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Baby names

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

Original poster

Which names do you like?Holly, Olivia, arabella, genevieve

37 replies

Tweediewalker · 29/07/2013 22:39

Which names do you like
Holly Jane Auty
Olivia Jane Auty
Arabella rose Auty
Genevieve rose Auty
Please let me know your favourite if any :-s lol

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vitaminC · 30/07/2013 21:55

Holly is extremely 80s and twee IMO.

Genevieve is my MIL's name and I can't imagine it on anyone under 65! Here in France, it'd be like calling your daughter Joan or Barbara or Susan Hmm

Olivia is very pretty but extremely popular.If that doesn't bother you, I would choose that.

Arabella is very upper class sounding and like someone else said, a bit pantomime, but not awful...

kissmyheathenass · 30/07/2013 21:50

Holly is very lovely' Genevieve also lovely. Personally not so keen on others.

Rtfairy · 30/07/2013 21:44

Holly or Olivia are both lovely. The others are too frilly in my opinion.

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 30/07/2013 21:27

I really don't like Arabella

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 30/07/2013 21:27

Holly

Genevieve

Tickledyellow · 30/07/2013 19:39

Holly is beautiful and also Olivia. They are popular for a reason... Arabella is just too fussy and Genevieve is just awful sorry... Similar to BabyStone, just not my kind of names.

Kikibee · 30/07/2013 19:35

You could have Olivia and call her Oli, sounds like Holly Grin

TallulahBetty · 30/07/2013 14:56

Holly Jane. Not keen on the other first names, and Rose as a middle name is done to death.

Squooodle · 30/07/2013 13:21

I would definitely go for Genevieve. All the others are very popular apart from Arabella, which I find a bit princessy. Gen is a cool nn, as is Vee, but Evie would work too. My dds are never called the nn I planned for them, though, even by me!

BabyStone · 30/07/2013 12:50

Olivia Jane or Holly Jane
I even like Olivia Rose

Arabella and Genevieve aren't really my kind of names

Lionchair23 · 30/07/2013 12:46

I like holly the best by far the nicest from your list .Olivia ok but I know so many it puts me off. Don't like the other two find them a bit fussy and try hard sorry .

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 12:40

Thank you yournotfat, that's good to know!

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formicadinosaur · 30/07/2013 10:17

You can get so many lovely nick names from Guinevere. Neve, eve, vera etc.

Holly and Olivia are quite bland sorry.

yournotfat · 30/07/2013 09:34

My friends daughter is Genevieve. They have always called her Evie. When she started school she just introduced herself as Evie. No problems at all.

ShowOfHands · 30/07/2013 08:50

Arabella and Genevieve are both lovely, but Genevieve is prettier by a country mile.

Holly and Olivia are just meh. You can't move for tripping over them. I also wouldn't shorten Genevieve to Eve or Evie due to its popularity. I wouldn't choose such a beautiful name and then shorten it to a ten a penny nickname. All that said, pick the name YOU like and sod popularity and the opinion of a miserable old MNer.

BTW, my dd's name has a popular shortening which I particularly despise and I've never used it. We do shorten her name but in a way that felt natural once she was here. She's at school and doesn't recognise the shortening I dislike. I think somebody used it once and she just looked blankly at them.

outtolunchagain · 30/07/2013 08:34

I know a delightful Arabella , but I adore the name Genevieve

Morgause · 30/07/2013 08:32

Arabella sounds a bit "panto" to me. Or a spinster aunt. Not sure it goes with the surname two "a" sounds one after the other don't flow well.

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:28

Evie sounds fine from Genevieve, I think that it's a natural shortening and definitely doesn't sound forced at all. Go with the name you love the most. You honestly have no control over what your DC become known as once they get older so don't worry about nicknames that may or may not ever happen, particularly at the expense of a name you love!

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:20

Re TheRealFellatio's point - 2 of my DDs and I have a vowel butting onto another vowel (surname inherited from dh!). Whilst I accept that there may be other names that might sound "better" with our surname, it meant disregarding so many names I liked. In the end I decided to go with names I loved rather than get too bogged down with our awful difficult surname!

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 08:11

Do you think that would work? My husband is worried that Evie isn't a natural nn an sounds a little forced?

OP posts:
Ra88 · 30/07/2013 08:10

Olivia .. because its my daughters name I love it Grin

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:06

She would definitely need to go by the name Eve or Evie on a day to day basis by the time she goes to school if you want to avoid any shortenings you don't like as once she's at school, you will have no control over her nicknames!

TheRealFellatio · 30/07/2013 08:00

I am not keen on vowels butting together, as would be the case with Olivia Auty, Holly Auty and Arabella Auty. I find it doesn't flow well as a sounds and is quite difficult to say.

Also I think Genevieve is the prettiest name there of the lot so I'm voting Genevieve.

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 07:59

Thanks mummybare, I do like Viv and Vivi. I wouldn't mind any of those, I think my husband is scared that when she gets to school kids will nn her gen. I am wondering if I shorten her name to eve or Evie on a daily basis she might introduce herself as eve or Evie at school. Although I love genevieve so much I would rather not lol!

OP posts:
mummybare · 30/07/2013 07:54

X post - the nn thing could be good or bad depending on your pov. But there's always Vee, Vivi or Viv if you don't like Gen/Jen/Genni/Jenny.

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