Let's talk baby names

[Niel]

Thanks pancake . I'm pretty into the name its going to have to take some convincing but I'm willing to take it down to guilt tripping him during labor

 

[Rosebloom]

Love so many of these names! My older son's name has been mentioned by a few if you - once with the same middle name ever. And Niel one of
your options is my beloved Aunt's name (first and middle!).

Not sure if we are going to try for a third yet but here's a list of my favs:

Boys:
Jude
Xavier ("Xavy")
Francis
Elias
Alexander
Calder

Girls (all family names. We are out of good boy family names!):
Eleanor
Alice grace
Margaret (maisie when young, Margot when older)
Mary
Caroline

 

[Niel]

Love so many of these names! My older son's name has been mentioned by a few if you - once with the same middle name ever. And Niel one of
your options is my beloved Aunt's name (first and middle!).

Not sure if we are going to try for a third yet but here's a list of my favs:

Boys:
Jude
Xavier ("Xavy")
Francis
Elias
Alexander
Calder

Girls (all family names. We are out of good boy family names!):
Eleanor
Alice grace
Margaret (maisie when young, Margot when older)
Mary
Caroline

You've got a list of very strong names there! I like Caroline a lot. And Margot (plus Margaret )

 

[SMC]

We do have a boy name decided - though I don't want to post it just yet. Which probably means that this baby will be a girl. We haven't found any girl names we both like.

I like Maisie for a little girl too! That's really cute.

 

[Niel]

We do have a boy name decided - though I don't want to post it just yet. Which probably means that this baby will be a girl. We haven't found any girl names we both like.

I like Maisie for a little girl too! That's really cute.

We already have a boy name too. Carry over from last time.

 

[Niel]

We do have a boy name decided - though I don't want to post it just yet. Which probably means that this baby will be a girl. We haven't found any girl names we both like.

I like Maisie for a little girl too! That's really cute.

Do you ever look at Nameberry . I like that sight a lot . They show you a lot of similar names that actually are in fact quite similar . And they always have lists like "like the name X then you'll love...." It helped a lot in finding names with a similar feel that my dh and I could more agree on .

 

[amc80]

We do have a boy name decided - though I don't want to post it just yet. Which probably means that this baby will be a girl. We haven't found any girl names we both like.

I like Maisie for a little girl too! That's really cute.

Do you ever look at Nameberry . I like that sight a lot . They show you a lot of similar names that actually are in fact quite similar . And they always have lists like "like the name X then you'll love...." It helped a lot in finding names with a similar feel that my dh and I could more agree on .

Another recommendation is The Baby Name Wizard (it's a book, but there's a website as well). They have all of the names listed, along with meanings, alternate spellings, etc. Then, it puts that name in different groups/categories. You can then look at that particular category and find other similar names.

For example-

Celia
Popularity #735
Styles: Timeless, Shakespearean, Why Not?
Nicknames: Cissy, Ceil
Variants: Caelia
Sisters: Lydia, Helena, Alice, Celeste, Antonia, Nina
Brothers: Vincent, Oliver, Joseph, Simon, Anton, Samuel
(And then it has a paragraph on the name...it also states that it can be used as a nickname for Cecelia)

So then you can go to the list of names that are in the same style and it will give you a whole new list of names. It's a great book if you have a particular style in mind but not THE name...or if there is a name you love but can't use.

 

[SMC]

Thanks for the tips! I'll check them out. My husband and I don't even like names that sound similar to each other. I like classic names bordering on old-fashioned (Catherine/Kate, Blythe, Ashley) and he likes names with weird spellings (Korra - not Cora which I'd be fine with).

Oh, and I really like Kara, but he only likes Keira and I don't (too much like a famous person). Oh well, I'm sure we will eventually decide on name that we both love.

