You Never Thought You'd Like

General Name Discussion
1

What names have grown on you recently or over the years that you never, ever, in a billion years thought you would like or consider using? For example… I tend like names that are a little uncommon or unusual. Classic names (or names at least with a classic feel) usually aren’t my thing - [name]Elizabeth[/name] is one of my least favorite names. (There’s nothing wrong with [name]Elizabeth[/name], for some reason I just don’t like it!) But low and behold, lately I’ve been diggin [name]Georgia[/name], [name]Virginia[/name], & [name]Mary[/name]. If you had told me 2 years ago I’d have a soft spot for [name]Georgia[/name] now, I’d have told you you’re nuts. I’m also not always on the trendy name bandwagon - and guess what’s grown on me? [name]Harper[/name]. I’m a little curious to see where my name taste goes down the road - who knows, maybe one day I’ll even like [name]Elizabeth[/name] :wink:

So fellow Berries, what names are you now fond of that you never ever thought you’d like?

2

This is a great topic!
The most recent name that has surprised me is [name]Ramona[/name]. I have never liked the name. It has always been too “[name]Ramona[/name] [name]Quimby[/name]” for me, but now I’m starting to appreciate the elegant sound of the name and I love the -mona ending.

3

I used to dislike [name]Eleanor[/name]- it always struck me as old-lady-like, but now I think it’s really classic and beautiful.

4

Hmm, ditto on [name]Eleanor[/name]!

Also [name]Daphne[/name] and [name]Vera[/name]. [name]Both[/name] I used to think were very frumpy, but now I find them very delightful and pretty.

5

I’ve never really liked [name]Clara[/name], but I’ve loved [name]Claire[/name]. I have to say I fell for [name]Clara[/name] because of the [name]Doctor[/name] Who connection (shhh, spoilers). I also never thought I would like the name [name]Tosca[/name], but after meeting [name]Tosca[/name] [name]Lee[/name], one of my favorite writers, I fell for it, too.

7

I am usually not a fan of [name]Emma[/name] or [name]Emily[/name] but I found [name]Emmaliese[/name] and fell in love. Same with [name]Georgiana[/name]. I am also diggin on [name]Raphael[/name] and [name]Raphael[/name]/[name]Rafaela[/name]/[name]Raffaela[/name]. I didn’t think I would ever like [name]Edith[/name] (family name) but I am now hardcore considering it. [name]Ramona[/name] is a great one, so is [name]Vera[/name]! [name]Eleanore[/name] is my name and so many people are finally coming around and digging on it.

8

For me it’s [name]Harper[/name], I know it’s a fairly old name (even as a FN), but it seems quite modern as it’s really trending right now.

Yet I’ve really started to love it.

9

[name]Enid[/name] and [name]Erin[/name]. [name]Enid[/name] seemed so dowdy and fusty, but I love the sound of it now :slight_smile:

10

My grandmother’s middle name was [name]Cecilia[/name]. I always thought it sounded pretty, but the not-great meaning (“blind”) and the fact that it is a feminization of one of my least favorite boys’ names ([name]Cecil[/name]) turned me off of it. Fortunately, I’ve gotten over it and would happily use it for a daughter. [name]Camille[/name]/[name]Camilla[/name] is another name I’ve warmed up to, lately.

11

Margaret- My DH’s grandmother has this name, and she is not very nice so he hates this, but I love it so much now.
Mary/Marie- Thought it was too plain, but now I love the uniqueness of it.
Anne- Thought it was too boring.
Jane- Same as above.
Veronica- Always viewed this as a snobby girl name, but love it now.
Pamela- because of Pamela Anderson, I always thought the name sounded trashy but now I like it a lot more.

12

Edited for privacy.

13

[name]Camilla[/name] is a name that’s grown on me too. A few years ago I would’ve found it old-ladyish, but now I adore it.

14

[name]Ingrid[/name], [name]Astrid[/name], [name]Millicent[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name]!!

15

I’ve never been crazy about [name]Lily[/name] or any version of it…but recently [name]Lilliana[/name] has been on my radar…and I love it! :slight_smile:

16

I’ve always hated word names, especially occupational/-er ones like [name]Harper[/name]. (and most especially on girls)
So one day, as I’m naming a character, I think about the name [name]Clover[/name], and how it would be absolutely perfect. I start to think about [name]Clover[/name] more and more and how pretty it is. I doubt a future daughter would end up with [name]Clover[/name], but perhaps in the middle… And one day it might move its way up :slight_smile:

17

Ditto on [name]Eleanor[/name]. And [name]Cecilia[/name]. I found an old list of names I thought were the worst names ever, lol, and I don’t even know what I was thinking when I posted that list. There’s still a few on there I don’t like, but for the most part, I love all of the names I posted, lol. Here’s a sampling:

[name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Annabel[/name]/[name]Annabelle[/name]
[name]Isabelle[/name] (which is my current top contender! I don’t even remember not liking [name]Isabelle[/name] at any point! lol)
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Calliope[/name]/[name]Calista[/name]/[name]Callista[/name]
[name]Georgiana[/name]/[name]Georgina[/name] (I adore [name]Georgiana[/name]! And it blows my mind that I had [name]Georgiana[/name] on this list but not [name]Georgia[/name]–I really am not a [name]Georgia[/name] fan at all, but I [name]ADORE[/name] [name]Georgiana[/name])
[name]Primrose[/name] (what?! I love [name]Primrose[/name] nn [name]Posy[/name]! I was such a name loser in 2009!)
[name]Cora[/name]
[name]Noelle[/name]
[name]Serena[/name]
[name]Lyra[/name]
[name]Luna[/name]
[name]Julia[/name]
[name]Ophelia[/name]
[name]Cordelia[/name]
[name]Arabella[/name]
[name]Poppy[/name]
[name]Elisabeth[/name]/[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Valentina[/name]
[name]Evangeline[/name]
[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Ariadne[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]

What in the world was I thinking back then?! That’s like, my style now. lol.

18

Um, most nb fav I saw no appeal at all. Especially [name]Penelope[/name] and [name]Mabel[/name], which are now my fav. Haha
Funny if you hear something enough, you grow a liking for it.

19

Some quirky names that I heard in movies or books while growing up, but never actually seen used in real life have grown on me. Names like [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Matilda[/name], [name]Molly[/name], [name]August[/name], [name]Wolfgang[/name] etc. I live in a french/english community where my parents generation were all named [name]Suzanne[/name], [name]Patricia[/name], [name]Sharon[/name], [name]Helen[/name], [name]Pauline[/name], [name]Michel[/name], [name]Robert[/name], [name]Richard[/name] and etc. My generation were all [name]Jessica[/name], [name]Melanie[/name], [name]Rachel[/name], [name]Anne[/name], [name]Alain[/name], [name]Michel[/name], [name]Daniel[/name], [name]Ronald[/name] etc. If somebody in my community would have been named something like [name]Penelope[/name] or [name]August[/name] that was under the age of 70, they would have stood out like a sore thumb! Now I love the names because they are so uncommon.

20

My favorite names right now for girls are [name]Ursula[/name], Dagmara and [name]Tuesday[/name]… all of which surprise me!

I’ve also become very interested in boyish names on girls like:

[name]Wallis[/name]-[name]Ann[/name]
[name]Ross[/name]
[name]Ellis[/name]
[name]Frazier[/name]
[name]Selwyn[/name]
[name]Miller[/name]
[name]Morris[/name]

21

My very favorite for a boy right now is [name]Wesley[/name], which I would have laughed at a few years ago, thinking it sounded kind of dorky. But ever since I read The Host the name (and nn [name]Wes[/name]) have grown on me like crazy. I also currently love [name]Nolan[/name], which I used to view as old-mannish. Same with [name]James[/name], [name]Lawrence[/name], and [name]Geoffrey[/name].

For girls, I really like [name]Laura[/name], [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Jane[/name], and [name]Adelaide[/name]. I’ve also been noticing [name]Louisa[/name]. All of those used to seem like plain, old lady names, but now I love them. I also really like [name]Persephone[/name] nn Seph… or even [name]Percy[/name]. I usually abhor masculine names on girls, but I keep picturing a little girl [name]Percy[/name] and it sticks with me. Same thing with [name]Monroe[/name].

I’ve also developed a thing for place names and nature names such as [name]India[/name], [name]Raleigh[/name], [name]Scotland[/name], [name]Boston[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], [name]Tennessee[/name], [name]Aspen[/name], [name]Denver[/name], and [name]Savannah[/name], as well as [name]Roman[/name], which isn’t exactly a place name, but very close. I’ve also considered [name]Atlanta[/name]. As for nature names, I’ve been noticing [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Jasmine[/name], [name]Clover[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Calla[/name], and [name]Sage[/name].

I have always had a thing for Irish names, but lately that’s getting deeper. On my list I have [name]Nolan[/name], [name]Ryan[/name], [name]Quinn[/name], [name]Fallon[/name], [name]Cassidy[/name], [name]Shea[/name], and [name]Rowan[/name]. I’ve also been noticing other Irish and Gaelic names like [name]Niamh[/name], [name]Saoirse[/name], [name]Caoimhe[/name], [name]Cathal[/name], [name]Kieran[/name], [name]Reilly[/name], [name]Roisin[/name], [name]Ronan[/name], [name]Maeve[/name], and [name]Larkin[/name].