So the name game begins! First draft of the list! (not to include our dog's name!)

General Name Discussion
1

I was going to hold off on posting until I was actually pregnant, but I’m too excited and am anal-retentive, so here I am formulating my list!

I feel we gear more towards elegant, traditional names rather than funky and unique. HOWEVER. There were 6 other girls with my first name in my kindergarden class and I’ve gone by my never higher than 300 middle name since then. Slightly torn because there are some more popular names I like, though.

Would love to hear suggestions, pros and cons, etc about my below list. I do [name]LOVE[/name] cutsie nicknames for girls, but haven’t really found a ton of nicknames I love for boys. So any nn suggestions for the below or other good names with good nn’s would be fabulous!

My husband loves our dog’s name, [name]Elsa[/name] and is insistent that wouldn’t be weird at all to name a girl that. Yes, that was vetoed immediately!!!

Girls
[name]Evelyn[/name] (nn [name]Evie[/name]?)
[name]Charlotte[/name] (nn [name]Lottie[/name] or [name]Lola[/name]?)
[name]Madelyn[/name] ([name]Maddie[/name] is the obvious nn, but I don’t really care for it)
[name]Violet[/name]
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name]
[name]Vivienne[/name] (nn [name]Vivi[/name]??)
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]

Boys
[name]Grant[/name]
[name]Harrison[/name]
[name]Reid[/name]
[name]Pierce[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fritz[/name]…it’s an old [name]German[/name] nn for this and was my grandfather’s name)
[name]Piers[/name] (this is the name of a friend’s significant other…something about it is just really nice for some reason)

2

Girls
[name]Evelyn[/name] (nn [name]Evie[/name]?) - I love this name and the NN [name]Evie[/name], but I fear that it may be too popular. If that doesn’t bother you, I say go for it! It’s feminine, but not frilly, and will be easy to grow into.

[name]Charlotte[/name] (nn [name]Lottie[/name] or [name]Lola[/name]?) - [name]Love[/name] this and both NN’s, but, once again, fear that it is too popular. I’d totally encourage the use of this name otherwise. I feel like it’s feminine and frilly, but totally adorable and very versatile. a tomboyish [name]Charlotte[/name] could go by [name]Charlie[/name], if she so chooses!

[name]Madelyn[/name] ([name]Maddie[/name] is the obvious nn, but I don’t really care for it) - Once again, popular. I actually am not a fan of this, but that’s just me. I think that spelling might be an issue-I know a [name]Madeleine[/name], a [name]Madelyn[/name], and a [name]Madelyn[/name]! And if you don’t really care for the obvious NN, I discourage it. Some people will automatically assume that she’s a [name]Maddie[/name].

[name]Violet[/name] - Pretty and feminine, but popular. I like this, but am not crazy about it.

[name]Elise[/name] - I absolutely adore this! It’s cute and girly, but also sophisticated.

[name]Genevieve[/name] - I’ve loved this name ever since I met a [name]Genevieve[/name]. I think that this is also a nice way to get the NN [name]Evie[/name] without using [name]Evelyn[/name]. It’s lacy and cute, but might also pose a slight spelling problem. I love it all the same, and totally think it’s usable!

[name]Eliza[/name] - I’m just not a big fan of this one. [name]Just[/name] kinda NMS. I vastly prefer [name]Elise[/name].

[name]Miriam[/name] - Something about this name puts me off, although I can’t quite place what. Have you considered [name]Merielle[/name] or [name]Mireille[/name]?

[name]Vivienne[/name] (nn [name]Vivi[/name]??) - I like this one a lot! [name]Viv[/name] would be my NN of choice, although I admit that [name]Vivi[/name] is very cute. I think that this works for a little girl, a teenager, and an adult.

[name]Rowan[/name] - This one seems a little masculine to me, although I know that it is a fairly androgynous name. It’s cute though, and I like the NN possibility of [name]Ro[/name][w]. It just seems very sleek to me.

[name]Maeve[/name] - Not quite my style, but I do like the NN possibility of [name]Mae[/name]. Very cute. :slight_smile:

Boys

[name]Grant[/name] - I like this one, and also [name]Graham[/name]. Very grown-up. :slight_smile:

[name]Harrison[/name] - I love the NN [name]Harry[/name]! My favourite -son name by far, although they are not usually my style.

[name]Reid[/name] - Very sophisticated, and easy to grow into. I would love to meet a litle [name]Reid[/name]!

