The more I get into nameberry, the more I open to new names. Or rather, not new names so much as old names I used to loathe.
My Top Ten Names I Used to Hate and Suddenly Now [name_f]Love[/name_f]:
[name_f]Doris[/name_f]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Hortense[/name_f]
[name_f]Enid[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Barbara[/name_f]
[name_f]Carolyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Sue[/name_f]
[name_f]Portia[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f]
I notice I am trending toward the clunky and the dated.
I also notice that the names I used to love (female names) are often seeming too overdone, too frilly. Nothing like a nice hard name like [name_f]Enid[/name_f] to brace you!
What about you?
As my favorite bumper sticker says, “If you can’t change your mind, are you sure you still have one?”
My more recent found loves:
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Perri[/name_f]
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] ( the [name_m]Pitt[/name_m]/[name_f]Jolie[/name_f] family ruined it)
[i]I have been crushing on these names recently, not sure if I would use most them. But they are a few exceptions.
Lavendel : exception, really liking this one. Maybe middle?
[name_f]Sylvana[/name_f] . [name_f]Silvana[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] . [name_f]Silvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f] . [name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] : I like how each letter comes out of my full name.
[name_m]Raphael[/name_m] : exception.
[name_m]Solomon[/name_m] : exception, this one was suggested to me by my grandparents–so it has it has a special place. Not sure if they were joking or just tired of me asking them about boy names.
I truly love the name [name_f]Mildred[/name_f] and I cannot explain why.
My family has banned me from ever considering naming any child [name_f]Mildred[/name_f] (I assume they meant first name since I may want to use it as a middle).
Mine are [name_f]Nora[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f], and [name_u]Owen[/name_u].
It dawned on me recently that I REALLY like these three names and can see myself using them for our future children. However, getting my husband to like them is a completely different story. He typically likes really common and generic names that everyone we know has also named their kids.
So fun! If I have another girl I want [name_u]Flannery[/name_u] [name_f]Mildred[/name_f]–my family thought I could never pick anything they hated more than my [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] Franceszka. Ha!
Mostly my tastes have grown more overdone and strange. I mean, my daughters are [name_f]Miriam[/name_f], [name_f]Emeline[/name_f] and [name_f]Harriet[/name_f]. Normal, smart. My boys are Cowen, [name_m]Eli[/name_m], and [name_m]Oskar[/name_m]. Pretty tame.
Girls’ names I love now are [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f], [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f], [name_m]Lennon[/name_m], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] (for a girl! I’m so ashamed but I love it).
My current boy name loves are even more outlandish:
[name_m]Noble[/name_m]
[name_m]Ringo[/name_m]
Skandar
[name_m]Kimball[/name_m] (would love to see [name_u]Kim[/name_u] reemerge as all boy)
[name_m]Galloway[/name_m]
I don’t know what has happened to me but I’ll blame Nameberry.
I can’t explain it but suddenly I’m really into [name_f]Calla[/name_f] and [name_f]Lindy[/name_f]. I don’t know if I’d have the guts to use either of them, though–even if my husband caved.
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]! Which of course is met with sentiments of "old lady"by a lot of people. But then I saw Despicable Me 2 and the little blonde is [name_f]Edith[/name_f]. And it just reinforces how awesome the name is.
I love the end of your list: [name_f]Sue[/name_f], [name_f]Portia[/name_f], and [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f].
One that I’ve found myself really liking recently that I used to dislike is [name_f]Beverly[/name_f].
I’ve found a new enjoyment for B names on NB and I’ve liked [name_u]Everly[/name_u] for a while but felt uncomfortable with it’s trendiness.
Then I heard [name_f]Beverly[/name_f] again and it was clicked! I just love it.
Same with [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]. I’ve always loved [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], but have never loved the meaning or the J in the middle. Then [name_m]Benedict[/name_m] rushed in and it just felt like perfection.
Another B is [name_f]Bethel[/name_f], more firm than [name_f]Bethany[/name_f] and more interesting than [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f].
For me it’s been [name_f]Susanna[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]/[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], and [name_f]Lenore[/name_f]. I used to not spare a second glance for any of those; now they’re on my long/middles list and I love them!
Most recent newfound loves for me are [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] and [name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]. The former I used to actively dislike, and the latter I was merely indifferent toward.
In the past I have gone from dislike or indifference to love on these:
[name_f]Tessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] (still not converted on [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]!)
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
Hmm… Mine are probably:
[name_f]Philomena[/name_f]
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f]
Linnaeus
[name_f]Eudora[/name_f]
[name_f]Euphemia[/name_f] ([name_f]Kinda[/name_f] think this sounds a bit like a medical term though :/)
Doubt I’ll use them though, I’ve got loads of other (mainly girls names) that I like even more.
[name_f]Calla[/name_f] has the creamy whiteness of its namesake plant yet is strong sounding (much more so than [name_f]Pansy[/name_f] or [name_f]Peony[/name_f], both of which I also like).
And [name_f]Lindy[/name_f] is just fun! I love [name_f]Belinda[/name_f] and [name_f]Linnet[/name_f] too.
