I live in Canada and Alta is the abbreviated form of Alberta here.

Christiana congrats on the name choice it is lovely and just ignore darling mother she will get over it, we aren't telling the MIL any name choices as she will probably be horrified lol

she was baffled that we liked william if DD1 had been a boy!!! odd so not sure how Florence or hermione would go down...LOL

enjoy little ruby lucia
xx

Yes doesn't the santa lucia girl chosen have to be the prettiest?
I like its history and it's a very international name, as is Ruby- I have known Rubys/Rubis in India, Spain, Mexico, Italy and one who was half-dutch.

Excellent taste christiana !!

Hi crumpette, I'm half Swedish and we celebrate Santa Lucia day in the middle of winter, Dec 13th. It's a lovely service, girls wear white dresses with red sashes and carry candles or even have lit real candles in a crown. It's a beautiful way to celebrate light! You probably know this already though!

Christiana I think that name is beautiful, my DD was Lucia (pronounced loo-see-a) and I love the name Ruby, really cute and sparky. Lucia means 'bringer of light' which I think is lovely.

Congratulations, excellent choice

Am really looking forward to teaching her Dave or Bernard that's excellent

Congratulations, christiana!
Ruby Lucia is lovely, and yes I agree your Mum has already done enough where names are concerned!!
I am chuckling at Ruby's first word...directed at your mum..."Dave!"

macherie I am somewhat at your experience with names rudeness!
What on earth were they thinking?

Some people!!

LOL at your mum's comments.
Just train Ruby to call her granny 'Bernard' or something if granny persists in calling her 'Lucia'.
And I reckon Ruby is far easier to spell than Astrid would have been!

I think Ruby Lucia is a really nice choice.

Good choice. Can't see how Ruby is hard to spell tho .

Have lots of happy times with her.

I think they are both lovely names.

I saw a girl in the paper the other day called Rebel-Angel

At your mum Christiana. Ruby Lucia is a lovely name

yes it's loo see ah

thanks boodle

i think you mum is pretty brave airing that opinion especially as you are having to find another name as she gave your one away.....mums, drive you nuts quicker than any thing.

Ruby is a lovely name and i love Lucia pronounced Loo see ah.

congrats again.
xx

Alice !!...beautiful name..Lissy for short x

Christiana, DD is Phoebe Isabella - I LOVE her name

We don't live in the UK so don't have any problems meeting lots of other phoebes, in fact we've only met one, and dd is 5 now!

I have a wonderful image of my mother with bats in her head now. Thank you. May the image live forever!

nothing wrong with Ruby Lucia (although I personally prefer my suggestions ) and your mother has bats in her head for thinking it would be hard to spell! LOTS of children start by writing b and r backwards, they soon learn!
Actually, Rudy is quite a pretty name too... wasn't one of the Cosby children called that in the Cosby Show?

Thanks for your support! I know you're right macherie and I bet your chosen name is gorgeous too.

Ruby Lucia is beautiful, ignore your mother.

We named dd as soon as she was born, my mum and two of my aunts wouldn't stop going on about how they didn't like her name - she was already registered fgs.

Then when dd was about 2 weeks old my best friend rang to read out a list of girls names we might like!

What you call your child is nobody elses concern.

we call her 'baby'

however.. we think we've decided! Ruby Lucia

BUT... My mother doesn't like it and informed DH on the phone last night that if we go with Ruby Lucia she will only call her Lucia.

REALLY EFFING ANNOYED. I'm SO tired! Up all night feeding! You know the score... So just a little bit of motherly support and love wouldn't go amiss...

Then she TEXTED saying that DD2 would find Ruby hard to spell and write Rs and Bs backwards. WTF?!

chrsitiana does your new daughter have a name yet?

if not what are you calling her til you decide?

Ida Downes is something approaching magical

Close - it's Downes.
So Neil, Stan and Ida are out too

Coffeecups, is your surname Dover

My daughter's friend suggested sparkleworks for a girl. I honestly don't mind if you steal it from me.

Or Ben for a boy. With the surname it just doesn't work.

lowrib incredible resource! thank you
Decibella !

