The Baby Name Wizard

sorry about that double post. it wasn't there after 5minutes and then I reposted and it was. it must be time for to get away from the computer.

FYI, and just because you guys like information, I'm not an expert in Portuguese, but I have the feeling that the J in Jacinta would actually be more like a Zh sound. I know that Joao (John) sounds a bit like Zh-wow. Of course in Spanish, the J is a H sound.

Re: Ma-RYE-ah and So-FYE-ah- extremely rare in England these days. Continental pronunciation pretty well universal, thank goodness!

Another Amy, you're a geographer too? I am, undergrad and masters degrees are in Geography--got my PhD in another field, but I still consider myself a geographer and am happy when others do too. Funny, small world.

Sister Melinda--I didn't realize Geography was even an option until I was already working on my doctorate. But then I realized the entire way I conceptualize the world and science is really geographical. Where else can you legitimately look at the intersection of social and natural sciences? not too many places! so yes, I think its where I belong, I just took the long road there!

"I had to look up Eglantine, apparently its a variety of wild rose."

The Eglantine is the sweet briar. Chaucer's Prioress is named Madame Eglantine. The 14th century, when the Canterbury Tales was written, marked the beginning of the custom of nuns discarding their baptismal names and taking on a religious name. The joke is that the Prioress, a romance heroine wannabe, takes on a 'courtly' flowery, "frilliana" name instead of a saint's name like, say, Jerome or Augustine. Since Vatican II, the custom has reversed and now nuns retain their baptismal names.

When I was in Canterbury years ago, I ran across a sign for Mme. Eglantine's Bi-lingual Day Nursery, a reference to the Prioress's bad provincial school French, "for the French of Paris was to her unknown." I think it likely that they are teaching the modern munchkins similarly bad provincial school French.

Guest-- Of your latest list, my favorite by far is "Genevieve Catherine". I think that is a stunner of a name.

Would you mind saying what you're leaning the most toward? Are "Mary" or "Flora" still in the running? I like one of your middle names very much, as a first name-- "Caroline".

Not as fond of some of the others, probably because they seem more typical of a specific era. Does that matter to you (to many it doesn't, of course)?

Oh, wait a minute, another of your middles I LOVE as a first name-- "Rose". Again, more timeless to my ears. Anyway, please feel free to dispute me and put forward your own thoughts...

Oh, another middle name you like, I like as a first-- "Anne". Not as trendy as "Anna" right now, which to me is a plus. Nice. And has two, traditionally charming and old-fashioned nicknames-- "Annie" and "Nan"...

hyz - unfortunately, I think that naming subsequent babies is harder than naming the first one. For me, I feel like I gave my best effort for a boy's name to my first child, my best effort for a girl's name to my second child and I am at a loss this time. I don't want to use any of my previous ideas - if they weren't good enough to be first choice for a previous child it seems like they are not good enough this time.

Valerie, thanks for the note about the Portuguese pronunciation of Jacinta. I looked up some online information about Portuguese pronunciation, and it looks like you are correct on that.

Valerie, thanks for the note about the Portuguese pronunciation of Jacinta. I looked up some online information about Portuguese pronunciation, and it looks like you are correct on that.

Eo:

I feel that masculine or unisex names are ultimately very harmful to women (and feminist goals) which is why I want girly FN and MN

I'm not really leaning to anything yet but i'm glad for your help

I'm still tossing around Mary and Flora - i wish someone had told me about Mary Bell earlier - i was thinking of Flora the goddess of flowers

I'm also considering Diana - the Mother Goddess

About Caroline - why is "Caro" now the nickname people use rather than "Carrie" - Caro just reminds me of kerosene

Thanks for the thumbs up on Genevieve Catherine

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Caro is a continental nickname for Caroline/a. I think choosing to use Carrie is equally valid, and IMHO is another great nickname for one of my all-time favorite girls' names.

