- [name_u]Adair[/name_u] “wealthy spear” ~ gaelic
- [name_u]Alba[/name_u] “white” ~ latin
- [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] “aspen tree” ~ british
- [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] “fine friend” ~ english
- [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] “gentle, beautiful, precious” ~ irish
- [name_f]Catrin[/name_f] “pure” ~ greek
- [name_f]Efa[/name_f] “alive” ~ welsh
- [name_f]Eilonwy[/name_f] “river melody” ~ welsh
- [name_f]Eira[/name_f] “snow, merciful” ~ welsh
- [name_f]Emily[/name_f] “rival” ~ latin
- [name_f]Katia[/name_f] “pure” ~ russian
- [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] “lauren plant, victory” ~ latin
- [name_f]Linnea[/name_f] “twinflower” ~ swedish
- [name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] “golden queen” ~ irish
- [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] “flowing stream of water” ~ greek
- [name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] “gentle horse” ~ latin
- [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] "freedom ~ irish
- [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] “god is gracious” ~ irish
- [name_u]Solstice[/name_u] “where sun stands still” ~ latin
- [name_f]Zaria[/name_f] “princess” ~ slavic
1 Like
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorites are [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_u]Lauren[/name_u], and [name_f]Linnea[/name_f]!
[name_u]Adair[/name_u] ~ 7/10. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f]! Simultaneously strong and sweet.
[name_u]Alba[/name_u] ~ 7/10. Also a lovely, familiar but unexpected name, although the connotation to [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] [name_u]Alba[/name_u] is quite strong.
[name_u]Aspen[/name_u] ~ 4/10. I do love a nature name but the ‘Asp’ sound is a little harsh to me.
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] ~ 7/10. [name_u]Love[/name_u] it for the potential nn [name_f]Belle[/name_f], which is one of my all-time favourite names.
[name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] ~ 7/10. Probable spelling issues aside, a gorgeous gentle choice.
[name_f]Catrin[/name_f] ~ 6/10. I hesitate to use the word dated, but all the Catrins I know are around my mother’s age; I’m sure I would find it adorable on a baby if I met one, though, and I enjoy the potential for nn [name_f]Cat[/name_f].
[name_f]Efa[/name_f] ~ 6/10. So soft it feels a little insubstantial, but a lovely choice neverthless.
[name_f]Eilonwy[/name_f] ~ 7/10. One of my favourite meanings! And very appropriate given the name’s lyrical sound.
[name_f]Eira[/name_f] ~ 8/10. Sounds like a snow queen in a fairytale; just lovely.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] ~ 6/10. I know a lot of them, but it’s still a pretty, classic choice and I adore nn [name_f]Emmy[/name_f].
[name_f]Katia[/name_f] 8/10 ~ [name_u]Love[/name_u] it! Another one with potential for nn [name_f]Kat[/name_f], and with a lovely, bright, melodic sound.
[name_u]Lauren[/name_u] ~ 5/10. Another one that’s been slightly dulled by the amount I know; I do love [name_u]Laurel[/name_u], though, for a slightly more unexpected version
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f] ~ 4/10. I just think linear, as in linear equations. Sorry.
[name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] ~ 7/10. I haven’t heard this one before bit it’s lovely - soft, but still with a great deal of substance.
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f] ~ 6/10. Ree-a or Ray-a? If Ray-a I like it; bright, fun alternative to [name_f]Freya[/name_f].
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] ~ 8/10. Yes! I love a [name_f]Rose[/name_f] variant, and this is a Shakesperean classic.
[name_u]Solstice[/name_u] ~ 6/10. This would fall slightly into the ‘guilty pleasure’ category for me
[name_f]Zaria[/name_f] ~ 8/10. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f], and appropriately very princessy sounding!
@Mary_Rose this pronunciation!
1 Like
I like [name_u]Alba[/name_u] and [name_f]Zaria[/name_f]!