 

[SMC]

Latest dilemma - we both like the name Caitlin but pronounced "Kate-lyn". In Ireland, the traditional Gaelic pronunciation is more like "Kath-leen". Do you think that it's stupid that we spell it "Caitlin" (which is the traditional Irish spelling) but pronounce it "Kate-lyn" like most Americans would?

 

[audball]

Latest dilemma - we both like the name Caitlin but pronounced "Kate-lyn". In Ireland, the traditional Gaelic pronunciation is more like "Kath-leen". Do you think that it's stupid that we spell it "Caitlin" (which is the traditional Irish spelling) but pronounce it "Kate-lyn" like most Americans would?

In reading "Caitlin" I pronounced it Kate-lyn in my head as you want it to be. When I got to your explanation, I was actually surprised to hear how it's supposed to be pronounced because I know people name Caitlin and they all say it Kate-lyn. I'm guessing in most areas of the U.S., it would be pronounced Kate-lyn more commonly than not.

She may have issues if she ever decides to study abroad in Ireland...but I wouldn't worry too much about that

 

[amc80]

Latest dilemma - we both like the name Caitlin but pronounced "Kate-lyn". In Ireland, the traditional Gaelic pronunciation is more like "Kath-leen". Do you think that it's stupid that we spell it "Caitlin" (which is the traditional Irish spelling) but pronounce it "Kate-lyn" like most Americans would?

If you polled 10 non-Irish people, I'm guessing 10/10 would all say Caitlin=Katelynn. I've seen that spelling a few times and never questioned that it would be anything else.

Speaking of Irish pronunciations, I love the name Aisling (from a book I read), which is pronounced something between Ash-leen and Ashlynn. But I couldn't imagine doing that to a kid unless we actually lived in Ireland.

 

[SMC]

Thanks for the reassurance, audball and amc! My husband and I are not Irish. We're probably going to go with Caitlin if it's a girl because I think it goes well with our last name, is feminine, classic enough, and most importantly, a name that we both like!

 

[amc80]

Thanks for the reassurance, audball and amc! My husband and I are not Irish. We're probably going to go with Caitlin if it's a girl because I think it goes well with our last name, is feminine, classic enough, and most importantly, a name that we both like!

Then go with it! It's so hard to find THE name, when you consider personal taste, popularity, last names, family naming issues, etc. There are a bunch of names I really like (and have liked long before DH), and they will absolutely not work with our last name. I'm certain that this baby and our next will be girls, since we only have one girl name we agree on.

 

[mlk]

SMC, my MiL is Irish and her name is Kathleen. I have not come across a Caitlin who pronounces her name Kathleenmalthough those Irish names can do you head in. Luckily DH is in agreement that we would not give our child an Irish name that people here in Aus could not pronounce.

We are just starting to discuss names for #2. Charlotte was our pick if #1 was a girl but I am now starting to like Olivia and Alice. dH doesn't really want to put much thought into it until we find out the gender.

Boys names really stump us and poor Lucas didn't have a name for several days. But we didn't know the sex and his birth was very early but we had so much trouble that one of his friends would come over and just start rattling off names.

DH being Irish is used to children being named after relatives even if they have terrible names. I don't like naming children after people as I was and it was always so had being known as big and little. I also like children to have a name of their own. dS did get DH's middle name as his middle name.

Problem is that the two boys names I am thinking of at the moment, Liam and Oliver are his cousin's names.

 

[SMC]

Latest dilemma - we both like the name Caitlin but pronounced "Kate-lyn". In Ireland, the traditional Gaelic pronunciation is more like "Kath-leen". Do you think that it's stupid that we spell it "Caitlin" (which is the traditional Irish spelling) but pronounce it "Kate-lyn" like most Americans would?

If you polled 10 non-Irish people, I'm guessing 10/10 would all say Caitlin=Katelynn. I've seen that spelling a few times and never questioned that it would be anything else.

Speaking of Irish pronunciations, I love the name Aisling (from a book I read), which is pronounced something between Ash-leen and Ashlynn. But I couldn't imagine doing that to a kid unless we actually lived in Ireland.

