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Baby names

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

Original poster

Uncommon baby girl names

80 replies

PlanBea · 24/07/2025 22:04

Hi Mumsnetters,

Baby girl is due in August, and is currently nameless. The top pick name is Elodie which we love, but the rise in the 'El's puts me off this a bit especially if people are likely to nickname her Ellie and she's one of 10 in her class. When DS was born, we were going to use Erin if he was a girl, and while we still like it I'm not as in love with it as I was.

Other names we like (but probably not enough as a first name)
Violet
Clara
Imogen
Paisley
Madeline - unlikely to use this as I'm not keen on something with lots of spelling variants
Zara
Autumn

I lean towards names with a touch of uncommon but still easy to spell and pronounce as my name is one people don't immediately know how to pronounce. I'm not worried about picking something 'rare' but also not a top 10 name. Due to surname beginning with an O I don't want to use B or H for the first name and give her the initials BO or HO!

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BebbanburgIsMine · 11/08/2025 21:24

PlanBea · 24/07/2025 22:04

Hi Mumsnetters,

Baby girl is due in August, and is currently nameless. The top pick name is Elodie which we love, but the rise in the 'El's puts me off this a bit especially if people are likely to nickname her Ellie and she's one of 10 in her class. When DS was born, we were going to use Erin if he was a girl, and while we still like it I'm not as in love with it as I was.

Other names we like (but probably not enough as a first name)
Violet
Clara
Imogen
Paisley
Madeline - unlikely to use this as I'm not keen on something with lots of spelling variants
Zara
Autumn

I lean towards names with a touch of uncommon but still easy to spell and pronounce as my name is one people don't immediately know how to pronounce. I'm not worried about picking something 'rare' but also not a top 10 name. Due to surname beginning with an O I don't want to use B or H for the first name and give her the initials BO or HO!

Hi OP, you may already have had your baby girl, but I just came on to talk about the shortening or nicknames. You say you don’t want people calling her “Ellie” and I totally agree with you there, I absolutely detest my name being shortened or my DDs. If I wanted the short versions I’d tell people that.

If your DD’s name is to be Elodie, then that is what you tell people her name is, not Ellie, or any other variation. Just Elodie, no-one has the right to call her anything other than the name you choose for her.

I did this with my own DDS, I wouldn’t accept any shortenings of their names, they’re both adults now and if at any time they had wanted a nickname then that would have been their choice, and I would have accepted that, but they didn’t. Both insist on their full names. I actually changed DD2’s name (the one I wanted) to her middle name, and gave her a first name that couldn’t be shortened, because XH’s family wouldn’t respect my decision and called her the nickname.

I just can’t stand the assumption that children are given names that other people will automatically shorten!

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 11/08/2025 20:24

Catherine
Hannah
Susan
Rebecca
Zöe
Claire

wellingtonsandwaffles · 11/08/2025 20:03

Lydia has similar sound to Elodie and is beautiful

also love Eleanor nn Nell

ILoveWhales · 11/08/2025 19:58

Mseddy · 24/07/2025 22:43

My DD is Alma

That is cool.

WhereYouLeastExpect · 11/08/2025 11:03

Malina
Nova
Esther

Ncorangina · 11/08/2025 00:22

Elodie is so lovely, such a beautiful classy name. I know like 2 of them but I know like 5 Margot, 3 Violet, 2 Daphne, and 2 Maisie (which I also think is a dogs name) and yes agree lots of Layla/Leila/Leah/Lia/Lara names beginning with L (way more than El) And I know 2 Zara.

If you like Elodie, you should just go for it (and both Elodie I know have not been shortened to Ellie at all)

I dislike the name Eloise - it sounds like Louise to me and reminds me of geez Louise and it’s a mouthful

timoteigirl · 28/07/2025 17:08

If you like Elodie and Erin, could you combine them? I don't think you can do Erodie but you could do Elan or Elin.... Elin is a Swedish name and Elan is a Welsh name. Don't know if they are current or old fashioned though.

BugBugTheTornado · 28/07/2025 10:29

I have a Zara, and an Allegra.

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 28/07/2025 06:59

Springadorable · 24/07/2025 22:12

Cleo. Easy to spell but you don't get many of them.

I know more Cleos than El-names.

The El name trend has been overtaken by Ev names - Evie, Evelyn, Ava etc.

I do know an Elodie but she’s 25.

I have 3 kids, year 6 year 3 and nursery and none of them have any El-names in their classes.
LOTS of Violets though.
Lots and lots of vowelly names (Isla, Evie, Amelie, Amelia, Amalia, Emilia, Ava, Eira, Erin, Isla)
and lots of lots of L names (2x Lily-Ann, Lila, Leila, Layla, Lyra, Lola, Lana)

What about:
Penelope
Jemima
Heidi
Willa
Nora
Alyssa

ChocolateCinderToffee · 28/07/2025 06:31

Phoebe
Laetitia
Cecily
Sabine
Ondine
Mirella
Rosina

C10000 · 28/07/2025 00:57

Eden
Rowan
Taryn
Marnie

nothingbeats · 28/07/2025 00:37

Peyton
Celia
nina

marshmallowfinder · 28/07/2025 00:19

I'm not keen at all on Elodie. It's just the letter sounds-L.O.D.

Allthesnowallthetime · 27/07/2025 23:45

Lilias

Merle

Estelle

GreenTurtles3 · 27/07/2025 23:43

Ruby
Joni
Lois
Cora
Sadie

Whycantyouwhisper · 27/07/2025 23:42

@PlanBea Cora is gorgeous and I don’t hear the name at all. Also love Eira (Welsh for snow) Maeve and Noa.

My absolute favourite, though, is Beth. Only heard of one in the last 15 or so years that’s a child. I think it’s lovely as a name in its own right rather than shortening Elizabeth.

Enough4me · 27/07/2025 23:41

Anya
Julia
Laila
Talulah

josephinejosephine · 27/07/2025 23:36

Justine
Maire
Loujain
Kenza
Carine
Mairead
Hazel
Sandrine
Niara
Maxine

Thedoorisalwaysopen · 27/07/2025 23:29

PlanBea · 24/07/2025 23:04

Thanks for the suggestions, lots of names family have or I've wasted on pets in the past 😂 currently cursing myself for liking human names for animal because Maisie would be lovely but I can't bring myself to use my old dog's name!

@Mumofgirls2017 wow five Elodies! I've been keeping an eye out for it and only encountered one 'in the wild' so far but I know that (and other "El"s) have been skyrocketing recently

NO name is 'wasted' on a pet hahahah
Maisie is a dog name anyway IMO. Nowhere near serious enough for a kick ass lady who is going to do great things.

I like Clara most from your list. If you're Scottish how about an unusual Scottish name? Eilidh and Eilish spring to mind if you liked Elodie.

thirdistheonewiththehairychest · 27/07/2025 23:28

Two of my three dds have been mentioned multiple times on here. The third whose name hasn't been mentioned is Jemima.

Ambroserock · 27/07/2025 22:57

Augusta?

maggiesleapp · 27/07/2025 22:53

My dgd is Nina. Just about to start school and she is the only Nina.

CsTheDay · 27/07/2025 22:49

I knew a Meredith, Miriam, Tamara (Tammy), Giulia, Celia and Pura in my childhood and haven’t met many since.

SeagullFreeZone · 27/07/2025 22:47

Joan.
Deborah.
Martina

Coralight · 27/07/2025 22:45

Maya?

Underused but everyone will have heard it.