The day has come, voting, wish us luck!

Girl Names
1

Today is my beautiful daughter’s six month birthday.
Today we will give her a name. DH wasn’t won over by my dream, although I think I was… we can’t agree on how to choose, there’s so much emotional attachment.

DH and I made a ranking system based on the one you suggested (sorry, I’m forgetting who- sorry!). It has eleven categories, plus two minus categories.

We also made a little score sheet for DS, it has three categories that he created.

We will tally the votes from the three of us and, there will be her name. We made so many categories to hopefully avoid a tie. In the event of a tie, we are going to draw names. We have agreed that we will not discuss why we gave what rating we gave, only tally the numbers.

Originally, I kind of thought this was heartless, but the three of us are excited and it is going to be fun. It is almost like we are able to peel away the emotional baggage when presented with a system and just have it unveiled how much we actually like each name. Plus, DH is very, very left-brain, so this helps him to actually express how he feels about a name.

For those interested, here are are names we agreed to consider. A lot of my favs were nixed, but, that’s okay, because so were many of his.

[name]Delphi[/name]
[name]Coral[/name]
[name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Thea[/name]
[name]Nora[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Beth[/name]
[name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Aster[/name]
[name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Juniper[/name]
[name]Zeta[/name]
[name]Juno[/name]

Here are our criteria:

  1. I like the name
  2. It fits her
  3. It is soft
  4. It communicates a feeling of happiness and joy
  5. It flow well w/ last name
  6. It has an interesting history/meaning/namesake
  7. It is unique, memorable
  8. It is easy to prounounce/spell
  9. It has cute nicknames
  10. It is feminie, yet strong
  11. I REALLY love the name
    minus
  • high teasing potential
  • undesireable nicknames

Here are cute 8 year old DS’s categories:

  1. I like the name
  2. It is a cute name
  3. It fits her

Thank you all for your help. There were so many names you suggested that I would have loved to name her.

and, of course, I wll let you know how it goes!

2

Good [name]Luck[/name]! I hope above all else that after today you will all be happy with her chosen name!

3

I can’t wait to find out her name. I was excited by some of the names on your list.

Good [name]Luck[/name]

4

Good luck! You have created a brilliant system, and all of the names you are choosing from are just beautiful - I don’t think you can go wrong. I think it’s lovely that you’re giving your son a vote, and his little spreadsheet is so cute! I’d like to compliment you on how calm you seem, too.

I can’t wait to hear what is chosen :slight_smile:

Oh, and happy half-birthday to little Soon-To-Be-Named!

5

I’m happy to hear that you and DH are ready to make your decision. I think you have a great rating system, and I look forward to hearing what you decide. It’s great that you are getting the fresh, youthful perspective of your 6-year-old, too!

6

[name]How[/name] very exciting!!! Exciting even for us sitting behind keyboards staring into computer monitors. All of your names are lovely. One jumps out at me and I can’t wait to see which name you have chosen.

Good [name]Luck[/name]! :slight_smile:

7

I can’t wait to see the name you have all chosen! Good luck!

8

Oh, so exciting, I can’t wait to find out!

9

[name]Hi[/name]! So… I popped on here and with all the views, I can only assume you’re all dying to know :slight_smile:

wellll… DH had a work emergency (SAD!) so we didn’t come to a final decision. HOWEVER, I do have this for you- she has a (new) middle name and a three way tie for a first name.

The rating system worked fantastically. It was amazing to peel away bickering back and forth about the same names. Plus, I feel great to have included DS.

I was actually kind of suprised at our final resuts.

Our top choice (all three of us) was [name]Aster[/name]. Then and honest to goodness tie between [name]Juliet[/name], [name]Lark[/name] and [name]Zeta[/name]. Ha! I know we said we would draw between a tie, but none of us really want to draw after we were able to come to such a happy day of naming.

[name]Aster[/name] only beat the other three names by two points. DH and I had a nice long talk about [name]Aster[/name] and I think (we’re sleeping on it), even though it was all our top choice, we aren’t going to use it as a first name. For two reasons: DH is concerned about ‘ass’ teasing and we are both in love with [name]Asher[/name]. We decided this could be a set up for a double-disaster- she could be teased with ass AND we could have a boy and not get to use [name]Asher[/name].

