Still stuck for a name

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

So, with one week left until my ultrasound where I potentially find out the gender of the baby I can still entertain the idea of girls names.  (if it turns out to be a boy, I already know what name we're using so the discussion would be moot).

Right now, if it's a girl, I'm stuck between Arielle and Georgia.  

My daughter (in case anyone doesn't know) is Amelia.  I go back and forth on Arielle for two reasons: one, I don't know that I want to do the siblings with the same first initial thing so that I'm not stuck with it if I have kids in the future.  also, my step son (their brother) has a different initial so I don't want anyone to feel 'left out' so to speak.  second, there's the Little Mermaid association.  and while I do like the movie, I'm not sure that I want  to get stuck hearing "her name's Arielle? Like the mermaid?" and have people buying her red-headed Disney mermaid merchandise for the rest of her life. (I made the mistake of calling my daughter 'Duckling' when I was pregnant and was overrun with... you guessed it, Ducks.)

As for Georgia, I am really leaning towards it, mostly because I don't have all the hang ups like with Arielle (plus I just really love it for a number of reasons).  My question about Georgia is how everyone else perceives it.

So, impressions/opinions about Arielle or Georgia?

I also love Tess/Tessa but am on the fence about it right now. wdyt?

Comments

[k-t-bug.livejournal.com]

I love Georgia. It's pretty, feminine, not weird, but not common. I also love Tessa for the same reasons. You've got two winners! Good luck on the ultrasound!

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

thanks! and thanks! I know you're not supposed to care either way, but I'm crossing my fingers for another girl. :)

[sarahjewel.livejournal.com]

Georgia! It's very pretty. :)
I don't like Ariel or Arielle.
I think Tess is only good once in a while. I couldn't stand to hear it ALL the time.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

thanks :)

yeah, I started liking it bc I knew a little girl with the name (it was her nn, her full name is Teresa) and she's SO cute, but when I say it in my head, sometimes it gets kind of... repetetive? annoying? lol one of those.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

p.s. I like your son's name. we considered Seamus for this one if it's a boy.

[sarahjewel.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[satunian.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on Tess, but I find Tessa rather nice actually! The "a" at the end makes it easier for me to deal with for some reason!

[neroli.livejournal.com]

The names are at different points in the popularity cycle. Ariel (in various spellings) hit its popularity peak in the U.S. in the 1990s, and is now falling in popularity; whereas Georgia is still just getting started here. (It's been showing up on U.K. popularity lists for a while, and the U.S. often seems to track a number of years behind the U.K. on certain name trends (e.g., Emma, Chloe, Sophie, etc.)), which does make me suspect that it'll be rising over the next 5 years here too.)

Ariel was #222 in 2005, dropping off gradually over the last decade and a half:

2005 222
2004 220
2003 213
2002 215
2001 197
2000 184
1999 171
1998 147
1997 144
1996 163
1995 151
1994 144
1993 121
1992 87
1991 66

Georgia was #323, and looks like it is starting to register on people's naming radar:

2005 323
2004 367
2003 371
2002 378
2001 392
2000 334
1999 349
1998 428
1997 528
1996 582
1995 610
1994 640
1993 624
1992 594
1991 676

Based on the numbers, I'd say that Ariel is "safer" and will appeal to people who aren't watching the name charts because they've heard it around more and it has a fairly attractive pop culture image pairing. It probably won't be regarded as particularly innovative, and name fans may fine it a bit ordinary. Georgia, on the other hand, will probably get some "old lady" comments from people who aren't into names. However, it will probably get more positive responses from name fans, and, since you are ahead of the curve, it will gradually be met with more positive comments as time goes by.

I'd go with Georgia.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I love it, you rationalized it all out exactly like I would. ;D

I myself did look up/notice those trends too but then I couldn't decide how much they mattered to me personally in the long run. I only say that because my daughter's name didn't seem all that popular to me at the time I named her but now seems to be climbing... I normally would NOT pick an overly popular name, but had I realized it was growing, I still would have named her it anyway because it just felt like it should be her name.

and I LIKE old lady names. I consider Amelia to be that kind of name too seeing as the only person I knew in real life with the name was my great-aunt who was most definitely an old lady. at least by the time I knew her anyway. ;p

thanks for the input.

[ky-whitney.livejournal.com]

I love Arielle and Tessa/Tess.
I hate Georgia.

[trissyd.livejournal.com]

I like them both, but actually prefer "Arielle", mermaid or not, it's a beautiful name.

[o-honeybee-o.livejournal.com]

Definitely Georgia.
I do like Arielle, but it does always remind me of The Little Mermaid.
Georgia is so pretty and feminine but without being TOO frilly, kwim?
I know the most adorable little girl with this name too and her close family call her Georgie, it's cute =)

[xcuore.livejournal.com]

icon love<3

and i agree, i prefer Georgia b/c Arielle is the little mermaid :)

[ifancylust.livejournal.com]

i love the name tess. i'm not a fan of tessa though. i think georgia is pretty. you could use tess as a middle name for it even. also, i think amelia & georgia sound really nice together.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I was considering Georgia Tess. :) My husband on the other hand is not entirely sold on it...

[dilatedeyes.livejournal.com]

Georgia Tess sounds way too close to Georgia Tech for my tastes!

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

lol good point.

[satunian.livejournal.com]

They're both nice names, but before I even read the rest of the post, I was inclinded to go with Georgia. I just think it's a bit prettier and unique, and I'd like to know there's a baby out there (and one day a woman) named Georgia. Plus I also agree with your Arielle issues

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

lol some people have Daddy issues, I have Arielle issues. ;p

[glitterberrys.livejournal.com]

I much prefer Arielle to Georgia. Georgia just never appealed to me, no particular reason. I like Tess a lot, but not huge on Tessa.

