Please bear with me if you can, and have a quick read through the explanation here.
I have posted before about my struggle with fertility, so generally my name search is entirely theoretical until such day as I am blessed. However, I recently heard the news that I may have the opportunity to adopt the baby of my brothers ex-girlfriend. Sounds complicated, I know. Nothing is written in stone as of yet and the baby isn’t due until late summer, but this young woman’s son with my brother was taken away due to drug use and neglect when he was only a few months old. She is now with someone other than my brother so I questioned whether I would really be given the opportunity to adopt, as I was unable to do so with my nephew. However, because she has no family willing or able to take a new baby, and a history of child neglect and endangerment, I have been assured by DCFS that is a possibility, even if it isn’t 100% sure yet.
In that spirit, I would really like to think of a realistic name choice for this baby, as my previous musings were all for “fun” or for the hope of a future blessing. I am not giving up on getting pregnant, but I would feel blessed and honored to be a mother for this little one, should it happen. And perhaps I am putting the cart before the horse, here, but I can’t help but want to prepare for the possibility.
I keep a document with names I like for girls (my boys names don’t really change much) and there are a few unusual ones, but for the most part they’re guilty pleasures and not likely to be used. This is a list of some of the names I like, though. I would love some help with combinations (I’d prefer two middles) and even suggestions if you see something I might like based on style or story. I would just want, above everything, to make sure she feels honored and loved with her name.
I’m a big fan of keeping first names beautiful but relatively simple as they’re used on an everyday basis and I can’t help feeling that having to spell out your name all your life is a bit of a nuisance, that’s why I put the safer but equally stunning names in the first name spots.
Thank you for such lovely combinations. It’s such a hard decision to make and I’m trying not to get my hopes up since I really don’t know for sure yet that the baby will be placed with me. It’s hard to want to prepare and not be overly hopeful, either. It’s a bit of a fine line, a difficult balance to strike when I want to run out and pick out a bassinet.
I have a really difficult time with combinations and flow so I appreciate such lovely choices!
I love [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f] and [name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f], they sound so soft and vintage and classy
[name_f]Vera[/name_f] Zephryine [name_f]Blanche[/name_f] sounds so sharp and bright and sparkling
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] [name_f]Thea[/name_f] sounds like such a lush, sparkling ocean name
[name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_f]Lumi[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] is so full of light and happiness
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] was the first combo to pop in my head, and I’m oh so in love with it! It’s melodic, unified, fresh, chic, romantic, interesting, ageless, timeless, familiar yet uncommon, just utter perfection.
I like [name_f]Hestia[/name_f] [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] and [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u] the best. [name_f]Hestia[/name_f] is such a sweet, fun, underused name, and [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] is just spunky and peppery.
This is a lovely combination. [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] seems to have made it into many of the suggested combinations so I’ll definitely have to evaluate that one as one of the serious choices for first middle.
Some other suggestions I liked from other posters are [name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Lumi[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], just beautiful, spunky, bright, but with a punch of class. And [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_f]Coral[/name_f] [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] [name_f]Freya[/name_f] were suggested but with one switch, I love [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] [name_f]Freya[/name_f] and [name_f]Coral[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
I’m not sure how I missed these ones! What a gorgeous group of combos. I especially love [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f]! Oh my gosh, it’s such spunky and pretty choice.
Thank you. I am trying t strike a balance between prepared and hopeful, but not unrealistically hopeful. It’s kind of difficult.
I love [name_f]Thea[/name_f] [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I like each individual name and together they’re even better. The flow is perfect. [name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f] I believe was suggested by other berry as well. I’d have to go back and check to be sure but I think I remember thinking it was ab beautiful suggestion and I’ve noticed people putting [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f] together in a number combos so there seems to be a consensus that the names work well together. They do sound great together and I love them with [name_f]Flora[/name_f]. [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] are great together and while I love [name_f]Isolde[/name_f], I don’t love it with those two. But [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] and [name_u]Marian[/name_u] feel great together. I think I would like a longer middle between the two or a middle with the stress on a different syllable since [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] and [name_u]Marian[/name_u] both have the stress at the beginning.
I, to some extent, understand the fear that accompanies hope. I’ve always been warned to not have children naturally due to a very real possibility of renal failure, but recently a doctor told me that my kidney disease is in remission and it’s very likely that I would have a successful pregnancy should I choose to have children in the future. Now I am hopeful that one day I too will have my own child, but I cannot deny the fear of having this ripped away from me. It is a delicate balance.
So I say this with all the sincerity in my heart. I wish for you to have peace in your journey and a child in your arms, however that may come to be.
That being said, you have some lovely options. A lot of your favorites are names I have also considered. I hope you don’t mind me suggesting [name_f]Miriam[/name_f]? It means a “wished for child” and I think it fits well with the names you listed.
Bianca Margot Ivy
Margot Lumi Elen
Arwen Juniper Ruth
Paloma Coral Rose
Laurel Aster Rose
Alice Vera Joy
Juniper Lydia Elen
Freya Eleanor Sage
Lilac Ophelia Joy
You have so many lovely names. I would probably pick something with a lovely meaning since this a child you’ve hoped so long for. My first thought was [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f] [name_f]Diana[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]! I love all names, all their meanings are beautiful and strong and perfect in your situation. Other ideas:
[name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f]
I like these only as middle names:
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Diana[/name_f]
[name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Elen[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_u]Marian[/name_u]
[name_f]Coral[/name_f]
[name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Maude[/name_f]
[name_f]Aster[/name_f]
[name_f]Hestia[/name_f]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f]
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u]
[name_f]Bianca[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
You have a lot of lovely names on your list! I think there are a lot of good possibilities for a lovely and meaningful name. I would call your style romantic and very feminine, with a touch of magic from literature and mythology. These are dream names, I would say - names that fit the style of a dream, and that express a beauty and hope and ideal, like a painting of a Renaissance lady in a rose garden with filmy drapes. That can certainly make for a lovely name. But the more babies I’ve named (I have 10 kids), the more I find it helpful to picture an ordinary kid doing ordinary things, instead of only picturing a lovely setting with an idealized child (like a meadow full of flowers and a child in a straw hat, or a beach with a toddler in a sundress carrying a pail with the setting sun adding a glow to her round cheeks and soft curls…). I find that picturing my kid squatting down looking at a slug, or playing soccer, or with a scraped knee from falling off a bike, or asking for help with 3rd grade math homework, or making a skunk face at another kid, really helps me to un-idealize the naming process to find a name that will be both beautiful and work for a kid in the real world. So, in that vein, I would choose for a first name something a little less grand than [name_f]Zephyrine[/name_f], for example. At the same time, names like [name_f]Zephyrine[/name_f] and [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f] will add a depth and beauty to her full name. Also, in (another) practical vein, it’s important to consider the hassle the kid will have to endure if they have to pronounce or spell or explain their name to absolutely everyone they meet, every teacher every school year, etc. Unusual names are fun, unless they’re not. So pick a gorgeous first name, but make sure to test it with a ‘real world’ use.
Here are a few combos I’ve come up with from your list:
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] [name_f]Zephyrine[/name_f]
[name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Coral[/name_f] [name_f]Diana[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]
And a few not necessarily from your list, but maybe in your style:
[name_f]Lorelai[/name_f] Lavandin Petaluma
[name_f]Seraphina[/name_f] [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] [name_u]Marian[/name_u]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Thessaly[/name_f] [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
