Narrowing it down...again.

Girl Names
1

I had narrowed my name list for my second daughter to two names–[name]Gemma[/name] [name]Claire[/name] or [name]Sophia[/name] [name]Claire[/name]. However, I keep bringing back names I vetoed as well as finding a new one. My list has expanded again and it’s driving me crazy!

First off, [name]Claire[/name] is the name my husband chose. It is not a favorite of mine but we compromised. I get to chose the FN.
Secondly, this list various with the style of names. I have a couple popular names, a couple of fairly popular and some very uncommon.
Lastly, My daughter’s name is [name]Cadence[/name], which is generally uncommon and feminine without being frilly. I sort of want to keep with that style. However, I also have two stepchildren, [name]Nathaniel[/name] and [name]Alana[/name] (uh-[name]LAY[/name]-nuh).

Here we go:

[name]Waverly[/name]: As a name and sibset, I have gotten an overall positive response. My worry is it is too ‘out there’. A good nickname could be [name]Avi[/name]/[name]Avy[/name]. My husband isn’t a fan. ([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Waverly[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Waverly[/name])

[name]Gemma[/name]: I am 50/50 on this one. I like it. It’s pretty and unique and another name I have gotten positive reviews on. I am not sure if I like it enough to name my daughter. ([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name])

[name]Tatum[/name]: I had this name picked out before I knew I was having a girl. I know my mother-in-law is fond of this name. Like [name]Waverly[/name], it is uncommon and feminine without being frilly. ([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Tatum[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Tatum[/name])

[name]Zoey[/name]: This is a name I keep coming back to. I didn’t care for it in the beginning but it has grown on me. It’s in the top 50 of popular names and rising. ([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Zoey[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Zoey[/name])

[name]Madison[/name]: I would have never considered this name before but it started to grow on me. My husband likes it. My issue is popularity since it is #8 in SS. However, it’s popularity is declining. ([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Madison[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Madison[/name])

[name]Sophia[/name]: I fell in love with name when I was pregnant with [name]Cadence[/name]. I seriously considered changing [name]Cadence[/name] to [name]Sophia[/name]. My issue is not only the popularity (#2 in US) but commonness of it. While most haven’t really heard of [name]Cadence[/name], [name]Sophia[/name] is pretty well-known. I guess I might be falling out of love with it but I still consider it.
([name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name]/[name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name])

WDYT? Out of these names, which one seems to fit?

2

[name]How[/name] does your husband feel about the others besides [name]Waverly[/name]? I like the way [name]Gemma[/name] and [name]Tatum[/name] sound, and they fit with [name]Cadence[/name] to me. They are both unique enough without being at all weird, they sound feminine but not frilly- like she could be a CEO of a [name]Fortune[/name] 500 or a make-up artist or anything in between and those names would work. There also won’t be many with the same name around her, I suspect.

3

My husband likes [name]Madison[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name], he is so-so on [name]Zoey[/name] and [name]Tatum[/name] and he doesn’t like [name]Gemma[/name].

4

I think [name]Madison[/name] is one of those names that will be date-stamped, so to speak – it will be thought of as a very early-21st-century name. Whereas [name]Sophia[/name], as popular as it is, is a classic that will endure.

I love [name]Gemma[/name] and like [name]Zoey[/name] (though I prefer it as [name]Zoe[/name]) and [name]Waverly[/name]. I’m kind of meh on [name]Tatum[/name], and think it is the least good match with the sibset.

5

I really like [name]Madison[/name] and [name]Waverly[/name] paired with [name]Cadence[/name], [name]Waverly[/name] being my favorite. [name]Tatum[/name] is not feminine at all-it is very harsh as is the nn [name]Tate[/name]. I’ve never cared for the name [name]Zoey[/name] much, it’s alright. You can never go wrong with [name]Sophia[/name], that is definitely a timeless classic.

