I have pretty much narrowed my top girl names to those not in the top 1000 and prefer as rare as possible while still being semi-recognizable and easy to spell. That said, I was very close to my great-grandparents when I was younger and as they’re both gone, I always keep the possibility of using their first names on my list for a girl (our boy name is the name of my GGF’s brother so it’s covered if we have a boy).
[name]Lillian[/name] [name]James[/name] would be the name and as it and [name]Lily[/name] are so popular, I would have to come up with a nickname that is super uncommon so my daughter could still feel like she is one-of-a-kind. Any ideas? Related directly to the name or not, please give me anything you can think of!
[name]Sister[/name] is [name]Bayard[/name] nn [name]Bay[/name] if that helps. Thank you!
I love [name]Lillian[/name] but I really don’t care for [name]Lily[/name]. [name]Lillian[/name] [name]James[/name] is wonderful!
I think I’d personally stick with [name]Lillian[/name] but because your eldest has a nickname, I think [name]Lillian[/name] should probably be taken in that direction too.
[name]Annie[/name] might be a bit of a stretch…Maybe [name]Lee[/name]/[name]Leigh[/name] would work? Or [name]Elle[/name]?
[name]Lilou[/name] ([name]LEE[/name]-lou) is a French pet name for [name]Liliane[/name], but I think it could still work for [name]Lillian[/name]. Also, the actress [name]Leelee[/name] Sobieski’s birth name is [name]Liliane[/name].
I could see [name]Bay[/name] and [name]Lilou[/name] as well as [name]Bay[/name] and [name]Leelee[/name].
Thank you all for the suggestions! I like so many of them, just have to try them with our last name. I definitely want it to be something that will work for school, etc. And keep them coming if you think of more!
I like the idea of [name]Calla[/name]! [name]Bay[/name] and [name]Calla[/name] are very cool (and naturey!) together. My first idea was [name]Lilou[/name], or just [name]Lou[/name], or [name]Elle[/name]. Or even [name]Lilia[/name], I love [name]Lilia[/name].
Ooh @renrose, I like your method! I have a thing for unrelated nicknames so maybe that’s a good way to compromise.
@ashthedreamer, I love [name]Lilia[/name] until I think of how popular [name]Lily[/name] is, then all I hear is [name]Lily[/name]-uh. Like the ending you add to each word to get your mom’s attention. [name]Just[/name] me?
I think [name]Lulu[/name] is my favorite after cutting the names that people won’t “get” or pronounce correctly here in Oklahoma. [name]Lola[/name] is cute but I really love [name]Lulu[/name]. Is it too nicknamey for everyday use at school, etc. though?
Nicknames don’t necessarily have to adhere to first names. Many babies remind their parents of a particular thing or animal. You may just come up with the perfect nickname once you see her. Good luck.
@lerenard, exactly. I actually prefer unrelated nicknames. I just don’t want to wait and hope we find a good nickname until she’s already stuck with a name that’s too popular so I would at least want 2 or 3 options to choose from once she was born.
