What potential quirky baby names could I call my potential DD?

Sapphire
Briella
Liana
Celestia
Ambrosia
Rafaella
Atlanta
Amethyst
Catalina
Xena
Lavinia

I have met a Persephone - she was as confident and articulate a ten year old as I have ever met. My only issue with the name is that so many people haven’t heard of it and it isn’t immediately obvious how to pronounce it from the way it is written.

Actually I love Persephone...Sephi for short?

I was given a twee, cutesy hyphenated name in the 80s, well before the trend. I dropped the bit after the hyphen when I was five because I thought it sounded really babyish. Just refused to be called by it. Now there are so many Firstname-Maes and Firstname-Lees that it isn't remotely original or quirky.

Persephone is a great choice. What about Arianne or Arianna?

People are being a bit down on you because to say you want 'edgy and creative' and then come up with a 'hyphen-Mae' name is pretty

You basically couldn't be less edgy or inventive or original with that if you tried - and, as soon as you have your baby and get on the baby-round of nursery/playgroup etc., you'll realise that - when you're suddenly knee-deep in Lexi-Maes and Poppy-Maes and Lacey-Maes and all the rest.

Hyphens/double barrells aren't original, they are pretty naff, and there are lots of them. Also, they are twee - basically the easiest way to make any cool unusual name sound silly and doll-like.

So don't hyphenate, and ESPECIALLY not with Mae, Rose or Grace, as those are basically the default middle/hyphen names for the last decade, a bit like Louise, Elizabeth or Jane used to be.

If you want to be cool, give her a single, unusual first name which also has a good option for a shortening. Asia is good, no good short form BUT it's so short it doesnt matter. Persephone is ok, unusual, nice, not madly strong? Ariella is good, and Ari is a cool and strong short form.

Aurelia?
Luna?

Persephone is a fabulous name but it isn't especially 'powerful'. Her primary myth is the rape of Persephone when she is abducted by Hades, and only rescued by Zeus's intervention.

Sorry, Ava-Mae is super chavvy. As is Oceana, which was a rough nightclub in Bristol & nationwide.

If you want something quirky, but where they could also get a professional job, how about:

Ilaria
Sage
Arendall
Carina
Sorrel
Sandra
Esther

Eirlys isn't pronounced Air-liss.
This sounds like a robot but it is nearer:
translate.google.com/#cy/en/eirlys
It is nearer Eyrr-liss

It's not a completely different name really. Rory is an anglicisation of Ruairi/Ruaridh

Ruairi is pronounced Roo-ree.

Rory is pronounced Roar-y.

Completely different name, bit of a bugbear

Ruairi (pronounced Rory)

I teach and in our current reception cohort there are 58 girls, of which over half have a hyphenated name. The most common hyphenation (don’t think that’s the word but still) is -Mae, second most common is -Rae and a fair few -Lou’s.

It is in no way creative or quirky, it’s more unusual not to have the hyphen to be honest.

I like:

Marguerite
Romily
Alana
Arianna
Pearl
Coral
Mariella
Penelope/Penny
Autumn
Astrid
Ada (because of Ada Lovelace mainly)

Arielle-Sky sounds like a TV transmission system.

The others aren’t quirky.

I love Moxie, meaning 'force of character, determination or nerve'.
And Eirlys (air-liss) which was suggested on here as a winter name - Welsh for snowdrop.

Also dislike the double barrel names - way too overused. The names on their own are better and lots of good suggestions in this thread. Good luck!

OP isn't coming back is she? If she was ever real….

@Kokeshi123

Exactly.

Arielle (and Ariel/Ariella) is a beautiful name. I love Skye too, but I don't think they need to be put together - they're nice enough on their own.

Persephone is one of my favourites!

How about:
Blaise
Xanthe (pronounced Zan-thee)
Salome (pronounced Sal-oh-me)
Hadley
Rani
Eleni

Ariella is pretty or Adrienne/Arianna/Allegra. I agree with most other posters that Something-Mae/Mai/May is very overused.

It’s not quirky it’s just very chavvy.

Ariella is good though.

First name-Mae isn't quirky. It's something you hear in every school playground across the country.

Yes this. By all means give it an uncommon name but bear in mind that babyhood is short and one day she'll be a woman in her thirties, forties etc and that a little cutie baby name will sound ridiculous. The made-up names, ones with kreative spellings and bonkers hyphens sadly just do put people into a certain bracket, and people sadly will judge that. It's not fair to the kid.

Ariella is my favourite from your list.

OP, how about something pretty/a bit flowery BUT a proper name and not hyphenated--like Seraphine or Adrienne or Rosalind or Arabella?

Every teenager I know with a hyphenated name has dropped the hyphen. The reason for this is that hyphenated names especially with Mae sound twee and silly on anyone over the age of about eight.

I know some of the replies on here might sound a bit harsh, but this is Mumsnet and one of the main purposes of the Baby Name forum is that people will tell you what they are really thinking about the name you are considering, not just random generic "oh, that's lovely hun" type responses.

The reality is that if you call your child something like Arielle-Skye, it will paint a picture of her as being a not-very-educated person in the eyes of teachers and prospective employers-it's wrong that people stereotype like this, but they do (even nice people who actively try not to stereotype). It's a shame to pigeonhole your child like thatwho knows what she will grow up to be? If my mother had given me that kind of name, I'd be cross about it, to be honest.

Why the appeal for such 'quirky' names? I just don't get it.

Sorry I just think a lot of them are frankly very common and a tad cringe worthy.

Think about what you want your child be be when they are older and a name which will give them confidence to achieve- Would you see them as a Dr / Teacher / Secretary / Lecturer with that name?

Consider how would you react to a professional person with that name?

I also fail to see the relevance of being a teen mum has to do with it bar highlighting your maybe not considering the seriousness / longevity of the decision!?!

I prefer Asia-Grace