So many names so little time

suzypink · March 12, 2011, 9:44am

Hello, berries! Trying to figure out girls names. We’ve narrowed down the list to the following. Last name is Blackwood, and we already have a five and a half year old named [name]Benjamin[/name], nn [name]Benny[/name].

Below are the names we really like. Suggestions, opinions, and whatever esle are welcome.

[name]Eliza[/name] - which I like, but hubby’s kind of so-so on it.
[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Jaqueline[/name] - kind of hard for [name]Benny[/name] to say
[name]Angelique[/name] - see [name]Jaqueline[/name]
[name]Amara[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name] - not sure it flows well with my last name
[name]Marcella[/name] - nn [name]Marcy[/name]/[name]Marcie[/name]
[name]Maya[/name]

Some names we like but can’t use are as follows.

[name]Catalina[/name] - name of my arch-enemy’s infant
[name]Faith[/name] - what my husband’s coworker just named her baby (we’re good friends with his coworker)
[name]Priscilla[/name] - name of my neighbor’s infant
[name]Juniper[/name] - my sister in law just had her baby the other day (YAY!) and named her [name]Juniper[/name] [name]Grace[/name]
[name]Heather[/name] - name of the pediatrician’s baby, though the baby is yet to be born. We went to the pediatrician the other day since my son wasn’t well, and she announced that she’s going to name her baby [name]Heather[/name] [name]Marie[/name]. (she’s pregnant)
[name]Mary[/name] - name of my sister in law
[name]Celia[/name] - name of my best friend’s five-month old daughter
[name]Shelby[/name] - name of my husband’s bet friend’s daughter, even though she’s a year old and won’t be in class with my baby, we still can’t use the name

Thanks!

gigi22 · March 12, 2011, 11:25am

[name]Eliza[/name] - I like it, but I’m growing tired of all the “[name]El[/name]-” names. If your DH is only so-so on it, let it go
[name]Amelia[/name] - very nice
[name]Jaqueline[/name] - kind of rhymey with the last name
[name]Angelique[/name] - ok
[name]Amara[/name] – love it. I also like [name]Mara[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name] - eh
[name]Marcella[/name] - [name]Marcy[/name] is cute!
[name]Maya[/name] – love it!

My faves are [name]Amara[/name] and [name]Maya[/name].

OliviaSarah · March 12, 2011, 12:07pm

[name]Eliza[/name] - I love [name]Eliza[/name], but it seems a bit too bland.
[name]Amelia[/name] - [name]Amelia[/name] is one of my top names, which was also my great-great grandmother’s name. But I doubt I’d ever use it because it’s so popular.
[name]Jaqueline[/name] - It’s OK. Your son will most likely think of some wacky nickname to call her anyway, so I wouldn’t worry.
[name]Angelique[/name] - I prefer this one to [name]Jaqueline[/name]. It’s very cute!
[name]Amara[/name] - Sounds a bit tacky along with [name]Benjamin[/name], to be honest.
[name]Clarice[/name] - I don’t mind it. [name]Clarice[/name] Blackwood sounds fine to me though. I prefer just ‘[name]Clara[/name]’ or ‘[name]Clarissa[/name]’.
[name]Marcella[/name] - Not keen.
[name]Maya[/name] - [name]Maya[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name] is very cute!

You might also like:

[name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Freya[/name]
[name]Evangeline[/name]
[name]Annabel[/name]
[name]Florence[/name]
[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Isla[/name]
[name]Maisie[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]
[name]Esme[/name]

( :
[name]Estella[/name]

suzypink · March 12, 2011, 2:40pm

Thanks so much to clivehills, oliviasarah, and gigi22. My husband just told me that he’s starting to really not like the name [name]Eliza[/name]. “I just picture a really agitated, sullen person,” he said. I don’t agree, but we dropped [name]Eliza[/name].

I’m still trying to get my son to learn to say [name]Jaqueline[/name]. You’re right, he’ll make up some wacky nickname. Today I suggested, “Can you say [name]Jackie[/name], [name]Benny[/name]?” Which of course he could, being he’s almost 6. But since he’s working on rhyming in his kindergarten, he immediately replied, “Wacky [name]Jackie[/name].”

So then I started worrying about what if the baby’s a girl and everyone calls her wacky [name]Jackie[/name]? So I eventually decided against [name]Jaqueline[/name] and managed to dissuade my husband from using that name.

So now the list is as follows:

[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Angelique[/name]
[name]Amara[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name]
[name]Marcella[/name] - nn [name]Marcy[/name]/[name]Marcie[/name]
[name]Maya[/name]

oliviasarah, I really liked the suggestions of [name]Alice[/name], [name]Maisie[/name], and [name]Esme[/name]. I put those on the mn list, which currently is about a mile long. clivehills, I really liked [name]Talia[/name] and [name]Leila[/name], which are both now on the mn list, as well.

Thanks!

suzypink · March 12, 2011, 4:19pm

I just read my son, [name]Benny[/name], a story. The mean girl’s name in the story is [name]Angelique[/name].

Figures.

Now, my husband has been talking about the name and how it doesn’t quite fit with [name]Benjamin[/name]. [name]Every[/name] time he said, “[name]Angelique[/name],” I thought about the character from the little children’s book.

I know, it’s stupid, but we’ve decided to eliminate [name]Angelique[/name]. We’re so close to deciding a fn, and our due date is so far away! ([name]September[/name].) I’m excited and so proud of us, because when I was pregnant with [name]Benny[/name] almost 6 years ago, we waited until, like, the last possible moment to figure out a name. I was too busy stressing over buying a crib and how to properly change a diaper and stuff to think about names.

