Thursday, January 12, 2012

Name struggles

I always thought boy names were harder than girl names, but now I find it to be just the opposite.

I was so certain that this kid would be another boy. And Nick and I had several names we agreed we really liked. And they sounded nice with his last name.

And it was nearly settled! So easily!

Except that we're having a girl.

What I will tell you very candidly is that while I am not remotely secretive (I know you just laughed at the obviousness of that statement), I'm not going to talk about whatever name we choose until she's born. For two reasons.

One, because there are always people who find fault with it. You mention what you're thinking about, and they don't like it and they wrinkle their noses and tell you so and why and what's wrong with it. And two, with this one, the odds are we will be making our final really absolute decision at the hospital, with the way it's going.

Here's the thing. Years and years and forever and as long as I can remember ago, I decided that one day I would have a girl, and I would name her after my grandmother. It was just fact. This is what I would do.

And then I was certain I was going to die alone. But in the moments when I wasn't, I was going to have a girl, and I was going to name her after my grandmother. No matter who I married.

Also. If you know me you know that I am firmly of the opinion that whoever carries the kid around for 9+ months (and wrecks their abs and/or vagina, anus, internal organs, God knows whatever else) has final say-so in the naming. I mean this in a hand-to-God, stare-you-down, do not fuck with me kind of way.

So the girl name has been settled for years.

However.

Now my grandmother's name is popular, as is the nickname for her name. Very very popular. Apparently everyone is naming their daughter after my grandmother.

And while I still love the name, here's the deal: I have been named Lisa my whole life. There were lots of other Lisas when I was growing up. It is not remotely interesting. I have never been particularly fond of it.

When we came up with Jordan's name, which sounds great with Nick's last name, I genuinely considered ditching Lisa and becoming Jordan Nick'slastname. I thought about it, I talked about it, and several friends ridiculed me for it.

And then I gave the name to Jordan and we can't both be Jordan Nick'slastname. That would just be too weird.

So I'm still Lisa and there you have it.

I mean, Lisa is not offensive. I don't think it's ugly. It's just so fucking boring. (No offense, other Lisas.) The best thing I can say about it is that no matter where I've gone, no matter what language, people have been able to pronounce it. (And in Japanese class, it didn't matter, because we called each other by our last names, with "-san" attached.)

So I am determined NOT to have a girl with the same name as everyone else.

Nick doesn't have an issue with it, because there weren't other Nicholases around when he was growing up. His biggest issue with his name was the McDonald's commercial Nicholas Pickle-less. But that was short-lived.

I love Nicholas and Nick. Both good, solid, non-boring names. In my opinion.

Here are names either Nick or I like, but we won't be using, either because one of us doesn't like them or they have other issues:

Autumn (issues: Fall makes me depressed. Which is too bad, because Nick loves the name and it's his favorite season.)
Carol-Anne (issues: Over my dead body.)
Cleo/Clio (issues: Nick hates it.)
Emma (issues: Very popular; also, Madame Bovary.)
Gaia (issues: Nick hates it.)
January (issues: I hate winter; nickname Jan; also, January Jones - terrible actress.)
Ophelia (issues: meets a tragic end; possible nickname Oph, which sounds like "oaf" which, just no.)
Persephone (issues: Stuck in the underworld; nickname Percy would be awful.)
Phaedra (issues: Lisa, what is it with you and the Greek names? Um, at least it's not Terpsichore.)

We're casting a wide net. Any thoughts?

49 comments:

  1. we didn't decide on a name for our third little girl until about 10 hours after she was born. we were down to two names and she just felt like one of them :)

    as far as picking a name- check out www.nameberry.com if you haven't already. love it over there. and if your grandmother has a very common name, maybe try to look for variations. for example, did you know bettina is a variation of elizabeth? and our third's name is patricia jane- jane being the feminine form of john, my father's name. or you could always pick a name that starts with the same letter as your grandmother to honor her that way.

    lots of different ways! have fun with it! i love the name hunt :)

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  2. ps, name suggestions, some of my faves!

    leonie
    penelope
    beatrice
    cecily
    grethen
    eloise
    elodie
    cora

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  3. I kind of like Fae. Also, Leigh or Leia. Or Imogen (which could be Imi or Gen for short)?

