I was just brainstorming names and would like your thoughts on some of them - your opinion of the name itself and the connotations/associations it has for you, any interesting nn or middle name options that spring to mind, and/or its usability:
Laurel
Hermione - I love Shakespeare’s “A Winter’s Tale” and the likable heroine who wears said name, but does this name seem overwhelmingly
associated with Harry Potter at this point? While I love the series and the character, I wonder if that makes it unusable. Does anyone have any stats about how many girls have been given that name in the States over the past few years?
Pallas
Lilith
Joss
Hester
Joan
Lorelei or Lorelai - Is it too trendy or classic? Does having German ancestry help make it more wearable?
Virginia - Like Lorelei, this isn’t as unusual as the others, but for some reason is hasn’t risen with Violet and Victoria as I expected it to
Artemis
Doris, Dora, or Dolores
Blanche
Claudette
Britta
Sybil
Buffy
January
[name]Laurel[/name] - This one is kinda nice.
[name]Hermione[/name] - I love this name it was on my list until my boyfriend said he doesnt like it becasue it’s too [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name].
[name]Pallas[/name] - This sounds little strange to me personally. I like the spelling.
[name]Lilith[/name] - I’v never heard of this one.
[name]Joss[/name] - I like it but it reminds me of [name]Joss[/name] [name]Stone[/name].
[name]Hester[/name] & [name]Joan[/name] - I’m not a fan of older names but I think they would be quite cute with your unique first names.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I have this name on my list also.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I quite like this one but you don’t know might rise in a few years when [name]Violet[/name] & [name]Victoria[/name] aint as popular.
[name]Artemis[/name] - I’m not sure on this.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I personally like [name]Dora[/name] the best. [name]Just[/name] makes me think [name]Dora[/name] the [name]Explorer[/name].
[name]Blanche[/name] - I like this as a middle name.
[name]Claudette[/name] - I like this as a middle name also.
[name]Britta[/name] - I personally prefer [name]Brittany[/name].
[name]Sybil[/name] - [name]Kinda[/name] old for my liking personally.
[name]Buffy[/name] - All I can think is [name]Buffy[/name] the vampier slayer.
[name]January[/name] - If the child was born in [name]January[/name] then i’d say yeah.
I really think that most of the names you listed are very wearable though might be considered outmoded by non-namenerds. (In particular [name]Delores[/name], [name]Hester[/name], and [name]Blanche[/name]).
The only name I have a particular comment on is: [name]Lorelei[/name]
According to my family being [name]German[/name] makes it less wearable because they don’t really consider it a name as much as if you were naming your child “siren”. It’s still one of my top pick though. (I think [name]Gilmore[/name] Girls brought this into public awareness and made it very wearable).
I really think that most of the names you listed are very wearable though might be considered outmoded by non-namenerds. (In particular [name]Delores[/name], [name]Hester[/name], and [name]Blanche[/name]).
The only name I have a particular comment on is: [name]Lorelei[/name]
According to my family being [name]German[/name] makes it less wearable because they don’t really consider it a name as much as if you were naming your child “siren”. It’s still one of my top pick though. (I think [name]Gilmore[/name] Girls brought this into public awareness and made it very wearable).
[name]Hester[/name] has always been one of my favorite Puritan names; the fact that it rhymes with fester is unfortunate but not a deal breaker.
The only name I have a particular comment on is: [name]Lorelei[/name]
According to my family being [name]German[/name] makes it less wearable because they don’t really consider it a name as much as if you were naming your child “siren”. It’s still one of my top pick though. (I think [name]Gilmore[/name] Girls brought this into public awareness and made it very wearable).
Interesting. I knew the name referred to a siren of Germanic legend, but I had no idea it was essentially a word name to [name]German[/name] speakers. Thanks for the info! I still love the name as well.
[name]Laurel[/name] - I think it’s very pretty.
[name]Hermione[/name] - [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name].
[name]Pallas[/name] - Never heard of it before, but it’s not my style.
[name]Lilith[/name] - Evil.
[name]Joss[/name] - To me it sounds masculine.
