Middle Name and Questioning

[moobiewons.livejournal.com]

I was wondering which one of these names sounded best. I know Kaifu is a bit of a strange middle name but it has a lot of personal significance to us so it's staying.

Lorelei Kaifu Grey
Freya Kaifu Grey
Freja Kaifuh Grey (my husband's half-Danish and prefers this spelling)
Delilah Kaifu Grey
Anastasia Kaifu Grey
Stephanie Kaifu Grey


Also am I the only one who ever starts second guessing name choices even though I was SO CERTAIN I loved all these names? Like:


Lorelei...is it too Gilmore Girls? Too trashy? Too Lorelei Lee/Marilyn Monroe? I don't really like Lora or Lori....
Frey(j)a... is it too hard to really pull off? Are the mythological connotations too strong? Does it sound bad? I really like it but would other people?
Anastasia...I hate Anne and Annie and Stacy, even Anya is sometimes shorted to Ann. And who knows if people WILL call her Ann instead of Anya? In the end I don't have that much control over nicknames right?
Delilah...Too Samson? Too "Hey there Delilah"? Does it not sound as good as I once thought it did?
Stephanie...too 80's? Too common?

It's amazing how something like choosing a name can become so stressful. I have half a mind to just choose Jane Doe Grey instead. (Of course then the Lady Jane Grey connotations pop into my head....) Le sigh.....

Comments

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

I think Lorelai is too obvious as Gilmore Girls, and if you don't like Lori or Lora, I'd reconsider unless you can think of another nickname that would work -- it will probably be shortened. I do love it, though, so if neither of those things bothers you, or if you find another nickname you like for it (hmmm, I can't think of any more . . .), I'd definitely still use it.

Stephanie, too, is definitely way too 80s. It's just very very very dated. I definitely wouldn't use it, because it sounds like your daughter should have been born in 1987.

I love Anastasia and Delilah. I also really like Freya - I'd spell it this way, though, because it's probably easiest for spelling/pronunciation. I don't think the mythological connections are too strong. Hell, I'm Danish and even I had to go look it up before I knew what you were talking about. I mean, really, how many people are really that into Norse Paganism? Especially in Canada (I went and looked at your userinfo).

As for Delilah . . . seriously, unless you're around people who are hardcore into Christianity and know every Bible story, it's probably not going to be a big deal. It's not like Jesus or Adam & Eve or something where people know the story even if they aren't into the religion. And even being raised Christian for 18 years and knowing all of the Bible stories, I still don't always make that association. Also, nobody listens to the Plain White T's. Seriously. No one. So you're fine. Unless you're hanging out with a bunch of hipsters with bad taste in music (no offense if you ARE a hipster with bad taste in music;)) nobody will make that connection and it's a gorgeous name. How do you feel about the nicknames for that one, though? Delia? Lily? Lilah? I'd make sure you liked those before definitely using it, because again, it's a mouthful of a name that will likely be shortened by her classmates/teachers/friends/other family members.

If you dislike the nicknames for Anastasia, I'd suggest either finding one that you DO like, find a middle name that you'd be okay with her going by (Kaifuh probably isn't it, so I don't know how realistic that idea is), or don't use it. Or use it and just be ready to correct people, "We call her Anya, not Stacy." It's a shame not to use it, because it's a gorgeous name. I also love Anya as a nickname.