The clock is ticking! Can you help us? My husband and I don’t have a common favorite, and are curious to hear your thoughts!
Our naming styles:
My husband finds some classic/traditional/vintage names boring. I love that they have depth and won’t be associated with a specific decade or passing trend, but prefer to pair them with something more imaginative.
My husband prefers names uncommon in the US. I prefer a global twist as well, but don’t want pronunciation or unfamiliarity to be a stumbling block in our relatively small, conservative American town.
I like names with nickname options to give our children flexibility, while my husband prefers to just provide the nickname on the birth certificate. Short and sweet. He asks, “Why name her ___, if we will always call her ___?” “Because what if she doesn’t like ____? Or what if it doesn’t suit her lifestyle choices?” I reply. Haha.
There are so many great names, so I feel compelled to have a reason to select only two.
The list includes names that at least one of us likes and fulfills at least two of our “criteria”:
Standard spellings with pronunciations that travel internationally relatively easily.
No more than three syllables.
Ancestor or family name.
Meaning or country of origin with personal significance
The name of other daughter, [name]Clara[/name] [name]Marine[/name], miraculously satisfied all our combined preferences! We love her name!
What combinations do you see from below? What names would you add to/subtract from this list?
[name]Evi[/name] (as a twist on classic [name]Eve[/name] or [name]Eva[/name], but pronounce Eh-vee)
[name]Everett[/name] (nn [name]Evi[/name])
[name]Laine[/name]
[name]Charlotte[/name] - [name]Will[/name] this become too popular? I adore it with [name]Clara[/name].
[name]Riva[/name] ([name]Ree[/name]-vah)
Meritt/[name]Maris[/name]/[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Elsi[/name] (because [name]Elsa[/name] seems too close to [name]Clara[/name])
[name]Navi[/name] (Nah-vee)
[name]Mila[/name] (Mee-lah)
[name]Mia[/name]
If it matters, my husband and I have very common, classic American names.
Thank you so much! My third trimester brain is fried and uninspired at this point!
To be honest, I don’t thnk any of these options would create a combo to match the elegence and appeal of [name]Clara[/name] [name]Marine[/name].
The most appropriate options for a first would be [name]Charlotte[/name] (which yes, is getting more popular in general), but I’m not sure how you feel about the growing popularity and having two “C” names. Would you consider using [name]Evie[/name]? It’s a more timeless and classic spelling and pronounciation that sounds beautiful next to [name]Clara[/name]. In addition, if you don’t mind the SLIGHT similairty, [name]Clara[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name] do make a really beautiful pair!
On a more positive note, I think every one of your options works well as a middle and equally matches [name]Marine[/name].
[name]Even[/name] though you kind of nixed it [name]Elsa[/name] gets my vote! Followed my [name]Mila[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], and [name]Evi/name
I like [name]Maren[/name]/[name]Maris[/name], although it is similar to your daughter’s middle name. I also like the nickname [name]Evi[/name], but I’m not a huge fan of [name]Everett[/name] because it sounds masculine to me, but I know it’s going increasingly female, so I think that’s a good choice (Or [name]Everly[/name] or [name]Evelyn[/name]). [name]Laine[/name] is also cool. It could make a great middle name for almost every name on your list.
Here are some other names that might fit:
[name]Lake[/name], [name]Lucia[/name], [name]Ellis[/name], Avonlea, [name]Amaia[/name], [name]Gemma[/name], [name]Saskia[/name], [name]Signy[/name], [name]Sylvie[/name]
I enjoyed finding you some names with some global flair.
[name]Evi[/name] - this is ok but lacks substance and doesn’t have the timelessness/doesn’t really go with [name]Clara[/name]
[name]Everett[/name] (nn [name]Evi[/name]) - too masculine imo
[name]Laine[/name] - pretty but again just lacks substance
[name]Charlotte[/name] - this will def become too popular; already well on its way
[name]Riva[/name] ([name]Ree[/name]-vah) - hm its ok but seems a bit dated maybe? a little old and not in a good way
Meritt/[name]Maris[/name]/[name]Maren[/name] - I’m not crazy about any of these
[name]Elsi[/name] (because [name]Elsa[/name] seems too close to [name]Clara[/name]) - I actually like [name]Elsa[/name] the best of everything you’ve mentioned. I think it goes perfectly with [name]Clara[/name].