    I also kind of like Alice with Nickslastname. And I don't think it's too popular right now...

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  4. go the celebrity route...can't get much worse than Pilot Inspektor or Apple (although I do love apples). Other ideas - (in no order)

    Ava,
    Tadu (she's a brilliant person, in case you didn't know),
    Gabriella (little Gabby, so cute but talkative?),
    Yvonne,
    Genevieve (Gigi is such a great nickname and she'd get the "i" before "e" issue out of the way before all the kids in class)
    Ryan (love boy girl names)
    Seraphina (love!)
    Harlow (eh?)

    That's all I got...good luck! Don't Tell Anyone!

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  6. If I get pregnant, I am printing out this blog post and waving the "the one with the vag gets final say" paragraph in front of Brandon's face anytime he starts in on names. Which also means I won't share any of my dream baby names, because one's already been stolen and I can't bear the loss of another.

    (BTW, what is with parents who hear a friend say they have a favorite baby name, and then yoink it for their own kid a year or two later?)

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  7. I had a boy's name all picked out. One I was very happy with. One that sounded great with my last name. Then we learned we were having a girl.

    Zoe was a leading candidate from a very early stage but it was still up in the air until the point when Sophie was pushing and screaming, "C'mon Zoe!! Get out!!!!", and a small voice in my brain went, "Well, I guess that's settled."

    It's a tough decision because you want it to be fairly unique but not totally weird. You don't want to make it too easy for other kids to make fun of it (they'll always find a way, it's just a matter of how much effort they have to put in). You want to make it easy for the kid (and others) to spell. I would hate to give my kid a name they have to spell out Every Single Time they give it over the phone. But in the end, you go with your gut and with what sounds right and with what fits.

    I think our runner-up was Olivia. You can use that if you want, but it's pretty popular.

    There's a neat website that gives you the most popular name by postal code (what you Americans call a zip code) in our neck of the woods:

    http://toronto.openfile.ca/babyfile

    And Nick's right. Cleo/Clio is awful. Who want a forward slash in their name? I mean, really.

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  8. calliope!!! oh, please, name her calliope; i soooo wanted to name declan that if he turned out to be a girl! greg would have murdered me, but i would have had my way beforehand ;-)

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  9. I would like to second Penelope. It's like Persephone, but less tragic. Plus there's that amazing movie with Christina Ricci that warms the cockles of my heart.

    Also, on the Greek theme: my financial advisor a long time ago was named Lethe. Which I kind of loved, and she actually didn't have any trouble remembering anything. There's something really lovely about being named after a river, even a mythical forgetful one.

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  10. Do you know about the baby naming wizard? It's a book but there's also a great website. You look up names you like (but can't use) and it gives you similar names. Also, Swistle has a great baby names blog. Uhh, called Swistle's Baby Name blog I think.

    I always wanted to name my hypothetical babies after my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather. Their names? Bella and Edward. No fucking joke. I've not read the Twilight series or watched the films but I just couldn't do it. Your desire to not name babygirl lemon gloria a wildly popular name is valid is what I'm saying.

    I really don't have anything useful to add. If Grady came out with a vagina, he would have been Mabel. Shawn was pushing for Penelope but I subscribe to your "my wrecked body, my final say" way of thinking.

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  11. Also, three names that were just said are some of my favorites: Zoe, Sophie/Sophia, and Calliope. I have also loved Rena forever (it means song).

