Thoughts on these + suggestions?

General Name Discussion
1

[name]Just[/name] as a bit of background info, I’m not expecting any babies. I’m looking to change my name as soon as I’m old enough (I’ll be turning 16 in two months, legal age to do it here is 18). This isn’t just a phase, either; I’ve always hated my name. I’m looking for names where the meaning is not so obvious (because my current first name is a flower name, and I’ve always hated that everybody knows what it means as soon as they hear it).

My list so far is:

[name]Alana[/name]/[name]Alanna[/name] - Which spelling is better for the pronunciation ah-lann-uh? I don’t like [name]Alannah[/name] because it looks too forced.
[name]Laura[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name] - I’ve loved this since I was little. Not sure how usable it is with a cousin named [name]Anna[/name], though.
[name]Elora[/name]
[name]Meredith[/name] - I know it was originally a boy name, but it’s been used on girls enough for nobody to think it’s weird. My parents considered this when my mother was expecting me, so I have a feeling this is the one they’d like the best.
[name]Nora[/name]/[name]Annora[/name] - I like [name]Nora[/name], but am worried it’s too much of a nickname. Not sure if [name]Annora[/name] is too close to [name]Anna[/name], once again. [name]Eleanor[/name] or any related names are not an option because of a bad association with someone I know.
[name]Viviane[/name] - I’d pronounce this differently to [name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name]. I say it as viv-ee-anne.
[name]Marissa[/name]
[name]Melissa[/name] - Kind of outdated, but it’s common among my age group here.
[name]Alexandra[/name] - Probably completely unusable because it’s my aunt’s name, but her nickname is [name]Alex[/name] and mine would be either [name]Allie[/name] or [name]Sasha[/name].
[name]Arwen[/name] - Probably too made-up.
[name]Leah[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Elise[/name] - Most likely a middle name, because my current middle is [name]Elizabeth[/name] (which I hate) but it’s in honour of my grandma, and [name]Elise[/name] would still honour her. If I used it up front, the middle name would be [name]Caroline[/name].
[name]Isolde[/name] - So many pronunciations for this one. I say ih-sol-da, but I’d probably get i-sold a lot. Also, I want to name a son [name]Tristan[/name] one day, which would probably be just as weird as someone named [name]Juliet[/name] calling her son [name]Romeo[/name].
[name]Marian[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] - I’d pronounce [name]Marian[/name] as marry-in and [name]Marianne[/name] as marry-anne, but they might get mispronounced a lot.
[name]Alyssa[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name] - Nicknamed [name]Kitty[/name], [name]Katy[/name] or [name]Kat[/name].
[name]Brenna[/name]
[name]Eliana[/name]

I have a one-syllable last name starting with F, so I’d like to avoid names that start with F and/or have one syllable. I tend to like names that are fresh-sounding but not too trendy or popular, and names with a sort of fantasy sound to them also appeal to me. I like Irish and Welsh names, but names from any other origin are definitely welcome as well.

2

[name]Meredith[/name] is great at any age and has a bit of good history for you.

3

I’ve bolded the ones I especially like.

[name]Alanna[/name] is better for your pronunciation, a la [name]Hanna[/name].
[name]Laura[/name] - very solid and not weird at all name.
[name]Hannah[/name] - I like it, but it depends on how close you are to your cousin. Like sisters? Probably not. See once a year at [name]Christmas[/name]? Go ahead.
[name]Elora[/name] - sounds made up
[name]Meredith[/name] - I like the “th” sound, but I know a girl with it, so I’m biased against it.
[name]Nora[/name] - Short and sweet, modern yet tasteful. Perhaps [name]Andorra[/name] for something not close to [name]Anna[/name]?
[name]Viviane[/name] - No one would pronounce this the way you want.
[name]Marissa[/name] - biased against it again, due to a person I know. But I like the “issa” sound.
[name]Melissa[/name] - “issa” sound is all I like about it.
[name]Alexandra[/name] - Again depends on how close you are to your aunt. I think of this as a strong name, associated with [name]Alexander[/name].
[name]Arwen[/name] - Sounds masculine
[name]Leah[/name] - blah
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name] - Liking, but not loving. “meel” is turning me off.
[name]Elise[/name] - This sounds dated for some reason
[name]Isolde[/name] - Judging by your pronunciation wants and [name]Tristan[/name], I’d say this one is out.
[name]Marian[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] - I don’t think these would get mispronounced, personally I prefer [name]Marianne[/name]; it’s more feminine and an [name]Austen[/name] character :slight_smile:
[name]Alyssa[/name] - again biased against
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name] - Never out of style and always a great name.
[name]Brenna[/name] - again biased against, but I can say that I like it.
[name]Eliana[/name] - sounds made up

4

Meant to add, what about [name]Anwen[/name]? It’s welsh and is like [name]Arwen[/name], but with the “An” sound you like.
Of course, I’ve been told it sounds made up, so you may want to avoid that.

