Names you love now and then

Parentberries
1

Alright. I’m single. I’m not a mom and won’t be one anytime soon. I’m not even sure I put this thread in the right forum but I especially want to reach out to momberries, anyone who’s currently expecting or trying to conceive. We’re all aware that lots of young single girls here (including me) spend quite a lot of time planning baby names just because it’s fun −we’re name nerds after all. But of course in most cases, we can’t simply use those names when we’re actually have a partner and ready for kiddos.

Now, tell me about the names you loved back in your single days, and what kind of names that actually make it on your current list. Give me some examples, I wanna know how different the names/styles are. :slight_smile:

2

Before kids became a reality for me, yes, my lists were drastically, drastically different. What I would have named my daughter was I single:

[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u], [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] [name_f]Faith[/name_f], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Leocadia[/name_f] [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]…

Her name is [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. I do love her name, but it’s obviously much more common than what I’d have choose on my own.

My boys list is [name_m]Apollo[/name_m], [name_m]Lysander[/name_m], [name_m]Leonidas[/name_m]. “Our” list is [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], [name_m]Elijah[/name_m]. DH likes names like [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] . I like names like Scholastica and [name_f]Eglantine[/name_f]. It’s interesting to pick a name together.

Naming has always been so important to me that I thought it might be really hard to not get my way. But…it hasn’t been. It’s still important we pick a great name for our child, but what’s more important than me loving the name is that their dad has the same values about child raising and discipline and family and community that I do. And that we know each other are capable of compromise.

3

Thankfully my husband, although opinionated, likes most of my name choices. I still get a lot of vetoes, but I wouldn’t say that any of our names are “compromises”.

Names that I love despite him are [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], and [name_f]Jemima[/name_f]. So slightly spunkier choices. His favorites are [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Elena[/name_f], and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. But… I suggested all of those names to him, and then he fell in love with them. He’s never suggested anything himself. :stuck_out_tongue: Naming our son literally took two seconds. I’ve always loved [name_m]Henry[/name_m], he agreed. He asked that our (hypothetical) next son be named [name_m]Lucas[/name_m]. I don’t love it, per se, but I don’t really have any other boy name that I am as attached to as [name_m]Henry[/name_m], so I agreed. One, two, done.

Oh, forgot to add that my husband is also strangely in love with Caspian. :stuck_out_tongue: That one shocked me.

4

What a fun thread idea.

I don’t know where my actual single list has gotten to, but my style hasn’t changed a whole lot. It had names like:
[name_m]Lachlan[/name_m], [name_m]Levi[/name_m], [name_u]Dustin[/name_u], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], [name_f]Holly[/name_f], [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], Namaste, [name_f]Isis[/name_f], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] (g), [name_f]Lilith[/name_f], [name_m]Tobias[/name_m], [name_f]Rose[/name_f].

My first daughter’s name conversation went like this:
Me: “[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like either [name_f]Iris[/name_f] or [name_f]Isis[/name_f]? Because I’d like to name a girl that one day.”
Him “[name_f]Iris[/name_f]? No. That’s part of your eye. You can’t name a kid that. [name_f]Isis[/name_f] is ok though. I like that.”
2 odd years later
Me: “[name_f]Do[/name_f] you remember saying you liked [name_f]Isis[/name_f]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you still like it?”
Him: “Yeah, that’s a good name, lets call her that.”

I’m confident her name is the only one of my single loves that will be used. This is because I don’t feel like names I like just because they are great names are significant enough to give a person that I made with my body. I know that sounds posh or something, but there’s honesty for you.

With the second baby my list was:

[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f], [name_u]Sky[/name_u], [name_u]Zola[/name_u], [name_u]Dana[/name_u], [name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f], [name_u]Taliesin[/name_u]. He vetoed them all, of course. I picked [name_f]Serena[/name_f] from his list and suggested [name_f]Selene[/name_f] as “something I could live with”. Now I love it, but I didn’t for quite a while. It was a compromise. Now I feel it really suits my style, but at first I thought it was a bit too normal.

