We have a short last name (four letters, similar to ‘gate’), so have favored longer names for our two daughters to provide balance.
Our first daughter, [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] was named after 4 days of heated discussion (almost a [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] or Sophia). The alternative spelling of ‘Amelia’ is a nod to my family, and I love the name. Emilia’s middle name is my surname (Italian in origin), which is what has been done for my name.
When Emilia’s sister came along, we wanted again to find a longer 3 syllable name and ideally a family name (now on my husband’s side). The family tree didn’t provide a lot of options but [name_f]Frances[/name_f], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] and [name_f]Tilly[/name_f] were included. We landed on [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] (Georgie) after about 2 weeks, which I suggested (though I was back and forth on Georgina).
Over the last 2 months or so, I’ve been feeling like we landed on the wrong name… I keep coming across boy George’s / Georgie’s, I have friends known as [name_f]Georgie[/name_f] and I dislike the name ‘Georgie’ in writing, though I think it stems from a fear that my daughter will grow up and dislike her own name (basically a feminine version of George). I’m not sure if this is just sleep deprivation/some kind of PPA, but I feel silly - at times - for deciding on a name that really hadn’t been on my radar/name lists previously, though I do like the spunkiness of the name now. A close friend’s daughter is also [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], so I wouldn’t consider changing to that (though my baby is now called [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] all the time! ).
Would appreciate advice on:
whether [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] work together stylistically, or any other suggestions; and
whether anyone has done a name change at 7/8 months (I am conscious we are running out of time but my husband has been very resistant to this idea) or alternatively, has grown to love the name selected over time.
I 100% think that [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] go together stylistically! Honestly, they are perfectly cohesive as sisters.
In favour of [name_f]Georgina[/name_f]: It’s a versatile name with so many nickname options, which your daughter can choose to go by if she wants an alternative to her full name, [name_f]Georgie[/name_f] or [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] as she grows. (E.g. [name_f]Gigi[/name_f], [name_f]Gina[/name_f], Ina.) It sounds like [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] provides a great balance to your short last name. I personally find all of the George-related names very warm and lovely.
I don’t have experience on changing a child’s first name, so I can’t answer that, but I know we have many here that experienced name doubt and regret, and dealt with it in various ways, so I hope you’ll here from them
I was pretty much going to say everything that @EdgeOfTheMeadow said, before being interrupted by having to get my own kids to bed.
I think they match stylistically, and personally love the [name_m]George[/name_m] names (Georgie was tha name of my imaginary friend when I was a kid, and [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] was on my own longer lists for naming my children). But I think [name_f]Gina[/name_f] feels like a beautiful nickname for your family?
I don’t have experience with changing my child’s name myself. I did have second thoughts when my daughter was about 3 months, we’d ended up with a shortlist of [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f], [name_f]Robyn[/name_f], and [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] that we had trouble deciding between. Went with [name_f]Robyn[/name_f] and when she was about 3 months I felt like maybe I’d made a mistake and she should have been [name_f]Elsie[/name_f]. But we kept her name as is, and it feels right now? I mean I kinda feel like she could be either, and with her current obsession with [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] from Frozen maybe I should’ve changed it but I’m not left with any lingering massive regret, she suits her name, and despite the “omg did we make the right choice” feelings at 3 months old, it was a name we chose with thought and love in the first place. So yeh, possibly partly those post-partum hormones?
Could you make a slight twist on it? [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] ‘Ana’ ‘Annie’ ‘Giana’ - or even [name_f]Giana[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f], [name_f]Jordana[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] etc?
I’d also consider - does your daughter respond to her name? If she does, then I’m not sure you should change it at this stage?
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] go together perfectly in my opinion. A very-very good match stylistically! They both come from a masculine name, both have this romantic vintage charm. They sound like beautiful sisters from a [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_m]Austen[/name_m] novel.
I love @Greyblue suggestion about a slight twist - [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] ´Ana’ is a gorgeous alternative!
Name regret is super normal it’s those pesky hormones doubting our decision making which is very overwhelming considering how huge decision naming a baby is! I massively doubted my decision making regarding my daughter’s name. What helped me was making a pros and cons list as to why I chose Lilia, addressing my insecurities surrounding the name, for a period of time wearing the name myself for example ordering Starbucks using Lilia and choosing a nickname I could introduce my daughter as in public to take the pressure off.
