Baby Names You Love [Archive] - Page 5

TracyDP

07-12-2008, 10:00 PM

We had the deal that if it was a girl, my DH got to have the name Josephine for his grandmother. If it was a boy I got to have the middle name Roger for my Dad who passed away when I was 17. We would then find first names (or middle name if we decided to use Josephine as a first name) that would go well with those names.

We found out it was a girl and over the course of my pregnancy we both made lists to go with Josephine, then compared notes. We then eliminated all but the names that both of us had on our lists or that we decided we both liked but hadn't thought of ourselves.

Our short list, as far as I remember it, was:

Eleanor Josephine
Leah J.
Roselyn J.
Lilian J.

We went with Eleanor (Ellie). I wanted to call her Ella or Nora and DH wanted to call her Ellie Jo, but we sort of held off on nicknames for a while and I had to admit that she is very much an Ellie :) DH and Grandma call her Ellie Jo, I prefer just Ellie but call her EllieBob on occasion just because it sounds funny...lol. If she wants to change her name to Ella or Nora when she becomes a big-shot professional that will be fine with me ;)

Pookie

07-13-2008, 12:32 AM

Here's our top 4 names for this baby: Middle name will be Grace
Elizabeth
Isabelle
Peyton
Abigail

If we go with Elizabeth or Isabelle, we'll most likely call her Ellie. If we go with Abigail, she'll be called Abby. Although Peyton doesn't have a good nickname, I do perfer names with nicknames. What does everyone think?

Kristen DS's middle name is after DH's grandpa and I'm not too fond of it,either.

starxed

07-13-2008, 09:08 AM

Pookie- All but Elizabeth are pretty popular names right now. For that reason I would go with Elizabeth with the nn Ellie. That would be a lovely and Elizabeth Grace sounds so classy and timeless.

mamax2

07-13-2008, 10:18 AM

I'm not sure DH would go for it as a first name I had tossed it around as a first name but it got moved to the second name love Madeline(how every you spell it) but figured it would not go over well as it being my godmothers name who is the sister to my grandmother who is Simone. plus I was thinking Madeline Simone or Simone Madeline would be a mouthful?
so I settled to have Simone as the middle name. may bring it up again ? humm not sure? still looking for that perfect name going thru books and all but nothing is popping out at me?

I think Madeline Simone flows nicely, but since you mentioned your LN starts with 'lyn' then it's the same issue as the name Jocelyn. FWIW, our LN ends in IAM and that's why we can't use my favorite name (and yours too) Liam! :p

Pookie ~ All four of the names you listed are equally popular in my area/around my family/friends, BUT I think Elizabeth gives you the most options in terms of NNs (Beth, Betsy, Libby, Liddy, Liz, Lizzie, Ellie, Eliza, etc.)

TMat13

07-13-2008, 11:50 AM

We had our names picked out before our ultrasound. If she was a girl she was going to be Lauren Grace and it is was a boy he was going to be named Orie Nicholas (after my DH)....

Well, the day of the ultrasound, when we found out that she was a girl for sure...I was pretty upset and told DH that we could name her middle name Orie since she is going to be our only child. Of course, Lauren Orie doesn't flow so now her name is Kamdyn Orie. :D Family and friends were surprised at first, but we really don't care if they like it or not!

Pookie

07-13-2008, 12:05 PM

Starxed Elizabeth was #9 on the name poll from last year.

Hmm, I definately agree Elizabeth has the most nn potential. It is so hard with names. If it matters, DS is Ryan so it would be nice to have something in that ballpark, too.

babyjinks

07-13-2008, 05:04 PM

Names are really really hard ...We decided on Ethan Alexander for a boy and Kaitlyn Elizabeth (elizabeth after my grandma) for a girl. We wanted something that sounded nice with our DS Evan Michael :)

solongtogo

07-13-2008, 06:39 PM

It took us about 3 or 4 months to come up with our daughters name-Courtney Elizabeth. She was to originally be named Paige Elizabeth, then we realized her initials would be PEE.

