So indecisive!

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

What do you guys think of the name Clementine? 

I was in love with it for a while before finding out about my pregnancy and still am (currently 19W3D). I think it's so pretty and old fashioned, which I like.
My boyfriend loves it, as well. At first we were almost sure that's what we'd call baby if she's a girl and now I'm not sure even though it feels "right."

Our original name choice was Clementine Ever and that turned into a small list of other names after having stupidly announced the idea of Clementine to my side of the family and so far, they've all hated it. They think its horrid and my grandmother even went as far as to come up with "nicknames" (like Tina) for her so she doesn't have to call her Clementine. It doesn't help that most of my older family members are spanish speakers only and in spanish, Clementine is said "Clementina", which I really do not like one bit.

As far as middle names go (we're still searching):
Ever
Sky
and most recently I've considered Snow.

I got really into the idea of wanting the middle name (boy or girl) to relate to nature in some way and/or be a little more out there.

As far as baby boy's name goes, I think we've settled with Eli Night, though we're still debating the middle name.

We want something that's not necessarily NOT heard of but def. uncommon/not heard of often. I need some open-mindedness!

Comments

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I don't like Clementine. I think it would make an okay middle name. I think of My Darling Clementine, the fruit, and people calling the child Clem/Clemmy (which sounds gross).

[contagia.livejournal.com]

I love the name, but I also think of the nickname Clem which doesn't do the name justice at all.


And I actually like Clementine Ever above the other name options you listed. (Clementine Sky being second but think it's a little too rhymey.)


I know how you feel about the family putting down your name choice. We were going to be hush hush about it until we told my MIL somewhat accidentally and she was HORRIBLE about it. It made me totally rethink our decision after I really felt right about it. So whatever we decide we are keeping it a SECRET. people are much more inclined to shoot their opinions off before the baby is here, not so much after ;)

[lovetokate.livejournal.com]

This pretty much exactly.

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

I adore clementine. and when my family did the same thing I made it very clear that they were to call my kid by the name I picked, regardless of how they felt about it

[snowowl.livejournal.com]

I love Clementine. It's sweet but sassy. How about Clementine Winter? Or Clementine Lilly?

May I ask why it has to have the a at the end in Spanish? I mean, there are lots of names that don't cross language boundaries...couldn't you just tell them that you named your daughter the English version of the name and ask them to say it that way? I mean, what if you named your daughter something like Hope -- would your relatives refuse to say anything other than Esperanza instead of Hope?

[iftherainstops.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[snowowl.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think it's important to remember that although they dislike the name now, if you insist they call her by it then they'll begin to associate the beautiful baby with the name, and it won't be long before they forget that they didn't like it because they love your daughter so much.

[contagia.livejournal.com]

Ohhh I like Clementine Lilly!

[unaccepatable.livejournal.com]

I like Clementine, and for some reason the middle name that popped into my head for it was Delilah
Clementine Delilah
pretty, but kind of a mouthful, though lol

[jeweledvixen.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. Except I do like the name Clementine, but wouldn't use it for the reasons mentioned above.

[jeweledvixen.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't use Clementine and I ~really~ wouldn't use Ever, Sky or Snow as middle names (or first names). I think there are actual names that can be used that are different/unusual, but not quite that "out there." I'm not a fan of choosing a random word and using it as a name.

I love Eli. Night is not a name and I would reiterate my comment above about finding a real name that's different/uncommon.

[unaccepatable.livejournal.com]

Also, Eli Night just makes me think of the Holocaust
(Eli Wiesel wrote Night)

[regn-espere.livejournal.com]

I don't have much to say about Clementine, I'm kind of neutral about it.

But, I must full heartily and politely disagree with jeweledvixen :) I LOVE nature names and I love Ever, Sky, and Night. Maybe Rain might be another option (a name I am considering as a first name for my potential future daughter.)

Definitely go with a nature names, because nature names are AWESOME!! =D

[frost.livejournal.com]

This.

[beepandetch.livejournal.com]

I was just going to post this. Great book, not-so-great topic.

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

I agree about the nicknames. I seriously dislike the nickname Clemmy. Makes me think of Clammy... but either way, thanks for the input. :)

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind keeping the name from them at all after that. Most of my family don't even know about Eli. It's just the fact that I'm a little excited to be able to call the baby by his/her name once we find out. Hahahaha. We've been calling him/her Goob since we found out.

THank you!

