What names do you like but can’t or won’t ever actually use? Why won’t you use them?
Some I like but will probably never use are [name_f]Sparrow[/name_f], [name_f]Stormy[/name_f], and [name_u]Haven[/name_u] for girls, and [name_u]Blue[/name_u] for a boy, mostly because they’re really “out there”, and I can’t picture them on an actual human being.
[name_m]Penn[/name_m] for a boy. A TV character (who turned out to be bad) attracted me to the name and I still find myself attracted to it. Then when I think about it, it seems ‘thin’ and just like a writing tool.
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. Have had a love for this name since school. It makes a wonderful second name with many names but I have made a hard decision and put it on the shelf. Much of my love for it is about me and not what I want for my children.
[name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] -its a pretty name but i just feel it’s too grandiose -thinking of it’s origin and meaning. On the other side I would use [name_f]Andromache[/name_f], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] and a few other Greek Myth names if someone else shared my love.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] letting a little sadness out -Thanks O.P
A lot of names I like my fiance doesn’t like so I won’t get to use them such as [name_m]Nolan[/name_m], [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_u]Rhys[/name_u], [name_m]Tobias[/name_m],[name_m]Zephaniah[/name_m], [name_m]Zechariah[/name_m], [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] (I have a cousin named this and my future brother in laws named that) We [name_u]Love[/name_u] the name [name_m]Levi[/name_m] but it doesn’t work with our last name.
I have such a varied taste where names are concerned. I love medieval/fantasy-ish names, classics, and some modern/trendy names as well. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific style to categorize all the names I love–ok, no, it’s not hard, it’s impossible:) But when it comes right down to it, I know that when I name my children, I will use beautiful, timesless, classics that I love rather than a fantasy name crush. I feel like I am more likely to fall out of love with Freyja or [name_f]Evgenia[/name_f] than [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] or [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]. If that makes any sense. There are a million names that I will always love, but I do know I will never use them and they will always be guilty pleasures. I feel like the mn spot is where I personally can better use names like [name_f]Winslet[/name_f] or [name_u]Vesper[/name_u]–because I love them, just not enough to bestow as first names. So that’s how I feel:)
Some others that I have remembered:
[name_u]Rhys[/name_u] (sister’s middle name is [name_u]Reese[/name_u])
[name_u]River[/name_u] (brother’s middle name)
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] (cousin)
[name_f]Lace[/name_f] (cousin is Layce)
[name_m]Colin[/name_m] (cousin)
[name_f]Rachel[/name_f] (sister’s middle name)
[name_f]Ravenna[/name_f] (sister’s middle name)
(I have a lot of sisters.)
Names like [name_m]Luka[/name_m], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] for boys, and [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], [name_f]Evie[/name_f], [name_f]Lola[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], Freyja, [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], & [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] for girls, which are just too popular for me.
Then there are the too ‘out there’ or too much baggage ones: [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m], [name_m]Icarus[/name_m], [name_f]Alchemy[/name_f], & Mordred; Arsinoë, [name_f]Medeia[/name_f]/[name_f]Medea[/name_f], Etsy, Belladonna, Evangelise, & Cadmium.
And finally the ‘crush’ names (i.e. the people I love but can never have): [name_m]Benedict[/name_m], [name_u]Evan[/name_u], & [name_m]Matthew[/name_m]/[name_m]Matt[/name_m], but technically I only have [name_m]Benedict[/name_m] on my list, but I’m liking [name_u]Evan[/name_u] at the moment.
Also Phoenix! It’s my second favourite boys’ name. I really dislike it for a girl, and although it’s still more popular for a boy, it seems to be growing in popularity for girls, and I’m worried about its usage as a symbol for femininity in some East Asian countries. Obviously I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I wouldn’t want to accidentally make my future son a laughing stock because of his name, just in case he does go to or even live in China for example. I wish I could use it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to unfortunately :(.
