Why?

Girl Names
1

We spend a lot of time judging and nitpicking on this site, which is basically what we’re all here for, but I’d like to know what everyones top names are, not so I can judge it, but to see why it’s been chosen. Why is your top name your top name? Combos would be good, but if you don’t have one don’t worry about it. Any reasons are good whether it be that you just like the names or there is some family significance etc. You can also list as many names as you want. Dosn’t have to just be your top combo. Can’t wait to hear them :slight_smile:

Mine:

[name]Lucy[/name] [name]Willow[/name]/[name]Ivy[/name] [name]Primrose[/name] - [name]Willow[/name] and [name]Rose[/name] are two of my most favourite names. I’ve loved them for a while, but DBF doesn’t like [name]Willow[/name] up front because it reminds him of the movie and [name]Rosemary[/name] is his Aunts name and she goes by [name]Rosie[/name] and [name]Rose[/name] a lot. [name]Lucy[/name] seems like the perfect name for us. DBF said he always wanted a little girl named [name]Lily[/name], but I know too many [name]Lily[/name]'s, but not so many young [name]Lucy[/name]'s. It’s common enough for DBF and still vintage enough for me. It’s easy to spell and pronounce and I think it will age well. I think it flows really nicely with [name]Willow[/name] (even if some do get a ‘pussy willow’ association from it) and, most importantly, I get to squeeze my [name]Willow[/name] in there :slight_smile:
[name]Ivy[/name] is a new love, but I’m crushing on it hard. I love the combo, even though most of you see it as being too much. [name]Ivy[/name] is short and sweet and, if you can’t tell, I do have a bit of a thing for nature names. [name]Primrose[/name] allows me to get a [name]Rose[/name] name in there, but I feel like the Prim- beginning makes it seem less ‘naturey’ than just using [name]Ivy[/name] [name]Rose[/name] or another [name]Rose[/name]- variant. [name]Ivy[/name] is also slightly less common than [name]Lucy[/name], which is appealing to me right now.

OK, your turn!

2

[name]Alexia[/name] [name]Serenity[/name] was my top for a long time. I’ve loved the name [name]Alexia[/name] for years upon years, and have a love for the [name]Alex[/name]- names in general. [name]Serenity[/name] is a beautiful name, with a lovely meaning. Also she’s anything like her father was as a kid, I’ll DEFINITELY want some serenity in my life, and she’ll definitely need some peace and calming. Lol. The nicknames for [name]Alexia[/name] are great as well, [name]Alex[/name], [name]Lex[/name], [name]Lexie[/name], [name]Lexia[/name], Ale/[name]Alie[/name], [name]Xia[/name].

[name]Alessandra[/name] [name]Chloe[/name] is my top now. Like I mentioned, I love the [name]Alex[/name]-names, and I also love all things [name]Italy[/name]. [name]Alessandra[/name] is a beautiful, gorgeous, regal sounding name. It’s girly, but not overly so imo. It’s the perfect girls name to me. [name]Chloe[/name] I picked because I love the sound of the name, and I like the meaning, it’s got a fresh, life, nature meaning to it, and it’s grounding but uplifting. With it in the combo makes me feel like she’ll grow up to be a wonderfully rounded person.

  • I also love A names, and A endings.

Another factor in my naming is numerology, I’m a bit of a dork with the divination branch. My names add up to certain name numbers I find favourable. Ideally, 3. [name]Alexia[/name] [name]Serenity[/name] and [name]Alessandra[/name] [name]Chloe[/name] with their likely future surname ultimately add up to 3.

3

[name]Rebecca[/name] [name]Jane[/name] is my top girl’s name for the following reasons:

When I was growing up, the name [name]Rebecca[/name] was not very common. There were a few in the schools I attended, but they all went by [name]Becky[/name] or [name]Becca[/name], and I never knew any of them personally. I also had no relatives with the name. To me, the name [name]Rebecca[/name] was a romantic, elegant, literary, underused Biblical gem. The name brought to mind [name]Rebecca[/name] of Sunnybrook Farm, and [name]Rebecca[/name] ("[name]Becky[/name]") [name]Thatcher[/name] from The Adventures of [name]Tom[/name] [name]Sawyer[/name]. The name made me think of a girl with long, flowing hair running through a flowery meadow on a bright, spring day. After naming my daughter (now 13 years old), I discovered that it had become more popular than I realized, but it doesn’t change the fact that I love this beautiful, classic name.