With this next baby we don’t know gender yet, and I’m not done my list. Sometimes I feel I’ve found the name I love, but then I waver.

Top contenders:

[name_f]Olwen[/name_f] or [name_m]Elton[/name_m].

I worry [name_m]Elton[/name_m] isn’t significant enough. I think the meaning is great (You don’t really get an other town in [name_m]Oz[/name_m] than [name_u]Sydney[/name_u], right? But it isn’t religious like my girl’s names are.

I’m also liking:

Andraste, [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Caddie[/name_f], [name_f]Olwyn[/name_f], Dazen, Calhourn, [name_u]Artemis[/name_u].

There are still so so many names I love, but I just wouldn’t use them (if my husband would even agree haha). Like [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], [name_m]Lachlan[/name_m], [name_m]Levi[/name_m] and [name_f]Ivy[/name_f].

5

My list was very different before I met my SO. He’s very stubborn and usually doesn’t warm up to names he dislikes, so I pretty much discarded all of my list. It used to look something like this:

[name_m]Dimitri[/name_m]
[name_u]Konstantin[/name_u]
[name_f]Taran[/name_f]
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]
[name_m]Amir[/name_m]

[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]
[name_f]Johanna[/name_f] (with “y” sound)
[name_f]Dulcinea[/name_f]
[name_m]Tiger[/name_m]-[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Christiane[/name_f]

My SO has two main rules: the names can’t be too common (i.e [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] or [name_f]Maria[/name_f]) and not too foreign ([name_m]Tiger[/name_m]-[name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_m]Dimitri[/name_m], etc). He also hates royal names. None of the names on this list “survived” after he went through them. We struggle with boys’ names the most, as he doesn’t like “soft” names ([name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Oliver[/name_m]), and I love them. He loves [name_m]Roman[/name_m] and Norse names, and his “list” (that I made for him) looks something like this:

[name_m]Leonidas[/name_m]
Baldur
[name_m]Odin[/name_m] – I told him this was a “soft” name, to which he rolled his eyes and said “Daphodil, it’s the freaking god of war!”. Sigh
[name_m]Marius[/name_m]
[name_m]Ragnar[/name_m]

[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] (pretty uncommon in our country)
[name_u]Ivory[/name_u]
[name_f]Dulce[/name_f]
[name_f]Athena[/name_f]

Thankfully, I’m not as difficult as he is, so we’re able to agree on some names. Our most current list looks like this:

[name_f]Ella[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Leila[/name_f]

  • all of the boys’ names. I deserve a medal, lol. We also have [name_m]Magnus[/name_m] (my grandfather’s name), [name_u]Storm[/name_u], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] (he grudgingly obliged after I told him it means “bear” - his nickname), and Eik (ayk). I’m kind of hoping we just end up having girls, haha.
6

The only name I can remember falling in love with as a child (primary school age) would be [name_f]Delphine[/name_f]/[name_f]Delphinia[/name_f]. Not a name I would use now, but I remember thinking it was the most beautiful name in the world.

I really only started looking into names when we decided we would be TTC that year, and the names I loved were not really to DH’s taste. Well, nothing seemed to be to his taste, but the only names I could come up with that he made vaguely interested noises about were [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Bethany[/name_f], [name_m]Callum[/name_m] and [name_u]Elliott[/name_u]. I liked slightly more vintage names, or at least, slightly more uncommon names anyways. We managed to compromise however :slight_smile: If it were just me I would have named my girl [name_f]Blythe[/name_f], and I can’t remember what my top boy choice was. Possibly [name_u]Toby[/name_u] or [name_m]Alistair[/name_m]?

We haven’t talked names yet, and I will probably leave it until the second half of pregnancy. My favourites are [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] and [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], but I really have no idea if DH will agree…

7

For first names, our tastes are very similar. He vetoed my absolute favorites [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] (due to similarity with a nephew’s name) and [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] (due to a bad association), but my second faves [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] were also near the top of his list, so it was easy to pick them (once I convinced him to go with [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] instead of his preference of [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]).