It took 3 seconds to name our son...I've always wanted to name a boy Evan...his name is Evan Michael, the Michael is from his fathers middle name

MichelleRenee

07-14-2008, 07:41 AM

dionysia

07-14-2008, 07:47 AM

I have to say, I'm not fond of Peyton. It reminds me of Peyton Place.

Plus it seems like such a boy's name to me (e.g., Payton Manning).

Bastille

07-14-2008, 08:36 AM

My sister in law had a daughter last week and named her Abigail Grace. Not a huge fan of Abigail but hear it is quite popular now.

klav

07-14-2008, 08:38 AM

SO as of last night if it's a girl she will have my grandmothers name as her middle name in her honor, she passed away last night. DH is still stuck on Gabrielle
Gabrielle Simone?
I saw the name Aubry do you think to strange Aubry Simone?

ahavnes

07-14-2008, 09:00 AM

klav-I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. Simone is a beautiful name. And you know I'm partial to Gabrielle. :)

PookiePrincess

07-14-2008, 10:15 AM

My sister in law had a daughter last week and named her Abigail Grace. Not a huge fan of Abigail but hear it is quite popular now.

That's my niece's name (she's 3).

MichelleRenee

07-14-2008, 11:05 AM

klav: I am sorry about your grandma. Aubry Simone is pretty, as long as your last name doesn't start with "S."

mamax2

07-14-2008, 11:51 AM

klave ~ Sorry to hear about your grandmother :( I think Gabrielle Simone or Aubrey Simone are both great choices (I would spell Aubrey w/an 'e' between the r and y, but that's just me).

Kanga

07-14-2008, 12:03 PM

I like Aubry Simone, but probably would't pick it myself as I'm sure she'd be mistaken as Audrey quite a bit.

EJH

07-14-2008, 12:09 PM

I think Aubrey Simone is lovely -- I'd spell it with the "e" though .... when I look at Aubry it just looks to me like someone forgot a letter. I also think Gabrielle Simone is beautiful.

WisWis

07-14-2008, 12:37 PM

I agree, I'd spell Aubrey with an "e". Both Aubrey Simone and Gabrielle Simone are great; either one would make an excellent name!

Niobe

07-14-2008, 12:57 PM

Aubrey is masculine, it's a derivative of Alberich.

Audrey is a beautiful female name though. ;)

mkredhead

07-14-2008, 01:58 PM

My girlfriend named her daughter Aubrey Jule. There is no mistaking the name or the fact she is a female!

Niobe

07-14-2008, 02:40 PM

Well yeah, once you see the person, their gender will probably become clear. That doesn't change the fact that Aubrey, historically, is a man's name.

boilermaker

07-14-2008, 02:51 PM

Pookie, I'm a little late on this, but my DD's name is Payton. We call her Paty (rhymes with Katy). Pretty popular nn for Payton.

And while I know Payton/Peyton is traditionally a surname turned boys name, it is certainly become a pretty popular girls name of late. (and Di, it's Peyton Manning. I was very sure to not name my DD after that horrible QB ;) ).

boilermaker

07-14-2008, 02:53 PM

Oh, and I know 3 Aubrey's. All 3 are girls. I had no idea it was historically a man's name. There are so many female names that came from historically masculine sources, that it doesn't bother me. In fact, my traditional name of Carrie would have once been considered masculine (Cary) way back when!

dionysia

07-14-2008, 03:14 PM

I know how Mr. Manning spells his first name. It's still pronounced the same, no matter if it's Payton or Peyton.

Aubrey is for boys, Audrey is for girls.

Cary may be a male name, but Carrie (that spelling) was historically a diminutive of Caroline.

rancherswife

07-14-2008, 03:15 PM

hmm..i had no idea that aubrey was historically a male name, i too know a couple of aubrey's and to me, it seems like a very pretty feminine name.

boilermaker

07-14-2008, 03:19 PM

I know how Mr. Manning spells his first name. It's still pronounced the same, no matter if it's Payton or Peyton.