[name]Navi[/name] (Nah-vee) - it sounds made up to me, doesn’t go with [name]Clara[/name] at all
[name]Mila[/name] (Mee-lah) - I kinda like this
[name]Mia[/name] - it’s a bit tired/trendy imo but it is def pretty
[name]Risa[/name] - ([name]REE[/name]-sah) similar to [name]Riva[/name] but softer. I believe it has something to do with the Latin for “laughter,” used in Spanish-speaking countries so it has global flair
[name]Nicola[/name] - ([name]NICK[/name]-o-lah) used in several European countries, v. pretty
[name]Vera[/name] - kinda timeless but not yet picked up by hip namers yet; used in English, Spanish, Russian, etc. [name]May[/name] be too close to [name]Clara[/name] tho…
[name]Ana[/name] - I’m partial cause this is my niece’s name but it seems to fit yr criteria. She is not Hispanic but this name is used more by Spanish speakers. My brother and [name]SIL[/name] were going to name her [name]Adriana[/name] and call her [name]Ana[/name], but then they were like, why bother with all those other syllables? To me it is classic, feminine, and global with a lot of spunk in those three letters.
[name]Resi[/name] - [name]German[/name] short form of [name]Therese[/name]/[name]Theresa[/name]. Unusual and sweet.
[name]Lena[/name] - Used in several different cultures, familiar almost everywhere. Feminine, simple, sweet, goes with [name]Clara[/name].
I’d use [name]Elsie[/name] from your list. Or [name]Charlotte[/name]. [name]Elsie[/name] [name]Laine[/name] or [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Navi[/name] ate both lovely, but with [name]Clara[/name], [name]Elsie[/name] is my favorite.
I agree with this. I think [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Clara[/name] would fit together really well, and really don’t sound very similar at all (they’ve both got a ‘l’ sound and end in ‘a’, but so do thousands of other names out there-- including [name]Mila[/name], from your list, which is also a nice name). If not, [name]Elsa[/name], I’d vote for [name]Elsie[/name]. Or how about [name]Elise[/name]?
I really like [name]Charlotte[/name] & [name]Clara[/name] together! Gorgeous!
[name]Mia[/name]: [name]Amelia[/name] (popular)
[name]Mila[/name]: [name]Camila[/name], [name]Mirabella[/name]
[name]Elsi[/name]/[name]Elsa[/name]: [name]Elspeth[/name], [name]Elisabeth[/name] (I would personally go with [name]Elsie[/name])
[name]Maren[/name]: I would go with the softer [name]Maureen[/name]
[name]Laine[/name]: seems plain
[name]Everett[/name]: very masculine to me as my friend named [name]Everett[/name] goes by [name]Rhett[/name] as in [name]Butler[/name]
[name]Evi[/name]: [name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Evi[/name]- I like but would spell it [name]Evie[/name]. I know a little [name]Evie[/name] who still says it the Eh-vee way that you prefer.
[name]Everett[/name]- seems too masculine. [name]Just[/name] go with [name]Evi[/name] if that’s what you are aiming for.
[name]Laine[/name]- I [name]Love[/name] this one! Not sure why it hasn’t gotten more support but [name]Laine[/name] and [name]Clara[/name] would be great together
[name]Charlotte[/name] - Sounds perfect with [name]Clara[/name], but it is more popular and it would start a C-name trend
[name]Riva[/name]- Sorry, but I don’t like this one, even in the middle
Merrit/[name]Maris[/name]- too close to [name]Marina[/name], so I have to vote no, even though I love the name [name]Maren[/name] by itself
[name]Elsi[/name]- I too prefer [name]Elsa[/name] to [name]Elsi[/name], but [name]Elsa[/name] is of course closer to [name]Clara[/name]
[name]Navi[/name]- I like as a middle name only
[name]Mila[/name]- I really like, and prefer [name]Mila[/name] over [name]Mia[/name], but again it depends on if you want the same A-ending as [name]Clara[/name]
[name]Charlotte[/name] 2. [name]Laine[/name] 3. [name]Mila[/name] 4. [name]Evelyn[/name] or [name]Everly[/name], nn [name]Evie[/name]. Good luck! =]
Oh, thank you for your time and feedback! I really appreciate it. The majority of people who will interact with our daughter won’t know the reasoning behind our choices, so I appreciate your knee-jerk reactions, associations and preferences. You reinforced many of our hesitations.
Our list feels incomplete and “off,” so thanks for name suggestions. My husband and I will look through those.
Some explanation for each:
[name]Evi[/name] - We have many Eves and Evas in both of our family trees but can’t use them due to our surname. It means “life” or “giver of life” and this feels like a great definition after such a difficult year here personally and nationally. [name]Evi[/name] is Dutch and our baby was super active during our time in [name]Amsterdam[/name] this year. We are an interfaith family and this satisfies both religions.
[name]Everett[/name] (nn [name]Evi[/name]) - Yes, I can see how this could feel too masculine. I do really like the sound (my husband does not) and the tie to my family. It seemed to help when selecting middle names for [name]Evi[/name].
