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Baby names

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

Original poster

Please help does middle name work?

33 replies

CannelleNoelle · 29/10/2025 22:46

Please help us with a middle name! We have got two girls’ names I really like (and I know one will probably be more popular on here) but we’re leaning towards Amandine – which I know won't be for everyone but it feels more right for this baby.

I’ve always wanted to use Dove as a middle name. I love bird names because they remind me of my grandad, who used to take me birdwatching, and my dad, who’s a big bird fan too, and we have other personal reasons for wanting to use Dove specifically. However, does Amandine Dove sound ok together! If it’s a boy, we will also use a bird reference in the name but won't use Dove.

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WeeGeeBored · 04/11/2025 12:43

I love it.

JillyGiraffe · 01/11/2025 14:21

PennyRest · 01/11/2025 06:10

I actually like the sound of the word ‘Amandine’ but I can’t shift the thought of trout amandine.
Maybe Seraphine?

Seraphine Dove 👏🏻

PennyRest · 01/11/2025 06:10

I actually like the sound of the word ‘Amandine’ but I can’t shift the thought of trout amandine.
Maybe Seraphine?

Linzloopy · 01/11/2025 04:26

Sorry but imo they only "go well together" because they’re both awful.

My advice would be to think less about your own wish to be "different" and more about the poor child who will have to live with your choice.

JillyGiraffe · 01/11/2025 04:09

You want to call your daughter ‘A man Dean’?!

Amandine Dove don’t go together very well either. Dove as a middle name is lovely because it has special meaning to you.

Krakinou · 31/10/2025 22:10

FlorenceAndTheVagine · 31/10/2025 15:05

Sorry I should have made it clear that Paloma was a better first name then Amandine (imo) AND replaces the need for Dove as a middle name. My fault!

Show quote history

True it’s a great alternative. I like the names together too.

LimeSqueezer · 31/10/2025 22:07

Respecting your enthusiasm for the names, they absolutely cannot go together. The sounds "deen duv" just feel like a tongue twister. How many syllables are in your surname? Amandine Paloma doesn't sound so bad. I agree with PP that you need to like the NN Mandy if you go with Amandine. I think I like the name, but I also can imagine kids saying, "she's nuts!"

FlorenceAndTheVagine · 31/10/2025 15:05

Krakinou · 31/10/2025 13:19

But Paloma means dove (and also pigeon!) so wouldn’t go with Dove as a middle name.

OP I think Amandine is really pretty but I can’t get the soap connection out of my head with Dove.

Show quote history

Sorry I should have made it clear that Paloma was a better first name then Amandine (imo) AND replaces the need for Dove as a middle name. My fault!

KathyDuck · 31/10/2025 13:21

Crickey how are you pronouncing the first name and are you okay with Mandy as a nn?

Krakinou · 31/10/2025 13:19

FlorenceAndTheVagine · 30/10/2025 15:10

Yikes. I know names are subjective but I do feel like these ARE real clangers, both separately and together.

Also if you have a girl and then a boy, Amandine and Robin feel very far apart!

ETA: would you consider Paloma? I think that is a lovely first name and somehow fits the vibe of Amandine without…being Amandine.

Edited

But Paloma means dove (and also pigeon!) so wouldn’t go with Dove as a middle name.

OP I think Amandine is really pretty but I can’t get the soap connection out of my head with Dove.

user1492757084 · 31/10/2025 12:22

Amandine Dove is fine.
Other bird names ..
Lark
Swan
Alouette
Birdie
Harper
Wren
Branwen
Other peace names..
Saoirse
Irene
Serena
Aquena
Jamima
Frida
Olive
Names that mean both bird and peace..
Derora
Celandine

VioletMatilda · 30/10/2025 15:39

Amandine is lovely. I think Amandine Dove sounds nice, but Dove Soap means that it does sound as though it could be a shower gel.

Amandine Wren? Amandine Linnet? Amandine Mavis?

DuchessOfNarcissex · 30/10/2025 15:17

Willow and Fay are nice.

FlorenceAndTheVagine · 30/10/2025 15:10

Yikes. I know names are subjective but I do feel like these ARE real clangers, both separately and together.

Also if you have a girl and then a boy, Amandine and Robin feel very far apart!

ETA: would you consider Paloma? I think that is a lovely first name and somehow fits the vibe of Amandine without…being Amandine.

luckylavender · 30/10/2025 15:09

Can you think of a different bird? Dove sounds like soap.

DuchessOfNarcissex · 30/10/2025 15:03

@DisplayPurposesOnly , It's more like Am-ond-een.
May contain nuts.Smile

DisplayPurposesOnly · 30/10/2025 14:38

I've always loved Linnet, ever since I first read The Children Of Green Knowe.

Amandine Linnet 👌

MiddleAgedDread · 30/10/2025 14:36

is it Aman-deen or Aman-dine?? It's sounding like "I'm a dying Dove" in my head!!

Linenpickle · 30/10/2025 14:34

Awful names. Sounds like a cheap thrush cream.

DuchessOfNarcissex · 30/10/2025 14:27

@CannelleNoelle , I don't think Amandine works. it's a culinary term.
Not keen on Dove because I think of it as a shower gel range.

If you love the names, use them, but it made me think 'nutty pigeon'.

yikesanotherbooboo · 30/10/2025 10:14

I don’t think the flow is the most important thing about a middle name. Much more important is the meaning or reasoning behind your choice unless you are planning to use both names together on a regular basis. The reason for your choice is nice and the names go together reasonably well.

Original poster
CannelleNoelle · 30/10/2025 09:56

Thank you so much for the feedback — I really appreciate it! It’s so hard working these things out, and I tend to avoid asking friends and family because if you end up choosing a name they’ve said they hate, it’s not ideal… better they secretly dislike it, I think!

I realise the names we’re considering won’t be for everyone — Robin would be a top contender if it’s a boy. I definitely don’t want to give our child a terrible name, but at the same time, I don’t want to be too “people-pleasing” and just pick something because it’s more popular. I know not everyone would choose my taste in clothes or home décor either — and that’s okay, but I also don't want to lump my child with a clanger of a name! I've thought about Willow, Fae, or Ivy as middle names as well. Although only Ivy is a family name and I tend to like middle names that have a meaning of family connection. Ivy is also top 10 I believe.

OP posts:
Garamousalata · 30/10/2025 04:38

Wren is also a nice bird name.

NuffSaidSam · 30/10/2025 04:37

It doesn't give her anywhere to go if she wants a more mainstream name.

I'd probably go with a different bird name because Dove does make me think of shower gel and then pigeons. Wren is lovely. Or Robyn. Or even Lark.

garlictwist · 30/10/2025 04:35

I like amandine. Dove makes me think of the soap brand.