Again, great short list!
[name]Alcyone[/name]: Because it’s been carried over into English as [name]Halcyon[/name], I feel you will very frequently get “[name]Al[/name]-see-OWN” instead of your desired pronunciation. In fact, of all the names on your list, I fear this will be the hardest for the average person to get right. It obviously carries an image of peace and tranquility-- not so much the deep wild wastes.
Belphoebe: beautiful character from the Faerie Queene (she didn’t get raped! hooray!); I like the huntress association which is again not too overt. Due to the popularity of [name]Phoebe[/name] I think this will be a) accessible, but b) potentially seen as a trendy take on that name, perhaps a smash of [name]Isabelle[/name] + [name]Phoebe[/name]. I worry that its beauty will be lost, pearls before swine, etc.
[name]Callisto[/name]: rape-y, but obviously accessible in pronunciation and wearable thanks to [name]Callista[/name] Flockhart. However, I think it might be frequently misheard as either [name]Callista[/name] or [name]Calypso[/name].
Cyrene - si-[name]REE[/name]-nee: I think this, without a doubt, will be pronounced si-REEN. I also don’t really like the mythological Cyrene very much. Whereas [name]Artemis[/name] was a huntress but also the virgin moon-goddess, and goddess of wisdom, Cyrene was just a brute, honestly.
[name]Eudora[/name]: “good gift,” which is obviously an uplifting meaning. Easy to wear. [name]Eudora[/name] Welty is a good namesake, but the mythological [name]Eudora[/name] just went around weeping, hence her association as a rain-nymph.
[name]Eurydice[/name] - yoo-RI-duh-see: [name]Love[/name] it. I love the English pronunciation more than the Greek, and think it’s easier.However, she wasn’t quite as heroic, in the myth, as was [name]Orpheus[/name]-- rather passive, the typical damsel waiting to be rescued archetype. I might prefer someone like Belphoebe who was a bit more active and strong.
Lorien: very wearable and not an overt Tolkien name, but the forest name to end all forest names. Beautiful.
[name]Nephele[/name]: Again, so rich and evocative. I love the idea of bringing the cloud-nymph to life. She was a very minor personnage, so it’s more the imagery she conjures up rather than herself as a heroine/namesake.
Niniane: I love this borrowing from Arthurian legend and Brythonic mythology. I think the [name]Llewellyn[/name] book has an entry on Niniane/Nimue and its deep roots into Celtic mythology. It has a gorgeous sound; to avoid the ‘ninny’ problem I would pronounce the first syllable ‘neen.’ “Neen-ee-[name]AH[/name]-nuh.”
[name]Thalia[/name]: my favorite [name]Muse[/name]. Very accessible. Not a wild, woodsy namesake, but a good one.
[name]Vesper[/name]: again I find it a curious choice for your family, as it’s so overtly [name]Christian[/name]. So prefer Hesper / Hespera, what with the astronomical and twilight associations.
Middles: I’ll try the same as with your boys, with three tentative must use / maybe use / would not use groups:
Must Use:
[name]Constance[/name]: beautiful virtue name, with emulatory qualities
[name]Dione[/name]: familiar to all, nice nod to mythology
Everild: I’m biased as it’s on my own list; great namesake and sounds like “[name]Ever[/name] [name]Wild[/name]”
Fiametta: beautiful name, but quite fiery in contrast to your cool, soothing, woodsy imagery
[name]Garland[/name]: love the subtle nature nod here without being too overt
Illyria: beautiful, half-mythical utopia. [name]Wild[/name] and dreamy.
[name]Joy[/name]: so simple and sweet
[name]Louise[/name]: ?family name? Perhaps [name]Lovisa[/name], to honor your heritage?
Mielikki: I like the nod to your boyfriend’s heritage. Not sure how workable it will be into combinations? Also like Tellervo (Finnish forest goddess), which might fit better.
Mist: beautiful word and will work well in name combinations!
[name]Nyx[/name]: fantastic mythological namesake, absolutely beautiful, and will work well in combos. Only downside is the common word ‘nix,’ meaning to cancel out.
[name]Persephone[/name]: a good namesake, though a bit of a passive figure even for a goddess.
Polymnia: I love what she represents but the name will be difficult to use.