[name]Hester[/name] - Sounds dated to me.
[name]Joan[/name] - Also sounds very dated to me.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it. [name]Lorelei[/name] spelling.
[name]Virginia[/name] - To me it has virgin written all over it.
[name]Artemis[/name] - I has always sounded masculine to me.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - Dated.
[name]Blanche[/name] - Ooh. Sounds way to harsh.
[name]Claudette[/name] - Very pretty!
[name]Britta[/name] - Water filter.
[name]Sybil[/name] - Multiple personalities.
[name]Buffy[/name] - Vampire slayer.
[name]January[/name] - Adorable!
[name]Laurel[/name] - this is a pretty name, less dated than [name]Lauren[/name]
[name]Hermione[/name] - I for one [name]LOVE[/name] it. You’ll meet people who adore it and other people will have more of an “omg what a loser, who names their kid after [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name]?!” reaction (which was my sister’s reaction when she heard I loved the name)
[name]Pallas[/name] - Not feeling it
[name]Lilith[/name] - Reminds me of a witch for some reason, but that could be something you don’t mind or even like about it. If I met a [name]Lilith[/name] I wouldn’t hate it.
[name]Joss[/name] - [name]Joss[/name] Whedon is all that comes to mind.
[name]Hester[/name] - [name]Hester[/name] Prynne is all that comes to mind.
[name]Joan[/name] - Feels dated, but the right kid could rock it I suppose
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name]. My friend convinced her sister to name her daughter [name]Lorelai[/name] after [name]Lorelai[/name] [name]Gilmore[/name]. They even call her [name]Rory[/name]. I love everything about this name.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I kind of like it. It reminds me of that “Meet [name]Virginia[/name]” song. And [name]Ginny[/name] is an awesome nickname (though if you ever used it in a sib-set with [name]Hermione[/name], [name]Ginny[/name] would be too much)
[name]Artemis[/name] - I [name]ADORE[/name] THE CRAP OUT OF THIS NAME.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I like [name]Dolores[/name], [name]Doris[/name] feels too dated.
[name]Blanche[/name] - Not a fan.
[name]Claudette[/name] - I greatly prefer [name]Claudia[/name], but I wouldn’t be horrified to meet a little [name]Claudette[/name].
[name]Laurel[/name] - beautiful! I love it. It’s warm and green and clean and crisp, such a nice image
[name]Britta[/name]- I read a book with a character by this name and I love it, though I think most will associate it with the water filters.
[name]Artemis[/name] - pretty, but I connect it with the book series [name]Artemis[/name] Fowl so it feels weirdly masculine to me.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I think [name]Dora[/name] is usable, the others I feel are too dated. If you want a longer version with nn [name]Dora[/name] I’d go with [name]Andorra[/name] or [name]Andromeda[/name] or something
[name]Lilith[/name] - I adore this name, it has a funky history, but I think it’s very usable and far more fresh than most of the [name]Lily[/name] variations
[name]Lorelei[/name] - overwhelmingly connected to [name]Gilmore[/name] Girls for me, but I do think it’s a beautiful name with a cool [name]German[/name] story behind it
[name]Hermione[/name] - I do think it is overwhelmingly connected to [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name], but I don’t think it makes it unusable, but it’ll definitely be a constant conversation.
[name]Pallas[/name] - it’s pretty, but too much like naming a kid “Estate” or “Mansion”
[name]Joss[/name] - meh
[name]Hester[/name] - nope. All [name]Scarlet[/name] Letter for me.
[name]Joan[/name] - snore, it’s a fine name, just dated
[name]Virginia[/name] - I really don’t like state names, and the
[name]Blanche[/name] - blah blah bland. it’s just not a pleasant sound to me
[name]Claudette[/name] - same as [name]Blanche[/name]. It’s a very unpleasant sound-- clod - debt – just ugly imagery.
[name]Sybil[/name] - I want to like this name, but all I think of is that horrible story with the woman with multiple personalities.
[name]Buffy[/name] - nope, Slayer all the way
[name]January[/name] - okay, just a bit silly.
