Give me your opinions!

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

DH and I are having a baby, I'm due Feb. 2nd. YAY! The part that isn't so "yay" is that we're having a HARD time even getting a short list of names. So after each of us hacking the other's list down to ones we only don't hate, I've started again with mine.

Following is any names I might consider, not counting whatever DH has added to his list since our last discussion. I'd love to hear what you guys think. Tell me if you absolutely HATE anything on my list, or if you think it's pretty popular and I've missed that (as we're avoiding super popular).

Something to keep in mind: MN for a girl will be Elaine and for a boy will be Matthew. If the MN doesn't work with the chosen first name we aren't against choosing a second middle name to balance things out.

Girls:
Amelia
Penelope
Josephine
Clara/Claire (can't choose which I like better)
Elodie
Norah
Phoebe
Eloise
Hazel
Olive
Delilah
Ophelia
Lillian
Gwendolyn
Calliope
Cordelia
Genevieve
Adelaide

Boys:
Malcolm
Emmett
Dean
Leon
Lucas
Callum
Owen
Conor
Gabriel
Liam (I know this is popular but we have both agreed on this since high school and I can't let it go)
Logan
Rhys
Mason
James
Theodore
Benjamin
Joshua
Tristan

Comments

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

Overall, I think you have great taste.

I love:
Amelia
Claire
Eloise
Lillian
Gwendolyn
Genevieve
Adelaide
Malcolm
Gabriel
James
Theodore
Benjamin
Joshua

Do you mean Phoebe?

Lillian isn't too popular on its own, but Lily is incredibly popular (if you'd consider that as a nickname) Logan is also pretty popular.

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and thanks for pointing out my Phoebe typo! I've fixed it now :)

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

Amelia and Lillian stand out as being super popular to me. Both are pretty names though (I prefer Lilian).

I lovvvve Josephine and Hazel. I think Hazel Elaine sounds and looks great.

I prefer Clare to Claire/Clara. But Clara Elaine sounds better.

I prefer the spelling of Phoebe. I think Eloise Elaine is too matchy.

I love Olive, Delilah (nn Lilah is so cute), Ophelia, Gwendolyn, Genevieve and Adelaide.

Malcolm is growing on me because I love the nn Mal but I think Malcomn Matthew is too matchy. I like Dean, Owen, Connor, Rhys, LOVE Theodore, and Leon.

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, I really appreciate the input :)

Phoebe had a typo, it's fixed now!

[beepandetch.livejournal.com]

Amelia - I've never like the way this name sounds A-Meal-Ya.
Penelope - Pretty and not too popular. I would note, though that it's hard for other kids to pronounce and she might become Penny because of that.
Josephine - Great name you don't see very often. Jo is a cute nickname.
Clara/Claire (can't choose which I like better)- I like Clara better.
Elodie - Great name I just circled it in my baby name book today actually.
Norah - I've always found this name boring
Phoebie - Phoebe is eh. I think it sounds weird when said out loud. Also reminds me of feeble.
Eloise - Pretty.
Hazel - LOVE IT.
Olive - Nice but getting popular. I consider it trendy now.
Delilah - Just nice.
Ophelia - Can't shake the literary associations with that name.
Lillian - Pretty.
Gwendolyn - Kinda boring
Calliope - Will always be mispronounced.
Cordelia - Okay.
Genevieve - Alright
Adelaide - Not too popular.

Boys:
Malcolm - Good name but Mal is an unfortunate nickname.
Emmett - I've always liked it and considered it but now it's trendy.
Dean - eh
Leon - eh
Lucas - A good name but really popular.
Callum - eh
Owen _ It would be at the top of my list but it's way too popular.
Conor - Only one N? I've always hated this name. I think it's because all the Connors I grew up with were little shits.
Gabriel - It always seemed feminine to me.
Liam - Not bad but I know a lot of Liams.
Logan - eh
Rhys - Good but I prefer Reese.
Mason - I like it and you don't see a lot of Masons.
James - Classic but really nondescript.
Theodore - Good strong name.
Benjamin - Not bad but forgetful.
Joshua - I like Joshua but too popular for my tastes.
Tristan - Hate it.