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  12. Oh, gosh... names are hard. Second whoever said not to tell anyone - there's always a reason to hate it. (Like, for me, I used to date a guy named Jordan, and he dumped me in a really lousy way when I was in college. So had you come to me ahead of time and said, "what about Jordan?" I would have expressed dismay. But B J's adorable, and not my child, so it's all good. And I highly doubt he'd act out on bad breakup behavior, because I'm pretty sure you'd kick his ass for doing so!) See this episode of How I Met Your Mother for a funny take on it: http://www.movieweb.com%2Ftv%2FTEoJdyGhiDw6ru%2Fbaby-names&ei=4SUPT5WBCZSDtgfjxLHxAQ&usg=AFQjCNENPQ8WxKF-sJskRvVGSejPisb4Qg

    And if you're still looking at Greek names, my great-aunt was Thalia, one of the muses (feel free to use - my last name now starts with a "Th" and I would hate the combo.) But pick what YOU like. :)

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  13. You'll find something beautiful and meaningful, don't fret. Have fun with it! I like MrsMac's ideas of using the letter or finding another way of naming her after your grandmother. I don't think your name is boring and Lemon Gloria is really cool :)

    Ideas....I like Genevieve, Audrey, Bridget and Leah. And Stella if I'm going bold. I still think I'm dying alone so I don't know the meaning/origin/popularity of these names (typically I have plenty of data analysis back-up)

    My advice...give the girl a good first name and call her by it or a nickname. My parents named me Jill but I've always gone by middle name Heather and it's caused an identity crisis and I never liked going by my middle name.

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  14. my best friend is about to name her daughter willa and i LOVE it! she was also considering june, which i also adore for a little girl. i've already decided that i'm naming my future daughter malia (lia as nickname) or cole (for my aunt colinda). or etta after my grandma henrietta. i have a student named suly right now, which i think is kind of a nice name. i think about names a lot, obviously. then again, you can always name her carly after me though :) haha. actually, my real name is carlyn (like george CARLIN) and i wish i had actually been called that growing up because it's far more unique than carly. i also like tessa, is that short for teresa? not a fan of teresa, but tessa, yes.

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  15. Sophia
    Sonya
    Eva
    Valentina
    Raya
    Raeesa
    Demetria
    Zoya
    Lena

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  16. mrsmac - I remember following along through your whole pregnancy with Betti, but I don't know anything about Patricia Jane!

    You know, I love Elodie. I'd forgotten about that name. (And I was quite sure you meant Gretchen.) And Nameberry is cool but kind of overwhelming. I made the mistake of starting with the As...and there are just so many to wade through!

    Jessica - I quite like Alice. I'm not so fond of Imogen, which apparently is rising in popularity.

    North Star - I don't care what people's inspiration is, and I'm fine with out there names...but I think both Apple and Pilot Inspektor are just ugly names.

    Tadu is, of course, a brilliant name. And it's funny you said Genevieve, because I was just thinking about an old family friend with that name. When I was a little kid, she'd invite me over for dinner just me, as if I were a grown up. It was wonderful. I don't think I like Gigi though...

    Shannon - No question, vag gets final say. I will back you on that to the death.

    And I haven't had that, but it would bum me out. I'm not trying to make my kid be the one and only in the world...but if it's a close friend you see a lot, and they have their kid first, well, I wouldn't choose it either.

    Sean - I think Zoe Grace is beautiful. Very nice name choice. And I think you're right - once she was pushing and yelling the name, it was for sure.

    This is exactly it: "you want it to be fairly unique but not totally weird." A woman I used to work with and loathe named her baby Olive and that kind of ruined Olive and Olivia for me. I liked them both before.

    I bet we have one by zip code. Social Security does it by state, which isn't too bad.

    And listen - I know Cleopatra would be too weird, but Cliotilde is pretty, don't you think? I even think just Cleo is charming.

    Coleen - I do think it's a pretty name, although I don't like it with Nick's last name. I wouldn't been all for you naming Girl Declan that and dealing with the consequences. :)

    Amanda - You know, I've never liked Penny, but I suppose a nickname could be Nell?

    There is definitely something beautiful about being named after a river, particularly a mythical one. Lovely imagery. And I am loving all the interesting and pretty suggestions!

    Andie - Yes, they're hard, and the problem is that we all have name associations like you do with Jordan. Nick has those with girl names, and once a name is ruined for you by someone with ugly behavior, well, that's just that. MY Jordan is not going to be an asshole, though. No way, no how. I would kick his ass.

    Thalia is quite pretty! But yes, would be hard with a Th-Th name combo!

