name_u]Larkin[/name_u] (b or g) or just [name_f]Lark[/name_f] (g). I love both of those! [name_m]Hawthorn[/name_m] (or just [name_m]Thorn[/name_m]?? Idk…) could work for a boy’s MN. But if it’s a girl I’ll need something from [name_f]Lily[/name_f] of the [name_f]Valley[/name_f] and I’m having a difficult time coming up with something I like. [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is so boring and overused [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. I though [name_f]Lila[/name_f] but that’s not much better. There is [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] but I feel like that is stepping too far away from the idea plus I’m not over the moon about it. I adore [name_f]Lyra[/name_f] (it was already on the list before this idea occurred to me) but that’s even further removed and I feel like it wouldn’t make the connection very well?
Any suggestions?
If I can’t come up with a way to use both I’ll just scrap the idea all together because this is likely our last child and I’d hate to leave one of the ladies out.
Thanks! [name_m]How[/name_m] is Lylyen pronounced? Lie [name_u]Lynn[/name_u]? Lie Li En?. I love [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] but I’m not sure that’s not too many degrees of separation? Especially if the other was so obvious. [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] [name_u]Larkin[/name_u] is cute though. I don’t think DH would go for Gwenonwy but I think it’s lovely.
The Latin name of lily of the valley is Convallaria, but I’m guessing you don’t want any [name_u]Val[/name_u]- names or you’d have suggested them, so maybe [name_u]Connie[/name_u] or [name_f]Aria[/name_f]? You could just go with [name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_f]Maia[/name_f] to honour the birth month, but it might be weird to have a [name_f]May[/name_f] born in [name_u]June[/name_u] (if baby comes early then you’re golden).
Some other variants of [name_f]Lily[/name_f]: [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Liliana[/name_f], [name_f]Lilia[/name_f], [name_f]Lilias[/name_f] (lovely old-fashioned Scottish version used in The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] Garden). And of course [name_f]Susan[/name_f] / [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] have the meaning ‘lily’.
Spinning off of [name_f]Valley[/name_f], perhaps [name_u]Vale[/name_u] for a boy or [name_f]Valerie[/name_f] for a girl?
[name_u]Larkin[/name_u] [name_u]Vale[/name_u]
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] [name_u]Vale[/name_u]
[name_u]Larkin[/name_u] [name_f]Valerie[/name_f]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f] [name_f]Valerie[/name_f]
My mom taught me this little song when I was tiny:
White coral bells / upon a slender stalk
Lillies of the valley / deck my garden walk
Oh don’t you wish / that you could hear them sing
That will happen only when… the fairies ring
Anyway, I love lilies of the valley and I always find [name_f]Coral[/name_f] and [name_f]Belle[/name_f] evocative. I’ve even seen Coralbelle used as one name but I have no idea myself if that is a) adorable or b) terrible.
I’m not a fan of [name_u]Val[/name_u] names in particular. [name_u]Vale[/name_u] isn’t terrible but it’s a bit dull to me. If we go with this idea I’d want to be consistent and stick with birth flower themed for both. Thanks for the suggestions!
That’s very sweet Stripedsocks I do really like [name_f]Coral[/name_f] but again, getting too far I think. Or maybe it wouldn’t matter? Idk I just feel like if one is obvious and the other is obscure then it doesn’t seem like both are getting equal honor or something?
This might be only me, but I associate [name_u]Marian[/name_u] and [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] with lily of the valley. [name_f]Kate[/name_f] [name_m]Bush[/name_m] has a song called The Song of [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] where she sings “I’ll do it for you, I’ll be the lily of the valley for you, and I’ll do it for you, I’ll be [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] or [name_u]Marian[/name_u] for you…”. It’s utterly beautiful, but I listen to this a lot when I was a child so it’'s probably a personal thing…
I do really like [name_f]Coral[/name_f] but again, getting too far I think. Or maybe it wouldn’t matter? Idk I just feel like if one is obvious and the other is obscure then it doesn’t seem like both are getting equal honor or something?