[name]Hi[/name] there! I’m [name]Jen[/name], mom to [name]Bodhi[/name] [name]Fletcher[/name], age three. After a year of TTC we’re now five months pregnant with a baby girl! I’ve been reading this site for a while and love the kindness and awesome name advice that I’ve seen here. So here is our dilemma. Coming up with a name for [name]Bodhi[/name] was terrifying. [name]Both[/name] my DH ([name]Dan[/name]) and I have very common names so we want our children to have less common, though still familiar ones. We both tend to like quirky, fun and uncommon names. We live NYC and are kind of hipsters (though we’d never admit to it [name]IRL[/name]). We just are picky and have a lot of trouble finding names we [name]LOVE[/name]. With [name]Bodhi[/name] we had considered also [name]Ferris[/name], [name]Gilead[/name] and [name]Kirby[/name]. [name]Fletcher[/name] is my maiden name, so that was an easy choice. At the hospital we decided on [name]Bodhi[/name] (prn. [name]BO[/name]-dee, which means enlightenment in sanskrit, FWIW we are not Buddhist or [name]Indian[/name], but DH and I did spend time in [name]India[/name] after we got married) because it fit our son the best! I’d like to be able to do the same thing with this baby. Here are some names we’ve considered but don’t really love yet. We’ll decide on a middle name once we’ve narrowed down some definite favorites for the first name spot.
Our list so far:
[name]Lyric[/name]
[name]Olive[/name] - too close to the very popular [name]Olivia[/name]?
[name]Piper[/name] - too popular, but love the spunkiness.
[name]Patience[/name]
[name]Isadora[/name] - I don’t like [name]Izzy[/name] as a nickname since [name]Isabel[/name] is so popular in my area.
[name]Ivy[/name] - ending is too close to [name]Bodhi[/name]
[name]Clover[/name]
[name]Briar[/name] - not sure about another B name.
My favorite so far is [name]Patience[/name] (i think it goes well with the meaning of [name]Bodhi[/name]), and DH’s favorite is [name]Lyric[/name].
Suggestions, opinions and advice are all needed/welcome!!
[name]TIA[/name],
[name]Jen[/name], [name]Dan[/name] and [name]Bodhi[/name]
What about Radha? As Hinduism and Buddhism are so closely related, and in Hinduism Radha is wife to [name]Krishna[/name], queen, and embodiment of true love.
Other names that echo the [name]Dharma[/name] include [name]Anjali[/name], [name]Ananda[/name], [name]Chandra[/name], [name]Surya[/name], [name]Karma[/name]…
[name]Hi[/name], [name]Jen[/name] (and [name]Dan[/name] and [name]Bodhi[/name]!)
[name]Lyric[/name]-- I think it’s really cool. Other unusual musical names:
[name]Lyra[/name]
[name]Allegra[/name]
[name]Viola[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]
[name]Olive[/name]-- Similar to [name]Olivia[/name]? Sort of… It may be a bit too “old fashioned” with [name]Bodhi[/name]… You may also like [name]Livia[/name].
[name]Piper[/name]-- Not my favorite… You may also like [name]Juniper[/name].
[name]Patience[/name]-- [name]Love[/name] the meaning with [name]Bodhi[/name]! More virtue names:
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Clemency[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Mercy[/name]
[name]Amity[/name]
[name]Felicity[/name]
[name]Isadora[/name]-- I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Isadora[/name] and how exotic it is with [name]Bodhi[/name]! You may also like [name]Isaline[/name].
[name]Ivy[/name]-- I agree, the ending is a bit similar. Other nature names:
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name]
[name]Jemima[/name]
[name]Calandra[/name]
[name]Alouette[/name]
[name]Calla[/name]
[name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Jonquil[/name]
[name]Zinnia[/name]
[name]Azalea[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name]
[name]Aster[/name]
[name]Marigold[/name]
[name]Primrose[/name]
[name]Clover[/name]-- You may also like [name]Clotilde[/name] and the suggestions for [name]Ivy[/name].