[name]Jane[/name] is a very special middle name to me. My late mother was ‘[name]Mary[/name] [name]Jane[/name],’ and I am [name]Martha[/name] [name]Jane[/name]. I cherished that my mother gave me a part of her name, and, for that reason, it was special for me to pass it along to my daughter. [name]Jane[/name] is pretty in an understated, unpretentious way. It also has a neat, clean look and classic feel that I like. (I considered naming my daughter [name]Marissa[/name] [name]Jane[/name] to continue the “Mar” name tradition, but I loved [name]Rebecca[/name] more.)

Here are a few of my other favorites:

[name]Susanna[/name] [name]Eve[/name] or [name]Susannah[/name] [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Clarissa[/name] [name]Mae[/name]
[name]Francesca[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Marissa[/name] [name]Renee[/name]
[name]Louisa[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Eva[/name] [name]Juliet[/name] or [name]Geneva[/name] [name]Violet[/name]
[name]Natalie[/name] [name]Claire[/name]

4

[name]Luna[/name] is my top name. I love the idea of calling her “[name]Little[/name] [name]Luna[/name]” when she’s a child. My fiance’ however doesn’t think [name]Luna[/name] sounds much like a name on it’s own, and so we came up with [name]Lunette[/name]. I also think [name]Lunette[/name] would age better than [name]Luna[/name]. The meaning is also adorable since it means “[name]Little[/name] [name]Moon[/name]”

[name]Ezra[/name] became my top name since it was the ONLY boys name that stuck out to me and I don’t know any [name]Ezra[/name]‘s in real life. My fiance’ didn’t know any [name]Ezra[/name]'s either so it was perfect.

We wanted unique names, but nothing too out there. So that’s how we decided on our two names :slight_smile: Left out middle names since we haven’t decided yet, but they will be Chinese, so I don’t know if that’s much help for anyone…

5

[name]Arabella[/name] [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Scarlett[/name]
This is my favourite girls name, and I think it is perfect. [name]Arabella[/name] is fun and girly, it has a great nickname in [name]Bella[/name] and is the right kind of popular for me - well known but isn’t likely to bump into many with the same name. I like that it has a sort of posh, British feel to it and that makes it sound pretty elegant to me. I think it will age well, and I believe any girl would be lucky to have such a princessy name. The middle names are purely names I like but not so much as first names; both are too popular in the UK but look really good with [name]Arabella[/name].

[name]Pandora[/name] [name]Alice[/name] [name]Winter[/name]
I just can’t describe how much I love this whole combo! It’s whimsical, sing songy and just beautiful. [name]Pandora[/name] doesn’t get the best feedback but at the same time I’ve found people very accepting of it, which makes it seem more and more useable. Although, I’m sure if I did have a [name]Pandora[/name] people would question her name but I think it’s unique and interesting, without being wacky. I love the simplicity of [name]Alice[/name] next to [name]Pandora[/name], while [name]Winter[/name] is a name I wouldn’t use as a first name but it sounds so fresh to me in the combo. I think Panda is an adorable nickname, and pretty quirky too.

Those are just my top two favourite names!

6

I named my children [name]Caitlin[/name] [name]Louisa[/name], [name]Rachel[/name] [name]Helen[/name], and [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Caleb[/name]. [name]Caitlin[/name] is because my maternal great-grandmother was [name]Sofie[/name]-[name]Katarine[/name] (Norwegian) and [name]Sofie[/name] didn’t go with my husband’s last name; also my daughter was conceived the weekend after my great-grandmother died at 88. So I had always loved the name [name]Caitlin[/name] because of a Welsh girl I babysat for, and [name]Caitlin[/name] works better with my last name (being Welsh, and my children have a hyphenated surname) than [name]Katarine[/name]. [name]Louisa[/name] is for my paternal great-grandmother, who died the year after I was born. I have an image of her – tiny and smelling of lilacs. My grandmother adored her, and I wanted to honour my grandmother. My stillborn child was [name]Rachel[/name] [name]Helen[/name]. I have always loved [name]Rachel[/name], and there were cousins named [name]Rachel[/name] on both sides of my family. [name]Helen[/name] was the name of my father’s mother. [name]Thomas[/name] is the name of my mother’s father, whom I adored, and has been a name in my family since the Brewsters came over on the Mayflower. [name]Caleb[/name] is just because my husband didn’t like any of the Jewish names I’d wanted for my son – [name]Benjamin[/name] and [name]Gideon[/name] – [name]Caleb[/name] was the only name he agreed to. I love the fact that it means faithful.

If I were to name children now, these are the names I would choose:

[name]George[/name] [name]William[/name] Wrestling. My grandmother’s father was [name]Georg[/name] [name]Willem[/name]. He was arrested and deported to a camp by the Nazis, and he never returned. My father’s father was [name]George[/name] Wadsworth, my grandfather [name]Brewster[/name]'s father was [name]George[/name] [name]Thomas[/name]. I love the name [name]George[/name] and the nn [name]Geordie[/name]. Wrestling [name]Brewster[/name] is the Mayflower [name]Brewster[/name] my father’s line is descended from. Wrestling comes from [name]Jacob[/name] wrestling with the angel, and so the Hebrew name would be Ya’akov.