I like Genevieve Catherine, too. I also like Julianne, but think it would work better with one of your other middle name choices (Marie came to mind looking at your list). I don't care for the similarity of L sounds in Julianne Lynn. I think I could get on board with Vanessa Anne as well, and agree that Anne is a great, simple, classic, and clearly feminine name.

And just for my contribution to the continued demographics conversation, I definitely have some OCD tendencies as well. That survey idea is looking better and better.

another amy--I'm impressed that your DH is obsessed with *any* name, even if it IS Onslow! I wish my DH would show that sort of enthusiasm. That "slow" in Onslow is just too glaring to me, although, curiously, I don't have the same reaction to Winslow. I'm glad to hear your association with Ivy, too. One of my concerns is that it could sound too much like a evil comic book character name (as Amber the Red mentioned earlier), but I'm relieved that that doesn't seem to be the prevailing association. I don't mind *some* association with that, but I just don't want it to be inescapable.

Re: Hyacinth the saint--I forgot about him! I don't think he was Hyacinth in his native Polish (google tells me he was Jacek, or something like that), but regardless it brings up my issue of not liking to use male names for girls. I think it's a minor issue in this case, though, since there seems to be a well-established historical usage for women, as well.

C&C's mom--you're probably right. Maybe I'm just hoping that next time it will be easier to get DH to work up some excitement about some of my other favorite names. I feel like this time we're putting our best *collaborative* effort into naming, but not necessarily picking the names either one of us would choose if we were making a unilateral decision, so I still see a lot of good possibilities out there....

another amy said: "But then I realized the entire way I conceptualize the world and science is really geographical. Where else can you legitimately look at the intersection of social and natural sciences?"

You've just described me! I came to geography late in my undergrad studies so ended up with only a minor. Had I not been so close to the end, I would have switched my major (or double majored).

Ash:

you can suggest names if you want, I don't mind

Guest--I'd also vote for Genevieve Catherine off your current list. Sorry, when I saw "Guest", I didn't realize you were the same "Guest" from the Mary Flora conversation. Is that also you asking about MNs for Harriet? If so, I think it's hard to answer that without knowing a bit more (what MNs you're considering, what sorts of things you like, what the basic sound of the LN is...).

I agree with you about the boy names for girls thing being in opposition with modern feminist thought (and maybe more in line with 2nd wave feminism, where women were generally encouraged to be equal by being like men, and "womanly" things were devalued). I would agree with Eo, though, that many of the names on your lists sound a bit dated to the 50s/60s/70s/80s, which make them maybe less interesting or attractive to many modern ears.

I like the thought of Diana, but it's another one that sounds pretty dated to me. If you are looking for interesting female mythological characters, some more modern (or truly archaic, and therefore paradoxically modern) names that might interest you might be:
Anthea
Aoife
Artemis
Astraea
Astrid
Athena
Aurora
Bridget
Celena/Selena
Chloe
Cora
Cynthia
Demetria
Freya
Harmony
Hestia/Vesta
Iris
Juno
Luna
Maia
Minerva
Pomona
Rhiannon
Sylvia
Terra
Thea
Victoria

Of course, if you wanted to delve into great historical female characters, there would be tons more, too.

Hyz:

Thank you - you and the others here are much more helpful than some in the family

Maia - what's your thoughts on that name?
Also your thoughts on Harriet as a name?

Rhiannon and Sylvia i might put on my list

The whole anti "womanly" thing was crazy i agree

I've been catching up on the last few days of posts, but I'm running out of time with nearly a third of the second page to go...

Just wanted to quickly say that I too have been pouring thru name books (purchased and at the library) since an early age (I'm currently 27), but thought I was somewhat successful at doing it discreetly. Recently I was talking to my sister about names because she got a cat (that she named Porter - but calls him Puppy most of the time). I mentioned the Baby Name Wizard hesitantly and quickly stated that I had it not because I was planning on children but because I liked names. She laughed at me and said "I know, you've been doing that since we were kids. No need to explain." It was kind of liberating. She is a linguist, though, so she has some understanding of the obession.

