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Baby names

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

Original poster

Persephone, Beatrix or.....?

143 replies

TheCag · 09/08/2018 10:59

We’ve just found out dc3 is a girl and obviously all I can think about now is names.

We have two boys called Rufus and Felix, I don’t mind names not ‘matching’ but it gives you an idea of what we like. I prefer names that aren’t too popular. If dc3 had been another boy I’d have been pushing for the name Magnus.

I like Beatrix and Diana, dh likes Persephone, Jemima and Penelope. We’ve got a few months to go but I don’t feel like anything is really clicking for me yet so very open to suggestions. (Also I may still be in shock that it’s a girl!)

OP posts:
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SentToTheSynByn · 09/08/2018 15:11

I was going to suggest Seraphina or Sorcha.

starkid · 09/08/2018 15:08

I love Diana :)

May I suggest Helena?

Mousefunky · 09/08/2018 15:04

I have a Beatrix, it’s a lovely name and she suits it well. I wouldn’t do Beatrix with Felix though.

I only like Penelope from your other choices.

FawnDrench · 09/08/2018 14:41

Cressida
Dolores
Paloma
Leonora
Alexandra
Genevieve

Original poster
TheCag · 09/08/2018 14:23

Love Morgana and Morwenna!

OP posts:
tararabumdeay · 09/08/2018 14:17

Out of the middle of nowhere I read your DS's names and thought Morgana.

Original poster
TheCag · 09/08/2018 14:11

Thanks for all your thoughts. My name is on your list nemophilist!

I think I’m realising that what we choose this time affects how they boy’s names come across - if we went Jemima then Rufus and Felix suddenly all sound like posh names, if we went for say Juno then it’s all a bit more cool and hipster. I’m not posh or hipster, I’m just starting to feel like it’s very complicated!

Thanks for the thoughts on Persephone, I’ll feed it all back to dh.

OP posts:
itssquidstella · 09/08/2018 14:06

Beatrix or Jemima

Nemophilist · 09/08/2018 13:57

All your names were on our list. We also had Genevieve, Marianne, Josephine and Francesca. We went with Francesca.
One family we know has a Solomon, Delilah, Peony, and Persephone. Also no a Gaia.

TatianaLarina · 09/08/2018 13:53

Persephone is a very beautiful name it’s just not a very practical one.

She’ll be called Purse-phone a lot.

Penelope will be shortened to Penny which is ghastly and dated.

Love Beatrice, don’t like Beatrix so much and it’s too much like Felix.

Also like Greek - Phoebe, Hera, Hebe, Artemis, Demeter, Roman - Aurora, Juno, Minerva, and Tatiana obv.

Flamingosnbears · 09/08/2018 13:31

Persephone is a lovely name! It stands out against the rest perhaps that's what people don't like...

WildCherryBlossom · 09/08/2018 13:01

How about Seraphina as an alternative to Persephone? Similar vibe...

Petalflowers · 09/08/2018 12:57

It’s interesting how popular Diana is. It’s been avoided for,os,long due to the Princess Diana connection.

Other names i’ve Just thought of.

Rowena
Clementine
Tamsin
Rebecca
Verity
Katrina
Christina
Alicia
Erika

CornforthWhite · 09/08/2018 12:50

Hebe
Marina
Peony

KerfuffleShuffle · 09/08/2018 12:50

In my defence I was only 7/8 years old though.

KerfuffleShuffle · 09/08/2018 12:49

TheCag I totally understand that! I read Hermione as Hermy-one until the film came out...

Andtheresaw · 09/08/2018 12:48

All your choices are great.

You mentioned the familiarity of HP/Hermione and it made me think of Minerva, Roman Goddess of wisdom, war, arts and industry (pretty much covers everything!). Lovely name and lots of nn potential.

Frazzled2207 · 09/08/2018 12:38

I like Beatrix and Penelope. Penelope (Nell) was one of our top choices had our boys been girls!

Summersup · 09/08/2018 12:32

I love Persephone but the poor child would be in for a lifetime of spelling it, then getting people to pronounce it right.

One of my children has a name that is pronounced wrongly probably 50% of the time and she does get tired of it.

I used to think Penelope was said 'Penny-lowp' when I was little as I only read about Penelope's in books and never heard it said!

Beatrix is nice, Diana elegant and definitely a woman's name, I like Phillipa too.

Original poster
TheCag · 09/08/2018 12:31

Thanks Kerfuffle, I'll look up that Facebook page! I kind of agree about Persephone but feel like Hermione has broken through that pronunciation barrier if you know what I mean? (And I read the first Harry Potter book pronouncing it Her-me-own-nee Blush).

OP posts:
Jillyjollyjandy · 09/08/2018 12:26

I have a Rufus, he would’ve been Beatrix or Tabitha if he’d been a girl.

IVflytrap · 09/08/2018 12:26

I love Persephone but would probably only use it as a middle name, as it's still quite "out there" (even though it's in more use these days). A lot of people won't know how to pronounce or spell it.

Beatrice Persephone
Beatrix Hera
Diana Juno
Penelope Camilla
Minerva Beatrix
Jemima Penelope

Another name for Persephone in Ancient Greece was Kore, fwiw, which has been anglicised to Cora. Which I think is lovely. Smile

Petalflowers · 09/08/2018 12:24

Love Persephone (although Kerfuffle makes a good,point) and Jemina. All,the na,es you mentioned are pretty. Maybe Beatrice rather than Beatrix.

Other names in the same vein:
Juliet
Cassandra
Alexandrina
Gabriella
Kathleen
Rosalind
Margot
Gaynor
Merle
Gwendoline

And as both of your names as ‘F’s in them

felicity
Francesca
Florence
Fallon
Fara
Faye
Alfreda

AtticaRose · 09/08/2018 12:20

Love a Roman!

KerfuffleShuffle · 09/08/2018 12:12

This is not to sound rude or judgemental at all OP (and for what it's worth I think they are all lovely names) but it might be worth thinking about the overall social area that your children will be living in. Up round where I Iive and teach I can guarantee you that very very few people would have ever come across Persephone or even know how to pronounce it. It would be read as Percy-phone instead of per-seph-o-knee. And those who do know the name might attribute it to quite a negative sort of parent and child, thanks to the popularity of FB pages like Peter and Jane.