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Baby names

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

Original poster

Cara, Helen or Anna

36 replies

cornishglos · 02/09/2015 21:00

Cara, Helen and Anna are the names I'm considering. Could you tell me which one you like and why? I don't want you to say why you hate the others as ir's been hard enough to find 3 I like! Thanks

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DixieNormas · 03/09/2015 20:55

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cosmicglittergirl · 03/09/2015 20:19

Anna. (And I'm a Helen...)

SmugairleRoin · 03/09/2015 20:16

Unless we are talking Helen Keller, I cam understand it more there. And even at that, she's not the first association most people will make with the name.

SmugairleRoin · 03/09/2015 20:13

How is Helen a feminist name?
Helen of Troy is described as either regretting her marriage or enjoying the carnage. She's not a particularly strong female icon.

I could see it having a feminist background if this was Emmeline or something, but...Helen?

PlayingSolitaire · 03/09/2015 20:04

Helen is a good strong name. Not a silly girly girl name (which is what all these "ee" sounding names sound like to me). It is a proper feminist name. I could imagine a heroine (a REAL one) called Helen.

Easy to spell and well known, but not remotely common these days.

CocktailQueen · 03/09/2015 20:03

Ah, cara was top of my girls' list when I was pg with dd. But when she arrived she just didn't look like a Cara! Such a shame.

So I like
Cara
Then Anna
Then Helen (but prefer Helena)

Original poster
cornishglos · 03/09/2015 19:55

Thanks for all the replies. A real mixed bag! I agree with all of you depending on the time of day/ my mood! The problem is I haven't quite fallen for any of the three... I guess I'll just have to wait until I meet him/ her! (If it's a him he's Will).

OP posts:
GRW · 03/09/2015 18:46

I have a 17 year old Helen. It was only used 51 times last year, so it's really quite rare now. I love it because it's classic and well known; if you choose it she in likely to be the only one in her year group at school. I do like Anna, Cara and Helena too.

CruCru · 03/09/2015 14:13

I like Helen then Anna then Cara.

SummerMonths · 03/09/2015 12:21

I love Anna and Helen (in that order).

Cara is not in the same league for me. Not a classic, dated, harsh sounding.

Gummibaers · 03/09/2015 10:11

Helen and Cara are lovely, classic and not too trendy. Or how about Helena?

Anna will probably rise further (Frozen) and then start falling out of favour. I'd avoid it on that basis.

irregularegular · 03/09/2015 09:55

I like them all. I'd probably go for Cara as it is a bit more unusual - even though I don't normally like unusual names at all. I really like Anna but there are quite a few.

I associate Helen with women of my generation rather than babies, but it's a classic name and a beautiful one.

In a similar vein, my son was going to be Clara if he was a girl. It's a family name on the German side.

I also like Helena and Eleanor.

LemonBreeland · 03/09/2015 09:48

I am not a great fan of names that are everyday, but I do like Anna. I don't like Cara as I live in Scotland and it is pronounced Caa-ra with a hard 'a' rather than Car-ra.

I went to school with two Helens and it seemed old fashioned then, so not keen.

swimmerforlife · 03/09/2015 09:41

Really love Cara. Different but not uncommon.

Anna and Helen are bit meh IMO.

Doilooklikeatourist · 03/09/2015 08:07

Anna
Cara
Helen

I like them all , all good names

Though if you'd said Helena , that would top the list

anotherdayanothersquabble · 03/09/2015 08:03

I love them all, especially how they work with different accents and languages.

OwenMeanysArmadillo · 03/09/2015 07:10

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BikeRunSki · 03/09/2015 06:58

Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna.
please.

Justnapping · 03/09/2015 06:34

Cara! Lovely

BestIsWest · 03/09/2015 06:09

Not keen on Anna. Like the others.

Homebird8 · 03/09/2015 03:57

Helen is my favourite, then Cara.

sleeponeday · 03/09/2015 02:59

I really like Helen. It's surprisingly rare these days, too, so a classic name that isn't used often. Helena is very pretty, too.

The other two are pleasant but a little bland, perhaps.

CakeRattleandRoll · 03/09/2015 02:52

Cara. As long as you don't have an Australian accent, which would just murder those vowels.

MrsGentlyBenevolent · 03/09/2015 00:48

I like Cara, myself. Not too keen on Helen. With Anna, I'd be a tiny bit worried about the whole Frozen thing, but it's a nice name - I'm also going to be annoying, and suggest Hannah as an addition.

mappemonde · 03/09/2015 00:18

Anna - classic, simple but not dull, pretty, suits baby, child and woman. Easy to spell, write and pronounce but not ubiquitous, unlikely to be multiples in same class at school.