Okay, I guess this comment isn't that quick...
In response to some of the names discussed:
I like Ivy - I do tend to think of the Poison Ivy/Bad Movie thing at first, but can look past that pretty easily. Hyacinth is too well, flower-y for me. Can't really say what it is beyond that... just not my style. But I don't find Hyacinth Soh to be so diffuclt to say outloud.
Mary Flora sounds a bit stuffy too me - never been a fan of Mary and I've disliked Flora since the Miami sesason of the Real World. I really like Shirley Ann - I can see how most people think 'Grandma' or '50s diner' but I think it's fun.

On honorifics - I grew up only calling my teachers Mr/Miss/etc.. LN, pretty much all other adults were FN only. But even though it was the norm I never felt comfortable calling friends' parents by their first names. I generally avoided addressing them at all. I call all of my parents-in-law (mother, father, stepmother) by their first names. One of my sisters calls her in-laws mom and dad and I find it so weird.

My husband is named Gabriel (Gabe) and I've always loved the name. The NE in me is quite happy that he has the name - though the "Gabrielle" thing happens more often than either of us like.

Okay that has to be enough for now... I may be back later, though!

Guest -- For me, Maia (and its many variant spellings) are too popular, but it's a very nice name, and one many people are familiar with. That can definitely be a good thing (witness hyz's feelings about Ivy -- not too common, but not too uncommon either).

I *love* Harriet. Rhiannon and Sylvia don't really do it for me.

Oops -- should have been Maia IS too popular.

Maia is better when spelled Maia not Maya - one is a goddess the other is a ethnic group

Amy what are your full thoughts on Harriet?

I wish i didn't feel so nervous

Guest--

Diana doesn't sound too dated to me, and I quite like it. Perhaps it's because I've yet to meet a Diana in real life.

I can't get behind Harriet. I think it's the "hairy" sound that bothers me the most.

I like Cora a lot, and I would even put it on the list of names my husband and I are considering except that 1) our last name begins with a K. And 2) we also like Alice. A Cora and Alice sib set would be a little too Last of the Mohicans for us.

What about Beatrice or Beatrix? Elinor? Evelyn? Lydia? Cassandra? Charlotte?

Coming in very late to the conversation here, but...

It is very interesting looking at the trends of interests and backgrounds of the people here. I've also been a long-time closet NE; I "stole" my parents' old baby names book as a child and used to spend hours making lists from them. Now, I am a grad student in anthropology/ archaeology, and specialize in studying ancient landscapes and paleobotany. So, count me in with the throngs of people here who love maps (and plants).

Hyz, I love both Ivy and Hyacinth, and have good associations with both. Ivy seems a bit more spunky, while Hyacinth is softer, but they are both beautiful, strong names. I like the flow of Ivy Soh better, but I don't think the enuciation issue with Hyacinth is enough of a problem to veto the name if you love it.

Guest, Maia is a pretty name, though I like Harriet even better. I associate the name Harriet with a strong-willed, determined, and creative girl. The first association I have with the name is the Harriet the Spy books.

I have known a Juniper!

AK and Leslie:

I was drawn to Diana because she is the mother goddess

I was drawn to Harriet because it was suggested by someone in my real life

Charlotte is nice

Cassandra wasn't in my head

Harriet - anyone else have thoughts?

also on Maia

again any name suggestions are fine

Guest,

I kind of like Harriet--it makes me think of Harriet Vane (Dorothy Sayers mysteries). Would I use it? I'm not sure. I kind of like the idea of Harry as a nickname for a girl though.

I'm not thrilled with Maia but I think I like a consonant in there somewhere. Cassandra is ok, a little fancy for me.

Well, I'll go really out there, Guest, since you're soliciting suggestions and you so far seem to be receptive to a fairly eclectic range--

Lately, I've been really drawn to "Christabel", which seems to fulfill your requirement of feminine, but strong at the same time...

"Christabel Rose"? Could be "Kit" for short, or "Kitty".