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your detailed review of my list, much appreciated :)

[so-there.livejournal.com]

Logan, Mason, Tristan I would put on the NO list. because I personally hate them and because of popularity. the girl names, nothing stands out to me as horrible or too popular.

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

[blinding-rays.livejournal.com]

I really like a lot of these! My favorites are Hazel and Calliope for girls and Rhys and James for boys :)

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I have a much easier time with girls names than boys names. I appreciate your feedback!

[satunian.livejournal.com]

Generally, I LOVE your style of girls names as I'm at least ok with some of them, and I like or love the rest. The only one I really HATE is Phoebe. Not super crazy about Elodie, Hazel and Olive; Amelia, Lillian, Gwendolyn are ok. I LOVE Penelope, Josephine, Claire/Clara, Delilah and Cordelia.

For boys I'm very picky usually, but from your list I like Lucas, Owen (though I think Owen is getting fairly popular) Conor, Logan, Mason(probably my favorite) and Theodore. I dislike Malcolm, Emmett and Rhys (I like Reese/Reece better though). Not crazy about Tristan, Gabriel, Callum or Leon. The rest are ok.

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

Girls:
Amelia - I only know one my age, but a lot of little kids with this name. I think it's definitely growing in popularity, but I like it more than the "usual" Amy.

Penelope - I like the nickname Penny, so I like this name.

Josephine - Like it a lot. Sounds very British though.

Clara/Claire (can't choose which I like better) - I like Claire, but Clara Elaine sounds better and both are great names.

Elodie - Not a fan of this, or Melody/Melodie.

Norah - Eh.

Phoebe - Love it in theory, but not sure I'd use it in real life.

Eloise - I just think of the books, and don't really like it.

Hazel - Old lady name.

Olive - Old lady/Trendy name. It's better than Olivia though.

Delilah - I think of the radio show. It's alright I guess.

Ophelia - Don't like this name for the literary reasons and because it sounds like "oh feel ya"

Lillian - Love! But very popular.

Gwendolyn - Personal dislike due to one person.

Calliope - Will always be mispronounced.

Cordelia - Buffy? This is actually a cute name with Elaine.

Genevieve - Dislike a lot.

Adelaide - Reminds me too much of marmalade. And Addy is a popular nickname due to all the Addison's.

Boys:
Malcolm - In the Middle. It's alright

Emmett - Love this name. I fear trendy due to Twilight though.

Dean - Ok

Leon - love this, but not sure how it goes with Matthew

Lucas - Great.

Callum - No

Owen - Love

Conor - HATE THIS NAME. Especially with one N. All the Conor/Connor's I've known have been little snot kids.

Gabriel - Like it.

Liam (I know this is popular but we have both agreed on this since high school and I can't let it go) - great name.

Logan - alright

Rhys - Its some of my family's last name (Reece) so I can't ever think of it as a first name.

Mason - ok

James - great!

Theodore - one of my favorites to use if we have a boy.

Benjamin - ok

Joshua - feels 80's to me.

Tristan - ok

I don't have as much preference for the boys names, lol.

[theljfromheck.livejournal.com]

I love Clara, I have that in my list of names I want to use. Delilah, Calliope, Norah and Adelaide are also very nice names. Out of the boys names James is the one I like the most.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

Girls:
Amelia - My daughter's name!
Penelope - I'd never use it but I think it's really pretty!
Elodie - This reminds me of Odie, from Garfield.
Norah This will probably be on my list for our last baby
Ophelia I really like this name! Despite negative Shakespeare connotations.
Lillian - I really hate this name but probably because of a girl I knew in high school, lol
Gwendolyn - I like Gwen, but, meh.
Calliope/Cordelia - I honestly couldn't see using these names a hundred times a day, ugh.
Genevieve - My baby's middle name!!
Adelaide - I don't know why I like this name, but something about it appeals to me.

