Why?

Not a huge fan of all of these, but I do like [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (nickname [name_f]Lotte[/name_f]) because of Phantom of the [name_f]Opera[/name_f], [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] because it is fresher to me than [name_f]May[/name_f] and I like the long “a” sound, and I have always liked just [name_f]Delia[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f].

To be frank, I don’t like any of these names. :face_with_hand_over_mouth: If these were the only names in the world, I would probably go with [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].

Charlotte - historical, long but familiar, tons of nickname potential, I could picture it on anyone
Saskia - I’m not one of the big Saskia people, but for some reason, I love seeing people suggest it. I like that it’s international and I think it sounds sharp and powerful. Pronunciation could be an issue I’ve heard that it’s sass-key-uh
Bronwyn/Bronwen - I think it’s hearty and grown-up. I flip-flop between loving frilly names and loving no-nonsense solid names, and it’s definitely in the solid category. But I think the ability to get to Winnie softens it.
Maeve - the meaning is sweet and it’s another that I feel “could be” anyone. It feels very ageless to me, I could see it as a cute baby name as well as a tough adult. It has the simplicity of Mae without being boring, and I throw it in the middle spot a lot because it goes with everything.
Cordelia - I love the countless literary connections from King Lear to Anne of Green Gables. Beautiful meaning. Regal and distinguished while still being accessible. Also, I know a Cordelia called Cordie which is really growing on me.

This is my perception of the appeal of these names.

Anouk: This is the first name of an influential [name_u]French[/name_u] actress ([name_f]Anouk[/name_f] Aimée) and it’s popular in countries like [name_f]France[/name_f], [name_u]Holland[/name_u] and Belgium. I can’t say I’m a fan of this personally, but in the UK it would certainly sound unusual and different.

Charlotte: A very classic, royal name in the UK and [name_f]France[/name_f], with many influential namesakes e.g. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] Brontë.

Felicity: This name is one my favourites. It has a lovely meaning and a sophisticated quality. It’s also familiar without being overly popular and has some cool namesakes e.g. [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] [name_m]Jones[/name_m].

Saskia: An elegant name. [name_f]Saskia[/name_f] is best known as being the name of the painter [name_m]Rembrandt[/name_m]’s wife.

Maeve: [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is a classic name in Irish culture. It was the name of a legendary queen and there are many well-known Irish women with this name.

Cordelia: The name of one of [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]’s heroines and a leading character in the TV series Buffy.

Bronwyn: This is one name that I’m not that familiar with. I believe it’s most common in Australia and was used in a couple of books.

I’m not going to attempt to explain how I would pronounce them because it would probably sound totally different in my accent. :laughing:

1 Like