this is a great idea! the boy list was very hard for me though ^^
girls:
may
i think it’s pretty obvious that i like may! the “mae” spelling is pretty as well, but i prefer the -y. may’s been on my list forever. may’s also for maybonne mullen, and it’s my father’s birth month! it’s also a very subtle lana del rey nod by way of may jailer, and though i wouldn’t want to name my daughter after her, she was important to me in my high school years, so…
sabine
for the magician’s assistant, which is my favourite book. this is also the name that my mother wanted to name me, but my father vetoed. i also like sally, my best friend’s name, as a stretchy nickname!
june/juna
silver and sunshine. also reminds me of june carter cash and “junebug” by the b-52s. i wouldn’t use if i already had a may, of course, but i still adore it!
caroline
this is probably the most meaningful name on my list. i actually don’t love it objectively, but i wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the middle spot. this was my mother’s nickname growing up, and it’s also similar (though unrelated) to her real name! it’s also a nod to north carolina, where i was born, and it’s got so many good song associations: caroline, no; caroline says i & ii, caroline by fleetwood mac…
betty
i love betty so much, even though it’s slightly tainted in my family by association with my purportedly terrible great-grandmother. another very sunshiney name - not all names have colour associations for me, but betty is definitely gold!
boys:
bill
i just love bill! it’s not an honour or anything, and i’m not at all fond of william, but bill just clicked for me one day and hasn’t left the top of my list since. it’s short and spunky and has that midcentury vibe. i also love the idea of willa “bill” on a girl, but i don’t think i would give a kid a name based solely on my assumption that a certain nickname would stick.
sandy
this is a diminutive of my father’s name, but it’s not the one he uses, so i like that it’s a subtler nod. reminds me of rivers and beaches and summertime, and also of the westing game and sand by nancy sinatra & lee hazlewood and fourth of july, asbury park by bruce springsteen. plus i quite like andy as a nickname, even if it’s the exact same syllable count ^^
frank
ah, love frank! this was my first ever real love for a boy name, and it’s also my mother’s top pick for any male children i might have, so using it would make her happy. i also love the “free” meaning, and how it shares a meaning with caroline! i’m only hesitant because i hate frankie.
carey
the nickname by which my mother’s gone her whole life, and for carey by joni mitchell, the first song i ever knew all the words to. sure is hard to leave you, carey…except i’m not sure on nickname potential. still love it!
nesha
this is a diminutive of “nebojsa,” which is my great-uncle’s name; it’s also another name that was a contender if i had been a boy. my parents were ahead of their time! i think it has the same gentle appeal as sasha, but it’s more uncommon! i have a clunky yugoslav honour name in the middle spot, and i think it would make a nice connection. i’d call him neshko.
an honor for a dear relative)
I was reading a baby name book on a family road trip. 
I shortly after decided that I love anything [name_u]Finn[/name_u] related.