Another name that has been cropping up has been "Marion/Marian."
Prompted by the Indiana Jones sequel. The heroine's name seems to me so perfect for a spunky adventuress: "Marion Ravenwood". And Marion incorporates the "Mary" that you like. Not to mention the romantic echoes of Robin Hood's Maid Marian, which we've discussed on this board before...

"Marion Iris"?

I admire your choice of Harriet.

"Harriet Fleur"? Gosh, I've really got flowers on the brain for middle names...

To recycle two of yours-- I like the almost rhymey sound of "Mary Caroline".

I also really like other people's suggestions of Lydia, Charlotte, "Anthea", "Beatrix", so--

"Anthea Charlotte"?

"Diana Beatrix"?

Etc., etc. I think many of these would work within the broad theme you've set up. The fun part is juggling around the first and second names you like until they sound right to you, and congruent with your last name, etc.

Guest—I quite like Diana because of personal associations, though it is also somewhat dated to me for those same reasons. It's a very elegant name, both for its sound and its associations. Diana isn't the mother goddess, though—she is the Roman version of Artemis, the virgin huntress. One of the most frequently cited myths about her tells how a young hunter spies on her bathing; when she discovers him, she is furious (because no man is allowed to see her naked) and turns him into a stag, and his own hounds run him down and kill him. Not very maternal. If you specifically want a mother goddess, you could try Gaea/Gaia, who is Mother Earth and gives birth to most major gods in the Green pantheon. Alternatively, there is Hera or Juno, the queen of the gods, who is generally a goddess of women and marriage—she comes across as really jealous and nasty in a lot of the mythology though, so I personally wouldn't pick her (though I do love the name Juno).

I really like Rhiannon, though, and the Fleetwood Mac song just makes it better for me! I also like Maia, and Genevieve Catherine. Not a big fan of Harriet—I think it makes me think of the word "harried," as in harassed, persistently under attack. Flora makes me think of the plump little fairies in Disney's Sleeping Beauty—I think they were Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. (Hmm... I actually kind of like Merryweather!)

oops, that was supposed to be "Greek pantheon." D'oh.

Two families are moving in next door and below me. I am sure they will be lovely neighbors and I promise to invite them to tea-BUT, to the point-the children's names! Family #1 is Italian/Venezuelan and their 3 are Tomas (12), Sofia(9) and Ernesto(6). Family#2-I know nothing except they have a 4 yr.old Cal (Calvin) and a 4 month old, Josie (Josephine). Be still my heart, I can't wait to meet them! I was thinking how disparaging I can be when someone spends a gazillion dollars on a Chanel bag, but this has me salivating in a similar manner, I think.:). I am sure I will like the actual children, too. Oh, and about my demographic: I recently turned 60, majored in English, love maps, have a 2nd degree in Interior Design(love history and aesthetics) and have been a name enthusiast forever. It hurts my tender feelings, just a tad, when folks here talk about the outdated, critical older grandparents--I am open and evolving. Really. My daughters' friends refer to me as the Baby Namer and my son called me from the Birthing Center after my grandaughter was born-for a name discussion. So we are all ages here and all-consumed, I guess.

Harriet is not my favorite. It still feels fusty rather than fresh to me.

I'm also not a fan of Maia. Too trendy for me, and also lacks the weight it sounds like you want from a name.

Some girls names I love that seem to meet your criteria (but are not excessively trency) are Josphine, Charlotte, Beatrix/ice, Victoria, Virginia (I know, not everyone cares of the "virgin" connotation, but it is also in honor of Elizabeth I, an amazingly powerful woman, so take it as you will), Lydia, Sylvia, Helena, Evelyn, Louise/a, and Gabrielle/a. I actually like Diana. Though I do not know any baby Dianas, the name doesn't feel time-stampted to me like Diane does.

Tess, it sounds like you have some great namers in your neighborhood! I'm also glad to hear that we have some supportive grandparents in our midst!! :) I think a lot of us have families who don't share our passion for names and come here seeking solice (and thus to do a little venting as well!).