Oh funny story about these Irish names - one of my friends in college lived next door to a girl named Siobhan and he spent a year calling her See-obb-hand before someone else corrected him.

I like Aisling too but pronounced it Ayse-ling in my head until I read he correct pronunciation. I'd probably spell it phonetically if I used the name just so my kid could avoid the grief of having almost everyone mispronounce it. Cool name though!

 

[Niel]

SMC, my MiL is Irish and her name is Kathleen. I have not come across a Caitlin who pronounces her name Kathleenmalthough those Irish names can do you head in. Luckily DH is in agreement that we would not give our child an Irish name that people here in Aus could not pronounce.

We are just starting to discuss names for #2. Charlotte was our pick if #1 was a girl but I am now starting to like Olivia and Alice. dH doesn't really want to put much thought into it until we find out the gender.

Boys names really stump us and poor Lucas didn't have a name for several days. But we didn't know the sex and his birth was very early but we had so much trouble that one of his friends would come over and just start rattling off names.

DH being Irish is used to children being named after relatives even if they have terrible names. I don't like naming children after people as I was and it was always so had being known as big and little. I also like children to have a name of their own. dS did get DH's middle name as his middle name.

Problem is that the two boys names I am thinking of at the moment, Liam and Oliver are his cousin's names.

I always think its funny how one sex seems easier than the other. Rarely do you see people have just as much trouble equally with both sexes.

 

[GliderPoss]

I love this thread - some terrific names suggested. It's interesting to see people's "themes". We have just started TTC and I have a full list already. As the youngest of 4 girls - I've had to "dibs" a few for myself after one of my sisters stole (and later denied) 2 boys names I had openly loved since high school

Main thing DH and I agree on is Georgia for a girl, George for a boy - EASY PEASY! My family all have 2 middle names so we will do the same. None inherited since most of them have already been used (I have 6 nieces & nephews). Happily DH also seems to love my suggested middle names too although we probably won't narrow it down until the last minute.

As an Olivia myself - yeah yeah I know it's popular noooow but when I was a kid (late 80's) it was deeply unpopular and I constantly got "Olivia Newton-John" or Shakespeare references....

One thing I've always wondered is how you cope with names that need spelling out? My best friend has an unusual Maori name and has spent a life time correcting people - she swears that giving your child an usual/hard to pronounce/spell name is the most selfish thing you can do as a parent and sometimes I'm inclined to agree, some of them these days are such tongue twisters!

 

[amc80]

One thing I've always wondered is how you cope with names that need spelling out? My best friend has an unusual Maori name and has spent a life time correcting people - she swears that giving your child an usual/hard to pronounce/spell name is the most selfish thing you can do as a parent and sometimes I'm inclined to agree, some of them these days are such tongue twisters!

Let me tell you, it's really annoying having an unusually spelled name. I'm Allyson, and am constantly having to do the "with two Ls and a Y" thing. It gets old. I've always vowed that if we choose a name with multiple spellings, we will use the most common version. That's one reason that Riley is off the table- DH wants to spell it Ryleigh and I refuse.

 

[Niel]

I love this thread - some terrific names suggested. It's interesting to see people's "themes". We have just started TTC and I have a full list already. As the youngest of 4 girls - I've had to "dibs" a few for myself after one of my sisters stole (and later denied) 2 boys names I had openly loved since high school

Main thing DH and I agree on is Georgia for a girl, George for a boy - EASY PEASY! My family all have 2 middle names so we will do the same. None inherited since most of them have already been used (I have 6 nieces & nephews). Happily DH also seems to love my suggested middle names too although we probably won't narrow it down until the last minute.

As an Olivia myself - yeah yeah I know it's popular noooow but when I was a kid (late 80's) it was deeply unpopular and I constantly got "Olivia Newton-John" or Shakespeare references....

