Can anyone find a middle ground between me and DH’s name lists?

Ailsa
Erin
Margot
Shona
Bridget/Brigitte
Lisette

None of these would be on my personal list but I've tried to go with the 'middle ground' between the two. I've no idea what's on trend and in any case would avoid something immediately identifiable as 2025. I'm afraid your DH's list is an example of how trendy names age.

Could you get the list of top 100 Scottish baby names and each tick ones you like? Plus the list for your nationality?

Bernadette is like Jolene for me, I can’t hear it without hearing the song of the same name!

FWIW I didn’t much care for my dc’s name but it was the only thing that her father agreed to. Now, I find it really suits her (and if I am feeling possessive I use her middle name, which I came up with!) This choice does feel important now but will feel less important as time goes on- and as a teacher I think the most important is that you check out the proposed initials for unexpected acronyms, the shortenings of the name you choose, and any unfortunate rhymes or connotations. The baby might also surprise you and not suit the name you picked out. Mine wasn’t named for a few days after the birth.

All that said, how about Ailsa, Lorna, or Fionnula so that you can still use Finn? (Apologies if the spelling is wrong.) When I started teaching there were a lot of Ashleys of both sexes, could that be a compromise as it’s strong and has the -ey sound? These are all also not trendy now so won’t date.

Also love Catriona.

On a similar theme:
Katrina / Catrina
Katrine / Katrin / Catrin
Caitlin / Kaitlin / Kaitlyn
Katherine / Catherine
Kate / Cate / Cait
Kathleen / Cathleen

With an ie sound to the end of your surname I agree having a first name with the same sound will sound twee.

I love Shona and Catriona. I always think Scottish female names are clear and strong.

Ok,all nice names and useable. But not classics apart from a very few. Mostly very dateable. It's actually quite an interesting list because of the difference and I think you'll easily be able to find a compromise by shifting your date parameters a bit or finding a common reference point.

With love, yours are a good 15 years behind the curve and a bit overused now (starting late 90s, Lily, Ruby, Daisy) and his are actually 30 years in front (late mid c is when the Michelles and Lisas will come through. Bernadette is coming up with the Pamelas, Barbaras and Lindas butis expect too much of a compromise).

I think the basis of your list is Mhairi and Emily. A Scottish and an English classic. Ditch everything else unless there's anything you really can't leave behind in which case look at it closer.

Maybe Alice/Ailish, Lucy, Anna, Elspeth, Shona, Catriona

You may go in another direction from there, maybe sometjing else from Shakespeare (Ophelia is a bit divisive in terms of the sound I wouldn't particularly want to be called it). Essentially, id say find a new middle ground unless you can't forget a particular name

If you like Finn for a boy, how about Fiona? And if Eliza is appealing, how about Elspeth which is the Scottish version of Elizabeth...I love how it sounds!

Rosanna?

Yes! I teach 4 Wilfreds, all yr8-10.
Boris Johnson has one 😉.
Most popular for boys are Alfie, Albie, Harry and Noah, and for girls a lot of ditzy names, Daisy, Maisie, Lottie, Dottie, Minnie, Poppy, etc.
North of England.

I'm intrigued by his not loving Rosie enough to say it every day. I suspect most people don't inherently love saying Isla or Olivia or Noah or George all day long, but they grow to love it as it's their child's name. Unfortunately it may just be a matter of powering through more name lists to find more mutually pleasing ones. (I might start with the National Records of Scotland baby name lists in this case, if you haven't already.)

It seems like his order of the day is names that might have been familiar/popular in Scotland in the - '70s? '80s? '90s? - with no negative associations that he can think of. Just to add a few more, how about:

Alexandra
Alison (unironically; given the history in Scotland it feels classic)
Carly
Ciara
Georgia
Hanna/Hannah
Helena (would've been Helen, Ellen, or maybe Elin)
Holly
Jessamyn
Kira
Kirsty
Laurel
Lindsay
Mara
Marsaili
May
Nadia
Nina
Oona
Sylvie (would've been Sylvia)
Talitha
Tansy

Lorna is a lovely name and not over used.

That makes no sense, because all 45 year olds were once babies, and fashions change.
I teach children called Stanley, Elsie, Frank, Wilfred, Minnie and Nancy, which to me seem like grandparents' names. None of them are 90!

Katharine
Evelyn
Lois
Lorna
Vivien
Elizabeth
Lorna
Fiona
Rhona
Tessa
I think it sounds like he doesn't like "ditsy" names for girls, which have become very popular.

your list is great and his is awful. Howabout if it’s a girl you pick the name and if it’s a boy he picks? That’s what we did!

Wish your DH all the best from me on the upcoming arrival of his 45 year old daughter OP! 🤣

But don’t get yourself into a position where all your ideas are vetoed and you’re picking the least bad of his. You need to equal opportunity to put forward ideas, veto the others’ and discuss what remains.

Lorna and Flora are good

He’s thinking of girls he went to school with, very 80s. Maybe get he’d like to throw in Clare, Alison, Nicola, Fiona and Rebecca too?

Could you avoid the ‘-ie’ names as these do sound more twee and are quite ‘now’ so fashionable in a different way.

Ruby and Emily seem most likely to succeed of yours but how about Tessa, Niamh, Agnes, Esther, Francesca?

Penelope is back and I think Deborah is due a revival (not Debbie though).

I think the double ie sound is probably what makes it sound ttwee. Just picking a Scottish surname like Brodie.

Rosie Brodie Daisy Brodie Lily Brodie, it's perhaps looks too trying to make them rhyme in a kids TV sort of way.. so I can see why someone might not like ie or y first names Rosa or Roselind Brodie sounds more normal less babyish so maybe something similar without ie sound.

i know 2 Finola’s, one is Fen, and one Finn

I thought this too

Riffing off Eliza:

Elodie
Enid
Eloise
Edith
Evelyn

FWIW, DP and I never agreed on names – mine were brilliant, his were AWFUL – and we ended up with a halfhearted “well, we both don’t hate it” name that I now can’t imagine DD without, and I love it because I love her. It’s one of those “doesn’t matter that much” decisions, really. Unless of course you saddle your kid with Bernadette, then it matters.

Is he deliberately picking outdated names so when he comes in with something slightly more modern you will snatch his hand off?

Sofia
Isabella
Evie
ivy
Annie
Otillie