Ida Alice: This is a stunning vintage combo, if not SLIGHTLY awkward to say. It feels fresh and light, but also very substantial. Ida feels incredibly literary and I get ‘yachting-off-the-coast’ vibes (but not at all pretentious or snobby). Alice is a long-time personal favourite. This combo looks like a sunset with soft pinks, yellows and blues.
Abilene Anne: Abilene is a pretty, puritan sounding name that isn’t my personal taste, but I can see how it might appeal. I would pair it with something slightly fresher to spice it up a bit because the combination really adds to puritan association. I actually really like name alliteration!
Isola Eleanor: Isola is gorgeous and makes a darling sister for Ida (STRONG yachting-off-the-coast vibes with pastel sunset). It’s exotic but familiar. Eleanor is such a strong classic that you have to take seriously. The combination, like Ida Alice is a little clunky but I wouldn’t change either as they actually complement each other beautifully as sisters.
Lily Magdalena: A gorgeous combo. Lily is such a familiar and popular classic but is never overdone in my opinion. It also softens that harsher ‘Magdalena’ which feels a bit heavy for my taste (the strong ‘G’ is a bit off-putting for me) but ultimately the combo flows beautifully.
Dinah Evangeline: Dinah is cutesy but I read it like ‘diner’ and therefore has no appeal for me at all. love how it’s spelled though and looks lovely on paper. Evangeline is pretty but I get such strong biblical connotations that it becomes a bit heavy and tired for my ears. The combo flows nicely.
Simon Leo: Simon is a nice, strong name that is just too mid-century dad for me right now. A little bland, a little serious. I can definitely appreciate it’s classic nature, I just find it hard to imagine on a little boy. Leo is just gorgeous, short, fun and substantial and really funks up Simon. The combination flows really nicely.
Jesse Jude: This is divine! Rarely are two names so perfect for one another. I love the contrary associations I have with this combo – on one hand I see an outdoorsy, cowboy type and on the other, a quiet scholar. Jesse is soft and sweet but very substantial and wearable, and I would describe Jude in much the same way. I love that both names are unisex, erring slightly toward the masculine.
Ira John: I really like Ira but for some reason it gives me very strong puritan vibes especially for a man. I do love seeing it on paper though, and if used for a girl I would think it perfect. John is another really nice classic that will always be mid-century bland dad. It also very much compounds those puritan, witch-hunter vibes and while the combo flows very nicely, I can’t let those associations go.
Gideon Elias: Gideon is just divine. I love that it’s familiar but also quite unusual and it gives me strong sea-farer imagery. The ‘giddy’ sound at the beginning used to put me off a lot but I now really love it. Elias is as handsome and masculine as it is soft and sweet. This is a darling combination.
Isaiah Shepherd: I want to love Isaiah but I just never have. I think it’s that it will always be very biblical in my mind. Shepherd is a name that I haven’t liked since seeing it on all the naming forums – for me it’s just so singular in its biblical and profession associations. The combination flows nicely but it’s just so, so biblical and I’d never hear anything other than the imagery I’ve described.
Levi Gabriel: Levi is so spunky and handsome, I love it! It sits as nicely on a child as it does and adult professional. I also think that it’s a wonderful choice for those who are religious as it’s not so obviously biblical. Gabriel is another rare biblical choice that I do like despite it’s singular association. It’s light and springy and softens ‘Levi’ which I’d argue is a slightly harsher name. This is a gorgeous combination and I’d love to see you use it.
Sybil Elena: I want to like Sybil but it’s just too clunky for me. Elena is so lovely and balances Sybil nicely.
Sylvia Juliet: Sylvia is a name that I really, really like. The ‘silver’ sound gives me witchy, forest imagery and I imagine a wood nymph. Juliet is pretty but changes the imagery of the combo, making the name more scholarly and reserved.
Leah Marigold: Leah is ok, pretty but strong enough in my opinion. I personally get very strong 90s trend vibes so I find it an odd pairing with Marigold. Marigold is so sweet, if a bit heavy and will always be a book character for me. The combination actually flows very nicely.
Morwenna Violet: Morwenna is really growing on me. At first glance it is clunky and heavy but after seeing it more frequently I now get strong Lord of the Rings imagery and it’s incredibly endearing. This name is at risk of being butchered by certain accents though and I think it’s really going to be at home in Wales or Ireland. Violet is another gorgeous vintage classic that will never go out of style. What a lovely combination.
Zelda Rosemary: Normally I am all for witchy names but I just cannot like Zelda. ‘Z’ is a letter that I just personally dislike for names – too harsh for me. Rosemary is a wonderful mid-century classic that I think always remains in style. The combination is so witchy and I want to love it!
Lucy Perenelle: Lucy is sweet and kind- can she do no wrong? It’s a lovely name that stays fresh and light always. Perenelle gives me exactly the same imagery as Marigold actually- sweet but a bit heavy and plodding.
Eben Elijah: Eben is not to my personal tastes at all and I immediately think of ‘Ebenezeer’ but I can see how the softness really appeals to some. I think it will always be confused with ‘Evan’. Elijah is similar to Elias in terms of vibe – soft but handsome.
Florian Arthur: Florian is a really lovely name but I personally see it is entirely feminine. The only thing that puts me off is that I do immediately think of the word ‘florid’ which is off-putting. Arthur is so, so lovely and I love that it’s had a resurgence. The stately and strong vibes are very strong, likely due to king Arthur. This combination is really, really lovely.
Finnian True: Finnian is a long-time favourite of mine and epitomises a name for me. Substantial, memorable, familiar but not at all common. I get strong outdoorsy imagery. I really don’t like virtue names (I think it’s again, due to the puritan association) and True is just that.
Edmund Percival: Edmund is a gorgeous literary classic that is preppy but not at all pretentious. The ‘Mund’ sound does run the risk at times of being heavy and plodding so if that concerns you I would consider ‘Edward’, but if not I still think it’s extremely wearable. Percival in my opinion is incredibly heavy, clunky and serious and does Edmund no favours as a combination. I would try something lighter in the middle spot, i.e. Perry.
I would love to see you use Ida Alice and Isola Eleanor - these are so, so stunning and I can’t get past the gorgeous seaside imagery