we are finalizing our 2nd daughter’s name and i am worried about the length of a couple choices vs the rest of our names:
husband: 4 letters, 1 syllable
me: 5 letters, 3 syllables
1st daughter: 5 letters, 3 syllables
2 of 2nd daughter top contenders are 9 letters, 2 syllables
what do you think? would a combo of letters 4-5-5-9 look/seem weird? is this something that people pay attention to when choosing? or am i over thinking? please offer your thoughts! thanks
[name]Way[/name] over thinking in my opinion… In 20+ years time she’ll be all grown up, moving out of home, university, job, getting married, making a life of her own… The very last thing I can see her doing is discussing with people how many letters and/or syllables are in the names of her immediate family members.
I really struggle to see why sibling names need to ‘match’… Based on how important it seems to so many people I wonder if we should add the same crazy theory to dating. “No I can’t go on a date with you” “Why?” “Your name is 12 letters long and has 4 syllables, mine is only 6 letters long and 2 syllables, we just don’t match”
[name]Just[/name] my opinion, but name your daughter what ever you like and if anyone says “That’s 4 more letters then any of the rest of you have” tell them to get a life!
It sounds like the fact that it is longer bothers you.
I doubt anyone else would even notice. But perhaps the reason it is bothering you is because you are not sure about the name?
emiliaj - you are right, with my first i loved the name but now with the 2nd i have a shortlist of names that i like but all have “issues” to me. sadly there isn’t a 2nd name that i love as much as the first. so just trying to figure out if the issues i have are no-nos in the world of naming or if i am just really over thinking.
I tend to pay more attention to syllables than letters. Probably because I think of how they sound together: [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] (examples picked at random) don’t actually have one sounding much shorter than the other.
So a two syllable name in your set doesn’t sound particularly odd to me no matter how many letters it has.
lol Dying at the responses to this…so true like if anyone ever notices the syllables and what nots in your family’s name then they deserve a cookie…because I mean REALLY?!?
I say go for it…what is the name you are kicking around, if I may ask
I can see your concern–I like that most of my favorites fall within the 6-9 character range for girls, and 5-7 character range for boys–but since the syllables are around the same, I don’t think it’s too bad. I think something like [name]Lydia[/name] and [name]Evangeline[/name] would be fine for sisters, for example, because when you say them out loud, they sound like they’re about even. I’m guessing one of your options is still [name]Charlotte[/name]? I think [name]Sofia[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] are fabulous together, and I would have never noticed the character difference!
Good luck!
anyone answering - did you consider number of syllables and letters when you named?
Overthinking!!
I didn’t give any thought to matching the number of letters or syllables of my kids’ names. I think you just need to focus on the name you love best or feel is right for your child irrespective of the length. (Of course, syllables are something to consider with regard to overall flow of a child’s name.) [name]One[/name] reason that length is not a big deal to me is: Some long names do not sound as substantial as short ones, so you just can’t judge a name by length, imo. I used to say that, if I had twin girls, I would name one [name]Susanna[/name] and the other [name]Eva[/name] to go with sister [name]Rebecca[/name]. To me, [name]Eva[/name] is every bit as substantial and rich-sounding as the longer names. When I get [name]Christmas[/name] cards from people who list their children’s names, I have never found myself comparing letters and syllables. I am more inclined to notice and compare the basic style of the names and whether or not I like the names. By trying to match the lengths, the name options become more and more restricted with each child so it isn’t very practical if you have several children. I think you should go with the name you like best.
Good luck to you in finding a name that stands out to you as the right one for your child!
@falph - I had some really good laughs from the scenarios you described in your post.