Need opinions on these rare ones (how am I still not in love with a name?!)

Girl Baby Names
#1

Oh my gosh, here I am in my third trimester, and I’m in the full-on baby name blahs. I have two top contenders - one I don’t want to even hint at because it’s been getting too many hits on here lately; and then P e a r l, the name I always thought I’d name my youngest daughter (back when I thought I’d have all girls, ha ha), which also has been getting tons of attention on here and is on the top 1000 and will probably only get more and more popular in the next five to ten years.

Thing is, by this time with my pregnancies with my sons, I’d fully committed to a name and was THRILLED with it. I experienced just as much name anxiety and name indecision leading up to choosing the name, and I’ve never gone with my original pick (or else my kids would be [name]Felix[/name] or [name]Lucius[/name], [name]Arlo[/name], and [name]Axel[/name]), but when I actually settled on the name we ended up using, I loved it and couldn’t wait to use it, and kind of felt like a crazy genius for even having thought of it. That’s how I felt about [name]Clover[/name] as my girl name when I was pregnant with my second and third sons, and at the very beginning of this pregnancy, too. But then slowly I soured on [name]Clover[/name] and now I could never imagine using it, and I have yet to find a thrilling replacement. I briefly fell in love with the name [name]Marigold[/name], then I got like eighty signs from the universe that I shouldn’t use it then dropped it right before I found out it’s going to be the name of a character on a major NBC sitcom premiering sometime soon.

I desparately want to feel that way again about a name, especially since I know I CAN, and am very nervous to go in with a couple of names that I just really like instead of love. I don’t want to have name regret and be back on here a few weeks or months later asking if you think I should change her name! So here are a few that have lingered on my list but I haven’t seriously considered until now. If you could tell me what you think of them, what kind of imagery they bring up, what kind of kid/woman you imagine having that name, what kind of family you imagine a kid with that name being from, and also if you think that the name will “blend in” with the way most names sound these days (the last one is my main concern with my main contender right now):

Rosegold - someone suggested this in one of my original hundred-page threads from a few months ago, and I do really like it a lot. I love the nn [name]Goldie[/name] (even though I do know of one little girl named [name]Goldie[/name] already from my middle son’s preschool). I think it sounds like vintage jewelry. Does it sound too made up? Are [name]Rose[/name] names overdone? Would [name]Rosie[/name] definitely end up being a nn? I don’t like [name]Rosie[/name] at all.

[name]Holiday[/name] - would this definitely turn into [name]Holly[/name]? I really like [name]Holly[/name] on other peoples’ daughters, but not on my own. Also my husband told me a million years ago he once had a big crush on a girl named [name]Holly[/name] but she was too good for him, and I’m still a little pissed about it!

[name]Topaz[/name] - major contender, but aren’t there like a ton of commercial products and software programs and stuff named [name]Topaz[/name]? Does it sound like a tampon brand? Does it sound too commercial or industrial or boring? What would the nn be? Toto? Pazzy? [name]Paz[/name]? Taupe? [name]Paz[/name] and Pazzy I really dislike. Also the first syllable of our last name has the same unpleasant braying “A” sound that [name]Topaz[/name] has, and maybe that’s a bit too much.

[name]Cinnamon[/name] - I like the hippie aspect, but is it too strippery/porny? It doesn’t have enough ooomph sound-wise either, does it?

[name]How[/name] would you all rank these? Should I use any of them?

#2

I actually like all of them! I remember your loooooong thread, many good names there! I don’t think [name]Cinnamon[/name] is a stripper-name. It’s a lovely name, and the most delicious spice (it’s on my list for baby as well)! I’m ranking them in this order: [name]Cinnamon[/name], [name]Holiday[/name], Rosegold, [name]Topaz[/name] - but I [name]TRULY[/name] love all of them!

#3

I do think [name]Rose[/name] is overdone even if you add -gold on the end. I like [name]Topaz[/name] and [name]Holiday[/name]. I actually REALLY like [name]Topaz[/name].

I’d prefer [name]Cinna[/name] over [name]Cinnamon[/name].