[name]Pierce[/name] - Nice, but I prefer [name]Piers[/name].

[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fritz[/name]…it’s an old [name]German[/name] nn for this and was my grandfather’s name) - This is my favourite name off of your boys list! The NN [name]Fritz[/name] is SO cute, and I love the family connection. BIG thumbs up for this one.

[name]Piers[/name] (this is the name of a friend’s significant other…something about it is just really nice for some reason) - I like this. It’s unexpected and unique. Spelling would be the only downside to me (I am a total over-analyzer when it comes to that stuff.), but I would use it in a heartbeat.

My top four from your lists are: [name]Frederick[/name] and [name]Piers[/name], [name]Genevieve[/name] and [name]Vivienne[/name]. And [name]Elise[/name]. :stuck_out_tongue:
Good luck! :slight_smile:

3

Yes, [name]Rowan[/name] is the one “boyish” name that I like. It’s strange because I think that it varies so much from my other ones. I hate that some of the names I’ve liked since HIGH SCHOOL are so popular now! I’ve loved [name]Evelyn[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] for about 15 years, but they are everywhere now it seems! My husband is the one that like [name]Madelyn[/name] and [name]Miriam[/name] so much. I’m meh about them, but don’t have anything against them per say.

And my tastes seems to change all the time, so I could grow to obsess over them.

4

We seem to have a a similar style for boy’s names as I love the names on your list. :slight_smile: Here are some others you may like:
[name]Gable[/name]
[name]Carson[/name]
[name]Shale[/name]

5

Oh, and I forgot to respond to this. I know a [name]Mireille[/name] I don’t necessarily care for…so it’s a no! lol. Hate those negative name associations!! :stuck_out_tongue:

6

I too think that even if you were to bend your No Top 300 rule, you’d still probably want to stay away from the top 50. [name]Evelyn[/name] is ranked at #24, [name]Charlotte[/name] is at #27, and while this spelling of [name]Madelyn[/name] is down at #79, if you combine all the [name]Madeline[/name]/[name]Madeleine[/name]/[name]Madelaine[/name]/[name]Madelyn[/name]/[name]Madalyn[/name]/[name]Madilyn[/name]/[name]Madalyne[/name], etc. out there, then you’ll find that [name]Madelyn[/name] ranks in the Top 10. I also think this spelling lacks the poise of all your other more vintage, traditionally spelled choices. If you are worried about popularity, then I think you might want to reconsider those. [name]Violet[/name] is gaining a lot of traction, but it has only just reached #101 (as a means of comparison).

So of the girls names left, here are some more thoughts:
[name]Violet[/name] - again, gaining a lot of ground, but still so sweet and lovely. [name]Lettie[/name] and [name]Vi[/name] are the only two nn that come to mind.
[name]Elise[/name] - [name]Ellie[/name] and Lissy. Sweet, elegant, timeless.
[name]Genevieve[/name] - TONS of nn potential: [name]Genny[/name], [name]Viv[/name], [name]Evie[/name] (so you still get it w/o [name]Evelyn[/name]'s popularity). [name]Love[/name] this name.
[name]Eliza[/name] - Sassier and spunkier than cousin [name]Elise[/name]. I prefer [name]Eliza[/name].
[name]Miriam[/name] - [name]Miri[/name] or [name]Mimi[/name]; one of your most unusual choices; I like it
[name]Vivienne[/name] (nn [name]Vivi[/name]??) - [name]Viv[/name] or [name]Vivi[/name] would be the way to go; graceful and romantic
[name]Rowan[/name] - [name]Annie[/name]; much more unisex than the rest of your names; I’d probably go with something more in line with the rest of your style, but if it hits you, why not?
[name]Maeve[/name] - [name]Mae[/name], maybe [name]Avie[/name]? [name]Love[/name] this name.

So basically I like them all and would recommend any of these over [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Madelyn[/name], or [name]Evelyn[/name]. Other suggestions: [name]Annora[/name] (nn [name]Annie[/name], [name]Nora[/name], even [name]Rory[/name]), [name]Viola[/name] (like [name]Violet[/name], but less popular), [name]Helena[/name] ([name]Ellie[/name], [name]Lena[/name], [name]Lennie[/name], [name]Nell[/name]), [name]Frances[/name] ([name]Frannie[/name], [name]Annie[/name], [name]Fritzie[/name] (in case it’s a girl and you still want to honor [name]Fritz[/name])), or [name]Beatrix[/name] ([name]Bee[/name], Honeybee, [name]Bea[/name], [name]Trixie[/name], [name]Bix[/name] or Bixie, something with pixies).

