TTC soon (hopefully!)

[starcrossed.livejournal.com]

I have long lists of baby names. I have an awkward surname, two l syllables that is basically Longley (give or take a syllable.) I was wondering what you like, what you don't like, if you think the middle names fit, etc. I've have ranked them in my current order with some comments.

Also, I think my sister is dead-set on Charlotte for a girl but it's also one of my favorite names too, especially for a middle name. Is it fair game, or do I leave the name for her since I know it's her absolute favorite?


01. Jake Benjamin or Jake Joseph (JJ- too cutesy? Also my sister says Jake is a name she'd give to a dog, not a baby)
02. Charlie Thomas
03. Oliver Dominic
04. Archer York (but whenever I think of my future son he is named Archer)
05. Jasper Montgomery
06. Freddy Thomas
07. Archie Thomas
08. Alexander Joseph (Alex)
09. Ephraim Max
10. Anthony Marcus
11. Jacob Alexander (Jake. Also, my name is Rebecca and in the bible, Rebecca was the mother of Jacob)
12. Connor Henry
13. George Myles
14. Marcus Dexter
15. Luca Dominic
16. Dexter James
17. Cameron Owen
18. Lucas Evan
19. Zack Archer
20. Felix Henry (but all I can think of is the cat)
21. Sean Benjamin (too dated?)
22. Jayden Trevor


01. Abigail Charlotte or Abigail Molly (Abi)
02. Esther Claire
03. Amelia Charlotte
04. Vanessa Rachel (too dated?)
05. Ellen Gwendoline or Ellen Hannah (Gwendoline is my Nan's name)
06. Poppy Cordelia
07. Dana Grace (named after my favorite TV character)
08. Anna Carmen (my Godmother's name)
09. Rosie May (too cutesy? Also the name of my other godmother)
10. Alexandra Charlotte (Alex)
11. Jasmine Ava or Jasmine Alexandra (I love the nickname Minnie)
12. Madeleine Sophie (Maddy)
13. Georgina Charlotte (I love the name Georgia but it's taken by another family member. Also I don't like the nicknames George or Georgie)
14. Lydia Amelie
15. Aubrey Quinn
16. Scarlett Virginia (Virginia is my favorite US state)
17. Gracie Addison (is Gracie too cutesy?)
18. Evie Cleo
19. Hazel Joy
20. Jenna Holly (too dated?)
21. Alexa Charlotte (Alex)
22. Clara Florence (too dated?)
23. Dinah Grace (too much like diner?)
24. Caia Tatum
25. Carolina Sophie
26. Sapphire Madeleine (too quirky?)
27. Tessa Eve (too dated?)
28. Juliana Amelie (not sure these names go, also hate the nickname Julie)
29. Cassie Georgina (too dated?)
30. Clarice Rose (too Silence of the Lambs?)

Thanks in advance for your help ♥

Comments

[brittmarie.livejournal.com]

Charlie Thomas
Oliver Dominic
Alexander Joseph
Jacob Alexander
Connor Henry
Dexter James
Felix Henry

Ether Claire
Amelia Charlotte
Jasmine Alexandra

As far as the name Charlotte.. You can't put dibs on a name for a baby who may never exist. If you like it, use it!

[desert-sailor.livejournal.com]

You can't put dibs on a name for a baby who may never exist. If you like it, use it!

Exactly! What if your sister has all boys or ends up not having any kids after all? You'll miss out on a good name for nothing. Plus, those names that both you and DH agree on can be very rare, so take it while you can. She'll deal.

[brittmarie.livejournal.com]

Exactly. My husband & I agree on very few girl names. However, our names are all secret.. We don't share them with family. No one will be tempted to use those we love or like & we won't be overtly upset if someone by chance uses one of them. It wouldn't be fair of us to ask them not to. If we had, my cousin would have a terribly Brynnlee and not Emery. Ack. Emery is much cuter & it fits the little elf to a tee!

[sarahmarie.livejournal.com]

I really like these combos: Archer York, Alexander Joseph, Oliver Dominic, & Lucas Evan on your boys' list. Then, Hazel Joy, Tessa Eve, Scarlett Virginia, & Jasmine Alexandra on your girls' list.

Have you both discussed possibly using Charlotte with your sister? Would she be okay with it? Would you using it prevent her from using it too? If so, I think she oughta have dibs on the name. Do not get me wrong, I don't see a problem with a name being used more than once in the family!

