Your Naming History

[Leighsheps]

The first name I can ever remember loving and wanting to name my future child (daughter) was Hannah. I want to say I would have been 14-15ish at the time. I remember playing the game of Life with my cousins and getting super excited when I got to put a child in my car. I always named them all, but consistently if I had a girl, she was for sure named Hannah.

Eventually, I found a naming community online and started creating combinations. At the time, two middle names were super popular and I was fully onboard. Here is my list of favourites throughout the years, including the present day:

• Hannah
• Elise
• Elsa Rose Adelaide, Lucy Jane Evelyn, Vaughn Theodore, Otto Matthias, Jack Tobias
• Eve Dorothea, Wren ____, Otto ____
• Ivy Heloísa, Wren Helena, Flynn Atos

Now that I’m married, and since my children will have my husband’s last name, it’s far more collaborative and therefore there is far more compromise. It’s a work in progress, but it’s fun, because it’s very real now.

What has your journey been like?

[mellona]

This is such a cool idea for a discussion! I absolutely love your list, especially [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] & [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Heloísa[/name_f]!

I distinctly recall wishing for three daughters named [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] & [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]! I believe the planned nicknames were [name_f]Lady[/name_f], [name_f]Bee[/name_f] & [name_f]Millie[/name_f]! I must have been around 11 at the time, if my memory serves! Around the same time, I was completely set on the name [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] for a boy!

As for combinations, I remember [name_f]Freyja[/name_f] [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] [name_f]Willow[/name_f] was a long-time favorite of mine! I think I was around 12-14 when I created that one! For boys, I loved the idea of [name_m]Noah[/name_m] [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] [name_m]Atlas[/name_m]!

My style has evolved a lot over the years! I began as a young child with vintage names, then liked primarily ancient and mythological names, and now prefer mostly clunky, elaborate, “cozy” & whimsical European names, but I have retained some elements of my earlier styles too, I think!

[TrulyBrilliant]

I remember being 8 years old and hearing that a friend of my dad’s had a daughter named [name_f]Crystal[/name_f]. I instantly fell for the name, but only with the K spelling - [name_f]Krystal[/name_f]. I didn’t know why I instinctively had the urge to create a middle name for her as well, but I settled on [name_f]Krystal[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f].

Over the course of a few years I also fell hard for the names [name_m]Evan[/name_m] and [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] and created middles for them too - [name_m]Evan[/name_m] [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] and [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] [name_m]Scott[/name_m].

By the time I was 13-14, I had a whole list I would edit and email myself every time I created a new name. I have since lost that email, but a lot of the names still hang around on my current day list - like [name_m]Sacha[/name_m], [name_m]Aidan[/name_m], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_m]James[/name_m], [name_m]Connor[/name_m], and [name_m]Mason[/name_m]!

Around that same time I also updated [name_f]Krystal[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] to [name_f]Krystal[/name_f] [name_f]Lynn[/name_f], and she still resides on my list today too! [name_f]She[/name_f] even proceeded to get a cool new nicknamed when I reached my 20’s - [name_m]Tully[/name_m].

I stopped coming up with baby names for awhile, but then I met my now fiancé and we create new names and combos all the time! Our most recent is [name_m]Roland[/name_m] [name_m]Elio[/name_m]!

[seawillow]

[name_m]The[/name_m] first name I remember absolutely adoring is [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f]. I recall reading [name_f]Anne[/name_f] of [name_m]Green[/name_m] [name_m]Gables[/name_m] as a child and thinking that it was the most beautiful name in existence. I then felt that way about [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] when I read [name_m]The[/name_m] Chronicles of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f], so those two names were the genesis of my naming journey.

[name_m]The[/name_m] next time I thought about names was when we did a project in school where part of assignment involved picking names for future children. I chose [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] and [name_f]Bethany[/name_f]. [name_m]The[/name_m] next year, we did the same project again, and I named my children [name_m]Reeve[/name_m] (g) and [name_m]Noah[/name_m] (b).

That was when I began making name lists. My style evolved from [name_m]Reeve[/name_m] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_m]Noah[/name_m] [name_m]James[/name_m] to [name_f]Reverie[/name_f] and [name_m]Archer[/name_m]. I remember having years when my favorites for girls were [name_m]Rowan[/name_m], [name_f]Symphony[/name_f], and [name_f]Lilia[/name_f], as well as quite a few years where I loved names such as [name_f]Fable[/name_f], [name_f]Reverie[/name_f], [name_f]Boheme[/name_f], [name_m]Archer[/name_m], [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m], [name_f]Aria[/name_f], [name_m]Knight[/name_m], [name_f]Lullaby[/name_f], and [name_m]Legend[/name_m]. I then went through a vintage phase and a unique, spiritual word name phase, and finally circled back around to [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m].

My name style shifted a lot during my adolescence, and only became more steady in my twenties and beyond.

