We’re looking to name our baby girl something that has a vintage feel that is also country / rustic. When I think of the vibe of the name We want I think of a few books.
The YaYa Sister Books
These books take place in Louisiana and include boys names like Shepley and Baylor, and girls names like Siddalee, Vivian, and Tallulah.
Out Of The Dust
I actually don’t love any of the names in this book but if you remember this book from the 90s- it evokes the feeling of it being the 1930s and standing in the middle of the panhandle of Oklahoma with dust storms all around. I’d like a name that can give me that same feel.
The Poison-wood Bible
This is the story of a family from Appalachia and I like some of their names like Orleanna or Ruth May.
None of the above names are the right ones- but I like these vibes. Loretta is a good example of a vibe I like. It feels vintage, a bit country, and the right amount of dated that I think it’s ready to come back and feel fresh and new. (I know a Loretta who has soured the name for me so it just isn’t an option.)
Our top choice name was Ida-Pearl until we had a family friend just use Pearl at last minute. We intended on Ida-Pearl Elias (after the mountains we honeymooned in in Alaska years back). We considered just Ida Elias but haven’t fallen in love with it, and don’t love Ida-Jane or anything like that as much. We are open to double barreled names but not set on it. We just reopened the drawing board after hearing our friend’s baby name.
(Ps. I know some of you will say use it anyway, but it just isn’t our preference to now.)
I’m liking this vibe! Unfortunately I haven’t read these books & I’m in the UK so sorry if these don’t hit the mark. However, I hope some our helpful to get you towards the name you want. I’ll put them in a drop down so as not to lead any subsequent posters astray ~
So many awesome options here- you guys really hit the mark with the style and vibe! Thank you!
It’s funny because the first response that I didn’t even see until today sort of mentions the name we are leaning towards now.
After posting this I looked up lots of lists of people from Appalachia and their family tree names and I found one I really loved. I really love Odessie. It’s not a name you’ll find on any baby name websites- but I suppose a twist on Odessa. I was surprised that my spouse loved it as soon as I mentioned it.
We are actually leaning towards Odessie Ziv (zeev)- ziv meaning light/brightness in Hebrew.
Odessie is adorable! I also really like a previous poster’s suggestion of [name_f]Opal[/name_f]. [name_f]Opal[/name_f] feels like a great alternative to [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]. [name_f]Ida[/name_f] is great on its own too.
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