#4

Thanks so far guys. In all my name reasearch I discovered I only really love noun names for girls, and one of the things I like about [name]Cinnamon[/name] is the potential nn [name]Minnie[/name], so I do like [name]Cinnamon[/name] over [name]Minnie[/name]. I feel like I need to get more jazzed for [name]Topaz[/name]. [name]Don[/name]'t all those names sound really cool in a row? There are so many combos that sound great and awesome as like a sibset, but as the only daughter in the family, I need something that’s going to stand out by itself!

#5

I think [name]Cinnamon[/name] and [name]Topaz[/name] are very special and fullfills your requirement. I’m liking [name]Topaz[/name] more and more by the minute, it’s really a cool and stunning name!

#6

Have to say that I’m not crazy about any of these four…they sound, to me at least, like you are trying too hard.

Question–I see that you like noun names for girls. But does it have to be a tangible noun like [name]Pearl[/name] or [name]Lavender[/name]? Could it be something like [name]Felicity[/name], [name]Rhapsody[/name], or [name]Winter[/name]? In other words, would an abstract noun work?

#7

Your style is different from mine, so hopefully I can help. Out of the names, I kind of like [name]Holiday[/name] for the [name]Holly[/name] nickname mainly because it reminds me of Breakfast At [name]Tiffany[/name]'s. The others are nice, though I don’t know if I could ever imagine meeting a little girl with the name [name]Cinnamon[/name]. I would think that her mom ate a lot of cinnamon when she was pregnant but I like [name]Cinnamon[/name] flavored things so maybe it could grow on me as a name.

I love [name]Rose[/name] name and don’t think they are overdone. [name]Rose[/name] as a middle name is overdone, but any [name]Rose[/name] in the first name spot is lovely but that is my opinion. I don’t really like Rosegold too much, though it could grow on me. [name]Goldie[/name] is cute a nn, and I like [name]Rosie[/name] too.

I am starting to like [name]Pearl[/name] a lot more because I recently found out it was one of of great x2 grandmother’s names. It is lovely. I used to think it was kind of blah, but now it is getting cuter to me each day.

#10

I guess in some cases a non-object noun would work, like [name]Holiday[/name] fits the bill for that. I like day and month and season names, too. Month names I actually really like, and my favorites would have to be from this time of year ([name]October[/name] and [name]November[/name]), but I think it would be weird to be named one of those rarer month names and not be born in that month (just looked it up and [name]January[/name] [name]Jones[/name] was in fact born in [name]January[/name], see what I mean?), and the nns are crappy. Not into virtue names like [name]Felicity[/name]. Concept names like [name]Rhapsody[/name] could be cool, but to me those are more in the category of “trying too hard.”

#11

I really like [name]Topaz[/name] and [name]Cinnamon[/name]! I think they’re beautiful and would be really cool names. :slight_smile: I usually don’t like “[name]Rose[/name]” names but I really like Rosegold!

#12

Funny thing is, [name]Holiday[/name] is the one that my husband is most strongly against!

#13

Ha ha, yeah I’m not that into cinnamon-flavored stuff right now, though she’s due early in the holiday season, which is a time of year when many treats are made with cinnamon. I actually had a pretty strong cinnamon aversion when I was pregnant with my first son. It never happened again, but cinnamon-flavored stuff has never been that high on my list of things to consume while pregnant.

I’m the opposite on P e a r l, it was very pretty and precious to me for years, and now I’m just getting blah on it. Meh!

#14

I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Holiday[/name], it’s on my list, you could also nn her Liddy, [name]Day[/name] or Lady

#15

[name]Cinnamon[/name] is adorable! I knew a [name]Cinnamon[/name] once and she was vey successful and certainly not a stripper. The only one I would definitely get rid of is [name]Holiday[/name], while it sounds like an adorable name, there is [name]WAY[/name] to much [name]Holiday[/name] Inn teasing potential for me :frowning:

#16

Rosegold - I like most [name]Rose[/name] name but i’m not liking this one. It sounds like hotel or something.

[name]Holiday[/name] - I wouldn’t use this one if I were you because I think she would be nicknamed [name]Holly[/name].

