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Baby names

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Original poster

Aggghh...help with girls' names please!

30 replies

Laquila · 13/06/2013 16:23

I'm due in Aug and don't know the gender. We have a boys' name that we're happy with but are really struggling with a girls' name. The ones we like are generally arguably/technically boys' names that could be used for girls...current top three as follows:

Corin
Auden
Delphine (obvs I know this one isn't a boys' name!)

Can anyone suggest anything that we might not have thought of?!

We'd like something fairly unusual it not bonkers - not Top 100 though. Middle name likely to be Grace. Other names we like but not quite enough to use are:

Meredith
Cecilia/Cecily
Hester
Alexandra

We're not keen on anything too girly (such as Milly, Daisy, Lily or similar) or too retro (Elsie, Maud, Mabel etc).

Any suggestions very gratefully received!

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peppapigmustdie · 16/06/2013 23:21

Madryn
Robyn
Christina

MrsFrederickWentworth · 16/06/2013 23:17

Esme
Peta
Petra
Delith
Mally
Evelyn

Vijac · 16/06/2013 23:13

I like Alexandra.

gintastic · 16/06/2013 22:30

My daughter is Anwen :-) love the name, although people keep asking if I'm a LOTR fan... FYI, she was called Arwen, the lass in LOTR, our Anwen is just because I liked the name. OH is Welsh, so my brood all have welsh names.

ComeAlongPond · 16/06/2013 15:38

Rowan is lovely. I know someone called Rowida - pronounced Row as in doe, I as in me, myself, and I, and da as in the phonetic 'duh' sound.

Aubin? Aubrey? Avery?

Cora?

Tessa or Thalia if you like Thea?

Hester, if you like the sound of Hebe but don't like its dog connotations?

Original poster
Laquila · 16/06/2013 15:04

Thanks both.

I think it might sort of be the "fullness" of Corinne that I'm not so keen on! I like the quite spare, almost curt look and sound of both Corin and Auden.

Not a fan of Daphne but I do quite like Coralie. Husband also likes Hebe but I knew a dog called Hebe belonging to some people I didn't like much, which has out me off!

Other possibilities are Anwen, Alba and Rowan (although my husband seems convinced that the latter is a boy's name).

OP posts:
FetaCheeny · 16/06/2013 14:35

I think the Corinne spelling is better and fuller. You're right that some people may mis-pronounce, but they will only need to be told once. Far better than people assuming you are a big before they meet you IMO.

Not keen on Delphine but love Daphne.
Alexandra is a beautiful name too.
Coralie?

Layl77 · 16/06/2013 13:32

Corin / Auden nice and not common names so I don't think there would be a problem with people thinking they're a boy.
I really don't like Constance think its very harsh

jazzcat28 · 16/06/2013 12:53

Astrid
Erin
Erica
Kiera
Ophelia

Original poster
Laquila · 16/06/2013 10:27

Ta Monster!

I keep coming back to it but just don't know whether I'd potentially be condemning my kid to a lifetime of having to clarify that she's a girl...

Husband still really likes Auden, as do I, but again, same potential issue. Also, I'm worried that it's a tiny bit ...American...

We also like Constance but I'm not keen on the nn Con/Connie.

OP posts:
themilkmonster · 14/06/2013 22:29

Love Corin! My favourite from your list OP Smile

Original poster
Laquila · 14/06/2013 20:25

Thanks niffer - I've always loved Malin (I remember seeing it in the Ikea catalogue about 15 yrs ago and mentally storing it away!) and the only thing holding me back from Astrid is the possible shortening/childish nn of Ass!...it is a gorgeous name though.

OP posts:
niffernaffer · 14/06/2013 20:21

I like the continental feeling to your names. What about Malin (scandinavian) or Astrid?

Original poster
Laquila · 14/06/2013 19:04

I do like Tanith - reminds me of Lilith (the brilliant Frasier character, not Adam's first wife!) and actually I think it goes nicely with our surname.

I'm liking Thea more and more, as a full name and as a nickname for Dorothea.

Orla I love, but my husband isn't keen at all.

OP posts:
fussychica · 14/06/2013 18:36

I think Alexandra Grace is lovely. Corin is nice but doesn't really flow with Grace
Others
Laurel Grace
Alice/ia Grace

telsa · 14/06/2013 15:47

Tamar
Shulamith
Robyn
Orla

bugsybill · 14/06/2013 14:22

Tanith?

Vivienne?

Tamsin?

Petra?

DebsMorgan · 14/06/2013 13:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bugsybill · 14/06/2013 12:08

Yes, I agree Corin would rhyme with foreign. And I think it is definitely a girls name.

I was googling Auden and found Audra which I also like.

Isra?
Astra?
Calla?
Inken?
Sanna?

Although some of them do have Rs which might be problematic with your surname.

Original poster
Laquila · 14/06/2013 09:20

I do like Merryn and Romy but again, I think there'd be too many R-sounds with our surname!

I'd pronounce Corin as you would, bugsy - to rhyme with foreign. I started a thread, though, about Corin/Corinne/Corrine pronunciation and it seemed that the only one that pretty much everyone agreed on was Corin = foreign, whist Corinne and Corrine were coming out as beign said in various different ways! It was fairly even sstevens on whether people thought Corin (spelt that way) was a boys or girls name.

I do like Honor but my husband's not that keen. Saphira and Electra too out-there for us, I think, and Adrienne feels a bit Mills and Boon ;)

As for Auden - I found it (as a girl's name) in a book of fairly obscure baby names and would pronounce it was I would for the poet - OR-den. Glad you like it!

OP posts:
bugsybill · 14/06/2013 06:12

Corin confuses me a little.

I knew a Corinne once who was pronounced 'Core-rin' whereas I would pronounce Corin 'Co-rin' to rhyme with Lauren and Soren.

How would you pronounce it?

I do like Auden though, never heard of it and I would presume it to be female. (I might even steal it for my list Grin ). I presume it is pronounced 'Or-din' like the start of ordinary? Is that right?

How about Manon?
Evelyn?
Aubrey?
Adrienne?

Saphira?
Honor?
Electra? (although I read you didn't want it ending with -a sounds, but they might work somehow).

MortifiedAdams · 13/06/2013 23:33

Merryn
Romy
Stella
Hebe
Audrey

Original poster
Laquila · 13/06/2013 23:27

Thanks very much all.

I'm a bit unconvinced about spelling Corin any other way! I think Corinne would get pronounced Co-REEN.

I love Thea, Rowan and Aurelia, but I don't know whether the latter goes with our surname, which begins with R. Gorgeous name though. I also love Aurora but have the same problem with that. I thought Auden was a good way of getting round it but fear it may be too unisex and untraditional for my family...

OP posts:
MyNameIsSuz · 13/06/2013 20:35

Aurelia?

bridgetsmum · 13/06/2013 20:28

Bridget Grin