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

I like Winter as a middle. :)

It doesn't have to have an a... but my mother did mention it and told them all... "Clementine is Clementina in spanish", which then prompted me to look it up. I actually did tell my grandmother about how her name is meant to be said in english and made a similar comparison. She's just really stubborn and at this point, I think any name we choose, she'll find someway to turn down if its not something as common as "Natalie" or "Jessica."

They did the same with Olive, "Oliva." =/

Thank you for the ideas and feedback!

[museofmyself.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Clementine, Ever, and Snow for girls. Sky(e) is nice but rather unisex. Personally, I think it's great that you're wanting to go with something unusual. All names were considered unusual at one point or another. And your family will come around no matter what name you choose. They won't have a choice! Good luck to you! :)

P.S. I also love Night as a middle name for Eli.

[bandnerd88.livejournal.com]

I loooooooooove Clementine. My high school band director has a daughter named Clementine - she's four now. It seems like kind of a big name, but it translates well to a real person.

I think Clementine Snow would be totally awesome. I'm a big anything-goes-as-a-middle-name person, and I'm particularly fond of Snow as a mn. So I'm rooting for that. :D

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I was going to post about this as well.

Also, to the OP, I like the suggested Clementine Winter, although I don't personally care for Clementine all that much.

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

I think that if you dislike the nicknames for Clementine that much, you're better off not using the name. There's really very little you can do once your kid reaches a certain age — or even before — to stop people using nicknames (especially with something slightly longer and more unusual, as this name).

I think Sky, Snow, etc. are perfectly acceptable names. I don't get why some nouns (Rose, Faith) should be deemed "real" enough names and others arbitrarily not. But then I also didn't have a problem with Apple (just a less commonly used fruit/floral name than Clementine, Violet, whatever), and some people absolutely hated that.

[arrien.livejournal.com]

I immediately think "oh my darlin, oh my darlin oh my daaaaaarlin clemintine, you are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry clemintine"

which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's an old classic, but be prepared for her to hear that day in and day out for her entire life because I suspect people will be singing it right to her face.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Clementine is one of my least favourite names ever, but I really like Ever and Clementine Ever isn't bad.

[thellamaqueen.livejournal.com]

I was going to make the same comment about Eli Wiesel. Wonderful book, but not something I would want my child's name to be associated with.

[tortallian.livejournal.com]

Or phlegmy, which is also not nice.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking the same thing and wondering if it was too obscure an association.

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

Oh boy, now I'm really seconding guessing this. hahaha. I had no idea, to be honest.

[coffeecup37.livejournal.com]

I love Clementine. If you love it, go with it. And tell people nicknames you don't like aren't allowed. :p I also like Ever as a middle name. I'm not personally fond of nature names, but of those you listed, I prefer Sky. I like someone else's suggestion about Winter or Lily as a middle, too.

Clementine Stella popped into my head when I read you like nature-related middle names. Stella means star, which I think it pretty neat.

The nicknames I prefer for Clementine would be Mina or Clem (I really don't like Tina). I know people mention the whole phlem/clammy thing with Clem, but I don't associate it with those things, so yeah. :p

I like Eli Night. :)

Good luck with naming your little one and I wish you a fabulous pregnancy, birth, etc!

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

If memory serves, Clementine means mercy or merciful. Mercy could always me a nn. She could also go by Em, Eme, or even Emma if she wanted to. I'm a big meaning geek so personally I'd flip it to Ever Clementine (ever merciful).

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

Funny you mention Stella cause that's one name I thought of at the very beginning but got tossed to the back of my mind. And we also looked up "space" names after remembering a movie with a girl named "Nebula" in it, though the word is pretty, I don't particularly like it as a name.

ANNNDNDD thank you so much!!

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

That's clever. Hahah. I believe it does mean that, indeed. I like to look up the meanings too. :)

Thank youuuu for the suggestions.

[greyhowl.livejournal.com]

Clementine is one of my favourite names! It was on my girl list until my husband decided he couldn't stand it. I planned on "Cate" for a nn, "Em" is cute too!

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, my brain immediately gets stuck on "Oh my daaaarlin' Clementine"!

[cloudydaise.livejournal.com]

I love Clementine, I think it's beautiful. I associate it with Kate Winslet's character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is one of my favorite movies of all time.

[dearmonsters.livejournal.com]

I think it is too. :) And I'm actually surprised you're the first one to mention the movie because I associate it with her character too, and I absolutely love her character in the movie (extraordinary, beautiful, beautifully crazy, haha), not to mention the movie itself.

Thank you!