not asking you to decide, just want to get reactions

[rhetorician]

thinking of calling DD2 Anastasia (old family name), probably with Anna as nn. DP and I really like it - it's classic, but very feminine, and a traditional (although not much used) name where we live.

Alternative is Dara (or Daire in the Irish spelling) - it can be used for a boy or a girl, and means either 'oak', 'fertile' of 'second-born' depending on which source you consult. I like this one too.

[EauRouge]

I don't like Anastasia but my DH loves it and was trying to talk me into it for both DDs. I think if your surname is something simple like Jones then it would work. Is Dara the name of that bald bloke off Mock the Week?

[RuthChan]

I love Anastasia too. Especially if it has family links for you too.

Not so sure about Dara.
I'm afraid that I too get images of the comedian from Mock the Week.

[rhetorician]

see I hadn't thought about the Mock the Week guy - perhaps because living in Ireland it's a relatively common name. I do worry about the fact that most people think it's a boy's name...

[Eglu]

I like Anastasia, it was on my list for DS1.

[PaperBank]

Love Anastasia.

Not keen on unisex names so personally I wouldn't pick Dara.

[PotterWatch]

Anastasia is nice, unusual but not ridiculous. Dara also reminds me of the comedian and I would think of it as a boys name.

[MamaLazarou]

I love Anastasia.

Dara for me is that fucking annoying fox in 'Big City Park'.

[spout]

Dana instead of Dara, maybe? I know a thirtysomething Anastasia who gets called 'Stasi' which is

[bestfootforwards]

Anastasia is lovely, and anna as a nickname would be a great option too

[bestfootforwards]

Anastasia is lovely, and anna as a nickname would be a great option too

[rhetorician]

hmmm, Dara isn't emerging very well, is it? No, not Dana - really don't like it. Does the 'Stasi' lady merit her nn? by the time DD is old enough no-one will know who the stasi were, probably

[Rhubarbgarden]

Anastasia is beautiful, and if it's a family name it's the perfect excuse.

[vividgingerchilli]

Anastasia is lovely, but you might want to consider if you mind it being the same name as (I think) a main character in a Disney film??? It wouldn't bother me but better you know now and decide if it bothers you!

[pilates]

Anastasia with nn Anna is lovely

Not keen on Dara

[HadAThreesomeWithFredAndGeorge]

I really like Dara, just to buck the trend

Not so keen on Anastasia, but Anna is a lovely NN.

[Ragwort]

Love Anna, Dara OK.

[whostolemyname]

Anastasia I like a lot.

[MelinaM]

Lovely classic name, love Anna too

[scarlettsmummy2]

I really like both but was thinking of Dara for a boy. I also love Dara O'Brien so this may have swayed me

[rhetorician]

on the Disney character, don't really care - there is also a big line in slightly dodgy phone lines with Russian girls called Anastasia...I do really like Dara too, but have always been a bit wobbly about it for a girl - even though I know a few female Daras. We are a lesbian couple and I just worry a bit about it being tricky for her to negotiate having a name that lots of people think is a boy's name

[rhetorician]

I really like Anna as well - although forbears with the name were usually called Ansty

[vividgingerchilli]

I would assume that Dara is a boy's name as well so Anastasia gets my vote. That said it's probably because I pronounce it Darragh like the chap off the TV whereas if you had a it for a girl's name it's presumably going to be pronounced like Sara, Tara, Lara or Cara would be?

[Tortoiseonthehalfshell]

I love Anastasia. Around here it's a Greek name, not a Russian one (lots of Greek families in my area/line of work) but I think it's a nicely international sort of name. The ability to chop it into various nicknames is a bonus.

[seeker]

Definitely not Dara, then. Too unisex - you don't want to do anything to give the fuckwits ammunition.

Anastasia nn Anna is lovely. Classic, classy and easy to live with. And and excellent telling off name "AN-A-SAS-IA!!! COME HERE THIS MINUTE!!!!"
.

[TillyIpswitch]

Anastasia is a lovely name.

Dara, to my mind, is a boy's name.