    HK - Trust you to say something very sweet and supportive about my own name! :)

    I think Stella is really charming. It's popular too, but not quite as high on the list as others. You are not going to die alone, you're just not, but I think it's fine that you don't have your typical data analysis back-up on these.

    That is very good advice. I want her to have a good first name. I can see how it would be hard - particularly in school when they're going through the list of names and you always have to explain that you don't go by your first name.

    carly - I promise I mean this in a totally non-creepy way: I was wondering the other day what your name was short for! Because Carly is a very cute name. Love Cole. I pushed for Cole for Jordan, but Nick didn't like it at all. I like the name Willa, although it doesn't work with Nick's last name. I don't like Teresa, but Tessa is cute!

    Eurasian - Thank you! Oh, I used to love Valentina! I'd forgotten about that name! Zoya doesn't resonate so much with me, but I love the idea of Z names as well.

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  17. Hillary - Oops, I skipped you! I don't know about either of those resources. Thank you!

    I actually love the names Edward and Isobel/Isabella and Bella is just so lovely. But so popular! I loved those poorly-written Twilight books, too. But it shot the names to popularity.

    And yes, wrecks your body, you get final say-so. So there. I really like Grady.

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  18. Sorry, but - and this is going back to my point about not making it too easy to make fun of - Cliotilde sounds way too much like Clitoris.

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  19. Crap, Sean, you are right. When kids got old enough to know the word, that would be a terrible nickname.

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  20. Yes! We had the same problem. Girl names are so hard. We finally decided on Hadley four hours after she was born, and yes, it was one of those "defer to she who has the vag" things.

    Penelope was my #1 name, though. I wanted to call her Poppy for short b/c I, too, hate Penny. My husband detested it, so I let it go. You should use it!

    Other possibilities for us were Chelsea, Evelyn (which was my grandma's middle name & a bit too popular), Alexa, Corby (husband's #1), Sidney & Willow.

    Good luck!

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  21. oooo, This is a great post for me to read! I with you 100% on the boring name! JANE? It doesn't get more boring than that (unless it's Lisa ha!). I've always disliked my name. Dull dull dull. Hence I decided years and years ago that I would be Charlie since it was totally an unconventional and different name for a girl. And so I always knew I would name my little girl Charlie (thank goodness the husband was ok with it!). Fast forward to today where Charlie as a girl's name isn't so unusual anymore but I stuck to my guns (despite Candy's horror that I wasn't going with a traditional family name - the nerve of me!). We didn't even have a boy's name ready so thank goodness she popped out as a girl. Funny how the universe "gives" you just what you should have. I bet you'll find the perfect name and the perfect fit for the little peanut on her way into the world!

    lovelove xo

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  22. I have the same thoughts on name popularity. I named my as yet not-even-planned-for daughter back in 2000, and now that name has crept up in popularity to the point it has been bumped down the list.

    Because I don't actually know you and you live far from me, you may know my list (with the exception of names 1 and 2, just because):

    Frannie
    Ruby
    Lucy
    Keats
    Calliope

    Much luck to you. :)

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  23. diatribes and dish - Hadley is cool! I like that! And yes, vag trumps all. That's what I should've named this post.

    I really like Willow, but not with Nick's last name. And I knew a really annoying Sidney, which killed an otherwise interesting name for me.

    Janie - I have always always liked your name. And I love that you decided on Charlie years ago! I also think it's funny that you didn't even have a boy name just in case. That was Maude with girl names, which is why Benjamin didn't have a name for a couple weeks. Personally, I can't imagine not knowing beforehand, but that is me. Would drive me nuts to still be wondering! Big hugs to you.

    Sadie - I LOVE the name Sadie. It's not on my list because I just don't think it sounds nice with Nick's last name, but I have loved it for a long time. And we had a very dear family friend named Sadie. I understand not sharing 1 and 2, no matter how far apart we live. Thanks for sharing the others!

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  24. Everyone has an opinion on names.

    I will just say this: I really think every parent should avoid names in the top 25 for their kids. While I do think Sophia and Emma and Hannah are lovely names, you are basically resigning your kid to have to go by her last initial her whole life. She will always be Emma N.

    My personal favs for girls are Willa, Franchesca (Frankie!), Esme, and Olive.

