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Baby names

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Original poster

Avonlea?

119 replies

hannahfaith · 18/02/2020 23:47

Might just be my hormones but I recently have been obsessed with the possibility of having a little girl named Avonlea.
It's a fictional literary place name from Anne of Green Gables but it sounds like it would fit so well with all of the other vowel girls names with v sounds ( i.e. Olivia, Ava, Evie)
DH said he'd consider it if we could find a cute middle name for it so send some suggestions. We both prefer short middle names as our last name is quite long.

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EmpressLangClegInChair · 25/02/2020 12:42

Or even Small Anne Cordelia (until she gets bigger of course).

lottiegarbanzo · 25/02/2020 10:17

You're asking on a predominantly British website. There is or was a county in England (around Bristol) called Avon, where the River Avon flows. You cannot be unaware of Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of Shakespeare. So to British ears Avon is a place name (and the name of a rather grumpy character on vintage sci-fi series Blake's Seven.

Oh and 'Avon calling!' - does the Avon cosmetics company (cheap and cheerful, door to door sales) not operate in the US too?

And yes to Dairylea / Avondale and a twee house name, in the 'Dunroamin' mode.

Ava Lee, yes

Ava Leigh, yes (Hollywood golden-age. Ava Gardner, Vivienne Leigh)

Avon Lee, no.
Avonlea, double no.

Plenty of people do still read Anne of GG and would say 'as in Anne of Avonlea?' (a subsequent book in the series).

AlpacaGoodnight · 24/02/2020 23:02

Yeah not in the UK as it's a cheap make up brand mixed with a cheese triangle. In America-go for it!
Really like Cordelia!

AvonCallingBarksdale · 23/02/2020 19:31

Avon’s a great name Wink

RyvitaBrevis · 23/02/2020 19:30

How about Averil? As in Averil's Atonement? Love that little episode in the books.

EmpressLangClegInChair · 20/02/2020 12:03

And equally bad is the need to give girls “cute” names. She’s a human being who will one day be an adult, she’s not a kitten! Would you want a boy to have a “cute” name? I’m guessing you wouldn’t.

To be fair, boys' names do get called cute too. I think cute should be an automatic reason to avoid a name unless it.s a nickname for a toddler, but there you go.

DameSylvieKrin · 20/02/2020 11:02

PP are just assuming that anything goes in America. You might want to post on a North American forum to get more representative views.

Alpacathebag · 20/02/2020 10:58

Use Everly or Avery instead. Similar sound, much more sensible.

december20100 · 20/02/2020 10:44

whatever next.....

Mamabear88 · 20/02/2020 10:32

Oh good grief.

ValancyRedfern · 20/02/2020 10:03

Anne of Green Gables has loads of great names to choose from. Off the top of my head:

Anne
Diana
Cordelia (my fave as well as Anne's!)
Ruby
Marilla
Persis
Opal
Cora
Josie (although she was horrible)

Angie6868 · 20/02/2020 08:00

Makes me think of Elmlea.

mathanxiety · 20/02/2020 07:57

Did you all mean to be so rude about America?

sucha · 20/02/2020 07:30

Was thinking the same, it's fine for Americans

Blondehedgehog · 20/02/2020 07:13

You should have said you lived in America! That changes it. They have so much stupid names over there that Avonlea would be fine. Just go for it if you like it

MsTSwift · 20/02/2020 07:09

Maybe it’s ok in the states to be fair. Dd1 is 13 and if her or any of her friends were named that I can tell you they would hate it ! Doesn’t pass the 13 year old test.

I wanted to call dd1 lorelei (our surname has two syllables both starting with l). What was I thinking would have been disastrous

user1480880826 · 20/02/2020 06:23

That’s a bad name.

And equally bad is the need to give girls “cute” names. She’s a human being who will one day be an adult, she’s not a kitten! Would you want a boy to have a “cute” name? I’m guessing you wouldn’t.

Jamhandprints · 20/02/2020 06:00

OP, if you live in America then thats a totally different situation. Its common to give kids place names there so its fine. It sounds ridiculous to the UK ear, like a lot of American names.

FenellaMaxwell · 20/02/2020 05:52

It’s awful. How about Eden?

EmpressLangClegInChair · 20/02/2020 05:52

Though doesn’t gorgeous Persis spend years married to a man with brain damage who turned out not to be her husband, but a lookalike?

No, you’re thinking of Leslie, Persis’s mum.

Movinghouseatlast · 20/02/2020 05:43

It really is the name you would give a bungalow.

AngelaScandal · 20/02/2020 05:16

*books

AngelaScandal · 20/02/2020 05:16

I love the booms so much that I quite like it and if you are in the US then it’s not a name that will be hugely unusual.
LMM had some fabulous names for girls though! Emily, Valancy, Sophy, Joyce

Onceuponatimethen · 20/02/2020 01:48

If you wanted to you could use Ava or Leah (to get similar sounds)

Kokeshi123 · 20/02/2020 01:45

I'd love to see a baby Marilla for a change!

Avonlea---adding my name to the chorus of NOs. It manages to be weird and boring at the same time (weird because it sounds like a non-dairy sandwich spread, boring because it also sounds like just another Ava/Eva/Everly/Evelyn/Avelon/Avery/Ayla variation)

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