You have some lovely names on your lists! These are names I liked, but did not like the first or middle name combined with it: Abigail, Quinn, Claire, Amelia, Ellen, Cordelia, Ava, Madeleine, Grace, Carolina, Georgina, & Rose on your girls' list. Then, Benjamin, Jacob, James, & Owen on your boys' list.

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

Regarding names and dibs. I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to this. I don't think people should get irate about other people "stealing" names that they intend to use, because there is no guarantee that someone will 1. have children 2. have children of the appropriate gender 3. still like the name at the time when the child comes along etc etc.

However, if someone you love IS irate about the idea of someone "stealing" a name, you have to decide what is more important to you: using the name, or keeping the relationship you have with the person who has "called dibs".

First of all, I would ASK your sister how she feels about you using the name Charlotte. Even though she loves it and you know she loves it, some people wouldn't mind if someone else uses their favorite name, or would even be flattered. (I am like this.)

If she reacts negatively, then you have to decide. I think you have more than enough other names, that you don't need to choose Charlotte in that case. It would be different if Charlotte was the ONLY name you liked. Treat Charlotte like it's your husband's ex-girlfriend's name or similar: something totally off bounds even in your own mind.

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

1. I wouldn't name a child Jake but I do like Jacob with the nickname Jake. I really like Benjamin (it never gets old imo) but I'm not fond of Joseph or JJ (I've known a couple JJ's I didn't really like).
2. Ditto for Charlie/Charles-- I would name the baby Charles and use Charlie as a nickname. Charles Thomas is a little blah to me, but I love Thomas!
3. Oliver and Dominic are two of my favorite names, though I'm not sure about using them together.
4. Archer is very cool, and I've never heard it used irl. Don't like York at all.
5. Jasper Montgomery is a little old-timey sounding, although I personally really like it
6.&7. Again, wouldn't use Freddy or Archie as given names. Archer Thomas would be nice!
8. Alexander is another of those names that never gets old, not fond of Joseph.
9. Ephraim is a nice, strong name, but not my style. Max is nice, but seems odd as a middle name to me for some reason.
10. Never really liked Anthony, but I do like Marcus. Anthony Marcus reminds me of Roman emperor names; like Mark Antony or Marcus Antonius.
11. Jacob Alexander is a very nice choice, and Jake is a nice nickname. The biblical parallel is a fun quirk :)
12. Connor Henry is nice.
13. I like George, and I Myles is okay, but they seem odd together for some reason
14. Marcus Dexter I really like! I really like Dexter.
15. Luca always sounds feminine to me at first.
16. Dexter James is great!
17. Cameron Owen isn't bad, not a huge fan of them both ending in N.
18. Lucas Evan isn't bad, but kind of boring imo.
19. I've always preferred the Zach spelling personally, but that may be because it's my brother's name.
20. Felix Henry is nice, and if you name your baby Felix you'll stop associating it with the cat pretty quickly.
21. Not a big fan of Sean personally.
22. I don't like either Jayden or Trevor, sorry. Jayden is TOO trendy and over-used, and a bully in my grade school was named Trevor.

In conclusion, for boys I like: Jacob Alexander, Connor Henry, Marcus Dexter, Dexter James, and Felix Henry. I would also suggest Archer Thomas.

