[name]Laurel[/name] – I love the way this looks and paper, and I love the soft sweet sound I hear in my head, but I find it hard to say out loud.
[name]Hermione[/name] – I’m sure it is having a slow but steady rise. And with [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name], more people will be able to spell and pronounce it. Personally I find the association a bit strong and the name a bit harsh, but that is only my opinion.
[name]Pallas[/name] – Pretty sound, but I just think of a palace, and I don’t think that is pretty.
[name]Lilith[/name] – This just seems like it is a name that will rise, along with all the [name]Lily[/name] names. I also think it will depend on where you are as to whether the association is that strong.
[name]Joss[/name] – I find this really hard to say.
[name]Hester[/name] – I think this is ugly old lady. But that is coming back into style, so maybe!
[name]Joan[/name] – I have a strong negative personal association, so I’m not a fair judge.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - I think it’s gorgeous, although might be hard to say for some. I want this for my next girl (except I’m not having anymore! LOL), but it clashes with my last name.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I think it needs to rise! Very usable.
[name]Artemis[/name] – [name]Just[/name] don’t see the prettiness.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] – I find them all ugly old lady, even [name]Dora[/name].
[name]Blanche[/name] – Ugly old lady
[name]Claudette[/name] – I have a soft-spot for all the [name]Claud[/name]- names on girls. This one is probably my least favorite though.
[name]Britta[/name] – [name]LOVE[/name]!!! It needs use.
[name]Sybil[/name] – Personally I don’t care for it, but I don’t have anything bad to say.
[name]Buffy[/name] – In spite of the vampire slayer, it is too bubbleheaded for me.
[name]January[/name] – Beautiful
[name]Laurel[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it.
[name]Hermione[/name] - I love this name, but you have to be prepared for HP references. It’s still beautiful and usable, in my opinion.
[name]Pallas[/name] - Never heard of it before, and it does look close to palace…
[name]Lilith[/name] - [name]Lovely[/name] and a good alternative to [name]Lily[/name].
[name]Joss[/name] - Okay, but to me it’s more like a nickname for [name]Jocelyn[/name].
[name]Hester[/name] - Immediately makes me think of The [name]Scarlet[/name] Letter, but it’s usable. It could make a comeback, what with [name]Edith[/name] and [name]Agatha[/name] rising in stats. Personally though, I prefer [name]Esther[/name].
[name]Joan[/name] - Nice and unexpected, though not my favourite.
[name]Lorelei[/name] or [name]Lorelai[/name] - Well, I speak [name]German[/name] and have lived in Germany, so it’s a bit weird to me. I definitely associate it with the [name]Heinrich[/name] [name]Heine[/name] poem, the sirens, the Rhein… It has a pretty sound though, if you can get past the association, but if you do have [name]German[/name] relatives they’ll think it’s kind of weird for someone’s name.
[name]Virginia[/name] - I like it but would be wary of the virgin connection.
[name]Artemis[/name] - Totally a guilty pleasure of mine. I think it’s lovely.
[name]Doris[/name], [name]Dora[/name], or [name]Dolores[/name] - [name]Dora[/name] is pretty, not a fan of [name]Doris[/name], and I can never get past the fact that [name]Dolores[/name] means pains or sorrows in Spanish.
[name]Blanche[/name] - Okay
[name]Claudette[/name] - I like it but prefer [name]Claudia[/name].
[name]Britta[/name] - Pretty, but makes me think of water filters.
[name]Sybil[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it.
[name]Buffy[/name] - Definitely makes me think of the Vampire Slayer. In the original movie, I think [name]Buffy[/name] was chosen because it gave the connotation of her being an airhead cheerleader who improbably ended up vampire being a vampire killer. However, there’s a Canadian singer/songwriter named [name]Buffy[/name] Sainte-[name]Marie[/name] (real name [name]Beverly[/name]) who is an activist and kind of bada$$, so that makes the name cooler to me.
[name]January[/name] - I like it but it’s kind of out there.