I’d love to hear what you think as I’m hoping to make some sort of short list out of these…
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_u]Ailbhe[/name_u] ([name_m]AL[/name_m]-vah/[name_f]El[/name_f]-vah)
[name_f]Annabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Betsan[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (AY-lee)
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-may)
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]/[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f]
[name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] – nn [name_f]Deanie[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] (pronounced ISH-bel) - I might use Ishbelle or [name_f]Ishbel[/name_f] spelling.
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Margareta[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Greta[/name_f] or [name_f]Meg[/name_f]/Mog
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]
[name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] – nn [name_u]Billie[/name_u]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Tabby[/name_f]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]
[name_f]Twila[/name_f]
Nicknames listed would be heavily used.
I recently put together this list of names that I’d consider giving to actual children IF I was actually pregnant right now: aka my in-all-seriousness list. It’s turned out to be far trendier than I would have thought, but I’m definitely leaning towards the more Celtic right now (these are all entirely usable in the UK and v.few are out of the ordinary, so no comments of ‘‘this is unusable’’, please!)
‘‘On the edge’’, probably wouldn’t use but would definitely consider in the middle: [name_f]Titania[/name_f], [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], [name_f]Nancy[/name_f], [name_f]Lettice[/name_f] (LUH-tees), [name_f]Gillian[/name_f], [name_f]Celeste[/name_f], [name_f]Constance[/name_f], [name_f]Bibi[/name_f], [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] (EE-fah), [name_f]Amelia[/name_f].
Thank you !
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] - still feels a little heavy
[name_u]Ailbhe[/name_u] - I like the sound of it and since it’s usuable in the UK, it’s very cute ( I always get soo confused with these spellings)
[name_f]Annabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Arabella[/name_f] - I prefer [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] but both are nice
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] - love the x ending, it makes the name quirky rather than old fashioned
[name_f]Betsan[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f] - not a fan of either
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] - [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] Clah-ra, not so much [name_u]Clair[/name_u]-uh
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] - I adore Clemen-tyne (pr)
[name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (AY-lee) - sounds like a [name_m]French[/name_m] trying to say [name_f]Hayley[/name_f] to me
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-may) - is beautiful
[name_f]Estella[/name_f] - I prefer [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] but the a ending is also beautiful
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]/[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] - both are nice but I like [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] a bit better
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f] - sounds like some sorta ointment to me
[name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] – nn [name_f]Deanie[/name_f] - a tad too clunky for my taste
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f] - never really liked this one
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] (pronounced ISH-bel) - I want to say [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], which I also prefer soundwise
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f] - nice
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Margareta[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Greta[/name_f] - I love [name_f]Greta[/name_f] on its own much more than her longer versions
[name_f]Martha[/name_f] - nice
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] - absolutely gorgeous (I’m biased though)
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] - is my favourite, I find [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] stunning
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] - don’t really care for [name_f]Oona[/name_f], it’s lacking something for me to like it
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] - reminds me of something, a shop, food, something (apart from the name [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f])
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] - I never know which part to emphasize
[name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] – nn [name_u]Billie[/name_u] - I prefer just [name_u]Billie[/name_u], [name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] creates the picture of a stuck up old lady in my head (I never met a [name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] though)
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Tabby[/name_f] - [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] is gorgeous, [name_f]Tabby[/name_f] is not for me
[name_f]Thea[/name_f] - I prefer her male counterpart
[name_f]Twila[/name_f] - nice
Nicknames listed would be heavily used.
[name_f]Titania[/name_f] - is a bit much IMHO
[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] - never cared for this one [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] - no
[name_f]Lettice[/name_f] - never mind the pronunciation, it still reminds me of Lettuce
[name_f]Gillian[/name_f] - don’t live the [name_u]Gill[/name_u] sound
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f] - nice
[name_f]Constance[/name_f], [name_f]Bibi[/name_f], [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] (EE-fah) - don’t like either though [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] had a sweet sound
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] - very beautiful but very popular
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]- I have never been a big fan, it’s very unique.
[name_u]Ailbhe[/name_u] ([name_m]AL[/name_m]-vah/[name_f]El[/name_f]-vah)- [name_u]Love[/name_u] this one. Celtic I suppose?
[name_f]Annabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]- I prefer [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f].
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]- I think this sounds very smart.
[name_f]Betsan[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]- I don’t really like [name_f]Betsan[/name_f], but [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] is cute.
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]- I love [name_f]Clara[/name_f], it’s one of my favorites.
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]- I love [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] too. Go for it!
[name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (AY-lee)- I like [name_f]Eilidh[/name_f], it’s a great, more unique alternative to [name_f]Hailey[/name_f].
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-may) Sounds magical. I like it.
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]- I rather [name_f]Estelle[/name_f].
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]/[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]- [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] is my preference of the two.
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f]- Is it strange this reminds me of pasta?
[name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] – nn [name_f]Deanie[/name_f] - I’m not a big fan of this one.
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]- Sounds quirky. Like it!
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] (pronounced ISH-bel) - I might use Ishbelle or [name_f]Ishbel[/name_f] spelling. I am not sure if I like this one or not. First time hearing it, in fact.