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

1. Abigail Charlotte is very nice. If it's your sister's number one favorite (and isn't likely to change before she has a daughter) then I would seriously consider not using it if it's not YOUR absolute favorite as well. If it is your favorite then go ahead, it's your baby, you should use the name you like best. But if you have others you like just as well or better, it might be better to use one of those instead and not risk hurting your sister's feelings and damaging your relationship with her. I don't like Molly as a middle name.
2. I really like Esther but I'm not a huge fan of Claire.
3. Amelia Charlotte I actually really like, but consider the above note on Charlotte.
4. Vanessa is pretty, never really liked Rachel. I don't consider either name dated.
5. Ellen Gwendoline is pretty, I'm not a fan of Hannah.
6. Don't like Poppy or Cordelia.
7. Dana Grace is nice.
8. Never been a fan of Carmen but I do like Anna. The ode to your godmother is nice, though.
9. As with the boys, I would use Rose as the given name, Rosie as a nickname. Rose May sounds odd though, and Rosie May is very cutesy imo.
10. Alexandra is pretty, but I don't like it paired with Charlotte.
11. I like both Jasmine Ava and Jasmine Alexandra, and the nickname Minnie is precious
12. Madeleine is my favorite spelling of the name, although I dislike the nickname Maddy. Sophie is pretty.
13. Not a fan of Georgina personally, although if you use it since you don't like the nn's George or Georgie, what about Gina?
14. Lydia Amelie is beautiful.
15. Not a fan of Aubrey or Quinn.
16. Scarlett is nice, but I've never really liked Virginia. Also, unless you have really strong positive feelings/memories associated with the state of Virginia, it seems weird to name your daughter after a state, imo.
17. Again, I would use Grace with Gracie as a nn. I prefer Addison as a boy's name.
18. Evie and Cleo are both great names, I wouldn't use them together.
19. Hazel Joy is nice.
20. Not a fan of Jenna, but I really like Holly. Probably not as a middle name though.
21. Alexa is nice, but I don't like the nn Alex with it. This probably seems weird, but I like the nn Alex with the name Alexandra, but not with names like Alexis or Alexa... idk I guess it has to do with the pronunciations :/
22. Clara is pretty, Florence does seem dated in my opinion.
23. Don't like Dinah at all. Makes me think of that song "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah..."
24. Caia is okay, don't like Tatum at all. It seems masculine, but I don't like it for a boy either.
25. I like Caroline better than Carolina.
26. Sapphire is kind of cheesy in my opinion? It's also a very different style than the rest of your list. I like Madeleine as a middle name since I don't like the nn Maddy.
27. Tessa and Eve are both fine, but I don't think they flow well together.
28. Ditto with Juliana and Amelie.
29. I like Cassie, though I would use Cassandra or Cassidy as the given name.
30. I've never seen Silence of the Lambs, but I'm not a fan of Clarice. Rose is nice.

To wrap up the girls, I like: Abigail, Esther, Amelia Charlotte, Ellen Gwendoline, Jasmine Ava/Alexandra, Lydia Amelie, and Madeleine as a middle name.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

I love Dinah.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

If your last name sounds pretty much like Longley, I would remove any name that starts with an L, has a last syllable that starts with an L, or ends in an L for either the first or middle name. This is because any of those attributes in a name make it really obvious that the name is L heavy. If it is in the middle name, it makes it sound awkward when the full name is said, and if it is in the first name, while the middle name makes it sound better when the full name is said, most of the time it will just be first and last and you're back to sounding L heavy. If your last name ends in an ---ee sound, I would also remove any names that end in that same sound. Otherwise, you have name-EE name-EE, and it just sounds awkward. That cuts 10 off of your list, so now for individual comments:

Jake Benjamin or Jake Joseph - I think Jacob Benjamin sounds much better, and you can always call him Jake, as you know. I feel it is generally better for kids to have the full version for their given name because they may want to use it when they get into the professional world, if not before. It's nice to have options. JJ is a little cutesy, but it could work. There's always the possibility little JJ would grow out of his name and want to be Jake though, which I'm assuming would be fine by you since you're considering it as a given name. However, Jacob Joseph sounds clunky to me, and Jake Joseph is a bit choppy, so it doesn't get my vote either way. I never used to think of Jake as a "dog" name, but I've seen several people mention that on here and now it's starting to sound like one to me!
Oliver Dominic - Oliver and Dominic are fine names, although neither are favorites at this point in time. Oliver was on my list for a fair few years. I think Dominic Oliver flows better.
Archer York - Archer York sounds strong but may be better as a first-last combination than a first-middle. Both Archer and York are surnames, and I think it's a little weird to have a name entirely made up of last names. The fact that you say you always think of a future son named Archer makes me feel Archer, at least, should be higher on your list, if this list is at all in your order of consideration.
Alexander Joseph - I think this is a really classic and strong combination.
Ephraim Max - I adore Ephraim, but I don't really like Max either by itself or in this combination. The problem with the combo is that the last m and first M run together so it sounds like Ephra Max or Ephraim Axe.
Jacob Alexander - This is another strong name. I think the Biblical connection is pretty neat.
George Myles - I can't say I'm a fan of George, but it's not awful. Myles I would prefer to see spelt Miles, if only so there is only one Y in the full name. A lot of people use y's to make a name creative so they really stand out to me in names.
Marcus Dexter - Here is another name that I prefer switched around! There's no real reason for it; Dexter Marcus "Longley" just sounds better to my ears. Also, Marcus is an okay name, but there's no guarantee that he won't end up going by Marc (which I don't like), and I don't know how you feel about that nickname.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Apparently, I rambled on too long for one comment.

