Surname trouble, names in general, meanings

[rachie-01.livejournal.com]

I just want your opinions/suggestions on a few things please. As a little bit of background my long term boyfriend's and (most likely, I hope) eventual husband's surname is Rebelo. The trouble is I find names I like don't really go that well. Also, we don't agree well on girl names. I just don't really seem to like them very much.

So first question, have you ever dismissed a name you liked because of the surname it was going to be paired with? I'll tell you next some of the names I like, but I'm wondering if I should find ones that flow better with Rebelo or just go with what I like. What did you do/what would you do?

Second, we can both agree that we like Oliver and Rory for boy names. I remember posting about this a long time ago and I think some people may have thought Rory Rebelo was bit of a tongue twister. He apparently also likes Dustin (which I don't). I like names like Thomas, Milo, William, Matthew and Felix. He says Milo and Thomas are "ok" but that "Felix" is a cat, hah. Milo Rebelo? Too much "o"?

Now for girls names we can hardly agree on one at all. I like Lily, it's my Nan's nickname and I'd like to remember/honour her by giving our future child that name since I love her so much. I think he likes it too, but other than that there is nothing. I quite like girls names that begin with N, like Norah, Nola/Nula/Nulua, Nella... but I'm not sure those really go well with Rebelo, plus I don't think he likes those. I do quite like Jessica and Amelia but I don't know if I like them enough to name someone it. He likes Olivia which I do too, Chelsea (which I don't) and Mallory (which I am beginning to like).

So, second question, do you have any suggestions for names we might like?

Last question, are you put off by meanings of names? I looked up Mallory and it means unlucky. It makes me want to use that name less even though I know the meaning doesn't mean much at all as far as "well, she'll be unlucky for life!" goes.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

I actually know a little girl with that last name! Her first name is Clara and I think it sounds wonderful.

[rachie-01.livejournal.com]

I think we're just notoriously hard to please when it comes to girl names, but I don't really like that name and nor does he. It's not like we hate it or think it's terrible, we just wouldn't want to use it. Welcome to our problem on every single girl name one of us brings up, haha.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

My last name is Greybiehl...finding names that flow with that is pretty impossible, so I ignored our last name when choosing my kid's names:)

I think Rory Rebelo sounds pretty good, actually, better than Milo Rebelo, cause, yea, it's too much O, too rhymey.

Norah Rebelo is nice, The ones with Ls in the middle don't sound as well, I also like Lily, actually, all the girl names you listed, a lot like my own. I have an Amelia so I'm quite fond of that name;)

For the most part, I don't pick names based on meanings, although, sometimes when I see meanings like "mistake"...I wouldn't use a name with a hugely negative name, it just seems....rude

[rachie-01.livejournal.com]

Trying to find a name that flows but isn't too rhymey is sort of hard. I'm not even sure I want it to flow exactly, I just don't want it to sound too random? I just don't know, haha. I think it might be best just to ignore it too.

I'm glad you like Rory, Lily and Norah. Maybe I'll save Milo and Nola for pet names in the future, haha. Thanks for your opinion!

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

LOL, I named my kitty Dexter for that very reason:)

[octobre09.livejournal.com]

1)My opinion is this: If both of you really like a name (and believe me I know how rare that can be), then screw how it sounds with the last name. Unless the sound or initials are extremely unfortunate.

2)I think Lily and Oliver are my favorites of all the names you mentioned, but they are truly all good names.

3)I am actually in the same boat as you. I would love to honor my late grandfather (Claude) by naming our next child Claudia or Claudie. But the only definition I come with is lame. Literally. Apparently Claude/Claudia/Claudie means Lame. I still think the name is pretty though...FWIW I know a Mallory and she is a beautiful person that is everything but unlucky.;)

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

definitely put off by meaning of names- I had the same reaction to Mallory- when I was pregnant I remember thinking it was a nice name until I saw the meaning...then, no way
also, I remember Molly meaning "bitter" didn't care for that either
there are still lots of names that can go well with that last name
just nothing that ends in "o" and I'd stay away from names beginning with "R"

[jexia]

have you ever dismissed a name you liked because of the surname it was going to be paired with?