Actually, here’s our top ten list for boys and girls from when we were naming [name_m]Liam[/name_m]:

For me, [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], [name_m]Oliver[/name_m], [name_m]Joshua[/name_m], [name_m]Casper[/name_m], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Veronica[/name_f], [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_u]Eden[/name_u], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], [name_f]Miranda[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f]

For him, [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] (his middle name), [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_f]Maria[/name_f], [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], [name_f]Celeste[/name_f], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]

Combined list: [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]/[name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_f]Maria[/name_f] (he really wanted it on the list, and I also loved the name, just not as much as the ones on my list), [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] (vice versa, although now he loves it).

Middle names are a different story. He doesn’t care about them very much, so he basically just lets me indulge in my name-nerdiness…within reason. So yes to [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] and [name_m]Balthazar[/name_m], no to Scholastica and Melchizedek. ([name_f]Kinda[/name_f] had to talk him into [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], though…)

8

Our baby isn’t here yet, but I can definitely pick out the differences from my “single” list to my compromise list with SO. Despite my complaints he doesn’t actually have terrible taste in names, and he might even be more adventurous with them than I am, especially for boys’ names. So it kind of turned into me toning down his taste in boys’ names because the names he thinks a little boy would love to have, would almost certainly cause a lot of explaining every time he introduces himself to someone new.

Before we got pregnant, my list was (in no particular order):
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f]/[name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], [name_f]Leona[/name_f], [name_f]Lilith[/name_f], and [name_f]Helena[/name_f] for girls
[name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m], and maybe [name_m]Henry[/name_m] for boys - I’ve always struggled with boys’ names

SO didn’t like [name_f]Florence[/name_f]/[name_f]Flora[/name_f] (“too old lady”), [name_f]Leona[/name_f] (“too fairytale”), or [name_f]Lilith[/name_f] (“why would you name your daughter after a demon from the bible?”), he was neutral on [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] and [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and thought [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] was okay. For boys, he hated everything! [name_u]August[/name_u] because “it’s a person named after a month named after a person”, [name_m]Henry[/name_m] because it’s “too boring” and [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] because it’s “too nerdy/old man sounding”.

Before we got pregnant, SO’s (very short) list was:
[name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], or [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] for a girl - he likes “flower names” for girls
[name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], [name_u]Logan[/name_u], or [name_m]Damon[/name_m] for a boy - he likes “girls’ names” on boys, or superhero names

After we found out we were pregnant and started talking about names, there was really only one girls’ name that stood out and we both agreed on it immediately. We picked a second name as backup just in case, but if this baby is a girl I just feel like the first name we picked out IS her name, 100%. Boys’ names were harder, we couldn’t agree on ANYTHING, but this past weekend on Mother’s day we actually managed to come up with two solid options (for now at least) that we both agree on. Obviously he still likes one more and I like the other more, but we’re getting there. The boy’s options weren’t on either of our lists to begin with, whereas the girl’s name options were both on one of our lists from the beginning.

Like @leadmythoughts said, I thought it’d be hard or that I’d be unhappy having to compromise some of the names from my list, but ultimately it turned out ok. [name_m]Even[/name_m] the name I said would DEFINITELY be used for my first son ([name_u]August[/name_u]) got rejected and I ended up being mostly fine with it. Making and raising a person is a pretty collaborative process! As long as we both end up liking the name in the end that’s what matters.

9

I actually didn’t have lists of names going into marriage. I did, however, have a rather excessive outlet for naming: I raised livestock, and spent years studying baby name books (AND using my finds) before I ever even really thought of children. Thus…I ruined heaps of beautiful classics. Also did a little bit of fiction writing, so I got most of the made-up names out of my system, too.

