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Baby names

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

Original poster

Thoughts on baby girl names list please?

40 replies

Speaktomymanager · 08/04/2022 21:54

Nell
Fern
Eleanor
Cora
Maggie
Heidi
Mirren
Silvie
Greta
Dorothy

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housemaus · 11/04/2022 14:33

Nell, Fern, Cora, Maggie, Silvie, Heidi - love.

(I'd spell it Sylvie, personally).

Eleanor and Dorothy feel slightly old-fashioned but are lovely names.

Greta feels odd to me - unless you're from a culture/country where it's widely used. It would feel weird to me in the way that calling a daughter... I don't know, Thérèse or Alejandra would as a British woman raising a child in Britain (and not France or Spain, in these examples).

Mirren I've never heard of and quite like, but feel like people would think of Helen Mirren first (but maybe that's just me!).

MinoucheSapphic · 11/04/2022 14:24

Nell - Okay
Fern - Okay
Eleanor - Pretty, classic, popular
Cora - Lovely!
Maggie - Doesn't sound nice to me.
Heidi - Okay
Mirren - Never heard of it (apart from Helen Mirren).
Silvie - This is the Czech form, pronounced sil-vee-eh in Czech. In English I would probably recommend Sylvie. It's a lovely name.
Greta - Okay but be aware in some accents it would be pronounced Gre'a with a glottal stop.
Dorothy - Sweet and vintage!

whatausername · 11/04/2022 14:05

On the whole, twee.

Eleanor and Cora are pretty.

DogsAndGin · 11/04/2022 12:22

Nell - nn
Fern - is ok
Eleanor - lovely
Cora - boring
Maggie - nn
Heidi - great if you’re Dutch
Mirren - old lady
Silvie - nn
Greta - not British
Dorothy - it’s ok, but dreary

Original poster
Speaktomymanager · 10/04/2022 09:50

Thank you for the input everyone! It’s helpful x

OP posts:
Regularsizedrudy · 09/04/2022 12:06

They’re all a bit 1930s for me

Sleepyblueocean · 09/04/2022 12:05

Nell as a nickname for Eleanor (or Helena) is nice. Eleanor has always been one of my favourite names but all the Ellies put me off.

JenniferAlisonPhilipaSue · 09/04/2022 12:01

Mirren is the name of DDs school bully

Heidi - another of her school bullies

I like Fern and Eleanor

Dorothy is an old lady's name in my family and is often shortened to Dot (my relative is Dot). Also remember Dot Cotton?

KirstenBlest · 09/04/2022 11:53

Nell - ok if short for Eleanor
Fern - ok but will be spelt Fearne and Ferne
Eleanor - Bored of Ellie/E;lla names but ok
Cora - not keen
Maggie - fine if short for Margaret. Much nicer than Margot
Heidi - fine
Mirren - No
Silvie - No
Greta - fine
Dorothy - love it

WithANameLikeDaniCalifornia · 09/04/2022 11:49

Sylvie is the only nice one.

SpaceJamtart · 09/04/2022 10:15

Nell, Fern, Eleanor and Cora are sweet, and seem like they would suit a child and an adult.

Maggie- thatcher
Dame helen -Mirren

Silvie, Greta and Dorothy sound a bit old and hard,
Maybe Dorothy at a push as the nicknames like Dodie are nice.

Hummingbirdcake · 09/04/2022 10:06

Eleanor nn Nell?
Prefer Merryn to Mirren.

It all depends on your surname though.

ellenpartridge · 09/04/2022 10:04

Eleanor is my favourite, also like Cora and Heidi

Bananice · 09/04/2022 10:04

Sorry - forgot about the other names! I also adore Sylvie and Maggie: beautiful, classic and not too popular

Bananice · 09/04/2022 10:03

I have a Nell (Eleanor officially, but only her grandmothers call her that!) and seven years on, I still adore her name. Have only met one other. It's spunky and strong, just like her Smile

AnnaSW1 · 09/04/2022 09:58

The only one I like is Sylvie

TempsPerdu · 09/04/2022 09:55

Good list OP. It contains my DD’s name - won’t reveal which it is, but suffice to say it’s very much a ‘marmite’ name as the responses so far demonstrate! Smile

Nell - Can’t warm to this. Too nicknamey and I can’t help thinking of Nelly the elephant.
Fern - pretty without being girly; fresh-sounding - but prefer as a middle name
Eleanor - like; elegant and timeless, lots of good nicknames, but maybe a tad fusty/prim?
Cora - like
Maggie - really dislike the ‘mag’ sound
Heidi - not a fan; a bit cutesy/twee
Mirren - unsure on this, but I love both Merryn and Maren/Marin
Silvie - nice spelt Sylvie

Greta - quite like
Dorothy - would have said no way this time last year but it’s growing on me. Dot makes a cute nickname.

babynamelover · 09/04/2022 08:59

I like Fern, Eleanor, Cora and Greta.

It's a very solid list 😊

PinkSyCo · 09/04/2022 08:51

Tell a lie, I also like Eleanor.

PinkSyCo · 09/04/2022 08:50

Love Silvie, but prefer Sylvie. Also really like Heidi. Not keen on the rest on your list.

KylieCharlene · 09/04/2022 08:42

Love Heidi
Also like Mirren and Greta.

FrecklesMalone · 09/04/2022 08:24

Nell- As a nickname lovely
Fern- actually beautiful.
Eleanor- bit bland
Cora- love but sounds rubbish in out accent
Maggie- love the name Maggie. Strong and fun
Heidi- I know a few. A bit silly
Mirren- nice
Silvie- spelt Sylvie pretty
Greta- strong (same issue with accent on the a)
Dorothy- surprised myself by loving it. Or Dorothea.

pilates · 09/04/2022 08:06

Eleanor is my favourite but dislike Ellie
Silvie is very nice
The worst Dorothy, Maggie and Cora they sound frumpy to me

mathanxiety · 09/04/2022 07:55

I really only like Silvie and Greta.

I would spell Silvie 'Sylvie'.

BurglerBill · 09/04/2022 07:28

Nell - like, probably as nn for Eleanor. Norah?
Fern - love love love. Rowan? Willow? Hazel?
Eleanor - a see above
Cora - like
Maggie - like, nn for Marguerite?
Heidi - quite like, bit a bit twee
Mirren - no, love Merryn
Silvie - no, love Sylvia
Greta - ugly
Dorothy - no, like Dot. Odette?

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