[name]Tempest[/name]: beautiful, nature + literary
Maybe Use:
[name]Azure[/name]: Pretty color word, but not as rich/storied as some choices
[name]Eos[/name]: difficult to place in combinations, and almost feels technological or like an operating system (iOS)
[name]Eowyn[/name]: depends if you want your name to feel overtly LOTR. She was a fine character, and the name has a lovely sound, but I think Lorien (or something like Earendil) would be much better
Fairlight: fairy lights?
[name]Ivy[/name]: such a popular hipster name. Unless it has a significance I don’t know of, I would consider something more original
Loveday: sweet but not as substantial
[name]Lux[/name]: pretty word, but the sound (flux, sucks) isn’t the best
[name]Melusine[/name]: I can’t decide where to place [name]Melusine[/name]. In the end, she was a monster, albeit a monster with a pretty name.
[name]Silver[/name]: fine, but not too subtle. What do you think of [name]Arianwen[/name]?
[name]Snow[/name]: like [name]Silver[/name], not too subtle. What about the nameberry favorite Lumi? Or [name]Eira[/name]? Or Eirlys, the snowdrop?
Villanelle: it’s a pretty word and quite obscure. Again, I’d prefer an artist rather than the art form itself, but it’s such an unknown I think it will pass based on sound alone.
[name]Waverly[/name]: pretty but not intriguing enough to be considered
[name]Willow[/name]: it’s a lovely tree but rather commonly used. If you look up the symbolism of the trees, is [name]Willow[/name] the one you prefer?
[name]Winter[/name]: an everyday word, not as evocative.
Would Not Use:
Aquamarine: it too long and heavy (paradoxically). I would use [name]Marin[/name] / [name]Marine[/name] / [name]Nerine[/name] in a heartbeat, but don’t care for the [name]Aqua[/name]
[name]Calliope[/name]: this is the hurdy-gurdy at the circus
[name]Circe[/name]: don’t care for the namesake at all
[name]Harmonia[/name]: harmonica? Honestly, [name]Harmony[/name] made it into too many pot-addled hippie lists back in the 70s.
[name]Holly[/name]: so popular-- you have much richer options
Idunn: A Norse goddess, yes, but doesn’t cross over into English well. Looks like “I dunno”
Iynx: a nymph with an unusable name
[name]Lexie[/name]: quite perplexed to see this trendy [name]Alex[/name] diminutive on your list
Libertine: this is a thoroughly negative word-- a slur
Lively: prefer [name]Vivian[/name] or its variants
Luthien: it’s one of the loveliest Tolkien legends, especially in its real-life corollaries, but I think the phonetics won’t work (sounds like [name]Luther[/name])
Moonbeam: 70s hippie rather than beautiful and evocative
Mythily: it sounds like an adverb off the word ‘myth;’ also a bit lisping
Oenone: will be prn ‘one one.’ [name]Do[/name] not think it is usable. Also, a wine-nymph. (We still use her name in ‘oenology’)
[name]Pandora[/name]: an online music streaming site. Plus the sexual “[name]Pandora[/name]'s box.”
[name]Psyche[/name]: for all those who don’t immediately see ‘psycho,’ psyche simply means ‘the mind.’ Not really seen as a person’s name given the widespread, common usage.
[name]Ren[/name]: not sure why this is on your list, as it’s typically a male diminutive.
[name]Reverie[/name]: basically akin to ‘daydream’
Sif: she’s sort of the Norse [name]Hera[/name]; and much more domestic than you’re looking for. I don’t care as much for the phonetics of the name either (sift, sieve)
[name]Sonnet[/name]: would rather see a famous poet rather than the art form itself. Akin to “painting” rather than “[name]Titian[/name],” or “novel” rather than “Flaubert.”
Syrinx: this is the only one I feel strongly you should not use. It’s an anatomical malformation of the spinal cord & CSF drainage system causing neurological problems.
[name]Tigerlily[/name]: calls to mind the highly offensive Native American princess in ‘[name]Peter[/name] [name]Pan[/name].’ And the Geldofs.
Valkyrie: this is sometimes used as a term for a heavy, screeching woman
Vixen: no way!
Waterlily: I don’t find it as lovely; however, the Australian name [name]Nerida[/name] means ‘water lily’ in an Aboriginal language and is quite close to [name]Nereida[/name] / the nereids.
