Thoughts on these names? + Spellings

Girl Names
1

We’ve found a few more names that we’re thinking about possibly adding to the list. We have multiple spellings for some of them so we’d love to hear your opinions on them too.

They are:

[name_f]Vivia[/name_f], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] - Which do you prefer?

[name_f]Olympia[/name_f]

[name_f]Wynona[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f] -My DH prefers the spelling [name_f]Wynona[/name_f], mainly because his grandmothers name was Wyni (spelt this way). I agree that the [name_u]Wyn[/name_u]- spelling would honor her more than the [name_u]Win[/name_u]- spelling. WDYT?

[name_f]Wynola[/name_f], [name_f]Winola[/name_f] - Same reasons as above. Also, do you prefer the -nola or nona ending? I prefer [name_f]Wynola[/name_f]/[name_f]Winola[/name_f] because I prefer the nickname [name_f]Nola[/name_f] to [name_f]Nona[/name_f] but my DH doesn’t even have a preference.

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] - I thought this might be a little too matchy with [name_f]Delia[/name_f], which is one of our daughters many nicknames.

[name_f]Louann[/name_f], [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Luann[/name_f]? - [name_m]How[/name_m] would you spell this one? We’ve seen so many different spellings.

[name_f]Ffion[/name_f]

[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]

[name_f]Aylin[/name_f]

And these ones would just be middle names:

Cresta - A family name that my husband found while looking into his family tree

[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]

[name_f]Caledonia[/name_f] - Would consider this as a first name if it wasn’t so matchy with our daughters name. ([name_f]Delia[/name_f] & [name_f]Donia[/name_f] endings)

[name_f]Plum[/name_f]

[name_u]Shade[/name_u] - This honors family. We obviously never even considered this for a first name!

2

My favourite combo of all your names are [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Plum[/name_f]

3

[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] - I love this name and prefer this spelling. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] seems overly frilly to me and implies to me a different pronunciation (emphasis on the -enne) when I’m not sure that’s intended.
[name_f]Olympia[/name_f] - too matchy with [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Winona[/name_f]/[name_f]Winola[/name_f] - I think I would use this spelling but woudn’t be sad to see the [name_u]Wyn[/name_u] spelling of either.
[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] - I don’t find this matchy with [name_f]Delia[/name_f] but I don’t love it with [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ffion[/name_f] - lovely, a really intriguing option
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] - ok but not my favorite
[name_f]Louann[/name_f] - I don’t care for it in any spelling. It seems out dated without the attraction of vintage-ness
[name_f]Aylin[/name_f] - nms, I think it would blend in with the Kaylins, Kaitlins, etc

My favorites are [name_f]Ffion[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f] and [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] in that order.

4

My favorite from your list would be [name_f]Paloma[/name_f]. If you really aren’t considering it as a first name, I would use [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_f]Paloma[/name_f]. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] is nice too. [name_f]Vivia[/name_f] sounds like a pharmaceutical product or something.
I think [name_f]Olympia[/name_f] is too close to [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]. [name_f]Louann[/name_f] (any spelling) just feels very dated to me, and a completely different style than your daughter’s name. I prefer [name_f]Winona[/name_f] to [name_f]Wynona[/name_f] but I think either is acceptable. [name_f]Wynola[/name_f] sounds odd to me. A lot of your other options are nice but sound too simple/short next to [name_f]Odelia[/name_f].

5

My personal first name favorites are [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_f]Ayla[/name_f], and [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] being the favorite out of those. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Plum[/name_f] or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_u]Shade[/name_u] would be my favorite combos.

6

[name_u]Shade[/name_u] is another word for ghost. I would be much too superstitious to use the name and would not like encountering someone named it even as a middle name. It seems like a vampire novel name or a name a goth club kid would make up for him/herself as a teen. So I’d nix that one! [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it honors family.

Of the rest, many are lovely. [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] are both sweeter than [name_f]Vivia[/name_f] to my ear. [name_f]Vivia[/name_f] has a bit of a porn star sound-- sorry! [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]'s spelling matches [name_f]Odelia[/name_f] a little more to me.

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f]-- pretty, but trendy unless you have Turkish ancestry
[name_f]Ffion[/name_f]-- pretty, but hard to spell/pronounce and not very understandable with [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]-- love this one. It’s underused.
[name_f]Aylin[/name_f]-- quite trendy and a mismatch to [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Louann[/name_f]-- very dated! Not ready for a revival
[name_f]Winona[/name_f]-- nice
[name_f]Olympia[/name_f]-- fine, a very strong name, but too close to [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]

With a sibling named [name_f]Odelia[/name_f], I’d stick with something like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f].

