Had decided on Rose but now not sure

[emmyloo2]

Hi, we are expecting a DD in May. We have a son already (George). We had decided on Rose as the name but I am having second thoughts. Is it too predictable and consistent with the current trend of flower names? Lily etc.?

Middle name will be Catherine.

Other options are Esther, Elizabeth....I like Henrietta and Audrey but my DH doesn't like those. Laura was another possibility but it doesn't feel right. I want a old-fashioned, stylish, feminine name that is not overused. I do love Rose but I would hate it to be in the bucket of the current trend of cutesy girly names which are not my cup of tea.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks!

[BlueSuedeStiletto]

I think Rose is a great name. It's not cutesy- even though it's a flower it's got a harder sound as there is no 'ie' sound at the end and it's not overused at the mo like Lily, Daisy, Poppy et al. I'm not too keen on the cutesy names myself- I know a grown up Daisy who is about as un-Daisy as you can get! Plus I think these names are sweet on a child or an old lady, but not so much on a 30 year old.

If you're really having a wobble here's my non-cutesy favourites:

Rebecca- Classic and lovely. BUT I don't like any of the NNs
Bethan
Harriet
Fay
Fern
Tess
Jade
Lydia
Farren
Felicity
Delilah

I personally think Delilah Catherine or Rebecca Catherine would be lovely.

BUT not as lovely as Rose Catherine!

[emmyloo2]

Thanks BlueSuede.

Rose is still definitely on the list but previously I was certain it was "THE" name, now I am not so sure. I love Rebecca and Harriet.
I think our other favourite would be Elizabeth which I think is quite similar to Rebecca in that it is timeless and classic. I love the nickname Beth, although I do wonder how easily you can choose a nickname....or would they end up being called Liz despite your best efforts??

[ZooAnimals]

I think Rose is going to be the new Lily tbh. Rose and Rosie are climbing up the top 100, there have been a good few threads on here in the last week alone where the name or one of the names being asked about is Rose. I think you need to factor in all the Rosies as well because they're barely different names. If she goes to school with 3 Rosies, the fact that she doesn't have an 'ie' is hardly going to make her stand out.

Personally I would go Catherine Rose. I think Catherine is probably going to get more popular as well, but probably not as popular as Rose and at least you have the options of Catherine/Cate/Kate/Katie/Cat/Kitty etc.

[emmyloo2]

Thanks Zoo - this is my fear.

Catherine Rose is not an option (a) because my SIL is called Catherine and my DH refuses to name our child the same name as her (long story, don't ask) and I refuse to use Rose as a middle name only because every second girl here has the middle name of Rose or Grace and it really annoys me, although I love both names.

Catherine is my dear aunt's name who passed away a few years ago and never got to meet my children. She was a wonderful second mother type (one of 4 sisters of my mother) and she would have loved to have been a surrogate grandmother to my children. So we definitely want that as the middle name.

What do you think of Elizabeth Catherine? Too dull?

[50shadesofknackered]

Ooo Rose is a beautiful name. I think its popular as a second name but more unusual as a first name. I love it.

[ZooAnimals]

Elizabeth Catherine is very royal!

I like Elizabeth a lot (it's on my list).

Elizabeth Catherine is quite a mouthful, but you don't say the full name very often so probably not a problem.

I like Harriet a lot as well and Rebecca is nice (and probably the least popular these days). Not keen on Esther.

[NuzzleandScratch]

My dd1 is Rose! It really suits her. She's nearly 3, & we've only come across one other at all the various baby groups & classes we've been to, so it doesn't seem common to me. It's been fairly low down the top 100 in the past couple of years. It seems to be much more common as a middle name. It always gets a nice reaction.

Rosie does seem much more popular, but in my opinion, it's a totally different name.

[SavoyCabbage]

I think it's a love.y name but it is along the Lily lines to me.

What about Catherine as a first name? Or Margaret.

[ripsishere]

Rose is a lovely name, I have no idea of popularity TBH. I got remarkably cheesed off to find that my DDs name (Ruby) was top ten. She was born abroad and we had no frame of reference.
I don't care now, she's never come across another in her class, in four schools she was the only one.
Go with what you love and don't compromise.

[GreatSoprendo]

Rose is a brilliant first name and very underused.

Don't worry about an Elizabeth being nicknamed Liz. If you consistently call them Beth then that will become their name - I've managed it for 30 odd years! Most people don't even realise I'm an Elizabeth now, and therefore I never ever get called Liz.

[emmyloo2]

Thanks everybody! It's so hard to choose a name.

Savoy - we can't use Catherine as a first name as it's the name of my SIL. Margaret is also on my list, as I simply adore the nickname Meg.

The problem with girls names is there are so many lovely ones. Boys names were much more of a struggle so we were relieved to find out we were having a girl.

My son is George so I think George goes with Rose or Elizabeth or Margaret. I think particularly with Elizabeth.

[SunbathingintheRain]

Rose is lovely and classic- if you really love it I wouldn't let popularity put you off.

Saying that I think I slightly prefer Margaret nn Meg, or Elizabeth with one of the many lovely nns. Just a bit more versalite. Other ideas-

Penelope nn Penny or Nell
Margaret but nn Peggy or Maggie
Pearl (one syllable like Rose, same meaning as Margaret)
Josephine nn Josie or Effie

[zenoushka]

Oh I love Rose Catherine! Go with what you love. She will be YOUR Rose Catherine.