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]- Where I’m from, it’s maple syrup. You know, what you put on pancakes and such. Minus the fact of that, it’s a nice name.
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Margareta[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Greta[/name_f] or [name_f]Meg[/name_f]/Mog I like [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]. I used to think it was too plain, but now I enjoy it. [name_f]Greta[/name_f] is the sweetest nickname.
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]- I like this one. I know a girl named this, she is really sweet.
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]- I like this one too.
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]- [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], correct?
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]- I don’t think I like this much, not a bad name though.
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]- It’s pretty.
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]- I have never been a fan of [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f].
[name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] – nn [name_u]Billie[/name_u] I like [name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] better without [name_u]Billie[/name_u] as a nickname.
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Tabby[/name_f] I like [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]!
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]- I like this!
[name_f]Twila[/name_f]- Cool!
Thank you both!
I’ll just address a couple of things…
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] is actually uncommon even in [name_f]Scotland[/name_f], but definitely not unheard of. I think I probably would use [name_f]Ishbel[/name_f], since it does look so unusual. We don’t have the Aunt [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] issue in the UK haha, but thanks for mentioning it. I like [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] a lot too, but [name_f]Estella[/name_f] is for the character in Great Expectations and it just feels a lot more classic. [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] feels a bit too Spanish for me for some reason.
[name_f]Martha[/name_f], [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] etc. are pretty heavy, definitely, but that’s sort of my style I guess! [name_f]Martha[/name_f] is really popular in the UK though, and [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] is growing rapidly too. They’re all actually pretty popular, the majority are within the top 1000 anyway.
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]- [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] is lovely, I really like this.
[name_u]Ailbhe[/name_u] ([name_m]AL[/name_m]-vah/[name_f]El[/name_f]-vah)- This is unusual to me, but I’m in the US. I really like this.
[name_f]Annabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]- Prefer [name_f]Annabella[/name_f] of the two, either are lovely.
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] - [name_f]Adore[/name_f] Betrix.
[name_f]Betsan[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]- [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] is nice, but I dislike the sound of [name_f]Betsan[/name_f]. I think “Best in show” when I look at it.
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]- [name_f]Adore[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f].
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]- Also adore [name_f]Clementine[/name_f].
[name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (AY-lee)- Another name that’s odd to my ears, but I don’t hate it.
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-may)- This name is okay, something about it rubs me the wrong way.
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]- Have never cared for [name_f]Stella[/name_f], [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] or [name_f]Estella[/name_f]. [name_f]Esther[/name_f] is great, though.
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]/[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]- Prefer [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] out of the two.
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f]- Makes me think of Funnel Cake. This could be great, just not my style.
[name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] – nn [name_f]Deanie[/name_f]- Cute! [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] could be hard to pull off.
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]- Really like [name_f]Imogen[/name_f].
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] (pronounced ISH-bel) - I might use Ishbelle or [name_f]Ishbel[/name_f] spelling.- This is another one that’s really strange to me.
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]- I want to love [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], but I have a hard time being okay with it. I know it’s different in the UK though.
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Margareta[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Greta[/name_f] or [name_f]Meg[/name_f]/Mog- [name_u]Love[/name_u] these
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]- Like this
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]- [name_f]Lovely[/name_f], dislike the nn [name_u]Mattie[/name_u] (though you didn’t indicate that you planned to use a nickname).
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]- This is on the edge of being unusable, but it depends.
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]- Dislike, the sound is a bit goofy to me.
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]- Though I prefer [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f], I like [name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] too.
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]- [name_u]Love[/name_u] this.
[name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] – nn [name_u]Billie[/name_u]- While I prefer simple [name_f]Sybil[/name_f], I also really like [name_f]Sybilla[/name_f]. Dislike [name_u]Billie[/name_u].
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Tabby[/name_f]- [name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f], strongly dislike [name_f]Tabby[/name_f].
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]- Very cute!
[name_f]Twila[/name_f]- Dislike this.
disclosure: I’m from the US
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]- like the idea of it but wouldn’t personally use it
[name_u]Ailbhe[/name_u]- spelling is far too confusing for me
[name_f]Annabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]- two totally different names to me. Also, I feel like bella/belle names have been overdone of late
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]- like a lot
[name_f]Betsan[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]- I like [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], but I prefer a formal given name
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]- love
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]- very cute. I knew a girl in college with this name and she was just delightful.
[name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] (AY-lee)- spelling issues
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-may)- like it a lot
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]- love
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]/[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]- meh
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f]- not a fan
[name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] – not a fan
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]- not a huge fan
[name_f]Iseabail[/name_f] (pronounced ISH-bel) - not a fan
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]- not a huge fan. [name_m]Both[/name_m] because of the maple syrup and because I know a girl with the name who left me with a bad impression
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Margareta[/name_f] - like it a lot
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]- like but don’t love
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]- very cute
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]- love
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]- not my favorite
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]- lovely
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]- like it a lot
[name_f]Sybilla[/name_f] – not a fan
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] - like but don’t love
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]- love
[name_f]Twila[/name_f]- like a lot