I had a good friend who dealt with baby name remorse and definitely want to avoid that happening to me, so I need all advice and suggestions before we make such a big decision. For our little girl:
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (pro: lovely name, good meaning. con: popular)
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] (pro: beautiful name, not that common. con: makes me think of corella de ville for some reason)
[name_f]Elle[/name_f] (pro: modern, simple, chic. con: too nicknamey, could get confused with [name_f]Ell[/name_f]-ie).
Middle name with be [name_f]Marie[/name_f] after family.
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] is perfect! It’s one of my absolute favorites! beautiful, sophisticated, not too frilly, classy & not too popular:-) I also love the NNs [name_f]Calla[/name_f] or [name_f]Callie[/name_f]. [name_f]Mila[/name_f] & [name_f]Millie[/name_f] are also great nn options. 100% [name_f]Camille[/name_f] for me.
I love [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Camille[/name_f]! My favorite would be [name_f]Camille[/name_f], because it’s chic and not popular. Have you considered [name_f]Camellia[/name_f]? It’s the perfect combination of both names, plus flowers. Also: [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Elle[/name_f]), [name_f]Adelia[/name_f], [name_f]Elodie[/name_f], [name_f]Amoret[/name_f], [name_f]Zinnia[/name_f].
I like [name_f]Elle[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] best for the flow of a first/middle, but I think [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is very pretty–classic but underused. All three are good choices!
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] is the standout for me. Very pretty and chic. And kind of a middle ground between [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Elle[/name_f].
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is a lovely name, but not only is it quite popular, it’s been rising steadily, so I’d avoid it if this is a concern for you. The similar-sounding [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] are increasing in popularity too.
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] is really pretty, sweet and simple and down-to-earth. I don’t think of Cruella de [name_m]Ville[/name_m] at all, and as the name doesn’t really have an association with her (i.e. they weren’t used in the same story or anything) I doubt this would be a problem for other people, as long as you’re comfortable with it!
[name_f]Elle[/name_f] has such a fresh, fun, modern feel. It doesn’t feel too nicknamey to me at all, and I usually prefer a “full name” on the birth certificate and using a nickname rather than making the nickname their legal name. If you want a longer name though, [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] or [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] (el-OH-win) has the same sleek, cool feel.
I was going to suggest [name_f]Camellia[/name_f]/[name_f]Camelia[/name_f] too, as a way to combine [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. It’s quite rare too so you don’t have to worry about popularity. If you use the cuh-[name_u]MELL[/name_u]-ee-ah pronunciation (as opposed to cuh-MEE-lee-ah… it can be pronounced either way) you could get [name_f]Elle[/name_f] as a nickname too.
Both [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Camille[/name_f] are good names. I can’t get into [name_f]Elle[/name_f] because it sounds incomplete. I would go with an [name_f]El[/name_f]- name and use [name_f]Elle[/name_f] as a nickname if I chose that. I love [name_f]Eluned[/name_f] and [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].
I used to love [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], but then it got so popular. [name_f]Camille[/name_f] seems less common, but it reminds me of [name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]Charles[/name_m]’ wife who is someone I can’t abide.
I would go with [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] or [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f].
OOPS! Sorry I forgot about [name_f]Marie[/name_f] as a middle. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Camille[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f]… hmmmmm… They all seem fine with [name_f]Marie[/name_f]. It is my mother’s middle and very pretty.
I love [name_f]Elle[/name_f], and [name_f]Camille[/name_f] would be a close second.
Some longer names that could have [name_f]Elle[/name_f] as a nickname:
[name_f]Eliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Ella[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliora[/name_f]
My name is [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and I love it [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t know many other Amelias and there’s so many nicknames.
I’m called mostly [name_f]Milly[/name_f] and [name_f]Lola[/name_f], but other nicknames include [name_f]Lea[/name_f], [name_u]Mel[/name_u], [name_f]Amy[/name_f], [name_f]Mil[/name_f], [name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f] and [name_m]Mills[/name_m].
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] is my personal favorite. It was a contender for our top girls’ name, and may end up as the middle name if we have a girl. I’ve never had any association with Cruella de [name_m]Ville[/name_m] for it, so in terms of teasing I don’t think that’s a concern at all. That said, if for whatever reason it has a negative association for you, I’d encourage you to use one of your two other lovely choices.
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is lovely, and has associations with a strong, trailblazing woman (I’m thinking of [name_f]Earhart[/name_f], of course). The only downside to me is the popularity, but I’d encourage you to look up its ranking in your state, and see if it bothers you or not. Personally, I would not pass up on my favorite name due to popularity, but everyone has a different comfort zone with this. If you find you want a less common name I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the pp’s suggestion of [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] (I pronounce it like [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] with a C on it) which combines [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] into a name that is more rare than both. The only con to [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] (why my husband vetoed it) is that is DOES kind of sound like chameleon (but I like chameleons, lol). You could use the [name_m]French[/name_m] version [name_u]Cam[/name_u]élia (Cah-may-lee-uh) to get around that, but that may be more of a departure from your style?
Lastly, [name_f]Elle[/name_f]. Because I’m a [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker, I have trouble with this name since “elle” means “she” in [name_m]French[/name_m]. But if you’re not in a [name_m]French[/name_m]-speaking environment, I think it’s a great name that packs a lot into one short syllable, it feels chic and elegant, but also energetic and strong.
I like [name_f]Camille[/name_f] best. [name_m]How[/name_m] about a longer [name_f]Elle[/name_f] name with nn [name_f]Elle[/name_f]? [name_f]Estelle[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u]
Like many of the previous posters, [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is my favourite. It’s a beautiful name. I also like the suggestion of [name_f]Camellia[/name_f].
Cruella de [name_m]Ville[/name_m] starts with ‘c’ and ends in ‘ille’, so I guess that’s where you’re getting the connection from? But I don’t think that’s a connection that many other people would make.
If you’re worried about popularity, I don’t think [name_f]Elle[/name_f] is a good choice. It might not be super popular, but [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_u]Eloise[/name_u], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], etc are.
I like both [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], but since the latter is so popular I’d personally go for [name_f]Camille[/name_f]. [name_f]Elle[/name_f] is okay but not really my style.
I think that [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is quite lovely, and I don’t associate it with Cruella di [name_m]Ville[/name_m] at all. If that is a negative association for you and you can’t get over it I would go with [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. As a pp mentioned [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] had a variety of nickname choices. Additionally, it might not be that popular in your particular area.
[name_f]Camille[/name_f] is my favorite of the three names, and I think the con is only an issue for you and is something you could get over. (It’s actually Cruella, which is even more different, if that’s helpful).
Wow-thanks for the great replies! [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is my husband’s least favorite, but I’ll show him the responses in favor of that name to see if he can be swayed. I’m surprised [name_f]Elle[/name_f] hasn’t gotten more love!
