What name(s) would be your Valentine?

I got to thinking last night about the certain names that I am just completely in love with. Whether they are recent name crushes, or long time loves, or even your own kids’ names, what names would be your [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] and why? :slight_smile:

One of mine, is [name_u]Sage[/name_u].

[name_u]Sage[/name_u] is the perfect middle name to me. It softens a boy name, and spices up a girls name. [name_u]Sage[/name_u] is one of my all time favorites, and I’m determined to use it as a middle for one of my kids.

[name_f]My[/name_f] other name valentine, would be [name_f]Jubilee[/name_f]. I know it doesn’t get much love on Nameberry. I can’t really blame Berries though, because I loathed it at first too. Back in [name_u]August[/name_u], a baby girl in my town was named [name_f]Jubilee[/name_f], to match her brother’s biblical name. I was floored. I couldn’t believe they would use that name. As the months went by though, and I saw this little girl’s face on social media, and it was growing on me. And now the little girl is six months old, and I think no other name would have suited her but [name_f]Jubilee[/name_f]. And that is the story of how [name_f]Jubilee[/name_f] became my [name_u]Valentine[/name_u]!

I can’t wait to see your name Valentines, and hear the stories of how you and your favorite names came to be :slight_smile:

[name_f]My[/name_f] fave names don’t really have as interesting origins as yours! I like a lot of my fave names because I’ve read a lot of books and listened to a lot of audio tapes, and I usually end up getting ideas from characters’ names. [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] [name_f]Indigo[/name_f] [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], is one of my fave combos made entirely of names inspired by fictional characters, and the same goes for [name_f]Lyra[/name_f], [name_f]Jessamine[/name_f], [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u] (although this was a real phoenix), [name_m]Sylas[/name_m] (but spelt the normal way) and [name_m]Fabian[/name_m]. I don’t really know why I like [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], although I do also love Greek mythology, so it probably stems from that. [name_f]My[/name_f] love for [name_f]Nyla[/name_f], has kind of got a story behind it, as it was my mum first introduced me to it. Apparently she had a friend called [name_f]Nyla[/name_f] when she was younger, and she (my mum) said was going to name her future daughter after. That didn’t happen, (my dad named me), but I liked the name from the beginning, and really wanted to use it after I heard why she liked it, if only as a mn!

What a lovely idea!:slight_smile: [name_m]Felix[/name_m] is my [name_u]Valentine[/name_u].

I think I pronounce it differently than most berries, the European way (E in [name_m]Felix[/name_m] is like A in cat), but I love how it sounds in English-speaking countries, too.

[name_m]Felix[/name_m] is a rare name in [name_f]Russia[/name_f], but it’s not obscure. Actually, it’s an aristocratic name used by royal families back in the 19th century. I think I first heard the name [name_m]Felix[/name_m] when I went to the Yusupov palace for the first time. The Yusupovs was a Russian noble family and the last surviving prince’s name was [name_m]Felix[/name_m].
I think I was influenced by his famous picture that I saw in the palace. He was handsome!:wink:
He probably isn’t the best namesake, though. [name_m]Felix[/name_m] Yusupov is believed to be the one who organized the killing of Rasputin. He and his friends thought Rasputin was dangerous for Tsar [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] II and decided there’s no other way to save him. Yusupov’s best friend (and arguably lover) [name_m]Oswald[/name_m] [name_m]Rayner[/name_m] was most likely the one who actually shot Rasputin.
Rasputin used to say that if he dies, the Russian monarchy would fall. He was right. When the February Revolution started, [name_m]Felix[/name_m] escaped from Russian Empire. He later lived in [name_u]Paris[/name_u] and died at the age of 80.

When I heard the name [name_m]Felix[/name_m] for the first time I thought it was cool, but I didn’t fall in love with it right away. It was growing on me for years and now I think I can’t love it stronger! It makes me think of tall slim handsome men in tuxedos, bright eyes, aristocracy and visual art. If I had to describe it in one word, I’d say “fresh”. It also makes me think of wind and ocean.

I think [name_m]Felix[/name_m] is a perfect fits for my future baby. It’s international, used in almost all the countries I’d love to live in for some time and would be easily spelled and pronounced when we travel. It’s also known in [name_f]Russia[/name_f] so we don’t have any problems with my Russian friends and relatives. It’s short enough so we don’t have to use any nicknames. It’s perfect.