But, it will be her middle name. (unless we sleep on it and change our minds :slight_smile: ) Whether we double middle name her is another question for another night after she has a first name…

So she’s either

[name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name])
[name]Lark[/name] [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name])
Zet/ta [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name])

Although I’m not quite sure how we’re going to decide, I feel happy. The rating thing was honestly fun. We ended up giving extra points for the qualities both of us found important (mine, sense of happiness; his, unique)

You’re welcome to sell me on any of those three :slight_smile: or suggest a way to decide. DS would pick [name]Lark[/name], I would pick [name]Juliet[/name] and DH would pick [name]Zeta[/name]. Hmm… happily, all of us would be pleased with any of the three.

DH is concerned that [name]Juliet[/name] is boring and not memorable. I think you all sold me on that not being true, but, any words towards him? We both, but him especially, want her to have a unique, memorable name.

So, the saga continues, but in a much MUCH more happy tone.

There’s your update, thanks for checking up! [name]PROMISE[/name] to update when she has a name.

10

So glad to hear from you and I really can’t wait till you finally decide.

The beautiful [name]Juliet[/name] is not the least bit bland or boring.

[name]Zeta[/name] is a strong name and I love the [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Zeta[/name] combo.

[name]Zeta[/name] [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Jackson[/name] [name]Ford[/name]? Sorry I had to let [name]Aster[/name] go.

Of course I just love [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] [name]Jackson[/name] [name]Ford[/name].

11

All the combos are wonderful! I am such a [name]Lark[/name] fan and its the name that has been there since the beginning. You cant go wrong all the names are lovely.

12

I agree, you can’t go wrong. I’m not going to give any further opinion, just to say I look forward to hearing what your final pick is and I’m so glad you went through a process that everyone feels a part of and happy with, including your son.

13

Firstly, I adore [name]Aster[/name] [name]Miriam[/name] as the middle names! The have brilliant flow, and balance each other well - quite modern with very traditional.

I hope I’m not being presumptious if I give my personal opinion on each of the combinations … I do think that any would be a fabulous choice, and that of course, you are the ones most qualified to make a decision, as you know your DD best!

[name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name]) - the T sounds repeat at just the right distance for this name to have absolutely perfect flow, in my opinion.
[name]Lark[/name] [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name]) - I love how unusual [name]Lark[/name] is, but I think the safer bet is to have it as a adorable family nn; this way there is less chance that she may come to be embarassed by her fn.
[name]Zeta[/name] [name]Aster[/name] ([name]Miriam[/name]) - as the Ts come in the middle of both of the names, I personally find the flow of this too repetitive … but [name]Zeta[/name] is a lovely, unusual name.

A word on [name]Juliet[/name] to Babygrey’s husband :
[name]How[/name] can [name]Juliet[/name] be boring? [name]True[/name], it is a traditional, classic name, but it also has a touch of French romanticism about it, coming, of course, from [name]Juliette[/name].

[name]Even[/name] better, the [name]Juliet[/name] spelling was first used in possibly the most well-known work of all time - [name]Shakespeare[/name]'s [name]Romeo[/name] and [name]Juliet[/name]. So this name is romantic, exciting (I presume that you have seen one of the films, and so understand that the incredible pace at which the story goes lends it an incredible amount of excitement), strong-willed and literary.

There are still pop-culture references to [name]Juliet[/name], and so she will always have the excitement of finding her name in songs ([name]Juliet[/name] by MGMT and [name]Romeo[/name] and [name]Juliet[/name] by Dire Straits, to name a couple), but her name is not so common that it is featured on those personalised pencils that children so adore; surely that is a marker of how it is not too common. (It was 451st on the SSA’s 2008 list. Only 67% of babies are given names which are on the top 1000, and so it can be deduced that only a handful of Juliets are born every year.)

[name]Julius[/name], from which all of the [name]Julia[/name] and [name]Juliet[/name] variations stem, harks back to [name]Roman[/name] times, and is thought to have been derived from the name of the god, [name]Jupiter[/name]. [name]Jupiter[/name] was the most important and exalted of all [name]Roman[/name] gods, presiding as he did over light and the heavens, and protecting the [name]Roman[/name] Empire and its laws.