5

[name]Alanna[/name] - I would go with this spelling for your pronunciation
[name]Laura[/name] - this is a nice, classic name
[name]Hannah[/name] - I have a cousin with the same name as me- not weird at all, but we live in different countries. If you never see her, [name]Hannah[/name] is fine. If you live in the same town or hang out a lot, it might be a bit weird.
[name]Elora[/name] – nms… sounds a little made up to me
[name]Meredith[/name] - this is a nice name…classic and pretty… and it sounds completely girly to me
[name]Nora[/name] - I love [name]Nora[/name]! Not at all too much of a nick-name.
[name]Viviane[/name] - I don’t think people would really pronounce it “viv-ee-anne”, but [name]Vivien[/name] is pretty.
[name]Marissa[/name] – don’t like this
[name]Melissa[/name] - like you say…feels a bit dated to me
[name]Alexandra[/name] - I like this name, and there is plenty of room of nicknames.
[name]Arwen[/name] - definitely too made up.
[name]Leah[/name] – pretty and classic.
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name] – I love this name, either spelling is beautiful.
[name]Elise[/name] - [name]Elise[/name] is pretty, and would work well with a lot of different FNs.
[name]Isolde[/name] - yeah- if you want to use [name]Tristan[/name] later, [name]Isolde[/name] is probably out, though it is very pretty.
[name]Marian[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] - I think both would be pronounced just as you said…[name]Marianne[/name] is prettier to me.
[name]Alyssa[/name] — not a fan of this one.
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name] - these are both great names, classic and with loads of nicknames
[name]Brenna[/name] – I like this one okay
[name]Eliana[/name] – seems made up to me (but a lot of names do to me, so that doesn’t mean much)

6

[name]Alana[/name]/[name]Alanna[/name] - I’d go with [name]Alanna[/name]. Not bad.
[name]Laura[/name] - So popular in my age group but I’m also about 10 years old than you. I like [name]Lauren[/name] and [name]Laurel[/name] more :slight_smile:
[name]Hannah[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it! Might be a little weird with an [name]Anna[/name] though. Depends how close you are I guess.
[name]Elora[/name] - Not a fan.
[name]Meredith[/name] - So far this would be my choice. It’s almost like it was “meant to be” since it was almost your name. Plus it’s a nice name!
[name]Nora[/name]/[name]Annora[/name] - I like [name]Nora[/name], not so much [name]Annora[/name]. Though I’m not a fan, what about [name]Honora[/name]?
[name]Viviane[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t like it. Much prefer [name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name].
[name]Marissa[/name] - I like it! I have a friend with this name and she’s really fun and outgoing.
[name]Melissa[/name] - This is my sister’s name. It’s a nice name, nothing too exciting about it, but definitely nothing wrong with it.
[name]Alexandra[/name] - I’d avoid it personally if you have a family member with this name. What about [name]Alexis[/name] or [name]Alexa[/name]?
[name]Arwen[/name] - It’s ok. Not a big fan.
[name]Leah[/name] - [name]Love[/name]!
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name] - [name]Amelia[/name] for sure. Not a fan of it with an e.
[name]Elise[/name] - Hm, I like the meaning it has for you. I really love [name]Caroline[/name]… but I think it flows better as [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Elise[/name] [name]IMO[/name].
[name]Isolde[/name] - I pronounce this as iss-old. If it doesn’t bother you to correct people, then it’s fine.
[name]Marian[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] - I’m not a big fan of either. I’d pronounce them the same as you listed (mary-in/mary-ann)
[name]Alyssa[/name] - A nice name but another that’s pretty popular with people around my age. Nothing wrong with it but not exciting either.
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name] - Really really don’t like the nns [name]Kat[/name] or [name]Kitty[/name] but that’s your call. [name]Both[/name] are nice names.
[name]Brenna[/name] - I actually like this. Some similar names - [name]Brenda[/name], [name]Brynn[/name], [name]Brielle[/name].
[name]Eliana[/name] - Eh, not a fan. Kind of cutesy.

7

Hello, I’m also renaming myself, feel free to drop me a message whenever you like. :slight_smile:

I really like the names you have picked out.
[name]Meredith[/name] [name]Elise[/name] would be a lovely combo.

I like [name]Viviane[/name] a lot, and [name]Alexandra[/name], [name]Katarina[/name].
Perhaps you’d like [name]Alessandra[/name], since it’s a variant of [name]Alexandra[/name], and you can easily get your [name]Allie[/name], and [name]Sasha[/name] nn.

8

Thanks for all your replies! :slight_smile:

I couldn’t do [name]Andorra[/name] because it’s… not my style, to be polite about it. Too much of a place name, which I think is silly on a human being (no offense).

