My husband and I are expecting baby number one on 1/23/2011. We have a name that we love for a boy, Noah Daniel. We can't seem to settle on a girl name. There are three that we really love, so possibly some combination of the following would be good, but we just can't decide. Here are the names we do like: Skylar, Annaleigh, and Emilia. Your thoughts?
The first baby's name sets the tone for future baby names. It also eliminates certain names from future consideration (e.g., if you name a baby Anna, you're ruling out Hannah, Annabel, Liana, etc.). This makes the decision more difficult, but can also help you narrow your choices: imagine all your potential future children as a group, and think about what sorts of names you'd like them to have. If you use the name Noah, and then later on you have a daughter, will you want to use the name Skylar, or does that not seem quite right with Noah? Do "Annaleigh and Noah" sound like Your Children? "Emilia and Noah"? "Annaleigh and Skylar"? If not, which of the two names is the one that you'd eliminate? That sort of game can help you figure out which of your name candidates is most Your Style.
We've talked before about how names like Annaleigh make me nervous. (Your spelling is fine, but I've now considered the issue afresh for so many submitted questions, I don't think I'll ever see the name without thinking of it!) I'll suggest to you the same name I've suggested before to avoid the situation entirely: Avaleigh.
