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Baby names

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

Original poster

Struggling to pick a name for our 4 day old

113 replies

Luckyasall · 20/12/2024 15:09

DH and I welcome our lovely little baby girl into the world 4 days ago, before she was born we had a list of names we liked but decided to wait until she was here to decide for sure, but now we still can't quite decide and I'm not sure how much longer I can go on calling her baby girl!

Our shortlist is
Leonora (personal favourite)
Arabella (DHs personal favourite)
Clara (seasonal contender, we go to see the nutcracker every year and baby girl was born on the day we were due to go see it this year)
Madeleine (really not a fan of Maddy as a nickname).

My personal choice would be Leonora with Clara as a middle name in place of using Elizabeth (both of our grandmas are Elizabeth but I'm not really attached to using this and it feels like we are filling a gap).

So full name Leonora Clara Taylor-Scott

But DH is worried it doesn't flow well so thinks either

Arabella Clara or Clara Arabella would be better.

Madeleine is the name we first set on naming a little girl when we got married and started TTC but I'm not sure it feels right now.

Any thoughts?

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emmax1980 · 20/12/2024 18:26

Leonora sounds nice

Olika · 20/12/2024 18:19

Clara Elizabeth is great. And congratulations! 💞

Original poster
Luckyasall · 20/12/2024 18:17

After a little more back and forth and a nap. I think we are going to go with Clara Elizabeth. DH pointed out that I've only just started like Leonora as a name but I've liked Clara for a long time. I also love that both Clara and Elizabeth have meaning/a little story to go with.

OP posts:
winkygirl · 20/12/2024 18:15

My DD is Madeleine. She is known as Maddie but has more recently gone by Mads which suits her.

Linnet · 20/12/2024 18:09

Clara is a lovely name so I think Clara Elizabeth or Clara Leonora.

HPandthelastwish · 20/12/2024 18:09

DD has a hyphenated name and 2 long first and middle (8, 6, 8-6), she hates it. She has more letters just in her first name than her friend does in her whole one so on that basis Id go for a shorter first and middle.

She also has a _belle name and thinks it's too feminine and doesn't suit her. She would have been a good Harriet in hindsight.

Original poster
Luckyasall · 20/12/2024 18:04

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 20/12/2024 17:06

Leonora - bit like laundry softener
Arabella - super posh
Clara - literally a million of them in school.
Madeleine - yeah MMcann connotations.

Cleo is nice (and a bit like Leonora). Cleo Arabella.

I don't think Cleo could be further from our taste if it tried!

OP posts:
OSU · 20/12/2024 18:01

People are very rarely are going to say the whole name so go with whatever you want and don't worry about the a issue.

Clara Arabella Taylor Scott I like the best.

Not a mad fan of Leonora - would it get shortened to Nora and would you mind?

Clara wouldn't get shortened. Arabella likely to be shortened to
Bella which is nice.

Puddlelane123 · 20/12/2024 17:59

I’d go with Clara, no question. Absolutely beautiful, under used, and flows beautifully with surname. Elizabeth for middle name.

WaltzingWaters · 20/12/2024 17:55

Clara Elizabeth for sure. Lovely that both your grandmas are Elizabeth so the middle name has meaning. I love the name Clara, and the missing the nutcracker because you were giving birth to her gives the name a lovely little story!
Arabella Clara (or vice versa) is definitely too ‘a’ heavy. As is Leonora Clara, though not quite as badly.

Zephyry · 20/12/2024 17:54

Leonora Clara is lovely, you don't often say the names together so it's not much of an issue. However, Elizabeth has meaning so I would go with that if you aren't sure about the flow of Leonora Clara.
What about Leonora Elizabeth Clara? Two middle names not uncommon
I don't like Arabella at all

RaininSummer · 20/12/2024 17:51

I like Clara Elizabeth as it has meaning for you both.

Microgal · 20/12/2024 17:48

anjtger vote for Clara Elizabeth. It flows better than all the rest to be honest

smalldogdancing · 20/12/2024 17:46

Clara Elizabeth - lovely combination

ZiggyZowie · 20/12/2024 17:39

Just Clara is fine.

Too much mouthful otherwise with double barrelled surname

user2848502016 · 20/12/2024 17:36

Clara Madeleine gets my vote

Unless you're going for Nora as a nickname for Leonora - then would go Leonora (Nora) Madeleine

desperatedaysareover · 20/12/2024 17:09

Congratulations!

I like Elizabeth and Leonora, not sure Clara works with most of the suggested other names but it doesn’t matter if they’re the ones you love.

what about …Leonora Lisbeth Taylor-Scott

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 20/12/2024 17:09

Yogurtraisins · 20/12/2024 17:04

Nora is a beautiful name

Show quote history

Nora? Like Nora Battie (showing my age...)

MrsCarson · 20/12/2024 17:09

I like Leonora.
You could put Isabel in the middle and say that you'll use Arabella next time
So Leonora Isabel would be my choice.
Call her Leo.

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 20/12/2024 17:06

Leonora - bit like laundry softener
Arabella - super posh
Clara - literally a million of them in school.
Madeleine - yeah MMcann connotations.

Cleo is nice (and a bit like Leonora). Cleo Arabella.

Yogurtraisins · 20/12/2024 17:04

PrincessHoneysuckle · 20/12/2024 16:41

Leonora would be inevitably nn Nora at school so.if you don't like that I'd avoid

Nora is a beautiful name

GreyhoundGal1 · 20/12/2024 17:00

MinistryofThyme · 20/12/2024 15:48

I like Clara in its own right, but I wouldn’t name a baby (who is also a person in their own right) after a single event around their birth / the time of year they happened to be born. If it’s your most beloved name, go for it. Otherwise I think look elsewhere!

I really don’t like Arabella, and I love Leonora! So if I were you, that. They feel quite different though - one is very frilly and the other a little more no-nonsense? This might mean there will always be a compromise in your naming tastes!

The other thing that struck me is Elizabeth Taylor (Scott)? Maybe a baby born in 2024 won’t mind but it did catch my attention.

Edited

Agree with the first part of this. Not many people will ask you why you named your baby that, especially if it's a middle name, so make sure you love it rather than just for the story. Incidentally my daughter was born on the same day as my great grandmother who was named Clara, but it wasn't our favourite name and my mum didn't like her much ha so it's not in her name. But no one has ever asked me whether there's any significance behind her actual name.

Leonora Madeleine would be lovely and avoids the flow issue. Especially if you originally loved this name but don't like Maddy, you'd never use it as a first name.

QuantumPanic · 20/12/2024 16:55

I will disagree and say that I think Leonora Clara does flow well. But I'm used to girls names which end exclusively in 'a', so maybe that has something to do with it. 🤷

Mumofgirls2017 · 20/12/2024 16:49

i agree it doesn’t flow well at all but depends if important to you. I love Clara, and like Leonora.

Clara Elizabeth or Clara Madeleine would be my picks.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 20/12/2024 16:41

Leonora would be inevitably nn Nora at school so.if you don't like that I'd avoid

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