Narrowing down my list

For some reason, female names are a lot more difficult to deal with for me than male names, probably because taste in female names is much more varied and harder to pin down. The male names in my signature are a pretty accurate list of my perennial favorites, but I’m just not in love with the female names I have written down and I’m redoing and narrowing down my list to 10-15 each for firsts and middles. I’m sorry it’s so long!

First names:
[name_f]Agatha[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Aleda[/name_f]
[name_f]Allegra[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Angelica[/name_f]
[name_f]Celestine[/name_f]
[name_f]Copper[/name_f]
[name_f]Deborah[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Elna[/name_f]
[name_f]Emelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Eugenia[/name_f] or Eugénie
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Frances[/name_f] or [name_f]Francine[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] “[name_f]Etta[/name_f]”
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Lavender[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Maple[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Maxine[/name_f]
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f]
[name_f]Norah[/name_f]
[name_f]Obelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
Persimmon
[name_f]Petra[/name_f]
[name_f]Philomena[/name_f]
[name_f]Priscilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Quilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Ramona[/name_f]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f]
Thistle
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] or Willabel or [name_f]Willabelle[/name_f]

Middle Names:
[name_f]Bee[/name_f]
[name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f]
[name_u]Dorsey[/name_u]
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f]
[name_f]Fflur[/name_f]
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucie[/name_f]
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]
[name_f]Meadow[/name_f]
[name_f]Monet[/name_f]
[name_f]Moon[/name_f]
Oleander
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
Peppermint
[name_u]Prairie[/name_u]
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]
[name_f]Verbena[/name_f]
[name_f]Whimsy[/name_f]
[name_f]Windy[/name_f]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Yarrow[/name_u]

Please share your favorites and least favorites and any first & middle combos that stand out to you. Any suggestions for other names are appreciated as well. “Usability” and popularity are not very important to me. I also love nature names.

[name_f]TIA[/name_f]!

  • elsbeth

Firsts I like…
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]

Middle names I like…
[name_f]Bee[/name_f]
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]

@smithe

Thank you for your response! I think most of the names you listed will probably stay on my final list (I’m becoming much more fond of [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] and [name_f]Bee[/name_f]), but I’m having my doubts about [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f], and [name_u]Wren[/name_u].

My favourites:

[name_f]Agatha[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Frances[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Maxine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ramona[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]

[name_f]Bee[/name_f]
[name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] (I love this in the middle with a shorter first, even though I would never dare!)
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f] (possibly my favourite name ever, besides my daughter’s name of course ;))
[name_u]Finch[/name_u] (sweet, unusual nature name)
[name_f]Moon[/name_f]
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]

@katinka

Thanks! :slight_smile: It’s great to see another [name_f]Endellion[/name_f] lover, since I discovered it it has grown to be what I would probably say is my favorite as well. BTW, your daughter’s name is perfect – sweet and cheerful.

Favourites:

[name_f]Luna[/name_f]: Maybe I’m biased, but I love [name_f]Luna[/name_f]. I think it’s the right mix of unusual, but still familiar and wearable.
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]: Again, biased. I love [name_u]Vesper[/name_u] and wish I was brave enough to use it as a first name.
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]: [name_f]Violet[/name_f] is one of my long-time faves, so of course she makes the favourites list.
[name_f]Norah[/name_f]

[name_f]Meadow[/name_f]
[name_f]Moon[/name_f]: For both [name_f]Meadow[/name_f] and [name_f]Moon[/name_f], I just like the sound.
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f]: I just think it sounds cool.
[name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f]: One of my favourite flowers! I would love to see someone use this, even as a middle.

Least favourites:

[name_f]Allegra[/name_f]: I don’t know where you live or if this will matter, but in the US this is the name of a well known allergy medication. It’s a pretty name with a lot of history, but that association might be hard to shake.
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]: The [name_m]Thor[/name_m] part really sticks out to me.
Willabel/belle: I’m not a huge fan of [name_f]Willa[/name_f], but the [name_f]Willabelle[/name_f] variant does sound made up, like it’s just a cutesy nickname. [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Belle[/name_f] used as a first and middle combo I could tolerate better.

Oleander: [name_m]Even[/name_m] as a middle, I don’t think it’s very complimentary to name a child after a very poisonous plant.
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]: I feel like this is becoming a filler middle. It’s never thrilled me personally, and the bird association aside, it’s such a basic sound.
Peppermint: I can’t get behind this one personally. I think it crosses the border of cute nature name into cartoon fairy princess territory. [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] might be a nice alternative, if you like it!

Honourable mention: [name_f]Copper[/name_f]. I would be so intrigued if I met someone named [name_f]Copper[/name_f]!

Firsts:
[name_f]Emelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Petra[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]

Middle:
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucie[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]

Combos:

[name_f]Emelia[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Emelia[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u]

[name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Petra[/name_f] [name_f]Lucie[/name_f]

[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]

[name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]

I would personally keep…

Firsts:
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Allegra[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Ramona[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f] (only if pronounce thay-uh)
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]

Middles:
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]

I’d also move these from first to middle…
[name_f]Agatha[/name_f]
[name_f]Eugenia[/name_f] or Eugénie
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Philomena[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f] (if not pronounced thay-uh)
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f]
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]

Thank you to everyone who responded!

@vestigeofsummer : [name_u]Vesper[/name_u] is one of the absolute top names on my list, and personally I think it’s usable, though that’s not a main concern for me as this is all theoretical. Also, I was having my doubts about Willabel, [name_u]Wren[/name_u], Peppermint (this was a snap decision to add this), and Oleander (same concerns, though I didn’t know how ubiquitous its connotation was), and I will remove these from my list. As for [name_f]Allegra[/name_f], I’m aware of the allergy medication connection, but I just love this name so much I can’t bear to scrap it. Maybe I will add it to my middle names list.

@ellecr : Thanks for the combos! I especially like [name_f]Emelia[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f], and I think I will add [name_f]Emelia[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] to my combos.

@bretak : I would pronounce [name_f]Thea[/name_f] as “thee-uh” or “tay-uh” (not quite decided, and it depends which middle I pair it with). My ideas of how I’ll narrow down the first names list are pretty much along the lines of what you wrote, though I do think I will be getting rid of [name_f]Thora[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], and [name_f]Willa[/name_f] (or at least moving to middles) and [name_f]Celestine[/name_f] will have to stay in my top names.

I’ve narrowed the first names to (yes, I added a few, but mostly took away):

[name_f]Allegra[/name_f]
[name_f]Celestine[/name_f]
[name_f]Copper[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Norah[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]
[name_f]Thisbe[/name_f]
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]

And the middle names, I’m still pondering. There’s a much longer list there I’ll have to sort through. Thank you all for your advice!