Dexter James - I think this sounds good together. Dexter is a kind of neat name, if a bit dweeby. It does make me think of poindexter, Dexter's Laboratory (cartoon), and Dexter (the serial killer show).
Cameron Owen - I really don't like Cameron, but that's my own deal. Owen is nice. I wouldn't do this pair just because of the matching ending sounds. When most people say Cameron, it sounds more like cam-ren so it would be cam-rEN oh-EN.
Zack Archer - This sounds pretty good. I do generally prefer longer given names, as I've said, but Zackery would bring up the Zacker-EE LonglEE issue. You could do Zachariah, but then, it is difficult to say with Archer so you would have to find a different middle name to go with it.
Sean Benjamin - Sean was more popular in the 80s and 90s in the US, but it isn't what I would call unpopular now. Sean Benjamin keeps making me think of Sean Bean for some reason.
Jayden Trevor - Jayden was ranked #4 in the US for 2011. Not only is it a really popular name, it is also a trendy one. It's not a classic. It is very much a name of the now, so it may end up dating your child to being born in the 2010s.Think Tiffany in the 80s. Also, it doesn't age well to me. Trevor is okay.

So I would say my top choices are: Alexander Joseph, Jacob Alexander, Dexter James, and Archer York.

Suggestions:
Archer Dominic
Archer Joseph
Ephraim Oliver
Ephraim George
Ephraim Owen
Jasper York
Jasper Ephraim
Jasper Miles
Jasper Sean
Jasper Thomas
Connor Joseph
Marcus Evan

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

You've got a pretty great batch of names here, though Jayden Trevor is fairly trendy and Jenna Holly is quite dated. I personally like Archer and love Jasper, but paired with York and Montgomery, they come across as rather pretentious. Archer Dominic or Jasper Dominic or Archer Benjamin would sound great, though. Also, Tessa is adorable, but it should probably be paired with a longer middle name, like Evelyn or Amelia. Eve might go well with Juliana. I also second the opinion that Jake should be short for Jacob, Charlie short for Charles, etc. For the girls, you might want to lengthen Evie to Evelyn or Evangline or just use Eve, and lengthen Cassie to Cassandra.

My favorites of your current picks are:

Alexander Joseph
Anthony Marcus
Luca Dominic
Dexter James
Lucas Evan
Felix Henry

Amelia Charlotte
Alexandra Charlotte
Madeleine Sophie (this is my aunt's name, but she goes by Sophie; she was named after a French saint)
Lydia Amelie
Scarlett Virginia
Alexa Charlotte
Caia Tatum (I love the way this sounds)
Carolina Sophie
Sapphire Madeleine (quirky, yes, but anchored by a normal middle name---Madeleine Sapphire would sound great, too)

About Charlotte: is your sister currently pregnant? If not, then you could probably use it, but you might want to save it for the middle spot if she's dead-set on using it as a first.

[thisgracething.livejournal.com]

Personally, I say, she gets one baby to use it on, if she has one & it's a boy first, she forfeits the name via fate.

[designingdreams.livejournal.com]

My normal 'rule' for dibs on names is that the first one to get pregnant gets to use the name of their choice, unless their sibling/friend/whatever wants the name as a namesake for a lost relative or friend and that symbolism isn't meaningful to the pregnant parents. (Like, I would never take the name of a friend's older brother who had passed away if the friend had expressed interest in someday naming a child after him- hope that makes sense)

However, since you only love Charlotte as a middle name, I would caution you not to use it. Not only will yor sister likely feel like you stole the name, she may feel like you 'wasted' it by not using it as a prominent first name. Middle names are used so rarely, and I know that personally, I would be more bummed if I couldn't use it because it was a rarely-to-be-seen middle name of my sister's kid. Ya know?

There are just so many beautiful names that if it isn't THE absolute must-have name for you, it seems better to set it aside to not offend your sister.

[debbiejeffrey.livejournal.com]

taking~

thanks so much for sharin~!

[ladydreamfire.livejournal.com]

From your boy list I really love

Jasper Montgomery Longley (I just love this combination)
Jacob Alexander Longley (It's actually great if your sister wouldn't use it, less competition and apparently you two are at odds over names? Jake is great name!)
Archer York Longley (although I really enjoy Archer Benjamin Longley better, but I love how Archer Longley sounds and how much YOU love it)

From your girl list I really love

Aubrey Quinn Longley (my hands down and leagues away favorite, I love how romantic it sounds.)
Madeline Sophie Longley (I love both names and I love how it has meaning because of your aunt)
Esther Claire Longley(I know a lot of people don't love Esther, but I can't help it, I really think this combination is very gorgeous!)