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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Violet or Olive?

47 replies

HowAboutNo · 29/12/2013 18:45

Which do you prefer? (And if I can be so cheeky, why?)

And if neither, any suggestions that are similar?

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sleepingbeautiful · 29/12/2013 21:02

Violet is nicer. A pretty flower and colour. Although doesn't have a lot of strength to it. (shrinking violet?) I also like Viola.

Olive is not a fruit or colour I'd want to be named after. The name makes me picture a nerdy, unattractive girl. I know it's making a comeback though. Drew Barrymore used it too.

NigellasGuest · 29/12/2013 21:04

they are both lovely names.
sleepingbeautiful I agree, Viola is also a lovely name.

iwouldgoouttonight · 29/12/2013 21:05

I have an olive and if I had another DD she'd be a violet or a Florence. I love both names, which is no help to you at all! Olive makes me think of Mediterranean olive groves and relaxing in the sunshine. I know one other olive and a couple of violets.

Other names I like are Connie, Martha, dulcie, Edith/edie.

StrawberryMojito · 29/12/2013 21:06

Violet and Olivia both very pretty names.

There is nothing lovely sounding about Olive.

nkf · 29/12/2013 21:07

I love Violet and Olivia but not Olive. Why? Not sure. I like flower names. And Olivia has a pleasing melody to it.

iwouldgoouttonight · 29/12/2013 21:14

I've only just realised Olive and Violet are anagrams of each other (apart from the the T!). Other names with similar sounds:
Eva
Ivy
Evelyn
Erin

Original poster

HowAboutNo · 29/12/2013 21:35

Thanks everyone. Can't have Olivia, wayyy too popular round here but very pretty.

iwouldgoout love those but can't use as they are friends or friend's babies!

Oh I really just don't know. Back to the drawing board. FWIW, when I thought of Olive, it just made me smile and feel happy. Weird right?

OP posts:

nkf · 29/12/2013 21:36

How about Lydia? Has the same sort of Roman feel to it.

Original poster

HowAboutNo · 29/12/2013 21:38

nkf love love love Lydia but knew one at school who was called Lydia Chlamydia... Maybe it'd be different now?!

OP posts:

iwouldgoouttonight · 29/12/2013 21:46

If Olive feels right I'd go for it. Once its your childs name you completely forget any other associations and the name is just theirs iyswim. I couldn't imagine my Olive being called anything else. I think its a cool name.

Tikkamasala · 29/12/2013 21:50

Violet because it is just nicer. Olive is a bit unappealing to me, I think of an actual olive as in the food or it makes me think of someone a bit quirky who wears clumpy shoes and old cardigans (sorry!)

Similar (IMO) names that I prefer, iris, ivy, Coraline..

Lebkuchenlover · 29/12/2013 21:56

A choice between a beautiful flower and an oily black olive....?!
Definately Violet for me! Really dislike olive.

ErrolTheDragon · 29/12/2013 22:02

No to Olive for the reasons already given (esp the Olive Oyl)

Violet is pretty - they're such lovely fragrant little flowers - or Viola

EeyoreIsh · 29/12/2013 22:06

I love violet, and it was my granny's name. She, however, hated it!

Lebkuchenlover · 29/12/2013 22:06

Yes, Viola is lovely and imo even prettier than Violet!

nkf · 29/12/2013 22:09

I never know how Viola is pronounced. Is it Vee-ola or Vie-ola>

Ilovekittyelise · 29/12/2013 22:15

i dont mind olive but its my grans name and aged 83 she still cant get over it, she detests it, so on that basis id say no: quite a lot of people seem to dislike it and your daughter might be one of them!

on the fence about violet. trudy? erin? scarlett? i also love lydia. rosalie? clara? rosanna? naomi?

my minds going numb. we are struggling with a name for our second son; so many more girls names!

Original poster

HowAboutNo · 29/12/2013 22:23

ilovekitty see, I had a boys name all lined up but it's girls names that I find impossible!

OP posts:

Original poster

HowAboutNo · 29/12/2013 22:24

And it would be just my luck that after weeks of saying it must be a boy because I can't find a girl's name that, alas, it's a girl!

OP posts:

Lebkuchenlover · 29/12/2013 22:47

I'd say Vee-ola.

Thesebootsweremadeforwalking · 29/12/2013 23:02

I like Violet because I know a fabulous one, but I have misspelled it as Violent more than once in text messages and it does make me think a little of Violet Elizabeth Bott.

Olive is a drab green and therefore a rubbish name for a beautiful baby girl IMHO, though I do quite like Olivia.

Ilovekittyelise · 29/12/2013 23:06

both times we have known its a boy and had loads of girls names we both liked; im sure if it was a girl all those names would suddenly be wrong for one reason or another.

violet was one we both liked before we knew our first boy was a boy. sometimes i love it sometimes i dont. but its not ava or evie or olivia which is a definite plus!

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