🪩 top 5/bottom 5

[lateaugust]

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! Inspired by the ‘help ___ with their girls list’ posts - I really want to nail down a top 5! I think I’m coming close (well… closer). The boys version would currently be [name_m]Bram[/name_m], [name_u]Percy[/name_u], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Grover[/name_m], and [name_m]Linus[/name_m] (strong top 3, more malleable 4th and 5th). If helpful, the last time I top 5’d my girls they were (in alphabetical order): [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Lyra[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Oona[/name_f].

So I’m going to list out some of my girl names (I started writing out pros and cons for each but it was quickly turning into an unreadable essay so I’ll just list the names). I would love it if you could pull together the 5 or so that you think would make a good shortlist for me whether it’s based on the most cohesive, my boys list (their hypothetical brothers), or something else. Though your top 5 personal favorites would be welcome too if that’s easier. And your pick of 5 that I should scrap from contention (because, let’s be honest, if you don’t tell me to narrow it down I’m not sure I ever will).

[name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to add your commentary, make it a top 3 or 10 instead, play with combos or quintuplets, add some from your own list/ideas - whatever comes to mind would be helpful!

Without further ado, the names
[name_f]Oona[/name_f], [name_f]Vita[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], Eadie/Edie, [name_f]Eve[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], [name_f]Frida[/name_f], [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], [name_u]Alma[/name_u], [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_f]Thora[/name_f], [name_f]Tilda[/name_f], Elsbeth/Elspeth, [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u], [name_u]Nico[/name_u], Leonie/Leonor, [name_u]Juno[/name_u], [name_f]Celia[/name_f], Ruth/Ruthie, [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Ethel[/name_f], [name_f]Luella[/name_f], [name_f]Ida[/name_f], Cleo/Clio

[VEL]

I think I’ve said it before, but I love your style of names so much!

Top 5 – sparky and storybook with a little bit of edge. I appreciate how these pair with your boy list, which is a little softer.
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Frida[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Eve[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]

Bottom 5 – but still great names!
[name_f]Bess[/name_f] – feels a little sweeter than the rest of your list, and maybe a bit too close to [name_m]Bram[/name_m]
[name_f]Luella[/name_f] – quite a bit frillier than the rest of your list and maybe a bit less substantial
[name_u]Nico[/name_u] – this has really grown on me for girls, but it feels a bit too masculine with the rest of your girls (and boys, too)
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] – this pains me as [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] is a personal favorite, but it doesn’t have the offbeat, quirky quality of the rest of your list
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] – this is also a little sweeter to me than the rest of your list, but honestly I was struggling to pick for this last spot so feel free to discount this reasoning altogether

[snowmaiden]

I think I’ll have to do a Top 10 — there are too many gorgeous names! I’ll go in order of preference (fave to least fave) as best I can. They’re all so sparky-vintage, and I love the bookish, quaint, and excited charm they all have. Such a pretty list.

1. [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]
2. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
3. [name_f]Eve[/name_f]
4. [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
5. [name_f]Bess[/name_f] (I think [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] nn [name_f]Bess[/name_f] would be lovely!)
6. [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f]
7. [name_f]Oona[/name_f]
8. [name_f]Thora[/name_f]
9. [name_f]Nell[/name_f]
10. [name_f]Luella[/name_f]

For the ones I dislike, I really don’t even dislike them that much, and I think all of them are still fun. In a list full of lovelies, they just stood out as not my most favorites! Bottom 5 for me are, in no real order:

1. [name_u]Nico[/name_u]
2. [name_u]Alma[/name_u]
3. [name_f]Leonor[/name_f]
4. [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]
5. [name_f]Tilda[/name_f]

Now for some combo ideas!
[name_f]Elspeth[/name_f] [name_f]Nell[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Luella[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Leonie[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u] ‘Bess’
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Bess[/name_f]
[name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Celia[/name_f]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Leonor[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f] ‘Edie’
[name_f]Ruthie[/name_f] [name_f]Ida[/name_f]
[name_u]Cleo[/name_u] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_u]Juno[/name_u] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f] [name_f]Frida[/name_f]

Names you might enjoy…
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_u]Jasper[/name_u]
[name_f]Maude[/name_f]
[name_f]May[/name_f]
[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Frances[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u]
[name_f]Mira[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Nan[/name_f]
[name_f]Belle[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Sadie[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] or [name_u]Willow[/name_u]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_u]Pascale[/name_u]
[name_f]Orla[/name_f]
[name_u]Florence[/name_u]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]

This was fun!