[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Amara[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name]
[name]Marcella[/name] - nn [name]Marcy[/name]/[name]Marcie[/name]
[name]Maya[/name]

Thanks for all opinions!

LAINY · March 12, 2011, 4:56pm

I love [name]Amelia[/name] with [name]Benjamin[/name] nn [name]Benny[/name]. [name]Amelia[/name] has great nn options too! [name]Amy[/name], [name]Lia[/name], [name]Mia[/name], even [name]Millie[/name]! The nicknames ending in the -ee sound might be too matchy with [name]Benny[/name], my favorite is [name]Mia[/name].

amandachristine · March 13, 2011, 8:58am

[name]Amelia[/name] is my top pick for you as well

aphroditeiris · March 13, 2011, 10:01am

[name]Eliza[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it, but as a pp said, I don’t think it fits with [name]Benny[/name].
[name]Amelia[/name] - Great choice!
[name]Jaqueline[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t really like it, makes me think of a really old woman, though [name]Jacky[/name] would be nice with [name]Benny[/name].
[name]Angelique[/name] - [name]Just[/name] don’t link this name
[name]Amara[/name] - See [name]Angelique[/name]
[name]Clarice[/name] - I sort of like it.
[name]Marcella[/name] - Nu-uh
[name]Maya[/name] - Like it

I’d go for [name]Amelia[/name]!

namegoddess · March 13, 2011, 10:41am

Right off the bat, [name]Amelia[/name] was my favorite of your choices – both as the name itself and with your last name. [name]Amelia[/name] Blackwood. Ahh, sigh… I really hope you choose this one, because it’s absolutely stunning. [name]Eliza[/name] I like, but I prefer the longer [name]Elizabeth[/name] as the full name, plus it strikes me as trendy – and I’d probably use [name]Betsey[/name], [name]Tilly[/name], [name]Elsa[/name], Libba, Zellie, etc. as a nn instead, myself. [name]Jacqueline[/name] and [name]Angelique[/name] I’m not super fond of. A name that pops into my head for [name]Jacqueline[/name], though, is [name]Theresa[/name] – don’t worry, I’ll explain. [name]Jacqueline[/name] and [name]Theresa[/name] are both well known but not heard too often, the both have the same sort of refined air, and they both have less-girly nn’s: [name]Jackie[/name] and [name]Tess[/name], respectively. As for [name]Angelique[/name], some alternatives are the equally-French [name]Cosette[/name] or the similar [name]Angelica[/name]. [name]Amara[/name] seems made up, [name]Clarice[/name] sells lipstick that dries out your lips in the back of a not-very-sanitary department store. (Though, suprisingly, I am an advocate for [name]Berenice[/name]. Not [name]Bernice[/name] – 3 syllable, beh-reh-nees.) [name]Marcella[/name] seems like a slimy person [name]IMO[/name], [name]Maya[/name] is fine, but nothing to write home about.

As for the names you love but can’t use:
[name]Catalina[/name] - that’s a shame! I’d give substitute names, but if you really dislike this child’s mother, it’s probably not a good idea to use similar sounding names.
[name]Faith[/name] - A lot of people like this, but it seems so bland to me. Names with that Puritan feel: [name]Hope[/name], [name]Honor/name, [name]Remember[/name], [name]Promise[/name], [name]Victory[/name], [name]Mercy[/name], [name]Glory[/name], [name]Patience[/name], [name]Temperance[/name], [name]Verity[/name].
[name]Priscilla[/name] - [name]Portia[/name], [name]Camilla[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Billy[/name], [name]Cybele[/name]/[name]Sybil/name.
[name]Juniper[/name] - [name]Dahlia[/name], [name]Virginia[/name], [name]Juliet[/name].
[name]Heather[/name] - [name]Bryony[/name]/[name]Briony[/name], [name]Camellia[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Hester[/name] nn [name]Hettie[/name], [name]Matilda[/name], [name]Willow[/name].
[name]Mary[/name] - [name]Miriam[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Magdalen/name, [name]Lydia[/name], [name]Sari[/name].
[name]Celia[/name] - [name]Cordelia[/name] (again), [name]Cecily[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name] nn [name]Delia[/name], [name]Octavia[/name].
[name]Shelby[/name] - [name]Selby[/name], [name]Shell[/name].

suzypink · March 14, 2011, 3:20pm

Thanks to all for the help! Over the past few days, my husband, mother, mother and law, and I have discussed names nonstop. My mother in law is especially picky. She says that [name]Marcella[/name] is too long and too fancy for us. My mother, being who is, can up with a bunch of suggestions. And my husband, who is also picky, disagreed with whatever my mother in law said.

Sigh. It’s been a long weekend.

We’ve decided to drop [name]Amara[/name], [name]Marcella[/name], and [name]Clarice[/name]. I’m agreeing with you guys, my favorites are [name]Amelia[/name] and [name]Maya[/name], so they’re the last ones!

I’m so excited, we’re so close to deciding the final name!

If I don’t get much feedback, I’ll make a new thread about this. My husband really LOVES the name [name]Maya[/name], which I love, too.

So now the choices of names are:

[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Maya[/name]

[name]Benny[/name] has no trouble saying these names and has been taking speech at his school so soon his slight lisp will be gone (hopefully.) These names have no S’s or R’s in them, the letters he struggles most with. He likes the names, too.

Thanks in advance!

(@namegoddess: wow, thank you sooo much! you put a lot of effort into that response!!! I love, [name]Amelia[/name], too. And yes, [name]Catalina[/name]'s mother and I have never gotten along since the senior prom…but that was years ago. Anyway, thanks for all your helpful suggestions! Our mn list is now 2 pages long, thanks to your awesome suggestions!)

suzypink · March 14, 2011, 3:20pm