[name]Julius[/name] was the name of a very important family during [name]Roman[/name] times, who produced many prominent senators while [name]Rome[/name] was a republic, and, notably, [name]Julius[/name] [name]Cesar[/name] and [name]Augustus[/name], the first [name]Roman[/name] emperors. It was generally believed (and this belief was encouraged by the Aeneid, one of the greatest poetic works of all time, and definitely the best of [name]Roman[/name] origin) that the [name]Julius[/name] family were descended from Julus, the son of [name]Aeneas[/name]. [name]Aeneas[/name] survived the Trojan war and went on to found [name]Rome[/name], but his notability does not end there - he was the son of [name]Venus[/name].

And here ends my speech on why [name]Juliet[/name] could never, ever be a boring name!

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing which you choose :slight_smile:

14

I am really excited you are keeping [name]Aster[/name] in the middle and still keeping [name]Miriam[/name]. I think all the names make her sound like a princess, I mean the real kind, not the spoiled vision of a demanding little girl! I probably shouldn’t have said that if it comes off wrong, but I really like all the names you have in your final three, even [name]Lark[/name], which I did say was not really my cup of tea.

I missed a lot of the discussion and I don’t know how [name]Zeta[/name] or [name]Zetta[/name] came up. I’m delighted by those names and intrigued beyond belief - even in the first post in this final-final decision thread, I missed reading it on the list, so when I saw it on your final 3, I had to go back and see the list you used in your process. [name]Juliet[/name] is also beautiful. You really can’t lose, but I have to say, I love the letter Z, I have always had a spot for it, and intrigued by names that start with Z. [name]Juliet[/name] is very interesting and beautiful, so it would be kind of a toss-up between these 2 for me, they have very different kinds of power. I just think [name]Zeta[/name] is awesome.

EDITED TO [name]ADD[/name]: I think I prefer [name]Zetta[/name] - it is Hebrew meaning “olive” while [name]Zeta[/name] is Greek, meaning “born last” and the letter Z. Aside from “Greeks on campus” I’ve rarely heard the term, and don’t think it’s that big a deal, or a connection to [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Zeta[/name] [name]Jones[/name], that doesn’t cross my mind a lot. It’s very accessible, even though it has a celeb connection.

15

Oh, BabyGrey, this is so exciting! I’m glad this is all working for you, and, of course, happy half birthday to the little gem! (I don’t think I even ever knew what your son’s name was…)

So, let me comment on each of your names!

  1. [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] is my favorite. It may be the most normal of the names, but I think it is a name any little girl or grown woman would love to have! Not only does [name]Juliet[/name] mean “youthful” (what grown woman doesn’t want a name that means that?), but it also denotes an image of a beautiful, feminine, yet still spunky and charismatic, young lady. Of course, [name]Juliet[/name]'s immediate reference is to [name]Juliet[/name] Capulet, the character in [name]Shakespeare[/name]'s [name]Romeo[/name] and [name]Juliet[/name] - a star-crossed lover may not exactly fit your image of your daughter, but I personally love a literary connection in any form! Furthermore, the name is also the title of many a song, and as someone else mentioned earlier, your daughter will likely delight in hearing her name if one was ever to come on the radio. And, I know that you wanted a nature name, so let me tell you that [name]Juliet[/name] is also a moon of the planet Uranus. More specifically, it is an inner moon, or natural satellite. That’s pretty cool, right? I think [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] [name]Jackson[/name]-[name]Ford[/name] is beautiful through-and-through. It offers you cute nicknames like [name]Jules[/name] (what I call my friend [name]Julia[/name]), Juju, and even [name]Julie[/name], if you must. I hope it comes out on top!

Next, let’s move to [name]Zeta[/name] [name]Aster[/name], my second choice. I have never been a fan of a first name ending in an A when the middle name begins with an A, but in this case, I will try and let it slide. [name]Zeta[/name] is a cool, unique surname name, but for me, that is all it is, the name associated with [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Zeta[/name] [name]Jones[/name]. This is a fine middle name for Ms. [name]Jones[/name], as she was named for her grandmother [name]Zeta[/name] [name]Jones[/name]. [name]Zeta[/name] is, by definition, the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. [name]Zeta[/name] also apparently has some mathematical references, and you wouldn’t want your daughter’s name to come up in a higher level math course, would you? The name will likely also be included in the titles of several fraternities at your daughter’s future university (when people say, “Let’s go to [name]Zeta[/name]!” what exactly will they mean?). I am just bringing up potential points of conflict for the name. Finally, let me end this rant by saying that when I say the name aloud rather quickly, it sometimes ends up sounding like “disaster” - yes, I know that is rather far-fetched, but it did happen on several occasions when I pronounced the name.