The one exception was a super-foreign, Biblical doozy that I just had my heart set on using for a child. I’m so embarrassed about it now that I won’t mention it, and I’m forever grateful to my husband for talking me into choosing something more stylish. I was really enamored with the meaning of the name, more than the sound of the name itself, so with a good deal of prodding on my husband’s part, we ended up choosing a name that held similar meaning to us (actually, even more meaning than my original pick!), but being much more realistic ([name_m]Caspian[/name_m], which was actually still pretty out-there at the time).

[name_u]Ever[/name_u] since then, I have held my husband’s opinion in very high regard. He’s great at pulling my head down out of the clouds – and I’m great at vetoing his occasional clunker ([name_f]Astrid[/name_f], anyone?). I don’t deserve full blame for the
out-there names, either. I often start in “normal” territory, but he’s pretty particular in his own way, so by the time we find something we can agree on, the names have gotten pretty obscure. For example, I totally would have named our third son [name_m]Adrian[/name_m], but my husband said absolutely not. For awhile, he campaigned for [name_m]Quillan[/name_m], which is pretty out-there in its own right, but we finally decided on: [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]. Who saw that coming? Nobody! In the end, it’s challenging and frustrating balancing the priorities & preferences of both parents, but it’s also much more interesting and exciting finding that one gem of a name that stands out to BOTH of us. I actually wouldn’t say my style has changed since before I was married, or being married changed my style. I still have MY style and my husband still has his – but our priorities are different when naming a real child, as compared with making gorgeous combos on paper (or just having favorites in his head). I’ll echo what others have said, too: including the daddy’s favorites becomes one of those priorities, and balancing the input of both parents is another priority. Also…you’ll be surprised at how many of your OWN favorites immediately fall out of favor as soon as you face the reality of another person actually wearing a name of your choice.

The disappointment is that sometimes, the final name combo just isn’t as “designer” beautiful as you, the Name Nerd, might prefer. Maybe you just can’t agree on what YOU think is the most gorgeous combo, or maybe it’s really important to honor a relative who happens to have a really unattractive name. That’s where you have to disconnect from your Name Nerd tendencies a little bit, and plug into your “relationship” considerations. Sometimes, it really is more important to use FIL’s name than to have a combo all your [name_u]Berry[/name_u] friends/other Name Nerd friends will rave about. Putting things into perspective, the FIL will always be your child’s grandfather, but styles will change and the hottest combo this year might even look dated three years down the way (anybody remember when all the Berries were gushing about [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], but now it’s hardly even mentioned around the forums?).

I think the important thing for “singles” to keep in mind is that you’ll always be a Name Nerd, and that’s one of the great things you will contribute to the relationship. [name_m]Just[/name_m] be flexible, be considerate, and don’t give up until both parties are satisfied with your choice. Because even when you’re six kids into your family together, you might say [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Constance[/name_f], and he says [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and the list you manage to compromise on has surprises like Zuzia and [name_f]Opal[/name_f] and [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] on it (hypothetically speaking, you know, hee hee).

10

[name_m]Just[/name_m] a couple weeks ago I went to help my mom clean out her attic and found a list of just 2 names I loved when I was maybe 14 years old. They were [name_f]Kimi[/name_f] and [name_f]Lani[/name_f]. I remember that I like [name_f]Lani[/name_f] because of a book and I want to say I liked [name_f]Kimi[/name_f] ever since I saw the name in Rugrats. Maybe about 4 years ago I saw that my name taste had drastically changed and I loved old fashioned names like [name_m]Walter[/name_m], Sylveter, and [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. Now we are currently TTC baby #1 and while I still love the older names I’m not quite as daring as I used to be. Now I lean towards things like [name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], and [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]. After I got married I realized our last name is a mouthful and difficult to say so I wouldn’t want to burden a child with a long first name as well. I also had to take into consideration DH’s opinions (dang it!) which really shortened my favorite list. Now that we found some we agree on it just makes everything more exciting and I can actually picture myself holding a baby and calling them by any of the names in my signature!

