So after many, many, MANY vetoes by DH, the other day my sister sends me a text with a new name and I hesitantly brought it up with DH: [name]Magdalena[/name].
The Mega-Vetoer’s reaction? “I think it’s pretty”. WHAT?? Wow!!! I was floored. Then he says, “You do know that is Mane’s full name, right?” Mane is his friend from back in Mexico and years ago they had a little on-again, off-again thing. (I didn’t know her full name was [name]Magdalena[/name] – they always do weird nicknames in Spanish). I’ve met her many times and we’ve hung out with her and her husband when we go back to Mexico to visit. There is nothing weird or awkward between her and DH and I actually really like her. She’s classy and has started her own business teaching art and music to kids. [name]Just[/name] kind of a cool person. So beside from the little thing with DH that never amounted to a relationship, I don’t have any bad vibes with using a name that has a link to her. But is that weird, anyway? DH says he wouldn’t mind – especially since we wouldn’t call our baby Mane, instead we’d probably use the full [name]Magdalena[/name] or [name]Magda[/name] or Magdalita.
What do you all think? DH likes the middle name [name]Sophia[/name] which I think is pretty. I also think it’s hard to find a middle name for [name]Magdalena[/name], since it’s kind of heavy, if you know what I mean. Our other DD is [name]Juliette[/name] [name]Noelle[/name].
Thanks for reading this little novel! I was just so excited to finally have us agree on a girl name! We do have a couple other contenders, but I’m most excited about [name]Magdalena[/name] right now.
Ohhh I love [name]Magdalena[/name]!! And if his friend with the same name doesn’t bother you, then why should it bother anyone else? I have a similar situation, my partner had a “thing” with a girl called [name]Nina[/name] that never amounted to much (I didn’t know him then), but her younger sister is also one of our best friends. We’re all still friendly but he still thinks it’d be weird to use [name]Nina[/name] even though I love it!
The difference in your situation though is that the other [name]Magdalena[/name] doesn’t go by her name.
Actually my partner and I went on holiday to Spain last year and the Spanish flight attendents name was [name]Magdalena[/name] and I remember thinking who cool it was! What do you think of [name]Madalaina[/name] or [name]Maddalena[/name]? I really love them, they kind of soften [name]Magdalena[/name]. Oh and since your other daughter is [name]Juliette[/name], maybe you’d like [name]Madeleine[/name] to compliment her French name?
Oh and if you do go with any of those names, I love the nn [name]Lena[/name]
I like the nickname [name]Lena[/name] too – I just wonder how easily it will flow, being on the end of the name, rather than the beginning.
I can see how the [name]Madeleine[/name] names would go well with [name]Juliette[/name], but I just know SO MANY [name]Maddie[/name]'s around here, that I really don’t want to go that route. Also, we aren’t French (we both just loved [name]Juliette[/name]'s names) so I don’t feel a real strong compulsion to stick with French names.
The thing I said to DH about naming a daughter after a sort-of old flame is that as soon as there’s a little girl running around with that name, you will totally forget the association with the other person. Probably would be the same with [name]Nina[/name] for you, Ljandrl. Good luck to you!
Oh! [name]Magdalena[/name] is lovely! [name]Magdalene[/name] would be gorgeous with [name]Juliette[/name], though, as well. And, [name]Magda[/name] is a really cute nickname - does [name]Juliette[/name] go by a nickname, maybe [name]Jules[/name]?
I think [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] is, on the whole, a very Spanish-Italian sounding name, to me, whereas [name]Juliette[/name] [name]Noelle[/name] is very French. Does that bug you? You could use [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophie[/name] or my favorite, [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name]! Or, what about [name]Magdalene[/name] [name]Sophia[/name]?
I’ve been thinking about [name]Magdalene[/name] too… I worry that people will think we’re saying “[name]Madeleine[/name]” though, and I don’t want to always have to say, “no, it’s [name]MAG[/name]-dalene.” With [name]Juliette[/name], we have a lot of people think her name is [name]Julia[/name], and I’m always saying, “[name]Juli[/name]-ETTE”. She doesn’t go by any nicknames (rather, in Spanish, names get lengthened when making them “cute” or “little” by adding ita – so we actually call her Juliettita a lot.)