My cousin [name]Anna[/name] lives overseas, but we’re pretty close when we do see each other so it might be awkward. My aunt [name]Alexandra[/name] and I are fairly close as well, so that’s also probably out. [name]Elora[/name] is definitely crossed off because I’ve just started writing about a character with that name, so it seems awkward.

[name]Alexis[/name], [name]Alexa[/name], [name]Lauren[/name], [name]Laurel[/name], [name]Brenda[/name] and [name]Brielle[/name] are not my style, and [name]Brynn[/name] is too boyish and would sound like a joke with my surname. I probably couldn’t pull off [name]Alessandra[/name] because I’m not Italian at all, and it would seem odd on a girl of mostly English, Scottish and Latvian heritage. Not really liking [name]Anwen[/name] for myself.

Couldn’t do [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Elise[/name], as [name]Caroline[/name] is my other grandmother and I want to avoid confusion with her. My grandmother [name]Elizabeth[/name] hates nicknames and uses her full name, so I could get away with [name]Elise[/name] more easily.

So, my updated list is:

[name]Alanna[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name] - I still really like both, but like [name]Emilia[/name] better with my last name when written down.
[name]Catherine[/name] - Keeping it, but maybe with a middle name that isn’t [name]Elise[/name] because of [name]Cate[/name] Blanchett’s full first and middle name being [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Elise[/name]. Maybe [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Bethany[/name] or [name]Catherine[/name] [name]Isabel[/name]?
[name]Cornelia[/name]
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Isabel[/name] - Alternative to [name]Elise[/name] as a name to honour an [name]Elizabeth[/name].
[name]Laura[/name]
[name]Leona[/name]
[name]Marianne[/name]
[name]Marissa[/name] - [name]Just[/name] remembered I have a distant cousin named [name]Melissa[/name] who I see whenever I visit my grandma (she lives nearby), so that’s off the list. [name]Marissa[/name] just seems prettier with my surname as well.
[name]Meredith[/name] - Keeping it on the list because it was nearly my name, and would go down well with my parents. Not thrilled with how the th sound at the end sounds with my last name, though. Kind of an awkward transition.
[name]Miranda[/name] - I just love the sound of it with my surname, and think it’s pretty.
[name]Nerissa[/name] - Instead of [name]Melissa[/name] or [name]Marissa[/name]
[name]Nora[/name]
[name]Sylvia[/name]
[name]Valerie[/name]
[name]Vanessa[/name] - I know, it’s boring and dated to most, but I really like this name with my surname and think it suits my appearance and personality well.

Apologies if this post was long! I just had to reply to everyone.

9

[name]Alana[/name]/[name]Alanna[/name] - I like the name…but there are a lot of Alanas and Alannas around your age bracket where I live. [name]How[/name] about [name]Alenna[/name]? Its different, and very pretty.
[name]Laura[/name]- name as above…quite common for the age group, who would be one of many
[name]Hannah[/name] -Again, same as above. However if you’ve always loved the name, then go for it. [name]Don[/name]'t worry about your cousin’s name sounding similar either.
[name]Elora[/name]- lovely!
[name]Meredith[/name] - I think its nice to respect something that
[name]Nora[/name]/[name]Annora[/name] - Not my favourite from your list
[name]Viviane[/name] - I like [name]Vivienne[/name] better
[name]Marissa[/name]- [name]Don[/name]'t like it
[name]Melissa[/name] - I’m not a fan
[name]Alexandra[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t have an opinion on this one really
[name]Arwen[/name] - I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Arwen[/name]. But it is a little made up. Also love [name]Anwen[/name]…its not made up at all, in fact a very traditional Welsh name.
[name]Leah[/name]- It ok
[name]Amelia[/name]/[name]Emilia[/name]- I like [name]Amelie[/name] or [name]Emily[/name] better
[name]Elise[/name] - I definitely like it as a middle name
[name]Isolde[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t use it…especially if you want to name your son [name]Tristan[/name]
[name]Marian[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] - I like [name]Marian[/name] better
[name]Alyssa[/name]- Not a fan
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name] - I like [name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Brenna[/name]- lovely!
[name]Eliana[/name]- Not a huge fan…I like [name]Eleni[/name] though

I suggest:
[name]Arwen[/name] [name]Elise[/name]
[name]Anwen[/name] [name]Elise[/name]
[name]Brenna[/name] [name]Elise[/name]

10

[name]Alana[/name] [name]Elise[/name] flows well imo

11

[name]Alenna[/name] is not my style; just seems like a trying-too-hard name. Also, [name]Alanna[/name] and [name]Alenna[/name] are different in my accent. And I hate misspellings.

[name]Alanna[/name] [name]Elise[/name] sounds really bad in my accent, because you have to take care to pause between the names or else it comes out as Alannalise. It would be [name]Alanna[/name] [name]Caroline[/name] instead if [name]Alanna[/name] was the name.