I really like [name]Hester[/name], [name]Blanche[/name] and [name]Sybil[/name] - [name]Hester[/name] in particular.
About [name]Hermione[/name], I still very much connect the name to [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name], but that being said, [name]Hermione[/name] is not a bad character (on the contrary, she’s quite badass), and definitely isn’t a bad association.
[name]Laurel[/name] - Beautiful, but I fear will always be mistaken for [name]Laura[/name]/[name]Lauren[/name]
[name]Hermione[/name] - I think the HP connection is still too strong. But it hasn’t been in the US top 1000 in at least 13 years, that’s all I know about it statistically.
[name]Pallas[/name] - I like it, but somebody brought up the “palace” sound and I do worry about that.
[name]Lilith[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name].
[name]Joss[/name] - I really like it, and think it’s very wearable a la [name]Joss[/name] [name]Stone[/name].
[name]Hester[/name] - I like it a lot, it was a name in the His Dark Materials series, which are my favorite books. I slightly prefer [name]Esther[/name]. [name]Vesper[/name]?
[name]Joan[/name] - Really like!
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I don’t think it’s trendy or classic, I think it’s an underused gem.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I like it a lot, but I think the “Virgin-” and the sort-of similarity to the word vagina have kept it from becoming popular.
[name]Artemis[/name] - I like it.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I don’t like any of these, sorry. [name]Dora[/name] is too “[name]Dora[/name] the [name]Explorer[/name]” and the other two are not ready for a comeback yet [name]IMO[/name].
[name]Blanche[/name] - I don’t like it, much prefer [name]Blythe[/name].
[name]Claudette[/name] - It’s okay.
[name]Britta[/name] - Water filters.
[name]Sybil[/name] - I don’t really like it, but I couldn’t give you a reason why… I just don’t like the sound.
[name]Buffy[/name] - the Vampire Slayer.
[name]January[/name] - I think of the month, or [name]January[/name] [name]Jones[/name] the actress. It wouldn’t be terrible, though.
[name]Laurel[/name] – one of my favorites overall, and definitely my favorite nature name
[name]Hermione[/name] – I like it, but yes, it is overwhelmingly associated with [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] (which is why I like it!)
[name]Pallas[/name] – I don’t care for this one
[name]Lilith[/name] – I like it, definitely classic
[name]Joss[/name] – I have only ever known a boy with this name, so not my favorite for a girl
[name]Hester[/name] – [name]LOVE[/name] this name! with the nickname [name]Hettie[/name]. A total underused gem.
[name]Joan[/name] – like it, but still has a 50s feel to me
[name]Lorelei[/name] – love this name. It’s on my short list.
[name]Virginia[/name] – I like this one a lot, with the nickname [name]Ginny[/name].
[name]Artemis[/name] – very unusual compared to some of your other choices, but would fit well with [name]Hermione[/name]. Might set the tone for future kids if you use something unusual like this
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] – I actually love the name [name]Dolores[/name] with the nickname [name]Lola[/name]
[name]Blanche[/name] – very nice, a classic name
[name]Claudette[/name] – I prefer [name]Claudia[/name]
[name]Britta[/name] – feels trendy, plus I know a [name]Britta[/name] who I dislike so it has ruined the name for me
[name]Sybil[/name] – this is one of my all-time favorites. I love it.
[name]Buffy[/name] – I don’t care for it, except maybe as a pet name
[name]January[/name] – unique, but not my favorite
[name]Laurel[/name]- definitely usable. I think it’s pretty. Strongly prefer this than [name]Lauren[/name].
[name]Hermione[/name] - I love it. I think straight to [name]Hermione[/name] [name]Granger[/name], but it’s not a bad association.
[name]Pallas[/name]- dislike. I prefer [name]Athena[/name].
[name]Lilith[/name]- I like it, it’s cute.
[name]Joss[/name]- nope.
[name]Hester[/name]- I’m neutral.
[name]Joan[/name]- or [name]Arc[/name]. lol. I kinda like it, but not really my style.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - Prefer [name]Lorelei[/name], I guess it’s fine.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I really like it.
