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Baby names

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

Original poster

Unusual girls names please!

36 replies

RoaringTwenties · 29/07/2012 09:15

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!

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EldritchCleavage · 26/09/2012 13:32

Undine or Ondine
Calypso
I like Hepzibah, Ursula, Zenobiah and Hera but I see you've got a first name ending in 'a';
Clemence
Vivienne
Simone

delilah88 · 26/09/2012 13:27

What about Verena? Nice name.

geeandfeesmum · 26/09/2012 13:24

Nickname not nick and

geeandfeesmum · 26/09/2012 13:23

I don't like Hebe. My daughters nick and for some odd reason is Geebee so that would be really bad. Heebee Geebee. Not good.

Longdistance · 12/09/2012 15:53

Can I suggest Ilona. It was my aunts name in Hungary. I love it. But it doesn't go with our surname.
Knew a LG who was an Isis. I like the name.

imustbepatient · 12/09/2012 15:48

Hestia?

BlueChampagne · 12/09/2012 15:40

Topaz
Amethyst

rockinhippy · 12/09/2012 14:16

Rohey - pronounced Roarhie

BlueChampagne · 12/09/2012 14:13

Vashti
Corinna
Morvern
Rhiannon
Meryl

Kendodd · 12/09/2012 13:17

We have Octavia and Mathilda.

Kendodd · 12/09/2012 13:17

Clodagh? It's Irish pronounced Clo-da.

MarcelleBabies · 12/09/2012 13:12

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.

JennerOSity · 30/07/2012 11:53

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

jeneliapeterson · 30/07/2012 11:50

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Original poster
RoaringTwenties · 30/07/2012 11:13

Thanks to everyone who's responded Smile. 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!)

OP posts:
letseatgrandma · 30/07/2012 10:57

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!

BikeRaceRunningRaceNoSkiing · 30/07/2012 10:42

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.

tummytickler · 30/07/2012 10:26

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.

Original poster
RoaringTwenties · 30/07/2012 09:28

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... ;-)

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 29/07/2012 19:34

Lavender
Coralie
Pandora
Cecilia
Fenella
Verity

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

RugBugs · 29/07/2012 19:26

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

bagelmonkey · 29/07/2012 19:05

Liberty
Miriam
Morwenna
Hester
Ingrid

patosullivan · 29/07/2012 17:18

How is Hebe pronounced, anyway?

Is it Heeb, or He-Be?

MattDamonIsMyLover · 29/07/2012 15:49

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

shimmy0 · 29/07/2012 15:03

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

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