What names were on your shortlist but didn’t make the cut?

[ShirleyPhallus]

I’m pg now and have a shortlist of names I love. Feel a bit sad only to pick one!

Any names that got left behind that you still love?

I have two boys. Names which made the shortlist but were ultimately rejected were:

Nathaniel
Laurens
Emil

Unused girls names:
Francesca
Stephanie
Leonie
Cecilie

In retrospect, I think my children should be pleased they didnt ultimately get saddled with many of those. They fit our heritage, but not the culture we've brought them into.

Charlie and Evan for a boy; Alice and Rosemary for a girl

Boys
Callum exh veto too scottish
hector, see above
David exh veto too British
James, see above

Girls
Morag, too scottish
Moira, too scottish
Fiona, too scottish
Morgaine, veto by ex h as too weird and my my DM as no grandchild of hers was going to be names after a Welsh witch Was a long time ago and she had just read the Mists of Avalon

Aeryn I don't know why we didn't use it as we both loved the name but seemed to completely forget about it when I was pregnant.

Harry & Charlie, glad we didn't use them as his name is perfect for him.

Penelope
Clementine
Clio

Benedict - couldn't bear it to be shortened to Ben.
Asher - DH hated it but I did get it as a middle name for one of the DSs
If my PFB had been a girl, he would have been Alayna - I loved it, and quite thought I made it up. The little girl next door now is called it!
I wanted to call DD Accalia, which I found in one of those baby name books, but in the end she's named for her grandmother and great grandmother (the names came back in fashion and there are loads of her name now)
My sister always said that when she had a son he would be called Sebastian or Nazareth! but in the event he has a much more mundane every day name

Ferdia, Iarla, Féilim.

Iris
Kate
Esther
Clara

Sebastian
Arthur
Edward

we have no Welsh connection so he thought Cerys would be ridiculous
This! He also vetoed Angharad for the same reason.
Nathalie because not a Christmas baby
I vetoed Juliette because I don't like the nicknames, he vetoed Charlotte.
Matilda, Joanna, Barbara.
Frederick, Leo

Alasdair. DH vetoed so DS got the only other name on my list.

For girls he vetoed Alice and Iris as being "old fashioned" but bizarrely suggested Ivy and Mary, both of which I think of as older.

Matilda
Evangeline
Anouk
Anouska
Beatrix

Nicholas (didn’t go with our surname)
Peter (not keen on Pete)
Casper

Finlay- was our boys name the first time round, but had a girl. Took it off the list the second time as its the name of one of dds best friends at nursery

Arwen- had a son so couldn’t use it.

I have five kids who have three names each, so there weren't many unused! However, final child was a girl when I thought I was having a boy,so Toby Robert David never got used.

Had to scrabble about a bit for names for her, tbh. I'd used all my best ones.

We were going to name ds1 William ,but than watched the Alexander the Great film and Preferred Alexander so went with that instead, i liked Daniel, and Luke but Dh wasent keen.

Girls' names not used (we had a boy) Charlotte, Emma, Frances

Boy's names not used James (well we used it as a second name) Charles

DH wanted Conrad. I vetoed that.

Loads, as husband liked more modern and popular names and I prefer older and less common names. Some that didn't get used from my list include, Lawrence, Anthony, Steven, Isaac, Hector, Matthew, Daniel and David for boys. For girls, Tammy, Camille, Mary, Zinnia, Theresa, Kimberley, Charlotte and Naomi.

Delia
Iris
Dorothea
Clara
Esther

Joseph
Ivo

I wanted to call DS1 Struan but DH vetoed

Loads. Had B/G/B/G
If they had been opposite sexes they would have been:
Elsa
Hector
Ottilie or Dorothea
Hamish or Hugo

I also loved Agnes, Evangeline, Roger and Iris which were vetoed by DH.

We loved Harry as it was my late grandfathers name but a closiah friend named their child that soon after. Similarly a friend I was due before named her daughter Sophia which meant we could use it. I love both of my children's names and they absolutely 'fit' them so there are no regrets but still!

Oscar (dp vetoed as being too posh)
Danny (dp vetoed as being ‘laddish’ and neither of us liked Daniel
Matilda (vetoed by dp as being too pretentious)
Kate (vetoed by dp as it’s his sister’s name)

I’m glad we didn’t go with any of them now apart from Kate which I think is a timeless classic! I still feel aggrieved even though I used it as a middle name

Nora ( vetoed) Mabel ( vetoed) Edward, Archie, Alexander ( never had any boys. Also loved Clara and Joe. I'm going to use them all on pets names 😀

For DS - Edward (Teddy) and Alex

For DD - Nothing, there was only one name that we both loved from the start.

DS1
Henry
Hugo
Hector
Madeleine

DD
Isabel
Imogen
Thomas
Louis
Henry

We talked so much and and had so many and then called them something different!

Flora, Clara, Alicia, Georgia ... if I’d had another boy I’d have been completely scuppered though!