Just making note of the fact in case anyone reading your previous post thought it was spelled Payton Manning. :) Being a Bear's fan, I'm not keen on people thinking my DD was named after a Colt.

Oxbear

07-14-2008, 03:51 PM

We're hoping to TTC later this year and are totally set on a boy's name, but we have not had a girl's name seem "just right" yet. We obviously have time to decide, but it's fun to go ahead and talk about it. :)

In particular, I am not originally from the South, but I enjoy living here now and am fond of double first names for girls. I would love to find an Anna _____ double first name combination. We have talked about Anna Katherine and maybe fudging it with Annaliese (I know that's spelled differently than normal). At times I've *almost* sold myself on Anna Hadley, but I'm just not *quite* sure about it. What do you think? Any suggestions?

TIA! :)

Jaycee

07-14-2008, 04:33 PM

I love Annaliesse. How about Annabelle?

starxed

07-14-2008, 04:37 PM

Annaleisse and Anna Katherine are pretty. Not a fan of Anna Hadley.

polkadot

07-14-2008, 04:51 PM

I love Aubrey and i think its very girly even if it did derive from a male name... and think Aubrey Simone is beautiful...:D

As far as two name names go my fav is AnnaClaire...i think its the most southern name...i love it...would have used it...but my niece is Anna Katherine...

Jess71903

07-14-2008, 04:58 PM

I love the name Anna Hadley, but it seems like a mouthful to say all the time as a double name. I think Annalise is very nice!

Niobe

07-14-2008, 06:16 PM

I think Annaliese is the German spelling. It's a beautiful name. :)

My first thoughts for double names were Anna Nicole and Anna Lucia...

But, ones without odd connotations... Anna Jane, Anna Marie, and I really like both Anna Claire and Anna Katherine (Anna Kate is a cute diminutive of that).

MichelleRenee

07-14-2008, 06:19 PM

I LOVE Annaliese but it rhymes with our last name so we had to pass on it for our little girl.

Traciann

07-14-2008, 08:43 PM

ginad724

07-14-2008, 08:45 PM

In particular, I am not originally from the South, but I enjoy living here now and am fond of double first names for girls. I would love to find an Anna _____ double first name combination. We have talked about Anna Katherine and maybe fudging it with Annaliese (I know that's spelled differently than normal). At times I've *almost* sold myself on Anna Hadley, but I'm just not *quite* sure about it. What do you think? Any suggestions?

TIA! :)

I'm biased because my daughter is Anneliese Claire, but I love it. I got a few eye rolls at first, but we get far more compliments on it. My husband is half Dutch and I wanted a more Dutch name. I chose the traditional spelling and Americanized the pronunciation (an-uh-LEECE instead of AH-nuh-LEE-zuh). Anneliese was Anne Frank's full name.

I'm not a big fan of double names, but I'm from the Northeast where it's less common.

Pookie

07-14-2008, 08:47 PM

I have a friend whose DD is Aubrey. I'd defintely spell it with a e.
The Baby Name Wizard made the comment that many boys names become girls names. Once that happens it's associated as a "strong" girls name and "weak" boys name. Courtney and Leslie were actually boys' names as well.

I think my problem is that although I like those 4 names, I don't love any of them. I had a boy's name all picked out, though.:rolleyes:

PookiePrincess

07-14-2008, 09:41 PM

Does anyone have any good "K" names for girls? My dh is pushing for Kristin, which I won't do because its too close to Kiresten which is my cousin's baby. Too close.

I named my daughter Kassidy.

Here are the K names from the baby name wizard book:
Kaitlyn
Kara
Karen
Karina
Kateri
Katherine / Katie
Kathleen
Kathy
Katia
Katrina
Kay
Kayla
Kaylee
Kaylin
Keisha
Kelly
Kelsey
Kendall
Kendra
Kennedy
Kenya
Kerri
Kia
Kiana
Kiara
Kiki
Kim / Kimberly
Kinsey
Kirsten
Krista
Kristen
Kyla
Kylie
Kyra

klav

07-15-2008, 06:32 AM

there is also
Koren
Not very popular I belive it's greek , at least that's what I have found at one time or another meaning "young madien"
I think there are other ways to spell it:koryn I think is one but like me the chid will be pladges with the name karen and people thinking she spelled her name wrong.

twinnyme

07-15-2008, 07:10 AM

Our friends just named their baby girl Karlyn Elizabeth - Karlyn after a grandfather named Karl I believe.

