My husband loves the name [name]Beatrice[/name], and is really pushing for us to use it if our twins are girls. I’m less than convinced about the name. Maybe it’s because I’ve never met a [name]Beatrice[/name], but I can’t imagine a teenager or a grown woman with the name. It seems rather cute and childish to me. When we named our first 3 children, I wanted a name that would fit on a 5 year old’s backpack, a 13 year old’s party invitation, a high school/ college diploma, a job application, a wedding invitation, the PTA, a daughter’s wedding inviation, etc. That may seem over the top, but I’m very OCD about finding the perfect name, not just for my daughter as a child, but one that suits her throughout her life. That’s my main concern with [name]Beatrice[/name]. Can you picture it on all of the above? [name]Do[/name] you even like the name? Does it go well with [name]Julia[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], and [name]Louisa[/name] (our daughters)? Is it as classic a name as our daughters’? Also, it is trendy? We’re not concerned about popularity, but we don’t want a trendy name.
Overall, can you convince me of [name]Beatrice[/name]?
Thank you so much, and sorry for the novella,
[name]Charlotte[/name]
This name seems to be loved by most nameberries, but to be honest I don’t see the appeal. At all. And I have tried! I just can’t make myself like it. I love a lot of vintage names, but this just isn’t one of them. I don’t think it sounds pretty or looks pretty. It seems sort of “harsh” to me I guess.
And I don’t think you are over the top at all. I am the same way with name choosing. It is so hard to find the perfect name!
I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help!
I agree completely with Lilybelle. In my opinion, [name]Beatrice[/name]‘s most redeemining quality is the cute nickname “[name]Bee[/name],” but that can be gleaned from other names as well. Your other daughters’ names seem decidedly “warmer” and friendlier. For some reason [name]Josephine[/name] and [name]Laura[/name] popped into my head as good matches for their names. You could always go on Nymbler and see what comes up when you type in their names. For trendiness, you could check the Social Security rankings throughout the years or search the Nameberry blog posts about classic names to see if [name]Beatrice[/name] makes the cut.
Best of luck!
~ Fuzzycub
I’m not a [name]Beatrice[/name] fan, but I think I’m the odd one out. I think most berries would/will love it. For me, it is not so much that it seems too childish as it seems too aged. But I’m then older than the average berrie (I assume), because I’m older than the average person who is shopping for baby names. Consequently I have vague memories of an another wave of Beatrices – my great-aunts’ contemporaries. It is a very old name that has moved through cultures and times – for centuries and over entire land masses – and is, in that sense, very much a classic. That said, it doesn’t “sound” as classic to my ear as your other choices.
Outside of my personal opinion, here are a few observations:
[name]Beatrice[/name] is considered a contemporary choice, yet I don’t think it is wildly popular. I could be wrong, and it never hurts to check the stats and get a feel for what people are naming babies in your own neighborhood as these things vary so much from place to place.
If you aren’t sold on this name, listen to those reservations. Try to figure out where those second thoughts come from. Most likely it means you should keep looking, although it is possible it is just to early in the naming process for you to be sure. If it comes to a case of you really don’t love it and your husband does, keep looking until find something you both love. I believe in that process, as well as believing there is always a name out there to make it happen for you.
Intersting that you see it as a little girl’s name. I see it as an old lady name. For me, it initially has kind of a clunky feel to it. That being said, my sister-in-law is planning on using it and loves it. She thinks it rolls off the tongue and is a beautiful sweet name. I do feel that it sounds beautiful with your other daughters’ names. Once I said all of their names out loud, [name]Beatrice[/name] seemed to flow quite nicely. Good luck.
I find [name]Beatrice[/name] to be a great name! I think it would age well. I think it fits well with the names of your other daughters (which are great, too!), but I think there could be a more perfect name out there for you, since you seem to have some reservations about it anyways. What about [name]Alice[/name]? I think it fits the same requirements that you had for [name]Beatrice[/name]! And I don’t think that it’s trendy, either.
Other suggestions:
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]
Thank you all for the feedback! I’m glad that it’s not just me. It’s funny that most of you see it as an old lady name. I think the reason why I see it on a little girl is that I’ve never meet anyone with the name. [name]Ever[/name]. So, I’m just looking at the name without associating it with anything, except [name]Beatrix[/name] [name]Potter[/name]. It seems like it would be cute on a little girl, but I can’t imagine it on, say, a 30 year old.
Anyway, thanks again. We’re going to keep looking until we find names that we both love.
Oh, and thanks for the suggestions. [name]Alice[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], and [name]Margaret[/name] are on our short list.
[name]Beatrice[/name] is my daughter’s name, so I’m biased. I think it’s a beautiful name with a great history, literary and otherwise. I think it goes well with your other kids’ names. [name]Beatrice[/name] is a bolder choice though, as classic names go, so I wouldn’t advise using it unless you love it. I can tell you that I’ve seen a teen [name]Beatrice[/name] at a coffeeshop, and know an older woman with the name as well. But it’s not out there widely like [name]Katherine[/name] or [name]Julia[/name]… I think it’s much more like [name]Louisa[/name] in the sense that it’s not broadly used, yet is a name everyone knows. I can tell you I’ve had a ton of real life positive feedback on the name. A lot of ‘what a beautiful name’ comments from people of all ages. But I do think it’s the type of name that stands out so if you feel unsure of it I think you should listen to your reservations.
better than [name]Beatrice[/name]. The meaning of [name]Beatrice[/name] is awesome though (Voyager, Blessed), and I like it as a double name (one of my choices is [name]Lucy[/name] [name]Beatrix[/name]). My husband wants us to name our daughter [name]Elisabeth[/name]. I didn’t want to for the longest time, because although it is a lovely name, it seems a little overplayed. But he is SO insistant upon using the name, I found a work around, a double name I love ([name]Elisabeth[/name] [name]Lilac[/name]) and a nickname for the double name ([name]Lulu[/name], due to the strong "L"s in the name). So if you can find something about the name to make it work, that might help!
Sorry, I don’t like it all unless it is pronounced in [name_u]French[/name_u], [name_f]Béatrice[/name_f], or Béa, but I still wouldn’t use it even then because it’s just too heavy. It also starts with “beotch” if you really listen closely. [name_m]Can[/name_m]’t support.
I am the same way with name choosing. It is so hard to find the perfect name!
