Thoughts on our top 5 please

Girl Names
1

Hello Berries!
It’s been a while since I’ve been on here (around two years), so have ended up making a new account (was previously @bewitchedbirch)
I am back because, much to my surprise and extreme excitement, we are expecting our third baby!! It’s very early days, but being obsessed with names I of course can’t help but think about them already!

We have two kids already, Toby (7) and Athena (4), and have had a boys name pretty much set for several years should we ever have a third. But I would love to get your opinions and some imagery on our current top 5 for a girl
(I’m going to block out the reasons behind why we love these names as I’d love your opinions before and after you read them)

  • Safira
Summary

This name has been a favourite of mine since I was pregnant with Athena, I even had a dream about a gorgeous little girl called Safira when I was pregnant with her and was convinced that should be her name. Alas, hubby just didn’t love it as much as I did at the time. I have no regrets as Athena suits our little girl perfectly.
A couple of years later I was lucky enough to get a border collie puppy and called her Safira - I was besotted. Unfortunately after about a year some not so great things happened, and we effectively had to decide between rehoming her or being homeless. We found her a lovely new home with a work collegue of my husband’s, we still get regular updates and get to visit her regularly.
Hubby has since come around to the name, and I would love to use Safira again. I do worry that it sounds a bit too similar to Athena though

  • Inara
Summary

This name is hubby’s soft spot name! He of course heard it off Firefly first, and we both love the Goddess connection. I think it’s a beautiful and very underated name and one of the few names hubby just loved the moment I suggested it, whereas most names he needs to mull over for a while before deciding how he feels about it

  • River
Summary

This name is actually our name if baby is a boy, but I love it equally on a girl. The story behind this name is a bit different - during lockdown (in March 2020) I was playing Sims, and had made our family but was having a third baby because why not! For the fun of naming lol.
I had a girl and boy name ready - turns out it was a boy so named him Remi - then it asked for another boys name, it was twins! I didn’t have any other boy names ready, but Toby popped up and suggested River! Keep in mind, he’s never known a personal named River, the only place I can think of that it came from was from a song I’ve sung them at bedtime since they were babies called Walk Me Over the Bridge - which they called “The River Song”.
Ever since then our boys name has been set as River, but as I stated above, I love it for a girl too.

  • Indigo
Summary

Another name we’ve loved for a long time, in fact if Toby had been a girl he would’ve most likely been called Indigo. I have a major soft spot for names ending in -o too, and just love the cool and chill vibes this name gives me. When I’ve asked the kids their favourite out of these five this is Athena’s choice

  • Freya
Summary

This name is actually a recent addition to the list - as in it was only added when we found out I was pregnant as I’ve had the strangest pull towards it ever since finding out.
This was the name of an Irish Wolfhound my mum had who passed away last year, and it broke her heart - Freya was her heart companion dog, if that makes sense? Mum and dad have also missed out on the past two and a half years of my kids lives as they moved back to England (we live in New Zealand). But they are planning on moving back here at the end of the year, and I’m very excited that they won’t have to miss out on any time with this babe. To say that mum would be overjoyed, honoured and extremely excited if we named this baby Freya is an understatement!
I do actually really love the name, as does hubby. We love that it’s also a goddess name, and I think it just sounds so gorgeous next to Toby and Athena. My only real holdback with this name is it’s popularity - I know it’s very popular in England, and is here too, although to a lesser extent - I only know of two around here, one being in Toby’s class at school! My fear is that it would feel less special if it’s so common - Athena gets lots of compliments on her name, I’d want the next baby to have that too
When asked out of these 5 names, this one is Toby’s choice.

Choice before reading extra info:

  • Safira
  • Inara
  • River
  • Indigo
  • Freya
0 voters

Choice after reading extra info (sorry if it was a bit long winded at times!!)

  • Safira
  • Inara
  • River
  • Indigo
  • Freya
0 voters

Thank you so much if you’ve stuck it out so far, I’m so sorry this had ended up being so long - just a little bit overly excited I get to name another baby!
Any thoughts and/or imagery you have for these names is truly appreciated :sparkling_heart:

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[name_f]Inara[/name_f] and [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] really stood out to me! [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] [name_f]Freya[/name_f] would be a beautiful combo -or [name_f]Inara[/name_f] [name_f]Freya[/name_f]!

3

[name_f]Freya[/name_f] feels like the one to me!

I do not think popularity ruins the specialness of a name if you love it. I think [name_u]Toby[/name_u], [name_f]Athena[/name_f] & [name_f]Freya[/name_f] sound great together. I also love the sentimentality behind the name with the connection to your parents.

Congratulations :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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4

It’s a toss-up between Freya and River! I think they both compliment the sibset so nicely and they both have a sweet story behind them! Indigo is my third favourite.

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5

I voted for [name_f]Freya[/name_f] first, because I think it’s a gorgeous name, and I think it fits best with the set. It’s actually less popular than [name_f]Athena[/name_f], and since both of your kids’ names are familiar but not overused (Athena ranking in the national top 100 now), I thought it would match better than [name_u]Indigo[/name_u], which is my personal favorite.