MichelleRenee

07-15-2008, 07:10 AM

My niece is named Aubrey. I think it become popular as a girls name. I had no idea it was a boys name until a friend said if she had a girl next she would name her Aubrey after her dad.

My daughter has a double name and I love it. I have friends who also used double names
Anna Claire, and AnnaGrace. Anna Hadley doesn't ring as well to me. I love Annaliese.

Does anyone have any good "K" names for girls? My dh is pushing for Kristin, which I won't do because its too close to Kiresten which is my cousin's baby. Too close.

My BF's name is Kaleena and I love it. I also have a niece named Kianne.

Oh, and after the family drama DH had a dream that we named our baby Ava, which has always been my #1 choice. He told me the next day that he thought his dream meant we should name her Ava so that's what we are doing. DS's name also came to him in his sleep so that is kind of neat that we have that little story to tell them. Her name will be Ava Marie.

polkadot

07-15-2008, 07:16 AM

I love it!! Ava Maria is beautiful!! I love Ava...

Oxbear

07-15-2008, 08:50 AM

Thanks for the comments about double names and Anna _____. :)

Annaliese had been our top pick for awhile, but then I kept hearing it more and more and was afraid it might be becoming "too" popular. Maybe it needs to rise back on up to the top of the list. :)

I know Anna Hadley is kind of a mouthful, but I guess I like the more unusual double names (which was/is my concern with Anna Katherine). I know a Mary Simpson. We've also considered Anna Reaghan. As I mentioned, we have plenty of time because we're not quite even trying yet... just wishing, hoping, and dreaming. :)

cactus

07-15-2008, 09:14 AM

Annaliese was the first name of my kindergarten teacher (she was German) and I still remember her as one of the most beautiful and kindest women I have ever known (bear in mind I was 5 when I knew her, but I sure did idolize her!), so I think of the name as beautiful. I didn't know it was Anne Frank's full name!

Traciann, my OB's first name is Klara...I know it's more commonly spelled with a C but I think it's pretty either way. Good luck!

Traciann

07-15-2008, 09:50 AM

Thank you!!!!

I really love Kassidy and Kennedy and DH has already said no. I really, really love Kaitlyn, but dd's name is Mary Kate so its too close. :(

I think from the list we do like Kelsy, Kenzie and Kiley. I guess my problem is that the names are more trendy and I feel like Dd's name is a more classic name. KWIM? My other picks that are not K's are Natalie, Jenna and Shelby.

catus-I LOVE Klara. Dh said no! Why do they have to make things so hard????

maplekitty

07-15-2008, 09:57 AM

michelle - how come you changed your mind on the middle name of michelle?

JennZ

07-15-2008, 10:15 AM

What do you girls think about Claire versus Clara?
Thoughts?

MichelleRenee

07-15-2008, 10:53 AM

michelle - how come you changed your mind on the middle name of michelle?

Since we are going with my first choice of first name I let DH choose the middle name. He wanted Marie after his grandma who passed away a few years ago.

sea74

07-15-2008, 10:54 AM

Jenn: I really like them both and actually Clara is on my little sister's list of "someday" baby names.
Are you getting girl vibes ;)

jdevaz

07-15-2008, 11:08 AM

Considering that I named my daughter Avery (a traditional boy's name), I prefer the name Aubrey for a girl. Personally, I think it's horrible name for a boy and, in this day and age, the child would be assumed to be a girl. Just as I would do if I heard the names Leslie and Ashley. Just my opinion.

mamax2

07-15-2008, 12:22 PM

I'm another person that would assume 'Aubrey' is a girls name. Like others have mentioned, names evolve over time and I would be more concerned with the direction the name is going than the gender the name reflected 200 years ago, kwim?

