Hi all. Long time lurker first time poster. DH and I are struggling to agree on a name for our baby girl.
DH has always wanted the name Maisie despite my concerns it was a bit twee, though I know it fits in with current trends. He hasn’t offered much else in way of suggestions.
Polling the community here for the other names being considered!
Note: For Clara, we prefer the ‘Clah-ruh’ pronunciation. We currently live in Aus where this would be default, but may return to the US in the future where it would likely be pronounced ‘Clair-uh.’
Middle name will be Lynn, surname starts with M and ends in O
- Willa
- Clara
- Annie
- Lucy
- Maisie
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My vote goes to [name_f]Willa[/name_f]! I will say, I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] flows a little better than [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] (it’s a bit L-heavy), but I like the name [name_f]Willa[/name_f] enough for it to not be a dealbreaker!
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You’ve got a great list, all lovely names in their own right. I’ve chosen [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] from your options. I like the sing-songy sound and timeless quality of [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]. It’s fairly similar in sound to [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] so might be a good compromise name. [name_f]Annie[/name_f] would be my next favourite. They’re both sweet and spirited in equal measure.
Thoughts on the others:
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] is a little awkward to say, which may not matter to you depending on how often you would say the first and middle name together.
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] sort of blends together, similar to [name_f]Carolyn[/name_f], which is why I personally rank it lower.
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f] it sounds like you’re not so keen and may or may not sound great with your surname as far as alliteration is concerned.
All the best with your search!
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I think they’d all work just fine, though my personal favourites is [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f]. Regardless, any of them would be lovely. Best of luck!
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I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is the standout for me! [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] M___o sounds really lovely. It also works well in both [name_m]Australia[/name_m] and the US, (coming from an Australian) which is a nice bonus.
Of the others, I’d probably rank [name_f]Willa[/name_f] second (Don’t love the flow of [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] but thats not really an issue in day-to-day life as you’d usually just call her Willa), then [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f], and [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]. I knowMaisie is popular at the moment, and i do really like it, but if your not loving it then it’s porbably not the right fit for your family. Since your parter likes it, you could suggest alternatives (if you like any of them that is): [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], [name_f]Maia[/name_f], [name_f]Margot[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Sadie[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f], [name_f]Rosie[/name_f], etc.
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Appreciate the [name_f]Aussie[/name_f] perspective! [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is gorgeous and I love the ‘Clah-ruh’ pronunciation. We are from the US though, so my only concern is if we were to move back would she be forever correcting people who pronounce it ‘Claire-uh’
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What a beautiful list!
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] is my favorite, especially with the selected middle name. I consider it a timeless gem. It’s joyful, gentle, and elegant. I also love that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is an international name, used in many different languages.
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] would be my second choice. [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] is adorable! [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] is a classic treasure.
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] is an amazing idea, but I don’t think it flows quite as well with the middle name as the other options.
That being said, [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] would be my third choice. A quick search will show you that [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] suits adults just as well as children. For example, the [name_f]English[/name_f] actress [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_m]Williams[/name_m] or the singer [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_m]Peters[/name_m]. I can also easily imagine a sweet grandmother named [name_f]Maisie[/name_f].
From your list, I would eliminate [name_f]Annie[/name_f]. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I love the way it flows with the middle name.
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Oh I’m a sucker for [name_f]Clara[/name_f] at the moment. [name_f]She[/name_f] feels so fresh and sophisticated. I’m also in [name_m]Australia[/name_m]. I met a baby [name_f]Clara[/name_f] earlier this year and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! That being said I also considered [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] for our girls and I think she is very wearable. Maybe [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] as a compromise?
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[name_f]Willa[/name_f] is my daughter’s name but in this case with middle name [name_f]Lynn[/name_f], I would go [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. I like [name_f]Annie[/name_f] as well but maybe not so much with [name_f]Lynn[/name_f]?
