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Baby names

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

Original poster

long fancy girls name to match other DC...

163 replies

hedgiemum · 11/03/2009 14:56

I have daughters named Genevieve (Gigi) and Celestine (Celeste), and a son named William (Billy).
I'm now pregnant with DC4, another girl.
We're seriously considering;

Violet / Violette - only problem is what to shorten either to (Vivi would be confusing alongside Gigi.) Don't like Letty.

Ottilie - nn Lottie/Lotta since Tilly wouldn't work well with Billy! Any other ideas what it could be shortened to?

Marianna - nn Mimi (DH's favourite as named after his late mother). Tennysons depressing poem puts me off a bit. Also concerned that wouldn't match well with our surname, a Mc name of 3 syllables.

Evangeline - but Evie would be confusing with Gigi. Know of any other nn's?

Emmanuelle - nn Esme or Emmy. (My favourite because a family name on my side) but yes we do know the 70's soft porn connotations. Does it really matter??!

If you have a minute, which do you think "goes" best with my other children, or can you think of anything better? (Francesca has bad associations for me; DH doesn't like Josephine; DH is Irish but we don't want a traditional Irish name; DH doesn't want anything that sounds Scottish; meanings are important to us, as is being unusual (for girls).

OP posts:
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ArcticLemming · 12/03/2009 09:44

Yolande?

2Helenback · 12/03/2009 09:42

Verity?
Lucia?

2Helenback · 12/03/2009 09:41

Wasn't Adelheid Heidi's full name in the book? Was a clara also, which is nice.

I scrolled down to suggest Seraphina, but very much beaten to it! Dh vetoed for us as he says too poncey, but he is a caveman who wants Shirley ffs! I must ban Billy Bragg for a while...

However, most colleagues said Sera sounds like Sarah and most people would assume that was the baby's name if shortened.

belgo · 12/03/2009 09:38

I've only heard of Antigone and Persephone on mumsnet, and when spoken, they are very pretty names. Dreadful when written down though.

Original poster
hedgiemum · 12/03/2009 09:34

hi belgo, thanks for all your lovely suggestions. I love Josephine but DH really, really doesn't like it. (He never tells me why he doesn't like things though, which is frustrating.)
Still mulling on Delphine... not sure if I like the meaning & etymology enough to go for it.
I'd love to be able to get away with adelaide, but think you're prob'ly right.

OP posts:
VictorianSqualor · 12/03/2009 09:31

Antigone - nn Tiggy.
I love this name but it's too 'fancy' for us.

belgo · 12/03/2009 09:29

I'm not suggesting you use Adelheid btw, I think both Adelaide and Adelheid are too difficult to pull off unless you are foreign. But both very lovely names.

Still think Seraphina (shortened to Phina or Phine or Sera)
Delphine or Josephine.

belgo · 12/03/2009 09:14

Adelheid is the flemish version of Adelaide.

Original poster
hedgiemum · 12/03/2009 09:11

hi Solowitch - Ariadne has nice sounds, it just reminds me too much of the nutty writer lady in Hercule Poirot books. I thinks its cool though, just not for me.

hi hf12 - because I have a name of one sylable, which can't be shortened and it very over-used and DULL. My middle name is similarly short and dull (as was my maiden name!) So my children have options with their names - including a much more normal middle name so that they can switch to that if they prefer.

hi bettybeetroot - hurrah, a vote for Emmanuelle!!! Of other suggestions, love Felicity, but its already in our family.

hi nooka - I'm ignorant- didn't know Ottilie could be pronounced oh-til! Interesting... The thing with babyish nn's is that DH is going to do that with whatever name we choose for a girl. But it is only him that calls Celeste "Cissy", and I agree with you, something that the rest of us shorten to a non-I ending would be ideal. Couldn't have Emmanuelle shortened to Elle, as we have 2 nieces called Ellie already!

hi seeker- I read Adelaide on a thread here last week actually, and its gorgeous. I'm just worried that she'd go through life correcting people "no, NOT pronounced like the Aussie city". Pronounced properly, with Adele as nn, it is beautiful. do you know of any alternate spellings, I couldn't find one online, or do you think people would be more aware of pronounciation than I assume?

