Due Date Looming--Help!
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| Tue, 04-03-2007 - 3:02pm |
We are expecting a little girl April 19th and The Great Name Debate continues.
Factors to consider:
-We have a super common last name: As a Jennifer myself, I am commited to unique (but not weird, and not a unique spelling for a popular name), especially paired with LN Anderson!
-We are a Christian family and don't mind names that allude to it, but don't want something that comes off as Bible beaters either.
-Meanings are important to us... (example...I love Gillian but it means "down-bearded youth", and I have a hard time getting excited about that.)
-we are OK with common/family names for middle names, especially to balance a unique first name, but still want middle name to matter (either meaning of name or family connection)
-single-syllable choices are sounding boring to me (maybe because paired w/ 3 syllable very common last name?)... any ideas to jazz them up?
-would like a name that grows with her (little girl, teen, adult)
Family names (relationship to baby)
-Mom Jennifer Ann
-Dad Bradley James
-Aunt Megan Clare
-Aunt Kathryn Patricia
-Grandma Roslyn Mary
-Grandma Jeanne Marie
-Great Grandma Patricia Ann
-Great Grandma Carolyn Ann
-Great Grandma Verna Irene
-Great Grandma Mary Louise
Please give opinions on:
-Eden (delight)
-Carys (love)
we want it pronounced "care-iss", NOT "KA-reece"; maybe spelling Caris better? Would we be constantly repeating her name to be understood? What would you suggest? Which is the intuitive pronounciation?
-Laine (wave)
nn Lainey
-Lainey (bright light, torch)
-Geneveive (woman of the people)
nn Evie; is it too close to Jennifer (I go by Jen), or conceited to have a Geneveive as a Jennifer?
-Eve (life)
nn Evie
-Maren (from the sea)
-Nina (follower of Christ)
-Brie (magnificent)
-Brielle (God is my might)
nn Elly or Brie
-Elena (bright, shining one)
nn Elly or Laney?
-Gemma (jewel)
-Zoe (life)
pronounced Zo-ee
-Ashlyn (dream)
-Paige (page)
wish it had a better meaning
-Gillian (down-bearded youth)
hate this meaning :(
Thanks so much... we are keeping name (or name ideas, for now) a secret from everyone so I don't have any feedback on these yet!
Jen

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-Eden: This is beautiful, not a name I would use personally but I still like it alot.
-Carys: Personally I would pronounce it care-iss spelled either way but spelling it Caris will probably get it pronounced correctly more ofte
-Laine: I like both Laine and Lainey; we call my DD Lainey for short (her name is Alaina)
-Geneveive: I think its ok with Jennifer; so what if you want to name your baby after you, at least you arent making up a name like Jennalindriz to make it fit. I do love the name Genevieve though
-Eve: pretty but I think it's getting kind of popular (I know 2 under 3 yrs old)
-Maren: I like this name as well, but there is something about it that keeps me from loving it
-Nina: I think Nina is really cute!
-Brie: it's ok, seems nickname-y/Desperate Housewives-y
-Brielle: I really like this, alot better than Brie
-Elena: like this too, we used Alaina :) Helena is also very pretty.
-Gemma: very cute, makes me think of a cute little girl
-Zoe: love the name, but I don't like that it's on sesame street
-Ashlyn: not my style
-Paige: pretty, but if you like names with meaning I would pick a different one
-Gillian: ditto Paige
I don't know if you are looking for other ideas but if you wanted them, here are some:
Zora- means dawn
Susannah- means lily
Vera- means faith
Rosa or Rosalie- mean rose; nice way to honor grandma too!
Regina- means queen
Teresa- means late summer; Tessa would be a cute nn!
Felicity- means happy
(I almost suggested Pamela but then realized what your last name was! I was just thinking a cute alternative to Paige that wasnt common)
HTH!!
_________________________________________
Carly + Phil
proud parents of our four princesses: Alaina Rhoslyn (Lainey) 2.15.07, twins Georgia Carol and Natalia Lorraine (Gigi and Talia) 7.31.08, Penelope Julia (Penny) 8.25.10 and our newest littl
ashlyn eve
brielle
eden
elena paige
i was toying with name ideas from your lists and family names...heres a few ideas:
brandelynn(for your hubby) eve
kristabelle roslyn
annabelle(after all the anns in the family tree)
caroline jeanne
i like roslyn too-its very uncommon and i think its very pretty...i also like rosalinda, too...good luck!!
joanne
maman2goons@aol.com
ps-the baby is due on my birthday!!LOL :-)
-Eden (delight)
*** This might work for you. It might seem an odd choice for an atheist, but doesn't come across as "Bible beater" either, KWIM? Still, it's a trendier, less substantial choice than a Biblical name like Naomi, Esther (Stella), Keziah or Talitha might be, if that makes sense. I'd also be careful about the meaning, since "delight" would be a VERY loose translation ... more something parents and baby name books would use just because they think it sounds appealing, rather than the literal meaning.
-Carys (love)
*** This IS pronounced KARE-iss (or KAR-iss ... short "a," not like the word car). I've honestly never heard anyone say "KA-reece." That would just be odd. LOL Using Caris isn't horrible, but it's a separate name (form of Charis) that does not mean "love," since meanings seem important to you.