Names that are too similar to family/friends: [name_f]Viviana[/name_f], [name_f]Liv[/name_f], Ylva, [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]/[name_f]Eloisa[/name_f], [name_f]Carina[/name_f], [name_m]Killian[/name_m]
Wouldn’t work with my last name: [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m], [name_u]Beau[/name_u], [name_f]Margot[/name_f], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Otto[/name_m], [name_u]Theo[/name_u]
I’m not Jewish, so I’d feel awkward using them: [name_f]Eliora[/name_f]/[name_f]Liora[/name_f]/[name_u]Lior[/name_u], [name_u]Ori[/name_u], [name_f]Ilana[/name_f], [name_m]Eli[/name_m], Livna
Anything that comes across as too posh or trying to hard has roughly a 0% chance of DH ever getting on board: [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], etc.
Names that have become too popular for our extremely common last name: [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], etc.
Any name ending in “son” and several ending with an “n” due to our last name.
I’m not really at the point where I’ve started to separate my list into those I can and can’t use since it will be a few years before I have kids and name collecting is just fun at this point. However, there are lots of names I can’t/won’t use due to their popularity:
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f]/[name_f]Sofia[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], and [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] to name a few.
Some have been chosen by family members.
I have family and friends with names I love. [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], [name_f]Madeline[/name_f], [name_m]Nathan[/name_m], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], and [name_f]Molly[/name_f] are a few of them. I would feel weird naming a child those names, even though I love them.
Then there’s names like [name_f]Pamela[/name_f], [name_f]Sally[/name_f], [name_f]Maude[/name_f], and [name_f]Elaine[/name_f]. I really love them, but many people (like my close friends and family) associate them with old ladies, and would make fun of me for using/liking. I understand where they’re coming from.
A subsection of that category is names that my sister doesn’t ever want me to use. Some names I get, like the name [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f], since it’s the name of a girl she strongly dislikes. But she also told me to never use the name [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] because it reminds her of the movie [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]'s [name_u]Baby[/name_u], which she hates with a passion! But [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] is still on the table for the name of a future child, since I love it so much.
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] and [name_f]Meadow[/name_f] spring to mind. I have adored [name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] for many years but I don’t think it’d receive great feedback from family if I was to use it (I hope to get over that, though, I would love to use it). I don’t love enough boy names to have ‘names I like but won’t use’, unfortunately.
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] - love but I don’t like the nns and the full name is a bit too long
[name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] - I think it’s so lovely but too many ppl I know are NOT a fan.
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f] - I love it but it is prone to mispronunciation
Lèyontine - [name_m]LAY[/name_m] on teen. Again, to prone to mispronunciation
[name_f]Elisaveta[/name_f] - it’s so romantic but too romantic for every day life, imo
[name_f]Iseult[/name_f] - lovely. But totally impractical for my area
Sieglinde - so interesting, but same as above
Seosaimhin - SHO sa veen. Obviously impractical for my area
I agree about [name_u]Haven[/name_u]! It’s the kind of modern word-name I usually don’t like, but for some reason [name_u]Haven[/name_u] is so appealing. [name_f]Tempest[/name_f] falls into this category for me as well. I probably wouldn’t use either for the reasons you mentioned, though.
Some are just real guilty pleasures, too whimsical to be plausible on a modern human: [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m], [name_m]Cyprian[/name_m], [name_m]Jove[/name_m], [name_f]Ionia[/name_f], [name_f]Isolde[/name_f], [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Twila[/name_f].
For girls, I love a few names that are the kind of outdated that probably won’t come back: [name_f]Ursula[/name_f], [name_f]Dolores[/name_f], [name_f]Hilda[/name_f]. But I love imagining the nicknames [name_f]Sula[/name_f], [name_u]Rory[/name_u], [name_f]Hilde[/name_f] for them!
For boys, I love originally-male, subsequently-female-but-now-outdated-for-girls names: [name_u]Jody[/name_u], [name_u]Shannon[/name_u], [name_u]Kelley[/name_u], [name_u]Courtney[/name_u]. Not sure if I’d be brave enough to actually give them to a son, though, and my SO would probably veto most anyway.