[name]Frederick[/name] [name]Louis[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name]. I love the name [name]Frederick[/name] and the nn [name]Freddy[/name]. I don’t know why, I always have. [name]Louis[/name] is another family name; my grandmother [name]Helen[/name]'s grandfather was [name]Daniel[/name] [name]Louis[/name] [name]Immanuel[/name] [name]Augustus[/name] and her brother was the famous chemist [name]Louis[/name] Plack [name]Hammett[/name]. My grandmother’s mother’s name was [name]Maria[/name] [name]Louisa[/name], so [name]Louis[/name]/[name]Louisa[/name] is a traditional name. [name]Nathaniel[/name] has always been a favourite of mine.

[name]Martha[/name] [name]Angharad[/name] [name]Clare[/name]. [name]Martha[/name] is a very common name in Norway, and I was surrounded by Tante Marthes and Cousin Marthas growing up. I love the name. [name]Angharad[/name] is a lovely underused Welsh name that is the name of a favourite character of mine, from [name]Margaret[/name] Mahy’s novel The Tricksters. [name]Clare[/name] is a plain, simple name that ties in with the meaning of [name]Helen[/name].

[name]Edith[/name] [name]Solveig[/name] [name]Margaret[/name]. Cousin [name]Edith[/name] was my grandfather [name]George[/name] Wadsworth’s first cousin, an incredibly wealthy socialite to whom I was presented when I was an infant. I was taken to see her house in [name]Concord[/name], Massachusetts, an incredibly beautiful mansion. She gave us tea and was quite charming. Her letters to her daughter [name]Catherine[/name] were published to some acclaim. [name]Solveig[/name] was the name of my favourite Norwegian aunt, as well as the name of my first flute solo – [name]Solveig[/name]'s Song by Grieg – that I played. [name]Margaret[/name] is a family name – my grandfather GW’s oldest sister was [name]Margaret[/name] – and I love its ties to old New [name]England[/name].

Other names I would consider using are [name]Giles[/name], [name]Philip[/name], [name]Edmund[/name], [name]David[/name], and [name]Hugh[/name] for boys, and [name]Mildred[/name], [name]Cecily[/name], [name]Tamsin[/name], [name]Jane[/name], and [name]Helen[/name] for girls.

7

My top girl’s name is [name]Phoebe[/name], but I’m not 100% sure about what I would use as a mn. I chose it for several reasons, in no particular order:

  • [name]Phoebe[/name] Caulfield, Catcher in the [name]Rye[/name]. I love her character, and want each of my children’s names to have a literary reference because I’m a writer and I love to read.

  • [name]Phoebe[/name] from Friends! I don’t care if anyone makes fun of me for that! I love the show and I love [name]Phoebe[/name]. A boy that I took care of years (he’s 12 now) and consider to be like my own son, is named [name]Chandler[/name] after[name]Chandler[/name] [name]Bing[/name], and I would love that this name ties in with his (I would also want to somehow honor his twin, [name]Quinton[/name], probably with [name]Quinn[/name] or [name]Theodore[/name] (his mn)).

  • My mom’s name is [name]Phyllis[/name] and she hates it, so I thought the “Ph” could partially honor her, since she hates her mn too ([name]Edith[/name]).

  • I’ve never met anyone named [name]Phoebe[/name] and it’s not too popular, though I do realize it is getting popular on this site.

8

I guess my reasoning is simple compared to everyone above! [name]Abigail[/name] [name]Georgianna[/name] - after [name]Abigail[/name] [name]Adams[/name], an historical figure in US history that I admire very much for her writing, political astuteness, and social influence during the American Colonial period, and [name]Georgianna[/name] just because it sounds pretty. [name]Abby[/name] is such a great nickname that will work on a child, adult, and grandmother. I like a lot of other names, but this is my favorite. Husband has agreed to [name]Abigail[/name]. Still working on a middle name (he’s not a fan of [name]Georgianna[/name], but it’s my dream name if [name]Baby[/name] [name]Bee[/name] is a girl.)

9

My top girl’s name is [name]Adelaide[/name], for boys it’s always a toss up between [name]Abram[/name] and [name]Desmond[/name].

[name]Adelaide[/name]. My cousin/best-friend is named [name]Adele[/name] and I have always wanted to name a child in honor of her. I don’t want to say it is my top name because of her, just a really awesome added bonus. And the reason I stumbled upon it in the first place is because I was trying to find a less obvious way to get [name]Adele[/name]'s name in there. I think [name]Adelaide[/name] grabbed me because it is strong, unique, but still classic and not outlandish. And I love the NN options of [name]Addy[/name] and Lady.

