comments and suggestions?

[girlsteve.livejournal.com]

I'm just looking for some general suggestions for my list of names. I have a list of names I really like, but it occurs to me that I wouldn't actually use a lot of them. Some I don't like the connotactions, some of them are foriegn names that might just be too difficult for a kid who is probably going to be brought up in the UK, and some of them just lend themselves too well to teasing.

So, a little bit of information:

I tend to like more unusual names, but not necessarily because they're unusual - I'd ideally like my kid not to be one of 8 in thier class, but I'll consider nice names even if they're a bit more common.

Other than having a McKenzie as a guilty pleasure [I'd never use it, but my little cousin is called that and is the most adorable child in the history of the universe] I never like 'trendy' names.

I have a bit of Spanish heritage and my fathers family was Irish, so I tend to like names from those back grounds.

I don't mind unisex names, but having grown up as a girl named Steve I'm not going to use an obviously male name on a girl or vice versa.

Also, not a big fan of word names and virtue names.

Some names I like [I can only really see myself using the bolded names]:

Raphael
Evangeline
Evelyn
Sophia
Frasier
Christian
Rosalie
Aoefie [prn E-pha with a soft F sound]
Fiona
Blake [only as a middle]
William
Vivienne


Clearly I find girls names easier!

Oh, and I'm almost settled on using Shay/Shae as a middle name for my first child, boy or gir. Reason being, my little brother, who is also my best friend and the biggest influence in my life is called Che [pronounced the same way] and I'd really like to name a child after him in some way. I'd choose an alternative spelling because a) I'm not a fan of the politics involved in my brothers name and b) Che isn't actually a legitimate name - he's named after Che Guavara, but that was a nickname. Shay or Shae are both legitimate Irish names meaning Fortress [very my brother!] and c) I'm not going to lumber my kid with a name with that's needlessly pronounced so differently to how it's spelled.

Comments

[sittingsage.livejournal.com]

I really like Shay/Shae. William is still popular and I think Rosalie will be rising up the charts because of both the Twilight series and that its a flower name. I love Aoefie but i think there would be some prn problems

I like Evelyn, Fiona, and Sophia. What about Sylvia, Alice, Helen/e/a, Nadia, Rhiannon, or Maeve

Boys are harder for me too. hmm...Donovan, Connor, Vaughn, Oliver, Leland

[sxylilwitch.livejournal.com]

What about Shane as a first name instead of Shay/Shae as a middle for a boy? I know a boy named Chene (prn the same as Shane), but I like the spelling Shane better :) Shane William sounds really good together!

I love the name Fiona. I used to think I'd never use it because of the Shrek character. But I used to watch a little girl who was named Fiona, now I only think of her when I hear the name!

I also like the name Rory. I'm planning on possibly using it if my second child is a girl, but it's unisex. And I love the suggestions from sittingsage, especially Maeve and Donovan :D

[chocklit-frog.livejournal.com]

I love the name Frasier! For a boy, but also, weirdly enough I like it in a guilty-pleasure sort of way for a girl, but ONLY as a middle name because I'm not that mean, lol.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_x_blackroses_x/]

Ooh, I adore Vivienne, but you've got a good list there...not a one I dislike! For boys I really like Frasier and Raphael.
Your taste is actually rather similar to mine.

Anyway, I approve very much of the comments already made. Donovan and Maeve are particularly good names. But from what you're considering I think Evelyn Shay sounds great, and Evangeline, Sophia, Christian, Rosalie, Fiona, William & Vivienne also go well with it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_x_blackroses_x/]

Hmm...another name that I like just popped into my head...which might be another suggestion for you: Anais?

[tunknut.livejournal.com]

Honestly I think any of your names would work fine on a kid, i.e. not give him/her problems (with the exception of Aoefie - the misspellings/mispronunciations would get annoying).

Suggestions:
Anne/Annie
Aurelie
Calista
Calliope
Helen
Isabelle
Josephine
Madeleine
Natasha
Phoebe

Brady
Connor
Grayson
Kieran
Miles
Nolan
Owen
Phillip
Rowan
Tristan

[euphrosyna]

I'm not sure if you've done it purposely or not, but it's usually spelled Aoife. Aoife makes sense with Irish phonics, Aoefie doesn't spell anything, it's unpronounceable.

I like Shay. I've seen it spelled like that as an Anglicisation, but again, it'd be Shéa as opposed to Shae in Ireland. Shae would be said Sha in Irish.

But as you're not Irish it mightn't matter to you, but just thought I'd say.

[girlsteve.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that was a monster typing error with Aoife - not quite sure how I did that, looking at it.

My dad always told me it was Shae in Ireland - I think i actually prefer Shéa. Just depends on whether everyone here in england would assume it was pronounced she - a.