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Baby names

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

Original poster

Iona, Lydia, Matilda, Anna or Olivia - Which girl's name?

61 replies

rebeccahill · 21/09/2008 08:17

Help! We've got under 2 weeks to register our daughter's name, and don't know which of the above to choose. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you.

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skidaddle · 27/09/2008 16:38

Iona is lovely, the name and the island - do you have any Scottish connections? If so I would def go for Iona

JustBecause · 26/09/2008 20:30

Olivia is wayyyy to popular. I would go with Anna it's the nicest out o f all of the list. Although matilda is nice too....

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 26/09/2008 20:23

Have a lydie who is never Lyd always "shortened" to lydie

of your list I like Anna and matilda aswell

TheFallenMadonna · 26/09/2008 20:00

If your partner loves Iona, why not use that? Or are you not so keen?

TheFallenMadonna · 26/09/2008 20:00

Anna

Iona better as a first name IMO.

MaloryDontDiveItsShallow · 26/09/2008 19:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bink · 26/09/2008 19:55

Well, I think of your options you should go for Lydia Iona.

(I think when your daughters are older they will have a nice chuckle about their parents' island obsession. Am now just thinking about the options for a boy ... Sark ... Skye ... no, it has to be Muck.)

pamelat · 23/09/2008 13:40

Iona - nice name, had never heard of it
Anna - inoffensive, bit dull????
Olivia - far too popular
Lydia - pretty
Matilda - also pretty

Original poster
rebeccahill · 23/09/2008 11:15

Thanks for all your suggestions. Been trying out a different name every day.

Lydia keeps reminding me of the one person I have known called Lydia who was very square, frumpy and a real swot. Would this association go with time????

Anna is lovely, but our first daugher is called Emma and I think they might be too similar.

Still love Olivia even though there are loads and I don't like the shortenings. Maybe I'll be lucky and no one will name their daugher Olivia round here!

Probably going to have Iona as a second name cos my partner loves it, but it doesn't really flow off the tongue.

Gone off Matilda cos it's just not her at all.

So it's now going to be Olivia Iona or Anna Iona (or Lydia Iona if I can forget about the girl i knew when i was younger!) What do you think? (First daugher being Emma Isla.)

OP posts:
norkmaiden · 22/09/2008 16:09

Anna

or Matilda, but that's redhot atm, if that sort of thing bothers you.

clairebear88 · 22/09/2008 16:07

Hi

Matilda= lovely girly
Lydia= i love it its on my list
Olivia= nice
Anna=nice
Iona= not really my taste

Tortington · 22/09/2008 11:48

lydia

dinkymum · 22/09/2008 11:45

Anna for me!

PoorOldEnid · 22/09/2008 10:55

anna

dobbins · 22/09/2008 10:54

I love all your names but my favourite is Anna- so timeless, feminine and good for all ages and stages.

ForeverOptimistic · 22/09/2008 10:52

Iona - Very pretty and not many about.
Anna - I like it but wouldn't use it.
Olivia - I like it but I know loads.
Lydia - Very pretty.
Matilda - I like it.

My favourites are Iona and Lydia.

minkersmum · 22/09/2008 10:48

anna is classy and altho popular not too common.

lydia reminds me of middle aged women smoking fags up a close! sorry!

matlida very sweet as long as u don't mind it being shortened to matty, tilly etc

olivia nice but too popular for me.

iona lovely name but i own a car, i own a house etc puts me off!

good luck naming her, we have 16 days left to pick a name for our daughter, its so hard.

TheNaughtiestGirlKeepsaSecret · 22/09/2008 10:07

Lydia. I love Iona too though. And I love Anna. It's always gorgeous, I never go off it. Ten yrs ago I loved Olivia.

Lydia or Anna

TwoMore · 22/09/2008 09:27

LOL good job we didnt have it then!

How are you supposed to pronounce it?

Anna8888 · 21/09/2008 21:06

Anna or Olivia (or, better IMO, Livia).

BuwchBywiog · 21/09/2008 21:03

"I liked Iona a lot when pregnant but DH vetoed it because it sounded like 'I own a' and that put me off."

Umm not when its pronounced correctly it doesn't she would have everyone welsh asking if she was born in January as well probably!

Like them all apart from Matilda

frazzledoldbag34 · 21/09/2008 19:35

I like Anna the best
Then Lydia
Not against any of the others but Anna and Lydia definitely stand out for me.
As others have said Anna is classic and whilst it is popular it's not THAT popular IYSWIM.

LouMacca · 21/09/2008 19:35

Anna - very pretty.

Do love Olivia but as others have said its a very popular name at the moment. DD has 2 in her class and has 2 friends outside of school called Olivia.

MissusH · 21/09/2008 19:32

go for Anna - totally biased as it is DD's name I love it that she is the only Anna in the school!!!

vicsta · 21/09/2008 19:29

Anna or Iona (as long as you have the right surname). I'd pronounce it I-orn-a (or something like that, can't really type it) coz I'm Welsh. English people would probably say I-own-a. Not good if your surname is Carr!