Warning: This will inevitably become a long, rambly post. [name]Feel[/name] free to skip right to the bottom for the actual question.
[name]Arthur[/name] has been my top name for such a long time now. I love that it’s classic and vintage, and it honours one of my favourite authors, Sir [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Conan[/name] [name]Doyle[/name] {he wrote the [name]Sherlock[/name] [name]Holmes[/name] books}. It’s very popular here in [name]England[/name] {It’s in the top 70}, but I love it so much I can get past the popularity issue. However, I struggle to find a girls name that I love, and any time I do find one, it’s way too similar to [name]Arthur[/name] {for example [name]Adelaide[/name], [name]Anthea[/name], [name]Martha[/name], and [name]Edith[/name] - [name]Arthur[/name] and [name]Edith[/name] share the “th” sound, [name]Anthea[/name] and [name]Arthur[/name] sound too similar, [name]Adelaide[/name] and [name]Arthur[/name] both start with A, and I don’t like matching initial sib-sets, [name]Martha[/name] rhymes with [name]Arthur[/name]}. The only other boys name that I love is [name]Jackson[/name], after [name]DeForest[/name] [name]Kelley[/name], who played Dr [name]Leonard[/name] [name]McCoy[/name] in [name]Star[/name] Trek: TOS and the first six [name]Star[/name] Trek movies {Motion Picture -> Undiscovered Country}. My only issue with [name]Jackson[/name] is that it seems very trendy nowadays, and is also very popular, and it doesn’t pair well at all with any of the girls names despite the fact that minus the trendiness, it is a pretty classic name.
So I can either keep [name]Arthur[/name], which I love so, so much, and have a girls list comprised of names that I don’t love, and sometimes barely like, because I’ve looked and looked and I cannot find a single girls name that I love - even the ones that were too similar to [name]Arthur[/name] were only “like”, I didn’t love them like I love [name]Arthur[/name]. The only other girl name is [name]Ottilie[/name], but I’m not sure I would use it myself because I don’t like how it sounds when I say it. Alternatively, I can abandon [name]Arthur[/name] and have [name]Jackson[/name] as my top boys name, and have my girls list of the names I really like {[name]Adelaide[/name] and [name]Edith[/name] being the main ones}, even though I hate how they sound with [name]Jackson[/name] {I like sib-sets to be cohesive, I don’t want a “trendy” sounding name with very vintage names}.
There are other names that I like {e.g [name]Caspian[/name], [name]Micah[/name], [name]Julian[/name], [name]Ophelia[/name], [name]Beatrice[/name], [name]Iris[/name]}, but I only like them, I don’t love them and I don’t think I would use them. My list has been very sparse in the past few months because of this issue and I really don’t know how to resolve it because no matter how hard I look {I’ve looked at every single Nameberry list, I’ve trawled the forums asking for suggestions, I’ve practically stalked other people’s listographies in hope of finding something that I like, but I just can’t}. I’m being extremely picky, I know that, and I’m probably way overthinking this, but I can’t find anything that I love. And I want to love the name like I love [name]Arthur[/name], I don’t just want to “settle” {I’ll probably have to “settle” when I’m actually having a baby, but for now I’m on my own so it’s my feelings that count haha} for something that I barely like.
It also bothers me that the two boys names mean something {they both honour famous people} while none of the girls names do. I love [name]Shakespeare[/name], and thought about using a Shakespearean name, but I can’t see myself using most of them, and a lot are way too out there for me. I just don’t have a connection to a name, which I suppose is why I can’t find any that I like.
Also, I’m not asking for your opinion on all the names, because I don’t love them - except Arthur - enough to use. Even if you think Arthur and Edith are fine, I don’t.
So my question is kind of what I said in paragraph two. [name]Do[/name] I keep [name]Arthur[/name] and continue the painstaking search for more girls names, or do I abandon it and have [name]Jackson[/name] as my #1 and use the other girls names that don’t really go very well with it? Ignore your personal feelings on whether you personally would prefer [name]Arthur[/name] or [name]Jackson[/name], please.
And I think [name]Arthur[/name] and [name]Edith[/name] together are absolutely lovely, as are [name]Arthur[/name] and [name]Ottilie[/name]! [name]Don[/name]'t give up hope; I’m sure you’ll find something eventually 