Our daughter is 11 weeks old and I am having a hard time with her name. At the time of her birth we narrowed it down to two names and chose one a week after she was born. The name isn’t doing anything for me and I am not sure what to do. My hubby doesn’t want to change it but is willing to if I really can’t stand it. Her name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_u]. Her middle name [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a name that comes from my family so I think we have to keep it. The other name we had for her was [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. She is so laid back and sweet, I think [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] might be too spunky (although she has pretty wild hair, lol) for her but of course babies personalities change so it probably doesn’t make sense to focus on that. I am really torn on what to do.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] we start the naming process virtually over? We want a name that will suit her throughout her life and one that I love would be great.
The reasons I don’t love the name [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]: reminds me of [name_f]Laura[/name_f] which I don’t like for some reason, the nickname people tend to use is Lo Lo (which obviously won’t be used on a grown up), its a bit plain, people pronounce it differently etc.
Some other names we have thought of were [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] (in replace of [name_f]Anna[/name_f]), [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] (but hubby doesn’t like it), [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u], [name_f]Kenley[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] (but we can’t use it because of a family friend, [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], [name_f]Hayley[/name_f], [name_f]Aliya[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f] (but doesn’t go with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]), Béa, [name_u]Riley[/name_u]…
Would love to hear your thoughts. I might also feel a bit embarrassed changing it but that’s something I will have to get over!
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a sweet name. [name_m]How[/name_m] are people pronouncing it? I can’t imagine [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] gets a ton of butchered pronunciations. My cousin is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], so I have a great association with it. My cousin is a nurse, very friendly, beautiful, and just a sweet person all-around. That’s just how I see the name [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], of course, but it sounds like your baby may be similar.
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is trendy at the moment. If that’s what you’d prefer, by all means there’s no problem with it, however [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is one of those names that’s always there but never crazy popular. It is a diminutive of [name_f]Laura[/name_f] - for this reason I think it’s less boring and stale than [name_f]Laura[/name_f].
Other names from your list are a mix of popular and trendy. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]/[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]/[name_f]Emily[/name_f]/[name_f]Emma[/name_f] - popular classics. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f]/[name_f]Hayley[/name_f]/[name_u]Hadley[/name_u] - trendy. [name_f]Aliya[/name_f], [name_f]Bea[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], and [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] are somewhere in the middle. I wonder if you’ll have the same issues with [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], etc. as you do with [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]? They’re pretty plain and uninspired now that they’re so popular. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f], etc. will date your daughter to this current trend. If you’re going to change her name, I would pick from your others. [name_f]Bea[/name_f] [name_u]Baldwin[/name_u] has a fun alliteration, that is up to you whether it bothers you or not. I like [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] and [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] the best.
I think you made a good choice with [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] (some of your other ideas would now be more “plain” in fact) and that you should keep her name as such.
I like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] best of all your choices. I wonder where anyone gets Lo Lo? I’d think of [name_f]Lore[/name_f] or [name_u]Wren[/name_u] before Lo Lo.
I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is unbelievably beautiful. It’s feminine, sweet, classic, strong, and fits any age. You have many great choices, but I would keep [name_f]Lauren[/name_f].
Hello! I totally understand the second-guessing thing. I am very indecisive and I bet when I have a kid I will do the same thing. Based on having that personality, I would advise you to not change the name. It is what you decided on in the first place so you had to have liked it a lot at some point. If you feel like it doesn’t suit her, don’t worry; [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is a very open-type name that could suit many personalities. I think that as she develops more and more of a personality that shows, the more [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] will seem to fit with her personality to everyone that thinks of it. A great way to make it more “her” is to come up with a suitable nickname: Lor, [name_u]Laurie[/name_u], [name_u]Ren[/name_u], [name_u]Wren[/name_u], LA, [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Banana[/name_f], initials with L and then your surname initials.
As for your other options, I will comment on [name_f]Hayley[/name_f], because my name is [name_f]Hayley[/name_f]. I think it’s a lovely name and I like it. However, I am CONSTANTLY given comments about “oh, a yoo-neek spelling” with disdain, even though [name_f]Hayley[/name_f] is actually the traditional British spelling and all others are variants. I love that you picked the right (hehe) way to spell [name_f]Hayley[/name_f], but know that some people who don’t know anything about name etymology may make snide comments about Yoo-neek spellings. (Granted: I live in [name_f]Alabama[/name_f]. I suspect this phenomenon may be less common in other regions).