Well, I always had a secret soft spot for Taylor, but then I married someone who had a hyphenated surname with Taylor in it... so...

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

Have you ever dismissed a name you liked because of the surname it was going to be paired with?

Yes I have, actually. My husband loves Victor. I don't mind the name, but our last name is Morovic and Victor Morovic is too -vic -vic for me. I also won't use a name that begins with M.

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

Oh, and I like Oliver and Rory (although I feel like Rory feels more nn to me than full name). Milo Rebelo actually doesn't sound too bad but I would personally use Miles Rebelo and use Milo as a nn.

I nymblered some name possibilities:

Emmeline/Emma/Emily
Lila
Violet
Claire
Caroline
Lydia
Scarlett
Ivy
Magnolia (nn Nola)
Eleanor (nn Nora)
Evelyn
Audrey

Finley
Julian
Isaac
Nathaniel
Quinn
Simon
Dominic
Oren
Maxwell
Jasper
Levi
Owen

[http://users.livejournal.com/-----citylight/]

I work in a daycare and we use the children's last names quite a bit when we're talking with them - Ava Old, Mr Macken, Wilco (short for William Collins) etc. So yeah, I do think that it's important for the first name to roll well with the last.

A name that end's with a "ie" or a "y" sound I think would sound nice with your last name. The more formalized version of some of these names would probably be ok too, as a lot these I would mostly use as a nick name - eg, Charlotte, Matilda, William, Leonard etc.

G: Posey, Poppy, Mollie, Millie, Nellie, Sadie, Billie, Daisy, Maggie, Lottie, Elsie, Lily, Ivy, Maisy,

B: Louie, Billy, Lennie, Iggy, Jamie, Teddy, Finley, Ari, Harry, Henry, Zachary

Good luck =]

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

Wilco (short for William Collins)

I love nicknames like that. Although I tend to use them more for celebs and much less people I know in real life.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

The last name makes me think of Mike Rabelo (a baseball player). I just had to comment that.

I haven't had to worry about surnames yet, however, I don't think it would play too much of a role in my consideration for a name. I feel like in the naming process, we tend to think too much about names. When I've met people and heard their name, I was like, oh okay that's your name, and never thought twice about it. Heck, just to use a celebrity as an example, I never thought anything about Conway Twitty's name until I learned it was a stage name, and both names are actually cities. My mom has a friend named Alma, and I live in a state with a city named Alma, and it took me a long time to realize they were one in the same. Which is my long winded way of saying, I don't see myself putting the surname into consideration very much; however, I could see wanting to avoid names that were too tongue-twisting.

As far as meanings, I think that unless someone gets really into buying things with the meaning of their name, people don't even know what their's means. If that makes sense?

[box-of-rocks.livejournal.com]

I do kind of feel like Rory Rebelo is a bit of a tongue twister, but I think that of the name Rory in general - it just makes it feel like my mouth is full, oddly. Same with Aurora, especially if that's combined with another R name (like Aurora Rose) - it makes my tongue feel like it's tripping on itself.

[mandab123.livejournal.com]

We've had the surname issue too. Our last name is "Long" so even though I love the name Miles (Miles Long:( ) it had to be ruled out. We also liked the name Vaughn but Vaughn Long just sounds silly.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I think it is pretty common to discard names based on how they sound with your last name...
For us, we love love love the name Noam, and everyone except Noam Chomsky pronounces it No-ahm, (he says "gnome", maybe because he enjoys being special?) and our last name ends with the same "ahm" sound. So it's out, even though we both love it. Again, I think everybody does this to some degree!


I agree that Milo Rebelo is too much O. I think Norah is lovely, as is Lily, but Rory is a tongue twister with Rebelo. Maybe Imogen, Isla, Maeve, or Thea are your style?

[ounceofpeace.livejournal.com]

Definitely. My future hubby's last name is difficult to pronounce and ends with an "N" sound. Goodbye, Corinne, Benjamin, and a million other names I love :(

[danne-gerous.livejournal.com]

Before I changed my name, it was Malory. I always liked the meaning... it was like a built-in joke. If I tripped or dropped something, I would always crack my friends up by yelling "CURSE YOU, MOTHER!"

It's not all bad.