11

From my journal 10 years ago (age 20)

[name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names

Siloasis [name_f]Arianna[/name_f]

[name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]

[name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f]

Boys:

Ender [name_m]Kevin[/name_m]

[name_u]Orion[/name_u] [name_m]Amadeus[/name_m]

[name_u]Lyric[/name_u] [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]

So… I’d say my tastes have trended similarly, although the actual names are mostly different now (But I still love some of these, teehee)

Oh yeah and apparently this was my “name list overhaul” from the year before:
[name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] i like, especially for a february baby, but even so it is MY birtstone. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is after my grandmother.

Siloasis [name_f]Aria[/name_f]
Siloasis i am definitely keeping…as to “aria” it is pretty, in reference to musical arias. I also like
Siloasis [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] and Siloasis [name_f]Alanna[/name_f], after the storybook character…actually i like that better

[name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_f]Isadora[/name_f]
yeah, i don’t really like [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] anymore but [name_f]Willow[/name_f] has always been a fav name of mine…okay…quest for a middle name…[name_f]Julia[/name_f] is a possibility after my two grandmothers. Maybe [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] after my mother and the first girl i ever loved, or [name_f]Briana[/name_f] after my sister.

[name_f]Bronwyn[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]
mmm…I like [name_f]Violet[/name_f] but I actually do not like [name_f]Bronwyn[/name_f] anymore. maybe [name_f]Violet[/name_f]

So we have for girls:

[name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
Siloasis [name_f]Alanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_f]Briana[/name_f]

Now boys:

Ender [name_m]Amadeus[/name_m]
[name_u]Love[/name_u] it still.

[name_m]Rune[/name_m] [name_m]Seraphim[/name_m]
Getting rid of this one entirely.

[name_m]Oz[/name_m] [name_u]Orion[/name_u]
Still like this one alot, but will probably ditch it in favor of something more epic.

[name_m]Raiden[/name_m] Tallesin
This one is, again, nifty but I’ve fallen out of love with it.

[name_u]Lyric[/name_u] [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]
I love this name…goddess only knows why. it has a wonderful ring to it.

Maybe [name_m]Ovid[/name_m]…is that too pretentious? i am SOO tempted to name all my boys after poets…[name_m]Homer[/name_m], [name_m]Virgil[/name_m], [name_m]Ovid[/name_m] and [name_m]Dante[/name_m]. I also Like Asriel. Asriel [name_m]Ovid[/name_m]? ewww way too sttuffy…well if I marry [name_m]Brian[/name_m] one can be named [name_m]Brian[/name_m]. [name_m]Brian[/name_m] [name_m]Ovid[/name_m] or [name_m]Brian[/name_m] Asriel

12

Thanks for the responses, everyone. It’s so nice to hear about your experience.

@leadmythoughts I love [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]! Your daughter’s name is so elegant and delicate. I wonder how you can chose [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] as a compromise between something like [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] and [name_f]Eglantine[/name_f], choosing a name together is indeed interesting.

@fanciful glad to hear it has been easy for you. A [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] after [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] will definitely be surprising though.

@mirimouse I know, right? I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while. I created combos based on the names I like but none of them is fixed (e.g, no “my first daughter must be named [name_f]Valentina[/name_f]” or anything like that).
Your list is interesting. I never heard about Namaste (as a name) and [name_u]Taliesin[/name_u] before. Your daughters’ names ([name_f]Isis[/name_f] and [name_f]Selene[/name_f]) are so pretty. I think I’ve replied to a thread about goddess theme before, I believe it was yours, wasn’t it? It’ll be interesting to know what will you choose next. :slight_smile:

@daphodil Now this is a very different list, seems like you mostly shift to shorter names. You sure deserve a medal after convincing him over all the boys’ names though, I especially love [name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_m]Marius[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Magnus[/name_m] and [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m]. :smiley:

@nannster I adore [name_f]Delphine[/name_f]. What’s your daughter’s name? Is it [name_f]Bethany[/name_f]?