Whether or not you choose to change her name is a personal choice and and I will not try to convince you one way or another, but will try and provide helpful feedback. Of your other names on your list, [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], and [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] sound the best with middle [name_f]Anna[/name_f], and since it is a family name that would be the most likely piece to keep. These three are also well known but not over saturated names (charlotte has majorly picked up in popularity but hasn’t quite hit the threshold of names like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f].)
At first because of the capitalization I thought your were naming your baby Regret! LOL! At least it’s not that bad!
While I would never personally choose [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], I think it’s a fine name. It’s sort of plain to me, esp when paired with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. But that’s neither here nor there. Really, it matters what you two think. I think, most of all, you shouldn’t avoid changing the name just because of social pressure / what people might think. Everyone will forget about it soon enough and you’d hate to have her grow up with a name she doesn’t like just because of that.
Interestingly, ‘[name_f]Lauren[/name_f]’ comes from the bay laurel tree. [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]? I think it’s beautiful! Also, you might link of [name_f]Laura[/name_f] because [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is a variant of [name_f]Laura[/name_f].
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a sweet name! Classic, tailored and pretty, it wears well.
In your situation I’m inclined to do as some other posters have suggested and just find a fun nickname. I’m partial to [name_u]Wren[/name_u], but I think you could get away with [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Annabel[/name_f], [name_f]Annalise[/name_f], [name_f]Lea[/name_f], [name_u]Lee[/name_u], [name_u]Lane[/name_u], Lorian, and probably a dozen others.
It’s less popular than [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], so it might not seem as plain. It’s definitely a soft, laid-back name. It would allow people close to you to use the same nicknames they may have gotten attached to. It’s not unfamiliar, nor is it crazy. Very similar to [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], but also to [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], and [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] from your list. I think [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a very sweet name.
I love the name [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] (and for what it’s worth I hate the name [name_f]Laura[/name_f]). [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is sweet, pretty, and classic.
I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is sweet, maybe a fun nickname would be a good way to give you that little extra something?
I would suggest…
[name_u]Laney[/name_u]
[name_f]Lana[/name_f]
[name_f]Lani[/name_f]
[name_u]Laurie[/name_u]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Lenna[/name_f]
[name_u]Lennie[/name_u]
[name_f]Leann[/name_f]
[name_f]Leanna[/name_f]
Or you could consider going by her middle name [name_f]Anna[/name_f], or one of [name_f]Anna[/name_f]'s nicknames…
[name_f]Anne[/name_f]
[name_f]Annie[/name_f]
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f]
[name_f]Nan[/name_f]
[name_f]Nancy[/name_f]
Okay to start I actually really like the combo [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. It flows in my opinion and I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is quite versatile. I know two [name_m]Laurens[/name_m]. One is an adult and she is really nice. She sweet and plays piano and sings. The other is my friend at school and she is laid back and really easy going. I think you should keep the name as it is because you chose it for a reason. You might regret it now but something in you liked it. I think the name will start to grow on you. Some nicknames: Lo, Laur, [name_f]Lala[/name_f] (strange but her name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] so I thought it was pretty cool - but it might just be a teenage thing).
If you seriously cannot stand no matter how you look at it how about:
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
[name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_u]Hadley[/name_u] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Alexandria[/name_f] [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
My name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and growing up, I received a lot of compliments on it. I think it’s a name that ages well. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you want a nn for your LO? I never had a nickname growing up. Maybe [name_f]Lana[/name_f]?
I like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. It flows nicely. If you want more spice, what about [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anouk[/name_f]?
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is beautiful! Have you tried calling her by her middle name, or even a nickname like [name_f]Annie[/name_f]?
I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is very pretty and malleable enough that you can find a nn instead of changing it altogether.
I love the suggestions of [name_u]Wren[/name_u]/[name_u]Ren[/name_u] and [name_f]Lana[/name_f] (a contraction of [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f])
Like so many other posters, [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is just a gorgeous name that I feel is far and away prettier than your other options.
As an incredibly fickle baby namer, I understand your apprehension to hang on to a name you just don’t love - I’m so sorry you have that trepidation; it’s an awful feeling and you should love your daughter’s name.
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is beautiful, I agree. I can understand wanting to change her name. I have never named an actual human and it seems daunting. however, both [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] are timeless classics. Have you tried, as others suggested, nicknames? [name_f]Lanna[/name_f] seems intuitive to me. If not, maybe it is right to “begin the process again” as you said. Perhaps she’ll end up [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] still, and perhaps you’ll find a name that works better for her. Good luck and I hope you find a resolution that works.