As someone else said earlier, I think it's great that this community has people of such a broad range of ages. Makes for a wonderfully diverse conversation.

Guest -- Leslie captured my impressions of Harriet perfectly: "I associate the name Harriet with a strong-willed, determined, and creative girl. The first association I have with the name is the Harriet the Spy books."

That's it exactly, even down to the Harriet the Spy reference.

That said, Beatrix (suggested by someone else, but I'm not sure you've weighed in on it) has long been a favorite of mine so if you chose that one instead, I know you'd have a winner.

I'm less a fan of the ending-in-A names (e.g., Diana), but I know they fit the criteria you've set so they may be right for you.

I just met the new neighbors. Dad is Dan, a junior. They have 2 children, Danielle and Daniel (Danny). Danny isn't a "the third" due to having a different middle name from dad and grandpa.

Personally, I think that's nuts.

I do have a question that's a little off-topic. Everyone keeps mentioning Violet amongst the trendy flower names. Have y'all run into a lot of Violets? It's not used in my area much (and then, if the baby records in the paper can be trusted, usually only as a middle name).

I have familial connections to the name through my mama's aunt who helped to raise her after my grandmother died. (Additionally, Aunt Violet fed me chocolate cake once for breakfast and has been endeared to me ever since.)

My mama (whom I am named after) and I are also both born in February. I don't care to bestow the same name on my daughter. But since Violet is February's flower, I thought it would be a sneaky way to honor my mama.

And I've always loved the sweet, little, wild violets that grow in my parents' yard.

Basically, Violet just makes me happy inside in so many different ways. But I fear the trend factor.

Thanks everybody

Evie - thanks for the correction on Diana - another baby name thing lied to me

Ash - why do you feel Maia is so bad
Are there any famous women called Maia?

thanks to Leslie and Amy re: Harriet

Keep the suggestions coming as i know we will find "it"

AK - Violet may be becoming trendy, but it all depends on where your trendiness threshold lies... It's certainly rising, but it's not very high on the lists. I don't think a top 200 name is problematic, unless you are dead set on an unusual name. It might look dated in 30 years, but then most names do and that doesn't mean they aren't nice names. I might hesitate to use Ava, but I don't see Violet on that level.

I think you should go for it.

Guest - you seem to be open to a wide range of names, so I'm not sure what to suggest.

I still vote for Mary with a different MN. Maybe Mary Genevieve? Mary Louisa? Mary Cordelia?

But I also like Diana and possibly Harriet, except I have some negative personal associations with that one that I can't quite shake.

The only Dianas I know are in their 20s, so I don't see it as an old lady name, but that might be unusual.

Other suggestions

Clara
Matilda
Imogene
Lavinia
Ida
Coralie

Guest--I also like the Marion suggestion. That particular character from the Indiana Jones movies was my favorite of his female protagonists by far.

and totally OT, I'm afraid Harrison Ford is forever stuck at the age of the first one for me. I was looking at his picture on a burger king wrapper yesterday and was shocked. shocked I tell you.

AK--I don't know any Violets. I know one little girl (she must be about 10 now) whose middle name is Viola. Her first name is totally cool--Echo.

Guest -- I thought of Matilda, another fave of mine, just after I finished saying I don't care for names that end in A. Obviously that's not entirely true! I'm glad to see Mia suggested it.

AK -- I only know one girl (she would be 3.5 yrs old now) named Violet. You seem to have so many great reasons for choosing it, which IMO outweigh the popularity-factor many times over.

Jennifer -- A former co-worker of mine had a father named Dan. Her elder sister was named Danielle, she had the mn Danette, and her younger sister also had a Dan-based mn (can't remember it for the life of me now!).

I agree with you, it's crazy.

