Unusual girls names please!

[RoaringTwenties]

We are expecting DD1 in Oct. First name is decided, but OH is insistent I don't tell anyone before she arrives, not even on MN, call it an obsessive thing! But suffice to say it is very average and ends in an 'a'. We now want quite an unusual middle name, but are really struggling. Every other day we come up with something and think we've cracked it and in 24 hrs have changed our minds - argh! These are our most recent ideas to give you some sense of where we're at:

Isis
Hebe
Kerezen (we prefer Kerenza but it doesn't work with first name ending in 'a')

Others we quite like but are slightly less unusual include Pearl, Cecily and Astrid.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

[HexagonalQueenOfEverything]

Violet
Vienna
Sienna
Francine

[MattDamonIsMyLover]

Please not Kerezen. Sounds like Kerosene.

[anairofhopeFORGOLD]

Rhoann
tanyth
zelda

[RoaringTwenties]

MattDamon - that's exactly what OH said!

Hexagonal - Violet was considered earlier, will get it back on the long list, thanks

Just Googled Isis and Hebe and got an old MN thread where they were being debated as sibling names...

[VolAuVent]

Aurora
Xanthe
Alannah
Larissa
Serena
Celeste
Alisa
Coralie
Delilah
Cassia
Zara
Nadia
Sapphire
Iona
Willow
Aria
Serafina
Belinda
Lucia

[NaturalWinningNaturesTeamGB]

Araxie
Meredith
Naunet
Dione
Edlin
Tanne
Kelby
Nixie
Ceto
Nerine
Kai
Talori
Kishi
Eirene
Marin
Neris
Callan
Torlan

[birdofthenorth]

Isis, Hebe and Astrid are gorgeous. As a first name I think Hebe would get Jebeez teasing but much less so as an mn I imagine!

I really love Violet but it us absolutely rocketing up the popularity charts so might not be that unusual in a few years time.

For some reason I can now only bring to mind crazy suggestions like:

Juniper
Indigo
Orchid

Or go Welsh for some lovely under-used options:

Bronwyn
Seren
Anwen
Ianta

[patosullivan]

There's a little Violet lives near us. I don't think it's far outside the top 100 girl's names at the minute.

[singaporeswing]

I'll always associate Isis with the prison in Thamesmead. Probably not most peoples' first association, but I'm an odd one.

[manicinsomniac]

Isis is very pretty

How about:
Arwen, Antonia, Araminta, Anoushka, Anika, Bryony, Bridget, Belinda, Cherry, Caoimhe, Calista, Corinne, Danuscia, Dominique, Dakota, Elin, Enya, Emeris, Fenella, Fernanda, Gayle, Hero/a, Isadora, Ida, Jessamy, Jocasta, Katrin, Karina, Kirsty, Leonora, Lyra, Mirren, Melina, Nikita, Ophelia, Peronelle, Rita, Rainbow, Rilla, Saffron, Sorrell, Toya, Tansy, Una, Verity, Wanda, Xanthe, Xaria, Yesenia, Zillah, Zia.

[RugBugs]

Similar to Hebe (which I love) - Hesper.
My other unusual girls name is Eilinel, it's a Tolkein name.

[shimmy0]

I'm just wondering how many threads Hebe will be suggested on. Looks like its the most suggested name on mumsnet!

[MattDamonIsMyLover]

Hebe isn't v pretty sounding though. How about something simple but underused like Samantha or Christina? Astrid is nice too.

[patosullivan]

How is Hebe pronounced, anyway?

Is it Heeb, or He-Be?

[bagelmonkey]

Liberty
Miriam
Morwenna
Hester
Ingrid

[RugBugs]

We pronounce it He-bee (it's the name of a family cat).

[Viviennemary]

Lavender
Coralie
Pandora
Cecilia
Fenella
Verity

I really like Violet and Iris but they are getting quite popular I hear.

[RoaringTwenties]

Thankyou everyone for your suggestions, they're much appreciated :-) (smileys not working in preview...)

Celeste and Xanthe in particular have gone down a treat! I love Sorrell but OH doesn't, OH has been campaigning for Nikita for months but I have exercised a veto on that one! I like Coralie and also Caudalie, but only know of the skincare range so not sure about that one... ;-)

[tummytickler]

Hebe is not unusual here at all, I know 3. I also know two Isis' one of 11 and one of 5.
I have a Pearl and have not met any others.
Celeste is beautiful, as is Sorrell (but sounds a little too close to sorrowful). Ds has a little Astrid in his class at school. Very nice, as is Ingrid.
I do not like Xanthe.

[BikeRaceRunningRaceNoSkiing]

Violet, Verity and Liberty not unusual at all.

Hebe is pronounced Hee Bee


I love Isis. Wanted it for DD, but DH not keen, and said she'd just become another. Izzy.

[letseatgrandma]

The Hebe in my garden always get devoured by slugs, so that's what I think of when I think of the word Hebe; probably not the image anyone else has, but that's what runs through my head!

I rather like Astrid though-I have a vague recollection from reading Roald Dahl's Boy book that his daughter or sister had this name and I thought it was pretty then. Be careful having 'A' as a middle initial as it can spell all sorts of things as an acronym!

[RoaringTwenties]

Thanks to everyone who's responded . I spent the first 30 years of my life spelling my name out as it was so unheard of, only met one other person with the name in all that time. Now there are quite a few under 7's with the name around!

Hebe (pronounced Hee-bee) struck me as very uncommon when I first read Harnessing Peacocks 25 years ago, I think it's stuck in my mind as such but times clearly change. I recall discussing favoured girls names with friends when I was a teen and my choices at the time - Constance, Millicent, Martha - were laughed at by my friends as bizarre and dated!

For various reasons we feel it best that our kids have quite standard first names (unconventional family with a rare and long foreign surname) so middle names give us a bit of freedom! Also although middle names are not used as much they tend not to be shortened. I too wouldn't like Isis to be shortened to Izzy or for people to assume she was an Isobel/Isabella etc (apologies to those who love those names but they're just not for me!)

[JennerOSity]

Myrtle? Most unusual name I know not already mentioned above. :)

[MarcelleBabies]

Marcelle (my name, v unusual for a girl), Camille (my sister's name, again, quite unusual but not really bizarre), and how about Celandine? It's a really beautiful flower.