DC3 and looking for classic names

[Moopsy]

Hi ladies,

We have 2 gorgeous daughters Josephine and Iris and we are now TTC for dc3. I'd love a beautiful classic English name but not too popular. I feel I did well with Josephine but failed a bit with Iris as while it is beautiful, it is becoming increasingly popular. So here are our ideas so far...

Girls:
Marianne
Ariadne (dh favourite but I feel too close in sound to Iris)
Madeleine
Harriet (my favourite)
Phoebe (getting too popular?)
Isolde
Elinor
Isobel
Matilda (nn Tilly)

Boys:
Miles
Alistair
Henry
Hayden
Toby

Struggling so opinions and suggestions welcome,

thank you for your help.

[clairemum22]

I like Matilda but that's getting more common. I love Elinor as well. I like Toby and Henry for boys names.

[thedreamersmother]

I especially like Harriet and Marianne from your list. How about Caroline, Laura or Emmeline?

[Fivemoreminutesmummy]

Isadora? Can call her dot for short.

[mathanxiety]

Marianne -- a bit meh imo.
Ariadne (dh favourite but I feel too close in sound to Iris) -- not really close to Iris but I don't think it goes with Josephine.
Madeleine -- lovely but will be shortened to Maddy - don't know if that's a problem.
Harriet (my favourite) -- I love this one too. I think it goes really well with the two others while still standing out on its own. NNs are lovely too (Hattie, maybe Hettie, maybe even Harry, cute for a girl imo)
Phoebe (getting too popular?) -- nice but maybe a bit weak beside Josephine and Iris, which I see as strong names, perhaps because Phoebe has an EE ending..
Isolde -- too many I initials.
Elinor -- would be shortened to Ellie, and there are thousands of them everywhere.
Isobel -- again an I initial, and there are millions of them, between Isabelas and Isobels.
Matilda (nn Tilly) -- I prefer Tilda as a nn, but Matilda is lovely imo. However, it is popular.

Boys:
Miles -- very nice.
Alistair -- would be my choice.
Henry -- very nice but also very popular.
Hayden -- would avoid. Doesn't really go with the two others.
Toby -- I would choose between Toby and Alistair , despite the EE ending. Maybe Tobias?

So from your list:
Madeleine
Harriet
Matilda
Alistair
Toby/Tobias

How about:
Louisa
Honor
Rosalind
Mirabel
Annabel
Cleo
Clara
Laurel
Helena or even Helen
Greta

[mathanxiety]

And Leonora

[EsmereldaBelle]

I love Harriet & Henry

[Wishfulmakeupping]

Love Harriet and Elinor from girls and Alistair and Henry from boys
Would say Henry is a very popular boys name and Harriet is more or at least as popular as Iris in my area

[NadiaWadia]

Marianne and Madeleine are both lovely. So is Isobel, but very popular of course.

[evamummy]

Love Isolde and Alistair, or how about Antonia and Quentin?

[TooTryHard]

I love Marianne. Dh wouldn't let me use it or I probably would have done.

Helena is fantastic as well.

[soontobeslendergirl]

Arabella
Henrietta
Lillian

Simon
Edgar
Peter

[sleepingbeautiful]

Isobel and Phoebe are too popular for you.
I really like Marianne and think it goes well with other DCs names. I only know one, late 30s, lovely person. Plus the one from Sense and Sensibility.
I also really like Harriet but don't think it goes as well with the other DCs as Marianne.

I think Alistair goes best from the boy names. Henry is too popular for you.

Other suggestions:
Rebecca
Cecilia
Margaret
Mary
Lydia

Hugh
Nicholas
Frederick
Francis
Anthony

[bananamummy]

Love Josephine! From the suggestions so far I think these are the most timeless (and lovely) names:

Marianne
Harriet
Isolde
Helena/Helen

Alistair
Miles
Quentin
Francis

Other suggestions: Louise, Cordelia, Clement or Leonard?

[EuphemiaLennox]

From your lists:

Marianne
Or
Alistair

Suggestions:

Vivienne
Or
Gregory

Or

Penelope
Or
Fraser

[toobreathless]

How do you pronounce Ariadne?

Love the rest of your girls list except Phoebe, I have an irrational dislike of phoebe for no good reason & don't think it sounds 'classic'.

Isobel is very popular, Matilda is getting trendy.

Or...
Georgina/Georgiana (sp?)
Elizabeth
Catherine
Audrey
Claudia
Constance
Verity
Felicity
Cecilia
Emmeline
Roasalind

Will try & pop back later to do the boys list!

[Frangepani]

Madeleine is gorgeous. Other suggestions I like on here are Eleanor, Helena, Rosalind, Catherine. From the boys' names list I like Alistair and Gregory. I'd also suggest Cameron, Callum and Duncan.

[soontobeslendergirl]

toobreathless, I would pronounce it Arry add nay - sort off :o

[Saffyz]

I like

Marianne
Phoebe
Isolde

Miles
Alistair
Henry

[Moopsy]

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, it kind of changed my opinion on some of the names I had in mind... I think I have kind of crossed off Ariadne (I pronounce it Arry-Anne but I don't her want her to spend her life correcting people), Marianne (dh went Mary-Anne?), Isolde (I find it sad sounding after all...), Phoebe (Friends really ruined it), Madeleine (love it but reminds dh of McCann case), Miles (dh hates it now... )

Out of the names suggested I really like Georgina, Arabella, Felicity, Rosalind.

And for boys I realised I forgot to mention William...

And what about Louis? Or is that too posh?

[sleepingbeautiful]

I really like Rosalind with your other DDs names if you are pronouncing it Roz-alind. If Rose-alind then maybe sounds overly similar with Josephine.

Georgina and Felicity are both nice.
Arabella seems a bit frilly compared to other DDs names.

Louis isn't particularly posh. Think Louis Walsh off that music programme for one. William and Louis are both nice, but I still think Alistair is best from your list. Also William is pretty popular.

[Moopsy]

hahaha, thanks! Think Louis Walsh has killed it for me now!

[Sonotkylie]

Saw this a few days ago and meant to reply. Love your girls' names. I wanted a Josephine... DH not sure. DS resolved problem!
How about Connie or Vivienne? Are they 'classic' or just old fashioned? Tis a thin line! I do like Marianne though (but hate Marianna!)
Not so good on boys names - Miles I like. Milo? Or too popular and possibly up oneself? Nicholas/ Nico? Same applies really

[MrsDibble]

Elinor is nice. I really like Emmeline - might nick it!

What about Alexander for a boy?

Agree that Louis is dreadful.