After reading your reasons, I switched to [name_u]River[/name_u] because of your story, and because it has a similar popularity as [name_f]Freya[/name_f] and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] (not sure about [name_u]Toby[/name_u] but it’s still familiar). I still think [name_f]Freya[/name_f] fits perfectly, but naming a baby after a family dog is a little iffy to me personally (I think of dogs as being equal parts of the family, and I wouldn’t name my child after their sibling, furry or otherwise, but that’s just me!) so that fact is what gave [name_u]River[/name_u] the nod for me. If the dog thing doesn’t bother you, which it sounds like it’s actually a plus, then completely disregard everything I just said!

6

I don’t think [name_f]Safira[/name_f] is too similar to [name_f]Athena[/name_f]. I do think it would be strange for your daughter to share a name with the canine [name_f]Safira[/name_f]. [name_f]Safira[/name_f] mostly makes me think of the Opel [name_f]Zafira[/name_f]. Disregarding this association, it feels cold and crystalline, and doesn’t go well with warm, friendly [name_u]Toby[/name_u].

[name_f]Inara[/name_f] makes me think of the neighbourhood in Casablanca. In Polish, saying “i nara” would be the even less formal equivalent of saying “see ya”. So I’m not terribly fond of it.

[name_u]River[/name_u] feels masculine to me. It’s not my usual style, but it’s fine. Hippy lite. I don’t much like it on a girl.

I don’t like [name_u]Indigo[/name_u]. It reminds me of zany 70s spirituality.

[name_f]Freya[/name_f] is my favourite from your list by a large margin. I’ve only ever met one. It’s mythological, like [name_f]Athena[/name_f], but warm and friendly like [name_u]Toby[/name_u].

7

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there.

Here are my thoughts without reading your summaries:

Safira-Ooh, so pretty. I think that it goes lovely with your kids’ names too. It’s elegant and kind of mysterious, but not too dark. It’s super unique & not terribly complicated. I slightly prefer [name_f]Sapphira[/name_f], but [name_f]Safira[/name_f] is actually way easier. I picture a thoughtful artsy brunette with olive skin.

Inara-Hm. I suppose it is sort of similar to [name_f]Safira[/name_f] (and Athena) in style, but I just don’t like the way it looks or sounds that much.

River-I really like this for a boy, and can’t get into it for a girl. It feels too masculine. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I know a pretty little girl named this, it still doesn’t feel right.

Indigo-This is so cool. Really neat with [name_f]Athena[/name_f] too. Maybe a bit hippy next to the sweet down to [name_f]Earth[/name_f] [name_u]Toby[/name_u], but not a deal breaker at all. [name_u]An[/name_u] [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] seems care free and artsy but sort of a no nonsense type lady. I love the botanical aspect and the color association. The nn [name_u]Indie[/name_u] is natural and kind of cute, but I really love the nn [name_f]Idgie[/name_f]. And that’s more unique; if you wanted to do a nn. I kind of picture [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] on a blonde with blue eyes.

Freya-This is really nice. Soft and pretty but not too frilly. Really nice with your kids’ names. [name_m]Easy[/name_m] to say and spell, but not over done. I feel like [name_f]Freya[/name_f] is a brunette with blue eyes.

[name_f]My[/name_f] thoughts after reading the summaries:

Safira-It doesn’t sound too close to [name_f]Athena[/name_f]. It feels like a perfect match for her sister, but isn’t that similar in sound. I’m so glad that you found [name_f]Safira[/name_f] the dog and a good home, and I think it’d be fun to have a little daughter and her share a name.

Inara-Well, knowing how much you guys both love it does make me feel better about it. I just don’t love the sound, but I still think that it’s an interesting choice and not at all unpleasant.

River-That is a sweet story. I still personally find it very handsome and masculine, but I can see the appeal for a girl.

Indigo-It sounds like [name_f]Athena[/name_f] has good taste. I think it my favorite too!

Freya-I love how you and your parents name dogs beautiful feminine names! [name_f]My[/name_f] Boarder Collie/Pit Bull mix is [name_f]Fiona[/name_f]. :grin: I think that’s really special that you would do this to please your mom, and it seems like you guys love it too. I’m in the U.S, where it’s not popular at all. [name_f]Athena[/name_f] is more common than [name_f]Freya[/name_f] here. I guess you just have to weigh how special it would be for your little one vs worrying about how popular it is.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. :slight_smile:

8

[name_f]Freya[/name_f] is my choice overall, but I chose Infra for the second poll because it’s also lovely and it’s what I’d choose if popularity is a major concern.

9

Are you a fan of [name_u]Firefly[/name_u] by any chance? I am obsessed with the show and couldn’t help but notice the additions of [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_f]Inara[/name_f] on the list!
[name_f]Edit[/name_f]: I just read the sumaries of the names and see your husband is the fan. Haha.

That being said, [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] are both on my baby names list so I am unfairly baised towards them. In fact [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] [name_u]River[/name_u] makes for a beautiful first and middle combination! I actually love Ricer for a girl or boy but prefer it for a girl. Water seems feminine to me I guess?

I am going to against the grain and say that [name_f]Freya[/name_f] is my least favorite on the list. As a [name_u]Firefly[/name_u] fangirl I also have a grudge against the name [name_f]Inara[/name_f] since she is by far my least favorite character on the show. But the actress who plays her is great!

[name_f]Safire[/name_f] is beautiful and I love that you dreamt about it! I am sorry about the dog but hope she is happy in her new home! [name_f]Safire[/name_f] is absolutely a lovely name.