So, this is our 2nd baby girl. My boyfriend is pretty picky about names. My first daughter’s name, [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], was much easier to decide on and everyone seemed to like it right away. I made the mistake of letting my mom and sister know what we were discussing, the first baby was so easy and we usually have similar taste so I thought it was fine.
My favorite for a girl has been [name_f]Violet[/name_f], everyone seemed to like it except for my boyfriend. Although he didn’t express his strong opinion on it really until we found out it was a girl, he was mostly focused on the boy names. He thinks it is too much like [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] with the ‘et.’ I was worried about this, but interestingly enough no one else seemed to have a problem with it. He suggested [name_f]Viola[/name_f] instead, which wasn’t my first choice but since it has really grown on me. I like the [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] reference and the instrument association (although we would pronounce it vi-oh-la). Also I think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] goes better with his last name, which is very [name_m]German[/name_m].
Thinking this was a good compromise I told my mom and sister, thinking everyone would love it and it would be settled. To my surprise they both don’t like it. My sister said it was very harsh and basically said she hated it. My mom was nicer but I got the feeling she was being polite. They both think that eventually [name_f]Violet[/name_f] will just grow on my bf. (Whose kid is it anyways?) Now, I’m just second guessing the whole thing. My bf is pretty set on [name_f]Viola[/name_f], I think it’s pretty and more unique than [name_f]Violet[/name_f], but I feel weird having a name that my close family really doesn’t like. I should not have said anything to them, because now I feel funny about it. I still like [name_f]Violet[/name_f] too, but I’m starting to like [name_f]Viola[/name_f] more and I think it’s sweet that her dad came up with it.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] sounds really harsh? Should I just tell my family to suck it up?
I don’t think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] sounds too harsh at all! It’s not your mom or your sister’s baby for that matter, and as hard as it may be to ignore their input, it’s YOUR child, and you shouldn’t give in just because they tell you to. Choose what YOU and your S/O love and go with your instinct!
Noo, [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is absolutely lovely and an excellent choice for all the reasons you’ve mentioned! It’s beautiful, sophisticated, exotic, literary and on-trend without being trendy. It also pairs nicely with [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and avoids the matchy endings of [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Violet[/name_f].
It’s nice that you want to share with your family and are taking their thoughts seriously, but at the end of the day this is your child and your decision. Go with what you think is the right name. [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Violet[/name_f] are so close in sound and feel to me that I can’t help but think that your mother and sister will come round to [name_f]Viola[/name_f], even if they’re not sure now. Often familiarity makes people like a name more, and I suspect that [name_f]Viola[/name_f] simply hasn’t really been on their radar before. Once they attach the name to a real child - especially a beloved niece or granddaughter - I bet they’ll start to love it just as much as your elder daughter’s name.
I much prefer [name_f]Viola[/name_f] to [name_f]Violet[/name_f] in this case: firstly, yeah they both end in ‘et’ and quite prominently too, also [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Violet[/name_f] are both colours, whilst [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Viola[/name_f] are less linked - which in my opinion is a good thing! It’s definitely not ‘too harsh’ in many ways it’s less harsh than [name_f]Violet[/name_f].
I don’t think it matters how they feel really. They’ll grow to like it when they meet your little one. Better that they’re mildly unsatisfied with the name than your boyfriend is! Your family should just suck it up.
I love [name_f]Viola[/name_f]; I prefer it to [name_f]Violet[/name_f] actually, though [name_f]Violet[/name_f] itself is still pretty. That being said, I think that if you really love it, just go for it. Like you said, ‘whose kid is it anyways?’ Yours. The baby is YOURS, meaning you can name it whatever you want.
But like @lawsonhaley mentioned, it can be hard to ignore close family members’ inputs. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t give in to something just to appease everyone else, go with your gut, you’ll be happier in the long run.
I love [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Violet[/name_f]!
…
[name_m]Just[/name_m] not together. It’s a bit colorful, which isn’t a bad thing, but I can see (I have friends that ran into this sort of predicament) others joking about the name of your next child being something like Periwinkle or Maroon.
I like [name_f]Viola[/name_f] with [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], and I actually think it sounds much LESS harsh than [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. To my ear, any name ending in -a sounds softer. I’m surprised to hear that your family thinks the other way, and I’m sorry you’ve been put in this situation.
If it bothers you that your family isn’t on the same page, or if you don’t think anyone’s mind will change, what if you suggest something else entirely?
I don’t think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is harsh at all, definitely no more than [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. I love it, although with a different pronunciation, but ultimately decided against it because the pronunciation I like is similar to a negative word in Spanish. Anyway, I think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is wonderful, far more interesting than [name_f]Violet[/name_f], and a great choice. They’ll probably come around to it once they actually hear it on her, and as pp’s have said, it’s not their choice.
I do think the advice that [name_f]Violet[/name_f] will grow on your boyfriend is a bit funny coming from your family, could you not just say (and I think you should) that [name_f]Viola[/name_f] will grow on them? It is your baby and you get to decide.