Hi Guest
I have a weird thought when I hear the name Harriet. Did anyone ever see the movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer" with Mike Myers? He is a beat poet and falls in love with a Harriet, whom he later believes is trying to kill him. His last poem in the movie goes like this:

Harriet, Har-ee-et
You acted so cuckoo
You thought I would leave you
Little Bird
Caw caw...

It's really bizarre...I haven't seen that movie in probably eight years, but as soon as I saw Harriet, that just popped into my head.

Also, I don't know if this would matter to you, but in my area (around Washington, DC) Dianas are mostly born to hispanic parents. In fact, I know three little (6 and under) Dianas, all of whom are hispanic. Although one is called Dianita (her mom is also a Diana).

I'm not a professor yet, but I am a doctoral student in English. I'm also an aspiring novelist-- seems like those are two definitive indicators of Name Enthusiasm.

nyz, my associations with Ivy are uniformly pleasant. I picture a spunky, imaginative, bold little girl who wears a frilly dress and maryjanes while climbing trees.

I adore the name Georgiana and have considered it for my own hypothetical future children. It makes me think of Regency England and my late grandfather George. But it's not spare.

Shirley Anne can only be Anne Shirley to me, as those books were my bible when I was a little girl. But it's a fantastic association and model for a young girl to have.

And a question-- a lot of posters on this site recommend and love the name Edward (as do I-- a family name and the Edward Rochester/Jane Austen connection). It's still sounds a little antiquated and unusual, something people on this board like. (it also shows only a falling trajectory from the teens and twenties on Name Voyager) But with the success of the Twilight books do you think we'll be seeing a surge in little Edwards, Neds, Teds, and Eddies? Maybe in ten or fifteen years, when the junior high and high school girls who make up the core audience of those books starts having children?

And that's another question for Laura-- what's the time frame on these sorts of cultural influences? I'd expect that the numbers of little Harrys rose after/during the Harry Potter phenomenon. But should we expect another spike when all the kids who grew up on Harry Potter start having children? Or will Harry seem dated to them?

Sorry, I didn't realize there was a second page when I posted the above.

Guest, I love the name Harriet, and I think the nn Hetty is quite cute (and MUCH better than Harry for a girl). I'm not too partial to Maia, but that's just my personal taste.

I like the name Henrietta quite a bit as well, which can also take the nn Hetty.

And if you want strong but undeniably feminine names, what about Margaret or Eleanor/Elinor? (Margaret Elinor? Eleanor Margaret?) There are scads of strong, famous women with those names. In fact, I recall a conversation with my closest friend (Theresa) back when we were in high school about the name Margaret, during which she said she either thought or had read somewhere that it was the name for a disproportionately large number of strong, intelligent woman. Ever since then, it's appealed to me.

Wow-whoever said 20 minutes to catch up is a FAST reader or else I'm really SLOW. Took me a hour! Anyway, here's thoughts on new topics:
Jennifer-Yea nymbler needs and overhaul bigtime! I went on there for you and put in your other childrens names. It gave me ideas of Spencer, Gideon, Quentin, Preston, Jacob, Jared, Isaac/Isaiah, Russell, Phillip, and NOlan amongst others. None of which I am in favor of. It seems like with your other kids you have a 3-2-1 pattern(FN-MN-LN) you might want to go to babynameworld.com and try restricting to 3 syllables and see what pops up.(I just haven't gotten there yet)LOL!

hyz-Don't worry about the SS initials. I had em and it was OK. But tell me-am I confused or aren't you the one with Min-Ah XX? Min-ah Hyacinth does not work for me but Min-ah Ivy works quite nicely.

Whomever was asking about Tocoa-i think of Toccoa Falls in Georgia. I'm not sure if I would like it for a name, it seems a bit "too out there."
Betsy btw, is a character in Curious George also its not really my style.

As far as intersts go, I am all words and language and not at all History. Love genealogy though so have had to learn history while combing through names for ancestors-and the RESEARCH love that!

Phillippa Tate is okay. Don't care much for Rue. Would suggest Rae, May, Jean/ne, Jill.

