My husband and I are expecting our first baby due in [name_u]August[/name_u]. We are set on a boy name ([name_m]Brooks[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]), and we were set on the girl name of [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. We were going to call her the double name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f], though [name_f]Jane[/name_f] would be her middle name. The more we’ve been talking about our baby, I’ve noticed that I tend to just say [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. I also had some concerns that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] might be shortened to CJ. I think CJ is cute except that it is my in-laws’ dogs’ name. SO yesterday evening I was talking with my mom about my maternal grandmother (named [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]) who passed away in [name_u]January[/name_u] of 2009, and the name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] immediately popped into my head. ([name_m]Even[/name_m] though we were not looking for different names). So what do you all think about the name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]? She would go by just [name_f]Clara[/name_f]!
TL;DR [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like the name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] for a baby girl?
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is quite hard to say because of the R’s in both names. It’s a pretty name but I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] sounds a lot nicer.
I agree that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] doesn’t flow well and [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] seems much more melodic and natural. However, it’s a little plain and predictable…especially compared with your boy choice of [name_m]Brooks[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]. You might want to think of something a little more original to jazz up [name_f]Clara[/name_f]…or [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. Either way, it’s fine, but it just seems like a little less thought went into [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] than the more original [name_m]Brooks[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u].
I like [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] better. Honestly, I don’t think your in-laws having a dog named CJ is reason enough to veto it. It’s merely her initials. Your in-laws could call her by a different nickname or just [name_f]Clara[/name_f], and I doubt many other people know about the dog. I highly doubt the first thing your parents would think of when their granddaughter’s name is [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is their dog named CJ. Now, if their dog’s name was [name_f]Clara[/name_f], it’d be a different story.
I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] has a better flow, but I also think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] could totally work, as long as you don’t have a single syllable last name. It’s possible that she could end up with CJ as a nickname, but if you call her [name_f]Clara[/name_f], and she introduces herself that way, most people will probably call her [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. But I still think it would be okay to use CJ as a nickname, like @acciobaby was talking about.
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] has a better flow, but I’m advocating [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] has meaning to you; it is the name of someone you love, someone your child will never meet. Including that name gives her a connection to that relative. I’m a big believer in choosing names for a reason beyond “they sound nice,” so unless there’s some meaning behind [name_f]Jane[/name_f] that you haven’t mentioned, I’d definitely pick [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]. I’ve never heard anyone regret naming their child after a beloved family member who has passed away, but I’ve heard plenty of parents regret their child’s name because of unexpected nicknames, a change in taste, the name being more popular than they realized, etc.
The suggestion of [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is a great compromise if you’re open to two middle names.
Thank you! That’s how we feel too. We do like [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f], but I love naming her after my grandmother who she’ll never meet and who my husband never even got to meet. My mom cried when we talked to her about it.