What do you think of the name [name]Harper[/name] [name]Marie[/name] for a baby girl? My husband and I love the name [name]Harper[/name] because it reminds us of [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird but we are afraid it may be too trendy. Alternatively, can anyone think of a good middle name if we decide to [name]Marie[/name] as a first name? [name]Marie[/name] is my husband’s grandmother’s name so we really want to use it in some way.
I know three couples who have named their daughters [name]Harper[/name] recently, but even if it is trendy, that doesn’t matter. If you like the name, I think you should go with it.
It feels a but…unspecial.
[name]Harper[/name] is very popular to the point where I don’t see it’s specialness anymore, and [name]Marie[/name] is so so so so overdone in the middle post that I don’t see any special quality in the middle either.
[name]Marie[/name] [name]Harper[/name] is 1000x better imo.
While I am not a fan of [name]Harper[/name] for me, I do see the appeal. I think [name]Harper[/name] [name]Marie[/name] is nice and if it is what you love, then use it. I actually think it would be nice to see [name]Marie[/name] in the first name spot though I like it in the middle as well.
Honestly, I’m not fond of [name]Harper[/name], at all. And [name]Marie[/name] feels a bit filler, and I apologize, it’s a very crude way to word it, but as some other berry put it, it feels…unspecial. Of course, every child is special in itself, the name has no involvement in the uniqueness of a child. But it feels unspecial. I don’t know how to say it. I second the suggestion of [name]Marie[/name] [name]Harper[/name], I actually like it a lot, it draws away the ‘trendy’ image, and it makes a more sophisticated choice and image. If you really like [name]Harper[/name], you could hyphenate it, like [name]Marie[/name]-[name]Harper[/name]. What do you think of [name]Marie[/name] [name]Scout[/name]?
trendy, but cute! if you don’t mind trendy like you said, go for it.
I also recently posted about using [name]Marie[/name] as a FN. It was my [name]Nana[/name]'s nn. [name]Marie[/name]-[name]Harper[/name] is on my list. [name]Harper[/name] [name]Marie[/name] is nice too. I like [name]Harper[/name] despite it increasing in popularity.
Not the most exciting name to me, but it’s lovely and with such great meaning behind it, you should definitely use it if you love it! I loved To Kill a Mockingbird too.
To be honest, [name]Harper[/name] already feels worn out to me because I hear it SO much. Several people I know who’ve used/considered [name]Harper[/name] say that they’re naming their daughter after [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name], which annoys me for two reasons: 1) If you’re going to name your daughter after [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name], you should know that she doesn’t even go by [name]Harper[/name]. She goes by [name]Nelle[/name]. 2) These same people usually haven’t even read To Kill a Mockingbird or know much about the storyline, so they’re basically just using [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] as a reason for using a name they find “cute.” I’m not saying you’re one of those people. I’m just curious as to why you like that [name]Harper[/name] reminds you of [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name]. What qualities in her would you like to see in your daughter?
I far prefer [name]Marie[/name] [name]Harper[/name]. [name]Marie[/name] is a lovely, under-appreciated name that deserves liberation from the middle spot.
Yes, it’s extremely popular to the point of almost being overdone, but I really love [name]Harper[/name]. In fact, it’s on my list. :]
I do understand where @southern.maple is coming from though- whenever people say that they’re going to name a child after an author or literary character, I can’t help but think, "[name]Do[/name] you really like the author or character or is it just the name? "Maybe it’s just because I love reading so much, but it does slightly bother me.
Also,[name]Marie[/name] is filler, but it does have family significance which is always wonderful. I agree with everyone else about the idea of [name]Marie[/name] [name]Harper[/name]. [name]Marie[/name] (and I suppose [name]Rose[/name] too) is one of the names that seems tired and overdone in the middle name spot, but would be really refreshing as a first name.
But if you love [name]Harper[/name], you should go with it, and perhaps use a variation of [name]Mary[/name] to honor your husband’s grandmother, so it doesn’t seem so trendy/common.
Good luck!
This might be a stretch but the sound reminds me of Hapers Ferry. Beautiful, but well just associated with that.
Thanks very much for the feedback. We actually have been thinking of using [name]Nelle[/name] as sort of a nickname if we decide to go with [name]Harper[/name]. The name [name]Harper[/name] has an association with the book for me and my husband, which has long be a favorite of ours. [name]Both[/name] of us are attorneys and find inspiration in the story. I particularly like the tomboyish and precocious nature of [name]Scout[/name], which I understand was patterned a bit after [name]Lee[/name] herself. Unfortunately, we are not huge fans of the name [name]Scout[/name] as a formal name (or [name]Jean[/name] or [name]Louise[/name]). I agree with your point about liberating [name]Marie[/name] from the middle spot. It is just hard for us to find a middle name that works with [name]Marie[/name] as our last name ends in “er” and having [name]Harper[/name] in the middle spots sounds a bit sing-songy.