[clair.de.lune]

top 5:

bess
vera
ida
edie
ruthie

bottom 5:

nell
nico
thora
eve
oona

^^ all just as good, just not my style

[Larryisalittledog]

Based on their potential brothers, I say…
Top Five
Vita
Frida
Elspeth
Nell
Tilda

Bottom Four
Arden
Nico
Bess
Ethel
(I just couldn’t bring myself to choose a bottom 5; they are all so cohesive.)

You have such a lovely style!

[Nina_Alexandra_2005]

Top 5:

[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonor[/name_f]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
[name_f]Celia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tilda[/name_f]

Bottom 5:

[name_f]Vita[/name_f]
[name_f]Ethel[/name_f]
[name_u]Alma[/name_u]
[name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]
[name_u]Nico[/name_u]

[EmilyMcA]

top 5:
alma
frida
marlowe
tilda
eve

bottom 5:
ethel
nico
bess
oona
nell

[solara]

[name_f]My[/name_f] Tops:

• [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
• [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] / [name_f]Leonor[/name_f]
• [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]
• [name_f]Thora[/name_f]
• [name_f]Eve[/name_f] / [name_u]Juno[/name_u] / [name_f]Vera[/name_f] – I can’t decide which!

[name_f]My[/name_f] Bottoms:

• [name_u]Alma[/name_u]
• [name_f]Luella[/name_f]
• [name_u]Nico[/name_u]
• [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] / [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f]
• [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]

[Greyblue]

Your boys are so, so gorgeous and I think I’ll go with creating a top five brothers for them

So, with [name_u]Percy[/name_u], [name_m]Bram[/name_m], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Grover[/name_m] and [name_m]Linus[/name_m], I’m thinking:

[name_f]Oona[/name_f] - mystical, magical and rugged too - I like the arty, yet grounded feel that matches with your boys

[name_f]Ida[/name_f] - sleek, sharp, international and vintage too

[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] - warm, cosy and sweet, cuddly but cheeky and cool.

[name_f]Nell[/name_f] - friendly but strong, determined and joyful - a big fave of mine

[name_f]Tilda[/name_f] - international, sparky and has kick!

[lateaugust]

@VEL

sparky and storybook with a little bit of edge

I love this description, thank you so much for your comment!! You’ve articulated this so well, I found myself agreeing with everything (even the bottom 5 critiques, I like the distinction of my girl list not being particularly ‘sweet’). I’m also really happy that you put Eve alongside Oona/Frida/Agnes/Thora because I was worried that E was a bit too nondescript to fit but when you put her in here she seemed to click well.

[Harvest-Endellion]

Wow, amazing boys’ names! [name_u]Love[/name_u] them all, except [name_m]Hugo[/name_m] which is just OK to me.

Keep [name_f]Celia[/name_f], [name_f]Thora[/name_f], [name_f]Edie[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], [name_u]Alma[/name_u]. Oh and [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]!
Lose [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u], [name_u]Nico[/name_u], [name_f]Luella[/name_f].

[may.rose]

With your boys list (and honestly my favorites in general):

[name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], [name_u]Alma[/name_u], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]

I love the short and spunky vintage names!

[lateaugust]

[name_u]Hazel[/name_u]! Blowing me away as per usual! Looove [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] “Bess”. From your combo ideas, I’m especially enjoying [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Luella[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Oona[/name_f], [name_f]Thora[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_u]Cleo[/name_u] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], and [name_u]Juno[/name_u] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]. And the suggestions are all so fun but I want to spotlight [name_f]Orla[/name_f], [name_u]Pascale[/name_u], [name_f]Maude[/name_f], and [name_f]Frances[/name_f] - and how delightful is Nan?!

[lateaugust]

Thank you! It’s so fun to see the favs people are picking out - I love to see the appreciation for [name_f]Bess[/name_f], specifically. I had been really hesitant to add the question to pick a ‘bottom 5’ but it’s been illuminating to see my reactions - it seems most people are dropping [name_u]Nico[/name_u] and I don’t even feel defensive, I’m like ‘yeah you’re right, she’s fun but the piece doesn’t fit the puzzle’

[lateaugust]

I’m working through these amazing responses at a snail’s pace but trust that it’s because I’m thinking so much about your rankings and comments!!