I love love love hearing Name Stories :slight_smile:

@myosotis [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] is a recent name crush for me. I think it might be the popularity of the bracelet? And I actually know a teenage girl named [name_f]Nyla[/name_f]. Her siblings are [name_m]Liam[/name_m] and [name_f]Taryn[/name_f], and I think it’s the cutest sibset! Their mother did good as far as names go.

@polina, I actually did quite a bit of research on the last Tsar of [name_f]Russia[/name_f], so I know exactly what you’re talking about! I’ve never heard [name_m]Felix[/name_m] pronounced the European way, but it’s quite interesting, and I’d love to meet a little [name_m]Felix[/name_m].

[name_f]My[/name_f] latest name crushes are most definitely [name_f]Delta[/name_f] for girl and [name_u]Kit[/name_u] for a boy. It breaks my heart that I don’t like formal names that yield [name_u]Kit[/name_u] like [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] (bad personal associations) and [name_m]Christian[/name_m] (just plain dislike it). I do like [name_m]Kester[/name_m] and Kestrel but unfortunately [name_m]Kester[/name_m] to my mind sounds too much like fester and Kestrel is a bit out there.

[name_f]Delta[/name_f] on the other hand is one that I was just suddenly madly in love with. There’s a Classic Who episode called ‘[name_f]Delta[/name_f] and the Bannerman’ which first brought to my attention and I found myself going back to it more and more until I had a great passion for it.

For a girl, I’d have to say [name_f]Calliope[/name_f], which I would also probably not bestow upon a child. It’s also fun to say, obviously, and I have to confess that I have an obsession with music boxes, so of course I’m attracted to the name of the music they play on a carousel.

I’m currently crushing on [name_m]Asher[/name_m] and [name_m]Enoch[/name_m] for boys and [name_f]Cara[/name_f] for a girl. [name_m]Winston[/name_m] and [name_f]India[/name_f] are the names I love the most and will probably name my future children, though.

[name_f]My[/name_f] [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] would be [name_f]Zoe[/name_f].
2 years ago, I wasn’t as hardcore of a name nerd. But once I got drawn into this crazy world, I kept watching [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] isn’t really liked on here because it’s ‘trendy’ and in the top 30 which for most is ‘too popular’. So I really didn’t think about it too much. But then the whole concept of honoring your family members with names hit me with [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] in the face. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is a close family friend’s name, and I call her my grandmother (or Yiayia, since I’m Greek). She has no biological grandchildren, so I thought to honor her with my future daughter’s name would be so special for the both of us, because she has been a better grandmother to me than both of my grandmothers combined. It quickly became my favorite name. I can’t imagine [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] not being the most perfect name. The librarian at my school has a granddaughter named [name_m]Zo[/name_m]ë, and I got so excited when she told me! [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is just a magical name, it means life, and I can imagine that is the reason it is shooting up in popularity. This is one of the names I will definitely fight for if my future husband doesn’t like it, because it so meaningful to me.
[name_f]My[/name_f] boy [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] will be [name_m]Augustus[/name_m]. I could have chosen some enduring favorites like [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] or [name_m]Dimitri[/name_m] or [name_m]Jason[/name_m], but [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] speaks to me.
I wouldn’t have imagined loving the [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] even a year ago, when I was already a full fledged name nerd. I couple months ago, I was reading through another sites list of names used by Greeks (since I’m Greek and love to find all the cool Greek names), and I stumbled upon [name_u]Gus[/name_u]. I said, “[name_u]Gus[/name_u]? how could that be?” the site said it was a pet name for [name_f]Kosta[/name_f]. [name_f]Kosta[/name_f] is a short form of [name_m]Konstantinos[/name_m], or [name_u]Constantine[/name_u]. I have never liked [name_m]Costa[/name_m]/[name_f]Kosta[/name_f], but [name_u]Constantine[/name_u] I do really like. It is related to my name, since saints [name_m]Konstantinos[/name_m] & [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] (my name) or [name_u]Constantine[/name_u] and [name_f]Helen[/name_f] just go together. I would never give my child the name [name_u]Constantine[/name_u], since I know many. But I was hooked on [name_u]Gus[/name_u]. I wanted that nn. I couldn’t find any that I liked. [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Fergus[/name_m], [name_m]Angus[/name_m], [name_m]Augustine[/name_m]. Nope. I kept reading on [name_u]Gus[/name_u] threads [name_m]Augustus[/name_m]. I said to myself, “that name is too grand, no way.” But slowly but surely, it became more and more usable, especially since I had read The Fault In Our Stars before going on my [name_u]Gus[/name_u] quest. I finally said to myself, “If [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_u]Green[/name_u] likes it, it must be usable, since all his characters, and both his children, have beautiful names.” I posted a thread about [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] “[name_u]Gus[/name_u]” being too out there, and berries seemed to like it. One of the posters even had a son named [name_m]Augustus[/name_m], and told me she was having a positive experience with her son’s name. I was hooked. I now have to prepare myself for the disappointment I feel when my future husband shoots it down and calls it ridiculous. I just love the nn [name_u]Gus[/name_u]. It is so cute. It translates into Greek too (Avgustos, which is [name_m]Augustine[/name_m], the month of [name_u]August[/name_u], and technically [name_m]Augustus[/name_m]! I have made it work for my crazy Greek family). I think [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] is fabulous.
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] are my Valentines this year!