Finally, [name]Lark[/name] [name]Aster[/name], my least favorite choice (I hope it does not get chosen, honestly). My problems with this name are primarily flow-based, as [name]Lark[/name] [name]Aster[/name] sounds blunt and forced rather than elegant and feminine. Obviously, lark is a bird, but, depending on where you live, you may or may not ever see one. Larks are spread out in the “Old World” (aka Europe), Northern and Eastern Australia, but just one form (the Shore [name]Lark[/name] = Horned [name]Lark[/name]) has spread to the United States. Larks do have lovely songs; however, they are fairly dull to look at. The name clearly has a literary connection, being featured in [name]Percy[/name] Bysshe [name]Shelley[/name]'s poem “To a Skylark,” [name]Fleetwood[/name] [name]Mac[/name]'s song “[name]Rhiannon[/name],” [name]George[/name] [name]Meredith[/name]'s “The [name]Lark[/name] Ascending,” and “Skylark,” the sequel to [name]Sarah[/name], Plain and Tall, a children’s book by [name]Patricia[/name] MacLachlan. Additionally, the children’s song “[name]Alouette[/name]” is about plucking a skylark, as alouette is the French word for lark. In addition to my concerns about flow, my own personal vengeance against the name [name]Lark[/name] comes from a rather peculiar substitute teacher I had several time by name [name]Lark[/name] [name]Roth[/name]. She was neither helpful not concerned, and there were more than a few students who laughed about her name (potential teasing, anyone?). Thus concluded my rant on the name.

BabyGrey, I hope that you and your family arrive at the perfect name for your child, and I hope that my considerations are helpful to you all. I’d like to add on a final note that I strongly feel two middle names with a hyphenated last name is too much, and I wouldn’t at all encourage you do to that. I understand you want a form of [name]Mary[/name] in the name, but perhaps that can wait for a future child - any of the multitude of forms of [name]Mary[/name] for a girl or [name]Demarion[/name] or [name]Mare[/name] for a boy, both which mean the same as [name]Mary[/name] (“sea of bitterness” - unpleasant!). Again, I wish you the BEST of luck, and I am eager to hear the name of your daughter!

16

[name]Hi[/name] babygrey, so glad to hear you’re so close to the goal …
I love the name [name]Juliet[/name], as I’m sure I’ve written before. I find [name]Zeta[/name]/[name]Zetta[/name] more distinct, but [name]Juliet[/name] is still far from common.

That being said, it did give me pause when you mentioned that you have a niece named [name]Julia[/name]. Would your sister/sister-in-law or brother/brother-in-law be hurt or upset at all if you were to choose [name]Juliet[/name]? (These two names ([name]Juliet[/name] & [name]Julia[/name]) just seem really similar to me.) If not, then no problem. But just for the sake of family harmony, and to make sure no one is rudely surprised, if this name is seriously in the running, I’d pass it by other involved family members to get their response.
Good luck.

17

Congrats on getting so much closer!
I like all three names. But as for the uniqueness - [name]Juliet[/name] is not. It is a beautiful name, and I think I like it the best with [name]Aster[/name], but it is not unique - as your husband wants. [name]Zeta[/name] is my next favorite on your list, then [name]Lark[/name].
Good luck!

18

I think [name]Juliet[/name] is so beautiful.

19

If it helps, BabyGrey, I have only met ONE (1!) [name]Juliet[/name] in my entire life! It may not be unusual, but it certainly isn’t common like [name]Emma[/name], [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Addison[/name], etc…

Good luck!

20

Congrats on getting so much closer! :slight_smile:

I personally [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Juliet[/name] and find it to be your best choice. :slight_smile:
[name]Lark[/name] and [name]Zeta[/name] seem much more “harsh” and are especially so next to [name]Aster[/name]. [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Aster[/name] [name]Miriam[/name] is gorgeous with a beautiful flow. The other two seem more blunt to me. [name]Just[/name] my two cents :slight_smile:

Good [name]Luck[/name]!