We are first time namers with a bit of a different naming style. We have a long list of potential names, but there’re none that we both [name_u]LOVE[/name_u]. We are expecting twins, but we are on team green so we want around four names for each gender. These are the names we agree on. Can you give us a short blurb on each name with what a girl with that name would be like or any problems someone with that name would face.
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] - Always seemed a bit plain to me but pretty enough. Flows well as a middle name with pretty much all other names on this list, e.g. I love [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] ([name_f]Kate[/name_f]) - Sweet! To me this is a rarer and sweeter version than [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]. [name_f]Kate[/name_f] is a good nickname for this. [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Nell[/name_f]) - [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is one of those names that personally I don’t like but everyone else seems to love. I think it’s because I know so many [name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]/[name_f]Elle[/name_f]/Eleanors. [name_f]Nell[/name_f] seems sweet but again I wouldn’t use because my dogs nickname was [name_f]Nell[/name_f] the smell…I doubt anyone else would make that weird a connection though! [name_f]Edith[/name_f] - Super sweet! [name_u]Love[/name_u] the vintage vibes and I can really imagine this on any age. A little girl called [name_f]Edie[/name_f] would be adorable.
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - Again loving the vintage feels and this would go super well with [name_f]Edith[/name_f] as a twin name. [name_f]Edie[/name_f] and [name_f]Bea[/name_f]! [name_f]Margot[/name_f] - This has been on my list for ages! [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] ([name_f]Ginny[/name_f]) - [name_f]Every[/name_f] [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] I have known has always ended up being nicknamed [name_f]Immy[/name_f]/Immi/Immie, which I don’t love. Seems a bit ‘clunkier’ than the rest of your names. [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) - Not a fan. [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] looks ugly written down to me and always has. Out of [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] I think [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] is a better way of getting to [name_f]Millie[/name_f] as a nickname though! (I pronounce this with a “leen” ending) [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) - [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is one of my absolute favourites! But I think [name_f]Millie[/name_f] is a bit of a reach to get as a nickname from [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. Nickname wise I prefer [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] or [name_u]Matty[/name_u]. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the reference to strength and the musical! [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] - Beautiful name! [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] ([name_f]Eliza[/name_f]) - I love the nickname [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]! It seems funkier than most of the other nicknames to me. I would definitely have [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] as a nickname though. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f], classic name. [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Cora[/name_f] - Knew a [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] who hated the name and [name_f]Cora[/name_f] seems so much more elegant to me, so I prefer [name_f]Cora[/name_f]. [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] ([name_f]Addie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ada[/name_f]) - [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] seems a little old-ladyish but that’s in fashion. [name_f]Addie[/name_f] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f] are both cute. [name_f]Ada[/name_f] could be a name in it’s own right and I love [name_f]Addie[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Adeline[/name_f] (ah-duh-line). [name_f]Alice[/name_f] - Simple, elegant and beautiful.
Your list is lovely I would use most of the names on there! xx
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] – love it but yes it is plain. I think a little girl might think it was boring. I wish it had nicknames. For an older person it is sleek, classic, and versatile in my opinion.
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] ([name_f]Kate[/name_f]) – a bit frumpy but has rustic appeal. [name_f]Kate[/name_f] is a nice modern nickname.
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Nell[/name_f]) – one of my favorites. Serious name but beautiful sound.
[name_f]Edith[/name_f] – don’t love the “ith” ending but [name_f]Edie[/name_f] is really cute. Another serious name.
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] – I find it hard to pronounce the full name. Serious name and a little funky.
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] – cute and versatile. Has a bit of drama/sounds fancy with the O ending/french roots.
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f] ([name_f]Ginny[/name_f]) – [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is great. [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] is a bit hipster if you’re in the US but usable.
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) – Love [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] but [name_f]Millie[/name_f] is not intuitive to me. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t love similarity to [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f].
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) – Has a funky/quirky vibe to me. Maybe a little harsh on an adult. [name_f]Millie[/name_f] is a cute nn though a bit of a stretch. Have you considered [name_f]Camille[/name_f]/[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]?
[name_f]Isadora[/name_f] – very pretty but the one I know just goes by [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] which is so much less pretty and blends in with [name_f]Isabel[/name_f].
