Baby names!

Also depends on what goes with their surname I suppose, and if using a middle name making sure the initials don’t make an odd word.

My godson has just had a baby girl, after 3 boys, she is called Merryn.

I like it, they nearly went for Esme, then came across an absolute horror with that name, then thought of Mabel, but apparently that is one of the names that is getting popular!

PS Although Merryn might sound new/made up, a lady of a certain age of the same name was on Radio 4 recently, so neither new nor made up, but perhaps just unusual enough?

Naming your baby is a responsibility, I always think if a name has been around for a hundred years or more, it will be timeless

I have a horror of made up names, and hyphenated names, I’m sure they will come up with something lovely

My GD is Kaia ,can be spelled Kiah too.Its unusual but not outlandish and its not common or too popular. pronounced Kye ah

Carys? Helen?

I wish I`d seen these names when naming my girls, but I rather like Meredith and Sheridan.

I have a granddaughter called Carys, her sisters are Seren and Efa. I think it's very difficult to pick names but I'm sure they will pick something beautiful.

Both DDs chose their own names for babies. Sounded some off on me but in the end was their choice. DD1 is a teacher so some names were off like your baggage thing Witzend. DD2 chose name from Harry Potter as she was reading it on audio when she was pregnant and baby got lively when he heard it! All are unusual but once named the babies completely became their names and couldn't be anything else. It is 5 months till Christmas! I think your DD is getting a bit anxious about it xxxx

Constance/ Connie
Rosamund/ Rosie
Dorothy/ Dorrie
Edith/ Edie
Isabel/ Bel
Georgina/ Georgie
Kathryn/ Katie/Kate
Josephine/ Jo/ Josie
Charlotte/ Lottie
Florence/ Florrie/Flo
Mathilda/ Mattie/ Tilly
Madeleine/Maddie
Elizabeth/Lizzie/Libby/Beth

Merryn sounds Cornish, I like it!

We had decided on a name for one of ours then MIL put me off it - I wish I had ignored her! I would leave them to it to decide Witzend.

I love most names (except my own and maybe Beryl) . I think modern parents tend to think about the name more long term than my parents did. I love all of my own DGC’s names they really suit them and they like them too, which is surely what counts.

I really think parents have to find their own names I would not have wanted my own parents to help name mine and I certainly waited for each one of mine to be chosen by their own parents it’s such a personal thing

my daughters have traditional names ,her brother an dhis then partner wanted something that there wouldn't be 6 of in her class when she went to school.They succeeded ,she's the only one with her name in the town as far as we know

IMO, when couples can't agree on a name, a good idea is to suggest a way to choose a name, rather than to try to find names for them. One suggestion might be to think of names related to a shared interest or hobby. For example, do they love camping? Then a nature name might be a good choice, perhaps a favorite flower since baby is a girl. Is music their passion? Then maybe a musical term (Ive seen both Aria and Allegra used as girls' names). Etc. But the actual choice of name would still be the parents'. That way, if they ever regret it for any reason, they can't blame the GM, LOL!

paddyann In New Zealand, Kaia is a native plant, very pretty too.

It's also a popular name.

I like Sienna as a name for a girl.

I’m all for names that have stood the test of time. I agree with Sara65 - 100 years or more and it will be timeless. This doesn’t mean it can’t be unusual. Names from Shakespeare or the Bible can be good. Once upon a time I would have included royal names, but now we have an Archie I’m not so sure...

My granddaughter is called Alice. I think it’s a perfect name, several hundred years old but still fresh and pretty. There are rather a lot of them about now, though. It is very difficult to avoid trends.

PECS

I’ve got four daughters/granddaughters on your list, all pretty names,

Grandma70

I really like Alice

I have a daughter called Alice. It is a family name in both my family and in Dh's.

If a child has got to spell it out for people and tell people how to pronounce it every 5 minutes, they won't thank you for it! My daughter's a teacher and says that these made-up children's names are a nightmare these days.

My DD’s name is on that list but none of my DGC’s names are. I almost called my DD Alice (she’s 34) but she said she was very glad I didn’t as that awful song was doing the rounds when she was growing up and she thinks she would have suffered. Of course it’s disappeared now (thank goodness) . I still love the name.

2 of my DGC are the only ones with their name in school, the other one, whilst still a very pretty name, is more common. I suspect there will be quite a few Evie’s around when she eventually goes to school.

There were 5 (or was it 6?) girls with my name in my class at school. What great imagination our parents must’ve had.

Many thanks for all replies. BTW Bluebelle , I'm only searching for suggestions because dd has asked me to, I'm not trying to impose my choice.

What I find so odd is that names like Mabel are becoming popular again - to me they conjure up the whiskery old great-aunts of my childhood. Ditto the old men's names that evoke bristly, tweedy old great-uncles smelling of pipe tobacco! But then younger parents won't have those connotations.

And yet I saw 'Mary' described as an 'old' (and thus undesirable) name on MN!

What they would like to avoid is a name that will date her - like the umpteen Lindas and Christines of my schooldays - very nice names though they are.

We already have one Gdd with a 'Shakespearean' name, which I think is lovely, and dd likes Imogen, but SiL doesn't - someone he knew has put him off!

Press on...

When I was expecting youngest child, I wanted to call her Prudence, husband wasn’t keen, she says thank god for that!

Mabel...Yes, sounds like old great-aunts to us. To my father, born 1907, Charlotte sounded equally fuddy-duddy.

Not a girl’s name, but my grandson has a friend (11) called Percy. It makes me smile, but sounds perfectly normal to them. Fashion is a fickle thing.