I’m a big fan of classic names, something that will stand the test of time and will carry her from infancy to adulthood. However, I’m not overly fond on how incredibly popular some classic names are. I’m really liking [name_f]Anna[/name_f] right now. It’s a solid classic that’s short, sweet and a bit sassy. Also, my moms name is [name_f]Anabela[/name_f], so it’d be nice to be able to honor her. However, it just seems so overly used and bit plain. What do you all think? Any ideas for a less popular name with the same classic feel? Also, please nothing too old lady sounding (ex. [name_f]Ethel[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Helen[/name_f]). I’m open to all suggestions. Please include any middle names you think may work well with your suggestions as well. Thanks
P.S Names that are out completely are [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] or any variation (this one breaks my heart but hubby has a thing against J names :/)
[name_f]Anna[/name_f] is also too plain for me to actually use. Similar timeless names:
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
[name_f]Leah[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]
Names I would actually use:
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_f]Lila[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_f]Elena[/name_f] (Eh-lay-nuh)
Many classics feel more popular than they are, because they are so ubiquitous and well-known. And some are common on the older generation but rare on young children- if you think about it there aren’t that many young [name_f]Marys[/name_f] or Johns for instance; I don’t know any at least!
I love [name_f]Anna[/name_f]! I’ve only known a couple in my life and we weren’t close, so it doesn’t seem overused to me at all. [name_f]Anna[/name_f] Karenina’s a tragic and flawed character, but also a beautiful and bewitching one.
Here are some more suggestions:
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]- not even in the top 1000
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f]- #178, the lowest it’s been since records were first kept in 1880.
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]- #123, also the lowest it’s been and dropping in popularity
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f]- #167, also the lowest it’s been and dropping- and with so many nicknames it’s easy to make it one’s own
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1980s, though many predict it will shoot up soon- almost “so out it’s in”
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]- never been in the US top 1000, but very popular in [name_f]England[/name_f]
[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1940s
[name_f]Priscilla[/name_f]- #489, the lowest it’s ever been and dropping
[name_f]Eve[/name_f]- #558, has [almost] always been in the top 1000 but never higher than the 400s
[name_u]Marian[/name_u]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since 2000
[name_f]Clarissa[/name_f]- #632 and dropping, has [almost] always been in the top 1000 but never higher than the 200s
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f]- #579 and almost the lowest it’s ever been, but was #617 in 2010
[name_f]Nelle[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1920s- doesn’t seem to have had the same revival as [name_u]Harper[/name_u], despite the [[name_f]Nelle[/name_f]] [name_u]Harper[/name_u] [name_u]Lee[/name_u] connection
[name_f]Rosamond[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1930s ([name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] never was)
[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1980s
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f]- never in the top 1000, though [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is #82, shot up in recent decades. Not normally thought of as a classic, but the most famous [name_f]Morgana[/name_f] was [name_f]Morgana[/name_f] la [name_f]Fey[/name_f] from the Arthurian legends, so isn’t a ‘new’ name!
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]- despite [name_f]Violet[/name_f]'s popularity, this hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1970s
[name_f]Celia[/name_f]- #742 and almost the lowest it’s ever been
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]- never in the top 1000, though similar to [name_f]Adeline[/name_f] which has shot up in recent years
[name_f]Adela[/name_f]- hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the 1950s, despite the popularity of “ad” names
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]- #157 and dropping
I am sure Nameberry has a page of [name_f]Anna[/name_f]'s variations, try taking a look at that to see if anything interests you. I personally like [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] (many spellings of that one if you like the way it sounds but don’t like that particular spelling). Other classics that haven’t yet been mentioned include: [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Margot[/name_f], [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f], and [name_f]Susannah[/name_f]. I’d include [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] in that list except that your husband doesn’t like J-names!
I feel the exact same way about [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. I love it, but I would never be able to actually pull the trigger on [name_f]Anna[/name_f] by itself. Rather than using a longer formal name like [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] or [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], I think a nice idea would be to sometimes call her by her first and middle - [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] all work really well. Then, you have the option of the short and sweet [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or the longer, more interesting name.
In the same style, I also really like:
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f]
[name_f]Samantha[/name_f]
[name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]
[name_f]Mara[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgia[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