[name]Topaz[/name] - I like this one the best from your list. Since it is the birthstone for [name]November[/name], it could also honor a loved one born in that month. For nicknames, you could use Topa or Topi. I also think [name]Goldie[/name] would work here as a nn because [name]Topaz[/name] is a yellow color.

[name]Cinnamon[/name] - I think this is a stereotypical stripper name. NMS. [name]Cinna[/name], [name]Senna[/name], and [name]Sienna[/name] are all cute.

Suggestions:
[name]Magnolia[/name] (nns [name]Maggie[/name], [name]Mags[/name], [name]Nolia[/name], [name]Nola[/name])
[name]Golden[/name] (nn [name]Goldie[/name])
[name]Meadow[/name]
[name]Cinna[/name] or [name]Senna[/name]
[name]Sienna[/name]
[name]Siddalee[/name]
[name]Coral[/name]
[name]Zinnia[/name] (like the flower)
[name]Silver[/name]
[name]Lotus[/name]
[name]Saffron[/name]
[name]Sonnet[/name]
[name]Liberty[/name]
[name]Garnet[/name]

#17

Not my style at all. Sorry. I do love [name]Rose[/name].

#18

Huh! This thread has been really helpful so far! Using Lady as a nn for [name]Holiday[/name] - I freakin’ [name]LOVE[/name] that! And I hadn’t even imagined that [name]Goldie[/name] could be a nn for [name]Topaz[/name], but you know what? It totally could!

#19

I am new to nameberry and I remember that you don’t want to post all three of your sons’ names simultaneously lest they be googleable. I know too it’s very important to you that a name be very uncommon. I can recall two of your sons’ names (one is the first name of a famous composer, and the other is a nature word and a minor mythological figure, correct?) If I’m remembering correctly, all three boys have very stately, serious names.

I would therefore caution against naming your only daughter something that feels a bit more frivolous as compared to Famous Composer or Greek God. It can send a subtle subliminal message that girls are meant to be cute and ornamental, but boys are meant to accomplish things. My immediate impression of all four names you suggested is that they’re not as powerful as your boys’ monikers, and to be honest they don’t feel like they belong to the same family.

Rosegold-- I like the imagery of antique jewelry very much. But I have a few objections-- as a pp mentioned, [name]Rose[/name] is so common that even tacking an unexpected morpheme like gold onto the end of it doesn’t do enough to freshen it. ‘[name]Goldie[/name]’ is a sweet nickname but again, not particularly serious. I feel this is even less serious and stately than [name]Topaz[/name].

[name]Holiday[/name]-- I want to associate this with smoky jazz and 30s [name]Harlem[/name], but instead it’s a budget hotel chain and a common word. She will indubitably be nicknamed [name]Holly[/name]. It’s a fun, light and airy word but still-- think about the message that it sends within your family. [name]One[/name] boy is a famous composer whose work has inspired billions; one is a literal god; but she is a day at the seaside?

[name]Topaz[/name]-- this is an intriguing and unique nature word. It’s more serious than something like [name]Jewel[/name] or Sparkle. I don’t get an overly technical vibe, nor do I think it’s close to Tampax :), but at the same time I think you would have to do some digging (i.e. medieval medical usage, symbolism, cultural history) to explain its deeper significance to your daughter, and that you’re not just naming her after something shiny.

[name]Cinnamon[/name]-- I know a girl named [name]Cinnamon[/name]. We were at [name]Oxford[/name] together and she has a PhD in Engineering. With all due respect to my friend [name]Cinnamon[/name]-- I agree that this is a stripper name. The name [name]Cassia[/name] is likely far too common for your taste, but I think it’s closer to the mark in the sense of a serious name with deep roots and history, but also with a feminine, spicy take.

It does appear from your preference for [name]Clover[/name], [name]Cinnamon[/name] and [name]Topaz[/name] that you are fond of names related to nature. Suggestions:

Bergamot: this is an aromatic herb used by multiple Native American tribes as an antisceptic, to treat minor wounds and throat infections. It has a spicy smell similar to an orange.

