I have been following your blog ever since I found out I was pregnant back in July. I am due Feb. 10th with my first child and it's a girl. My husband and I seem to have completely opposite tastes in girl names. I have been to a ton of baby name websites and have purchased 5 different baby name books in search of a name that fits for us. I am willing to compromise a little with him but the problem is that it has been like pulling teeth to get him to come up with any names he likes. However, most of the names I throw out, he has almost immediately rejected. I am hoping you and your readers can come up with some other name options for us!
Here is a little background information. We both had common names growing up and are looking for something a little more unique. I am against any top 10 name. My name (Tiffany) seems to be one of those classified as an 80s name that went out of style pretty quickly so I am trying to avoid current names that will have a similar fate. Our surname is very Italian, Barone. My favorite names have been generally been of Italian/Latin origin; very feminine and flowy. The few names he has come up with have been more American and less girly. If we were having a Boy we seemed to agree that it would/will be Roman Joseph Barone (middle name in his honor), so we want something that will sound ok with Roman. The other boy name we both like: Dominic.
Names on my list:
Luciana (This is the only name we can semi-agree on, both not sold. I am scared that there will be too many Lucys and that it will be almost impossible to avoid as a nn)
Madalena (not thrilled about the nickname Maddie)
Livia (nickname Livie, but husband says no because he thinks it's looks like we forgot the O)
Sofia (too popular)
Gianna (We both like, but I don't like the nn Gia)
Lydia (I love but I don't know if it will become too popular, he seems ok with)
Names that I like but husband vetoed: Serena, Noelle, Gemma, Liviana
My Husbands list:
Juniper (his number one choice, when we have thrown it around to friends and family they have been very against this name. I'm not sure if it is too out there for us and I hate the nn June and I also think it would not match any future sibling names including Roman)
Audrey (just ok to me)
Avery ( I dislike)
Clara ( I am ok with but a little old sounding/too popular)
Meryl (I vetoed)
She-Ra ( He better have been joking!!)
Names that are out because of close friends/relatives' baby names:
Chloe, Sophia, Addison, Cecily, Holiday, Charlotte, Ella, Madalyn, Makayla, Hailey, Alaya, Hope, Leah, Zoe, Isabella, Tabitha
Additional info: We aren't too concerned about middle names. We aren't big on traditions/naming after people. We don't want a B name.
We are excited for any input/help! Thank you!
Oh, man. This sounds like Paul. I had to say to him things like, "I'm about to suggest a girl name I really like, and I want you to NOT react immediately: just THINK about it for awhile first." I had...moderate success with that.
If you have The Baby Name Wizard, I suggest you and your husband individually go through the categories in the back and find the categories you each like most. Then, each of you go through the other one's sections and see if you find anything you like.
You could also take each name from his list and see if there's a fancier version. Like Clara: would he go for Clarissa? would you? Or Claudia? Or Cleo? Or Celeste? I realize we're getting farther from Clara with every step, but this can be a good way to brainstorm names. Meryl might lead you to Marissa or Minerva.
If you like Livia but he objects to it as a headless Olivia, it's really too bad he rejects Liviana. I think that extra syllable distances it from Olivia, and you'd still have the nickname Livvie.
If he likes Juniper and you like Madalena, I wonder if you'd both like Magnolia?
Madalena with no Maddy: Marilena.
Gianna with no Gia: Gigi. I don't think I would have gone naturally to Gia, though, anyway. Are you thinking of using the more Italian pronunciation of something like JON-nah, or the more U.S. pronunciation gee-AH-nah? Gianna is rising pretty rapidly, though, if you're trying to avoid common names. I wonder if you'd like Imogen?
I know of a baby girl named Silvia, nickname Silvie, and it's a surprisingly fresh and adorable name. I think removing that Y is what transforms it from Old Broad to Little Sweetie, and emphasizes the pretty silver/silvery sound of it.
Lorelei, maybe?
I mentioned Minerva in passing, above, but I really like that one. Minerva Barone, with the nickname Minnie if you want it. I have three associations with that name. One I have only from commenters on this blog, who have told me that Minerva is the name of a birth control pill. I worked in a PHARMACY and still didn't make that association with the name---and children certainly wouldn't know about it. The second association is stronger: Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter books. She is an excellent association for me: strong and smart and good. The final association I have is with the Roman goddess of wisdom---and since she's associated with the owl, I sense a CUTE NURSERY THEME. (For a second I thought, "Oh no! Roman goddess and they like the name Roman! Conflict!" Hee! I think I need one more cup of coffee. Or possibly one fewer cups.)
Name update! Tiffany writes:
Hello again! I wanted to update everyone that our little girl was born this month and we luckily finally agreed on a name! Right when we saw her we knew she was a Luciana. The full name we went with was Luciana Juniper Barone. Since the first name was my original suggestion, DH got to pick his favorite name for her middle name. Her nickname will be Lucy and DH will call her Junebug. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Your blog and followers are great!
