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Baby names

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Original poster

Name wobble....

68 replies

Sall23 · 08/04/2021 10:08

I had been pretty set on calling my little girl May, but my husband has just said that he now also likes the name Phoebe, which he had previously vetoed. Our other DD is called Nia. So, now I'm having a bit of a wobble - which name:

Phoebe or May?

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PollyThePony · 13/04/2021 08:04

Like not oile! Oile isn't even a word!

PollyThePony · 13/04/2021 07:56

I think Phoebe is the nicest of the three options you're considering. May is nice too. I don't really oile Leila and there are a lot of Lola / Layla / Lilah names around already. Might get lost amongst them.

Pinchoftums · 13/04/2021 05:39

May is not used often as a first name. I know one and it is as beautiful name.

cassrose · 13/04/2021 02:42

100% either May or Leila (my preference is Leila but also like May or Mae). Phoebe to me is quite dull and not very pretty or timeless.

TheThingsWeAdmitOnMN · 13/04/2021 00:01

I really dislike Phoebe, so pretty much anything else would be better.

How about Maeve - with Mae as a shortening?

JustanotherTuesday · 13/04/2021 00:00

What about Lila/Lyla ? May would go nicely as a middle name.

bubblebath62636 · 12/04/2021 23:53

Phoebe looks and sounds awful!

Stick with May!

Ejm02 · 12/04/2021 23:48

Oh i love both of them!
Why not Phoebe May?

TatianaBis · 10/04/2021 18:50

I think May is very dull personally. And so much about.

VenusClapTrap · 10/04/2021 16:39

May is the nicest. I like short, strong, elegant names like that.

There are a few little Maes knocking around, but I don’t think that matters as the proper spelling makes it a quite different (much classier) name in my opinion.

Smallonesaremorejuicy · 09/04/2021 23:47

May definitely.

MsTSwift · 09/04/2021 23:40

Faye is nice

honeybooboo26 · 09/04/2021 23:38

@MindGrapes

"May, Nia! Tea's ready!"

Sounds like Mania together - sorry.

This made me chuckle 😂
Reindeerrattle · 09/04/2021 23:21

Phoebe of course. Beautiful name. Elegant and it will see her nicely through childhood and adulthood.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 09/04/2021 23:17

I do worry that May might be a little boring, but is it really that dull? I feel like it's pretty unusual as a first name. Cute on a little girl, but suits a woman. Short, simple, unfussy, quite classy - reminds me of spring

I don't see how it can be dull. I think it's elegant, feminine and classy, with a pretty springtime vibe. May reminds me of the character May Welland in "the Age of Innocence" and of Princess Mary, the Queens Grandmother (who was known as May) - so to me it is a Victorian/Edwardian style classic name (rather than a trendy/contemporary middle name or hyphenated one).

yeOldeTrout · 09/04/2021 21:23

I quite dislike Phoebe so can't vote for that.
I do like Mae, Would spell it Mae.

Layla? Lilah? I wouldn't know how to say Leila.

Lostmyself86 · 09/04/2021 21:17

Prefer Phoebe

YoniAndGuy · 09/04/2021 16:22

I agree too that a good other option might be Mai (My).

YoniAndGuy · 09/04/2021 16:21

I do worry that May might be a little boring, but is it really that dull? I feel like it's pretty unusual as a first name. Cute on a little girl, but suits a woman. Short, simple, unfussy, quite classy - reminds me of spring.

But it IS seen as a first name: I know three Maes -spelled that way, and that's possibly what you might occasionally get assumed - as a first name. Then there are all the Lily-May, Ruby-May combos.

Dull is subjective of course - but there's no doubt that it's massively overused as a second name and used a LOT as a (naff!) hyphen name. Definitely massively the short straw, compared to Nia.

parsnipsnotsprouts · 09/04/2021 14:25

Phoebe is gorgeous

BackforGood · 09/04/2021 14:23

Phoebe out of the two (or 3 with Leila added in).

Really don't like May as either a first or a middle name - it always sounds like the start of a question or statement to me.

Nia18 · 09/04/2021 14:03

My name is Nia. Im loving seeing it becoming more popular.

My eldest is called May so I'm biased, but I think its a beautiful name that sounds elegant.

TatianaBis · 09/04/2021 12:42

Nia and Phoebe have too many "ee" sounds together as someone has pointed out.

What does that even mean. Phoebe and Nia has good assonance.

TatianaBis · 09/04/2021 12:40

Love Phoebe.

Hundreds of Mays and Lily-Mays and Molly-Mays and Ruby-Maes.

amallierory · 09/04/2021 09:05

May 10000%. Nia and Phoebe have too many "ee" sounds together as someone has pointed out. Nia and May are both short (I really like it when sibling names have the same number of letters too) and have distinct sounds. They make a great combo.