Could you think about [name_f]Mary[/name_f] nn [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]? I love [name_f]Mary[/name_f], it gives you a less cutesy option for [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], and it’s similar [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] & [name_f]Annie[/name_f] in terms of being a pretty & classic name. [name_f]May[/name_f] is another possibility.
Wildcard: [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalynn[/name_f] nn [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]
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My favorites are [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f]!
I’m not too fond of how L heavy [name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] are, and [name_f]Annie[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] just doesn’t have the right flow to me, so [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] are my top contenders!
I love the flow of [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] especially, she’s so lyrical! [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] is super cute and I think it works just as well for an adult; my first thought was of [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_m]Williams[/name_m]. I don’t think you could go wrong with either name, they’re both gorgeous!
Another name I think would work for you guys is [name_f]Mara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f]! It kinda combines the 2 names together, the M from [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] and the -ara from [name_f]Clara[/name_f]!
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I voted [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] – a little sweet like [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] but not overly cutesy, bright and light like [name_f]Clara[/name_f], with a tough of the strength of [name_f]Willa[/name_f]. Next picks would be [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and [name_f]Clara[/name_f]
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Ooh I love [name_f]Mara[/name_f]. [name_m]Not[/name_m] one we had considered- thank you for the suggestion!
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My mother in law is a [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and as much as she would love it I’ll have to pass on that one. But your wildcard name is beautiful!
Have you/your daughter enjoyed the name [name_f]Willa[/name_f] and found people hear and spell it correctly? I’ve always loved it but family was lukewarm to the idea (not that we’re letting this sway us)
And last question if you don’t mind because I’ve seen your name on many a post here and you seem super knowledgeable: have you ever come across an American who uses the more widespread clah-ruh pronunciation? DH and I have been living abroad for many years in the UK and now in Aus but unsure if it sounds wrong coming out of our American mouths 
Also [name_f]Aussie[/name_f] – On a related note, there was a 3-4 year old called [name_f]Clara[/name_f] in my son’s playgroup and her name was pronounced Clair-ah. [name_m]Her[/name_m] mother was American but I haven’t met any others that I can recall. That pronunciation repeatedly tripped me up as an [name_f]Aussie[/name_f] but I got there eventually. I can only assume the same would happen for a Clah-rah in the US.
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I voted [name_f]Clara[/name_f], with [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] as close 2nd and 3rds.
I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is a name that really works at any age, you can equally visualize a toddler name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and a CEO named [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. I also love the nutcracker reference. It’s subtle enough that she won’t be bothered by it all the time, but it’s quite special.
I really like Annie.It’s a nice twist on a classic name and again subtle reference to the Parent Trap reference.
I really like the name [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], but I don’t love the [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] combination as much as [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Annie[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f].
I’m honestly not a fan of [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] as it makes me think of [name_f]Maize[/name_f]. And I don’t think [name_f]Willa[/name_f] is as timeless as [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]. I have a hard time visualizing an adult [name_f]Willa[/name_f].
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I’m an Aussie in Oz so I can’t help you with the Clair-uh, I’ve only hear Americans here say Clah-rah (bc they’re referring to Australian kids who have that pronunciation). Wondering if by time you get home, your daughter will be old enough to say “it’s Clah-rah” and all your family will be used to saying it the Brit-Oz way?
Re Willa, my family weren’t sold right away because they hadn’t heard of it - she’s 10 next month and I didn’t know any Willas. My mum (and others) knew of the American author, Willa Cather, but it was still not a name they were comfortable with. But I still get positive comments on her name on first intro. Sure, probably a third of the time people ask if it’s Willow, but that’s getting less common. No problems with spelling. We call her Will, Lily, Willabee & a bunch of other names. Definitely a handful of other names I like as much but remain happy with my choice - love the blend of soft and dreamy as well as a tad discordant and bolshy. I met a 20 year old Willa the other day and it still works, whereas (unlike PP) I see Maisie as the youngest-sounding of your names.
Hope this helps!
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My vote is [name_f]Annie[/name_f] - she’s so sweet and classic, and goes the best with [name_f]Lynn[/name_f] (not too many L sounds)