A name with a strong meaning but not the best flow, or a cute name with a good flow that doesn’t have a strong meaning?
I had always told myself that knowing that my name, [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], means victorious and has historical weight was a source of strength for me in my life, so if I had a daughter I would also give her a strong name.
But I am crushing on a name right now that isn’t very strong. However, it just sounds so lovely with the middle name we picked out.
So I’m in a dilemma. [name_m]Both[/name_m] names have several reasons why I like them, but they each have a fatal flaw. One lacks weight. One doesn’t have the right sound. What would be the lesser of two evils?
Honestly, it all depends on what you prioritise.
Names don’t HAVE to have some kind of deep meaning, it’s fine to use one just because you really love it.
But likewise, nobody’s going to tell you to your face that they don’t think your daughter’s name flows, because it’s not really something that most people think about.
Personally, if it were me, I’d wait until I had the baby to see which I felt suited her the best. Could you not give her two middle names maybe? [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], the name you love AND the middle name you chose all get used that way.
It’s no more than preference thing. Some prefer strong image, some prefer great sound. Some love both. I love the sound most of all, but I would rather not worry about first-middle flow. I usually put much weight into name combos, but it’s not that important at all. I believe you (and child) will be more content with strong name. Once you fill birth certificate, name will flow naturally.
But you may love good-sounding name more than strong name, so try think more about these names. What do you like with good-sounding name? What makes this name good-sounding? Could this good-sounding name fit strong woman or could this name evoke strong image? Is strong name unusual name or one that society deems unpleasant (i.e. [name_f]Myrtle[/name_f], [name_f]Millicent[/name_f], [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f])? Is flow with strong name to abrupt to flow no matter how you try to say it out load?
I personally would probably pick sound and flow over the meaning of a name. The better a name sounds together, the more i love it. The only circumstance where I would pick meaning over flow is if I was using an honor name
I suppose a good sound is more important in everyday life, whereas most people won’t really care about the meaning of your daughter’s name. Your daughter, when she’s old enough to care, may prefer a name with a strong meaning but if one of her names has a good meaning (even if it’s the middle not the first) then it doesn’t matter as much. I’d wait until she’s born and see which one “fits” her. She may not look like a [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] (for example) but she may look like the other name you considered
That’s a tough one. I think I’d pick meaning, but I suppose it depends what the flows like. I’m having a similar dilemma with Rosalind, which has more meaning (than Jessamine), but really doesn’t work well with Lyra in front; it’s a bit of a tongue twister. If the flow isn’t too bad, I’d definitely go with meaning, it would always bug me more if I wasn’t happy with the meaning. It’s also unlikely that her full name would be used everyday (at least I don’t use mine), so flow wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Sound is more real than meaning to me. Someone attributed that meaning to a name, but that doesn’t make the wearer naturally obtain whatever quality their name means. Most people aren’t aware of the meaning behind other people’s names either. I think the history of a name is more substantial than meaning, but I still think that sound trumps everything else.
I think the meaning of names gets so twisted and convoluted on so many naming sites that it doesn’t hold the same weight (for me) when it comes to picking a name. I care way more for the sound and flow. A great meaning is just another perk.
Honestly, I lean toward picking a name that has weight and meaning to it.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name, [name_u]Kim[/name_u]/[name_u]Kimberly[/name_u], has no real meaning historically or to my family. It was a place name based on a family name that my mom just liked the sound of.
As a kid I was always disappointed that my name didn’t have either a strong namesake or interesting meaning or even meaning to my parents personally.
So for me, sound is important of course, but if a name doesn’t have any sort of meaning to me and it doesn’t have any historical weight it definitely falls further down the list for me.
As for the importance of sound…surnames can change and often do for females, middle names are rarely used (despite NB’s love for them), and for most names different people with different accents will say them differently anyway so while it’s certainly important it’s not something that tips the scale for me.