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] ([name_f]Eliza[/name_f]) – I know a ton of Elizabeths so find it a bit boring, but it is definitely classic and pretty.
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] – prefer this as the full name. Harder to picture on a kid, but I don’t know any of any age.
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Cora[/name_f] – [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] is very frilly. [name_f]Cora[/name_f] is nice. Versatile, vintage vibe but not overly so.
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f] ([name_f]Addie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ada[/name_f]) – Nicknames seem unnecessary. I think [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] is very pretty.
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] – don’t love the sound of it, but it’s growing on me. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t like [name_u]Allie[/name_u] nickname but you could probably avoid it.
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]- I really like [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - clean, confident, smart and non-fussy but still pretty.
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] ([name_f]Kate[/name_f]) - I don’t like the sound of [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f], prefer [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Kate[/name_f] is a solid choice and willl be unexpected among [name_f]Lilas[/name_f] and Evies.
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Nell[/name_f]) - this is a literary name for me, for a taller, bookish type. Really like it. Only teasing potentially for a few years is smelly but not enough not to use it!
[name_f]Edith[/name_f] - another literary name, [name_f]Edie[/name_f] is sweet. It’s a tad fusty and I think some of these old lady names are passing their peak (and 1950s names are slowly coming in) but it’s a very dignified name.
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - I’ve never liked this name, don’t like the trice sound and [name_f]Bea[/name_f] is an annoying nickname to me (clearly some idiosyncratic reaction here!)
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] - cool name for a happy and stylish person, [name_f]Margot[/name_f] [name_u]Robbie[/name_u] connotation too, but think it’s on he way out. I’d go for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] and nn [name_f]Margot[/name_f].
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f] ([name_f]Ginny[/name_f]) - I love this name but couldn’t use it for my daughter as DH didn’t like the “gen” sound at end. I would have used [name_f]Immy[/name_f] as goes well with last name. It’s a precious name!
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) - I would naturally say [name_f]Emme[/name_f]-lyne (not leen) unless told otherwise though the leen version possibly nicer. I like this name but never sticks in my mind!
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] ([name_f]Millie[/name_f]) - my niece’s name, a full and sunny name with lots of nn potential.
[name_f]Isadora[/name_f] - I love this name but too many [name_u]Issy[/name_u]’s where I’m from (mostly [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]’s). [name_f]Dora[/name_f] is the obvious alternative!
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] ([name_f]Eliza[/name_f]) - like above, love this name but prefer [name_f]Lilibet[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f], [name_f]Betty[/name_f], [name_f]Lil[/name_f], Zabby.
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Cora[/name_f] - I’d probably just use [name_f]Cora[/name_f] (or [name_f]Cara[/name_f]) than [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], just to make it more modern and confident!
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f] ([name_f]Addie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ada[/name_f]) - love [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], it’s beautiful, don’t like those nn’s as much as [name_f]Audrey[/name_f].
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] - probably like [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], I don’t love the “ice” ending but it’s definitely a solid, elegant and literary name and most people seem to adore it.
You have a lot of nice classic names. Sticking with classic names means most of them will be fine and you shouldn’t have any problems beyond opinion. The only name I can see that is an immediate red flag for me is [name_f]Isadora[/name_f]. As pretty as the name is, I know the meaning is “gift of [name_f]Isis[/name_f]” which could be a bit of turn off.
As for the other names, my favorites are [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]. If my current pregnancy was a girl she would be have been [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] was the alternate choice for my first daughter’s middle name.
I like [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] and [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] quite a bit too, just not as much as the three I listed above.
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] and [name_f]Alice[/name_f] are nice enough names, but both seem very plain to me. They seem like place-holder names.
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Margot[/name_f], and maybe [name_f]Edith[/name_f] too (though I do have a soft spot for [name_f]Edith[/name_f]) are some names I just don’t care for. I know they are becoming popular again, but they just remind me of old ladies. Despite the fact that I’ve met half a dozen baby Eleanors, I still can’t get over the old lady association.
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f] is a name I just don’t understand. It’s probably because I’m from the US, but I had never even heard of that name until I started participating on this website. I know it’s popular in other countries, but have yet to meet an [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] in person.