One thing I've always wondered is how you cope with names that need spelling out? My best friend has an unusual Maori name and has spent a life time correcting people - she swears that giving your child an usual/hard to pronounce/spell name is the most selfish thing you can do as a parent and sometimes I'm inclined to agree, some of them these days are such tongue twisters!

I LOVE the name Georgia and George! My husband wont let me have either, for some reason he think Georgia makes us sound southern. Which if you knew our daughters name would make it all the more silly!

The goal is to have a name youve heard of but you dont necessarily know anyone named that. Hard to do, especially a second time. Also we prefer older names - "old fashioned" you could say...

I am similar to you in that my name, well, not by birth but what everyone knows me as - was not at all popular in the 90's but is making quite the resurgence. I dont care so much about it becoming popular EVENTUALLY- but i dont want to go with one that is currently popular. I cant control the future, but i can control the current situation.

I agree with spelling too, i HATE spelling my name and i always have to. Frances/ Francis will be their middle name, which i guess will have spelling issues if you dont know the rule, but how often do people spell your middle name. So i guess thats ok.


UGH I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS!

 

[SMC]

UGH I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS!

When do you find out gender?

 

[Niel]

UGH I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS!

When do you find out gender?

No idea. I've had two ultrasounds so far, one to see how many were in there at 12 weeks so too soon. One to spot the bleed. So they were more concerned about that at 16 ish weeks.

I have an UT on sept 17, but again that's bleed related, so I'm hoping they do the normal anatomy scan too. My doc said they take over UT scans until I'm cleared out of the "high risk pregnancy" so sense I haven't had one yet I suspect that they will

 

[SMC]

UGH I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS!

When do you find out gender?

No idea. I've had two ultrasounds so far, one to see how many were in there at 12 weeks so too soon. One to spot the bleed. So they were more concerned about that at 16 ish weeks.

I have an UT on sept 17, but again that's bleed related, so I'm hoping they do the normal anatomy scan too. My doc said they take over UT scans until I'm cleared out of the "high risk pregnancy" so sense I haven't had one yet I suspect that they will

I hope you find out! And I hope that everything is ok and you get cleared.

 

[baby monster]

What do you think of when you hear the name Marion? I recently watched a documentary about a very interesting woman named Marion. I really like the name and going to add to my favs list. DH hates it as usual. .sigh. Oh btw, do you think it's a girl, boy or unisex name?

 

[SMC]

What do you think of when you hear the name Marion? I recently watched a documentary about a very interesting woman named Marion. I really like the name and going to add to my favs list. DH hates it as usual. .sigh. Oh btw, do you think it's a girl, boy or unisex name?

I've always thought of it as a girl's name because the people that come to mind are Marion Jones (the athlete) & Marion Cotillard (the actress). I like the name, though if my DH hated it, it would probably end up being a no-go for us too.

 

[Niel]

What do you think of when you hear the name Marion? I recently watched a documentary about a very interesting woman named Marion. I really like the name and going to add to my favs list. DH hates it as usual. .sigh. Oh btw, do you think it's a girl, boy or unisex name?

I've always thought of it as a girl's name because the people that come to mind are Marion Jones (the athlete) & Marion Cotillard (the actress). I like the name, though if my DH hated it, it would probably end up being a no-go for us too.

Its weird. I think of it as a boys name, yet a girly name for a boy. Like, if I heard someones name was Marion I'd be like "that boy has a girls name" before I knew the gender.

Weird I know.

I think its a lovely name. That sucks your husband doesn't like it. I hate when you find one you really love but your DH vetoes. Gets me so deflated sometimes.

So far I haven't been able to come up with anything we both like other than Josephine. So sounds like that's what it is, unless its a boy, then all hells about to break loose in the Niel household.

 

[baby monster]

Thanks for responding SMC and Neil. I'm going to keep it on my list, maybe DH will change his mind in the future. Although it doesn't fit his criteria of being a top 100 name. I checked SSA and it was #955 back in 1988 then fell off their top 1000. The most popular it's ever been is #42 in 1922. Which is pretty interesting as the woman featured in the documentary was born in 1923.