Oxbear ~ Are you set on Anna or is Ann/Anne an option? I find the later has a lot more double-name options because it's just one syllable so nothing seems clumsy when paired with it. I have always liked double names (Ann Marie has always been a favorite). If you do go w/Anna though, I think Anna Grace is lovely and Anna Lee/Leigh is pretty too (too bad for me it's the name of one of DH's exes! :p )

What do you girls think about Claire versus Clara?
Thoughts?

My DD's name is Claire, so I obviously love it and she's named after my grandmother so I wouldn't change it in a million years BUT I think it's starting to make a comeback. If you want something a little less common, I think Clara has that advantage.

babyjinks

07-15-2008, 04:03 PM

I think eventually all names go around to the top again..when I named my son Evan...(to carry on my maiden name) i checked the SS register and it was like number 50 on the list...however now everywhere I go i hear someone saying "Evan" soooooooo for me i just pick a name I like and doesnt have any terrible nicknames that i can think of right off the bat:p

cactus

07-15-2008, 04:17 PM

Re: Claire vs. Clara--for me, I think it depends a lot on whether you want a name that ends with a vowel or a consonant and whether you prefer a one-syllable name or two with your last name. Clara, though I love the name, also carries some Nutcracker connotations for me which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing--just something I strongly associate with the name.

Re: traditional boy names for girls--the most obvious example of this for me is Lindsay! Used to be a boy name, but I can't imagine that anyone now thinks of it that way. Just saying.

babyjinks

07-15-2008, 04:23 PM

okay so first let me say i love the name Claire ....it reminds me of claire bear which signifies cuddliness to me....but...i hate to be the one to mention it...but clara reminds me of clara-belle which for some reason reminds me of a cow..(is there a animated cow named clarabelle?) soooooooooooooooo...

mkvh

07-15-2008, 05:11 PM

Clara vs. Claire:
DD1's name is Clara. I initially preferred Claire, but it IS much more common/popular now, and Clara is a family name. Clara is becoming more popular as well--we have met or know of 3 others her age (born in '06) after knowing of NONE when we chose her name. We have never had a Nutcracker comment from anyone. And YES, there is Clarabelle Cow on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as well as a Clarabelle on Thomas. My mom didn't like Clara for those reasons, but neither of them ever have come up. They may once she goes to school....but she'll survive ;)

One thing that is a challenge is that people assume her name is Claire, not Clara. Even when you emphasize the "a". Maybe we midwesterners swallow the final "a" sound, but I'm constantly correcting people that her name is ClarA.

JennZ

07-15-2008, 05:12 PM

LOL
..(is there a animated cow named clarabelle?)
I hadn't thought of the Clarabelle reference. There is Clarabelle the Clown who performed with Howdy Doody and also a Disney character that is friends with Minnie Mouse named Clarabelle the cow.
I had to turn to Wikipedia to uncover both of those!

Clara, though I love the name, also carries some Nutcracker connotations for me which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing--just something I strongly associate with the name.

One of the reasons we like it is actually because of the Nutcracker reference, so that part is okay with me.

I like two-syllable names better with our last name, so DH started talking about Claire and then we eventually got to Clara.
I don't know. Getting DH and I to agree on names is extremely challenging!!

sea,
No vibes either way yet. Just trying to start a short list of boys and girls names because it will take us a loooong time to agree on something!! LOL

Okay, so the other name we like is Genevieve.
FWIW, DD1 is named Charlotte.
My Mom thinks Genevieve is too big of a name for a little girl. But DD has the same number of letters, and she didn't have any trouble learning to write her name on papers at school.

What do you think?

cactus

07-15-2008, 05:23 PM

I wasn't saying at all that the Nutcracker was a bad association--I actually think it's kind of nice. One of my very best friends is named Clara, and just the other day we were talking about how much she's always loved her name (though like the PP said, she often does get mistaken for Claire) so I think that's definitely an indicator of it being a great name. :)

EJH

07-15-2008, 05:28 PM

I *love* Clara...probably due at least in part to such wonderful associations with the Nutrcracker. :D I think it's classic and beautiful.