-Laine (wave) nn Lainey
*** This seems less feminine than most of your other choices, and since you already mentioned not loving the single-syllable names, this probably isn't the best name for you. It's also pretty common, especially considering how many names Laine(y) can be used a nn for (Delaney, Delaine, Elaine, Elena, Alaina, Alannah, Madelaine, Adelaine ... even any of the popular -line ending names).
-Lainey (bright light, torch)
*** Lainey IS a nn, so I'll just refer you to the above comments. ;) Also, Lainey Anderson sounds oddly similar to Loni Anderson. LOL I'd assume you were either completely oblivious of that or really big fans, KWIM?
-Geneveive (woman of the people)
nn Evie; is it too close to Jennifer (I go by Jen), or conceited to have a Geneveive as a Jennifer?
*** Assuming you'd change it to the correct spelling, I think Genevieve would be wonderful. ;) Especially since you'd use Evie, rather than a Gen- nn, this is a really nice way to sort of name your dd after yourself without using the same or too similar of a name. Love it.
-Eve (life)
nn Evie
*** Eve is pretty common, following along behind others like Ava, Eva, etc. Also, Evie is becoming quite a popular nn, so I'd stick with a longer, less common given name to give her some wiggle room. Genevieve works, and you might also like Evangeline (especially since you ARE Christian ... might be a lovely choice for you).
-Maren (from the sea)
*** I like the name, but not with your ln. Don't really care for the back-to-back -en/An- sounds, but something like Mariam or Miriam might be a nice alternative.
-Nina (follower of Christ)
*** I'm not sure where you found this meaning (while I've seen quite a few, this isn't one of them, to be honest). The only Biblical-type meaning I could find isn't a positive one ... Nina was the name "of a Babylonian fertility goddess, the patron goddess of the city of Nineveh" and means "enclosure of fish." What with the negative Biblical aspect regarding Nineveh, perhaps an odd choice for a Christian family, KWIM? Check it out at BTN for more info: http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?nmd=n&terms=nina
I believe Christian and its variants are more what you're looking for with this meaning.
-Brie (magnificent)
*** Again, not sure where this meaning comes from, but seems a trendy, loose translation of the Irish word brígh (used as a name and Anglicized as Bree and sometimes considered the root of Brian). With all the Brianna names currently popular, this just seems another trendy, nicknamey version. Not uncommon, like you said you wanted, and also just one syllable. Probably not the best choice for you.
-Brielle (God is my might) nn Elly or Brie
Gabrielle (and its variants) and Elly (as a given name AND nn for dozens of other names) are very common and popular. Brie/Bree/Brianna, etc. is as well (see above). So Brielle with either of these nns seems a rather common choice. Not that different at all. Doesn't seem to fit your criteria.
-Elena (bright, shining one)
nn Elly or Laney?
*** See Laine(y) comments. I do prefer Elena as a given name, FWIW.
-Gemma (jewel)
*** Gemma is lovely. Not overly common. Simple, yet classy. The "a" ending isn't ideal running into your A- ln, but I like it otherwise.
-Zoe (life)
*** Zoe might work for you, but it's definitely not uncommon. It's actually in the top 50s. Phoebe (bright, pure) and Daphne (laurel) are nice alternatives that aren't nearly as popular (both around the 500s).
-Ashlyn (dream)
*** Aisling means dream/vision in Irish Gaelic. Ashlyn does not. It is simply a newer Ash- creation popularized by the similar Ashley, Ashton, etc. with the common -lyn suffix tacked onto the end. Again, if meanings are important to you, you might like Aisling. Ashlyn, however, lacks the history, class and substance and only manages to blend in with the other trendy Ash- and -lyn names, KWIM?
-Paige (page)
wish it had a better meaning
*** You said it. ;) I never got the appeal of this name, other than the fact that it flows well with most others and has become quite a filler mn (though it seems dated, IMO ... my 25-year-old SIL was very nearly Paige or Kelly Paige, and it was a pretty popular/common choice even then). It's also one syllable and not gender specific, so it doesn't seem to fit your style as nicely as some of the others.
-Gillian (down-bearded youth)
hate this meaning :(
*** If this was absolutely THE name for you, and the meaning was the only thing holding you back, it might work, but you have such a long list to work with and meanings obviously DO matter to you so you might want to move on.
HTH ;)
ETA: I didn't really give Gillian much consideration before, given your dislike of the meaning (which IS the actual meaning btw ... please don't just use a made-up one from a random "baby name" web site LOL). As soon as I started reading through the other replies, however, I realized no one had mentioned Gillian Anderson -- the actress from The X-Files, among other things, including the upcoming "No One Gets Off in this Town." As a rule, it's generally not the best idea to use the same exact name as a celeb or other well-known person. Especially one that's still living. You never know what kind of scandal will bring the name into the public eye (sex, drugs and murder are favorites). Not that she has a bad reputation or anything, but you get the point. If you don't want a common fn with your common ln, you probably don't want her to share that name with a known celeb either. That's all I'm saying. ;)
Edited 4/4/2007 4:55 pm ET by mommyagain6124
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