What names do you love, but are unable to use?
I love [name_f]Varsha[/name_f] so much. It means rain, and my grandmother was planning to use it on my mom. The only problem is, the last syllable repeats itself at the very beginning of my last name, which sounds really strange when you use it in real life. It honestly makes me so sad that I can’t use it, because this was one of my first [name_f]Indian[/name_f] name loves.
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For me, I really love [name_m]Reuben[/name_m], [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] and [name_m]John[/name_m] for boys, but I can’t use any of them because of bad associations. Also, I’ve been recently over thinking about if the guy I’m starting to date and I work out, and if I have his last name, then a bunch of names on my list won’t work! 
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Elisabeth and [name_m]Colin[/name_m] are two names I ADORE and would totally use if they weren’t already taken in my family – the former by an older relative I’d prefer not to honor and the latter by a cousin who is too close for it to be usable for me. Kind of unfortunate, but you know. 
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I have loved [name_f]Lila[/name_f]/Lyla my entire life. Only name that has never left my faves list. One of our best friends just named their newborn [name_f]Layla[/name_f] 
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I love [name_u]Angel[/name_u] as a name but unfortunately I can’t use it because it’s a cousins name! I also love [name_f]Clover[/name_f] but I’m not bold enough to use it as a first name and can’t find combos with my favorite for middle! I would love to use [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] but it’s hard to pronounce with my accent! [name_f]Lavender[/name_f] and [name_m]Cosmo[/name_m] are names similar to [name_f]Clover[/name_f] that I wouldn’t mind! But know I’m not strong enough to stick with if I get black lash 
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I love Maeven however a friend of mine named her daughter [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] and so its a bit too close for me to use
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I get what you mean! I really really wanted to name my first [name_u]Montgomery[/name_u] nn [name_m]Monty[/name_m] and I go my so much backlash from family that I chose something else. Really regret not just doing it!
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There’s too many. 
I’m Finnish and my wife’s American, so we’re on the hunt for names that both sides of the family can pronounce/are usable in both languages (don’t mean or sound like anything funny/rude, etc.), and that has meant letting go of so many names I otherwise love.
Finnish names
Touko
Nyyrikki
[name_f]Tove[/name_f] (well, this one’s actually Swedish! after the Finnish-Swedish author [name_f]Tove[/name_f] [name_m]Jansson[/name_m]. 
but my wife just can’t pronounce the long [uu] vowel sound here)
Tuoni
Varpu
Valpuri
Pietari
Ruusa
Ilmari
[name_f]Verna[/name_f]
Saana
Kuisma
[name_f]Suvi[/name_f]
Aatos
Sampo
Talvikki
English names
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f]
[name_u]Romilly[/name_u]
[name_f]Romilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_u]Atlas[/name_u] (well, the pronounciation differences aren’t a huge deal - they just annoy me a little. [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] might still be usable)
[name_m]Merrick[/name_m]
[name_u]Hendrix[/name_u]
[name_u]Harper[/name_u]
[name_f]Alexandria[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Coraline[/name_f]
[name_u]Fox[/name_u]
[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
Some of these are still middle name contenders, though. Actually, @Lysol_Priest - [name_m]Monty[/name_m] Aatos is one we’ve thought about but not sure if we’re brave enough to go with [name_m]Monty[/name_m]. Your post is making me reconsider that!
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Ísrún - my all time favorite for a girl, but my SO doesn’t particularly like it. Maybe as a middle name, if I ever have a daughter.
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]
[name_f]Myrtle[/name_f]
[name_f]Emerald[/name_f]
[name_f]Yocheved[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Barbara[/name_f]
Flóvent
[name_m]Narcyz[/name_m]
Geir
[name_u]Gabriel[/name_u]
[name_m]Vincent[/name_m]
Diomedes
[name_m]Baltasar[/name_m]
[name_m]Tadeusz[/name_m]
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Steven/Stephen. Too associated with a terrible family member.
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I love [name_m]Felix[/name_m] but I can’t use it because it’s my cousin’s name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though he only goes by his middle name it would still seem weird to me.
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Oliver - hubby hates it
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] - hubby hates it (plus it’s now our nephew’s name)
[name_m]Maximus[/name_m] - now our other nephew’s name
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I can’t use [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_f]Emma[/name_f] or [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] because my cousins chose these names for their kids. [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] goes by [name_f]Sia[/name_f] and if I had an [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] I’d have her go by [name_f]Anya[/name_f] or [name_f]Ana[/name_f] so maybe it’s still usable.
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With my current surname, [name_u]Grayson[/name_u] (or any other G name) because I really don’t like alliteration. With any surname, I couldn’t use Addiena as a first name since it’s just too difficult, and I couldn’t use anything to close to [name_f]Ayda[/name_f] as it’s my cousin’s name.
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Lucille/Lula/Lucia/Lucy - too similar to my cousin’s name
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m]-too similar to my cousin’s name
[name_f]Ada[/name_f]/Adele (as a first name) -too close to my brother’s name
[name_f]Edie[/name_f] - sounds too much like ED (eating disorder)
[name_u]Rory[/name_u] -sounds awful with my current surname
Incompatible with my current surname ~
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f]
[name_f]Callisto[/name_f]
[name_f]Clio[/name_f] / [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]
People I know ~
[name_f]Livia[/name_f]
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f]
[name_u]Raven[/name_u]
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There are loads that I can’t use for various reasons, but these are off-limits because of a family member with the name or a close variant of it…
Saskia
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_f]Esther[/name_f]
[name_f]Ismay[/name_f]
[name_m]Maxim[/name_m]
[name_u]Julian[/name_u] or [name_u]Jules[/name_u]
[name_f]Delphi[/name_f]
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My list is quite long. I’ve worked with my whole life. Here are a couple off the top of my head.
Alexander
[name_u]Eli[/name_u]/Elijah
[name_u]Everett[/name_u]
[name_u]Griffin[/name_u]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_m]Lucas[/name_m]
[name_m]Marshall[/name_m]
[name_u]Mason[/name_u]
[name_m]Nathan[/name_m]/Nathaniel
[name_m]Nicholas[/name_m]
[name_u]Nolan[/name_u]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m]
[name_u]Shane[/name_u]
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m]
[name_m]Trenton[/name_m]/Trent
[name_u]Vaughn[/name_u]
Alexandra/Alexandria
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_f]Brynn[/name_f]
[name_f]Diane[/name_f]/Diana
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_f]Jasmine[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]
[name_f]Katrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]/Lucille/Lucinda
[name_f]Molly[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u]
[name_f]Samantha[/name_f]
[name_f]Sunshine[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
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Juliet
[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Anita[/name_f]
[name_f]Minnie[/name_f]
[name_u]Jodie[/name_u]
[name_f]Pollyanna[/name_f]
Gideon
[name_u]Kirby[/name_u]
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m]
[name_m]Leo[/name_m]
[name_m]Foster[/name_m]
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