I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] goes best with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is also nice with [name_f]Anna[/name_f] as a middle but I don’t like the other names on your list together with [name_f]Anna[/name_f] tbh. [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] gets my vote.
Overall I think you should stick with [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] but here’s a few suggestions that might work for you as well:
Similar to [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]:
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Lourdes[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Annelore[/name_f] (With a different middle)
[name_f]Maren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonore[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]
Names that give me the same feel as [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]:
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u]
[name_f]Helen[/name_f] or [name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Caitlyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] are lovely names. The only problem I see with [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is the final “n” of [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] followed so closely by the “n” sound in [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. If it’s possible to use [name_f]Anna[/name_f] in the first spot, what about reversing the names? [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]. You could use the nickname [name_f]Annie[/name_f] [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] like the old song.
I second the suggestion of [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]. Beautiful name, a bit more uncommon, very versatile, with the additional benefit that it wouldn’t be a huge upset to change one letter. I have encountered 3 people with the name [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] all different ages (a young child, a early-twenties woman, and a middle-aged mother with 4 children) and the name has sounded beautiful on all of them.
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] would be lovely, but if [name_f]Anna[/name_f] still feels to plain [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] is pretty as well as almost any other variant of [name_f]Anna[/name_f], such as:
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]/e
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] Annith
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anita[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]/[name_f]Annelise[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Annabeth[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is nice, and I prefer it to anything from the list of alternatives you proposed. Most of the names on your list are extremely popular currently ([name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]) or were extremely popular in the last 25 years ([name_u]Chelsea[/name_u], [name_f]Hayley[/name_f], [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f]) so they are likely to feel dated in your daughter’s adulthood, while [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is a classic that feels appropriate for a person of any age. The only name from your list I could perhaps recommend over [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. I love the sound of [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f], but even [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is currently on the rise and runs the risk of becoming dated. (I also love [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], but unfortunately that doesn’t help you.)
If you’re set on changing it, I do love the idea of [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] because it has a nicer flow than [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f], and [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] is quite underused so the name feels fresher overall.
If you want to go far away from [name_f]Lauren[/name_f], how about [name_f]Violet[/name_f]? It sticks the nature theme and has sounds in common with [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] or [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], and I think it pairs nicely with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] is another one of those old names that’s started to become trendy again, but it hasn’t (and likely won’t) reach the popularity of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], and it only fell out of use for about 10 years so it feels like more of a classic than [name_f]Mabel[/name_f].
If you’re not sure about changing the name (or just can’t decide what to change it to), I really do think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] will grow on you, and it will definitely age well for your daughter.
I think ultimately the choice of whether to change it is a very personal one between you and your husband, so I’m not sure I can advise you one way or the other, but I would like to provide you with some reassurance that [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a lovely name and one that will (or could) grow with her throughout all her life stages, and some thoughts on alternative names.
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f] reminds me of the legendary actress [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] Bacall, so for that reason I don’t think of it as plain at all! I think Lo Lo is an adorable nickname, but is it the nickname that’s bothering you? Because as others have mentioned there are some other good and more unexpected options for [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] ([name_u]Ren[/name_u] and [name_f]Lana[/name_f] seems like particularly fresh ones, but I think the more classic [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] is cute too).
If you do decide to change it, at only 11 weeks, your little girl won’t mind, and people will soon come to know and love her by the new name. I like the suggestion of [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] (though personally I prefer [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]) as a slight change that might be a good alternative to both [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] (which it sounds like was perhaps a top choice if not for it being used by a friend). I will say I also really like [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] paired with [name_f]Anna[/name_f], but [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is very popular right now (more so if you add other spelling variations of it as well), so it may feel less timeless than [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] down the line (though it is an ancient name, so if it were “the” one I would encourage you to go for it–I’m just saying I’m not sure it would be a better fit than [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]). I also thought of the option of combining [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] with a name like [name_f]Zora[/name_f].
Good luck! I will say my gut reaction is to keep a lovely name like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] and try to find a nickname or some other way of seeing it in a new light that will really make you love it. But I think all of us here on nameberry understand how important names can be, and I have heard successful stories of name changes (even much later than 11 weeks!), so if that is the right path for you, then I encourage you to take it. And above all I hope you enjoy these incredible first weeks and months with your little girl!
I honestly love the name [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. It’s always been one of my favourites and if my husband didn’t have a cousin called [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] we definitely would have used it for our daughter.
I suffered from name regret too after a few weeks. I found myself thinking ‘we could have have named her ANYTHING and we chose [name_f]Mila[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f]. Is it right for her? She has to have it forever. What if [name_f]Mila[/name_f] gets too popular?’.