You're all fantastic at this!

OP posts:
seeker · 12/03/2009 05:53

Adelaide

nooka · 12/03/2009 04:49

Emmanuelle is really awful (sorry!) and I think would be more likely to lead to a nn of Elle than Emmie. Middle name territory only!

I don't like Evangeline either. It's a bit whiny to me. Which pronunciation of Ottilie would you use (Oh-Til-ee, or Oh-til?) I like the latter, which doesn't need a nickname

I think Seraphina might be a bit difficult to carry off, and if your dh likes very "baby" nns, then Fifi does beckon. Gigi, Cissy, Billy and Fifi would be a bit much! And a pity when you have done out of your way to chose "fancy" names. I'd look for something which can't be shortened to a "i" ending.

If you like angels, what about Angelique? I'm reading a book about a Hepzibah (which means "my delight is in her") known as Hepzi. dd has a friend Miriam (nn Mimi) which is a version of Mary, so good Christian connection there. I like Susannah (Sue, Susie, Sukie, Anna), although the latter names are perhaps a bit too English (would go well with Billy, but not your girls names so much, as you have a bit of a French theme there).

bettybeetroot · 12/03/2009 00:07

from your new short list, Emmanuelle is my favourite.

what about
Robina (Ruby/Robin for short)
Constantia
Clementina
Fenella
Josephine
Serena
Felicity
Florian
Thomasina
Alicia

hf128219 · 11/03/2009 23:52

Why have 'long,fancy names' and then shorten them? Why not just call them by their proper name or name them the shortened version?

solowitch · 11/03/2009 23:41

Awww! you didn't like Ariadne then?

Jaamy · 11/03/2009 22:53

Evangeline is lovely (esp because my DDs have a thing for Nanny McPhee!) - nn Angel or Lenny

seeker · 11/03/2009 21:57

Clemency

dizzydixies · 11/03/2009 21:55

Hermione could be nn Mimi?
Calliope, Clarissa or Callista nn callie

dizzydixies · 11/03/2009 21:54

Felicity nn flick?
Corinna nn nina

dizzydixies · 11/03/2009 21:53

I have a Cordelia and love it but I understand that knowing 2 would put you off

have your considered

Arianna
Cecelia nn Cece
Sylvanna nn Sylvie?

I heard Delphine the other day and love it too

FairLadyRantALot · 11/03/2009 21:47

the 1. matron I was under as a student nurse was called Seraphine, that is kinda a good name

FairLadyRantALot · 11/03/2009 21:47

the 1. matron I was under as a student nurse was called Seraphine, that is kinda a good name

Horton · 11/03/2009 20:29

Severine is lovely.

Original poster
hedgiemum · 11/03/2009 20:23

Thanks for all the ideas, esp the unusual French ones. Will mull them over. I love Raphaela and it would be on shortlist but dh doesn't like it.

Thanks for the honesty over Angel as well; it does strike me that Seraphina is a classier way of calling a child angel!

I think I've deleted Evangeline from the list, and also Violette because DH is getting sniffy about that, so we've got;

Seraphina (need to find nn other than Fifi)
Ottilie
Emmanuelle (still can't bring myself to erase it!)

I like to go into each labour with a shortlist of 2-4 names, and decide based on how the baby looks and acts when we meet.

OP posts:
Tinker · 11/03/2009 19:25

Fabienne
Regine
Sidonie
Apolline

FairLadyRantALot · 11/03/2009 19:23

From your list I only like Evangeline and Violet, sorry!

How about
Cassandra
Victoria
Antoinette
Bernadette
Adrienne
Magdalena
Dominique
Francesca
Geral dine
Hermoine
Julienne/Juliette
Lucinda
Madeleine
Octavia
Penelope
Charlotte
Stephanie
Ther ese