Did you know the Scottish government publish the full list of ALL children's first names, every year - even names only used once?

2007 baby names registered in Scotland
2006 baby names registered in Scotland

The list also tells you how many times each name was used,

bettythebuilder Elodie's lovely isn't it. It's a really pretty name, and easy to say but also very unusual. I know a French girl called Elodie (pronounced ell - o - dee)

My favourites for a girl were Elodie and Sian - and Decibelle of course (see above!)

You're Scottish?! Ok then lets start on the Scottish names (DS has a beautiful, unusual Scottish name)

For a start, my DP suggests

Ailsa
Elspeth

Or, non-Scottish

Raya
Moweti - Tswana (as in from Botswana) for traveller

Or his all-time favourite, his own invention

Decibelle / Decibella

He works in the music industry - and would be delighted if someone actually used it.

Biba

Tallulah

Noemi

Oh, just nearly choked on a slug of wine at "Phoebe Hebe Evie Loveday Niobe Naomi" for a name- marvellous

I love Elodie crose, lowrib

Ooooh Hebe was the name my ds would have been if he'd been a dd, fabulous name imo. <cries at the thought of never being able to use it>

Other names on my list were Tace, Lilia and Rowan.

I'm crap at maths but I think it is quite a few.
Phoebe Hebe is rather amusing.

<snurk> whoops! well don't worry too much, there's still about 30 options to choose from there, if I can remember how to do probability properly (probably not!)

Well, pick two out of the six and you're there (and I was keeping it secret, even on MN. Oh dear, two sips of beer and I lose my discretion)!

Surely not, MrsH? WOuldn't Phoebe Hebe Evie Loveday Niobe Naomi sound a bit odd?

Cripes Thumbwitch - that's basically DC2's future name (already decided upon) set out in one post! Great minds etc.

Shame about Phoebe - I thought it went really nicely with Myla. isn't the Friends association a bit "over" now?

What about Hebe then?

or if you want a really unusual name, I know a lady called Loveday - how does that strike you?

I presume you've been through all the names like Evie?

Niobe? Naomi?

Tha website is great lowrib

I still like Ruby a lot and just trying to weigh up if it really is too popular

We need to decide by 3 weeks in Scotland!

I like anoushka too but think we don't have much russian blood in us!

phoebe nice but too friends-related for DH

have you decided?

can i throw the name Anoushka?

How's it going christiana

If it's any consolation my friend had no name for 5 weeks! They called him no-name for a while apparently.

I found the baby names thing really difficult. I find naming other peoples really easy, and quite fun (it's why I still find myself on the baby names threads - DS is 6mo) but it was so difficult for mine! Got a great unusual name we love in the end, I'm sure you will too.

Phoebe?

How about Zilla (or Zillah) I know a Zilla, I think it's lovely.

Or what about Zia or Zyah

I really like Elodie

Or maybe Corinna?

This baby names website is really good for variants. So if you like the name Anna for example but want a more unusual version it has

"Variants:

Ana, Anique, Anja, Ann, Annabeth, Annah, Annalee, Annamarie, Anneke, Annemarie, Annet, Annica, Annika, Annmarie, Anoesj, Anouska, Hania and Nani.

also related names Anabel, Annabel, Audriana, Ayanna, Christian, Kiana, Leanna, Luana, Solana and Anastasia.

Baby names that sound like Anna are Agna, Aina, Anya, Ania, Anny, Anni and Anne."

Elise ?

ooo that would have been exciting a vineyard...i'd spend to long drunk!!!!

ok on the hermitage front what about Hermione Croze could be Mimi for short and sounds lovely with myla

myla, mimi time for tea...etc

xx

Yes croze surname

Went driving through france with DH and got terribly excited when he wanted to visit crozes-hermitage vineyards, thinking perhaps I'd 'passed the test' and DH was about to reveal a massive family fortune. Sadly not. Apparently DH's ancestor several generations back was a black sheep and thrown out of the croze family, hence no massive wine fortune. Ah well...

mrsr quite like liberty

jumpingbeans which book?