Hands down, my favorite of your boys choices is [name]Frederick[/name] nn [name]Fritz[/name]. [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name]. I like [name]Pierce[/name]/[name]Piers[/name] spelled either way; I think people will catch on with the [name]Piers[/name] spelling, which is good since I like it more (pierce seems like a rather violent word name). [name]Grant[/name] and [name]Reid[/name] win big points with me, too. [name]Harrison[/name] is the only one I find a little less striking; it seems a little trendier/more common, but it was also the only other boys name that lent itself to many nicknames ([name]Harry[/name], [name]Sonny[/name], Riz?). If you don’t go with [name]Frederick[/name] and want more nicknames, what about [name]Everett[/name] ([name]Ever[/name], [name]Rhett[/name]) or [name]Barrett[/name] ([name]Bear[/name], [name]Rhett[/name]), [name]Desmond[/name] ([name]Des[/name], Dizzy), [name]Hamilton[/name] (Hammie, [name]Mills[/name], [name]Milo[/name], [name]Tony[/name]), [name]Lincoln[/name] ([name]Linc[/name], [name]Cole[/name]), or [name]Dominic[/name] ([name]Dom[/name], [name]Nick[/name], Minnow for when he’s little)?

7

I love your name choices. I agree that [name]Charlotte[/name] (while beautiful) is very popular these days. So is [name]Madelyn[/name]. If you want to avoid a bunch of them in a preschool, you might consider other names. [name]Evelyn[/name] ([name]Evie[/name]) is pretty. [name]Genevieve[/name] is sweet, but it may be hard for the average person to spell. [name]Violet[/name] ([name]Vivi[/name]) is adorable. It’s great at any age. [name]Elise[/name] is also pretty. It sounds like a young name, though. (Not sure I see a grandma [name]Elise[/name]!) [name]Miriam[/name] is beautiful. So is [name]Maeve[/name]. [name]Rowan[/name] is a strong name, but it strikes me as more masculine. Among your girl names, [name]Eliza[/name] is my favorite. It’s classic, yet modern. Sophisticated, yet fun. It’s not too popular yet. And it offers all kinds of lovely nicknames: [name]Elle[/name], [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Ella[/name], [name]Liza[/name]. All of your choices are just beautiful, though.

Your boy names are also great. Good luck!

8

Ha, interesting how different people take names. To me, [name]Elise[/name] is a very old [name]German[/name] sounding name since I automatically think of “Fuer [name]Elise[/name].”

As an aside, my husband is from the former Yugoslavia. It would be interesting to get an ethnic name out of our baby name process, but all the names I like from the region he can’t stand (i.e. [name]Alma[/name] is an ex of his so he won’t even consider it). Although I like the idea of very strong Eastern European names for boys they are hard to pronounce and very harsh sounding (i.e. Branko, Zlatko…not so hard to pronounce, but very world-specific).

For a boy, we would probably go with “Alen” for a boy. It is a common name in Bosnia and “[name]Alan[/name]” is my father’s name.

9

Girls
[name]Evelyn[/name] (nn [name]Evie[/name]?) - I think this is a really cute name, you could have nn [name]Eva[/name]/[name]Eve[/name], I have a friend called [name]Evie[/name] who uses the nn E, I feel that [name]Evelyn[/name] is getting really popular along with its nn possibilities but aside from that it is a lovely name
[name]Charlotte[/name] (nn [name]Lottie[/name] or [name]Lola[/name]?) - Again, [name]Charlotte[/name] is getting really popular, I’ve never liked it that much, I much prefer [name]Lola[/name] as a stand alone name
[name]Madelyn[/name] ([name]Maddie[/name] is the obvious nn, but I don’t really care for it) - Again, a lovely name, but with all its variations, really popular
[name]Violet[/name] - [name]One[/name] of my all time favourites, I would use the nn [name]Vivi[/name] or even just V, I feel that [name]Violet[/name] is a name that you can see on a girl of any age and will really grow well, for me its a family name as well (I will almost definitely be using this!)
[name]Elise[/name] - I always think of the Blink 182 song ‘Letter to [name]Elise[/name]’ when I see this name. It’s definitely adorable and you could use tons of nicknames: [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Elle[/name], Lis, Lissy. And I can see [name]Elise[/name] as a name that will grow. It reminds me of [name]Elise[/name] from American Pie though.
[name]Genevieve[/name] - A simply beautiful name, and a much less popular way of using the nn [name]Evie[/name], or any of the other countless nn possibilities
[name]Eliza[/name] - I prefer [name]Elise[/name], I feel that [name]Eliza[/name] is much harsher and while I like it, I can’t picture a young [name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name] - I really like [name]Miriam[/name], I would use the nn [name]Mim[/name] personally but there is also [name]Mimi[/name], [name]Miri[/name] & Rhee, I think it is a much less popular choice with out being too out there
[name]Vivienne[/name] (nn [name]Vivi[/name]??) - Again, another name I never really saw the appeal of, I much prefer using [name]Violet[/name] to get the nn [name]Vivi[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name] - Although I am incredibly biased ([name]Rowan[/name] is my name) I genuinely think [name]Rowan[/name] is a great name, I have always loved having it as mine, and people have always complimented me on having such an unusual and beautiful name, I never really saw it as a masculine name and only recently when I became interested in names did I find it was unisex, having only encountered a handful of other Rowans, all of them female. I would really encourage you to use this name and hope any future Rowans love it as much as I do
[name]Maeve[/name] - My middle name is [name]May[/name], and I love [name]Maeve[/name], I think it is a really fresh way of getting the nn [name]May[/name] or [name]Avia[/name], [name]Ava[/name], [name]Eve[/name] or something like that