A few I’m on the fence about: [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f], [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_m]Leander[/name_m], [name_m]Rune[/name_m], [name_m]Idris[/name_m]. I would consider using these, but probably only as middle names.
I love [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Zanthe[/name_f] and [name_f]Heather[/name_f] but I could never imagine myself using them.
Names i love but will never get to use for various reasons.
Arthas- like a variation or [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] to most people, also the name of the [name_m]Prince[/name_m] of Lorderon turned lich king in Warcraft lore.
[name_f]Cecily[/name_f]- Was my main characters name in world of warcraft
[name_f]Renee[/name_f]- really pretty, just doesnt work with my last name
[name_u]Hunter[/name_u]- hubby doesnt like it
[name_m]Thatcher[/name_m]- same as above
[name_m]Dmitri[/name_m]- too russian (especially that spelling and its what i prefer)
[name_f]Ardeth[/name_f]- character from a book i love, just cant picture it on a little human
[name_f]Leah[/name_f]. I really love this name, but my sister mentioned a few years ago that she liked it. I decided then and there that I wouldn’t use it. We can’t “claim” a name and my sister really wouldn’t care if I were to still use it (she never said that she wanted to use it, but just that she likes the name), but it wasn’t that important to me to selfishly hog the name when there are so many other names out there. Now, if she wants it, it’s hers. I’ve found some new favorites!
[name_u]Larkin[/name_u]. It’s my grandma’s maiden name, but this clashes horribly with my surname. I’d only use it as a middle name, but still.
Well, my first son’s name is [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] so there are a few different names I like the idea of, but wouldn’t use…
I also don’t think I can get myself to actually use names of past or current students, even if they are my style if the association with the student is too strong or negative. [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] is one such name.
There are some names that are already used within my family and I feel the relationship is too close to use the name without meaning to directly honor that person. This includes: [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], and [name_m]Milo[/name_m].
For girls, it’s more word names, or just names my husband isn’t a fan of. These include: [name_u]Story[/name_u], [name_u]Navy[/name_u], [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], [name_u]Penny[/name_u], and [name_u]Ruby[/name_u].
Also, any name that ends in “son” sounds awkward with our last name, which also ends in “son”. It may sound decent first-middle-last, but since people commonly go by just first name-last name when introduced, it’s just too redundant.
[name_m]Hector[/name_m] for a boy - I’m a HUGE Classics nerd and this name is so beautiful to me, but I could never name my son that because I wouldn’t want him to be disappointed when he couldn’t live up to his namesake by being a Trojan prince and war hero. Similar reasons for not using [name_m]Aeneas[/name_m], [name_m]Ajax[/name_m], or Laocoon.
Aurembiaix for a girl - it’s awesome, but a bit much for this day and age.
[name_f]Fey[/name_f] for a girl - I think this name is incredibly beautiful, but in a haunting sort of way. After all, it does mean “fated to die.” Not really a meaning I want to give to my daughter.
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m] is one of my faves but hubby won’t have it!!
Names I like but can’t use:
Take by Immediate Family/Very Close Friends: [name_u]Keegan[/name_u], [name_u]Quinn[/name_u], [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_f]Nuala[/name_f], [name_f]Sonia[/name_f], [name_f]Meara[/name_f], [name_u]Farrell[/name_u], [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_f]Julia[/name_f], [name_f]Cate[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t work with Surname: [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], [name_m]Graeme[/name_m]
Too Nature: [name_u]Sage[/name_u], [name_u]Aspen[/name_u], [name_u]Everest[/name_u], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], [name_m]Fox[/name_m]
Too Mismatch with Family Origins: [name_m]Emiliano[/name_m], [name_m]Soren[/name_m]
Former Pets or Bad Associations: [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_f]Maisy[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
I also prefer unusual names & would not use anything in the top 20 and probably 50-100 for a first name.