Looking at your daughter’s name you seem to have an issue with Georgie as a nickname have you thought of Gigi? Gigi is sweet, fashionable and very feminine. Gigi would also set her apart from the Georgie’s within your life.
Anyways moving on to what you wanted advice about I think Emilia + Georgina are a very cohesive sibling set they are both enduring, sweet, feminine classics that feel very regal. I actually think these two feel so cohesive that they are almost feel like a familiar pairing. You’ve really hit the nail on the head regarding sibling set cohesion.
When I named Lilia that was not the name I pictured for my child. I always envisioned having a daughter named Rose and aside from both names being floral they are very different from each other. I went with Lilia due to cultural expectations and this being my partner’s preferred option as he had some hang ups surrounding Rose. My daughter was also born during lockdown so I couldn’t test drive her name and when we came out of lockdown I introduced her to the world everyone thought her name was crazy and the butchering off her name was painful. This led to major name regret I felt I had bestowed such a terrible name onto my child and she would hate me for it. I considered changing her name. However the berries, my pros + cons list, the Starbucks test and some time (I started feeling this way when she was 8 weeks) I realised her name was perfect, my insecurities stemmed from ignorance/rude general public and not my actual feelings. So now when I’m in public I tend to call her Lily people are used to this name and the nickname works very well. It saves any blunt comments and makes things easier. I truly love Lilia and I think your reservations feel similar to mine. You will learn to love Georgina I actually think finding a nickname which feels special to you will help massively hence my suggestion of Gigi. I also want to add that children start to recognise their names at 6 months it forms part of their identity so if you do decide to change the name I would do it sooner rather than later. But honestly I wouldn’t change the name!
First, just to say I had this with my daughter’s name, a sinking feeling I should have called her a name I’d loved for a far longer time. I felt so weird and wonky about it - and it was at about the 6 month mark, which is apparently the time (said GP) when significant proportion of mothers come in to say they feel bad (attachment happy hormones waning, fatigue actually kicking in). So it could be PPA speaking.
I think Emilia and Georgina complement each other beautifully. They sound like supportive sisters in a book set in a big Edwardian house. For nicknames, I personally prefer Gigi; Gia; G/Gi/Gee; George; or even Ginny or Genie/Jeanie. I like Georgie too, but am not a Gina fan (would grow on me though if I knew one!).
At this stage when the child has already started to recognise their own name, if you do change it I would get a plan to change it to a similar sounding name (Georgiana or Georgianna for eg - which would also be a nice nod to Hannah - or Georgette). Or to use Georgina with the new name for a while as double barrelled names and slowly sub out.
Another or joint option is to change the middle. I really like Georgina Frances. Or even Georgina Francine. You could have Georgina Katherine - or possibly Georgina Kitty to keep it fresh and spunky. Usually a 2+ syllable middle to flows really well to a one syllable/short last name, and I think in this case it might anyway give you a way to use a name you’re sure you really like without changing Georgina. You might be able to tie it in over time/ make it part of the name, informally if Georgina and its nicknames don’t quite feel right (I assume they will though!). Lastly, keep in mind that you’ve chosen sophisticated girls’ names that will only become better with age - which is ideal!
this is coming from the perspective of someone whose full name (first and middle) is literally emilia georgina!
i’ve always liked my middle name, i think it’s pretty. most of my friends from my school currently call me it. more of a joke then anything but at school most my friends (and teachers) either call me some variant of either my first or middle name! when it comes to variants of my middle name it’s usually gigi or gia.
i think emilia and georgina work really sweet as a sibling set, and tie nicely to one and other. they are both feminine versions of boys names (emil and george) however both sound like girls names, super pretty names.
whatever you decided is yours and your husbands choice, and i wish you good luck!
I like the idea of trying out new nicknames. [name_f]Gia[/name_f], [name_f]Gigi[/name_f], [name_f]Gina[/name_f] are great ideas, I think you could even stretch it to [name_f]Nina[/name_f], [name_f]Jojo[/name_f] or [name_f]Gio[/name_f] if you want personally, I believe the name will grow on you. It’s a beautiful, sweet name and it goes perfectly with [name_f]Emilia[/name_f].