Just read a book and the name Eden was the young girl in it, i quite liked iit

is croze your surname?

You have to go for Hermitage then
(pronounced er-mit-ahj)

liberty sounds lovely

liberty astrid croze???!!

sounds nice with myla too
x

Liberty? Libby?

i still think Sibi....

Oh dear no not with your surname! sorry

Rosa would go well I think.

The emoticons and line breaks don't show up on the 'threads I'm on' view, so it looked like you said

"Panda Naomi is nice"

I'm all for unusual names, but that was a step too far even for me!

Panda

Naomi is nice

Alyssa and Alta sound like fiats tbh

Names ending in EEEEE (such as Ruby)

My fave as is 9mth DD's name is Naomi (pr. nay-OH-mee)

I thinking Myla and Naomi sound lovely together!

Also:
Myla and Amelie
Myla and Aimee
Myla and Hayley
Myla and Cailey
Myla and Casey / Kacey

Hope you are enjoying your precious baby girl - name or no name

I am very fond of Bridie at the moment.
(and I like Sadie!)
Dulcie
Heidi
Elkie
Effie
Trudie
Hettie
Jeanie
Joni (like Mitchell )
Kizzie

Aphra
Allegra
Anya
Cora
Daria
Eartha
Nora
Enya
Stella
Lorna
Magda
Orla
Ro sa
Zita
Etta
Gaia (gay-a, greek earth goddess & mother)
Greta (did we have that one?)
Isolda
Katya

argh! where did my morning go ?!

Sadie? Bit like Ruby... but not.

so Alisa pronounced same as Alyssa not a-lee-za?

My sister is called Alisa.... My Mother thought she had made it up 37 years ago.

I like Alisa, there is a tennis player called Alisa Kelybanova who's going to make it big Alyssa means a lifetime of spelling her name out whereas Alisa is phonetic.

I am doing OK thell. I am finding this names thing quite worrisome though! I am going to write a shortlist and send it to DH. I do really like Anouk but our surname is Croze and I don't think Anouk Croze sounds right? MrsH I love loads of your names but DH is SO difficult to please.

Robin is lovely though.

Is there anything that sounds similar to Ruby which isn't Ruby? not Judy. So maybe something that ends with an -ee sound.

i've got it.... INGRID which infact is MUCH nicer than Astrid anyway.

Well I have tried all of the other names I can come up with, Seren!

And I think it is kind of sweet...

I think that Alta is too similar to both Anna and Myla. I think two syllables are find, just not two "a" endings. What about -

Helen
Honor
Xanthe
Iris
Robin
Lucille
Gwen

Cleo is much less than Clio I think

I like Nell

I like Hera too (Here-a, as opposed to the American p. of Hair-a)

Freya lovely too, but much less unusual now than Myla.

How are you faring, Christiana? Any developments?

I like Elodie

Mrs Happy

Sigi? really?

My sis has a friend called Taryn, I think it's lovely.

My dd's are Chloe and Robyn.

I also like

Hero
Georgia
Lola
Marin
Skye
Alanna
Tori

how about Sibi?

My Alida is pronounced Aa-lee-da, so no scope for cruel jokes there.

Anyway you can always send her to a single-sex school!

Aleida was one I was thinking of but apparently cruel boys might say I laid Aleida!

Nell!!!!! MrsH...

Nothing wrong with Alta just not sure if it grabs us by the whatsits

Or Alida. (long first 'a')

Right, that's every name I know now on this thread...

Or Nell.

Dunno where that just came from.

Ruby is pretty popular, or at least it was a few years ago. Now I think it might be a bit less so, but you're right - it might be a bit incongruous with Myla which is more unusual.

Right, here are some more names for your DH's rejection...

Sigrid (shortens to Sigi or Siri and is infinitely cooler than astrid )
Calla (like the lily)
Livia
Kristen
Noa

What was wrong with Alta in the end?

My DD is Aurora, we call her Rorie.

pia my friend has bagged

asha - hmmm - sounds like something i used to sing along to when clubbing (those were the days! tiny dresses and long nights...)

what about Asha? or Pia?