[name]Abram[/name]. Its warm and fuzzy and strong and classic and I love it, so there. That’s about all I got. And I love [name]Abe[/name] and [name]Bram[/name].

[name]Desmond[/name]. Fell in love with it as a kid because of the song “Ob-La-[name]Di[/name] Ob-La-Da” and it’s always just been around. It’s strong. Plus, [name]Desi[/name].

So in summary, I love names that are strong, unique, classic, and have cute nicknames.

10

My tops names are

  1. [name]Fiona[/name] [name]Marie[/name]… [name]Fiona[/name] because it works in both spanisha nd enlish (which we need), it is the “female version” of a sains name ([name]Fionn[/name]) ( i know in ireland they dont just add the A but it works for me!) and [name]Marie[/name] because it my grandmothers name (great grandma on other side was [name]Maria[/name])!

  2. [name]Bridget[/name] [name]Katherine[/name]… [name]Bridget[/name] because it was my granmothers middle name… and I adore the nn [name]Jet[/name] and Briddie! [name]Katherine[/name] Because it is my middle name and was my great grandmothers name.

  3. [name]Eleanora[/name] [name]Marie[/name]- [name]Eleanora[/name] is just such a classic name! I think the nns of [name]Leni[/name] and [name]Nora[/name] are perfect! [name]Marie[/name] for the same as 1

11

My favorite girls’ name is [name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Grace[/name]. :slight_smile:

I first realized I would truly love [name]Isabelle[/name] when I heard it on Alias, for [name]Sydney[/name] and [name]Vaughn[/name]'s daughter. Something about it just clicked, and I’ve loved it ever since. I love the association to the Biblical [name]Elizabeth[/name], and I’ve always loved the story about how [name]Elizabeth[/name]'s baby kicked when [name]Mary[/name] came to visit her. I think that’s just a really cool connection to [name]Jesus[/name] [name]Christ[/name]. I love the meaning of “my God is a vow”–it’s just come to symbolize everything I know and love about the God I would die for. I love its streamlined, sweet, on-the-verge-of-frilly persona, the nn [name]Bella[/name]/[name]Belle[/name] (and [name]Ella[/name]… and [name]Izzy[/name]…). I love that [name]Belle[/name]/[name]Bella[/name] means “beautiful”, and I hope that when I get to use it, my daughter will know beyond a shadow of doubt that I think she’s the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me. :slight_smile: Especially since she’ll be adopted, I just want her to know how much I love her already, still years from being conceived, and I can’t wait to meet her and hold her in my arms. I love the French influence in [name]Isabelle[/name], as well. I’ve always been a huge Francophone and hope to pass that culture and my love of the French language on to her.

At first I’d been set on [name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Jane[/name] as a combo, [name]Jane[/name] for my dad and brother, but then I wanted to go to two MNs and I realized how much I wanted to honor my grandmother ([name]Arlene[/name] [name]Grace[/name]), and I realized how much I loved [name]Isabelle[/name] and [name]Grace[/name] together. Their simple, classy, classic presence fits together perfectly to me (which is probably why there are hundreds of [name]Isabella[/name] Graces and [name]Isabelle[/name] Graces!). [name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Grace[/name], meaningful though it is, was just a bit too predictable to me, and I thought of [name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Grace[/name] one day while brainstorming for a story I was writing. I loved how completely frilly it was, and I’d always loved [name]Aurora[/name] but didn’t like how it flowed with my LN (which is also very “R” heavy!). I loved [name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Grace[/name] because she wouldn’t ever be [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Richards[/name] (ugh), and she wouldn’t ever be _____ [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Richards[/name], either. There would always be something to break up the "R"s. Although [name]Grace[/name] doesn’t really break up the "R"s, but still, haha, I don’t mind, really.

As I’ve grown more in love with the name, settled into the combo, the name has taken on a more personal meaning… I have struggled with clinical, moderate depression for the past five years now. At times, it has been nearly crippling. At times, I didn’t know I could go any lower, and then I did. It was nasty and revolting and like a cancer that eats at my soul, and I hate it more than anything. But [name]Aurora[/name]'s meaning… “[name]Dawn[/name]”… it reminds me that there’s always hope for a new day, for me, and I’ll never give up fighting this monster. For [name]Bella[/name]. For [name]Caleb[/name], for [name]Everett[/name], for all my children, and how much of my world they’ll be someday. And I hope, in some way, they’ll see [name]Bella[/name]'s MN and have hope that no matter where their lives take them, they’ll always have hope for a new day, too.