 

[Niel]

Thanks for responding SMC and Neil. I'm going to keep it on my list, maybe DH will change his mind in the future. Although it doesn't fit his criteria of being a top 100 name. I checked SSA and it was #955 back in 1988 then fell off their top 1000. The most popular it's ever been is #42 in 1922. Which is pretty interesting as the woman featured in the documentary was born in 1923.

He wants a name in the top 100?

My husband is the opposite. He's goal is somehow a name that was in the top 25 100years ago but outside the top 500 now lol.

 

[baby monster]

Thanks for responding SMC and Neil. I'm going to keep it on my list, maybe DH will change his mind in the future. Although it doesn't fit his criteria of being a top 100 name. I checked SSA and it was #955 back in 1988 then fell off their top 1000. The most popular it's ever been is #42 in 1922. Which is pretty interesting as the woman featured in the documentary was born in 1923.

He wants a name in the top 100?

My husband is the opposite. He's goal is somehow a name that was in the top 25 100years ago but outside the top 500 now lol.

Yup. Complete opposite. He only wants a popular or semi popular name. Everyone has their thing with the names, right? Have you tried using ssa.gov? You might be able to find another option if Josephine doesn't work out. I still think it's a great name.

 

[Niel]

Thanks for responding SMC and Neil. I'm going to keep it on my list, maybe DH will change his mind in the future. Although it doesn't fit his criteria of being a top 100 name. I checked SSA and it was #955 back in 1988 then fell off their top 1000. The most popular it's ever been is #42 in 1922. Which is pretty interesting as the woman featured in the documentary was born in 1923.

He wants a name in the top 100?

My husband is the opposite. He's goal is somehow a name that was in the top 25 100years ago but outside the top 500 now lol.

Yup. Complete opposite. He only wants a popular or semi popular name. Everyone has their thing with the names, right? Have you tried using ssa.gov? You might be able to find another option if Josephine doesn't work out. I still think it's a great name.

So true . I hope I didn't sound like I was making fun of your husband's method, its nice that way you have so many options for both sexes, our way is quite limiting

The other one we have is Agatha . I kind of hate it. But I don't know, maybe I love it too haha

I also love Zelda. But I just can't get Link out of my head. Which is an absolute shame.

 

[SMC]

Thanks for responding SMC and Neil. I'm going to keep it on my list, maybe DH will change his mind in the future. Although it doesn't fit his criteria of being a top 100 name. I checked SSA and it was #955 back in 1988 then fell off their top 1000. The most popular it's ever been is #42 in 1922. Which is pretty interesting as the woman featured in the documentary was born in 1923.

He wants a name in the top 100?

My husband is the opposite. He's goal is somehow a name that was in the top 25 100years ago but outside the top 500 now lol.

Yup. Complete opposite. He only wants a popular or semi popular name. Everyone has their thing with the names, right? Have you tried using ssa.gov? You might be able to find another option if Josephine doesn't work out. I still think it's a great name.

So true . I hope I didn't sound like I was making fun of your husband's method, its nice that way you have so many options for both sexes, our way is quite limiting

The other one we have is Agatha . I kind of hate it. But I don't know, maybe I love it too haha

I also love Zelda. But I just can't get Link out of my head. Which is an absolute shame.

My DH and I both like popular names too. I think because we don't have too many friends with kids so we think that our choices are unique until we look them up and discover that they're all in the top 50 in the last few years. Doesn't really stop us from using them though.

I like Zelda. I associate it with F Scott Fitzgerald's wife. And nothing wrong with Link!

Agatha is a big name for a little girl! What about Agnes? Would you consider that?

We decided on Riley for our daughter. We had a list of 5 gender-neutral names (Quinn, Riley, Casey, Peyton, Skyler), and that was the only name that neither of us disliked though it was not #1 for either of us. It was truly a compromise for us.