What would you name my next child?

I like the following:

Girls:
Phoebe Junia
[name]Elza[/name] [name]Agnes[/name]
[name]Martha[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] “Mazzy”
[name]Martha[/name] [name]Susanna[/name] “Mazzy”
[name]Esther[/name] [name]Talulla[/name] “[name]Etta[/name]”
[name]Naama[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Mahala[/name] [name]Naomi[/name]
Reverie

Boys:
[name]Azariah[/name] Jesse
[name]Nicodemus[/name]
[name]Obediah[/name]

I feel like they are all so serious…What would you pick? Would so appreciate any feed back!

Did you edit your post because you decided the ‘rules’ you had for your other children’s names were no longer so necessary? I remember something about 13 letters and 5 syllables?

[name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Junia[/name]: this is the sunniest combination for your girls. [name]Phoebe[/name] is very cheerful, as is [name]Junia[/name], and the mystery behind [name]Junia[/name] in the NT is very intriguing (was she a female Apostle?)

[name]Elza[/name] [name]Agnes[/name]: I would prefer the softer [name]Elsa[/name]. I actually genuinely love [name]Agnes[/name], but many people consider it completely beyond the pale to name a baby [name]Agnes[/name]. I think it looks pretty on the page, has such a long and distinguished naming history, and very uplifting associations. You could try writing it in a way that would give it a gentler European pronunciation, like the model [name]Agyness[/name], or variants like [name]Nessa[/name], [name]Nesta[/name], [name]Annis[/name], [name]Annice[/name]…

[name]Martha[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]-- prefer [name]Martha[/name] with [name]Susanna[/name], and [name]Magdalena[/name] as a first name. You’re sort of crossing images with this one-- people will expect [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] if [name]Magdalene[/name] were used in the middle spot.

[name]Esther[/name] [name]Talulla[/name]-- where did [name]Talulla[/name] come from? I see a lot of devout names, and then [name]Talulla[/name]? I personally think [name]Tallulah[/name] Bankhead is an abominable namesake (wiki her) and find the name to have an almost cartoonish sound. [name]Esther[/name] on the other hand is beautiful and underused. You could also consider the original Hebrew [name]Hadassah[/name], or [name]Esther[/name]'s rival [name]Vashti[/name].

[name]Naama[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]: [name]Naama[/name] is very interesting! It’s an old, old, old Aramaic name meaning ‘pleasant.’ It’s very difficult to pronounce properly unless you speak a Semitic language (Arabic, Aramaic, Coptic or Hebrew); you can anglicize it by saying ‘Nay-ma.’ I don’t care for it paired with [name]Ruth[/name]; the combination seems too abrupt. This would be a good place for an English standard like [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Madeline[/name].

[name]Mahala[/name] [name]Naomi[/name]: I think [name]Mahala[/name] is closer to the Hawaiian greetin ‘mahalo’ than to [name]Mahalia[/name]. This might still be a one-woman name in the form of [name]Mahalia[/name] [name]Jackson[/name], but it’s certainly fun to say. Paired with [name]Naomi[/name], however, the sounds all run together (they’re so soft). If you go with a first name as grand as [name]Mahalia[/name], I would select a light, sweet middle name ([name]Grace[/name], [name]Rose[/name], [name]Hope[/name], etc).

[name]Reverie[/name]-- quite different from your other choices. A reverie is a nice thing to fall into, but it seems a little contrived for a name, especially in a family surrounded by biblical classics.

[name]Azariah[/name] is a true biblical rarity, though lots of personnages actually bore it. I don’t think it pairs well with [name]Jesse[/name].

[name]Nicodemus[/name] is a fun name, and it is still given occasionally in Greece, but in the States I think it would work best in the middle slot. I’d salvage [name]Jesse[/name] and create ‘[name]Jesse[/name] [name]Nicodemus[/name]’ here.

[name]Obediah[/name]: too far gone to be resurrected for a boy. [name]Malachi[/name]? [name]Josiah[/name]? [name]Joel[/name]? [name]Hosea[/name]? [name]Micah[/name]? those would all be fine.

Wow, thanks for the great feedback, blade.

Of all the names on the list, I am really stuck on [name]Elza[/name] [name]Agnes[/name]. [name]Elsa[/name] is beautiful but, I really like the meaning of [name]Elza[/name]. Either name is beautiful but, Idk, sometimes I look at [name]Elza[/name] and think it could be the next [name]Zoe[/name]…

[name]Naama[/name] [name]Reverie[/name] is pretty, I think that pairs better than [name]Ruth[/name]. Or,
[name]Ruth[/name] [name]Reverie[/name]?

[name]Naama[/name] [name]Reverie[/name] flows very well.

[name]Elza[/name], I thought, was the Slavic (principally Polish) form of [name]Elsa[/name].

Are you trying to keep a Z in each child’s first name?

Btw the prettiest never-used biblical name for girls, imo, is definitely [name]Sephora[/name]. It’s the smoother variant of [name]Zipporah[/name], [name]Moses[/name]’ wife.