Stuck! PLEASE help me narrow my short list down to 2!

Girl Names
1

I am stuck and need your help!

Our 3rd daughter is due very soon, and I would love to go to the hospital with only 2 names on our short list. The problem is that I can’t narrow it down…my top 2 seem to change every day!

Please give me some feedback, as I would like to gain more perspective.
We have decided to keep completely quiet about names with friends/family this time (due to bad experience with daughter 2), so I can’t get any opinions from people we know.

I would love to choose a name that is timeless but not trendy/popular/common…and I love girls names that are “solid” (decidedly feminine, but not frilly or princessy). We would prefer to pick something that is recognizable and pronounced correctly most of the time (our last name gets mispronounced a lot, so I would rather her not have to correct everyone on both names all the time).
We also would love finding a name that gives a nod to our Scandinavian heritage.

All that said, here are our top 4. I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback (good and bad, I need to hear it!)

Marta – there is something about this that we just love. It fits all my criteria (although some may feel it is more German than Scandinavian?), but I have some concerns about teasing. I can picture elementary school kids calling her Kmart, Walmart, farta, etc., and that concerns me. I know there is potential teasing with any name, but I would hate for her to be called farta all through elementary school. Maybe I am over thinking it, though.
Her nickname (if we used one) would be Mari (mah-ree), which I think is sweet. We really don’t like Marty at all, and would hope to avoid it at all costs.

Berit – this is a family name of mine. I have always loved it and I think it sounds beautiful, but I get the impression that most people don’t like it (is it too harsh?). I love that it is the only name on our short list that doesn’t end in “a”…my other two daughters already have names that end in “a”, so I was hoping to avoid that theme. But all the names we love seem to end with “a”! sigh
The concern I have with Berit is that when I introduce her to someone, they might assume her name is “Barrett”, which is a boys name to me. Berit is timeless to me, whereas Barrett is not…but they sound the same either way. This name also sounds the worst with our last name.
If we used a nickname we would call her Britt. I love the name Britt but it doesn’t feel substantial enough as a stand alone first name. But maybe I should reconsider that.

Sonja – this name has really grown on me, and I think it would fit well with our family. But it does feel a bit dated to me…what do you think?
Also, we would pronounce it “sewn-yuh” (rhyming with bone), but how often would it be pronounced “sawn-yuh”?
No nickname here. I like the nn sunny, but my husband doesn’t.

Annika – we have considered it with all 3 pregnancies now. I love it but don’t know if I love it enough. There is something about it that I don’t like, but I can’t figure that out (is it too princessy? Not timeless enough?). I also worry about constant issues with pronunciation. We would pronounce it “Ahn-ick-uh”, but I get the feeling that most people pronounce it “Ann-ick-uh”. We do have a large Swedish population around here, and all the Annika’s I know (5 of them) pronounce it Ahn-ick-uh, so it may not be an issue around here. It is a pretty popular name in my area, though (consistently in the top 100)…it feels a bit trendy to me for that reason.

I would love to hear your honest thoughts – rank them, comment on them, whatever!
Please don’t quote me as I might delete this later after she is named.

Other helpful info:
Last name starts with B, is two syllables, and sounds German
Big sisters are Greta and Elsa

Middle name is still in the works…some options are the names above, but we also love Caroline, Solveig, Sylvia/Sylvie, Johanna, Maren (mah-ren…would consider as a first name but everyone seems to pronounce it like Karen).

Yikes, sorry this got so long, but I need help! =)
I am totally open to suggestions as well, if you have any.

3

I would pronounce [name]Sonja[/name] as you do, sewn-yuh, but with [name]Annika[/name] the first pronunciation that came to mind was [name]Ann[/name]-ick-uh. However, I do think Ahn-ick-uh is much prettier.

4

[name]Marta[/name]! Loved it the most off of your list and when I saw your other daughter’s names I was even more sold. Fits perfectly in my mind

5

1 [name]Sonja[/name] - I think this is a lovely name with lots of exotic flair and I really love it with [name]Greta[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name].

2 [name]Marta[/name] - I knew a Ukrainian [name]Marta[/name] and she never got teased. As a result of my acquaintance, I prefer [name]Marta[/name] to [name]Martha[/name].

3 [name]Annika[/name] - I prefer [name]Anna[/name] to [name]Annika[/name]. This is the only three syllable name and your other daughters have two syllables.

4 [name]Berit[/name] - I don’t mind this name but it may sound abrupt with your “B” surname. Does it flow well with your last name? The name reminds me a bit of the word “barrette” (a girls hair accessory)

6

[name]Marta[/name] - This feels a bit Spanish to me for whatever reason. I guess because all the [name]Martha[/name]'s I know are Mexican. It’s not a bad name and I like [name]Mari[/name], but I like some of your others a bit better.

[name]Berit[/name] - This is the least familiar to me, and I think it’s a valid concern that it will be mistaken for [name]Barrett[/name] since that’s gaining popularity. I really love the name [name]Brita[/name]! Not sure if that’s Scandinavian (though I read a book set there with a girl by this name)

[name]Sonja[/name] - Beautiful name, but she’d be spelling it all the time due to the j.

[name]Annika[/name] - Also, beautiful!

I’m about so so on all your names. I think [name]Sonja[/name] and [name]Annika[/name] are my favorites though.

I like [name]Sonja[/name] [name]Maren[/name] and [name]Annika[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name].

