[name]Charlotte[/name]-- I never much cared for this name. Of the [name]Charles[/name] feminizations, I like [name]Caroline[/name] the best. I really do love [name]Lottie[/name], though.
[name]Clara[/name]-- [name]One[/name] of my favorites. It sounds so fresh and, well, clear.
[name]Alice[/name]-- Classic and sweet. Its popularity is understandable.
[name]Hazel[/name]-- This one is on my list as well. It just sounds really fun and beautiful at the same time. It’s going to be difficult to choose only ten, I can tell!
[name]Audrey[/name]-- Another favorite. It would be on my list if it weren’t a cousin’s name. It’s such a classy name while still sounding strong (and it’s on trend without being trendy)
[name]Stella[/name]-- I can’t think of anything but A Streetcar Named Desire when I hear [name]Stella[/name]. I can’t get on board with it.
[name]Lucy[/name]-- Cute, fun, but also classic. I don’t like it as much as some of your other names, but I think it works well on young girls.
[name]Lila[/name] (Can I still use this with a dog named [name]Lily[/name]?)-- I like [name]Lila[/name] ok. I’m not sure it would work well with a dog named [name]Lily[/name]. You might try [name]Isla[/name]? They have similar sounds, though [name]Isla[/name] isn’t really as classy to me.
[name]Elizabeth[/name] (nickname: [name]Eliza[/name] or maybe [name]Beth[/name])-- I like [name]Eliza[/name], but I think it works best on its own. I would just use [name]Eliza[/name], or even [name]Beth[/name].
[name]Madeline[/name] (pronounced: line not lyn)-- I’ve loved [name]Madeline[/name] since I was a young girl. I’m growing less fond of the “Mad” syllable in the beginning. I also do not like [name]Maddie[/name]. This would be a no, for me.
[name]Iris[/name]-- This is what we named our GPS, and I swear if she weren’t a computer I would think she was drunk all the time. It’s the only association I have with the name, so it doesn’t work for me. Could be really nice on a little girl, but I imagine an elderly lady when I hear it.
[name]Elsa[/name] (nickname: [name]Elsie[/name])-- [name]Love[/name] this! I like [name]Elsie[/name] on its own, too, but I think [name]Elsa[/name] gives it a more sophisticated quality.
[name]Eva[/name] (pronounced EE-vah, although I do love EH-vah)-- I love [name]Eva[/name], too. It is more popularly pronounced like [name]Ava[/name] around here, but I much, MUCH prefer the EE-vah pronunciation.
[name]Vivienne[/name]-- I like the more streamlined [name]Vivian[/name] spelling. This is a favorite of mine. I think [name]Vivian[/name] just looks prettier. [name]Vivienne[/name] reminds me of [name]Vienna[/name]. Which reminds me of [name]Vienna[/name] sausages.
[name]Imogen[/name]-- I never much cared for this name. Mostly because no one I know can decide on how they want to pronounce it. I just have way too much trouble saying this name. I don’t really know why.
[name]Penelope[/name] (nickname: [name]Penny[/name] or maybe [name]Nell[/name])-- I love [name]Nell[/name] and I like [name]Penny[/name], but [name]Penelope[/name] has always sounded silly to me. Not a favorite of mine.
[name]Cordelia[/name] (nickname: [name]Delia[/name] and/or [name]Dee[/name] [name]Dee[/name])-- The “[name]Cord[/name]” in the beginning is very unattractive to me. I like [name]Delia[/name].
[name]Josephine[/name] (nickname: [name]Posy[/name])-- Another favorite. I have a cousin named [name]Joseph[/name] or I would definitely use this name.
Top 10 Girls: [name]Clara[/name], [name]Alice[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Audrey[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name] (or [name]Eliza[/name]), [name]Elsa[/name], [name]Eva[/name], [name]Vivienne[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name] (or [name]Delia[/name]) & [name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name] (nickname: [name]Ollie[/name])-- I quite like [name]Oliver[/name], even giving its childish sound and its popularity. I don’t like [name]Ollie[/name] at all.
[name]Henry[/name]-- A classic name. I like it.
[name]Benjamin[/name] (nickname: [name]Ben[/name] or [name]Benji[/name])-- [name]Benjamin[/name] is nice and [name]Ben[/name] is ok. [name]Benji[/name] might work for a very small child, but it’s all dog to me.
[name]Theodore[/name] (nickname: [name]Theo[/name] or [name]Teddy[/name])-- I like [name]Theodore[/name], but I prefer the full name to any of the nicknames. [name]Theodore[/name] sounds so handsome.
[name]August[/name] (nickname: Auggie or [name]Gus[/name])-- [name]Love[/name] the name [name]Gus[/name]! It’s my cat’s name. I’m not really a nickname person, so I would personally go with [name]Gus[/name]. But [name]August[/name] is nice, too. I also like [name]Augustus[/name].
[name]William[/name] (nickname: [name]Liam[/name])-- I like [name]William[/name], even though it’s an incredibly common name. [name]Liam[/name] is almost as common, and I like it, too. I would probably just go with [name]Liam[/name] if it were me.
[name]Charles[/name] (always called: [name]Charlie[/name])-- If he’s always called [name]Charlie[/name], then I would go with [name]Charlie[/name] instead. I prefer [name]Charlie[/name] anyway.
[name]Harrison[/name]-- This was on my list for a really long time. I think it’s rugged and handsome.
[name]John[/name] (nickname: maybe [name]Jack[/name] or [name]Johnny[/name])-- This one I don’t understand at all. Why give a one syllable name a two syllable nickname? I like [name]Jack[/name] and [name]John[/name]. But if I picked [name]John[/name] for my son, I think I’d just call him [name]John[/name].
[name]Clark[/name]-- This name does not get nearly as much love as it deserves. My husband vetoed it due to a bad association, but I love it so much! Try to imagine an unpleasant looking [name]Clark[/name]? You just can’t do it!
[name]Arthur[/name]-- On my list. It’s an anglophile’s dream.
[name]Samuel[/name] (nickname: [name]Sam[/name])-- My husband associates [name]Sam[/name] with “the whiny one” on the show Supernatural. I have to feel the same. [name]Sam[/name] isn’t the name I would give to a protagonist in a novel, so I wouldn’t think it would work well on my son, either.
[name]Jonah[/name]-- A solid name. I’ve always felt it has a very feminine sound, though.
[name]Leo[/name]-- I love [name]Leo[/name]! [name]How[/name] can just 3 little letters sound so powerful? Perfect!
[name]Felix[/name]-- This was on my list for a while. I took it off because I wanted something a little more substantial sounding. It sounds somewhat flighty to me. I’m not sure how to explain it correctly… there’s just not enough there.
[name]Oscar[/name]-- On my list. Another ruggedly handsome name.
[name]Jude[/name]-- Simple, but nice sounding.
[name]Rafferty[/name]-- Never liked this name. It reminds me of raffle. The nickname [name]Rafe[/name] seems cool, but it sounds way too much like another unfortunate word.
Top 10 Boys: [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Henry[/name], [name]Theodore[/name], [name]August[/name], [name]Charlie[/name], [name]Harrison[/name], [name]Clark[/name], [name]Arthur[/name], [name]Leo[/name] & [name]Oscar[/name]