@mega_muffin I absolutely love your list. Creating stunning combos seems like your strong suit. [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_m]Balthazar[/name_m], [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f], [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] [name_f]Theophania[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]…

@greyer I hope my future partner has a pretty good taste in naming. My last bf had some awesome names, combined with something trendy and sounds obviously terrible with his own last name (and he seemed clueless about it), so it got me thinking about whether I’ll be able to use any of my favourite names or not… As long as me and my future partner can pick something equally pretty I won’t be unhappy though.

Your list is lovely. I especially like [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f], [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]. And uhm… which fairytale has a character named [name_f]Leona[/name_f]? I can’t remember any so I just don’t understand why [name_f]Leona[/name_f] is too fairytale.

@saracita00 I absolutely adore your children’s names! I love [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m] (it’s on my own short list). What a totally unexpected compromise name for [name_m]Adrian[/name_m] and [name_m]Quillan[/name_m], heh. I’ve been following your journey with [name_f]Dulcinea[/name_f]/[name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and the newest baby, so I “see” the surprises myself. I totally understand about having to disconnect myself from Name Nerd tendencies a little bit and plug into the relationship considerations, thank you for your detailed answer.

@cyoung325 I like [name_f]Kimi[/name_f] because of the Rugrats too!!! I never actually put it on my list but I think of it as one of the cutest names ever. Most names on my list are pretty long. Of course I don’t have any last name to consider at the moment (especially because I don’t even like my last name), a mouthful last name can surely change everything though. I like [name_f]Alica[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], [name_m]Joshua[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] and [name_m]Casper[/name_m] from your list. :slight_smile:

@moonkai glad you get to actually use [name_u]Orion[/name_u] (in the middle)! I never heard of Siloasis before, it kinda reminds me to… a rather unpleasant word. ._. I totally love [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and Ender [name_m]Amadeus[/name_m].

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@c@29 - Siloasis is a made-up name that I came up with as a child. My grandparents visited Sulawesi, and I misremembered the name, but I thought it sounded pretty. I always thought of “the silhouette of an oasis”. Yep. [name_m]Major[/name_m] nerd.

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@moonkai I’ve never been to Sulawesi but I do know that island. It’s not my first thought, “the silhouette of an oasis” sounds awesome though… your nerdy brain created a real good imagery.

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c@29 - yes, my wee sweetheart’s name is [name_f]Bethany[/name_f], one of the very few names DH and I agreed on :slight_smile: You have so many fantastic names in your signature, I love [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] and [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] especially!

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@c@29 - That’s because there is no one named [name_f]Leona[/name_f] in any of the common fairy-tales |: my SO’s brain is just really strange sometimes. I was like, “[name_m]How[/name_m] is [name_f]Leona[/name_f] a fairytale name?” and he just shrugged, but he won’t budge lol. But thank you, we love those 3 names as well!

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Firstly, I love this topic. Great pick!

My naming style has definitely changed since I was single.
Disclaimer: I still love many of the names on my ‘singles’ list, but DH has veto’d most of them - and we have found many other lovely names we both agree on.

My list: [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Dawn[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f], [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], [name_f]Molly[/name_f], [name_f]Becca[/name_f], [name_f]Annalea[/name_f], [name_f]Elyse[/name_f], [name_m]William[/name_m] (Still love the name, sad an Ex makes it unusable), [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_m]David[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_u]Michael[/name_u], [name_u]Evan[/name_u]

Our list: [name_m]Eric[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Ian[/name_m], [name_u]Eden[/name_u] … really struggling on girl names. Many more girl names have been relegated to mn status, which is fine.

I think having to have another person whole-heartedly approve has tempered both our styles. Nothing too crazy makes it past the spouse

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Haha yes, I hear you! I had so many beautiful and unusual names on my list before I shared it with DH… My pet peeve was that he didn’t like any of the Irish names I had on there, as he wanted something that had a spelling/pronunciation match. My mum is from [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] and I would have loved to sneak an [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] or [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] in there but no luck :wink: