I'm having a lot of difficulty coming up with a girl's name for this baby. I think we are set on a boy's name. Here's some back round information:
We have two kids, Ivan Bradley and Gwendolyn Ruth. Gwendolyn goes alternately by Gwen or Gwendolyn. I'm pretty sure that if this baby is a boy we will name him
Nathaniel Jeffrey. I feel like Ivan, Gwen & Nate sound good together.
My husband is sick of me changing my mind and really doesn't want to think about names until the last minute. I dread going to the hospital without a solid choice for either sex. We've talked about the name Veronica for a girl but it's such a strong name and I think people either love it or hate it. I've even read on some boards that people automatically assume someone with this name is stuck up or a total b*tch. I'd hate for people to have that snap judgment of my daughter!
Here are some parameters for names. I like names that are clearly male or female. I'm not a fan of anything with questionable spelling and/or of the Greyson, Braiden, Makayla, etc. style. I'd like a girl name that is similar to Gwendolyn. Feminine not trendy and has room to be played with nickname wise. I'd really like to avoid anything that is incredible popular right now. Ivan and Gwen are names that, in my opinion, are different enough without seeming pretentious or trendy. I realize Nathaniel is more popular than my kid's names but I feel it's a solid choice. Jeffrey is my father's name.
Anyway, I'm due 4.25.11 and I don't know what I'm having. But I guess I need more help with a girl name. Thank you very much!
I think Veronica is great, and I think every name will have its own set of people who will say unpleasant things about the name as if their own personal dislike of it means the name itself is objectively bad. "Reminds me of a stripper," they'll say, and add "Sorry!" as if they feel bad that their individual association obviously rules out the name permanently for everyone. (Perhaps it is obvious I feel a little PRICKLY on this topic. Veronica = "stuck up b*tch," MY FOOT.)
Another possibility is Victoria, though I don't think it goes as well with Gwendolyn. Maybe Cordelia, or Isadora if you don't mind repeating an initial.
I wonder if you'd like Francesca? I think it goes well with Gwendolyn: similarly feminine and unusual, and with lots of nicknames (Frannie, Frankie, Chessie).
Or Imogen?
Ooo, or Anastasia? Or Willemina/Wilhelmina? Or Philomena? Josephine?
Or Minerva?
Name update! Shannon writes:
It's a Girl! Despite her due date, she finally arrived on the morning of May 1st. Thank you again for including my question on your blog. There were so many beautiful names suggested. My husband loved them too. In the end, I think your post gave me the confidence to go ahead and name my daughter Veronica. Thank you, thank you! So her name is Veronica Jane. Jane is a family name after my Aunt Jane who is a really cool lady in her 90s. True story, while filling out the birth certificate info as I was chatting to my husband, I nearly wrote "Mars" as her middle name. Whew! Glad I caught that one.