Evie-if your LN is something like REED then I don't think Alexander REED sounds bad at all. I LOVE Victoria REED it has nice rhythm.

Guest-Hmm. Amber Rose=too common/trendy, Julianne Lynn= too many L's, Jessica Marie=LOVE, Gennievive Catherine=too long and wierd sp of FN, Vanessa Anne=nms, Amy Caroline=okay bit boring. Other ideas are:
Valerie Simone; Chloe Elyse; Diana Paige; Lydia Claire; Charlotte Elizabeth
and btw doesn't Diana=moon goddess??

AK-how about Amethyst?!?

Ok, think that's about it! Sorry for length!

Guest, I agree with the others on Harriet. On one hand, I really like the name--it sounds strong and classic to me, and my first association is with Harriet the Spy, which was one of my favorite characters as a kid. On the other hand, I might be put off by the "hairy" sound.

AK--I think some of the impression of Violet as trendy comes from Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner recently naming their daughter that. And I seem to recall that she might not be the only celebrity baby Violet, but I'm not sure about that. But to answer your question, I've only known one Violet (about 6 years old now, a little chum of my friend's daughter, Rose--it was always cute when those two little flowers would get together to play). I think it's a great name, one we considered ourselves, and your associations with it make it sound especially great for you. It would've been higher on our list, but DH objected to it because it sounds too much like "violent" to him.

Molly h, Leslie, and Coll--thanks for the great Ivy & Hyacinth feedback! I so appreciate everyone's comments--I find it extremely helpful.

Zoerhenne- I'm a total genealogy freak too. I've just spent far too long this morning on line doing research and find it spellbinding. I seem to remember having a discussion here a while back and know we're not alone on this board!

Zoerhenne--

Thanks for the suggestion! And I do love amethysts. But more for the color of the stone and less for the sound of the name. :)

Zoerhenne--Yep, that's me! Thanks for the thought. I'm somewhat concerned with how the FN and MN sound together (DH *finally* started warming to Willa, but I ditched it for this baby after the FN was set because I thought Min-ah Willa sounded silly)--but since we expect her to mostly go by MN LN, I was more concerned with the sound of that combo. I like Min-ah Ivy because it sounds to me a lot like an antique double name (Minna Ivy) and I think it's rather cute, but I thought Min-ah Hyacinth Soh flowed pretty well too. Then again, I am a bit partial to the longer names, so that might affect my impression.

Can't remember who's having a Phillippa, but I love Phillippa Tate. Phillippa June or May would also be adorable.

Guest - I've come up with a couple FN MN combos out of the names you've liked so far that I think are nice:

Maia Genevieve
Mary Sylvia
Gaia Rhiannon
Harriet Rose - Etta could be an adorable nn
and I still really like Genevieve Catherine.

And from names that are sort of take offs on the names you've liked, Juno Mariana is really sweet. Juno could also work well in the MN spot with a longer first name, like Vanessa Juno.

Zoerhenne the weird spelling on Genevieve was just me accidentally misspelling it. Why is it "too long"?

I'm sorry you don't like Amber Rose - and why is Amy Caroline "boring"?

Mia and Coll and others:

what about
Mary Margaret?
Harriet Rose?
Maia Louise?
Charlotte Kimberly?

Guest-I guess I just don't really care for some names. No "GOOD" reason. Some of my nms ones are: Penelope, Persephone, Cornelia, and Genevive. I also probably have a thing against the "v" sound because I don't care for Vicki or Vivian either although if I used Tori the whole name of Victoria is lovely.

Amber Rose and Amy Caroline are lovely names but they just seem a little predictable. As does your new suggestion of Mary Margaret. Keep in mind these are just my opinions and everyone is entitled to different ones. I do quite like Charlotte Kimberly.

Did you care for any of my other suggestions? Are you going for something classic like Mary or Southern like Charlotte or simple, different, certain syllables or sounds, etc.? I love playing the "name my baby for me" game? Give some guidelines and I will help some more.