[name]Briar[/name]-- Personally, I wouldn’t use another B name, but that may be just me. You may also like [name]Bryony[/name] (but that’s even more similar to [name]Bodhi[/name]) or [name]Bronwen[/name].
My personal favorites: [name]Olive[/name], [name]Isadora[/name], [name]Clover[/name], [name]Briar[/name]
My favorites w/ [name]Bodhi[/name]: [name]Olive[/name] and [name]Piper[/name]
[name]Bodhi[/name] [name]Fletcher[/name] is such a cool name! If you don’t mind me asking, what is your last name?
Honestly, I like a lot of the names on your list - [name]Olive[/name], [name]Patience[/name], etc. - but I don’t necessarily love them with [name]Bodhi[/name]. [name]Even[/name] though you aren’t Buddhist or anything, I think that your daughter’s name should have a similar feel to it, because [name]Olive[/name] and [name]Patience[/name] feel too vintage English to me to totally mesh with Mr. [name]Bodhi[/name].
The first name that popped in my head to match with [name]Bodhi[/name] is [name]PRIYA[/name] (PREE-yah), a Sanskrit name meaning “beloved.” Not totally sure when your due date is, but [name]Priya[/name] is traditionally given to [name]Indian[/name] girls born in [name]August[/name], so it could just be the icing on the cake if you are expecting an [name]August[/name] baby! I love the meaning of the name, and I know the most wonderful [name]Priya[/name], too…
The second name I thought of was [name]DEVA[/name] ([name]DAY[/name]-vah), a Hindi name meaning “divine” or “shining one” - I like the connection to [name]Bodhi[/name]'s name in the spiritual sense. [name]Deva[/name] is a fun, spunky, fresh name with old-world appeal and a great meaning!
The third name I thought of for you is [name]KISMET[/name] (KIZ-meht), a name that means “destiny” or “fate” in Turkish and Urdu. It is a fun, fresh word name that pairs nicely with [name]Bodhi[/name], and I’m partial to the spunky [name]Kizzy[/name] nickname, too…
[name]Just[/name] to list some others I think would work alongside [name]Bodhi[/name], we’ve got [name]Lourdes[/name], [name]Skye[/name], [name]True[/name], and [name]Zion[/name].
Hello [name]Jen[/name]! Congratulations on your baby girl. First off I love [name]Bodhi[/name], its super cool, unpretentious and easy to say. I like many of the names on your list like [name]Patience[/name], [name]Clover[/name] and [name]Olive[/name] but I have to agree with another poster they seem more vintage american puritanical names. [name]Bodhi[/name] to me seems more international and hip. I understand the suggestion of using another hindi/buddist name but then it might seem like your obsessed with Buddhism. [name]Do[/name] you get what I am saying? I had to think for a while before posting since you need a perfect balance of international cool so this is what I cam up with:
Neylan pronounced nAy(like hay but with an N)- lon, Turkish meaning Fulfilled wish. I Know a women in her 50’s named Neylan she ALWAYS gets compliments on her name.
[name]Rivka[/name]-pronounced RIHV-ka, hebrew form of [name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Shalom[/name], [name]Thisbe[/name], [name]Isolde[/name], [name]Anais[/name] and [name]Paloma[/name] would also work. [name]Hope[/name] that helps.
You have gotten a lot of great advice already but I just thought I’d mention that you might like [name]Fifer[/name]. It’s similar to [name]Piper[/name], spunky but not as popular.
FWIW I also gave my child a sanskrit name, but we’ve decided not to use another indian name as we are not [name]Indian[/name] and I would feel wierd about it. So I don’t think your childrens names NEED to be the same style.
I love the name [name]Olive[/name] and think it is definitely distinct from [name]Olivia[/name]. I also like [name]Clover[/name].
Thanks so much for the feedback so far! I love the idea of international/hip names, that totally sums up our style. I do see how our list is kind of old/vintage with [name]Bodhi[/name], I guess that’s why none of them have really felt right. I don’t think we’ll go with another Sanskrit name unless it really fits. So far I love the suggestions of [name]Kismet[/name], [name]Lourdes[/name], [name]True[/name], and [name]Rivka[/name]. I love [name]Imogen[/name] as well but I fear that it’s about to take off in my area!
