My husband and I are expecting our third child (and first girl!) in early [name]October[/name]. We’re not getting anywhere in our name discussions, and I’ve been hugely impressed with everyone’s creativity and insight here, so I thought I’d throw out some possibilities.
Our sons have more old-fashioned names, and our last name is one syllable, starts with a “B,” and is a noun (so we have to be careful with noun first names). Oh, and I’m forced by family tradition to use the somewhat-bland middle name “[name]Marie[/name]” – she’ll be the fifth generation of women to hold it.
Here’s what we’re considering, though we’re far from having our hearts set on anything. [name]Feel[/name] free to critique or suggest other ideas.
[name]Zora[/name]: Have always loved this name and love author [name]Zora[/name] [name]Neale[/name] Hurston, but worry that it will sound too much like “Zoro.” Or do kids even know who that is anymore?
[name]Georgia[/name]: Sentimental story involving my husband and I at a [name]Ray[/name] [name]Charles[/name] concert brought about this choice. But is it too yuppie?
[name]Clover[/name]: So sweet, but a noun name…
[name]Clementine[/name]: [name]Love[/name] the name, don’t love the nicknames.
[name]Evelyn[/name]: Was the name of my beloved grandmother, who passed away two years ago. For some reason, though, she went by [name]Gert[/name].
I also liked [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Dinah[/name] and [name]Beatrix[/name], but my husband vetoed them.
[name]Marie[/name] is a lovely middle name, and I love family names.
Here’s what we’re considering, though we’re far from having our hearts set on anything. [name]Feel[/name] free to critique or suggest other ideas.
[name]Zora[/name]: Have always loved this name and love author [name]Zora[/name] [name]Neale[/name] Hurston, but worry that it will sound too much like “Zoro.” Or do kids even know who that is anymore? - Like [name]Zora[/name]. Like [name]Zara[/name] even better.
[name]Georgia[/name]: Sentimental story involving my husband and I at a [name]Ray[/name] [name]Charles[/name] concert brought about this choice. But is it too yuppie? - I love [name]Georgia[/name]. It will probably get popular. It is gorgeous though.
[name]Clover[/name]: So sweet, but a noun name… - Probably won’t work with your last name. Too bad.
[name]Clementine[/name]: [name]Love[/name] the name, don’t love the nicknames. - I don’t like the nn’s either. [name]Clemmy[/name] sounds like clammy.
[name]Evelyn[/name]: Was the name of my beloved grandmother, who passed away two years ago. For some reason, though, she went by [name]Gert[/name]. - this would be my favorite, especially since it was your grandma’s name. I wouldn’t call her [name]Gert[/name] though! : )
I also liked [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Dinah[/name] and [name]Beatrix[/name], but my husband vetoed them. What about [name]Beatrice[/name]?
[name]Zora[/name]: I do like [name]Zora[/name]'s quirkines. I think there’s a good chance that Zoro will come up, but there are worse associations. If it concerns you, though, I’d go with another name…
[name]Georgia[/name]: I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Georgia[/name], too, and think [name]Georgiana[/name] is a lovely alternative.
[name]Clover[/name]: Oh well…
[name]Clementine[/name]: I love [name]Clementine[/name], too, and love a possible nickname suggested by a former poster, which is [name]Cleo[/name]. I think [name]Cleo[/name] is a great nickname for [name]Clementine[/name], as is [name]Em[/name]/[name]Emme[/name].
[name]Evelyn[/name]: If you’re concerned about populaity, [name]Evelyn[/name]'s popularity may be an issue for you (it’s #54). There’s also [name]Eve[/name], [name]Eva[/name], [name]Evangeline[/name], and [name]Genevieve[/name] (which would honor not only the [name]Eve[/name] part of your grandma’s name, but the G initial from [name]Gertrude[/name]).
Thanks for coming to nameberry! As always, [name]Jill[/name] and [name]Susan[/name] offer excellent advice. Here are my further thoughts: [name]Georgia[/name], [name]Clementine[/name], and [name]Evelyn[/name] sit on one side of the popularity fence, with [name]Zora[/name] and [name]Clover[/name] on the other (hope I’m not leaving anyone out). G, C, and E are indeed very stylish and all likely to get more popular – I’d see all three rising to the top 50 and staying there for many years to come. [name]Zora[/name] and [name]Clover[/name], on the other hand, are very quirky and likely to remain so.
Let me say that I love all these names, but would be more inclined to look for something on the less popular side. I don’t think kids know who Zorro is anymore, though there could be a remake anyday, and then there’s [name]Zero[/name]. It’s gorgeous, but problematic. [name]Clover[/name] I love but just can’t tell what it is that makes it not work with your last name. So cute and charming and distinctive, though.
[name]How[/name] about [name]Cora[/name]? [name]Dora[/name]? [name]Thora[/name]? [name]Zahara[/name] or [name]Zara[/name]. Or I would say what about a three syllable name, to give you that very pleasing 3-2-1 rhythm. If your last name were, say, [name]Bing[/name], something like [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Marie[/name] [name]Bing[/name] or [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Marie[/name] [name]Bing[/name] sounds better than [name]Georgia[/name] [name]Marie[/name] [name]Bing[/name].
In my head I am guessing that your last name is [name]Brown[/name], so if it is or close to that [name]Clover[/name] won’t work.
I love [name]Evelyn[/name] and also [name]Jill[/name]'s suggstion of [name]Evangeline[/name]! I also like the [name]Zara[/name] idea.
A few other ideas for you:
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Elsa[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
[name]Andra[/name]
[name]Hollis[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name]
[name]Blair[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
Congrats on your first baby girl! [name]How[/name] exciting.