Really, [name]Isabelle[/name] is… well, everything. [name]Hope[/name] and beauty and everything that matters to me. I can’t even imagine finding a name that means more to me, I absolutely adore it. And I just can’t wait for these next couple of years to fly by, so I can be [name]Bella[/name]'s mommy. Finally.

12

Girl names are tough for me! My DH and I picked out our top two boy names years ago and even easily came up with a top five. I’m not sure why we have such a hard time agreeing on girl names. At the moment, I don’t really [name]LOVE[/name] anything. In the past, I have had a name picked out and been completely obsessed, however, don’t really feel that way about any girl name these days. Part of it may be from teaching and coming across so many names (and a lot of them the same) I typically lean towards more traditional or classic FN with a family MN.

My top two girl names right now:

  1. [name]Eliza[/name] [name]Claire[/name]- My DH likes the name [name]Elizabeth[/name] and I think [name]Eliza[/name] is a more modern and fresh take, plus I like the spunk of [name]Eliza[/name]. I was flipping through the channels the other day and there was an [name]Eliza[/name] on Jeopardy…for some reason hearing [name]Alex[/name] Trebek say [name]Eliza[/name] kind of made me not like it. [name]Claire[/name] is my middle name and also my mom’s FN name. Whatever girl name I decide on, the middle name will be [name]Claire[/name]

  2. [name]Amalie[/name] [name]Louise[/name]- [name]Amalie[/name] is a name the my DH suggested and out of the many he thought of, one that I didn’t immediately hate. I go back and forth with spelling of [name]Amelie[/name] and [name]Amalie[/name]. These days I’m liking the [name]Amalie[/name] spelling but a few months ago it was the other. [name]Louise[/name] is my [name]MIL[/name]'s middle name. I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Louise[/name], but my DH does not. I really like [name]Ann[/name] [name]Louise[/name] as a double name, but can’t sell him on it. For some reason I love the NN [name]Lou[/name] [name]Lou[/name]. If we do have two girls regardless of the FN, [name]Louise[/name] will most likely be the MN of a second girl.

Other names that have recently caught my eye:
[name]Willa[/name]- my DH is [name]William[/name]. I think it would be a nice way to honor him if we have all girls, as our last child’s name
[name]Sadie[/name] and [name]Stella[/name]- my LN starts with the letter S so I’m always trying to think of pretty names beginning with S
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Marlowe[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]- I really like this for a MN. [name]Mae[/name] is also a family name that I like as a MN

13

[name]Kristabel[/name] [name]Winter[/name] - [name]Kristabel[/name]'s spelling is after my mother, [name]Kristine[/name]- which is my middle. I love the thought of naming my own daughter after her in some way. [name]Winter[/name] is absolutely my favorite season- good thing since I live in Wisconsin :slight_smile: I plan to move to even colder climates, so the fact that I could use that as a name really makes me happy and gives me a good image.

[name]Ethan[/name] [name]Abraham[/name] - I’ve always, always wanted a little boy named [name]Ethan[/name], it’s stuck with me for years. I don’t even care that it’s pretty popular. [name]Abraham[/name] is seriously underused in my opinion and my family is very religious, so it fits for me.

[name]Lewis[/name] and [name]Lucille[/name] - favorite author that influenced me in a big way, C.S. [name]Lewis[/name], and one of his characters [name]Lucy[/name]. Plus I just love the names

[name]Andreas[/name] - Amazing way to get to Dre, one of my favorite nn. My brother has a friend with the name Dre and I’ve always admired it, but he’s not close enough to the family for it to matter

I’d love to use the names [name]Cross[/name] and [name]Raphael[/name] somehow as well. Plus some weird ones like [name]Zelda[/name] and [name]Yuna[/name]- names that remind me of my older brother in a roundabout way. Naming after influential people in my life seems like the way to go. I’m even thinking about [name]Ambrose[/name] after my older sister, [name]Amber[/name]. Totally lame to some people, really important and meaningful to me.

14

My daughter is [name]Madelaine[/name] [name]Amelia[/name], because I have always loved the name [name]Madeline[/name], but I came across a name book that had this as an alternate spelling, and it was perfect because my mom’s name is [name]Elaine[/name]. DH’s mother is [name]Amelia[/name], so she is named after both her grandmothers.

My son is [name]Micah[/name] [name]Osvaldo[/name]. [name]Micah[/name] was DH’s choice. He read it in a book a long time ago and really liked it. [name]Osvaldo[/name] is a family name on DH’s side. It’s his middle name, as well as the first name of his grandfather and the middle name of several of his male cousins.

