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Baby names

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

Original poster

Really struggling with the girls names

37 replies

bisoua · 21/12/2021 22:06

Hi there, we really need your help please….. we cannot decide on the baby name. I really like Amelia (Mia), Olive, and Eleanor (Ellie). He likes Eleanor too, but also keeps pushing on Riley and Prudence. I find his choices a bit off for me, as Riley doesn’t strike me as an elegant name, more of a girl who will do skateboarding and wearing converse (nothing wrong with that, I just fancy a classy and elegant name). And Prudence I don’t like full stop. Any advices, and/ or other name suggestions please??

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IAmSantaOhYesIAm · 23/12/2021 08:49

Imogen
Harriet
Penelope
Felicity
Victoria
Caroline
Sophie
Lucy
Juliet

Or Elenor!

BorderlineBob · 22/12/2021 20:52

If the middle name will be Margarita, could you change that to the first name and use Greta as her nn

user1493494961 · 22/12/2021 20:50

Dislike Olive and Prudence and Riley is awful.

hopingforabrighterfuture2021 · 22/12/2021 20:43

What about Penelope? That feels similar to both your names, somehow.

Happenchance · 22/12/2021 17:47

Olive Margarita is a cocktail, so I wouldn't use Olive.

Rosalie Margarita
Eunice Margarita
Agnes Margarita
Sylvie Margarita
Zoe Margarita

scottishnames · 22/12/2021 17:35

That should of course be OP

scottishnames · 22/12/2021 17:34

Eleanor Margarita is a really, really nice name. Best of luck, P

Moonface123 · 22/12/2021 11:40

Iris
Clara
Hannah
Vivienne
Emily
Viola

Billyliarohdear · 22/12/2021 11:02

I like Eleanor but the potential nn Ellie would put me off.
Some suggestions
Madeleine
Carmen
Anabel
Isobel
Carla
Felicity
Claudia
Natalie

Ceramide · 22/12/2021 10:57

Elspeth
Lauren
Coralie
Jasmine
Holly
Louisa

LozMarieFielder · 22/12/2021 10:46

Amelia, Olive and Eleanor are all really nice. Riley is okay but became a bit overused 10-15 years ago. I can’t stand Prudence for some reason. It gives me a funny taste in my mouth.

Some suggestions:
Clover
Delphine
Darcy
Lydia
Lois
Priscilla
Evelina
Evangeline
Fleur
Harriet
Clarice
Pearl
Ingrid

elfran · 22/12/2021 10:07

Agree with previous posters that Eleanor is by far the best option: classy, elegant, timeless and you both like it! Ellie is a bit overused though, and as his taste seems to be a bit more "out there" than yours, can you find a different nn that works for you both? Agree that Nell or even Leni as mentioned about may work better.

Allsorts1 · 22/12/2021 09:12

Eleanor is so lovely and you both agree on that one!

Original poster
bisoua · 22/12/2021 09:05

So so many good answers, thank you so much.

Middle name will be Margarita (not Margaret), as it’s my nana’s name

OP posts:
WhoppingBigBackside · 22/12/2021 08:28

@Swearwolf

If Olivia is overused, stay away from Eleanor! I know so many more Ellies than Olivias. So many different names shorten that way, and there is no way to guarantee that she wouldn't shorten it.
I find that names like Olivia, Amelia, Ellie and Evie are now the names of colleagues and they are probably the ones names when the names were fresh. The names are now becoming so overused that they are Sarah, Emma and Clares or of their generation.

You get instances where there are more than one Sarah Jane or Laura Jane in a workplace or even family.

If you are going for a name that has been popular for quite a few years, use a more imaginative middle name

Swearwolf · 22/12/2021 08:17

If Olivia is overused, stay away from Eleanor! I know so many more Ellies than Olivias. So many different names shorten that way, and there is no way to guarantee that she wouldn't shorten it.

daisyducky · 22/12/2021 07:38

You say Olivia is over used these days but I know 1. I know more Alba's (3) than I do Olivia's or any of the top 10 names!

Onlinedilema · 22/12/2021 07:28

Eleanor is by far the nicest.
Tell him Rliey is the name of the porn star Riley Reed, that should put him off.
You need a name you both like and Eleanor fits that description.

sageandbasil · 22/12/2021 06:55

I've just had a DD and the other front runner name was Olive but she just didn't look like an olive at all. I love it so that's my vote. Flora was also high on my list.... my DH hated both of these tho

Bubblty · 22/12/2021 06:35

Prudence gets shortened to Prue which is too much like prune for my liking

Chunkymenrock · 22/12/2021 04:13

Not Amelia. Mealy is an incredibly ugly word (uh mealy a) and the medical definition of amelia is 'absence of limbs'. Prudence is not good. How about Rosalind, Holly, Faith, Cassia, Hazel?

groovergirl · 22/12/2021 04:03

Agree with @chillied that Eleanor seems to be up there for both of you. And just because it's a classic doesn't mean it's common. I personally don't know any in any age group.

You also have Elinor, Elena, Leonore and Eleonora as variants.

Riley -- cod-Irish and dated.
Prudence -- dowdy. Constance, Verity, Felicity and Serena are virtue names with more euphony.

chillied · 22/12/2021 02:50

PS they don't prefer my "favoured options" over their real names either, despite being much nicer names than DH's options ha ha, so it's a win-win

chillied · 22/12/2021 02:48

You both like Eleanor, so that's the important information. Stand firm on saying no to Prudence or Riley. Finding the one name in the crossover of the Venn diagram is all you need to do, and there it is : Eleanor. (a lovely name)

My kids know the names that they could have been called if either I or DH had had our individual ways. It's a family joke and a nice 'what might have been' thought experiment. Sometimes they tease me by saying they would like to have been called by DH's favoured names (They were dreadful options). One day you'll be saying "just think, you could have been called Prudence"

Bananarama21 · 22/12/2021 02:43

Sophie, Corinne,Corrine, Celeste, Rebecca