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  25. I agree with Lemmonex. No matter what you do, SOMEONE will find a problem with the name you choose. For instance, when we decided to name our son (due in April) Benjamin--Ben for short, My mother in law decided it was a wise idea to call her son and inform him she didn't like it. As I'm sure you can imagine, that phonecall didn't end well.

    At the end of the day, YOU have to be happy with the name. All other factors be damned. But may I say, having grown up with the name Tempest (yes, that's my legal name...Tempest Amara...how's that for a name!) It was rough growing up. The majority of people I encountered never knew how to spell or pronounce it and forget finding key chains with your name on it in the souvenir shops on vacation!

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  26. How about:
    Chloe (Jordan and Chloe sound like a cool combo)
    Sophia
    Norah (old fashioned but pretty)
    Abigail (my granddaughter is Abigail - we call her Abby)
    Kate (my name!! it's really Kathleen but that's not fun)
    Eliece (don't know if I spelled it right)
    Mariam (kind of ethnic - pretty)

    And...congratulations!! A girl! That is wonderful - can't wait to meet her: )

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  27. My second daughter went 2 months without a name! My girls are names Alma and Leona, and Leona was almost called Elodie. I also like Blanca, Aurelia, Iselin, Ada, Frances, Mila, Miriam, Inez, Iris, Laine, Claire. Good luck!

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  28. and Phaedra is one of the Atlanta Housewives, you can't have people thinking you named your progeny after her.
    as a Jennifer i feel your Lisa-pain - and also enjoy that people can say and spell it but i tried to get people to call me Yvette all through middle (high?)school but it never caught on. oh well.
    anyway, i've already announced if i ever have another child and it happens to have a vagina she will be Eleanor with the nickname Nora.
    while you're welcome to that name (i know you were awaiting my permission) i also really love...
    Laurel
    Natalie (WAY popular right now though, wompwomp)
    Olive
    Harper (used to love this until it became a celeb baby name)
    ... what about Betty? that's a pretty name : )
    and i love lovelove Cleo! that's awesome, it reminds me of Heathcliffe

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  29. and Paige, i think it's pretty and understated.
    what about Gloria? it makes me want to sing... i think they got your number...

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  30. I'm very partial to Grace (obviously) but sadly it has been in the top 20 since 2000. The year I was born it was an all time low. That is one of the things I love the most that I rarely meet anyone my age with my name. I like names that have meaning to the family. My niece is named Isabelle Sequioa because Sequioa is her parents favorite national park. I was partial to Thisbe for a while but then my cousin taunted me with "Thisbe Goddess of the Frisbee" and that was out. These days I like: Reina, Luna, Soledad and Glory.

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  31. my father hated the name Zoe, he said all Zoes are a pain in the *ss.... Well, she's so zen it's hilarious. sophie or sofia is a good one too, means wisdom.
    one of my favorites is Joy. Sean said no to Joy because we already know 2 wonderful Joys. (didn't make sense to me, but there you have it).
    my friend said to not pay attention to what is popular or not. just go to your back door and yell out the name you want at the top of your lungs 7 or 8 times. if you still like it, then it's a good one ;-)

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  32. Well, I'm partial to Jessica (my 6 y/o's name) Katherine (This was our second choice for Jess. nn Kate)
    Sophia
    Madison (probably too popular right now)
    Hannah (also very pop. but I LOVE this name)
    Jillian
    Eden
    Gabrielle
    Alexandra/Alessandra (nn Alex. Plus, it's greek)

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  33. Ayaan - very popular Somali name but that shouldn't be an issue for you
    Petra - popular German name which I used for my daughter
    Alya - too close to my own so didn't want to use it but I love it!

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  34. My running list for girl names:
    Delia
    Delilah
    Kalinda
    Norah
    Torrance
    Aubrey

    My daughter's name is Harlow Jade and I had that picked out pretty quick, but yes, girl names are hard. The husband listed names like Margaret and I promptly vetoed. We settled on Brianna Jade, but then some things happened and he was not around for the last few months of my pregnancy, so I went with my gut! He wants a Michael Jr now, but I truly hate juniors.