The current LO will have a name of M_______ [name]Frances[/name]. We haven’t agreed to a first name yet, but it will definitely be an M name. DH has OCD and it is very important to him that all of our children’s names start with the same letter. And [name]Frances[/name] is his grandmother’s name.

15

[name]Charles[/name] [name]Lee[/name]-[name]Allen[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Leigh[/name]-[name]Allyn[/name], [name]Virginia[/name] [name]Thomasin[/name] nn [name]Ginny[/name], [name]Lorraine[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] nn [name]Elsie[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Lorraine[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Lee[/name] & [name]Virginia[/name] [name]Lee[/name] nn [name]Ginny[/name] (twins), [name]Dalton[/name] [name]James[/name], [name]George[/name]-[name]David[/name] ???, [name]Walton[/name] [name]Mack[/name] nn [name]Wall[/name], [name]George[/name] [name]Nicholas[/name]

[name]Charles[/name] is husband’s name, after his father’s father. [name]Charlotte[/name] is a family name on both sides of husband’s family as well as honoring my husband. [name]Lee[/name] is [name]MIL[/name]'s mn and [name]Allen[/name] is FIL’s mn. Got the idea of [name]Leigh[/name]-[name]Allyn[/name] from Good [name]Luck[/name] [name]Charlie[/name]-it is the name of the actress who plays the mom. [name]Virginia[/name] [name]Thomasin[/name] would honor my maternal grandparent’s who were named [name]Virginia[/name] and [name]Thomas[/name]. The nn [name]Ginny[/name] would be a nod to my sister who is named [name]Jenny[/name] as well as being a very sweet nn. Husband’s paternal grandparent’s were [name]Charles[/name] and [name]Lorraine[/name]. [name]Lorraine[/name] was actually her mn-her first name was [name]Elsie[/name]. [name]Lorraine[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]=initials L.C.=sound [name]Elsie[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Lorraine[/name] would be the same initials as my husband which really appeals to him. For twins, I would really like to use the mn [name]Lee[/name]/[name]Leigh[/name] (prefer [name]Lee[/name]) as [name]MIL[/name] is a twin. She and her twin (my husband’s aunt) share the mn [name]Lee[/name] but for AIL it was spelled [name]Leigh[/name]. [name]Lee[/name]/[name]Leigh[/name] is a family name also which is why they were given it for their mn. [name]James[/name] is my uncle’s first name and a [name]BIL[/name]'s mn. [name]Dalton[/name] is just my all-time favorite boys name but it’s highly unlikely my husband will ever let me use it. [name]George[/name] was a dear sweet gentleman my sister and I referred to as “Uncle Piggyback” as children due to him always givong us piggyback rides. He passed away when we were young. I would really like to honor him. [name]Nicholas[/name] is a [name]BIL[/name]'s mn. [name]David[/name] a grandpa’s name, a great-grandpa’s name, and a [name]BIL[/name]'s name. [name]Walton[/name] nn [name]Wall[/name] would be to honor great-grandpa. [name]Mack[/name] would honor my dad and it is also a name I have always loved for a boy.

My daughter’s are [name]Karin[/name] [name]Renee[/name] (kuh-[name]RIN[/name]) and [name]Delaney[/name] [name]Mae[/name] (dee-[name]LANE[/name]-ee). [name]Renee[/name] is my sister’s mn and [name]Delaney[/name] honors my dad by the [name]LANE[/name] in it and nn [name]Laney[/name].

16

[name]Maria[/name]- b/c it was my beloved grandmothers name, and fits in most places internationally
[name]Grace[/name]- a best friend’s name and I’d like to honor her in a middle spot
[name]Magdalena[/name]- I love its exotic feel while being easy to say in English, looks and sounds very interesting
[name]Eva[/name]- I like short strong first names for girls that end with A and I love the V sound, plus its not as popular as [name]Ava[/name], and more visually appealing. International, which I find important
[name]Rose[/name]-it just sounds good as a middle name for the names I like and is simple, strong and soft at the same time
[name]Karina[/name]- To honor a best friend [name]Karen[/name], and my DH and I both like songs named [name]Carina[/name]/[name]Corrina[/name], Ks are more interesting to me and this name has international appeal.
[name]Cordelia[/name]- [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables influence, like the way it rolls of the tounge
[name]Juliet[/name]- beautiful, classic but more interesting and less boring than other classics
[name]Adelaide[/name]- a new favorite, like the nns I could use namely, [name]Adele[/name]/[name]Adela[/name]. It has an antiquated vibe I like, sounds sweet
[name]Mona[/name]- soft, sweet, under-rated
[name]Flora[/name]- like nature, short, A ending, sweet, no fuss