I think Genevieve is also a lovely name.

dionysia

07-15-2008, 06:25 PM

Kore is the Greek word for maiden.

Hadley is the name of the town I went to college in.

And to be honest, I'm tired of perfectly good boys' names being appropriated for girls. I fear it's going to get to the point where not only will we have no more boys named Ashley or Leslie, but also no more boys named Aubrey, Dylan, Riley, or Taylor.

GlamaGal

07-15-2008, 09:21 PM

I thought I heard a mother call her son (about 3 yr. old) Leslie the other day. Now I know I did.

While I don't mind the crossover of names, I do wish it didn't make choosing a boy's name that much harder. Names can go over to the girls' "side", but not vice versa. Humph.

amew

07-15-2008, 09:49 PM

Personally, Aubrey still strikes me as a male name--the only Aubrey I know in real life is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and definitely a stereotypically "strong" male kind of guy, so I don't think of it as feminine at all. When I hear about baby girls named Aubrey, it always strikes me as kind of odd. And I do wish people would quit appropriating traditionally male names for girls and thereby reducing the pool of useable boy names. Audrey, OTOH, is a great girl name.

I thought I heard a mother call her son (about 3 yr. old) Leslie the other day. Now I know I did.

Our pediatrician and my DH's college roommate are both men named Leslie. It's definitely still out there as a male name, though I personally wouldn't want to use it for a boy anymore.

I fear it's going to get to the point where not only will we have no more boys named Ashley or Leslie, but also no more boys named Aubrey, Dylan, Riley, or Taylor.

There was a baby girl named Asher in our Gymboree class the other day. Seriously, Asher? That seems *so* male to me. Is it really becoming a girl name or was this kid just an abberation?

polkadot

07-16-2008, 06:06 AM

eh...i would think Asher is a boy name...i thought the same at playgroup the other day where there was a little girl named Tyler...I kept looking for my nephew ( who was there) they were both so confused....:D

I think both Asher and Tyler are very masculine names, just my opinion though

twinnyme

07-16-2008, 06:56 AM

I've always thought of Asher as a boy name, though I haven't known many. But there is an Asher (boy) in DD's class.

Ilovemygeek

07-16-2008, 10:34 PM

Kanga

07-16-2008, 11:05 PM

JennZ - My first full name is Elizabeth, so same amount of letters as Genevieve. I never had any problems spelling it and think I knew how before entering kindergarten. Even if she does have a hard time with it, is it really THAT big of a deal not to name a child something you love because of one small potential problem? While she may take a few weeks longer than her friends Sam, Tom, and Mary it's not like she'll be asking you how to spell it for her college applications.

MichelleRenee

07-17-2008, 05:04 AM

DH and I both really like the name Allegra, but we worry people will shorten it to Ally. Neither of us really like nicknames so that has been our holdup. It is the only name we agree on so I hate to throw it out. What do you ladies think?

I've said this before, but I don't think you should let a potential nickname stop you from using a name you love. If you ask (tell?) people not to use that nickname, they won't.

Alanna

07-17-2008, 05:20 AM

DH and I both really like the name Allegra, but we worry people will shorten it to Ally. Neither of us really like nicknames so that has been our holdup. It is the only name we agree on so I hate to throw it out. What do you ladies think?

we have a friend named Allegra - and well... it never occurred to me to call her Ally - and as far as I know everyone calls her Allegra - HTH!

Kanga

07-17-2008, 06:07 AM

DH and I both really like the name Allegra, but we worry people will shorten it to Ally. Neither of us really like nicknames so that has been our holdup. It is the only name we agree on so I hate to throw it out. What do you ladies think?

