MN Grace too common??

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2007
MN Grace too common??
9
Sun, 07-22-2007 - 3:31pm

Hey guys,

I have had the name Elizabeth picked out for a daughter since I was 13 years old (17 years ago). I probably picked the middle name Grace to go with it when I was maybe in college. At the time, I didn't know anyone with the first or middle name Grace. So it's been a LONG time that I have been holding onto "Elizabeth Grace" - which I still think is a lovely name and is our number one choice for a girl, especially since DH loves the name Grace (I had to gently persuade him that I didn't want to have a daughter named Grace when my name is Tracy. Tracy and Gracie, Trace and Grace. No thanks.)

Anyhow, all I am hearing now is little baby girls with the middle name Grace (although of the babies I know, it's actually less common than Rose, which an absurd amount of people I know have used). My MN is Marie, one of the '70s MN trifecta (Ann, Lynn, Marie) which never bothered me because at least my mom had a reason for it (my grandmother's name was Mary). But I don't want my daughter to grow up feeling like she had some "filler" MN when I could have been more "creative."

I like the name Claire also but then quickly realized if she ever decided to use her middle name she'd be "E. Claire" - and God forbid she has a weight problem and the same name as a calorie-laden pastry, she'll never forgive us. So my second choice (undiscussed with DH so far) is Jane, has the same feel as Grace but not as much meaning for us.

What do you think? Is "Grace" the "Ann" of this decade?

Tracy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2006
Sun, 07-22-2007 - 4:41pm

I really think it is. Almost every single little girl I have personally known in the past couple of years has Grace as the mn, and I'm not exaggerating. I like the name, and love its meaning. I think it's sweet and pretty, it sounds good with almost any first name, and my DH likes it too. But I could never, ever use it just because it is unbelievably popular as a mn (not to mention as a fn).

What about a family name or something else of significance? Even Elizabeth Marie would be nice since it is your mn.

If you absolutely don't love anything but Grace, go for it. But I personally have abandoned it as a possibility, even though I loved it in the past.

GL,

Liz (oh, BTW Elizabeth is lovely!)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
Sun, 07-22-2007 - 4:58pm

Is Grace too common as a mn--- YES!!!

-Nikki
http://destastory.blogspot.com


                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2007
Sun, 07-22-2007 - 6:29pm
We can tell you whether Grace is "common" as a middle name (it certainly is), but only you can decide whether it's "too common." I mean, Emily is a super-common first name by contemporary standards (even though relatively few children were actually named that in 2006, compared to the total number of children born in that year); but people who truly love it use it anyway, regardless that it was ranked #1. So if you truly love Elizabeth Grace, then I think that you should use it. If you're having doubts, though, then it will be easy to find something more unusual than Grace, Claire or Rose. I like Elizabeth Jessamine, for example, or Elizabeth Cherisse, or Elizabeth Sage. Anyway, good luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2007
Sun, 07-22-2007 - 9:57pm
While I do think Grace is very popular right now as a mn..I think it is still a beautiful compliment to Elizabeth.
It also represents a bit of a compromise between you and your dh (as it is one of his favorite names).
I say if you like it - go for it! It is beautiful, classy, and who cares if other girls have the same mn (but it does not even sound like it is around you)...
Jaime
Jaime ~ Mom to Brennan Patrick and Molly Catherine Image and video hosting by TinyPic
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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 7:12am

Yeah, I think Grace is part of the current MN trifecta. Also way overboard as a first name, too!

Elizabeth is my all-time fave girls' name... How about Eliz. Mary? I prefer a middle name with some meaning.

Cathy

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2007
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 9:33am

Grace is starting to lose its luster now that I know how common it is, but DH still loves it and doesn't care if every other child in the world has that MN. So we will probably keep it, since he didn't have much say in the Elizabeth part. I have some other MNs I like too, we've got a long time to go until I am due so we'll have plenty of time to discuss it. Thanks for the feedback. Back when I picked Grace as a middle name it WAS original - I guess that's the trouble of having a name you like picked out since you were a teenager :)

Tracy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-01-2003
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 12:22pm

you know, I actually know a girl named Elizabeth Clare (without the i) who goes by Clare and I never even thought about the E Clare thing

anyway, it's true that Grace has become a popular middle name, but I don't think you should be overly concerned about that

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 2:37pm

I have loved the name Olivia since I was a kid (I watched The Waltons) but there's no way I would use it now...

My cousin wanted to name her baby Anne Claire, but it sounded too much like "An eclaire!" Mmmm. They are good, though.

One of my DDs is Claire, and she's just "Claire Bear".

Cathy

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2006
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 2:47pm

Being a mn "Lyn," I can say that I did feel like my mn was/is blah. Every person I know with my first name has the middle name Lynn, and even though I was given that name in part b/c of my aunt Linda, it still makes me think that my parents just ran out of good middle names after naming all of my sister.

I do love Jane as a mn.