Too unusual? Too commonplace?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2007
Too unusual? Too commonplace?
14
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 2:50am

I'm going for a name that's classic, solid, and strong without being pretentious or stuffy. I want it to be simple, but not horribly commonplace. I want it to fit just as well on a playful, rambunctious, sprightly child, a Supreme Court judge, a quite, pensive poet, a doctor, or an outdoorsman/woman. I'd rather avoid trendy and Kre8Tive names.

I'm considering these names:

Daniel
James
Alan
Adam
Henry
Peter

Alice
Dorothy- although I don't really like any of the nicknames for this name
Nancy
Margaret
Eloise
Molly

I also like these names but I'm afraid that they might be too stuffy:
Charles
Edward/ Edmund
Virginia
Charlotte
Gretchen (too German?)

I've added Virginia, Charlotte, Gretchen, Henry, Charles, and Edward. I'm removing Samantha and Violet.

What do you think of these names? How well do you think they meet my criteria? Any suggestions?

I also need help thinking up fitting middle names, especially for the boys’ names. I like Anne and Mae as girls’ middle names, and I'm sort of fond of Eleanor also. I don't care for Grace or Rose, and I think that middle names with a number of syllables other than two work best with my two syllable last name.




Edited 3/25/2007 6:51 am ET by betsychocolate

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 8:43am

I believe that all of your boys names meet your criteria. Only Peter strikes me as a bit stuffy and I'm not fond of it due to the teasing potential.

Of your girls name, I believe Alice fits your criteria the best.

Dorothy and Nancy are too outdated and therefore have a stuffy feel to them.
Violet is borderline trendy due to Jen and Ben's baby.
Eloise and Margaret are too stodgy.
Molly doesnt age as well as Alice.
Samantha is great, if you can ensure she's called Samantha rather than Sam or Sammi.

So...Alice seems like the best fit. I actually like Alice Ann.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 8:54am

Daniel- a bit boring
James- Nice, like this a lot
Alan- too middle aged
Peter- nice, a bit weak, but nice
Adam- like it, very strong

Alice- Love this, so spunky and very uncommon right now. Fits right in with all the 'older' names that are making a comeback.
Dorothy- Dorothy is just okay to me, but what about Dorthea nn Thea? (Or Theodora)
Samantha- nice, but fairly common.
Nancy- I used to find it too old fashioned, but I met a little girl with this name and fell in love with it. I think it would be a nice choice, but keep in mind that you might get some people who dislike it
Margaret- Love this for the nn possibilities- Meg, Maggie, Maisie, Greta, etc.
Violet- Getting popular, I would use something else
Eloise- Love it, very spunky
Molly- Cute. Could also be a nn for Margaret.

You have an amazing girls list, but the boy's list is a bit plain in comparison. If you want suggestions, how about:

Elias nn Eli

Calder nn Cal

Dashiel nn Dash

Truman nn Tru

Thomas nn Tucker

Asher nn Ash

Anders

Leander nn Anders/Leo

Dexter

Simon

Marcus

Maxim

Quentin

Leopold nn Leo

Dalton

Silas

Adelia

Esther

Scarlett

Beatrix

Belinda nn Bindy

Cordelia nn Cora/Cory/Delia

As for mn's, I find it very important to use something with significance as the mn. A family name, or a name with special meaning to you, or even a place name that is special for you. Anne is very common as a mn and I find it just brings the first name down. I ADORE Mae though. It has the same classy feel, but is much less common. I am glad you prefer the Mae spelling... I have never really liked May as I just think of the season.

-Nikki


                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 1:38pm
hello!! well from your boys list, i love adam. you could use one of the other names on the list as the middle-adam james or adam alan(i like the double a flow)...or adam mitchell, adam caleb or adam ross...from the girls list, i really like violet-but im biased cuz its my oldest dds name...lol...i also like eloise, molly and samantha. but samantha is kinda common-i know 3 that are all around the same age and 1 that just turned 5. a few combos might be:
eloise susannah
eloise kay/mae
eloise violet
molly anne
molly kay(dont like molly mae)
molly eloise
my oldest dds full name is violet rose(i also have an isabelle grace). good luck!
joanne
maman2goons@aol.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2005
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 1:59pm
I like Alan and then Daniel for a boy, and Alice or Margaret for a girl.

AJ, enjoying life with C.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 2:55pm

Daniel -- may be too common for your taste. It's been in the top 10 (or right around it, at 11 or 12) since the early 70s.
James -- also very common. Holding steady in the top 20 since 1993, when it FINALLY fell out of the top 10 (it was a top 10 name from 1880 to 1992, so pretty much incredibly popular the entire time they've been keeping these statistics LOL).
Alan -- I like that a lot for you!
Peter -- eh. Not my favorite, but it's not too unusual or common, so it works.
Adam -- a bit more popular than these last two, but not as common as it has been in the past.

I'd also suggest Neil/Niall, Nolan, Oliver, Oscar, Martin, Gregory, Henry, Patrick, Edward/Edmund/Edwin, Wesley/Westley, Miles/Milo, Mitchell, Calvin, Simon and Aaron.

Alice -- love it! Seems to fit all your criteria as well.
Dorothy -- Wizard of Oz doesn't strike me as a negative, and there are so many nns I'm sure one would fit: Dora, Dory, Rory, Dolly, Dot(tie), Tea, Thea, etc.
Samantha -- top 10 since 1988 seems overwhelmingly common. Perhaps not what you're looking for.
Nancy -- since you also like Anne, I'd probably use that as the formal name and call her Nancy. It's cute as a nn, but as a given name it still seems dated, KWIM?
Margaret -- this seems a good option for you, and there are plenty of nice nns to choose from as well.
Violet -- I think this is very sweet, but agree it probably comes across as a bit trendier than you'd like. Viola would be a nice alternative.
Eloise -- wonderful! Not overly-common in the least, but it's one I think most are familiar with. Love it.
Molly -- I'd use this as a nn for Mary, in your case.

You might also like Ada, Adele, Cecilia, Beatrix/Beatrice, Lorna, Matilda, Imogen, Isadora/Isidora, Eveline/Evelyn, Vivian/Vivienne, Opal, Ruby, Pearl, Millicent or Eleanor as a fn (the Elle nns are very common, but Nora is not).

HTH


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2006
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 3:21pm

I think these fit your criteria:

Daniel
Peter
Adam

Alice
Margaret
Eloise

_________________________________________
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

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 6:41pm

Of the names on your boys' list, I think Alan, Adam & Peter fit your criteria the best.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2007
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 8:39pm
I like Adam and Molly best from your list.
Good luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2007
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 9:09pm

Adam seems to fit your criteria well. Alice too.

What about Genevieve for a girl? I recently met a girl at work with this name and had never heard it before ... her friends call her Genny, but at work, Genevieve always sounded so professional, classic and beautiful.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-01-2006
Fri, 03-23-2007 - 11:28pm

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I'm surprised you say this since the meaning of Peter is ROCK. Seems like a very strong name just by definition to me.

KT

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