Do you really dislike the nn Ally or is it just not something you would pick as a name? I really like the name Joshua but can't stand Josh as a nn so I would never name my kid Joshua. While I could tell people all I wanted not to call him Josh there would probably be a few slip ups out of habit for people. Also when he starts school and his friends decide it's "cool" to call him Josh or he would rather be called Josh then I really don't have much say over it. Similarly, my name is Elizabeth and I/my friends shortened it to Liz in middle school and I've gone by that ever since. My parents still call me Elizabeth and have mentioned before they're not so thrilled I went with a nn rather than my full name, but come on, with the 8 million nn there is for Elizabeth and few people I know who actually go by that full name for their entire life - they had to have expected it would happen at some point. That being said Josh and Liz are very common nn, whereas I don't automatically see Ally as a nn for Allegra. If you can't stand Ally, I would probably avoid Allegra. However if it's just not your first choice, then I would go with Allegra and reiterate as many times as necessary that her name is not Ally.

amew

07-17-2008, 07:03 AM

I went to college with an Allegra who was never called anything but.

katmg

07-17-2008, 07:14 AM

I wouldn't not name a kid something b/c of a nickname. Despite all the nickname possibilities that my name has (Katherine), I've never gone by anything but my full name.

polkadot

07-17-2008, 07:16 AM

i like allegra...very cute...

Side note about nick names: My sister is Nicole...as always been, never been Nikki always Nicole, well in highschool her friends decided it would be "cool" to start calling her NIkki, well one day someone called our house and asked for Nikki, my mom didnt even think and said sorry you have the wrong number. I immediatley said, hey mom...i think they were calling for Nicole, she then said, "well they better get her name right." They never called for Nikki again.I laughed my ass off all night... My mom hates nicknames ;)

:D

mamax2

07-17-2008, 07:18 AM

I'm pretty much in the same camp as Kanga ~ if people want to give your kid a NN and she's amenable to it, that's what happens - not much you can do about it. That said, I wouldn't think to call 'Allegra', 'Ally'. I think because the emphasis is on the middle syllable, not the first.

I have to admit that it's really making me chuckle that people are having an issue with a few names that are 'crossovers' reducing the pool of male names. Is that serious? There are SOOOO many names out there and naming trends are so cyclical. It's not like we're going to 'run out' of boys names altogether. :p

SaraSchlick

07-17-2008, 07:59 AM

I'll chime in on the nickname phenomenon. Our DS is Jack. Just Jack. You wouldn't believe how many people call him Jackson or even Jackie (which is like nails on a chalkboard to me I do correct people when they call him Jackie). So no matter what, people will call your DC by a nickname, whether it's a longer name or shorter one! Don't let those people deter you from naming your DC what you want to name him/her.

BTW, I like Allegra. Very cute, and the NN Ally never occurred to me.

jesseybell

07-17-2008, 08:50 AM

SaraSchlick - We want to do just Jack as well (if we have a boy some day). What did you do for a middle name? All the middlenames I can think of sound so much better with Jackson (though he would never be called that). My DD's first name is from my mom's side, her middle name is from my MIL, Jack is what my FIL is called (though his name is John....I never got the Jack for John thing) so I feel like a boy's middlename should be for my dad's side of the family (but by naming him Jackson that would be from my dad's side too). Just nothing sounds good. They are all 2-4 syllable names.

My cousin is Nicol (spelled without the e) but by age 3 decided she hated it and has been called Colie every since.

SaraSchlick

07-17-2008, 09:16 AM

Jesseybell - Our DS is Jack William. It was between Jack William and Jack Charles, both family names, but William won out. Our last name is 12 letters long and two syllables and we liked the flow.

wendalah

07-17-2008, 10:46 AM

On the note of Aubrey...

I admit I like it, and it was on my list of names for DD. (Obviously, we ended up going with Audrey.) I know it's a male name but I still like it. I love Ashley too, and I happen to know a most dashing male Ashley. ;)

ahavnes

07-17-2008, 11:30 AM

love Ashley too, and I happen to know a most dashing male Ashley.

