We can't commit - opinions on our name please!

Girl Names
1

So when we didn’t know the sex of our little peanut, we chose the boy’s name Renly [name]Christopher[/name]. Renly is a character in the ASOIAF books series (the inspiration for Game of Thrones on HBO). Fast forward and now my wife is suggesting using the name for our daughter. Her name would be Renly [name]Elizabeth[/name]. I am getting mixed reviews from family and just need some more opinions. I am worried since it is virtually unknown as a boy’s name and completely unused as a girl’s name. What do you think Nameberry? I need help!

Sidenote: we have a son named [name]Connor[/name].

2

I enjoy it! But, I’m also one of the few on these forums that likes boys’ names on girls. At the end of the day, I think naming is extremely personal; if you and your wife like this name, stick with it. Others will warm up to it when they meet your sweet daughter wearing her new name so preciously. :wink:

3

Sorry but it sounds trendy made up to me, if I met a Renly I would assume the parents just loved the [name]Ainsley[/name], [name]Brinley[/name]. [name]Tinsley[/name] fad right now. Maybe you could go with something similar? If it’s the sound you like then you might just like [name]Wren[/name]? In the end it’s up to you.

4

I think the fact that “it is virtually unknown as a boys name and completely unused as a girls name” actually works in your favor. The name will be unfamiliar to most and thus there will be no preconceived notions of what gender it belongs to or what your child is going to end up being like.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Renly. It sounds nice but the visual isn’t for me - and having read all of ASOIAF and having watched Game of Thrones I see Renly as a self-centered, flamboyant and closeted character -> thus nms.

5

Renly is ok for me for a girl, but having read all the books, I strongly associate it with the character. He’s one of the more likable characters, but also pretty tragic. If I were to pick a girls name from the books, I might choose Brienne, who loved Renly but was strong and independent. Also, I think Brienne and [name]Connor[/name] go well together.

6

I personally like it. Since it is unknown, I don’t connect it to team blue or team pink. Therefore, I can see a boy, or a girl with this name.

7

I don’t like it, sorry. It seems sort of like a smoosh of [name]Wren[/name] and [name]Riley[/name]. Would you consider [name]Wren[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name]? I think that’s lovely next to [name]Connor[/name]!

Good luck!

8

I don’t think Renly is any worse for a girl than it is for a boy! This is the first I’ve heard the name. Kind of reminds me of [name]Remy[/name], which might be another option.

9

I’m a huge fan of the ASOIAF series as well!

The character aside, Renly could definitely work for a girl. There’s the familiarity of [name]Ren[/name] with [name]Renee[/name]/[name]Wren[/name], and the ly part which is very feminine to me.

I also agree that the fact that Renly is for the most part is unheard of as a boys or girls name(besides fans of the ASOIAF series of course) could work in your favor. People aren’t going to automatically associate the name with a gender, which is a good thing!

10

I think you’ve got 4 issues to deal with: your attitude toward original names, whether the name is too “out there” since it comes from fantasy, whether it’s too masculine for daughter, and whether it’s feminine enough for a daughter. In the end, there are no right or wrong answers. Instead you have to decide what you are comfortable with and (importantly) what you think a daughter will be comfortable with, both as a child and as an adult.

Basically, I think there are two kinds of people in the world–those who embrace made-up/unique/original names and those who don’t. It sounds like you and your wife have no problem with such names, even though you did choose an established name for your son. The problem that a child with such a name will face is frequently having to explain his/her name–there will be no immediate recognition and acceptance of the name.

The name isn’t extreme–it fits in with the sound of lots of modern names. I don’t think that GoT will have the extended popularity of other fictions, so the name won’t have an immediate association like, say, Legolas or Han would.

Because I don’t think you’ll run into wide association with the novels, I don’t think it sounds particularly masculine, although to my ear, it does sound like [name]Bentley[/name], which seems male.

On the other hand, I don’t think it sounds particularly feminine. Renly/[name]Finley[/name] and the like could go either way. If you have [name]Connor[/name] and [name]Arya[/name], people will assume you have a son and daughter. With [name]Connor[/name] and Renly, you’ll have to explain. You have to decide how you feel about that.

[name]One[/name] last word–a caution, I guess. I didn’t, but it would have been completely possible for me to name my child after something I’m a fan of. My love of the Beatles and LotR could have inspired a [name]Lucy[/name] or a [name]Sam[/name], or a [name]Ringo[/name] or a [name]Frodo[/name] (or more reasonably, a [name]Maxwell[/name] or an [name]Arwen[/name]). Now that I’m a mom of a teen, I’m painfully aware that a child doesn’t necessarily love what his parents do. Given that, I think that a parent would get a pass on a mainstream name inspired by a passion. A more unusual name, though, might become a source of friction.

11

You selected the name for a boy, as a reminder of a male (odd, but male) character in an epic fantasy series.

Now you’re having a girl, who will hopefully in no way be like the character. So I think you should admit that you’re selecting the name simply because you like the way it sounds. There is NOTHING wrong with that, but it does mean that instead of being a fantasy character, it’s a modern invented name like “Amberley” or “Brynlynn.”

If you like the sounds, then go for it. It sounds like a feminine name, with the -leigh ending sound. I don’t think little Renly will have any difficulty establishing her gender.

However… my opinion is that there might be better names out there. Was there anything else the two of you were considering for a little girl?

12

I say go for it! I’ve never heard of it, but if you would have asked me if it was a boy or girls name before telling me it was a boys name I would have guessed girls! To me it has the same sound as [name]Tenley[/name]! Renly [name]Elizabeth[/name] is really cute for a girl though! Best of luck! x