I can't imagine kids would give a rat's ass if their siblings have the same first initial and they don't, but...I dunno, maybe they do.

Also, the mermaid's name is spelled Ariel, not Arielle, if that makes any difference ;)

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

yeah, I know, but all I could think is that it will sound the same and no one will know when they hear it that I spelled it differently than the mermaid, so that assoc might still stand. :( though I considered the spelling Ariel because of Sylvia Plath.

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

Arielle is nice and didn't make me think of the mermaid.
I've never liked Georgia, though I don't know why.
Tess/Tessa I dislike because it has bad associations for me, but the names are ok in themselves.

[arbus.livejournal.com]

georgia and tess/tessa are both gorgeous names. georgia is classic. tess/tessa is different (its high on my list) but not strange, and is also just very pretty.

arielle is too frou-frou and little girly for my taste. its one of those names (to me) that doesnt really fit anyone over the age of 5.

good luck!! :)

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I don't like either. Georgia is a state and Arielle is just not my style.

I like Tessa, but I feel like it should be short for something rather than a full name.

[space-monkey340.livejournal.com]

I vote for Arielle. It was a top choice when I was pregnant with Erik.

[queen-mab.livejournal.com]

I knew a girl named Arielle once. I asked her if she got the Little Mermaid association and she said she rarely did, so I don't think naming your little girl Arielle would get you too many people asking "like the mermaid?!"

I never liked the name Georgia at all. I'm sorry. =\ There's something harsh sounding about it, and I don't like that it has George in it or is the name of a state. However, since Georgie Henley (icon) was Lucy in Narnia, I've started liking the name Georgie quite a lot for some reason. Her real name is Georgia but she goes by Georgie.

I lovelovelove Tessa. It's on my top 10 list. :)

[corielcries.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Georgia. It is my top girl name and one I am certainly considering for my own baby (now I just need to get the SO to like it /sigh/). I also love it with Amelia, which is another favorite.

I'm not fond of Arielle, never have been. I would worry if you used an A name for your second child because if you have a third one you may worry about whether or not to use another A name.

[wake-tonight.livejournal.com]

Georgia is beautiful!

I don't like Arielle at all - I can't quite pin point what i don't like, but I think it is too girly/trashy/tacky...

I love Tess(a) too. I'm not sure where you're from but someone on here told me it was too popular, I'm not from the US though and it's not common around here, so I'd go for it!

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I feel like I had never (well, hardly ever) heard of a Tess(a) before and then suddenly there was a Tess (short for Teresa) at my step son's daycare and a Tessa on his soccer team. weird. (one is about 3 or 4 and one is 6)

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Both names are lovely.

On another note, I don't understand why people feel that if they've started a bit of a "trend" with two children, they automatically have to carry it on with all future children. I don't see anything at all strange about two sisters' names both starting with A and other siblings having a different letter. Personally, even if I had 10 sisters and brothers whose names all started with M, and mine was the only one starting with C, I don't think I'd mind. But that's just my opinion on the matter =)

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

thanks :)

yeah I think it's one of those things that I think about more than my kids would. maybe it's an OCD thing though bc when I see someone else do it, it makes me nuts like they're breaking the pattern or the symmetry or something.

[sherball.livejournal.com]

arielle - still reminds me of the little mermaid... really don't like it

georgia is a state, not a persons name.

sorry but I can't even pick which one is the lesser of the two evils in this case. I just dont' care for either name..


I also do not like tess/tessa. :(

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

it's ok for you to not like the names. you won't have to say them every day for the rest of your life if I choose them. no apologies. :)

not to start a "chicken or the egg" discussion, but I think that the state Georgia was named after a person Georgia (or George?) originally but don't quote me on that... it's more like I think I heard that somewhere than I know for certain.

[tokossel.livejournal.com]

i like georgia and tessa/tess quite a bit. :)

[pap3r-heart.livejournal.com]

I like Tessa the best.

Georgia has too harsh of a sound to me.
Arielle is just 'blah' in my opinion.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I really like Georgia and Tessa. I dont like Tess. It sounds like a nickname to me.

Also, I think right now is probably the worst time since the name sky rocketed after The Little Mermaid came out in 1989 to name a child Ariel/Arielle because of the Disney DVD release of the cartoon from the vault this month. (That was one heckuva sentence-- I'd hate to diagram it!) Just another aspect to consider.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

i'm with you on the hang ups. All my favourite names are A, Amelia being top yay! Anabelle being second & Arielle is there some where.
Ariel is the mermaids name though, i'd prn Arielle like Harry-elle without the H. Not Air-eel.
I do prefer Arielle to Georgia, i think i'd use it even with the issues. It's pretty, not too common & goes well with Amelia even though the A thing bothers me i'm sure i'd get over it...

I tend not to like feminised versions of male names.. Georgia, Erica, Martina etc...

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

I ADORE Arielle. It's beautiful. But, I don't like it with Amelia. They're both GREAT names (and on my list!) but they sound too similar. I don't have a problem with two names starting with A, it's the eeee sound in both that I think is too similar. I don't like Georgia at all. I love Tessa, it's very sweet. I'm not sure if you'd like suggestions, but these may be similarish to what you like.

Astrid
Eliza
Anastasia
Lucia
Mirabel

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

For me Arielle is too close to Amelia because they both start with A and sound a bit cutesy (no offence, I still like them both) but Georgia is also close because they end with the same sound (unless you call her Georgie for short) so I vote Tess or Tessa.