[Daffodil123]

I remember being very young and liking the names [name_f]Bridget[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], and [name_m]Andrew[/name_m]. Then around 12/13 (when I became a name nerd) I remember liking [name_f]Eulalia[/name_f] and the combo [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] [name_f]Paloma[/name_f]. My taste has changed a bit since then but I still think all these names are lovely.

[SparkleNinja18]

oh man, I had a wild, winding naming history even before I joined nameberry!

I collected names for several years but started keeping lists after receiving a name book for [name_f]Christmas[/name_f] when I was 10. I’ve always found fem names more interesting than masc names. for girls, I added names to my list which I heard and thought sounded cool. an eclectic mix; I remember [name_f]Aspen[/name_f], [name_f]Theresa[/name_f], [name_f]Kari[/name_f], [name_f]Chyna[/name_f], [name_f]Siddalee[/name_f], [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f], [name_f]Bree[/name_f]. my boys, though, all came from the top 100: [name_m]Dylan[/name_m], [name_m]Tyler[/name_m], [name_m]Carter[/name_m], [name_m]Colin[/name_m], [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], [name_m]Logan[/name_m].

my first lists on nameberry were very modern and trendy. I remember liking [name_f]Adalyn[/name_f], [name_f]Brooklyn[/name_f], [name_f]Avery[/name_f], [name_f]Brynlee[/name_f], [name_f]Sadie[/name_f], and [name_f]Lila[/name_f] for girls, and [name_m]Carter[/name_m], [name_m]Kieran[/name_m], [name_m]Nolan[/name_m], and [name_m]Ryder[/name_m] for boys.

after joining nameberry, my style shifted more vintage—first for the girls, then the boys. my favorites were [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_m]Jasper[/name_m], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], and [name_m]August[/name_m]. then I realized I didn’t actually like many vintage names for boys, and then I realized that these girl names were becoming just as popular and trendy as the names I used to like.

this was around the latter part of college. I leaned into more of a boho, nature, spiritual, and unconventional style. I stopped caring about family/honor names. I had [name_m]Rowan[/name_m], [name_f]Cleo[/name_f], [name_f]Juno[/name_f], [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], [name_m]Cassian[/name_m], [name_m]Myles[/name_m], [name_m]Finn[/name_m], [name_m]Koa[/name_m], and [name_m]Nico[/name_m] on my list. I’ve strayed even more uncommon since then. I love playing around with unique words, gender-bending, and discovering names which would make most people raise an eyebrow (or two)—but hopefully in a good way!

[Evergreeninrain]

I first discovered names when naming baby dolls, i’d spend hours pouring over name lists and creating names. I concocted the combo [name_f]December[/name_f] [name_f]Fern[/name_f], and fell in love, and decided I’d give the name to my first daughter

Eventually I decided I needed more uniform lists, instead of just one favorite name. My first name list on my phone’s notes app includes,
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], [name_f]Laela[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f] [name_f]Estrella[/name_f], [name_m]Maxton[/name_m] [name_m]Rhodes[/name_m], Brandr [name_m]Pax[/name_m], [name_m]Bridger[/name_m] [name_m]Sol[/name_m] & [name_m]Summit[/name_m] [name_m]Milan[/name_m]

I officially joined nameberry about a year later, and around that time [name_f]Stevie[/name_f] became my favorite girl name. I decided I liked softer boy names, and my boy list became [name_m]Sacha[/name_m], [name_m]Karmi[/name_m] & [name_m]Wesley[/name_m].

Eventually, I decided I wanted my name style to be more unique; something other berries would immediately recognize as ‘my style’ in names. I became more adventurous in my tastes, and had a lot of fun creating unique, artsy combos. I liked [name_f]Andie[/name_f] [name_f]Meadow[/name_f], [name_m]Arlo[/name_m] Moonsong, [name_f]Mavi[/name_f] [name_m]Eclipse[/name_m], [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_f]Poet[/name_f] & [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f] [name_f]July[/name_f] for girls, and [name_m]Kitto[/name_m] [name_f]Solace[/name_f], [name_m]Rumo[/name_m] [name_m]Bright[/name_m], [name_m]Halcyon[/name_m] [name_m]Rune[/name_m] & [name_f]Briar[/name_f] [name_f]Imagine[/name_f] for boys. this style was fun, but didn’t last long!

After my adventurous phase, i’d say i started to get a better feel for my ‘real’ naming taste. I loved quirky, spunky girl names, especially gender-neutral choices. My favorites were [name_f]Melody[/name_f], [name_f]Joanie[/name_f], [name_m]Chase[/name_m], [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Joycie[/name_f] & [name_m]Conner[/name_m]. I liked more classic, familiar boy names, like [name_m]Ian[/name_m], [name_m]Curtis[/name_m], [name_m]Finnegan[/name_m], [name_m]Paul[/name_m] & [name_m]Linus[/name_m]

I then had a 2 year hiatus from nameberry. now that i’ve returned, my names are more based in reality— what i can realistically see myself using when i have children a few years from now.

this was far too long, but fun for me!