@marshmallow1207- I’v been hearing people loving [name_f]Jubilee[/name_f] recently, it has a beautiful sound too it, even though I’m not really a fan of word names. [name_u]Sage[/name_u] has a spunky-ness (like [name_f]Paige[/name_f], which I love) to it, I would love to meet a [name_u]Sage[/name_u].
@polina- your [name_m]Felix[/name_m] story was really interesting. I never knew anything about [name_m]Felix[/name_m] Yusupov, that is really cool. I love [name_m]Felix[/name_m] too.
@myosotis- I really like [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] too, but all the brands turns me off to it. I posted a thread about it a while ago, not remembering the radio or bracelet companies, and got lots of negative response. Its a shame, since [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] is so beautiful sounding and a cool myth.
@claroswinoswald- I love the nn [name_u]Kit[/name_u], and dislike all the full names for it. I feel your pain.
@castielwings- I really like [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]. It is beautiful, and I love the connection you have with the music boxes (I love music boxes too), I think you should use it. If people can name their kids [name_u]California[/name_u] and [name_f]Callie[/name_f] and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] isn’t too out there!
@beeba- I love [name_m]Asher[/name_m], and [name_m]Winston[/name_m] is adorable. [name_f]Cara[/name_f] is so sweet and [name_f]India[/name_f] is sweet and saucy, although I wouldn’t use it myself because I’m not a fan of place names and I wasn’t a fan of the [name_f]India[/name_f] in Gone With The Wind, I think it has a sweet and melodic sound and the nn [name_f]Indie[/name_f] is adorable.

I love Aira. I love the sound and the shape of the letters and everything about it.

I first met her in the form of Ira Hath, a prophetess in the series ‘The Wind on Fire’. Since Ira (with the eye-ra pronunciation) is a boy’s name in the real world I had to find a legitimate female version in order to love it with wild abandon. It look a long time but when I found Finnish Aira and heard a few Finnish people say it the way I love on Forvo, I was sold :slight_smile:

If I end up using it then I know there’ll be pronunciation problems. People are bound to say ‘air-a’ instead of ‘eye-ra’ but to me, that’s nothing a short explanation can’t fix.

I love August. I love the formality of it. It sounds like its description, regal and calming.

I first met him in the form of August Winds, the nephew of the main character in the book ‘Spring Moon’ (set throughout the time of Cultural Revolution China). My only drawback is the lack of nicknames. I like Gusto but not Gus and Augie feels like someone is stabbing my ears.

I love Merit. I love the short sharpness of it and the happy noise that Merry makes.

I first met her here on Nameberry and I was torn because it was a word name and I’m not allowed to like illegitimate names. I put her to one side until I was watching a programme about ancient Egypt and one of the women they were studying was named Merit. I was so happy when I did extra research and discovered that it had a massive history as a name and I could love it as much as I wanted. It went right up to second on my girl’s list.