[name]Artemis[/name]- I used to dislike it but now it’s growing on me. I adore this name now.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name]- I strongly dislike [name]Dora[/name] and want to avoid any name close to it.
[name]Blanche[/name]- like it, but I think I prefer it merely as mn.
[name]Claudette[/name]- cute.
[name]Britta[/name]- no appeal to me.
[name]Sybil[/name]- I think staright to [name]Sybil[/name] [name]Dorset[/name] and her 16 personalities.
[name]Buffy[/name]- Vampire slayer.
[name]January[/name]- not my favourite month name, but have nothing against it. Guess I’m neutral then.
[name]Laurel[/name] - lovely. I love the reference to the ancient Romans and Greeks, and it’s a very sweet and pretty looking name.
[name]Hermione[/name] - associations to Greek mythology, [name]Shakespeare[/name] and HP. I think it’s wearable, and a very pretty name too.
[name]Pallas[/name] - I think it’s beautiful. It’s unisex, born by several men in Greek mythology as well as [name]Evander[/name]'s son in the Aeneid. I like the story of [name]Athene[/name] and [name]Pallas[/name] though.
[name]Lilith[/name] - I love this name, it’s a dark and sweet name at the same time, which makes it intriguing.
[name]Joss[/name] - I don’t like this very much. Think of [name]Joss[/name] [name]Stone[/name].
[name]Hester[/name] - Beautiful. I do think very much of The [name]Scarlett[/name] Letter when I see this name, but that’s not a bad thing.
[name]Joan[/name] - I do not like this. [name]Jane[/name] or [name]Jeanne[/name] are so much better.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I think it’s beautiful, but I agree with [name]Lex[/name], in Germany it’s a word for sirens. If that doesn’t bother yo, it’s perfectly fine.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I’ve always liked [name]Virginia[/name], there’s something very sweet about it. I wouldn’t use it though, not just because it isn’t my style, but because I think it promotes something I don’t want to.
[name]Artemis[/name] - if you’re familiar with the [name]Goddess[/name] and her myths yes, if not no. I personally love the name.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I think [name]Dolores[/name] is a pretty name, but it’s too tied to [name]Lolita[/name] for my taste. It’s all I see.
[name]Blanche[/name] - it’s nice, I prefer the Spanish [name]Blanca[/name] or Italian [name]Bianca[/name], but it’s perfectly usable.
[name]Claudette[/name] - it’s ok, and as above usable.
[name]Britta[/name] - sweet! I think of [name]Dean[/name] & [name]Britta[/name]. Usable.
[name]Sybil[/name] - [name]Love[/name], but prefer [name]Sybilla[/name]. It’s adorable whichever way though.
[name]Buffy[/name] - I would assume [name]Buffy[/name] the Vampire Slayer was your favourite thing in the world. A tad weird, but cute too.
[name]January[/name] - It’s a beautiful word, very tied to miss [name]Jones[/name], and I do almost feel like a simple surname is a must.
[name]Laurel[/name] - I don’t think this is too unusual, at all. I think it’s a pretty, nature-y take on [name]Laura[/name] and [name]Lauren[/name], still recognizable, easy to spell and say.
[name]Hermione[/name] - ehh. The [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] associations are still incredibly strong. It’s not a bad association, but expect a lot of comments on it.
[name]Pallas[/name] - this is all male to me. I’ve never seen it on a girl. But I think it’s usable. A legitimate name, and again, fairly easy to say and spell.
[name]Lilith[/name] - ehhh. Not a great association, but if you’re non-religious, the sound fits in with lots of popular names, is recognizable, etc.
[name]Joss[/name] - also masculine to me, but it’s not bad. Seems very nickname-ish.
[name]Hester[/name] - I really like this, but it is a bit old-fashioned to pull off. I like how it’s different than [name]Ester[/name], and the associations and nicknames.
[name]Joan[/name] - I think it’s a tad bit boring and dated (like [name]Donna[/name], [name]Rhonda[/name], etc.) but [name]Joan[/name] of [name]Arc[/name] is a cool association. I prefer [name]Jane[/name].