I know a male Ashley too and he is adorable. :) I also know a female Gregory. Not too sure about that one. ;)

Marisa

07-17-2008, 11:33 AM

I know a female Gary. She's an older lady, and says she was named after her father. She pronounces it to rhyme with "Mary", not sure if that's intentional or regional (I would pronounce "Gary" to rhyme with "carry", but I do realize that there may not be a distinction between "Gary", "Mary", "carry" in other parts of the country).

kdotp

07-17-2008, 11:49 AM

mmisabel

07-17-2008, 11:54 AM

Hee. I know a little girl named Stuart. Talk about mean. The call her Stewbie for short. Ouch.

MichelleRenee

07-17-2008, 11:58 AM

twinnyme

07-17-2008, 12:02 PM

Not quite the same (as it's not a first name) but my mother's middle name is Bill - named after an uncle. Her first name is also a feminization (and made-up name, I think) of a male name - also named after another uncle.

mia's mama

07-17-2008, 05:30 PM

kdopt- I Love, Love, Love Maren. If I didn't have a DD with an "M" name already, I'd push for it if we have another girl someday.

Although Allegra has a lovely ring to it, does no one else think of the allergy medication?

cactus

07-17-2008, 06:03 PM

Although Allegra has a lovely ring to it, does no one else think of the allergy medication?

This is what DH said as soon as I suggested the name a while back before we knew the gender...I totally wouldn't have thought of it myself, though. I think it's a pretty name, and especially nice if you are a musician.

EJH

07-17-2008, 06:07 PM

I have an uncle Alison (goes by Al). DH's [male] best friend is Kelley. We have a [male] friend Leslie (goes by Les - he hates his full name).

Front runners for this surprise babe are Maren, Adelle and Arden for girls. Still undecided on boy names.

I'm partial to Arden ;). Funny, a woman at the playground the other day told me (after she heard me calling DD's name) that they almost named her DD Arden but went with Lila instead, which she now regrets as it grows in popularity.

I also think Maren is beautiful.

Brady

07-17-2008, 06:16 PM

I have a friend Kris (male), I was shocked when I found out his full name was Kristin, I had just assumed it was Kristopher. His brother was Glendon... While Glendon seems more male than Kristin, it just always made me feel like his mother was wishing she had girls! :)

ETA- I also love Maren.

wendalah

07-17-2008, 08:04 PM

Another nice name along the lines of Maren is Merit. I've been mulling that one over lately. (No, not PG again, yet.)

Yeah, Gary, Mary and carry are all the same to me.

Me too! How the heck do you pronounce them differently? I can't even fathom how to say them differently.

amew

07-17-2008, 09:56 PM

I, too, immediately think of the allergy medication when I hear Allegra. I think it's a lovely name, and it's a shame that a medication with the same name had to come along, but I do think that the association diminishes the useablity of Allegra somewhat.

Add me to the list of people who love Maren. It was on our "if DS had been a girl" list.

And I, too, am stumped as to how Mary, Gary, and carry could be pronounced differently. They all rhyme for me. I've lived in several different regions of the country (Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, New England, Mid-Atlantic) and never noticed anyone pronouncing them different--must have blown right past me.

cactus

07-17-2008, 11:04 PM

My parents are both NYC natives (Queens, in fact, with the significant "special" accent that comes along with it ;)) and I can definitely tell the difference between Mary, carry, Gary...and, I'll throw this one in for good measure--merry. My husband thinks this difference is ridiculous and made up, but I will try to figure out how to explain it.

Mary, the woman's name, has the same vowel sound as "fair."

Carry, the verb, has a much more "open" short a sound--more like the short a in pack. Now that I'm writing it, my parents would rhyme the verb "carry" with the name Gary.

The vowel sound in the third one, merry, sounds most like a regular old short e sound, like in "pet."

I don't know if that cleared anything up, but it makes perfect sense to me!

Ilovemygeek

07-17-2008, 11:16 PM

Thanks for the input regarding Allegra and, yes, we have considered that it is also the name of a medication. I work in health care and one of the RNs in my department even has an insulated Allegra lunch bag that a drug rep gave him. :p That is actually less of a deterrent than the prospect of a nickname that we do not particularly care for. I think it is still the front-runner for now.