Tryharder i wouldn't worry daddy is not insane nor hormonal so clio and tate aren't in the running..they come under his 'weird' comments...he wants a slightly less popular nor boring english name, hence why Hermione is not winning (as now deemed too greek) and florence is winning (his words...florence nightingale..you can't go wrong) lol

only issue i have with florence is that there is another baby in our small town with the name who will be in the same year as my bubs if she arrives on my due date or the year below if she arrives to scan dates...don't mind the second but i don't want my children to be in same school year in same school with another child of same name....is this slightly mad!!!

chritiana have you thought of any other names today or trying any out?

i do think ruby is lovely but as you said is very popular there are a few just in our small town..

what about zara astrid ....? goes nice with myla!

xxx

I would stick with Alta 'cos it's a family name and that makes it special.

Some pretty names on here but MrsRadders, surely you could not call a baby "Clio". It's a car!!! or "Tate" which is a gallery!!!

Love Florence though.

aaaargh I had no idea how popular Ruby actually was until I checked this morning. it's too popular isn't it? Next to Myla that is so unusual...

LOVE your names mrsradders

mrshapy very that you still have 18 weeks to go - it is SO much harder to choose AFTER the birth!

I'll never tell!
It's actually something plain and boring and possibly a bit too popular, but it comes with a very unusual middle name (and sounds v cool with our last name) so needs to be balanced against that... Anyway I have approx 18 more weeks in which to change my mind!

Ruby is good. Do you still like it this evening?

hope you choose soon Ruby is lovely, i will give you names off my list as DH seems to think most are too weird for us!!! lol

Hermione (my favourite)
Bryony
Clio
Constance (DH fav)
Eden
Felicity
Pheobe
Tansy (i like but this makes me nuts apparantly lol)
Thalia
Eveline

i also like

Hester
Hennrieta
Millicent
Tate

most names i like DH really dislikes which sucks, although Florence popped out of DH's mouth last night, this is one i liked but never mentioned as it would i thought have been dismissed!! lol

Mrshappy what's your chosen name please do tell!

Last night came up with Ruby, DH likes it. We are trying it out today. Although his whole family apparently think it's weird (and they all have VERY weird names - DH is named after a volcano in Africa!)

bluechamagne I like all those names, DH likes Roxanne but not convinced...

Mrsradders - I know, I think so too, but now I can't see clearly about the name. My gut tells me not to really...

I agree with MrsRadders
Bryony is nice - I used to love it when I was little. It seemed so ethereal.

Pah... well I think I have put all of my best names (except the one I am using!) on this thread.
Has your DH suggested any names he does like so we can get the measure of him?

Ailsa
Tamsin
Meredith
Meryl
Rhiannon
Blaise
Rosanne/Roxanne
Hester
Corinna

How about Bryony? I love that name,

Alta means tall in spanish, not sure about that one.

sorry if that rant was a bit full on!!!

Sorry but i think if you love astrid and it feels right then you should call your daughter it as long as DH is happy with that decision, your brother was wrong for calling his daughter the name that you had chosen regardless of whether his baby was born first, its hard enough choosing names that both parents are happy with so someone pinching it is unfair!! xxx

Alethea is lovely but a bit of a mouthful I think...

Maybe Alta it is. Why don't I feel all positive about it though? Am i just TOO tireD?

no don't call her Astrid....not if she has cousin called Astrid....Alta is lovely

have you considered Alethea? (pr. alla-thea)it is similar and means Truth....

my mum (feeling guilty i think for her part in suggesting name to brother) thinks we could call her Astrid... but not sure what rest if the family wil say... but we do live in different countries...

have a neice called Talu...

/dh doesn't lie Merle... or many others... i read this whole thread to him last night!.. I am an Anna so Anya bit too close...

ooh, bronze, I was about to suggest Anke!
Anya
Erin
?