We stuck with it and now she’s definitely a [name_f]Mila[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f].
We named our daughter [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] so I’m clearly partial to option of the [name_f]Lore[/name_f]- contingent.
When our daughter was a couple of months old I started to worry we had chosen the wrong name as well. The sound of her name felt wrong, I’d call her by her name and it just didn’t fit. So in private (while DH was at work) I tried out other names that had been on our list and discovered that they too felt odd.
Maybe choosing a nn like [name_u]Wren[/name_u] would help you like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] more? (I’m not trying to urge you to keep a name for her that you don’t like but I do worry that if you change it to hastily that you might have the same issue later again.) Good [name_m]Luck[/name_m]!
I agree w/previous posters who have suggested [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]…there’s even a YA mystery by [name_f]Phyllis[/name_f] [name_u]Whitney[/name_u] in which the protagonist is [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] (which is where I first heard & grew fond of the name). Someone else also suggested [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] as a middle name variant, which I would second. [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] sounds lovely, at least to my ear! If you stick w/[name_f]Lauren[/name_f], I loved the suggestions of [name_u]Wren[/name_u] as a nickname…or potentially [name_f]Luna[/name_f]? [name_f]Lola[/name_f]? Good luck!
I like the idea of changing the middle name to [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] sounds like “[name_f]Laura[/name_f] [name_f]Nana[/name_f]” to me (which could be why you’re getting a big “[name_f]Laura[/name_f]” feeling). [name_m]Just[/name_m] adding that H really breaks it up into two distinct names; they can’t run together anymore.
Plus, then you’re not really changing the name- most people probably don’t even know/remember the middle name at this point, and those that do could be talked into thinking it was really [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] all along and they just misheard it
My name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and I’ve always loved my name. It’s a strong, but beautiful name. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is so trendy right now, I can’t even tell you how many [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s I know in my 7 and 5 year olds groups. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] that your little girl will grow up and while maybe [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] seems cutesy now, a grown woman doesn’t want cutesy. And I have never, ever, ever, ever had the nickname [name_f]Lolo[/name_f].
I personally really like [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. It’s classic and beautiful, not super popular but not unknown. It is a name that will stand the test of time. I don’t get the [name_f]Lolo[/name_f] thing. I’ve heard just Lo before as a nickname but maybe people are just trying to find a way to make it cutie. If that’s not what you call her though then I wouldn’t worry about what others call her. People will always find nicknames. [name_m]Just[/name_m] call her whatever you like. When I see [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] I think of [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] or [name_u]Wren[/name_u] as possible nicknames, although [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] is beautiful on its own and doesn’t even need a nickname.
Here are my two cents.
I don’t think you should change your daughter’s name. You chose it for a reason, it was one of two options and you took a week after her birth to make sure you pic the right name.
I had name regret after my son was born and I attribute it to mostly te things: (1) Hormones!!! Postpartum. Not a joke. I was irrational and overemotional. (2) I care a LOT about names, and I thought I’d magically find a name that would come with NO issues whatsoever.
I got over the feelings of regret as my hormones slowly went back to normal, and I love my son’s name. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own set of issues. All names have that. And I also frequently look at him and wonder things like “Maybe I should have gone for that othe name.” But those are passing thoughts; I know I picked the right name.
It seems to me, going by the reasons you cite for wanting to change [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]'s name, that you’re going through the normal phase of getting to know your daughter’s name. It’s different from before birth, now the name belongs to this sweet person. People might be reacting differently than expected to the name. [name_m]New[/name_m] issues might be coming up that you may not have expected (eg, pronounciation.)
I think you will have these issues with every name in the world. If you dot pick a name that’s kind of plain, then you might pick a name that a bit out there. There’s always something to focus your worries on.
Look, if you were telling us that your baby really is a [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and that you just got it wrong, I’d say ok go for it and change it. But [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] doesn’t seem to fit her either. So you don’t know what to even change it TO. I don’t think you should start your search over by any means!
I think if you WERE to change her name, you’d run into the same or other issues. I think getting to know your daughter’s name is just something we all have to go through and it’s harder for those who care a lot about names.
Another thing, you say you want a name that will suit her well throughout life… I think [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is just that! No one knows what kinds of people their babies will become. Not even the babies know themselves! So no name in the world would give you that kind of certainty.
Sending you a hug, and peace in your decision, whatever you decide to do.
If you did decide to change it, it would be much easier to get used to with a name similar to the original. I like [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] for you.
I think you should keep [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and play around with some nicknames. [name_u]Wren[/name_u] is great and [name_f]Lark[/name_f] would work too and if I called my daughter either of these I’d probably also use [name_f]Birdie[/name_f].