[name]Jack[/name]-Grandfathers name
[name]Sawyer[/name]- Southern vibe b/c of [name]Tom[/name] [name]Sawyer[/name], not as common when I first started liking it in 2006
[name]Owen[/name]- family name
[name]Gregor[/name]- family name
[name]Murphy[/name]- DH likes it and I like the Irish connection
[name]Vaughn[/name]- a good connector as a mn, like V sounds
[name]Guy[/name]- sounds good with our last name, imagery I get out of it is private detective and I like those kind of movies.
[name]Spencer[/name]- feels old school like [name]Spencer[/name] [name]Tracy[/name]
[name]Frank[/name]- old school vibe, like the nn [name]Frankie[/name]

17

[name]Ruby[/name] is my favorite name. It’s a family name but I would love it even if it weren’t. It’s just a classic, old-fashioned, lovely name. It’s perfect.
[name]Eloise[/name] is my second favorite. There’s no real reason. I just think it’s beautiful and unique.

18

[i][name]Octavia[/name] [name]Sybella[/name] [name]Patience[/name] - [name]Octavia[/name] is my absolute favourite girls name even though I don’t know why I love it so much. It is also a family name. I’ve adored [name]Sybil[/name] for a while now, but it never seemed to fit. So that’s where [name]Sybella[/name] came from. I’m not sure why I love [name]Patience[/name] so much, but I’ve found that I really adore -ce names. [name]Alice[/name], [name]Florence[/name], [name]Constance[/name], [name]Patience[/name].

[name]Florence[/name] [name]Matilda[/name] [name]Primrose[/name] - [name]Florence[/name] is my second favourite girls name, although it’s close to being a tie. It is also a family name. I’m not sure why I like [name]Matilda[/name] so much, but I just adore the sounds of it. I also adore the nickname [name]Tilly[/name]. [name]Primrose[/name] is my replacement of [name]Rose[/name]. [name]Rose[/name] is an old favourite of mine and it didn’t feel right not using it in any of my combinations.

My other favourite girl combinations are…
[name]Charlotte[/name] [name]August[/name] [name]Marie[/name]
[name]Violet[/name] Hesper [name]Monroe[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name] [name]Ophelia[/name] [name]Mabel[/name]/[name]Ophelia[/name] [name]Beatrix[/name] [name]Mabel[/name]
[name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Magnolia[/name] Clémence
[name]Phillipa[/name] [name]Hermione[/name] [name]Daisy[/name]
[name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Cora[/name] [name]Thisbe[/name]
[name]Luna[/name] [name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Dulcie[/name]
[name]Harriet[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] [name]Winter[/name]
[name]Greta[/name] [name]Millicent[/name] [name]Ramona[/name]*
and
[name]Olive[/name] [name]Isadora[/name] [name]Mae[/name]*

[name]August[/name] [name]Victor[/name] [name]James[/name] - [name]August[/name] is my absolute favourite boys name. I just love everything about it. Well, I’m still warming up to the nickname possibility of [name]Gus[/name] to be honest. I love V names on boys and [name]Victor[/name] sounds so elegant and fits in perfectly in between [name]August[/name] and [name]James[/name]. It is also a family name. I’m not too sure why I picked [name]James[/name]. I do like it quite a bit however and it sounds elegant and is a perfect second middle.

My second favourite boy’s name is tied between [name]Jasper[/name] [name]Wesley[/name] [name]Stone[/name], [name]Lewis[/name] [name]Barnaby[/name] [name]North[/name] and [name]Rupert[/name] [name]Leopold[/name] [name]Arthur[/name]. I’m not really sure why I’ve used these names other than I like them. [name]Stone[/name] is a family name however.

My other favourite boy combinations are…
[name]Hunter[/name] [name]Charles[/name] [name]Nathaniel[/name]
[name]Rigby[/name] [name]William[/name] [name]Fox[/name]
[name]Dexter[/name] [name]Leo[/name] [name]Malachi[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Silas[/name]
and
[name]Hugo[/name] [name]Sebastian[/name] [name]Felix[/name]

*subject to change[/i]

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My daughter is [name]Evelyn[/name] [name]Heather[/name] - We liked the song [name]Evie[/name], which is what she gets called most of the time, but we wanted something more formal on the birth certificate, and to call her when she’s in trouble. [name]Heather[/name] is after my mum, she was born in [name]Scotland[/name], my grandfather delivered her, and after she was born he looked out the window and saw all the heather in bloom, so that’s how she got that name. I love my mum, and I love that story, so it was a natural choice.