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  35. Have you considered Blue Ivy? I don't think anyone else will have that name!

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  36. We didn't pick my son's name until we were in the middle of the c-section. We made a list the night before of about 5 names we liked and then forgot the list at home. Mason was the only one we remembered from the list so we went with it. It drove my family crazy that we wouldn't pick a name which is probably why I waited until the last minute. If I had a daughter I would probably name her Ryan.

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  37. I want to name my girl for my great grandmother and I am PRAYING it doesn't become popular by the time I have a child. I can't tell any of you because I don't want to call attention to it. This from a person who doesn't think she really wants children....

    I named my fish Daphne and I'm convinced that's a lovely name for a human. I named my cat Puck and that probably isn't...

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  38. I had to wait until naptime was over (and then wait till dinnertime was over, then bedtime OMG will this day ever END) to retrieve my favorite baby names book: A Concise Dictionary of First Names, published by Oxford University Press. Great book, lots of good names and well-researched information on what the names mean and their origins. I had the 2001 edition (found it used), not a lot of the kind of names we think of as "out there" but a lot of good ideas nonetheless. Was very useful in finding names that were non-biblical -- one of my #1 objectives.

    Anyhow. Our first daughter's name, Muriel, which I adore, and which means "bright sea", turned out to be somewhat difficult to pronounce. It didn't occur to us to say it out loud before she was named!

    I'll forward you my final edition of the "Names I Like" email I kept sending to myself while pregnant with #2 daughter. May you find it useful!

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  39. Sean beat me to it.

    How about Lucy?

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  40. Lemmonex - You are exactly right. I was Lisa + last initial or some identifier (I started being called Little Lisa, for example, at my fist job...except that the other woman didn't, as one might imagine, want to be called Big Lisa - so then they switched to initials).

    Tempest - One, I love the name Benjamin, and two, it's none of of her fucking business. We are not telling family ahead of time, because I want none of that.

    I like the name Tempest - it's intriguing, but I could see how it would be hard. I think my friend Maude's name is kind of ideal. Nobody else has it, but it's an old name, so everyone knows it and maybe had an aunt or grandmother Maude. Or they know the old TV show.

    Kate - I particularly like Nora and Kate, although with Nora I always think of Ibsen, which is so depressing. And I have a Kate SIL. But pretty name!

    And I'm excited for a girl! Thank you!

    Marissa - I don't think I could handle that! Although I do think it's smart to take time and be deliberate with choices. I originally had Ada, Alba, and Alma on my list but Nick nixed them all.

    jen - It would drive me crazy to have a daughter named after one of the Real Housewives. Ugh.

    Gloria was my favorite dog ever, and it's a name I love...but every time I hear Gloria or Glo I can't ever separate it from my dog!

    Grace - I have loved the name Grace for years and years, but now it is just too popular, alas. I like names that have personal meaning to you or are part of your history. (Sadly, for me, a lot of the Norwegian names are less than gorgeous.)

    Sophie - That's funny! I don't know any Zoes, so I didn't have any images associated with the name. And I think you are right - I have to figure out what I am fine yelling multiple times.

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    1. I know what you mean about Gloria. When I was pregnant with my daughter, we decided to name her Brandy - not a popular name back then. My mother kept saying that it made her sound like one of those huge St. Bernard rescue dogs - and liquor. It ruined it for me. We named her Erin instead. Her dad was so bummed but I was firm....

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  41. Since I haven't read through the comments to see if anyone else posted this, I'm going to anyway: http://jessica-jensen.blogspot.com/2011/04/names-2010.html. Read it. It's hilarious.

    The only advice I can give is this: If you loved your grandmother's name growing up, don't worry about what other people are doing now. As the list above illustrates - ad nausum - when parents try to get creative, they generally screw things up. You have a fine name, strong and simple. It reminds me of one of my favorite, and little used today, girl names: Ann.

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  42. You are of norwegian origin? I am living in norway so I know all about norwegian names. http://www.ssb.no/navn/ gives the list of names currently used in norway - and some are strange but some are really really nice in english.