I think Amelia Elaine sounds the best. Claire/Clara, Elodie, Eloise, and Adelaide are probably the worst for your MN choice

Boys:
Malcolm - in the middle
Emmett - I think I have a thing for boy E names, but I like this name, it's strong and not over usd.
Dean - James Dean, Jimmie Dean sausage...
Callum - I'm not even sure how to pronounce this, but it looks ugly, it doesn't look like a person's name to me at all
Gabriel
Liam - I know this is a popular name, and I love the actor, but I really can't stand this name for some reason, it bugs me.
Rhys - Another one that just doesn't look like an actual name. It looks like you got cut off spelling a different name or something.
Benjamin - I have a huge soft spot for this name. A little Baby Benny just sounds so darling.
Tristan - My 7 year old son has had several Tristan's in his different classes and they've been both boys and girls which makes figuring out the gender of the kids really hard when it's just written.

Except for Malcom, Matthew could work for any of your boy names. Although Emmett does have a lot of M's in it and kind of twists your mouth up a bit while saying it.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

I really like:

Amelia
Norah
Olive
Cordelia
Adelaide

Dean
Callum
Owen
Conor (but spelled Connor)
James
Theodore

[pleasure-past.livejournal.com]

Girls: I'd go with Josephine, if I were you.

Amelia: I love this name. It was first on my list for a long time. However, it was the 41st most common girls' name in the US last year, and its popularity has been shooting up for years. If you are trying to avoid popular names, I would scratch this one off, unless you don't define anything not in the top-ten as "popular."

Penelope: Definitely not my style, but it's a very pretty name with a number of cute nicknames. I like it! It's also been getting more popular in recent years, but since it's no where near the top 100, I wouldn't worry if I were you.

Josephine: Also not my style, but very nice. It's one of those rare names that sounds beautiful and elegant on a girl if she wants it to, but also comes with a common tom-boy nickname.

Clara/Claire: Claire is very popular (53rd last year. No change in popularity from '09.) but nice.

Elodie: Not a fan, honestly. The "die" in it jumps out at me.

Norah: It's cute. Makes me think of ambitious, bookish little girls and well-respected women.

Phoebe: I've never been a fan of it, but there's nothing necessarily wrong with it that I can see.

Eloise: I never feel like this name suits anyone past puberty, to be honest. Also, it invites "Jeez, Louise!" jokes whenever she messes up.

Hazel: It's a very pretty name. There aren't really any good nicknames for it, but that's not a problem if you don't intend to call her by a nickname.

Olive: I feel like the popularity of Olivia means that she is going to spend half of her life correcting people when they read her name. It's been my experience that many people read only the first three letters of a name and then try to guess what the rest says. (Background: There is a very common Irish girls name that begins with the same three letters as my (common in certain circles, but not among American society as a whole) name. There are no similarities beyond those first three letters. I've been called by that Irish name so many times that at this point in my life (I'm 19) that if I'm in a restaurant or it's the first day or class or something, I'm actually pleasantly surprised to hear the correct name called out.)

Delilah: Not my style, but a fine name. There's really nothing about it that calls for mocking or can easily create confusion.

Ophelia: Uh, this is right up there with Loralei on the list of names that I just Do Not Get, but it probably won't cause any trouble except for that awkward month in high school English class when she reads Hamlet.

Lilian: Not very popular in it's own right, but when combined with all of the other variants of "Lily," I'd say it's way too common.

Gwendolyn: Pretty, not really popular at all, and has a number of nicknames. I like it.

Calliope: I really dislike this name, but there isn't much wrong with it aside from the fact that Callie in it's various forms is super popular right now.

Cordelia: Not a great deal better than Ophelia (though it beats the shit out of Regan), but my comments on that stand here.

Genevieve: Also very pretty, not too popular, and has a number of nickname possibilities.

Adalaide: I'm not really a fan, but there's nothing wrong with it.

[snowowl.livejournal.com]

You have great taste! My favorites are:

Claire
Norah
Gwendolyn
Genevieve
Adelaide

Emmett
Owen
Connor
Rhys
Tristan

[spaceandclouds.livejournal.com]

I don't *hate* any name on your list! You really can't go wrong with any of these.

Amelia and Logan are very popular at the moment though (type in "Amelia" at the baby name voyager, http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager, and you'll see what I mean).

My personal favorites from your list are Josephine, Elodie, Norah, Hazel, Emmett and Liam.

With the middle name Elaine, I think Norah Elaine, Cordelia Elaine and Olive Elaine sound best.

As for the boys, I think Rhys Matthew, Liam Matthew, Owen Matthew and Dean Matthew sound best! James Matthew works too, but it's quite bland, in my opinion.