I never changed my babies name but yes I did experience some regret over my 2nd daughters name. Despite loving the name before we picked it and loving the name after picking it… I blame the hormones! But I will say that the doubt went away quite suddenly and 2 years later I still love my daughters name. I do wonder because we chose such a big name if it just took a while for a tiny baby to ‘grow into it’ if you know what I mean.
I agree with everyone else the two names work well together and the advantage of the longer name means there are a lot of nicknames you can go with apart from the obvious [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] if you were loving that one so much at the moment… sometimes what the older sibling calls them can be the cutest nickname… or in our case the most unexpected and oddly perfect at times too so maybe keep an ear out for what big sis calls her you might come across a gem there!
All the best with your decision and enjoy all those baby cuddles!
I do not have experience with this, but I second what @Greyblue said above. Picking a nickname you like more might help the name sit better with you. And I agree that changing her name or not hinges a lot on if she has formed a connection to her name.
All, thank you for your thoughtful and helpful responses. I appreciate you all taking the time to write!
It has definitely given me much to muse on - I will try using [name_f]Gigi[/name_f] and see if that nickname suits better, and I also like the ideal of adjusting the middle name (if I can get agreement on this).
I love [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] together, especially the nn [name_f]Georgie[/name_f] as I am a huge fan of boyish nn for girls (think [name_f]Frankie[/name_f], [name_m]Max[/name_m], etc.)
Maybe you can try using a different nn for [name_f]Georgina[/name_f], like [name_f]Gigi[/name_f], [name_f]Gianna[/name_f] or [name_f]Gia[/name_f].
If you wish to change it, you totally can! But I think [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] makes for a lovely sibset.
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] definitely work together! I believe they have a similiar style and vibe. Both are old-fashioned, feminine, traditional but international, elegant and romantic. I think they feel poetic, actually. Almost like they were stolen from a classic [name_f]English[/name_f] literature book written by [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_m]Austen[/name_m] or [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_m]Alcott[/name_m].
I’m not a parent, but I believe feeling indecisive or having some baby name regret is common. The following questions have probably croosed your mind already, but I think they will help you reflect.
Are you only feeling conflicted about your choice for about two months ago? Did anything happen at that time?
Did you always feel secure about your choice until recently? Why or why not?
Who suggested her name?
What reasons make you select [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] for your daughter?
How did you feel after sharing her name or after her birth and name registration?
Is anyone’s opinion or reaction affecting your vision of the name? And why?
Does your daughter look like a [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] to you?
Are there are other names on your mind that you always wanted to use or that you feel that suit her better?
Does your daughter recognize her name already?
Would your partner consider other names? Does he share your worries about [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] or not?
I think both you and your partner need to reflect and share your opinion with one another. Perhaps you could do a list of pros and cons about the name. Maybe you could test another name for a couple of days. Eventually, you could just talk and remember all the aspect you love about [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] and rediscovered the lost sparkle!
Like other posters suggested, nicknames are a fabulous help in this situations! [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] is a wonderful idea! I think there’s no reason to change the first name if you stick with [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] or other nickname. [name_f]Gia[/name_f], [name_f]Gigi[/name_f], [name_f]Giana[/name_f], [name_m]Geo[/name_m], [name_f]Ginnie[/name_f], [name_f]Gina[/name_f], [name_f]Gen[/name_f], [name_f]Gemma[/name_f] (mixing the first and middle name) and [name_f]Ginger[/name_f] are very interesting too.
At the end, if that doesn’t work for you, your baby is still very young. You have enough time to change her name. You can always add a first name and keep her current name in the middle name spot. In alternative, you can also add another middle name, perhaps a name that you always admired but didn’t use.
Follow your heart and intuition! Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be the best decision for your daughter. I hope you find some peace soon. Good luck!
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] match very well. Both are nice names and I do not think your daughter would be unhappy with [name_f]Georgina[/name_f]. There are many Josephines Georgias, Alexandras, Patricias, Antonias, [name_f]Janes[/name_f] and other women with feminised male names. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is a feminised version of [name_m]Charles[/name_m]. [name_f]Frances[/name_f] is a feminisation of [name_m]Francis[/name_m] - I prefer it for a girl.