I’ll rate out of 10 and give you some thoughts:
- [name_u]Adair[/name_u] – 8 – full of flair and spark
- [name_u]Alba[/name_u] – 8 – bright, bubbly and sunny
- [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] – 7 – sparkly and fresh, though I know the first syllable could put people off
- [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] – 7 – bubbly and sleek, sweet meaning
- [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] – 8 – gorgeous, sweet and lovely
- [name_f]Catrin[/name_f] – 8 – snappy and rugged
- [name_f]Efa[/name_f] – 6 – lovely sound and meaning, but I don’t love how it looks
- [name_f]Eilonwy[/name_f] – 7 – fantastical and magic
- [name_f]Eira[/name_f] – 9 – bright, sparkly and lovely
- [name_f]Emily[/name_f] - 7 – classic, literary but so popular
- [name_f]Katia[/name_f] – 3 – it’s okay but it doesn’t sparkle for me – a bit sticky
- [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] - 6.5 – a bit glitzy, solid and gentle
- [name_f]Linnea[/name_f] – 7 – bright and lovely
- [name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] – 8 – mystical and magical
- [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] – 6.5 – pretty celestial but earthy too
- [name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] – 7.5 – sharp, literary and sleek
- [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] – 8 – powerful and distinctive
- [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] – 3 – a bit harsh and I’ve got bad associations
- [name_u]Solstice[/name_u]- 8 – sparkly and magical
- [name_f]Zaria[/name_f] – 7 – beautiful and powerful
• [name_u]Adair[/name_u] ~ 4/10 … I used to adore [name_u]Adair[/name_u], but then I heard it on a bald, elderly man, and it’s since lost all its charm 
however it still has a great meaning, so I won’t discount it completely.
• [name_u]Alba[/name_u] ~ 3/10 … not a fan of the sound, sorry!
• [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] ~ 7/10 … I love aspen trees, and [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] is on my girls list as well!! Unfortunately, the Asp- part does sound a little harsh to me, so I rated it a 7. Still very pretty though, and the possible nn [name_u]Penny[/name_u] is adorable.
• [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] ~ 6/10 … I’m not sure about this one. It sounds nice, but I can’t not see it as [name_f]Bella[/name_f] and my squished together, if that makes sense.
• [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] ~ 6/10 … lovely, but spelling issues would definitely be common.
• [name_f]Catrin[/name_f] ~ 7/10 … pretty and sleek.
• [name_f]Efa[/name_f] ~ 5/10 … sweet, but rather too short for me; kind of insubstantial.
• [name_f]Eilonwy[/name_f] ~ 9/10 … gorgeous sound and meaning, love it!
• [name_f]Eira[/name_f] ~ 2/10 … gotta be honest with you, it just reminds me of ears, although the meaning is pretty 
• [name_f]Emily[/name_f] ~ 6/10 … pretty, but so common it’s dull for me now.
• [name_f]Katia[/name_f] ~ 8/10 … I adore the nn options [name_f]Kat[/name_f] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u] for her 
• [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] ~ 6/10 … sadly common, but still soft and reminds me of laurel leaves.
• [name_f]Linnea[/name_f] ~ 7/10 … I love names that end in ea or ia, and [name_f]Linnea[/name_f] feels like a fresh way to use the [name_f]Lin[/name_f] sound!
• [name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] ~ 9/10 … ahh, love this! [name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] reminds me of puffy white clouds, lace, and opal jewelry.
• [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] ~ 5/19 … I feel like [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] and [name_f]Freya[/name_f] are overdone on nb, but maybe it’s just me… anyway, it sounds too short to me.
• [name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] ~ 9/10 … beautiful and princessy, one of my favorite [name_f]Rose[/name_f] variants.
• [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] ~ 3/10 … I dislike the sound, but the meaning is great.
• [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] ~ 4/10 … again, not a fan of the sound or the way it looks.
• [name_u]Solstice[/name_u] ~ 6/10 … I really want to love this, but I feel like it’smore of a gp for me.