I love [name]Susan[/name]'s suggestion of [name]Zara[/name], I like [name]Zora[/name] too but I see why you would be hesitant to use it. When I first read it I read Zoro and had to go back and correct myself.
I also really like [name]Clover[/name] and [name]Evelyn[/name].
I’ve also thought about [name]Zara[/name] but wonder if there would be pronunciation issues, or if people would try to rhyme it with [name]Sarah[/name]?
I saw on another post, too, that [name]Cleo[/name] can be a nickname for [name]Clementine[/name]… I don’t know how that works, but I like it. I also like the 3-2-1 syllable suggestion from [name]Pam[/name]; those combinations have a nice “ring” to them.
My last name has a long “e” sound, which I’m kind of sensitive about. I happily married into it, but I wish my first name ([name]Christina[/name]) didn’t make for two long E’s butting up against each other. So while I love names like [name]Evangeline[/name] and [name]Genevieve[/name], it’s just a little too much “ee.”
On an related note, my mother-in-law is in town and has been pushing for us to name the baby after her. Her name is [name]Luella[/name], which I like just fine, but isn’t that strange – to suggest, hey, why don’t you use my name? Her last name is the same as ours, too. Has anyone ever experienced this before? I’m totally perplexed as to how to respond…
On an related note, my mother-in-law is in town and has been pushing for us to name the baby after her. Her name is [name]Luella[/name], which I like just fine, but isn’t that strange – to suggest, hey, why don’t you use my name? Her last name is the same as ours, too. Has anyone ever experienced this before? I’m totally perplexed as to how to respond…[/quote]
I would say, “Yes, [name]Luella[/name] is a pretty name. We’ll consider it.” Then pick whatever name you want.
My cousins and I are also bound to a bland middle name for the very same reason. So…the tradition of two middle names has started up in my family so that we can use the bland one and one of our own choosing. Is this an option for you?
Btw, I really like your choices. I think [name]Zara[/name] is really pretty and I don’t think pronunciation would be a huge problem.
I really like the name [name]Marie[/name]. I wish it were more popular up front, or less popular for the middle, but I don’t mind it then if it’s for family reasons. It is one of my favorite names that I keep forgetting to remember - I love so many names that [name]Marie[/name] does seem a little shy to stay with the others.
FYI, there was a Zorro remake a few years ago with [name]Anthony[/name] Hopkins as the old Zorro passing the legend onto [name]Antonio[/name] Banderas to be the next, also co-starring [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Zeta[/name]-[name]Jones[/name].
The Mask of Zorro, 1998 The Mask of Zorro (1998) - IMDb
And then The [name]Legend[/name] of Zorro in 2005, The Legend of Zorro (2005) - IMDb starring Banderas and [name]Zeta[/name]-[name]Jones[/name] again.
No idea if there will be more in this as a series.
The [name]Destiny[/name] of Zorro The Destiny of Zorro - Wikipedia
is a recently released (2008) video game for Wii. http://www.zorro.com/news-zpronto.html
[name]Just[/name] to keep you on your modern times cultural references.
Edited to add - I think [name]Zora[/name] is a great name, even with the probability of being called Zorro sometimes. I also like [name]Georgia[/name], it may be a little yuppie, but I don’t think it’s going to make a swing for the top of the list, at least not anytime too soon. It is a good strong name, not even in the top 300 and slipping in the past few years. [name]Evelyn[/name] is another pretty name. I think [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Marie[/name] sounds very pretty in fact. I don’t think you have by any law to call her [name]Gert[/name] though, please don’t! [name]Clementine[/name] is not my favorite, but I can bear it. I see some of the prettier nicknames make it more ok for me. It also has a nice meaning, “mercy.” The entry mentions [name]Claudia[/name] Schiffer used the name which reminds me how I love the name [name]Claudia[/name]. To me, this is a sweet name. I do think [name]Clementine[/name] is more yuppie choice/yupster, even moreso than [name]Georgia[/name]. When I hear [name]Clementine[/name], I really think [name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Claudia[/name] is better.
In any case, [name]Zora[/name] is a name that doesn’t match the rest, so that is the only reason I might avoid it particularly - it would be harder to find a name you like, seeing the kinds of other names you have listed. I personally do not prefer [name]Zara[/name] to [name]Zora[/name], if that means anything to you.
[name]Zora[/name] - I wouldn’t worry about the Zoro reference, but I’m still not as fond of this one - probably just because I haven’t seen it before, though. I shouldn’t think anyone will try to rhyme [name]Zara[/name] with [name]Sarah[/name] (it is a big high street chain over here, so everyone knows - I don’t know if they are in the US, too). I like someone else’s suggestion of [name]Cora[/name]/[name]Dora[/name] instead (short for [name]Cordelia[/name], Elladora etc.).
[name]Georgia[/name] - personally not so fond of it, but if it has sentimental value, then a great choice.
[name]Clover[/name] - I adore. [name]Even[/name] though it is a noun … would your last name actually sound silly with it?
[name]Clementine[/name] - You could use [name]Cleo[/name], I think, although [name]Clemmie[/name] is more usual. Or [name]Emmie[/name]/[name]Tina[/name] (a little dated)? I love this one, although this is a noun, too (the fruit).
[name]Evelyn[/name] - A beautiful name, and honours a family member. I think this is your best choice (and the nn [name]Evie[/name] is popular but very cute).
[name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Marie[/name] B__ has a lovely flow (I, personally, adore [name]Marie[/name], too).
