[name_m]Hi[/name_m], I’m from [name_f]England[/name_f] and I’m pregnant with my first child, a girl. I’m having a lot of trouble with names. I do not want my daughter to have to go by her last initial all the time. I want her name to be an uncommon, breath of fresh air name. I love the quirky, clunky but cool, unexpected for a child kind of names - that still work for an adult. I would also appreciate the names to be not too hard to pronounce - in example, I love Greek names like [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and [name_f]Antigone[/name_f], but I feel like many English tongues would butcher the name. It doesn’t have to be super recognizable in pronunciation, just not people mispronouncing each and every time. Names with good meanings or origins behind is also a huge plus but not a must. It seems like the type of names I like is pretty popular in [name_f]England[/name_f] right now though. So it needs to be unpopular…like below the top 500, please? I understand most berries here are American, but I would really appreciate some help. Thanks in advance
Can you give some examples of names you like but have ruled out because they’re too popular? That could really help people get a feel for your naming style, since everyone has a different idea of what a quirky name is.
Some suggestions:
[name_f]Amethyst[/name_f]
[name_f]Amity[/name_f]
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f]
[name_f]Azure[/name_f]
[name_u]Calypso[/name_u]
Catrinel
[name_f]Corisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphi[/name_f]
[name_u]Hero[/name_u]
[name_u]Indigo[/name_u]
[name_f]Ingrid[/name_f]
[name_f]Ismay[/name_f]
[name_f]Keziah[/name_f]
[name_f]Magali[/name_f]
[name_f]Marika[/name_f]
[name_u]Matisse[/name_u]
[name_f]Naiara[/name_f]
Nyneve
Taissa
[name_f]Topaz[/name_f]
[name_f]Vashti[/name_f]
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]
None are these are within the [name_f]England[/name_f] & [name_m]Wales[/name_m] Top 500.
Here are some names I consider to be unique and I hope fit your idea of “clunky” chic.
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]
[name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
[name_f]Araminta[/name_f]
[name_f]Constantina[/name_f]
[name_f]Elisabetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Magdalene[/name_f] / [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodosia[/name_f]
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f]
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]
I’m also afraid of the name not aging well. I love [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], which aren’t too popular, but I’m afraid too clunky and old. Also love [name_f]Hattie[/name_f], but nobody in my family does. I love [name_f]Mavis[/name_f] as well with the family nickname “Mavey”, but my sister’s name is [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] so it’s too close.
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] - This isn’t too popular, but ruled out because may not be good for an adult woman
[name_f]Florence[/name_f] “[name_f]Florrie[/name_f]”
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Evie[/name_f]
[name_f]Tillie[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Lottie[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Elsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Elsie[/name_f]
[name_f]Edie[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Pippa[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Kitty[/name_f] - mostly concerned with not sounding good on an adult and I don’t really want [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] - too boring
I like [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], thanks.
Ok, to put things in perspective, [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], the #1 girl’s name in [name_f]England[/name_f] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m] was given to 5,327 babies last year. #100, [name_f]Robyn[/name_f], 577 and #500 [name_f]Aysha[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]-[name_f]Mae[/name_f] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] went to 85 babies each. It does seem that there are a lot of babies named [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_f]Isla[/name_f] at the moment, but if your main concern is not being one of several in her class, I don’t think you need to rule out the entire top 500.
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f], for example, is in the top 500. I associate it with the wife of [name_m]Winston[/name_m] [name_m]Churchill[/name_m] so for me, it absolutely does work for an adult woman.
[name_f]Kitty[/name_f] is also in the top 500. I have a colleague named Kirti, which gets pronounced (slightly wrongly) as [name_f]Kitty[/name_f]. We work in a very professional environment and no one bats an eye.
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] might get you that old fashioned Greek vibe you like with the advantage that everyone will know how to pronounce it, but at the same time it’s not actually that popular
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] is definitely in the old and clunky category these days, but could be shortened into the slightly more trendy [name_f]Margot[/name_f] or [name_f]Maggie[/name_f]
[name_f]Millicent[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Naida[/name_f]
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]
[name_f]Odilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Hester[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f]
[name_f]Thomasine[/name_f]
[name_f]Gretta[/name_f]
[name_u]Joyce[/name_u]
[name_u]Fable[/name_u]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Edwina[/name_f]
[name_u]Oakley[/name_u]
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Euphemia[/name_f]
Claramund
[name_f]Brunhilde[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Naida[/name_f]
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]
[name_f]Odilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Hester[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f]
[name_f]Thomasine[/name_f]
[name_f]Gretta[/name_f]
[name_u]Joyce[/name_u]
[name_u]Fable[/name_u]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Edwina[/name_f]
[name_u]Oakley[/name_u]
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Euphemia[/name_f]
Claramund
[name_f]Brunhilde[/name_f]
[name_m]Augustine[/name_m]
[name_u]Constantine[/name_u]
[name_f]Alfreida[/name_f]
Thanks rainpoppy - I will reconsider some of my options. I love [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] but boyfriend does not. I also love [name_f]Winifred[/name_f] “[name_f]Winnie[/name_f]”…he’s still thinking about that one. I love [name_f]Margot[/name_f] and [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]. [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is too [name_m]Harry[/name_m] potter for me. Thanks everyone
This is very much my ‘problem’ when it comes to the names I love, also!
