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Baby names

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

Original poster

Ella, Evelyn, Elizabeth, Ava or Anna!

59 replies

Sandydunes · 16/05/2012 14:06

Please help me decide as I am about to give birth any day now and am getting sick of thinking about these names...they are all starting to blur!

I have a gut feeling of my two favourites and OH likes another two better so would love some outside opinions.

The middle name would be either Margaret or Claire.

Thanks in advance for all your honest opinions!

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blackwhitecat · 17/05/2012 13:28

This reply has been deleted

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spiderlight · 17/05/2012 13:26

Anna

susiedaisy · 17/05/2012 13:22

Evelyn is lovelySmile

FioFio · 17/05/2012 13:22

we were going to have evelyn. I think it's a lovely name

GoPoldark · 17/05/2012 13:20

Anna - timeless, elegant, wonderful.

Anna Margaret is fab.

VeronicaSpeedwell · 17/05/2012 12:23

Anna or Elizabeth for me, preferably the former. I love Anna, it's elegant and timeless. I do know one little one, and always think that it is a great name to serve a girl and then a woman her whole life through.

AKMD · 16/05/2012 22:09

Elizabeth and Ava are my favourites from your list. Ava is very popular now though so I would probably go for Elizabeth. I love the nn Eliza too.

I might be rather biased though - DH has just agreed Elizabeth as a middle name for DC2 if it's a DD and I am over the moon!

boyfallingoutofthesky · 16/05/2012 21:49

Anna - it is beautiful, timeless and I don't know any little Annas.

Don't see the attraction of Evelyn personally though it seems quite popular currently and agree there will be pronounciation confusion and it will inevitably be shortened to Evie.

I like Ella, but it is v popular, although I think it may be falling outof fashion now, don't really encounter many babies named this, mainly slightly older girls.

Don't like the name Elizabeth it feels too unwieldy, although agree some shortenings are nice but am not a fan of shortened names. I do love both Eliza and Beth though.

Ava -pretty but very popular

In summary, I would go for Anna

phunkiephedora · 16/05/2012 21:15

I love Ella, I know it's popular, DD2 is Eleanor but Ella at home. She had a choice which name to use when she started school and chose Ella. Sometimes she uses her long name (mostly when she wants to look grown up!)
Anna is timeless
I agree (sadly) with others that Evie is v.v.poplular - but hey, so's Ella!

redemptionsong · 16/05/2012 20:47

Ella Margaret is lovely or Ellannor Margaret for sundays :)

wonderwooman · 16/05/2012 20:34

Ella Margaret
Evelyn Claire
Anna Margaret or Anna Claire

are my faves Smile

kiwi5 · 16/05/2012 20:32

i have an evelyn, and we shorten it to Evvy rather than Evie. we do call her Evelyn (ev-e-lyn NOT eve-lyn) al as well. I love it and have not regretted it once!

kerala · 16/05/2012 15:00

Don't pick any variant of eve if you want to be different! My friend had the same idea with Evelyn but at school now and is known as eve. Sorry but I spend alot of time tying myself in knots with all the eves many of whom are DDS friends things complicated enough with 5 year old girls friendships without them all having the same name!

Original poster
Sandydunes · 16/05/2012 14:54

LOL thanks...now I want to know which ones!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Sandydunes · 16/05/2012 14:54

Good point springheeledjack

(am taking notes on all this advice to show OH later):)

OP posts:
SpringHeeledJack · 16/05/2012 14:52

ps Sandy three of your (not frequently used) names figure in my immediate family

(me and both dds)

your taste is exquisite

Grin
SpringHeeledJack · 16/05/2012 14:50

I don't know ANY little Annas, Elizabeths or Evelyns

I know hods of the others

Willabywallaby · 16/05/2012 14:47

I would have Elizabeth shortened to Libby

wigglesrock · 16/05/2012 14:47

I have an Anna, she's 15 months now, I really love her name, I have 3dds and its my favourite. I'm not really sure if you're allowed to have a favourite childs name among your own children Grin.

Her middle name is also one of one of your middle name choices Shock Grin

Original poster
Sandydunes · 16/05/2012 14:44

Wow so many quick replies, thanks!

I definitely wouldn't be shortening Evelyn to Evie, as there are so many of these "-ie" type names around, and would be pronouncing it EV-lin. I thought that Evelyn would be a bit different and quite like its old-fashioned-ness.

Was worried that Elizabeth Margaret might be too popular this year, with the jubilee coming up etc.

Ella was my original favourite.

I agree that Anna is quite ordinary and plain but I do like it. Ava is OH favourite although I agree that it will date.

Aagh, we are never going to decide!

OP posts:
kerala · 16/05/2012 14:44

All the evelyns I know end up as eve. You could try I suppose. Personally would avoid overused names.

MamaMary · 16/05/2012 14:42

That was to ilovemydog

MamaMary · 16/05/2012 14:41

I disagree - all names don't date a person. Elizabeth and Anna are both timeless. They won't date. They're always around, but not in huge numbers.

But Ava/ Eve/ Eva/ Evie - these names are fashionable at the moment and are two a penny - they will date an entire generation.

Stellan · 16/05/2012 14:34

kerala - Personally, I think you can get away with Evelyn in the mix of Eves and Evas and Evies because it's pronounce EV-lin rather than EVE-lin?

Stellan · 16/05/2012 14:32
  1. Anna and Elizabeth - I can't choose between them: both lovely
  1. Evelyn
  1. Ava
  1. Ella

Apply this test: which of these names would I, as a fully grown woman, like to have? Don't think about which of these will suit my tiny cute baby when you're piecing your shortlist together (save that for when you've got one and a little girl to coo over) because, let's face it, she's going to seem more like a little Annie or Evie or Ellie than an Anna or Evelyn or Ella.