Our last name is very similar to [name]Larson[/name].
Two names that have been floating around my head are [name]Bliss[/name] and [name]Harmony[/name]. I’m not sure about the “y” ending in [name]Harmony[/name] with [name]Bodhi[/name], and I like [name]Bliss[/name] but it might be a bit too word name-y for me. This afternoon DH and I will discuss and get back to you all. Until then any further suggestions are still welcome!
[name]Hi[/name] there! Wow, [name]Bodhi[/name] is an awesome name. I agree that with [name]Bodhi[/name] another international or spiritual name would work. It seems that you chose [name]Bodhi[/name] partially for it’s meaning so another name with a similar meaningfulness will fit the best. I love the suggestion of [name]Kismet[/name] (and the nn of [name]Kizzy[/name])- so sweet! The modern version of destiny- it totally works! Here are some other suggestions:
[name]Akiva[/name] - traditionally a boys name, but used in [name]Israel[/name] for girls. It means to protect.
[name]Alma[/name] - not really international (though it does get more use in international countries). I love this name. It has an exotic flair and is easy to recognize and say, like [name]Bodhi[/name].
[name]Sonia[/name]/[name]Sonja[/name] - another easy to say but exotic sounding name meaning wisdom. More modern than [name]Sofia[/name], which has the same meaning.
[name]Juno[/name] - latin for queen of the heavens. Definitely has the hipster vibe.
[name]Bliss[/name] - I like this suggestion that you made. I know a woman named [name]Bliss[/name]. She loves her name. [name]Bliss[/name] and [name]Bodhi[/name] are cute together if you don’t mind the two b names.
[name]Luna[/name] - spanish and italian for moon. It’s become a celebrity favorite but I think it goes with [name]Bodhi[/name].
[name]Zara[/name] - cooler than [name]Sarah[/name], but maybe still a bit tame. It means brightness or dawn in Hebrew/Arabic.
[name]Cosima[/name] - greek, means universe. [name]Cosma[/name]/[name]Kosma[/name] is also an option and is a bit easier to pronounce.
[name]Delphine[/name] - not really a meaning name, but definitely sounds cool.
That’s all I’ve got for now! [name]Hope[/name] that helps.
I like [name]Piper[/name] and [name]Patience[/name]. Too bad [name]Piper[/name] is so popular it sounds great with [name]Bodhi[/name].
more ideas-
[name]Meadow[/name]
[name]Elka[/name]
Kitra
[name]Neve[/name]
[name]Rhiannon[/name]
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Keturah[/name]
[name]Pepper[/name]
[name]Alina[/name]
[name]Silva[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name]
[name]Sydel[/name]- sy-dle
[name]Shalom[/name]
[name]Petra[/name]
[name]Daphne[/name]
[name]Summer[/name]
[name]Danica[/name]
[name]Djuna[/name]
[name]Sunday[/name] - [name]Sunny[/name]
[name]Adina[/name]
[name]Freya[/name]
[name]Bodhi[/name] [name]Fletcher[/name] is a great name! Good choice!
If you like the name [name]Piper[/name], but are put off by the “popularity” you might like the name [name]Palmer[/name]! I think [name]Palmer[/name] goes really well with [name]Bodhi[/name]!
Some other names you might like :
[name]Summer[/name]/[name]Sommer[/name]/[name]Sumner[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name] this
[name]Sunday[/name]
[name]Brynn[/name]/[name]Bryn[/name]
[name]Ever[/name]
[name]Rhea[/name] (pn. [name]Ray[/name]-ah - v. pretty with [name]Bodhi[/name])
[name]Drea[/name]/Dries (sounds like Tree but with a “D”)
Welles
[name]River[/name] (may be slightly masculine but i like it on a girl!)
Let me know if you like anything! [name]Hope[/name] this helps!
You must be my name soulmate because [name]Clover[/name] and [name]Olive[/name] are in my top five girl names! I adore [name]Piper[/name], once a pick of my own, but its become way to popular for my taste.
