[name]Penelope[/name] is new on the list, I absolutely [name]Luv[/name] it! DH likes it and is ok with putting it on the list. DH loves [name]Alivia[/name]. My 3 yr old is begging to name her [name]Sophia[/name] and tells everyone that is her name. When I tell her that her name may be [name]Penelope[/name] she crosses her arms, pokes her lips and says, NO! Hubby says today he thinks that it would be nice to tell the baby that her oldest sister named her.
I like [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Alivia[/name]…but very common now these days and I am afraid I will regret not naming her the name that I love!
What should I do? [name]Will[/name] it be a problem if my 3 yr old calls her [name]Sophia[/name] and her name is [name]Penelope[/name]? Her MN has to be after great grandma…[name]Helen[/name] or jus [name]Lynn[/name]. My other 2 girls have 1 MN can I give her 2?
Help nameberries!!!
I don’t like [name]Alivia[/name]- I think it really cheapens [name]Olivia[/name] and the original spelling is far superior. Plus I think it’s just asking for trouble with spelling. [name]Olivia[/name] is a very simple name to spell, and changing it to [name]Alivia[/name] just makes it so prone to misspelling. It may not seem like a big deal to have to correct people, but having a frequently misspelled name, I know it can be a nightmare when it’s accidentally misspelled on bureaucratic paperwork and the like. So I’d cross that off the list unless you’re willing to change it to [name]Olivia[/name].
Personally, my favorite of the lot is [name]Sophia[/name], but I think what you really need to do is decide what name is your favorite. If someone said you had to use [name]Sophia[/name], how would you feel about not being able to use the other two names? [name]Do[/name] this with each name- you might find that you actually do have a clear favorite.
Another option is to just wait until she’s born. Maybe when you meet her, you’ll just know that her name is ________. I know several people who’ve done this and it worked out well for them, but make sure you’re decisive enough to be able to make a decision based on that!
[name]Hi[/name] there–
It sounds like your heart is definitely with [name]Penelope[/name]! While it’s sweet that you want to honor your daughter’s preference, 3-year-olds are notoriously stubborn as well as fickle, and I don’t think you should choose a name you love less to please her. In the end, she will have complex feelings about the baby regardless of what you name her, and you can probably make her a part of the process and give her some control without ceding full control over the baby’s name. (I have a [name]Sophia[/name] myself, and it’s a name I love, so I endorse it on that level. I won’t mention the P word because you already know.) I don’t really have an answer about two middle names, but [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] or even [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] ___ sounds pretty. (My [name]Sophia[/name] has a 4-syllable middle, so I’m not put off by long names.)
As for [name]Alivia[/name], I do, like [name]Daisy[/name], much prefer [name]Olivia[/name], which is gorgeous–and judging solely by [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Penelope[/name], I’d guess that you leaned toward more traditional, traditionally spelled names too, but maybe you have a reason for liking the “A” spelling? That doesn’t really help with your [name]Penelope[/name] preference, though–I wonder if there’s a way each of you (you, your daughter, and your husband) can have a bit of what you love best in the name (without creating the most unwieldy name in the world)? I don’t know . . .
It might help to know your daughters’ names (and some sense of your surname), if you don’t sharing them.
I like [name]Penelope[/name] the most, then [name]Sophia[/name], then [name]Alivia[/name].
[name]Penelope[/name] by far the most- it’s spunky yet elegant, and not common. Plus it has a TON of cute nicknames- [name]Penny[/name], [name]Poppy[/name], [name]Nell[/name]/[name]Nellie[/name], [name]Lola[/name], [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Pippa[/name].
Then [name]Sophia[/name], because it’s a gorgeous name. It’s just extraordinarily popular, she’d be one of many.
[name]Alivia[/name], like pp said, is a cheapens the superior [name]Olivia[/name]. [name]Olivia[/name] is a beautiful, sophisticated name, but has the identical problem to [name]Sophia[/name]- just very popular nowadays.
You wouldn’t believe how many [name]Sophia[/name]'s, [name]Olivia[/name]'s, [name]Sophie[/name]'s, [name]Livvy[/name]'s, and [name]Liv[/name]'s I know.
I’d go with [name]Penelope[/name].
[name]Olivia[/name] is lovely - [name]Alivia[/name] just looks like a knock-off, plus, I kind of pronounce the O, so [name]Alivia[/name] has a slightly different sound.