• [name_f]Zaria[/name_f] ~ 9/10 … ooh, never heard this one before!! It’s stunning, and gives off princess vibes even if you don’t know the meaning.
[name_u]Adair[/name_u] (7): [name_m]Classic[/name_m] and strong with a nature vibe.
[name_u]Alba[/name_u] (8): [name_f]Breezy[/name_f], sunny, happy.
[name_u]Aspen[/name_u] (7): I don’t usually go for place names but I’ve always loved this for its flair, whispery strength and connotations with mountains. It’s such a badass name.
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] (9): Great combination of girl-next-door, southern charm and brave warrior. Such a statement name and brings a much needed strength to the frilly Bella/Belle names - gotta love it.
[name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] (5): Spunky, artsy, badass.
[name_f]Catrin[/name_f] (1): Doesn’t strike a particular chord with me, I find it quite bland. It’s in the same vein as [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f] for me.
[name_f]Efa[/name_f] (6): Great name with mythological ties. I much prefer the Morden [name_u]Irish[/name_u] spelling [name_f]Aoife[/name_f], I’d even take the Ancient [name_u]Irish[/name_u] spelling [name_f]Aife[/name_f] over this Welsh [name_f]Efa[/name_f] spelling. The [name_u]Irish[/name_u] spelling also matches the other [name_u]Irish[/name_u] names on your list.
[name_f]Eilonwy[/name_f] (4 or 5): Although the sound isn’t my fave, the vibes are so whimsical and melodic with a vintage charm. Very uniquely cottagecore. I see the appeal.
[name_f]Eira[/name_f] (6): If you’re going with the I-ra pronunciation, it’s very pretty and melodic. If you’re going with the Air-ruh pronunciation, I much prefer the [name_f]Aira[/name_f] spelling, as it has the strong meaning of “principle of life, the breath of life etc” and holds much more weight.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] (1): Quite boring, very mousey. For some reason this name is almost always chosen for weak characters in media. Aside from that, the name leans more dated than classic. Could be revived with the more contemporary [name_m]Emil[/name_m] / [name_m]Emile[/name_m] / Emille. It’s so much more sleeker.
[name_f]Katia[/name_f] (1): Similar with [name_f]Catrin[/name_f], this name just doesn’t sparkle to me.
[name_u]Lauren[/name_u] (1): Boring. But can be livened up with its sister name [name_u]Loren[/name_u]. Of the underused [name_u]Laurel[/name_u], as mentioned above.
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f] (5): [name_f]Melodic[/name_f] and bright.
[name_f]Orlaith[/name_f] (5) : [name_f]Beautiful[/name_f], historical, mystical fairy tale vibes.
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f] (2): I see the appeal, but much prefer the Reya/Raya sp if that’s your preferred pronunciation. This spelling is too commonly associated with the [name_f]Ria[/name_f] pronunciation. It’s a cute name but doesn’t really leave much of an impression.
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f] (4): [name_m]Classic[/name_m], sleek.
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (9): [name_u]Brave[/name_u] warrior. Mystical vibes.
[name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] (4): [name_u]Strong[/name_u] but harsh. Doesn’t quite have the sweetness of the other names.
[name_u]Solstice[/name_u] (9): Wintry and magical.
[name_f]Zaria[/name_f] (8): [name_f]Beautiful[/name_f].
Yes. I do have some Irish heritage, but I am mainly welsh so I tried to incorporate some welsh names into my list!
1 Like
Oh my bad. The [name_f]Efa[/name_f] spelling isn’t bad at all, I was just trying to counteract the ideas of it being “insubstantial” due to its shortness. It’s definitely a beautiful name.
Yes I definitely get what you mean I really love the [name_f]Aife[/name_f] but I couldn’t use [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] because one of my closest friends is called [name_f]Aoife[/name_f].