Good luck!

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

Lot's of lovely names!

Amelia - Sweet & Simple
Penelope - Lot's of really cute nn possibilities; Nellie, Ellie, Penny, Poppy
Josephine - Love it with the nn Posey
Clara/Claire - prefer Claire
Elodie - I don't like this because of a really gross woman I know
Norah - Like it, but prefer it as a nn for Eleanor
Phoebe - Phoebe is okay
Eloise - Too close to Elodie, lol
Hazel - I quite like Hazel, it's an older name, but it sounds fresh
Olive - SO SO VERY CUTE!
Delilah - Like Delilah
Ophelia - I like it, but get stuck on the Shakespear connotations
Lillian - Prefer just Lily
Gwendolyn - Not at all my style
Calliope - It's okay
Cordelia - Cute!
Genevieve - Nms
Adelaide - I love Adelaide, especially with the mn Bee. But Elaine sounds nice to

Boys:
Malcolm - Makes me think of Malcolm in the Middle
Emmett - Cute, but a little whimpy sounding
Dean - Not a fan
Leon - Really like Leon
Lucas - It's okay
Callum - Again, it's okay
Owen - Cute
Conor - NMS
Gabriel - I don't mind Gabriel
Liam - I like it, but it is very popular
Logan - NMS
Rhys - NMS
Mason - NMS
James - Love James with the nn Jem
Theodore - MY FAVE out of your boys list
Benjamin - Like Benjamin
Joshua - Too popular for me
Tristan - Too popular for me

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming you're saying Elaine as ih-layn and not E-layn when I make my comments on how it sounds with a name.

Amelia - I can almost see the appeal. There's just something about it I don't like. Goes okay with Elaine.
Penelope - I like this and Penny is a cute nn. It also goes quite well Elaine.
Josephine - I really like Josephine and it has so many nn possibilities, but I'm not sure how I feel about it and Elaine both ending in the 'n' sound. It also seems to run togehter funny when I say the combo.
Clara - I think Clara is cute, but I don't names that end in an a sound very good with Elaine.
Claire - I like Claire, but when you pair it with Elaine, it sounds like Clara Lane.
Elodie - This is cute, although I'm not sure how well it ages. I think it sounds okay with Elaine.
Norah - It's okay. It sounds funny with Elaine though.
Phoebe - I like Phoebe okay. It sounds nice with Elaine.
Eloise - This is a nice name, although I don't think everyone could pull it off. Fortunately, it has a few nn possibilities so that shouldn't be a problem unless you don't like the nns. It's a little sing-song with Elaine, but I like it well enough.
Hazel - I love Hazel, but I think the "-el El-" is awkward.
Olive - Dislike it but it sounds fine with Elaine.
Delilah - Not really my style but cute. Too many L's when you pair it with the middle.
Ophelia - Don't really dig Ophelia, but it sounds good enough with Elaine.
Lillian - I don't really care for it. Lillian is ranked 21 and Lily is ranked 17 so that may be too popular for you. Lots of Ls again.
Gwendolyn - Pretty and unusual. I'm not sure how I feel about the "-lyn Elaine" sound though.
Calliope - Different. I kind of like it. I'm not sure how common the nn Callie is though for other names. It flows well with Elaine, although the styles are quite different.
Cordelia - I go back and forth on this name. Though it does end in 'a', it doesn't sound too bad at all with Elaine.
Genevieve - I think Genevieve is very pretty, and I think it sounds very nice with Elaine.
Adelaide - Adeliade is a neat name, but it just really doesn't sound good with Elaine.

I'll have to do the boys later. I just got called to babysit!

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I'm back!