6

I think [name]Sophia[/name] is your best bet. The others I feel lack substance where as [name]Sophia[/name] still holds a lot of class. [name]Claire[/name] matches it well. [name]How[/name] about another compromise using [name]Clara[/name] as a fn? [name]Clara[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] would be gorgeous!

7

Going down the list in order:

I find [name]Waverly[/name] harsh, more so than similar names like [name]Westerly[/name]. It’s also a wallpaper company.

I really like [name]Gemma[/name], its femme without being sugary, it’s not overly common in the US, and it goes with [name]Cadence[/name] without sounding like [name]Cadence[/name], if that makes sense.

I find [name]Tatum[/name] more feminine than many surname type names for girls. I vastly prefer it to [name]Madison[/name]. I do think of [name]Tatum[/name] O’[name]Neal[/name] but that’s hardly the end of the world.

[name]Zoey[/name] - Looks a lot cornier to me this way than if it were spelt [name]Zoe[/name]. [name]Zoe[/name] is a bit popular for me but is sweet and pleasant.

[name]Madison[/name] - is a name I don’t see any redeeming merit to, unless your maiden name is [name]Madison[/name].

[name]Sophia[/name] - is very, very popular. Yes, its a classic, but so is [name]Sarah[/name], and [name]Sarah[/name] is still feeling a bit un-fresh after the '80s and '90s has beat it to death, isn’t it? [name]Sophia[/name] is a nice name with a nice history to it, don’t get me wrong, but if you add up all the Sophias, Sofias, Sophies, and those who are using it as a middle name… there’s a lot of them.

[name]Long[/name] story short, I would go with [name]Gemma[/name] as first pick and then [name]Tatum[/name]. [name]Zoe[/name] would be in the running without that extraneous y.

8

I’d definitely go with [name]Gemma[/name]! An easy win for me.

[name]Sophia[/name] - don’t do it; there are just so many and it kind of sticks out with your other more original children’s names.
Same with [name]Madison[/name] - uber trendy.
I don’t get [name]Waverly[/name] at all, could you avoid a nn of Wavy? It sounds a bit silly to me - sorry!
[name]Tatum[/name] is my second favourite choice from your list - [name]Tatum[/name] [name]Claire[/name] has a great ring to it!
[name]Zoey[/name] is nice although agree [name]Zoe[/name] is better in case you get the [name]Zooey[/name] pronunciation.

Yep - I’m still easily hands down a [name]Gemma[/name] fan!

9

I think [name]Zoe[/name] and [name]Zoey[/name] are too trendy now. Spelled [name]Zooey[/name] from [name]Salinger[/name]'s book at least gives a literary reference and is a bit less popular.

[name]Tatum[/name] is my favorite followed by [name]Waverly[/name]. [name]Tatum[/name] is not too feminine and is nice with [name]Tate[/name] as a nickname.

I agree that [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Madison[/name] are just too popular.

10

That is what bugs me about [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Madison[/name] is their popularity. But, I can’t help but liking them. [name]Madison[/name] and [name]Waverly[/name] are the newest additions to my name list. If I could, I would try and use those names to come up with one. However, my husband is set on [name]Claire[/name]. LOL. I’ve mentioned [name]Clara[/name] before but I am not a fan and neither is my husband. He likes [name]Claire[/name]. (All because of Resident Evil and Heroes). I am having so much more trouble than I had with [name]Cadence[/name]. Part of me wants to make sure my husband likes the name too (even though I don’t like [name]Claire[/name]) and he likes [name]Sophia[/name] or [name]Madison[/name]. All this name deciding makes my head hurt. LOL.

11

I’ve known quite a few [name]Madison[/name]'s, so the name isn’t especially inspiring to me. I’m also not sure that [name]Tatum[/name] goes especially well with your sibset. I really like all the other names though, and I think they’d go well with the names of your other children!