[name]Bodhi[/name] and [name]Olive[/name] sound great, but [name]Ivy[/name] is also a winner.
To be honest, I am not a fan of [name]Olive[/name], but love [name]Olivia[/name]! Altho its way too common these days. Here are some suggestions that may interest you.
[name]Lakshmi[/name] - a lucky omen
[name]Jamila[/name] - beautiful
[name]Rajani[/name] - dark, of the night
[name]Taj[/name] - crown
[name]Shakti[/name] - power
[name]Rohana[/name] - sandalwood
[name]Deva[/name] - divine, shining one
[name]Neeja[/name] - lily
[name]Savita[/name] - sun
[name]Tarana[/name] - born during the day
[name]Noor[/name]- light
[name]Varsha[/name] - rain
[name]Varana[/name] - river
[name]Priya[/name] - beloved
Your List:
[name]Lyric[/name] - I’m not crazy about it
[name]Olive[/name] - not crazy about it
[name]Piper[/name] - seems trendy
[name]Patience[/name] - I think its one of those names where you will have to explain it over and over and over to people… your child would need patience
[name]Isadora[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name] this name
[name]Ivy[/name] - not crazy about it
[name]Clover[/name] - not crazy about it
[name]Briar[/name] - I like it, altho meaning is thorny patch.
[name]Bodhi[/name] is a great name! I’m not crazy about [name]Patience[/name] because it seems a bit old fashioned next to super cool [name]Bodhi[/name] Also I keep thinking of Patients, like a Doctors! I like another poster’s suggestion of [name]Priya[/name], it’s beautiful. For some reason, I can imagine [name]Bodhi[/name] with a little sister named [name]Quinn[/name] as well! [name]Quinn[/name] is one of m absolute favorites
I love the name [name]Bodhi[/name], what a great choice!
None of the names on your list are really jumping out and grabbing me, and it seems to be the same for you. I think the perfect name is still out there.
I like the idea of using a naturey or word name for [name]Bodhi[/name]'s sister. I dont mind the idea of using another sanskrit name, unless you are planning on having a third. Two would be fine, three would be a theme.
[name]Juno[/name]
[name]Alba[/name]
[name]Dahlia[/name]
[name]Aurelia[/name]- means golden
[name]Zara[/name]- a little safe but beautiful
neve/neva
I agree [name]Imogen[/name] will take off starting in NYC then [name]CA[/name]. I feel like top names in UK such as [name]Imogen[/name], [name]Freya[/name], [name]Gemma[/name] and [name]Jemima[/name] will soon be big in NYC.
Wow! Thanks so much for all the great comments. I truly love this site, everyone is so helpful. So many of the names you all have mentioned we’ve also discussed but they haven’t stuck yet. We’re on the right track. I talked over some of the names (mostly from earlier comments) with my husband and these are the ones we really think could be possibilities
[name]Kismet[/name] - the more I think about this name, the more I love it. I love the meaning, love that it’s international and think [name]Kizzy[/name] is really adorable. We call [name]Bodhi[/name] “[name]Bo[/name]” sometimes so [name]Bo[/name] and [name]Kizzy[/name] would be quite cute, we think. Definite possibility.
[name]Isadora[/name]/[name]Isolde[/name] - keeping this on the list and adding [name]Isolde[/name]. I don’t like the nn of [name]Izzy[/name] but I think it could be avoided. It does have that international vibe that we like. Isn’t a perfect match with [name]Bodhi[/name] but I could live with that.
[name]Harmony[/name] - a name I forgot to mention before. Not huge on the “y” ending but I love the name and the meaning (obviously!). It’s in the 300s though, which is a bit too popular for my liking.
[name]Sonia[/name] - I do love the suggestion of this name. [name]Just[/name] exotic enough and easy to pronounce/recognize. Plus we [name]LOVE[/name] that it means wisdom. I’ve always liked [name]Sophia[/name] for that reason, but it’s way too popular.
[name]Juno[/name] - like the greek mythological connection. DH really likes this one. He’s also a big fan of [name]Juno[/name] the film though, lol.