Hibiscus: a beautiful tropical bloom which is edible and made into a tea. This is the symbol of multiple nations, and is sacred to the goddess [name]Kali[/name] in Hinduism. It was used in pre-biomedicine times to treat diabetes and is very important in traditional Chinese medicine and [name]Indian[/name] Ayurveda.

Larkspur: the common name for the delphinium, a ravishing flower which comes in many shades. In medieval times it was connected to [name]Saint[/name] [name]Odile[/name], and in popular medicine was used against eye diseases. It was one of the herbs used on the feast of St. [name]John[/name], and as such, warded off lightning. It also was used to treat asthma and congestive heart failure.

[name]Hypatia[/name]-- if you want a hell of a role model for your daughter, [name]Hypatia[/name]'s your girl! She was the first female mathematician and philosopher to be regarded as a world thought leader. People flocked from all over the ancient world to listen to her lectures on astronomy. She also has a lilting, beautiful first name which is very rarely given.

Nightengale / Rossignol / [name]Philomela[/name]: the cultural history surrounding the nightengale is too extensive to list (wiki has an article on it). [name]Philomela[/name] is the personage in Greek myth who was turned into a nightengale, and rossignol is the French word for the bird.

Myrrh: deep, mysterious, spicy myrrh. Associated for centuries with the [name]Easter[/name] story, but the cultural history behind myrrh is very deep indeed (it was among the most precious and treasured substances in the ancient and medieval world-- it was literally worth more than its weight in pure gold). It was believed to possess miraculous healing powers, and was also called the Balm of [name]Gilead[/name].

#20

I like the name holiday, but the conection to an old crush of your husband would be offputting to me. I like the nn goldie, but not really Rosegold. [name]How[/name] about:

[name]Penrose[/name]: another rose name with the nn penny
Godenrod: nn [name]Goldie[/name]
[name]Goldie[/name], just by itself
[name]Paxon[/name]
[name]November[/name]: I’m asuming this is the month she’s being born in due to the name topaz. If not it’s a great way to honor someone born in Noverber
[name]Nova[/name] : back to november

Best wishes and congrats on the baby girl!

#21

You got the composer right, but none of my kids are named after deities. I might have said I wish I could change my oldest son [name]Eli[/name]‘s name to [name]Neptune[/name] perhaps, or that I considered [name]Neptune[/name] for my third son, but we didn’t use that. I wouldn’t say they’re all solid, serious names, it’s more like old timey/slightly dark names with some intensity. At least that’s what I was going for. My third son’s name, while biblical and old timey, is also on many peoples’ lists as something ridiculous to never name a child, because it also sounds like the name of an alien overlord (but that’s why I like it!). People definitely react to the younger boys’ names as being “out there,” so I think [name]Topaz[/name] or [name]Cinnamon[/name] would fit right in with the others. It’s a random mix.

I think as long as you’re not too “strippery” with a girl name, there’s no reason not to get whimsical. [name]Clover[/name], my old favorite, is actually the name of the mayor of [name]Sydney[/name], Australia (she might have just been voted out, I’m not sure).

Of the names you mentioned, I do like Nightengale, Hibiscus and Larkspur. Nightengale is my favorite, but wouldn’t she just end up [name]Gale[/name]? Actually since my name is [name]Abigail[/name] (though I go by [name]Abby[/name]), that would be weird. That’s also why I wouldn’t use [name]Agnes[/name] or [name]Agatha[/name], even though I think they’re really cool.

#22

No, she’s not due in [name]November[/name], she’s due in [name]December[/name], but I do like the name [name]November[/name]. Plus my husband’s father had a twin sister and they were born in [name]November[/name], but she passed away in 2006. Her name was [name]Mary[/name] and I was actually honoring her and my dad’s mom’s maiden name with the name [name]Marigold[/name] (dad’s mom’s maiden name was Goldberg). I also like the name [name]October[/name] a lot, but wouldn’t that just be [name]Toby[/name]? [name]Blue[/name] topaz is the alternate birthstone for [name]December[/name], actually, so it could work for that, too.