aurora ~ 8/10
I think this is really beautiful - the associations with the goddess of the dawn and the auroras borealis and australis are just magical. however, knowing how many kids struggle with the letter r, I don’t think I could use it, because I can’t imagine not being able to say your own name.
spencer ~ 4/10
there’s nothing wrong with this name, it’s just not for me. I can see it on a girl - I think my first association is pretty little liars - but maybe because of that, it feels a little dated. it’s a fine name, just really not my style.
aria ~ 5/10
I love this name in theory, and love its musical connections. however, for whatever reason, I just can’t get that vibe from it. it just sounds a little like a mean girl name to me.
florence ~10/10
why does this have to be in the top twenty, please?! it’s perfect. it really effectively balances a vintage style with quite a rich and dramatic imagery, and I love it. I have it on my list as a middle name.
octavia ~ 10/10
I might technically like this one slightly less than florence, but negligibly, and it’s objectively more my style. although its meaning isn’t great, the vibe is stunning. it’s dramatic, powerful, and elegant.
callie ~ 5/10
honestly, I don’t really love callie on its own, but I do adore several names which it could be a nickname for: calliope, calanthe and callisto would all rate a lot higher. I don’t have anything against nickname names, I’m just not wild about the sounds or the ultra-preppy vibe it carries. this would likely change if I met a callie.
alaric ~ 8/10
lovely, princely vibes. I’m not a huge fan of al or rick, but the name as a whole is fun to say, looks lovely written down, and has a cool, strong but gentle feel.
draco ~ 10/10
I know that this is pure malfoy for many people, but all slytherins are immaculately named, and you cannot change my mind (see on my list: draco, lucius, narcissa, bellatrix, andromeda, astoria). it works with a lot of (also lovely) -o names, like milo, otto, and theo (I know more than one person named each of those), with a mysterious feel, sharp sound, and astronomical link. I really can’t get enough of it.
evian ~ 4/10
unfortunately, this is nearly exclusively water for me, and I’m not a huge fan of ev- names on the whole. I do like a lot of other -ian names though! maybe evren would help avoid the water?
eóin ~ 6/10
I find this spelling exceptionally more pleasing than owen, but I still can’t really get along with the sound; I don’t know why - I normally love a strong o! this is a bit of an outlier - objectively a good name, but I’ve never liked it for some reason.
cillian ~ 7/10
I love the sound but somehow, I can’t avoid weird associations with the appearance of this name. the c spelling (I generally prefer c names) makes me think nearly exclusively of cilia (small hair-like structures on the outsides of cells), and the k spelling makes me think of krill (and somehow not killing??). overall, an objectively great name. plus, there’s cillian murphy.
atticus ~ 9/10
I really love this one - it clicked for me randomly one day. I like how it balances ancient greece with vintage with modern hipster with just sounds really cool. and you can use the nickname kit…