I absolutely love hearing how everyone’s favorite names came to be. I want to add that I despised [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] until I read @hardertobreathe 's story and now I’m strangely liking it! I agree with @hardertobreathe when it comes to [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]. I don’t think it’s too out there at all, and I would love it if I met one! I also know a little girl named [name_u]Merritt[/name_u] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], @renrose. She wears her name so well!

Okay.
[name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] was my first love. He was just perfect. Breathy but not too soft; there was a presence to the name. [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] morphed into [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] when OH wanted the option of using [name_m]Zac[/name_m] as a nickname. While [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] wasn’t as gentle sounding as [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] I found that it fit the way I pictured a son of mine much more than [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] did. [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] was louder, mischievous but still good hearted. So [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] was bumped to the top of the list.
Girls is much much harder. The first name I loved was [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] when I was about 12. I’d seen it in a book belonging to a female pirate. The character intrigued me and it just stuck. Over time I found a liking for “bad girl” names. [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], which sounds princess-y to some but screams BA to me, [name_f]Jezebel[/name_f] sounded strong but my OH didn’t. I moved onto [name_f]Lilith[/name_f] briefly at OH insistence on the name before falling hard for [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]. Strong, independent and all around beautiful. Plus, if [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] was too strong willed for my little girl than the softer [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] is an option.

[name_f]My[/name_f] very first valentines were [name_f]Alana[/name_f] and [name_u]Noah[/name_u]. I discovered them in a baby name book when I was 10. [name_f]My[/name_f] aunt was pregnant with her first baby at the time and the names she had picked out for a boy and girl no one in our family liked. lol. [name_f]My[/name_f] mom decided it would be cute and fun for me to make her a list of boy and girl names that I liked for her to choose from. She ended up choosing a name off that list for [name_m]BOTH[/name_m] of her kids ([name_m]Luke[/name_m] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f])! Anyway, when I saw [name_f]Alana[/name_f] and [name_u]Noah[/name_u] I decided that those were going to be the names of my children. Haha! I still like them, but they’re no longer on the top of my list. I’m hoping [name_u]Noah[/name_u] is less popular when it’s time for me to have kids. I adore that name.

Nowadays, my name valentines are [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] and [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m]. Didn’t mean to pick two names starting with the same letter. It just sort of happened that way. I can’t imagine my kids being named anything else. [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] I fell in love with after watching [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]'s youtube channel. She has a daughter named [name_f]Juliette[/name_f] [name_f]Elena[/name_f]. I am so freaking in love with this name I can’t stand it! I am praying I can use [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] for a daughter. [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] has always been in my top 2 favorites since I got into names. I love the meaning, I love the nicknames, and I love how well it grows with a child. I love everything about it!

Mine would totally be [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]! I fell for her one day when I was depressed and holed up in bed, hiding from the world and watching Alias. It was like a splash of color and vitality and youthfulness and joy. All yellows and pinks and purples and green in the back of my mind, and I got excited for the first time in a very long time. I was madly in love with [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], and I have been ever since! It’s going on four years now that she’s been my top girls’ name, and my love for her has never really failed. She is the one name that I always seem to be mad for. :slight_smile:

For a boy, I have no clue what it’d be, maybe [name_u]Everett[/name_u]. No real significance behind it–I just find it so dashing and charming and sweet, and I am in love with the little boy of mine that I picture wearing the name. :slight_smile:

Unrelated to my regular lists, I would probably say either Madelief or Laerke, or any of the other international names I’ve been crushing on lately. I don’t know why, I just am obsessed with international names lately. They seem so much more interesting and timeless and of more substance than boring, made-up American names. :slight_smile:

I am madly in love with Indrina. I get this sense of [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Bride[/name_f] meets [name_u]Indiana[/name_u] [name_m]Jones[/name_m], adventure and fairy tales, heavy rain in the afternoon, traveling the world… I should probably like [name_f]Indira[/name_f] more but for some reason Indrina is perfect because it’s just a little bit odd.
[name_f]Saskia[/name_f] and Castalia have also been long-time loves, [name_f]Saskia[/name_f] because it’s so spunky, Castalia because she glitters like a treasure chest.