Expecting baby #3. We have two daughters with Spanish feminine first names (and we have a common Spanish surname), both our daughters’ names end in ‘a’. Here is our short list for a girl after lots of deliberation:
[name_f]Rafaela[/name_f]- Our boy name is [name_m]Rafael[/name_m] and we like it enough to use the feminine version for a girl. I think this name is romantic and international sounding.
[name_f]Hilda[/name_f]- My grandmother’s name which holds a special place, very rarely heard now (as it’s considered unfashionable) but that’s kind of cool to me. I find this name sweet and spunky.
[name_f]Camellia[/name_f]- My favorite flower, beautiful sounding and the nickname would probably be [name_u]Cam[/name_u] or [name_u]Mel[/name_u].
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f] or [name_f]Delphina[/name_f]- My husband likes [name_f]Delphina[/name_f], I like [name_f]Delphine[/name_f]. I have always loved the meaning of dolphin and that it sounds sophisticated.
[name_f]Dolores[/name_f]- A name where I don’t know why I love it but I do, it’s got vintage charm to me and I love the nickname [name_f]Dolly[/name_f].
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]- Pretty flower name that I haven’t been able to let go of.
Middle name will be [name_f]Lux[/name_f]… Please let me know what you think of these choices and if you know of any other names that might fit our taste (international, not too common) let me know. Thanks for your time!
My favorites for you are [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] and [name_f]Delphine[/name_f]/[name_f]Delphina[/name_f] I think both of these are amazing names and they are so pretty! I also really like [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] for you, it’s not my favorite but it seams really meaningful to you, and I agree that it’s spunky and sweet and unique, the only issue is, as you probably know yourself, the H would be silent in Spanish, so it would be “[name_f]Ilda[/name_f]”
[name_f]Dolores[/name_f]: Not a personal favorite, and I really dislike the meaning, and it doesn’t seam to be as meaningful to you as the other names
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]: A pretty name, just really not my style and this doesn’t seem as meaningful either, but you can’t go wrong with it
[name_f]Rafaela[/name_f]: Super pretty, but I would never use it if you have a son named [name_m]Rafael[/name_m]
I think [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] are fun, quirky older names. They’re not quite my style but I’d be very pleased to see them on someone else’s kid. [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] and [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] are dainty and pretty and would also make good choices.
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] is a little bit [name_m]OTT[/name_m] in the first name slot for me, and [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f] I would avoid because [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f] [name_f]Lux[/name_f] is a bit of a tongue twister with the “Ls” so close together.
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] is my favorite! She’s sweet, vintage, familiar but not too out there and has adorable nicknames. [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] and [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] “[name_f]Dolly[/name_f]” are also lovely! After the Netflix show [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] came out I’ve really warmed up to it, I’d actually love to meet a little [name_f]Hilda[/name_f].
I loooove [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f]! It’s gorgeous, and bizarrely underused considering how fashionable the “ella” sound is at the moment. I agree that it’s a slight tongue-twister paired with [name_f]Lux[/name_f] because of the repeated L sounds, but honestly I still like it best of your options.
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f] or [name_f]Delphina[/name_f]/[name_f]Delfina[/name_f] (I prefer the flow of the latter with [name_f]Lux[/name_f]) would be my second choice. It’s such a sweet, chic, sophisticated name and surprisingly international.
Thank you for your feedback everyone! [name_m]Just[/name_m] to clarify, we do not have a boy named [name_m]Rafael[/name_m], but it is our pick for if the baby turns out to be a boy (we elected to wait until the birth to find out
I love [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] so much, but not with [name_f]Lux[/name_f] I’m afraid. The flow is off… Other than that, I love [name_f]Camellia[/name_f], [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f], and [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]! The flow is also a little off kilter with [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f], though, and if you were to have a boy in the future you might be disappointed you couldn’t use [name_m]Rafael[/name_m].
Oh, I love [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]! I think it’s so beautiful, sweet, and spunky.
I also really like [name_f]Hilda[/name_f]. I like that its underused, and quirky in a sweet way. I love the meaning it has for you, too!
The absolute standout for me is the gorgeous Rafaela! And Rafaela Lux is great, not too much I think. I love this name, so cool, international, stylish and great nns Raffy and Raf (Ela and Elly of course too.) And I love Rafael for a boy.
The only other one I like is Camellia, though I much prefer Camilla or Camille.
[name_f]Rafaela[/name_f], [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] and [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] (not [name_f]Delphina[/name_f]) are lovely. But if you intend to have more children and want to use [name_m]Rafael[/name_m] for a boy, then I would save it. If this is your last child…go for it. It’s my fave.
[name_f]Hilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] are too old-ladyish for my tastes. And some people pronounce clitoris as if it rhymes with [name_f]Dolores[/name_f], so that would be a big no-no for me.
[name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] is not my style and sounds like it would be a 180 from your other childrens’ names.
On paper I do like [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f] and [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] on paper, but I don’t think they would be great choices in real life. They feel a bit clunky on the tongue.
[name_f]Hilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] I am not a fan of. Paired with a Spanish surname I would stumble trying to decide to pronounce them in Spanish or English (pronouncing the H or not, and if the LL is a L or Y sound), and I am just not super fond anyways.
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]/[name_f]Delphina[/name_f] and [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] I both like. Overall I think [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] [name_f]Lux[/name_f] sounds better, although I maybe like [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] a little bit more.
A few other suggestions:
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]/[name_f]Dalia[/name_f] (flower like [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f], but feels slightly more international)
[name_f]Jacinta[/name_f] (old feel like [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Dolores[/name_f])
[name_f]Lorena[/name_f] (shares a sound with [name_f]Dolores[/name_f])
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_f]Carlota[/name_f]
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f] (reminds me of [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f])
I honestly like all your choices. Of them, I think [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] [name_f]Lux[/name_f] or [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] [name_f]Lux[/name_f] would be the front runners for meaningfulness and beauty. [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] feels a little punk rock to me and I dig that. [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] is lush and soft without being too saccharine.
Those would be my picks. You can’t go wrong though! Good luck.
My votes are for [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f], [name_f]Hilda[/name_f], and [name_f]Delphina[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Delphina[/name_f] is pretty and probably sounds the best with [name_f]Lux[/name_f], but [name_f]Rafaela[/name_f] is just too gorgeous to ignore.
Honestly though, I’d probably use [name_f]Hilda[/name_f] if not the other two. It’s your grandmother’s name and what better excuse to use such a funky, underused name? I’ve always liked it (being a [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] the Teenage Witch fan from a young age) but never hear it, even on older generations.