Current faves for baby number 2 are…

[name]Isla[/name] [name]Poppy[/name] - [name]Isla[/name] because of my scottish heritage, [name]Poppy[/name] because my due date is remeberance day, and poppies feature quite heavily in my favourite movie

[name]Violet[/name] [name]Annabel[/name] - [name]Violet[/name] just sings to me for some reason. [name]Ann[/name] is [name]MIL[/name]'s middle name, and adding [name]Bel[/name] incorporates part of my name too.

[name]Liam[/name] [name]Richard[/name] - [name]Liam[/name] is a short form of [name]William[/name], which is my dad’s middle name, named after his father who served in WWII. [name]Richard[/name] is FIL’s name, I’m not that fond of it but it does work very well with [name]Liam[/name].

[name]Hamish[/name] [name]Michael[/name] - again [name]Hamish[/name] is to do with my Scottish roots. [name]Michael[/name] is hubby’s middle name, and his dad’s middle name, so I like the idea of passing it down to the next generation too. It also happens to be my bestie’s name.

20

When I first joined Nameberry, I had a mild case of [name]Baby[/name] Name Desensitization Disorder–there were very few names I loved. Ten months later, my blues have vanished and I have many names I love! More boys’ than girls’, though–girls are harder for me.
So–right now my top boy’s name is [name]Tobias[/name]. I hadn’t really considered it before participating in a “Be a Name Consultant” game on one of the forums, but when pinkcandle suggested [name]Tobias[/name] for me, I really fell for it! So thank you, pinkcandle. It’s strong, masculine, known-but-unusual, can yield the nickname [name]Toby[/name], and means “God is good.” What more could you ask for? I have it paired with [name]Christian[/name] in my list. God is good, and I’m a [name]Christian[/name]. Enough said.
I’ve loved the name [name]James[/name] forever, and in Deliverance I’ve found a middle name that really helps [name]James[/name] shine.
[name]Edmund[/name] [name]Kay[/name] is a new love, but I’m very fond of it right now. It’s strong and dignified while remaining lovable. I’m really liking [name]Kay[/name] for a boy, but I don’t think I could use it as a first name, and it’s perfect with [name]Edmund[/name]. [name]Kay[/name], for a boy, is the Anglo-[name]Saxon[/name] form of the Latin [name]Gaius[/name], which means “rejoicing.” The book of 3rd [name]John[/name] was written to [name]Gaius[/name]. And [name]Kay[/name] has the [name]King[/name] [name]Arthur[/name] image via Sir [name]Kay[/name], too. I love all those connections.
I was going to stop with my top 3, but I must say something about [name]Ransom[/name] [name]Horatio[/name]! I fell in love with the name [name]Ransom[/name] after reading C.S. [name]Lewis[/name]‘s Space Trilogy. It has the perks of being a legitimate surname as well as having a “word-name” meaning. It was difficult to pick a middle name because [name]Ransom[/name] is a word-name, but I chose [name]Horatio[/name]/[name]Horatius[/name] (I keep waffling) because its meaning has to do with “hours.” So [name]Ransom[/name] [name]Horatio[/name] could carry the meaning “redeeming the time,” as a Scripture says.
And [name]Joseph[/name] [name]Nicodemus[/name]! I started loving [name]Nicodemus[/name] after I found [name]Charles[/name] Dickens’ “Our Mutual [name]Friend[/name].” I’m not ready to use it in the FN spot, so I had to pick the perfect first name to go with it. I settled on [name]Joseph[/name], giving the combo the meaning “He will add victory to the people.” Pretty cool.

For the girls, [name]Una[/name] is my top name right now. I love that it’s demure, feminine and unusual, and that for such a short, sweet name it’s rich in history, with meanings in Gaelic, Latin and Native American. It needs a longer middle name to balance it, and I think [name]Marguerite[/name]/[name]Margaret[/name] is perfect.
[name]Alice[/name] is just so ladylike. It’s short and sweet, like [name]Una[/name], and in my mind seems to personify lovely girlhood and womanhood (too bad, [name]Alice[/name] [name]Cooper[/name]!). [name]Elisabeth[/name] has a similar feeling, it’s my sister’s middle name (spelled [name]Elizabeth[/name]) and I like the repeating sounds in “[name]Alice[/name] [name]Elisabeth[/name].”
[name]Jessamyn[/name] gives me much the same feeling as [name]Alice[/name] while not being too matchy; I could easily see [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Jessamyn[/name] as sisters. I picked this spelling because it guarantees the pronunciation I prefer. [name]Agnes[/name] is a very new love; I’m really still warming up to it, so I have it in the MN spot. At the moment, I think [name]Jessamyn[/name] [name]Agnes[/name] is just about perfection.
As I said, girls’ names are harder, so I’m stopping with my top 3. I like my others, too, but these are the three I really love right now.
I have enjoyed reading other posters’ stories, too. Thanks!