@Larryisalittledog this is a great, great top 5. I’ve gone back and forth between [name_f]Vita[/name_f] and [name_f]Frida[/name_f] - they really do both work. ‘Cohesive’ and ‘my list’ sound like oxymorons in my mind but if you say it I’ll believe it. Thank you!!

@Nina_Alexandra_2005 [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] has been about 50/50 on people’s top and bottom lists lol. I really appreciate your comment and think the top 5 you made mesh well!

@EmilyMcA this top 5 is so fun! Thank you!!!

@solara I’ll take you listing extra favorites as my win of the day - the ones you picked are so so lovely together.

@Greyblue I feel like I’ve said it before but you’re so good at this!!?!?! “arty, yet grounded feel” yes I want that “has kick!” what more could you ask for? Thank you!

@Harvest-Endellion thank you love your list to keep - my senior year of high school I remember doodling the name [name_f]Celia[/name_f] but I had largely forgotten about the name until the other day, so I’m really happy to see that you like it

@may.rose “short and spunky vintage names” definitely into this description! Thank you for your comment, your opinion means a lot to me - I love your names!!

[arlamarie101]

Top 5:

1. [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] ;
2. [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] ;
3. [name_f]Frida[/name_f] ;
4. [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] ;
5. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] .

Honourable Mentions : [name_f]Ida[/name_f] / [name_u]Alma[/name_u] .

Bottom 5:

1. [name_f]Nell[/name_f] ;
2. [name_f]Bess[/name_f] ;
3. [name_f]Edie[/name_f] ;
4. [name_f]Thora[/name_f] ;
5. [name_u]Arden[/name_u] .

[bellerose]

Top five

[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_u]Alma[/name_u]
[name_u]Nico[/name_u]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_u]Cleo[/name_u]

Bottom five
[name_f]Bess[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f]

You have a lovely list!

[Keira.Dona]

Top 5:
(Not in order)
[name_u]Arden[/name_u]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] (not [name_f]Ruthie[/name_f]! Sounds like roofie
[name_f]Nell[/name_f]
ALSO LOVE: [name_f]Celia[/name_f], [name_u]Cleo[/name_u], [name_f]Thora[/name_f], [name_f]Tilda[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f]

Bottom 5:
[name_f]Ethel[/name_f]
[name_f]Eadie[/name_f]
[name_f]Frida[/name_f]
Espeth
[name_f]Leonor[/name_f]

Combos: [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Luella[/name_f], [name_u]Juno[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_u]Alma[/name_u] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] (AL muh or AHL muh?)

[sammaegre]

Top 5: [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Oona[/name_f], [name_f]Vita[/name_f], [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
Bottom 5: [name_f]Eadie[/name_f] (prefer the other spelling), [name_f]Elsbeth[/name_f] (a bit tongue twisty for me), [name_u]Nico[/name_u] (don’t dislike it but prefer it as a nn, it feels very different from the rest of the list), [name_u]Arden[/name_u] (bothers me how close it is to “harden”), [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] (just personal taste)

[EdgeOfTheMeadow]

Imagining [name_m]Bram[/name_m], [name_u]Percy[/name_u], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Grover[/name_m] & [name_m]Linus[/name_m] with the following five:

[name_f]Oona[/name_f], [name_f]Vita[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f], [name_u]Alma[/name_u], [name_f]Luella[/name_f]

I’d also keep [name_f]Leonor[/name_f] and/or [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] to give some 3 syllable variety and because [name_f]Nell[/name_f] could be a (stretchy) nn for both.

I’d lose [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] as a first she doesn’t have the same vibe as your other names. However, she’d be a great middle

E.g.

[name_f]Oona[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Vita[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_u]Alma[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_u]Juno[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Luella[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]

I’d suggest [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f] & [name_u]Nico[/name_u] as others to lose.

[name_f]Valerie[/name_f] and [name_f]Verity[/name_f] strike me as alternatives to [name_f]Vera[/name_f]. Also if you like [name_f]Ardith[/name_f], you could have her in place of [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_f]Edith[/name_f] perhaps?