[name]Jamila[/name] - really like this suggestion. Very different yet seems familiar. Also love that it means graceful in Arabic.
Thanks again! Let me know what you think of these names, if they work with [name]Bodhi[/name]. We also really liked the suggestions of [name]Luna[/name] and [name]Summer[/name]. [name]Summer[/name] is too popular but I do love it and [name]Luna[/name] doesn’t sound great with our last name (not a big fan of L names with our last name in general).
I do have a question though. It’s about [name]Kismet[/name] - the nn would be [name]Kizzy[/name]? I guess I’m intrigued as to why you love the nn [name]Kizzy[/name], but not [name]Izzy[/name]? I actually like the nn Iz/[name]Izzy[/name]. I think it’s really cute.
btw, I’m not crazy about [name]Kismet[/name]. Also about [name]Jamila[/name], another spin off of the name, while not on this site, is Yamila, which I think is very lovely too.
[name]Zelia[/name] might be another name of interest, but you have to have lots of zeal for it!
I do have a question though. It’s about [name]Kismet[/name] - the nn would be [name]Kizzy[/name]? I guess I’m intrigued as to why you love the nn [name]Kizzy[/name], but not [name]Izzy[/name]? I actually like the nn Iz/[name]Izzy[/name]. I think it’s really cute.
btw, I’m not crazy about [name]Kismet[/name]. Also about [name]Jamila[/name], another spin off of the name, while not on this site, is Yamila, which I think is very lovely too.
[name]Zelia[/name] might be another name of interest, but you have to have lots of zeal for it! :p[/quote]
Not a big fan of [name]Izzy[/name] because [name]Isabel[/name]/[name]Isabella[/name] is insanely popular in my area. [name]Bodhi[/name] knows at least four his age and I have two friends who recently gave the names to their baby girls. Also, though I think [name]Kizzy[/name] is really cute it’d be more of an affectionate nn used at home rather than an official one.
I’m really glad you like [name]Kismet[/name]! I absolutely think it pairs wonderfully with [name]Bodhi[/name], and I think that [name]Bo[/name] and [name]Kizzy[/name] are simply perfect nicknames. [name]Kizzy[/name] is one of those nicknames that feels fun and playful, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be embarrassed to use it in public, you know? I think [name]Kizzy[/name] was traditionally used as a nickname for [name]Keziah[/name], which means “cassia tree,” but I love it with [name]Kismet[/name]! However, I do think that [name]Cassia[/name] would pair very well with [name]Bodhi[/name], too, and I adore the “cinnamon” meaning! [name]Cassie[/name] and [name]Bo[/name]? Yeah, I could see that…
I also liked [name]Juno[/name] from your list, but the movie connection - not to mention the whole [name]Juno[/name]/[name]Hera[/name] mythology connection - is pretty strong! But, again, [name]Junie[/name] is such a sweet nickname (like [name]Junie[/name] B. [name]Jones[/name]!), so maybe [name]Juniper[/name] could be an option for you! [name]Bodhi[/name] and [name]Juniper[/name] is a very nice sibling set, I think…
The ones I’m not in love with are [name]Harmony[/name] - this doesn’t seem very name-like to me (yet I love [name]Kismet[/name]!) and I don’t love that it ends the same way as [name]Bodhi[/name]'s name - and [name]Isolde[/name] - a name I love, but not with [name]Bodhi[/name].
Have you thought about a middle name for this baby girl? Are you planning on using another family name or family surname like [name]Fletcher[/name]? That would be a cool idea! However, especially with [name]Kismet[/name] - less so with something like [name]Cassia[/name], I think - you might want to hunt down a cool classic from your family tree, just to balance the name. Something like [name]Kismet[/name] [name]Irene[/name], [name]Kismet[/name] [name]Frances[/name], or even [name]Kismet[/name] [name]Julia[/name] would be nice, but, then again, so would [name]Kismet[/name] [name]Isolde[/name]!
I actually like the nn Iz/[name]Izzy[/name]. I think it’s really cute.