There have been loads of lovely suggestions so I won’t throw any more at you, except I heard this recently and fell in love; Otilda. [name_m]How[/name_m] gorgeous. Is it [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], is it [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]… it’s neither, and it’s very rare from what I can find!
I love [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Margo[/name_f] and [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]!. What about:
[name_f]Evanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_f]Mirabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophronia[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Thomasin[/name_f]
[name_f]Talitha[/name_f] (pr.‘tally-tha’)
[name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]
[name_f]Gaia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tanith[/name_f]
[name_f]Mazarine[/name_f]
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f]
[name_f]Calixta[/name_f]/[name_f]Calista[/name_f]/[name_f]Callista[/name_f] (means ‘most beautiful’)
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] (nn.[name_f]Effie[/name_f])
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Heloise[/name_f]
[name_f]Euphemia[/name_f]
[name_f]Roxana[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessamine[/name_f]/[name_f]Jessamyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Evadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Tansy[/name_f]
[name_f]Alethea[/name_f]/[name_f]Althea[/name_f]
[name_f]Phyllida[/name_f]
[name_f]Anthea[/name_f]
[name_f]Eulalia[/name_f]
Some lesser used possibilities:
[name_f]Alma[/name_f]
[name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
[name_f]Araminta[/name_f]
[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]
[name_f]Avis[/name_f]
[name_f]Bettina[/name_f]
[name_f]Bryony[/name_f]
[name_f]Clarissa[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f]
[name_f]Corrine[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f]
[name_u]Damaris[/name_u]
[name_f]Davina[/name_f]
[name_f]Ethel[/name_f]
[name_f]Eunice[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Ghislaine[/name_f]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]/[name_f]Gretel[/name_f]
[name_f]Honoria[/name_f]
[name_f]Ianthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Ida[/name_f]
[name_f]Iona[/name_f]
[name_f]Indira[/name_f]
[name_f]Irene[/name_f]
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Judith[/name_f]
[name_f]Justine[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucille[/name_f]
[name_f]Magdalena[/name_f]
[name_f]Marjolaine[/name_f]
[name_f]Maxine[/name_f]
[name_f]Mercy[/name_f]
[name_f]Millicent[/name_f]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
[name_f]Muriel[/name_f]
[name_f]Nadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ondine[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f]
[name_f]Portia[/name_f]
[name_f]Priscilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Prudence[/name_f]
[name_f]Ramona[/name_f]
[name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f]
Rohais
[name_f]Rowena[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabina[/name_f]
[name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_f]Sybil[/name_f]
[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f]
[name_f]Tamsin[/name_f]
[name_f]Tempest[/name_f]
[name_f]Thais[/name_f]
[name_f]Thalassa[/name_f]
[name_f]Thalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Una[/name_f]
[name_f]Unity[/name_f]
[name_f]Ursula[/name_f]
[name_f]Valencia[/name_f]
[name_f]Verona[/name_f]
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_f]Winona[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Zelda[/name_f]
What about
[name_f]Araminta[/name_f]
[name_f]Constance[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavender[/name_f]
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f]
[name_f]Frances[/name_f]
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f]
[name_f]Alma[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Darla[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f]
I recently saw the name Theodalia on the forums, which I find intriguing
[name_u]Hillary[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], lavender, [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_f]Bridget[/name_f], [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f], arabella
I really like your idea of [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_m]How[/name_m] about the name [name_f]Adeline[/name_f]?
[name_m]How[/name_m] about Evolet? (I know it’s a made up name for a film but it’s definately uncommon but will feel familiar with names like [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], Etc - also nn [name_f]Evie[/name_f] works for women of any age).
Other suggestions:
[name_f]Thomasina[/name_f]
[name_f]Mirabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]
I don’t have a long list but I will also say [name_f]Millicent[/name_f] and [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]. Such beautiful names which are fairly uncommon, with great nick name potential.
I also agree with the earlier post about the top 500. You can never really tell which kids around your community will have your child’s name. My daughter has a top 150 name and has never met another one in her ten years. On the other hand my 3 year old son has a name in the 700’s and we have met three others with his name.
I would defiantly pick a name you love over how popular it is. Good luck!
I like [name_f]Verity[/name_f] and I don’t think it’s been suggested above.
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]? ([name_f]Edie[/name_f])
[name_f]Mirabelle[/name_f]?