I love [name]Sophia[/name], but prefer the softer looking spelling of [name]Sofia[/name] - but the popularity is definitely off putting.
As for the three year old, maybe humor her by giving it as a middle name? I don’t think its a big deal if one girl has two middles and one only has one - especially since the first child choose the other middle for the second one - it’s kind of sweet, but you won’t have name regret for not using [name]Penelope[/name].
[name]Penelope[/name] happens to be my favorite off your list. It’s uncommon, which is a plus, it’s also sweet and charming, but at the same time sophisticated.
My suggestion -
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] [name]Helen[/name] or [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Helen[/name] [name]Sophia[/name]. [name]Both[/name] are really beautiful names.
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] seems the answer to me. I am yet another vote against [name]Alivia[/name] unless you tweak to [name]Olivia[/name]. I am yet another vote that popularity is your only problem – [name]Olivia[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name] are great great names that deserve their wide usage. [name]Penelope[/name] has the advantage of many darling nns and being just a bit more unusual.
As for your daughter. She is 3. A charming, whimsical and sometimes stubborn age. But she won’t be 3 for long. By the time she is 4 she might not remember she ever loved the name [name]Sophia[/name]. I had a niece [name]Jennifer[/name]. Her older cousins insisted on calling her [name]Jessica[/name] because they were in love with that name. Then. Not one of them went on to name her own child [name]Jessica[/name]. The fad passed, the way fads do. I think it would be a mistake to let your daughter name her sister unless you are a 100% on board with that name. By this time next month, [name]Sophia[/name] might be a forgotten relic of an ancient era for her.
I guess it’s impossible to avoid a name that means something somewhere but please note that [name]Alivia[/name] means “relieve” in Spanish, as in Advil - alivia hasta el peor dolor de cabeza (Advil - relieves even the worst headache). [name]Olivia[/name] is such a beautiful name - my advice is to stick with the classic spelling.
P.S. I don’t know if you are in the market for more suggestions, but the blog today on updates of classic girls’ names rocks. I love that post.
Thank you so much Nameberries, your posts have helped sooo much!!
DH likes the pronunciation of the name with an “A” but we could certainly go for the “O.” After reading the posts and thinking about [name]Alivia[/name], it very well cheapens the name and takes away from its classiness. We will certainly have to do [name]Olivia[/name], if that name is chosen
Great advice about possibly choosing [name]Sophia[/name] bc of my 3 year old, lol! Honestly, I was concerned…not so much now! When I meet the baby…she could look like a [name]Sophia[/name]!
I am still very well in love with the name [name]Penelope[/name]!!! When I tell others about the name I get a shocking look and “well that’s different.” I think I’m going to have to keep the name to myself
@hilary…my girls names are: Naiomi and [name]Isabella[/name]. We love traditional names but with our [name]Isabella[/name] already being number 1 on the list for 2 years I really don’t want to use another common name. When we are at birthday parties, parks, museums…there is always another [name]Isabella[/name]!!! It doesn’t really bother DH about the popularity in the name as it does for me. After he read an article saying that common named babies is good thing because they will likely be more sociable/liked in school. Also, when doing business if someone has the same name as you or knows somebody with the same name they will take to you well, moreover a less common name.
@bonnie1107…absolutely loved the suggested website! I’m pondering on [name]Ottilie[/name]!
Which is better:
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Lynn[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sofia[/name] (looks better with f…to lessen the P’s)
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Helen[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sofia[/name] [name]Lynn[/name]
[name]Ottilie[/name] or [name]Olivia[/name]??
Again, thanks Nameberries!
I love [name]Ottilie[/name] much more than [name]Olivia[/name] (though I think [name]Olivia[/name] is a beautiful name, it’s number one in my country right now and I do tend to shun the top ten at least). The only problem with [name]Ottilie[/name] is pronunciation, but then I’ve had to correct people all my life. You get used to it, and I don’t think it’s such a big deal, especially since the spelling wouldn’t be such an issue (ie. people would ask either way).
I love [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Sofia[/name] best off your list. [name]Sofia[/name] isn’t so common as a mn, and it will have the sweet connection with the older sister without it being such a huge mistake to let a 3 year old name a baby. I’m not so keen on [name]Lynn[/name] since it was a sort of default mn for my generation. [name]Helen[/name] is nice but together with [name]Penelope[/name] has a very heavy greek mythology connotation – which may or may not be to your taste. 