Boys
[name]Grant[/name] - I see this as a really solid name that works well with any age, maybe you could use the nn [name]Gray[/name]?
[name]Harrison[/name] - I prefer [name]Harry[/name] to [name]Harrison[/name], I’m not really a fan of names that end in ‘son’ and its a bit too popular for my liking
[name]Reid[/name] - This is my favourite of your boys names, I think it is adorable on a little boy and then a completely solid name for when he grows up. I completely [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Reid[/name]
[name]Pierce[/name]/[name]Piers[/name] - I prefer the [name]Piers[/name] spelling, I think this is a really nice name, I personally wouldn’t use it but I can completely understand why anybody would
[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fritz[/name]…it’s an old [name]German[/name] nn for this and was my grandfather’s name) - [name]Fritz[/name] is an adorable nn, and really unusual so even if there was numerous Fredericks in his class he wouldn’t be one of the Freddys, and I love the family connection, and this is a close second after [name]Reid[/name] out of your boys names.

My favourites of your favourites: [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Reid[/name] & [name]Frederick[/name]

10

Girls
[name]Evelyn[/name] (nn [name]Evie[/name]?) - Pretty but nothing special to me.
[name]Charlotte[/name] (nn [name]Lottie[/name] or [name]Lola[/name]?) - I love [name]Charlotte[/name]. I like the nickname [name]Lottie[/name]. [name]Lola[/name] sounds tasteless to me, to be honest.
[name]Madelyn[/name] ([name]Maddie[/name] is the obvious nn, but I don’t really care for it) - I don’t like this spelling. I highly prefer the original [name]Madeleine[/name]. [name]Madeleine[/name] is sweet and pretty.
[name]Violet[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it. Pretty and sophisticated.
[name]Elise[/name] - I love this name. It’s sweet and classy and concise.
[name]Genevieve[/name] - Lush and gorgeous.
[name]Eliza[/name] - I like it, but it has always struck me as rather self-adoring.
[name]Miriam[/name] - This is such a sweet, warm, underused name.
[name]Vivienne[/name] (nn [name]Vivi[/name]??) - Quite pretty. I like the nickname [name]Viv[/name].
[name]Rowan[/name] - I prefer [name]Rowan[/name] for boys, but it’s alright for a girl.
[name]Maeve[/name] - I love this name. It’s elegant and eloquent.

Favorites: [name]Maeve[/name], [name]Elise[/name], [name]Violet[/name].

Boys
[name]Grant[/name] - I love this name. Handsome and dignified and not overdone.
[name]Harrison[/name] - It’s alright. Kind of boring.
[name]Reid[/name] - I love this name, too. It seems so fun and clever.
[name]Pierce[/name] - It’s okay.
[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fritz[/name]…it’s an old [name]German[/name] nn for this and was my grandfather’s name) - Cool.
[name]Piers[/name] (this is the name of a friend’s significant other…something about it is just really nice for some reason) - This is a bit cooler than [name]Pierce[/name].

Favorites: [name]Reid[/name], [name]Grant[/name].

I hope that helps!

11

nicole, why do you see [name]Eliza[/name] as a “self adoring” name?