I kind of like that [name]Magdalena[/name] is a little more of a shout-out to my husband’s Mexican nationality. I almost think it would be stranger if we had two French names and then felt locked in for another French name if we have a 3rd baby – since we’re really not French.
(BTW – if this baby is a boy, he will be [name]Eduardo[/name] [name]Robert[/name], after DH and my dad. DH is the third [name]Eduardo[/name] in his family, so I agreed to keep the tradition going.)
I agree that [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophie[/name] or [name]Magdalene[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] tones down the Spanish vibe of the name a little. I think it’s fine to mix cultures with names (I certainly plan to) but I think if you give all French names to one daughter and all Spanish/Italian sounding names to another it could sound strange so [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophie[/name] is a nice compromise.
I love [name]Sophie[/name] by the way!
And [name]Magda[/name] is a cute nn Oh and I totally get where you’re coming with the whole “[name]Maddie[/name]” thing, [name]Magdalena[/name] is certainly more distinctive! Oh and I think if you like [name]Lena[/name] it’d totally work as a nn, plenty of [name]Isabella[/name]'s are called [name]Belle[/name]/[name]Bella[/name]!
I think [name]Magdalena[/name] is wonderful with [name]Juliette[/name]! I love the nicknames [name]Lena[/name] or [name]Leni[/name]. I also don’t think it would be weird considering the thing with your husband. Middles:
Thanks for the middle name suggestions, Irisrose. I’m still not sure what we should go with in that slot. I don’t like just sticking something in there, especially since [name]Magdalena[/name] is so long on its own… but our family names don’t work at all ([name]Johanna[/name], [name]Dorothy[/name], [name]Mary[/name] [name]Jane[/name], [name]Refugio[/name], [name]Rosalinda[/name] – uy!) So I’m just looking for something pretty that goes well with the names. OUr last name is two syllables and starts with “Ch”.
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Joanne[/name]
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Mary[/name] (probably too much!)
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]May[/name] ([name]May[/name] is a nn for [name]Mary[/name])
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Jane[/name]
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Rose[/name] (for [name]Rosalind[/name])
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Rosa[/name] (again for [name]Rosalind[/name])
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name] (see above!)
Of the ones you like I most like:
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name]
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophia[/name], though I’d prefer [name]Sophie[/name]
I do like [name]Claire[/name]… I just wonder if sounds too abruptly different style-wise from [name]Magdalena[/name]? [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Claire[/name]. Hmm… I’ll run that by DH.
ljandrl, from your list, I like:
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Joanne[/name] (my grandma would be thrilled!) [name]Do[/name] you think [name]Joanna[/name] would be too long? I think it’s so much prettier than [name]Joanne[/name]. It’s also kind of rhyme-y with [name]Magdalena[/name], which I don’t really like…
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Iris[/name]
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Vivienne[/name]
The other ones I thought of which I forgot to put up were [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Lucienne[/name] and [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name].
I think [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Celeste[/name] looks really good and flows well, but I just can’t get into [name]Celeste[/name] – I don’t know why.
I think [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Claire[/name] sounds fine actually - it doesn’t strike me as a strange combo by any means.
I prefer [name]Joanna[/name] too, [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Joanna[/name] is no longer than [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] and it’s extra special since it has personal meaning!
[name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Lucienne[/name] actually seems more of a mouthful to me strangely, because I usually love [name]Lucienne[/name]. It’s not bad though. Maybe just [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Lucy[/name] would be better?
And I love [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name] so much!
Well, DH and I just had lunch, and he actually agreed that he liked [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophie[/name]!! I thought he was totally locked in on only [name]Sophia[/name], but then he actually suggested [name]Sophie[/name]. I’m so excited!!! Now we just need to meet this little one! [name]Magdalena[/name] [name]Sophie[/name] or [name]Eduardo[/name] [name]Robert[/name]…