I’m not a fan of [name_f]Viola[/name_f], BUT I think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] absolutely sound like siblings, and sound better together then [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f].
Your family probably dislike how unusual it is. They haven’t get used to it, but when YOUR baby gets it’s name officially, they would be forced to get used.
It’s sounds harsh, but they are being quite unreasonable. You’re not naming your kid Snowman, [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is lovely, legit name and better choice than [name_f]Violet[/name_f].
Maybe you and your family would love [name_f]Valentina[/name_f]?
Yeah, I definitely won’t be following their advice, he and I agreeing is more important. I mostly just wanted to share with them, not necessarily get their advice. I should have known better. I guess I’ve just never had that strong of an opinion on even family members names so I wasn’t expecting it.
That’s what my boyfriend thought, I see that too, especially more so now. I had most of the names you suggested on my list, but unfortunately already vetoed (he is very picky lol). [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is actually the first name we really agreed on.
[name_f]Viola[/name_f] is fine! They just have never met a baby [name_f]Viola[/name_f]. My family was so against [name_f]Violet[/name_f] but were able to see the beauty of it once she was born. As the mother of. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] AND a [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] I can verify that yes u will get comments on the matchy but not overwhelmingly so or anything. I do feel like ppl think i did it on purpose. We just had trouble agreeing on names. If [name_f]Violet[/name_f] is what u love, use it. We get comments but not in a mean way like i expected. A lot of ppl actually love it which always surprises me. I walk around expecting to be judged lol.
[name_f]Viola[/name_f] is one of my top 3 names if we ever have a girl. So I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] it. It’s not that mainstream–the Twelfth [name_m]Night[/name_m] isn’t usually the first or second or third [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] play people are exposed to–so it might be a bit harder to introduce to family. But I think you should stick to your decision. I’m guessing they’ll stop complaining about her name as soon as she is born, because after that it’d be plain rude.
First of all sorry your family got involved, family is weird about names. I just finished our registry and am adding a comment at the top that the Childs name and gender will be secret and not to ask, everything is gender neutral and I’m not playing around this time hehe. I understand [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Violet[/name_f] both being colors and ending with the same let sound and being the same number of syllables. a part of me really likes that, I have a weird thing for patterns and I like it… I think its different enough Scar/[name_f]Vi[/name_f] but I agree they are very similar and once a pattern like that gets going… say if you ever had a third child would you call them… something similar like [name_f]Collette[/name_f] or [name_f]Paulette[/name_f] or ? Anyway… I get wanting to use [name_f]Viola[/name_f], you still get [name_f]Vi[/name_f] and its musical which is nice and its not really my taste but I can see the appeal and its very pretty. As far as unhappy family… if you want to appease them you’ll have to decide on a whole new name honestly, if they’re set on something and dad is set on something but they dont like each others then you’ll need to find something fresh that he likes and tell them you’ve picked something new and then b happy… but if you are on board with [name_f]Viola[/name_f] like your boyfriend and that’s what you want just tell them either way they can call her [name_f]Vi[/name_f] and you were just brainstorming with them but the real decision needs to be made with the Childs parents… they have no real say so its just they need to relax if they’re going to hate it they’ll hate it. I know my fairly will be cool with my girl pick and not my boy pick. If this ones a boy they’ll get the baby is born come visit soon text and a pic and name and what they can call him to appease their interest… my husband doesn’t love the idea of not calling him by his full name but it will shorten to the same thing his name does so I think thats what we will go with… I do not care if no one but us like it, it will grow on people when they know him. [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is a name like that. Its big and has a history and once they’re playing with baby [name_f]Vi[/name_f] they will not care at all… it’ll be okay whatever you do, family is crazy. Congrats on baby!
I have a daughter named [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and it suits her beautifully. Of course I’m completely biased, but when I named her it was completely rare and unheard of. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] was beginning to grow in popularity (influenced by the [name_m]Garner[/name_m]-Afflecks I think) and [name_f]Viola[/name_f] [name_m]Davis[/name_m] hadn’t quite exploded yet in Hollywood as she has now.
As for your actual issue, I think [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] as sisters are absolutely perfect and stunning. Both are feminine and absolutely strong and remarkable names, the kind that stand out in a great way, as well as having been in use for a long, long time. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] is beautiful as well, but I don’t think it goes well with [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], not just because of their almost identical endings and because both are colors, but because they feel a bit mismatched to me. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] though beautiful, shrinks in comparison to the strong [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], like [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] kind of was the shrinking [name_f]Violet[/name_f] to [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] O’[name_f]Hara[/name_f]'s huge persona. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you get what I mean? This is all very subjective, though.
Also, pay no mind to your mom and sister’s reactions. When baby is here I bet you a dollar that they will say they always loved the name [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and isn’t it beautiful and great? They will definitely warm up to it once the baby is here, you’ll see. For the meantime, mom and dad, my advice is to go with your guts and your heart and if [name_f]Viola[/name_f] feels like she’s the one, then she’s the one.
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t worry about what family and others will say! It’s your baby and when she is born and they have that association with the name, I guarantee they will fall in love. It’s your baby, not theirs!