I questioned particularly the choice of name of my first child for months and and still think about it and the other options (he’s 7), but really love his name. At the same time, it would be fine to change the name IF you are sure know what you want to change it to. All the names mentioned in your post are good ones. I particularly like [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] and [name_f]Frances[/name_f].
This could absolutely be PND. Talk to your doctor about it.
I feel [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] are wonderful names, and go well together.
I sympathize with this heavily. [name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] but ever since I could form any memories everyone called me ‘Gabi’. [name_f]My[/name_f] siblings are [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (named after my grandma Carol), [name_f]Cassidy[/name_f] and [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] As a child I never liked the name ‘Gabi’ (didn’t like that you could rhyme it with words like crabby and I always hated when I shared a class with another Gabi/Gabby or Abby) but as I got older I learned to absolutely love it and here’s why:
I’ve always enjoyed the name [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] and even asked people to call me that once I moved from my small town to a college campus filled with strangers. I also always thought ‘Gabi’ was childish and couldn’t picture being called [name_m]Gabi[/name_m] in a professional setting which mattered to me because I was interested in a male dominated career–engineering–and I didn’t want something like my name to be an additional reason I wouldn’t be taken seriously. Basically I wanted my name to sound mature, almost scholarly, uncommon and a name that you’d never mistake for another (like [name_f]Abby[/name_f] which I was called so many times as a child that I stopped correcting people, same with Gabriel). ANYWAY I now LOVE all aspects of my name. I grew to love the spelling of my name as it was simple yet unique and allowed me to stand out from other Gabbys. As far as the annoyance regarding being called the wrong name, I don’t mind it anymore. Now I just let it go completely but the special thing is that when someone says it correctly (or spells it correctly) I know I am in the presence of someone familiar with the name enough to appreciate the beauty of it or someone who took the time to remember/pronounce it. All my friends and those who were once strangers but now a huge part of my life are one of the people who got my name right the first time, purely by coincidence?.
Sorry for the ramble. [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] is beautiful and meaningful. try a unique nickname with simple spelling maybe? and yes it’s definitely possible that it could grow on you and it might take 20 years or maybe your daughter will grow up expressing how much she loves her name. If there are aspects of the name you like (such as a meaning or namesake, which you may not discover until later, like a woman who historically made an impact named that) hold onto what you like about it and tell your daughter why her name is special and unique to you.
Nickname possibilities:
-Gina but spelled like [name_f]Gena[/name_f]
-Gena pronounced [name_f]Jenna[/name_f]
-Gia or [name_f]Gea[/name_f]
-Geo
-Gigi
-Gianna
-Geoa ‘jee-O-uh’
-Joa
-Jorja/Joja/Jonie/Jorie/Jo
I also thought of using the middle name— [name_f]Gemma[/name_f] or Gemae ‘gem-ay’
-Jima or Gima
-Ina
-Nina
-Nana
-jonah
-Rina
-Regina
-Angie
-Jeanne
-Genie/Geni/Geeny
-Giany
-Reenie
-Roe
-Ona
-Ana
-Gana
-Jeja or Geeja
-Ginger
or simply commit to establishing her name as [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] and no nicknames(really work hard to have others only call her that as well)
Some names are better without nicknames and are long. Such as [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], my sister’s name. We always said [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] and on occasion my mom or dad would call her [name_f]Line[/name_f], [name_f]Lina[/name_f], or [name_f]Bina[/name_f] in an endearing way.
Hugs to you! Naming and momming are both so hard! In my opinion the siblings names match beautifully. You have SO many nickname options that work with Georgina… honestly way more than most names so you have options!
[name_f]Gia[/name_f] & [name_f]Gina[/name_f] are favorites of mine but [name_f]Gigi[/name_f] is also super cute. Good luck to you
).
but I’m not left with any lingering massive regret, she suits her name, and despite the “omg did we make the right choice” feelings at 3 months old, it was a name we chose with thought and love in the first place. So yeh, possibly partly those post-partum hormones?
They sound like beautiful sisters from a [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_m]Austen[/name_m] novel. 
personally, I believe the name will grow on you. It’s a beautiful, sweet name and it goes perfectly with [name_f]Emilia[/name_f].
