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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

is tis anme or a nickname

27 replies

mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 10:49

having decided on arabella or arabelle (although the farming connection makes this less likely) .was googling arabella to search for arabellas in history literature etc.

found arabella/arbella stuart . i realy think i prefer arbella to arabella . is arbella a nn does it appear yoo made up contrived . we are in scotland does it sound too much like our bella (we don't want bella as nn if possible )
although we intend to use the name arabella /arbella really want a nn in waiting to avoid gps christening her bella which we don't like.
so if harriet can have nn hattie can arabella be known as hattie ( i know there is no t) any other nn suggestions
so far we have opinions on thes nn greatfully received but please be gentle

belle
rabbie too masculine
bobbie following on from rabbie
boo as in bella boo
roo( dh was watching her in her sling and thought she looked like winnie the poohs roo)
rb
hattie
betty/bessie

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Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 10:50

apologies typing one handed should be is this a name obviously doh

OP posts:
doozle · 02/03/2011 10:51

Eh?

Sorry quite confused about some of your post.

Arbella sounds contrived yes

doozle · 02/03/2011 10:53

I don't think arabella can be a hattie. Makes no sense.

Why not call her her harriet if you want that nickname.

Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 10:56

dh disliked harriet and vetoed it unfortunately arabella is the only name we both like

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doozle · 02/03/2011 10:57

Ella for a nickname?

BiscuitEmoticon · 02/03/2011 10:59

I think if you don't like the most obvious nickname, then you should avoid the whole name. To be honest, it doesn't even sound like you really like the whole name! Seeing how my kids are being nicknamed by friends, I think and Arabella would be known as Umbrella...(I have a Marshmallow or Parsnip, and a Flogger at the moment... you'd never work those out!). Ari would also come from Arabella. Can't say I'm real keen on Arabella, but my view doesn't matter.

I love Harriet and Hattie/Hettie/Hat/Het/Harri.
Love Betty/Bessy which could be short for Elizabeth/Elisabeth/Lisbeth or just on their own.

doozle · 02/03/2011 11:00

Belle is nice too.

doozle · 02/03/2011 11:01

Agreed, people will call her whatever they want for a nickname. It's not something you can really dictate.

Finessa · 02/03/2011 11:06

I think Arabella is a lovely name with Ella or probably Bella as a nn.

I don't think Arbella works - it would sound like you were shouting "Our Bella!"

Let us know what you choose and good luck :)

Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 11:22

thanks finessa .realistically i know arbella doesn't work (our bella ) . it has to be arabella . biscuit your right i don't love the name (still worry it's too posh ,try hard etc)but do like it .it was well down my list (i loved it as a middle name)but dh vetoed every name i suggested, he only had one name he liked which i disliked intensely. arabella was his second favourite . thus arabella was chosen as it was the only name we could both live . i think i'm still feeling uncertain because there were so many other names i would have preferred to use if dh had been easier to please.

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Prinpo · 02/03/2011 11:31

How far through your pregnancy are you? If you've still got a while to go then I'd go back to the drawing board. It seems a shame to choose a name that you're not convinced by just to compromise. Personally, I'd insist that DH comes up with more than two possible names...

That said, Arabella is fine (deffo not Arbella, but I think you've decided that). You can't stop people from calling her Bella, and I'm sure they will, but you can minimise it by coming up with a nn from the start. From your list, the only one that makes sense to me is Belle. Boo is cute - something you can use at home, but not substantial enough to stick as a nn throughout school, etc.. Elle or Ella would work too.

Would you consider Annabelle / Annabella? Then you could have Anna / Annie as a nn, both of which I think are lovely.

Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 12:17

baby is here in registered but still struggling with her name . the name dh loved was barbara or augusta both of which i dislike and said no to. dh vetoed or ridiculed every other name i suggested . i loved martha , matilda, cecilia and clarissa. will just have to learn to love the name arabella and forget the alternatives

dh would not consider annabella/ annabelle i did suggest them to dh but he considered them too posh but yet he liked arabella

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Finessa · 02/03/2011 13:00

Congratulations - hope you are feeling okay? When was she born?

If you could choose a name yourself, which one would you go for?

Have you tried calling her by the different names? I love the others too - Martha, Matilda, Cecilia and Clarissa. I don't think they're too posh and babies grow into whatever name you give them. (I'm in Scotland too). Which names could you yell across the park/supermarket?

My DH is imposssible too - he vetoes most names and shrugs to only a few (these are the ones he might consider!) I just read him the top 100 boys names - he vetoed 97 and shrugged to 3 LOL. Last time we worked out a shortlist and then I pulled the whole waterworks/hormones/you've not been pregnant for 9 months etc. until he caved in! Bad person that I am :)

SilkStalkings · 02/03/2011 13:04

Henrietta/Henriette for Hattie nickname?

icapturethecastle · 02/03/2011 13:06

I think Arabella is a lovely name (Arabella Stuart was a very interesting lady!) Surely the Arbella is just an old english variant of Arabella

Do you not like Ella as a nickname then? As others have said you may not have control over what nickname she will be given.

icapturethecastle · 02/03/2011 13:08

sorry that came across as a bit bossy - also congratulations Smile

Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 14:49

fineesa tried the waterworks pregnancy hormonal bit to no avail . i just couldn't force a name on him he said he really disliked . although i do wish i'd stuck to my guns becuse he would learnt to live with it much more quickly than i've been able to

i don't dislike arabella just don't love it yet the whole bella (twilight thing ) iritates .
if truth be known i would have gone for matilda , martha , cecilia in that order . dh went waltzing matilda (too warlike in his opinion ), martha monkey or cecilia your breaking my heart when they were mentioned and refused to budge.

to late to change it now anyway .

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Finessa · 02/03/2011 15:22

Hey, Arabella will grow on you! I bet in a couple of weeks you won't be able to imagine calling her anything else :)

Prinpo · 02/03/2011 15:33

Congratulations on your baby Smile.

FWIW, I love your choices. Matilda (Tilly) is a great name.

Do you dislike Bella as a nn just because of Twilight? Personally, as someone who's read the whole series (and drooled in an way that's unbecoming a 39 year-old woman), I wouldn't get too hung up on it. It's not the first thing I think of when I hear any of the names: Bella, Edward, Esme - they're all great names in and of themselves and it's a pity to be put off using them.

When DD1 was little, her cousin called her 'Ara' because she couldn't say her real name. Would this be a possibility?

Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 17:58

thanks everone i think i've just been overthinking the bella (twilight issue ) issue . i also worried she'd be lost of sea of isabellas,bellas and ellas . having said that i've only met few ellies and ellas, no bellas at all.

already arabella is beginning to feel more like her and who she is rather than constantly hankering back to the altrnatives

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Original poster
mummypontipine · 02/03/2011 17:59

ara is definitely also an option

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talkingnonsense · 02/03/2011 18:05

Arra, arrie, araby, bebe, ray, ray-belle, ray bee, Ellie?

ValiumSingleton · 02/03/2011 18:11

Bella is nice.

ValiumSingleton · 02/03/2011 18:12

ps, most of the isabellas seem to be izzies. i don't know any Bellas

mathanxiety · 02/03/2011 18:50

I know an Annabel whose nn is Belly, if that's any help to you?

Bibi is lovely and can suit any number of names with B in them.