7

[name]Annika[/name] would by my pick. Have you considered [name]Ingrid[/name]? I love [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Greta[/name] and feel that this would be a perfect fit!

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I love [name]Ingrid[/name], but that is [name]Elsa[/name]'s middle name, so it is out.

[name]Marta[/name] is used a lot in Spanish cuitures…it is one of those names that is used worldwide, so I don’t think there is a solid “feel” to it regarding heritage

Thank you for all of your comments, keep them coming!

9

[name]Annika[/name]
[name]Sonja[/name]
[name]Marta[/name]
[name]Berit[/name]

Maybe you would like [name]Merritt[/name], [name]Anja[/name], [name]Anka[/name], [name]Shura[/name], [name]Elka[/name] or [name]Martine[/name] as possible middles?

[name]Sonja[/name] [name]Merritt[/name]
[name]Annika[/name] [name]Martine[/name]

10

Actually I lean towards [name]Sonja[/name] now that I’m reading about pronunciation issues & you knowing so many girls called [name]Annika[/name].

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I really like [name]Merritt[/name], thank you for the suggestion! I like [name]Marit[/name] even more. We are trying to find names that don’t end with “a” for the middle, being that the first name will likely end in “a”

12

Ooh, love suggestion of [name]Anja[/name]!! I think it is so much more special than [name]Annika[/name] (which was my first pick)! Also like [name]Ana[/name].

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I love [name]Annika[/name]! It’s absolutely beautiful!

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[name]Marta[/name] - I think this name would work well with your criteria (including easy to spell and pronounce) and I don’t think she would get teased in any big way. I do think that if she later chooses to go by [name]Marta[/name], her acquaintances are very likely to slip into calling her [name]Marty[/name]. That said, I much prefer the Scandinavian name [name]Marit[/name], mentioned above. It’s so, so pretty. [name]Mari[/name] would be a more natural nickname for [name]Marit[/name] (than for [name]Marta[/name]).

[name]Berit[/name] - I agree with your concern that people will think the name is [name]Barrett[/name]. My ancestry is part Norwegian, so I know this is a girl’s name, but many people will not. I think a much prettier name would be [name]Brita[/name], which is also a legitimate Scandinavian name. [name]Britt[/name] would be a fine nickname for [name]Brita[/name].

[name]Sonja[/name] - If you are concerned about pronunciation, this name may be a source of frustration. I do think you will have people pronouncing the /o/ differently.

[name]Annika[/name] - I love [name]Annika[/name]. I’m in southern [name]California[/name], and I have never known anyone with the name. It is borderline princessy, so maybe that is why you are not sure about it. If your daughter lives outside of your Scandinavian area someday, she is likely to get various pronunciations of the beginning A.

To go with [name]Greta[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name], my favorites that have been mentioned so far are:
[name]Marit[/name]
[name]Brita[/name]
[name]Annika[/name]

15

I love the name [name]Marta[/name]–it is beautiful and has an international feel. I know a Spanish [name]Marta[/name] and a [name]Marta[/name] of Scandinavian heritage. [name]How[/name] about using [name]Berit[/name] as a middle name? I like the sound of [name]Marta[/name] [name]Berit[/name]. [name]Marta[/name] [name]Caroline[/name] is also very pretty. I think your middle name choices are great. Would you consider using any of them as a first name? [name]Johanna[/name] [name]Berit[/name] would be really nice as well.

16

I prefer [name]Annika[/name] and [name]Marta[/name] in that order. I also thought of [name]Trina[/name], [name]Karena[/name], [name]Linnea[/name], [name]Halle[/name], [name]Astrid[/name] or [name]Anneliese[/name] - all solidly Scandanavian.

17

[name]Greta[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name] sound so Old Hollywood so, one of these would be nice:
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Ada[/name]
[name]Nora[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]
[name]Rosa[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]
[name]Patrika[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Marlena[/name]
[name]Sanna[/name]
My pick from your list of names is [name]Sylvia[/name]. It goes really well with [name]Greta[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name].

18

You have all been so helpful – thank you!
I love the new suggestions…we now have a few more names in contention ([name]Marit[/name], [name]Anja[/name], [name]Willa[/name], [name]Halle[/name]). I also found a name last night that I love – [name]Kaisa[/name]. Or is it too close to [name]Kaia[/name]?

I also love [name]Britta[/name], but when I say it out loud it is way too close to [name]Greta[/name] for me.

This is going to be hard!

19

[name]Love[/name] the suggestions of Merit and [name]Anja[/name]. [name]Anja[/name] [name]Berit[/name] would be nice.

20

The same goes for me for the above. Additionally I would like to suggest [name]Sabine[/name]. I think it would go beautifully with your other two names, and I think it fits your criteria. Doesn’t end in an “a”, is feminine without being frilly, not overly popular (that I know of) and plus it’s just plain pretty!

Another name that may work is [name]Ingrid[/name]. Or [name]Ingrid[/name] [name]Sabine[/name].

Also, I just want to say how much I [name]LOVE[/name] the names you gave your two daughters! [name]Elsa[/name] was a huge love of mine and ultimately the only reason we crossed it off was because it clashed with our other daughters Italian names. And I’ve always found [name]Greta[/name] a gorgeous name. :slight_smile:

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[name]Annika[/name] and [name]Sonja[/name] would be my picks!