Malcolm - I like this name now that I've finally gotten over the Malcolm in the Middle association. However, I don't like it with Matthew.
Emmett - Eh, I used to kind of like it, but I don't think I do anymore. Anyway, the --mett Matth-- part sounds weird.
Dean - This name has definitely grown on me recently. Dean Matthew sounds okay.
Leon - I don't care for this name. Leon Matthew sounds okay.
Lucas - It's a nice enough name. It's not really my style. It's ranked #35, which may or may not be too popular by your standards. It sounds really nice with Matthew.
Callum - This is my all-time favorite name, but I don't like how the M's run together in Callum Matthew.
Owen - Nice enough name. Ranked #47. It sounds really nice with Matthew.
Conor - I like it and it sounds good with Matthew.
Gabriel - Something about Gabriel has always bothered me, although I do like the nn Gabe. I'm not sold on it with your middle name choice.
Liam - I know this name is special for you, but you may want to consider that, besides Liam ranked at #30, William is ranked #5 and some of those boys may be going by Liam as well. That said, it's a nice name, although I prefer it as a nn. It sounds okay with Matthew even though the M's kind of run together.
Logan - I don't care for the name, although I will say I have a cousin named Logan Matthew. Logan is ranked #17 so you probably want to steer clear of this one. It sounds good in combination, but that may be because I'm used to it.
Rhys - I really like Rhys. Rhys Matthew sounds okay enough, but I feel like I want a different style name to go with Rhys.
Mason - I really don't like Mason and I don't care for both first and middle starting with the same letter.
James - I really like James. James is ranked #19. James Matthew is a nice, solid combination. It's very traditional though, which some may see as boring.
Theodore - I like Theodore. It sounds okay with Matthew.
Benjamin - I like this name. #22. It sounds okay with Matthew.
Joshua - I like this name as well and I think it sounds good with Matthew. However, Joshua is ranked at #11
Tristan - I like it pretty well, I suppose. I feel like Matthew doesn't go with it stylistically.

My top choices would be Genevieve Elaine, Penelope Elaine, James Matthew, and Joshua Matthew, despite the popularity of the boys' names.

[chillinbabejodi.livejournal.com]

Girls:
Amelia - I like a lot, especially because of all the nn options (my fave being Milly).
Penelope - nms, and I dislike the nn's Penny/Poppy, but I do think it's a great name for someone else's kid. :)
Josephine - I love this, as well as the nn Josie. However, I do know a couple Josie's/Josephine's so looks like it's grown in popularity over the last few years.
Clara/Claire - I dislike Clara. Claire is nms, but nice enough.
Elodie - I love this, especially when used in French speaking communities. However, I really dislike the combo of Elodie Elaine.
Norah - I hate this name.
Phoebe - Nice enough.
Eloise - Love, but not with the middle name Elaine.
Hazel - Like a lot, but really dislike that it ends with 'EL' and the middle starts with the same sound.
Olive - I prefer Olivia, but I think this is a great, less popular alternative.
Delilah - Love. Especially like the nn Lila(h).
Ophelia - I don't like this name. Probably because of the 'Oph' sound.
Lillian - Like a lot, although it is pretty common.
Gwendolyn - dislike.
Calliope - Dislike.
Cordelia - Dislike.
Genevieve - Love. Also like the nn Eve/Evie.
Adelaide - Love. But it sounds a little rhymey.. adELAIde ELAIne

Boys:
Malcolm - Nms. Dislike the way it sounds with the mn.
Emmett - Dislike. Seens pretty common atm.
Dean - nms
Leon - like
Lucas - Love. Sounds great with the mn Matthew.
Callum - Like a lot.
Owen - Like a lot.
Conor - Prefer Connor, but nms
Gabriel - Like the nn Gabe, but not sure about the full name
Liam - Love
Logan - a little common, but nice enough
Rhys - like a lot.
Mason - like, but I know about 4 Mason's under the age of 3.
James - common, but traditional so I like it a lot.
Theodore - Like
Benjamin - Like
Joshua - nms
Tristan - Popular and nms.

My faves are Genevieve Elaine, Delilah Elaine, Josephine Elaine. Lucas Matthew, Owen Matthew and Logan Matthew. Overall, I prefer the general flow of the boy names than the girl names. Probably because most of the names had an 'EL' sound within them and I think it sounds strange with the middle.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

With consideration to the middle names, I like:
Amelia Elaine
Clara Elaine (Claire Elaine looks pretty but it's hard for me to say aloud without running it together.)
Norah Elaine
Lillian Elaine

Lucas Matthew
Owen Matthew
Conor Matthew
Gabriel Matthew
Rhys Matthew
James Matthew

You and I have a LOT of overlapping names, especially for boys. It is nice to see someone else who prefers the spelling "Conor"