What a shame about Astrid! That's really unfair to have nicked your name! I knew someone at college who confided in her sister that if she ever had a boy she would like to call him Harrison, as it was her maiden name. As said friend was still single when her sister got married and had a little boy, she used it
Your DB was much more cheeky, as you were actually pregnant when he did it! Bah,...

Alta is still a good one though...

Tula
Ellery
Romily is lovely too.

I love welsh names, Ffion, Seren, Mari, but do understand you are scottish! Let us know what you ended up calling the lo, am very intrigued....

Tula
Ellery
Romily is lovely too.

I love welsh names, Ffion, Seren, Mari, but do understand you are scottish! Let us know what you ended up calling the lo, am very intrigued....

Anna
Kezia
Zillah
Adah
Kate
Estella
Astrid
Elayne

I hope you find the perfect name!

Anna
Kezia
Zillah
Adah
Kate
Estella
Astrid
Elayne

Stella?

I met a lovely Dutch lady called Anke last week

Oooh, I know! What about Merle?

Hm, I pronounce Alicia "Alissia".

Romilly is nice and unusual.

Know what you mean about Ione - it makes our last name sound like a noun too.

Don't know about the cousins thing. In my family heaps of boys are named some variation on James, but not first names and first cousins. If you are close to your brother and talk to him lots if might be a bit ... I don't know, confusing, maybe? By the same token if you were absolutely set on Astrid maybe you should use it regardless. Sorry, not helpful, I know. My SIL - who lives thousands of miles away- is due a few weeks after me (both having girls) and I am going to try every trick in the book (bar an elective at 39 weeks!) to make sure mine comes out first so I get first pick of the names!

Have you tried calling your DD different names and seeing if any of them feel right?

Romilly?

my cousin's cousin is called Astir which is really unusual and quite lovely i think...
or how about Astrella?

hmmm yes you're right... maybe alissia?

Well I wondered that, christiana, but I would pronounce Alicia - Al-eesh-a.

mrshappy i was wondering about that, but then I thought that I don't really go around telling people what my brothers' names are... so perhaps not so much of an issue. Mentioned this to Dh and he thinks that Alissa looks a bit like half a name...

It's getting hard this! Ione I like, particularly as am living in Scotland, but with our surname it sounds like we own a certain type of bird!

Fruity do you think it was Alicia?

Can I call my DD the same name as her cousin who lives abroad? I had planned to call her Astrid when I first got pg, but then my brother (prompted by my mother's suggestion - long story - but basically she told him what I was going to call her!) called HIS dd Astrid... I am getting really emotional and hormonal now as I get my post pg blues and can't think if this is a COMPLETE no- no

Alice?

I know a little girl who's name is pronounced
A-liss-ia

No idea how it's spelt though. I just thought it was quite similar to Alyssa?

Have you considered Ione?
I think it is pretty, will suit as she grows up and works with Myla.

I know this sounds a bit OTT but I would not be keen to have two girls with the letters ly/yl in their names (i.e. Alyssa and Myla, although I suppose you could spell it with an 'i' instead). For me it feels a bit contrived, but then I am quite possibly going to name DD2 something which alliterates with our last name (quite the MN sin, apparently...)

Oooh I hope she won't be short Maggie! Had a dog called Cordelia. Have a relation called Esme...

These names are great, thank you.

I'm another fan of Alta.
And Clara.
And Esme.
But the best names I think are ones that mean something to you.

Congratulations!!

Allegra and Athena and Cordelia, Meredith, all beautiful suggestions.

Alta can mean tall in spanish. will she be short?!

I prefer Alyssa although I prefer Alice iyswim.

What about Althea!? bit like Alta but sounds a bit more substantial. Could be Ali or Thea for short. Both nice.

How about Soleil?

Rosa?

I love Elena and Thea. Also once knew a girl named Tace - quite like it; think it's from Greek mythology.

Other slightly more unusual suggestions:
Solenne
Lea/Leah (pronounce Lay-a)
Thalia
Tassia
Laetitia
Meredith
Elodie
Cordelia
Anastasia
Blythe

Sylvie

Vanessa
Shamsy

Elsa/ Elsie
Anais
Greta
Lynley
Alma

Never heard of Taryn, will try it out on DH
Good to hear that you like your name sunwillcomeout

decisions, decisions...