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  43. The naming of the baby can be one of the most fun parts of the whole process. We went for names that were different at the time, but now they've become somewhat popular. I comfort myself with the thought that we were trailblazers and also that our kids don't have any peers who share their names. For obvious reasons, this matters to me just like it matters to you.

    Maybe that's why I named my daughters Greek names and my Pinterest boards are named after the Greek Muses.

    Have fun with it!

    P.S. I like Rosie, Caroline and Phoebe.

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  44. Well, everyone does have an opinion on names, don't they? And while Isabella/Isobel, Sophie/Sophia, and Eva/Ava used to be "old-fashioned," now they're back in vogue. I liked growing up with a romantic, uncommon name, even though the spelling always gets screwed up.
    I always thought Drew was pretty, for a boy or girl. Lauren and Francesca are nice too.

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  45. The process of picking a name might be one of my favorite aspects of having a baby. Like you, I had my girl child's name before I ever met my husband or knew I'd be lucky enough to have a girl. My favorite female fictional character is Esme from J.D. Salinger's short story and I always, always planned to have one of my own. Then we did. And she's entirely different from Salinger's Esme which I think is just how it should be.
    The second girl name I knew I wanted to use was also my beloved grandmother's name: Josephine. NO NICKNAME. It's become quite popular of late but most people shorten it to Josie which I'm not fond of and, more, it has no emotional meaning for me because my grandmother didn't go by it.
    Like Kevin, I think you should stick with your initial plans to name your daughter after your grandmother, popularity be damned, because you have such special memories and associations with the name.
    Our #4 didn't get his name until the second day in the hospital just before we were released. Kent and I always wanted to name a boy Atticus after our favorite fictional male character and we thought it would be an nice bookend for the kids: Esme named after a story, Desmond and Josephine for grandparents, then Atticus after a story. But I worried it was a mouthful and what if he was a wee boy with a shy personality who couldn't carry such a big name? So, Tobias. Turns out, he is a big big guy who probably could have carried the name but now it's making all the Top 10 lists of hipster parents so I think: Phew! Bullet dodged!
    As for helping you, like some of the other commenters, I like Eloise, Cecilia and Frances.
    I can't wait to see what you decide. I'm sure it will be beautiful and fitting!

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  46. A girl! Congratulations! Lisa, the name you chose will be perfect, whatever it may be. Just. Perfect.

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  47. I'm not sure if I've posted Congrats to you, but I think I might have. What with the holidays, sickness and toe breaking ... it's been a long time since I've posted to you.

    Please -- do not name your baby girl after a character from the Sparkly Vampire books/movies! It just isn't right. She'll probably grow up hating it (especially if there are many others with the same name).

    Moue is a nickname I got as a kid. It has nothing to do with my actual name which is Melissa. My parents tell me every year on my birthday about the Story of Your Birth, in which my father must rush back to the hospital, through an ice-storm in the middle of the Highlands in Scotland, breaking down a farm's fence on two sides before reaching said hospital in time to see my mother give birth to me. He had been listening to the Almand Brother's song, Sweet Melissa ... so the name stuck. Again, it has NOTHING at all to do with my nickname, which I rather like.

    Rosalynd/Rosalind is a great name. I also personally like things with a European bent, like Ana-Catalina. It's just so pretty! Or Ana-Tereza. (Yes, it's a z, but you can spell it with an s). For some reason, I like the two-name names ... but I'm not in any way remotely Italian. :)

    Some of my other favorites are really classic. Naomi or Aldegone (Yeah, it's a doozy, but my great-grandmothers) and I also really, really like Ember, Genevieve, Emmaline, Dahlia and finally because I just like saying that sometimes, Violet Hazel (My mothers name, which when coupled with a last name like Ray really makes you think. LOL).

    You'll find a wonderful name (like Hope or Joy! or Temperance!) and it'll be great.

    Downton Abbey aside, please don't name your kid Edith or Mary. If you have to name her Mary, go with a two-name name, Like Mary-Catherine or Mary-Frances (An aunt in law of mine's name ... and she freakin' ROCKS!)

    Okay. Done now. Sorry to gunk up your space!

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