12

[name]Waverly[/name] is a little too strange…I think of the disney channel show and of potato chips
[name]Zoey[/name] and [name]Madison[/name] are so so popular!!there are so so many…
[name]Tatum[/name] is really nice…it is unique enough that there is not going to be maybe any other Tatums in her class
[name]Gemma[/name] is ok…but if your husband hates it so much…keep looking
Please don’t name her [name]Sophia[/name] I am so bored with this name…just like [name]Isabella[/name]…I’m just so over it…there have been sooooooooooo many of them…its just over done to the max

13

If you like [name]Madison[/name] but don’t like its popularity, maybe you’ll like [name]Madigan[/name]?

14

[name]Waverly[/name] - I actually love this. It stylistically is a great match with [name]Cadence[/name], imo, and I think it has absolutely adorable nn potential (the one I know goes by Wavey/Wave–I think Wavey is too cute!). I’m torn about how your husband feels about the names… you obviously aren’t a huge fan of [name]Claire[/name], so it seems fair to use a name you really love regardless, but then again, it’d be nice if your husband could like it, too. :confused: I think [name]Waverly[/name] [name]Claire[/name] is perfect, actually, and so lovely with [name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Alana[/name], and [name]Cadence[/name]. This is probably my favorite.

[name]Gemma[/name] - I must see [name]Gemma[/name] completely differently from everyone else, because stylistically [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name] couldn’t be farther apart for me! If that doesn’t bother you, I think it’s a great choice, and I think it goes well with [name]Nathaniel[/name] and [name]Alana[/name], actually, but it seems a bit odd next to [name]Cadence[/name] to me. Still, it’s very sweet and I like its nicknames ([name]Gem[/name], [name]Gemmy[/name], [name]Em[/name], [name]Emmy[/name], etc.).

[name]Tatum[/name] - this is probably my least favorite, sorry. [name]Tatum[/name] isn’t feminine to me at all (all I can think of is [name]Tate[/name], which screams boy to me, and [name]Channing[/name] [name]Tatum[/name]… who is definitely a boy. haha.), and while [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Tatum[/name] work style-wise, I feel like [name]Cadence[/name] is girly and sweet while [name]Tatum[/name] is rough-and-tumble and boyish.

[name]Zoey[/name] - I really like this. It’s youthful, sweet, has a long history, and [name]Cadence[/name] and [name]Zoey[/name] are sweet together, not to mention with [name]Nathaniel[/name] and [name]Alana[/name] as well. It’s not my favorite, but it definitely could work and I like it a lot.

[name]Madison[/name] - not my thing, sorry. I agree with the others that it is trendy and I would think the reason that it’s going down in popularity is because it’s not as stylish as it once was. It was absolutely rabid a few years ago (ranked number 2 in 2001 and 2002). [name]Maddie[/name] is cute but I much prefer [name]Madeleine[/name], personally.

[name]Sophia[/name] - this is actually my second favorite. I love that [name]Sophia[/name] means “wisdom” and the name has a lot of significance to me personally… even if it didn’t, though, I think it’s a great choice for anyone. Sure, yeah, it’s popular, but it’s popular for a reason. :slight_smile:

As far as popularity goes, I really wouldn’t worry about it. I lived with a hugely popular girls’ name, and I actually loved it. I was excited to meet other Ashleys and if you have a little [name]Sophia[/name] or [name]Zoey[/name], she might love it, too. [name]Just[/name] because thousands of other parents love a name you love (or I love, or whoever loves) doesn’t mean that you can’t use it anymore, imo. The popularity of a great name like [name]Sophia[/name] doesn’t take away all the beautiful qualities about it–soft, girly, sophisticated, classy, timeless, etc., etc. It just means that a lot of girls will have names with those wonderful qualities. Popularity means absolutely nothing to me, haha, but I know it does to a lot of Berries. It seems like you really, really love [name]Sophia[/name] though (it was on your top 2), so I definitely wouldn’t discount it just because others love it.

Good luck!