Never heard of Taryn, will try it out on DH
Good to hear that you like your name sunwillcomeout

decisions, decisions...

Taryn is a nice suggestion. Our friends have two dds - one is called Myla and the other is Anya. They seem to go very well together.

what about Alia (long first A)?

Allegra?

I have been thinking- maybe a name with more than 2 syllables will sound better with Myla, less gimmicky, so Myla and Alyssa sound best imo.

Alyssa (my name is Alissa!!)
I always get great comments on it

Taryn

Myla and Taryn is perfect. congrats on your new daughter, that is splendid news.

Like Alta
also like Nula

Amity is fab and lovely with Myla

Love Alyssa

Licia (lis-ia)
Nahla

Alyssa v popular in US- It's pretty, I think in some states it is the top name. It's not as unique as Alta but it's pretty and I don't personally care if something is 'too 80s' if you like it.

OOh I like Clara, or Alta is lovely I haven't heard it used as a name, but it does mean tall/high in various languages so I am guessing it would be funny if you are a dwarf (NB No offence if you are!!), but just fine for a regular sized person.

Congratulations

Just went on something called babynames.com, and it says Alyssa 14th most popular name in US at moment! Very surprising, no?

Lois - it sounds nice with Myla

I will try out some of these names on DH tonight. He is leaning towards Alyssa but I am worried it sounds like the end of a name not the whole name... like you forgot you were called melissa or something...

the bounty list - go to bounty.com, baby names section, then there is an icon you can click where you check the poularity of your baby's name...

What about Eden or lyra or Fleur

Alyssa is lovely. Also how about..

Leona
Leoni
Cara
Athena
Imogen

christiana where is the bounty list? can you see that online?

i like Alyssa although it is less rare than your dd1 name

God I love Clara

i so wanted that for BabyG

but he's a boy

Just thought - I personally am not keen on names ending the same .. wouldn't want Myla and Alta. It's a bit twee for me.

Also, not keen when people use same letter at the start of a name for all of their children .. I know someone with 4 children and they all start with "M"!

Abra is nice and not common.

There's a character called Abra in "East of Eden".

Tess - i love dd2's name apart from when people call her Tessa.

Well if it is your granny's name that is more of a reason to use it IMO.

Alta is nice with a short A, otherwise sounds like something you'd find in a church.

Nina is nice too, I think.

Cara

Kiah

Neela

Nuala

Vita

Xanthe

Helena

Gaia

Dayna

Lisa is a pretty name and v. retro

Clara
Clarice

Zara not that unusual,my dd has about 3 friends called Zara but she is nearly 18 so different generation.

I saw a Hero birth announcement in the paper last week mrshappy - quite like that.

I guess there are a lot of larissa melissa clarissa marissa names...

Or Zara?

Go with Alta then,nice as you have a connection with it.

Thanks, she's LOVELY! all snuffly and sweet.

Alta - pronounced with short a - was my American grandmother's name. Checked it on the Bounty list, numbr 28718 or something in popularity so can safely say it's not awfully common!

Sara

Congratulations

Not so keen on Alyssa (or any "issa" names - they were too ubiquitous where I grew up in the 80s).

Alta I like.

Other names I like (this week) that might do it for you...

Arden
Malin (I had a thread on it and it was almost universally disliked, but at least it is not too popular!!)
And I still love Hero (but it is shocking with our last name), so you should of course help yourself!

congratulations

never heard of Alta is it pronounced with long or short 'a'?
I like Alyssa

Ria
Joy
Thea
Petra

Congratulations

Elena

Lara

Ailsa

Nia

Made mistake of waiting till she was born to think of a name and with our sleep deprived befuddled minds finding it very hard! Have DD age 3 called Myla, LOVE her name. Finding it hard to find one to match up to but think we may be close. Wanting something unusual but pretty but not too pretty, will grow with her.

Some thoughts please on

Alyssa or
Alta

Or any other suggestions TIA