1 Like
Don’t insult [name_f]Emily[/name_f]! [name_f]My[/name_f] adorable kitten is named [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and she is very offended because her personality is nothing like that. Also, I think [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is extremely classic, as in it has been a respected, traditional, name for centuries, much more so than some of the names you rated highly
LOL I love [name_f]Emily[/name_f] for a kitten.
I understand it’s a classic name, what I mean is it’s more dated than classic, timeless names such as “Laurel” or “Arlo”, which both have contemporary edge.
As for the names I rated highly, that’s just a matter of personal taste and I wouldn’t take those too seriously. Tbh I’m not into number ratings, I just did it because the title suggested. I also don’t base my tastes on what others regard is respectable or traditional.
Adair —2/10: the sound is very harsh and masculine, and it just doesn’t sound like a name
Alba – 3/10: I personally find it ugly; I don’t get why so many people here rave about such a blunt name
Aspen – 5/10: I don’t like the trendy, contemporary style of it, but the actual sound and meaning is pretty
Bellamy—2/10: this just sounds wrong.
Caoimhe—2/10: I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at, and after reading the pronunciation, it didn’t raise my opinion
Catrin—5/10: I like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] and [name_f]Caterina[/name_f], but I don’t particularly like this variant
Efa—4/10: it looks incomplete, but it’s a perfect name for a fairy or elf character
Eilonwy—5/10: this is obviously very strange, but kind of whimsical and magical
Eira—5/10: the actual sound is kind of dull, but interesting spelling and meaning
Emily – 9/10: I’ve always liked this name, and my cat is named [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. It is unfortunately overused, but because it’s so classic and timeless, it doesn’t seem overly popular.
Katia—7/10: this is kind of pretty sounding, and I like the internationalness
Lauren—4/10: I like [name_f]Laura[/name_f], but [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] isn’t nearly as pretty and sounds kind of out of date to me
Linnea—8/10: pretty and flowery, and makes me think of a meadow
Orlaith—4/10: the pronunciation I saw actually sounds very pretty, but I can’t get past the “laith”; if it was just [name_f]Orla[/name_f], I would rate it a 7
Rhea—4/10: something just sounds kind of off about it, kind of sickly
Rosaline—7.5/10: I’ve never heard this, but it’s quite pretty and sounds like a 19th century novel girl name
Saoirse—4.5/10: the pronunciation is ok, and while the way it looks to read isn’t ugly, it is just so awkward to read and mispronounce
Siobhan—2/10: very hard to pronounce and not very attractive sounding
Solstice—2/10: a good name for a pet, but not a human
Zaria—7/10: unusual and pretty, it has a dark, mysterious undertone
I would hardly call [name_u]Laurel[/name_u] or [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] classic. I wasn’t trying to sound to condescending though
[name_u]Laurel[/name_u] was used as a name as early as 1916 and is still used today. I’d call that classic, in terms of time period.
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] has historical context and dates back to the Middle Ages.
Different strokes for different folks though.
But [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is also an old, widely used name that doesn’t sound tied to a certain generation. Not that either of the names you mentioned sound particularly of a certain time, but they were never common enough to be considered classic, at least in my opinion
@Nina_Alexandra_2005 I love [name_f]Emily[/name_f] so much for a kitten, however it is slightly overused regarding girls names and I’m not sure if I’d use it as a girls fn, maybe a mn though. @MsJAJ [name_u]Laurel[/name_u] is gorgeous, might replace [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] with [name_u]Laurel[/name_u] 
2 Likes
Yes Irish names are quite tricky to pronounce, which might put me off slightly when naming a child! If I lived in Ireland (I live in the UK and I am welsh with Irish heritage) I would reconsider though 
1 Like
I think both names are classic. The comment in my initial post just meant, one comes off more dated than the other (because it’s used so much).
[name_u]Laurel[/name_u] had a big boom in the 1920s and has slowly climbed into peoples radars, still not losing its luster in this current time. It may not be widely used but that’s what makes it a surprising and “newer” choice than the Emily’s and Jennifer’s (to me).
1 Like