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I think it’s usable. I’ve heard it quite a bit on babies on the internet ([name]Gilmore[/name] Girls seems to have caused that), but it’s still classic.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I think the “Virgin” part of it kind of puts some people off? I like it, but don’t love it. It’s definitely usable.
[name]Artemis[/name] - it’s got strong mythology connections, but seems usable. I’d probably keep it in the MN spot, personally.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - I don’t care for these. [name]Dora[/name] might get teased because of [name]Dora[/name] the [name]Explorer[/name].
[name]Blanche[/name] - this is pretty, but it makes me think of vegetables. It’s got an old-fashioned movie star appeal, though.
[name]Claudette[/name] - I prefer [name]Claudia[/name], but [name]Claudette[/name] is nice.
[name]Britta[/name] - I can’t think of anything but the water filters. It seems like it’s trying to be a fresh take on [name]Britney[/name], which I don’t like either.
[name]Sybil[/name] - NMS, I find it a little boring, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I’d definitely rather see a little [name]Sybil[/name] than a little [name]Emma[/name] or [name]Madison[/name].
[name]Buffy[/name] - noooope. To me this is 100% a pet’s name. [name]Buffy[/name] the Vampire Slayer, “buff” as a term for nude, I’d say definitely not.
[name]January[/name] - I think it’s masculine. again, NMS, but nothing wrong with it.
Wow, I just noticed I left these off of my last post!
[name]Britta[/name] - I love this, but be aware of the Community references. [name]Britta[/name] on Community is constantly screwing things up…leading the study group to coin the phrase “[name]Britta[/name]'d” so whenever someone messes up they’re like “Great, you [name]Britta[/name]'d it”
[name]Sybil[/name] - Kind of ambivalent, no real positives or negatives here.
[name]Buffy[/name] - Despite knowing a [name]Buffy[/name] in real life, all I think about is the vampire slayer.
[name]January[/name] - Reminds me of [name]January[/name] [name]Jones[/name], whose acting kind of annoys me
[name]Laurel[/name] - good alternative for [name]Laura[/name]!
[name]Hermione[/name] -I love this name! I don’t think HP poisons it at all! [name]Hermione[/name] is a really strong female character.
[name]Pallas[/name]- it is ok. pretty even.
[name]Lilith[/name]- I love this name. I don’t understand any negative connotation. SHe was THE original feminist
[name]Joss[/name]- cute!
[name]Hester[/name]-I prefer [name]Esther[/name], [name]Hester[/name] brings around ‘[name]Scarlet[/name] letter’ connotations.
[name]Joan[/name]-
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I love this name. SO PRETTY.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I adore this name. It is clean, pretty, but strong and very historical.
[name]Artemis[/name]- << ADORE.
Doris, Dora, or Dolores- very good strong name, opens doors to Lola nick name.
Blanche- very pretty and very southern.
Claudette-
Britta- water filter?
Sybil- pretty and simple.
Buffy- cute! totally for joss whedon fans!
January- one of my favorite month names!
[name]Laurel[/name] - it’s ok but a bit dull
[name]Hermione[/name] - don’t think it’s too [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] I like it!
[name]Pallas[/name] - not sure about this due to the two possible nn pal & lass - in the UK they’re colloquial words pal = friend and lass = a northern word for girl
[name]Lilith[/name] - cant get over the Jewish folklore association with evil demons / [name]Adams[/name] first wife who fell into evil
[name]Joss[/name] - makes me think of [name]Joss[/name] [name]Stone[/name]
[name]Hester[/name] - like this
[name]Joan[/name] - also like very classic
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - not sure on this
[name]Virginia[/name] - like this too
[name]Artemis[/name] - like this
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - like all of them
[name]Blanche[/name] - gorgeous I love this one very classic
[name]Claudette[/name] - like this
[name]Britta[/name] - sounds too much likd ‘bitter’
[name]Sybil[/name] - love this too it’s gorgeous
[name]Buffy[/name] - [name]Buffy[/name] the vampire slayer
[name]January[/name] - not my cup of tea