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], [name_f]Juliette[/name_f], or [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]? These all match [name_f]Odelia[/name_f] very well to me.

Good luck!

7

[name_f]Vivia[/name_f], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]: I think the -enne sound completes the name, so I prefer [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]/[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] over [name_f]Vivia[/name_f]. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] seems more feminine to me, and I have an affinity for the nickname [name_f]Enna[/name_f]. However, if you want less frills, go for [name_u]Vivian[/name_u].

[name_f]Olympia[/name_f]- [name_f]Love[/name_f] this name! It’s a good alternative to the overused [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], with the spunky nicknames [name_f]Oly[/name_f] and [name_f]Pia[/name_f].

[name_f]Wynona[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f]: I prefer the [name_u]Win[/name_u]- spelling, but [name_u]Wyn[/name_u]- would be a great way to honor DH’s grandmother.

[name_f]Wynola[/name_f], [name_f]Winola[/name_f]: I like the sound of [name_f]Wynona[/name_f] over [name_f]Wynola[/name_f], but I’m for the [name_f]Nola[/name_f] nickname more. Also, [name_f]Wynona[/name_f] looks more like a legitimate variation than [name_f]Wynola[/name_f], and you’re more likely to get weird mispronunciations with [name_f]Wynola[/name_f] [name_f]IMO[/name_f].

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] - Depends on how you say it. If you rhyme it with [name_f]Kayla[/name_f], then I would say it is too matchy with [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]. But, saying it like [name_f]Isla[/name_f] (which is the proper Turkish pronunciation I believe) makes it more distinct, but could cause pronunciation troubles.

[name_f]Louann[/name_f], [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Luann[/name_f]? - I would double barrel it ([name_f]Lu[/name_f]-[name_f]Ann[/name_f]). It rings Southern belle, so if that’s the image you want, that’s dandy! If not, it might be wise to reconsider.

[name_f]Ffion[/name_f]- Would cause lots of pronunciation troubles, although the actual pronunciation (fee-on) is quite simple. I quite like it, although you may want to drop an ‘f’ (even though that changes the pronunciation in Welsh.)

[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]- Pretty, sweet, and uncomplicated. I like it.

[name_f]Aylin[/name_f]- [name_m]Way[/name_m] too trendy for my tastes. Would get lost among the Kaylins and Kaylees and Kaylas.

Cresta - Pretty, and it has family ties. If this seems a bit made up, [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] has a similar sound.

[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]- Gorgeous, underused name. If you used it as a first, however, there aren’t many nicknames besides [name_f]Pam[/name_f] and [name_f]Polly[/name_f].

[name_f]Caledonia[/name_f] - I’d consider it, but do you have a connection to [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]? That would make the name even cooler in the middle spot.

[name_f]Plum[/name_f]- Perfect for a middle, but a bit off for a first.

[name_u]Shade[/name_u] - I know a girl with the middle name Chains (it was her mother’s maiden name). [name_u]Shade[/name_u] fits right in with the trend of using unusual or even outrageous names to honor family.

8

[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] and [name_f]Odelia[/name_f] sound beautiful together!

[name_f]Olympia[/name_f] - fabulous name but it’s a lot of O.

[name_f]Wynona[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f] -I think [name_f]Winona[/name_f] might save spelling headaches.

[name_f]Wynola[/name_f], [name_f]Winola[/name_f] - I prefer [name_f]Winona[/name_f] over [name_f]Winola[/name_f].

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] -slightly too matchy with [name_f]Odelia[/name_f], yes

[name_f]Louann[/name_f], [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Luann[/name_f]? - [name_f]Louanne[/name_f]? Lots of confusing spellings!

[name_f]Ffion[/name_f] - no

[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] - pretty!

[name_f]Plum[/name_f] - great middle name!

[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Plum[/name_f] sounds lovely.

Have you considered [name_f]Luella[/name_f]?

