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Baby names

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Original poster

Helena, Eden, Kate or Andie?

34 replies

bkay19 · 05/11/2015 20:46

I really love Helena (Helen-ah not Hel-ay-nah) and think that Lenny or Laney is a lovely nn.

Eden- loved this for years but Edie seems to be on the rise of popularity.

Kate- always loved it (since being a huge Kate Winslet fan from a young age!) but is it a bit bland? I don't really like Katherine- what other names could it be a nn for?

Andie- love it and like Andrea and Miranda but don't love either but feel it needs a "full" name?

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DingleberryDip · 07/11/2015 00:32

I like Andie, it could be short for Alexandra too? As well as the Goonies it was the name of Molly Ringwald's character in Pretty in Pink.

Helena is nice enough (if a bit boring) but I can think of at least three pronunciations and that could get irritating.

Eden - seems a bit Dynasty for some reason.

Kate - good solid, take you anywhere kind of name. You could just put Kate on the birth cert, perfectly acceptable as a name in its own right despite MN's horror of such a thing.

Hobbes8 · 06/11/2015 22:18

I think we just ruined Andie for the OP!

ijustwannadance · 06/11/2015 22:07

No Hobbes8, I don't actually remember ever watching that and not something i'd re-watch now.
Just remember the jock shouting down the well, "ANDIE.....YOU GOONIE!!!!!!!" Grin

Parsley1234 · 06/11/2015 21:13

I'm Helena and I get called H lol

Hobbes8 · 06/11/2015 21:09

ijustwannadance surely your 80s movie go to girl Andie is from Pretty in Pink?

ijustwannadance · 06/11/2015 20:05

Andie for a girl always reminds me of the Goonies.

florascotianew · 06/11/2015 20:00

Agree that Helena Sophie is very nice.

European nicknames for Helena include Hella and Helenka; both rather pretty IMHO. There's also the Scottish 'Ellen'.

ABCFamily · 06/11/2015 19:48

Helena and Kate are lovely, and I think Andie is ok. Miranda is also gorgeous.

I've never been a fan of Eden. The first time I heard it used as a name was on 'Toddlers & Tiaras', and I've never quite managed to shake the link. Then I found out that BehindTheName says it means 'place of pleasure' in Hebrew, which put me right off!

BondJayneBond · 06/11/2015 12:18

I like Helena best, then Kate.

ems942 · 06/11/2015 12:12

I love love love these names.

My daughter is Kate (born 2012) and one of two in her nursery group of around 20. No one has ever asked what Kate is short for.

Helena is gorgeous and timeless and I really love Eden also

HelenaJustina · 06/11/2015 10:18

I have a Helena and love her name. She doesn't get shortened at all, not sure why as the other DC do. She is at school and the other children haven't nicknamed her either.

Of your others, I love Kate. It was on our lists but a close friend used it.

TempsPerdu · 06/11/2015 10:15

Helena Sophie is gorgeous - very elegant! Also like Kate but don't think Kate Sophie flows quite as well.

Eden is OK but prefer it as a middle name, and not keen on Andie other than as a nickname for something else.

TheDowagerCuntess · 06/11/2015 03:32

DD is Helena (but pn He-lay-na), nn Lena, Leny and Len (Layna, Laney, Lane). No whiff of Hel or Helly at all.

It's a beautiful name IMO - Helena Sophie is lovely.

TheNewStatesman · 06/11/2015 02:56

Andie is a bit silly, sorry (Andie Pandie, boy's name etc.). All the others are nice names.

BackforGood · 05/11/2015 23:31

Really don't like Andie - I think she'd get fed up of the 'Why have you got a boys name?' questions when people heard it and assumed Andy)

Not that keen on Eden - although it's been quite popular around here in recent years. No particular reason, just not my taste.

Helena is quite nice - although you do know she will be called "hel" don't you? Which might, or might not be offputting for you.

It leaves Kate - which I do like Grin

DramaAlpaca · 05/11/2015 23:17

I really like Helena Sophie.

pieceofpurplesky · 05/11/2015 23:15

Katarina Sophie

TheMightyMing · 05/11/2015 23:10

My mums Helena and she's 68- I think it's lovely, classic but not over used. Although we live in Manchester and she gets a lot of Helena with a silent h :)

I often think my nana was well ahead of her time! I'd have had it for a daughter but I had a son. Even the dogs are male ( though one is named for my dad!). If we get a girl dog I might call it after her.

CharminglyGawky · 05/11/2015 23:02

I'm a Helena and love my name! I think Helena Sophie sounds lovely.

You will probably find it gets shortened to Helly (I always spelt it Hele as I thought it looked nicer despite being phonetically incorrect!) or even Hell rather than the Lenny you like. I was Hell in primary, Helly in secondary and have gone back to my full name now mostly because you have to repeat Helly several times for people to get it and I just gave up and said Helena as at least people recognise that as a name! Also expect her to be called Helen or Eleanor a LOT... I respond to most things that sound like Helena of Helly!

BUT I think it is a lovely balance between well known enough to be recognisable and rare enough that you won't come across that many others with the same name?

IoraRua · 05/11/2015 22:25

Love all of those bar Andie.
Kate could just be Kate, I know quite a few who are just Kate. You could have Katelyn or Katrin (suggestion from another poster :) ). Not a big fan of Katharine personally.

Ime, there are a lot of -a ending names (also -ie) in schools now, and they do blur together quite a bit. So I would avoid Helena for that reason and focus more on Kate or Eden.

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 22:19

Helena Sophie sounds lovely.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 05/11/2015 22:16

Helena is gorgeous.

Mehitabel6 · 05/11/2015 22:11

Helena is lovely.
So is Kate.
Not keen on Eden and dislike Andie.

Vixxfacee · 05/11/2015 22:10

Eden Sophie

Sophronia · 05/11/2015 22:10

Helena Sophie is beautiful.

Kate is nice too but I do prefer it short for Katharine.

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