Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Cecelia Octavia - middle names

37 replies

Rachelyorkshire9 · 12/11/2021 08:06

So we are set on Cecelia for first name & have been struggling for middle name, we love Octavia, but wondering if it's a problem that they both end in 'ia' sound.. feel like i have looked at the names too much & now can't make sense!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
LaBellina · 12/11/2021 11:19

Oh Celia is beautiful. The name of the Greek goddess of the moon, if I remember correctly.

GoodnightGrandma · 12/11/2021 11:18

It’s a bit of a mouthful, I wouldn’t.
You could shorten it to Celia Octavia.

DramaAlpaca · 12/11/2021 11:17

I agree with the poster above on the spelling of Cecelia. It looks odd to me, the usual (and nicer) spelling is Cecilia.

I think Cecelia Octavia is a bit much, tbh, and it doesn't really flow, but it's only a middle name. Use it if you love it.

LaBellina · 12/11/2021 11:17

Go for it. It’s a bit of a mouthful but not a strange combination and both names are very beautiful. You know when a certain name is ‘the one’ and might very well regret it if you didn’t choose it because of your concern that it might be too bold.

SnowdaySewday · 12/11/2021 11:14

Don’t share it, but do think about surname as well. Not just the flow and how it sounds with two first names each with several syllables, but also do the initials spell something that your DD might not appreciate, e.g. COW?

spondoolikay · 12/11/2021 10:56

I absolutely love both names but had the same issue with the 'a' sound and ended up with a French version of a uk A ending name (think Cecile rather than Cecilia).

I used an a name for first name and the French version of an a name for middle.

Fuckitsstillraining · 12/11/2021 10:39

I read the title as Celica Octavia (as in Toyota/Skoda), hope none of the family are car enthusiasts.

Orarewedancer · 12/11/2021 10:31

I absolutely love them both together. Beautiful

campion · 12/11/2021 10:30

It's fine and not a mouthful to me.It'd be bad manners for people to comment in real life.

Middle names aren't used in everyday life so I'd use a name you love. I'd agree about the spelling of Cecilia just because it'll cause confusion.

AuntDympna · 12/11/2021 10:22

How about Cecelia Natalia - for me the two vowels together is unsatisfactory. Without that, the double ia ending sounds glamorous.

By the way, Cecelia is a non-standard spelling in English. Cecilia is the usual spelling.

toastofthetown · 12/11/2021 08:43

It’s a bit of a mouthful, with both the same end sound and the fact that both names have the same number of syllables and stress pattern, which always adds to a clunky feeling for me. Personally I don’t mind two -a names, but even with a different syllable beat two -ia don’t work for me. Something like Cecelia Diana flows better than Cecelia Claudia and both work far better than Cecelia Octavia. But name flow is personal, and arguably not hugely important. The full name isn’t used too often so if you really love it, then I don’t think it’s the end of the world.

elfran · 12/11/2021 08:33

You will get lots of comments saying that middle names are rarely used so flow doesn't matter that much, and if you love it you should use it.

I agree in theory, but to me it mattered that the whole name sounded beautiful. The matching endings (and the same number of syllables, tbh) would bother me, personally.

I think they sound great for sisters though! 🙃