9

[name_f]Vivia[/name_f], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] - love -ienne…but most used is proly [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]. [name_f]Vivia[/name_f] is too much like [name_f]Vivica[/name_f] for me, not a fan

[name_f]Olympia[/name_f] - feels too literal a word name, prefer the [name_m]French[/name_m] [name_f]Olympe[/name_f] (sounds like Olamp) - can cause pronounciation and spelling issues…but may be too lovely to matter

[name_f]Wynona[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f] - for my the Wy = why, [name_u]Win[/name_u] = win, there a subtle difference, think [name_f]Winona[/name_f] is more delicate

[name_f]Wynola[/name_f], [name_f]Winola[/name_f] - both remind me of Canola oil…

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] - blah

[name_f]Louann[/name_f], [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Luann[/name_f]? - all i think of is white trash [name_f]Louann[/name_f] from [name_m]King[/name_m] of the [name_m]Hill[/name_m]

[name_f]Ffion[/name_f] - why make the kids life difficult? go with [name_f]Fiona[/name_f], its lovelier with less complications

[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] - reminds me of “rest on your laurels”…not a great connotation

[name_f]Aylin[/name_f] - trendy, a 'trying to be new and not be all the other -lin names out there"

Cresta - just ok

[name_f]Paloma[/name_f] - too set in its ethnicity, prefer the more literal [name_u]Dove[/name_u] or [name_f]Dovevet[/name_f]

[name_f]Caledonia[/name_f] - too large a name, all i think of is a country

[name_f]Plum[/name_f] - prefer Pear, but not bad

[name_u]Shade[/name_u] - reminds me of shade of a person, depression etc

10

[name_f]Vivia[/name_f]/[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]/[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]: none, I prefer [name_u]Vivien[/name_u], and love the connection to [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] [name_u]Leigh[/name_u]

[name_f]Olympia[/name_f]: spunky, modern, and fun but with lots of history

[name_f]Wynona[/name_f]/[name_f]Winona[/name_f]: I prefer [name_f]Wynona[/name_f]- it sounds like a [name_m]Wild[/name_m] [name_u]West[/name_u] frontierswoman back in the pioneer days or gothic horror/dark mystery writer
[name_f]Wynola[/name_f]/[name_f]Winola[/name_f]- I like [name_f]Wynola[/name_f] better than [name_f]Winola[/name_f]; it gives me the same imagery as [name_f]Wynona[/name_f], whereas [name_f]Winona[/name_f]/[name_f]WInola[/name_f] reminds me of [name_m]Winston[/name_m] [name_m]Churchill[/name_m]- a good connection but a bit stuffy/fusty. No strong preference on -nona/-nola

[name_f]Ayla[/name_f]- I’d say it like [name_f]Kayla[/name_f] without the K, if you want it said like [name_f]Isla[/name_f] you should spell it as such. It’s okay if it’s close to your one of your daughter’s nicknames, it’s just a nickname

[name_f]Louann[/name_f]/[name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f]/[name_f]Luann[/name_f]- I’d prefer [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] or [name_u]Lou[/name_u] [name_f]Anne[/name_f], with or without a hyphen. It seems like a little girl in the baby boom era, innocent and sweet and playful. I imagine her wearing a patterned dress with a collar, clutching a doll close.

[name_f]Ffion[/name_f]- nms, it sounds a bit harsh and masculine, and the pronunciation/spelling would be an issue

[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]- playful and modern, nature-y but not too obviously so

[name_f]Aylin[/name_f]- same as [name_f]Ffion[/name_f]

Cresta- I think of the crest of a wave, a rather odd association. Would you consider [name_f]Cressida[/name_f]?

[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]- I love this one too! Fun, familiar but exotic, a touch theatrical. I actually like the song La [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] so it’s not a bad association for me

[name_f]Caledonia[/name_f]- If this is really your favourite, I think you can use it up front. The C sound at the beginning is strong enough to make them distinct- and the stressed syllables of both names sound quite different. The “donia” and “delia” parts aren’t emphasized, it’s the “cal” and the “oh”. I love [name_f]Caledonia[/name_f]- ethereal, magical, fanciful, storied. Kudos for having the guts to use it- it’s on my GP list, and pretty much everything is usable to me. (And another song I love is called [name_f]Caledonia[/name_f])

[name_f]Plum[/name_f]- cute and charming, a fun middle

[name_u]Shade[/name_u]- no, not even as a middle. It’s just too random a word to be used as a name [name_f]IMO[/name_f].

11

[name_f]Vivia[/name_f] and [name_f]Ayla[/name_f] are the only ones I like. [name_f]Vivia[/name_f] really stands out from [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]/[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], in my opinion. [name_f]Ayla[/name_f] fits right in with most of today’s names yet stands out just the same.