[name]Laine[/name] - I agree that it lacks substance which is my problem with it. [name]Clara[/name] comes from my side and [name]Laine[/name] is a common name with the women on my husband’s side. It feels a touch southern (like my roots) and would make a good middle, although my husband feels it is overused in his family.
[name]Elsi[/name]/[name]Elsa[/name] - My husband and I both like these. Unfortunately, [name]Clara[/name] and [name]Elsie[/name] were both coincidentally cartoon cows. Can we have two daughters with that situation? Google “[name]Clara[/name] the” and “[name]Elsie[/name] the” and cows appear. Haha.
[name]Riva[/name]/[name]Navi[/name]/[name]Maris[/name]/[name]Maren[/name] - All have nautical associations or meanings, and my husband is a competitive sailor. [name]Marine[/name] is a lovely French twist with a nautical/aquamarine image on the classic [name]Marie[/name].
[name]Mila[/name] - The baby’s godparents are Finnish, and this is a sibling name of the godmother. My husband dropped the extra “l” but perhaps we should add it back for authenticity.
[name]Evie[/name]/[name]Elsie[/name] - My husband has an aversion to “extra, unneeded letters” regardless of how they look written. Generally speaking, I don’t mind an extra letter or two, but when [name]Evie[/name] is written and not typed, it looks like “evil” and I really don’t like that.
[name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Laine[/name] has been my favorite, but I have some issues with it. It just doesn’t have the depth that [name]Clara[/name] [name]Marine[/name] does. It is certainly less global.
I don’t mind mind having two C’s since they make different sounds and have different endings.
I like [name]Evie[/name] [name]Laine[/name]. It sounds so cute, especially with [name]Clara[/name] [name]Marine[/name]. The only one on your list I didn’t really like was [name]Navi[/name]. It will always remind me of a really annoying character in a video game. That’s just me, though.
[name]Mila[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] is lovely. Yes, [name]Charlotte[/name] is already a top ten name where I am.
If you like nn options, doing full name [name]Milena[/name] would allow for [name]Mila[/name] or [name]Lena[/name] or full name.
I like [name]Navi[/name] too.
Other “good traveller” thoughts:
[name]Amara[/name] (I love the meaning of this one)
[name]Mina[/name]
[name]Nina[/name]
[name]Martina[/name]
[name]Amaya[/name]/[name]Maya[/name]
[name]Nadia[/name]
I second the suggestion of [name]Lena[/name]. From your list I like [name]Milla[/name] (which I prefer with two l’s), [name]Evi[/name], and [name]Charlotte[/name].
[name]Mira[/name] means “ocean, sea” in Sanskrit, and is lovely. I’d suggest [name]Mira[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] or [name]Mira[/name] [name]Evelyn[/name].
[name]Evi[/name]- I think this will have a lot of mispronounciations. I think you should go with the more glamourous [name]Eva[/name], or the vintage [name]Eve[/name] that matches [name]Clara[/name] more.
[name]Everett[/name]- Deffinitely a boys name.
[name]Laine[/name]- Sounds like a middle name.
[name]Charlotte[/name]- I love this name, it’s my daughter’s name. It’s getting really popular though. I think its at 27 now?
[name]Riva[/name]- I don’t really like this one…
Merrit/[name]Maris[/name]/[name]Maren[/name]- I love [name]Maren[/name], a great Irish name.
[name]Elsi[/name]- I feel like it’s incomplete, I like [name]Elsie[/name] better. I adore [name]Elsie[/name]- it’s so gorgeous.
[name]Navi[/name]- Not a fan
[name]Mila[/name]- I love it, but it doesn’t have the same feel as [name]Clara[/name]
[name]Mia[/name]- Really popular.
I think [name]Marian[/name] would be adorable with [name]Clara[/name]. It’s so French. [name]Marion[/name] could work too.
Also, [name]Margot[/name], [name]Amelie[/name], [name]Elodie[/name], and [name]Ophelia[/name] could work too.
I like [name]Eloise[/name] and think that it fits well with [name]Clara[/name]. [name]Clara[/name] is a timeless name. [name]Charlotte[/name] used to be as well but now is far too common. It wouldn’t be fair to your second child to have a common name when the first has such a sweet and unique name. What about [name]Hattie[/name] or [name]Claire[/name]? I like [name]Cora[/name] too but you may find it too close to [name]Clara[/name]…
Thanks for the suggestion. [name]Mira[/name] is pretty. I have many fluent/native Spanish speakers in my family though, so we can’t use that one. It might appear that we are saying, “Look!”
