to think about giving our baby one of these names?

[gettheflagsout1]

We have a shortlist of names for our baby daughter who is due at the beginning of May. The names are Molly, Beatrice and Emma.

I love all of these names but, put together with our surname, DH has 'helpfully' pointed out that each one of them could sound a bit silly. Our surname is the same as the female TV presenter Zoe ....

Giving DD my maiden name is out of the question as I changed to DHs when we got married.

I can't get a clear perspective on this and sometimes think they sound ok then sometimes not. AIBU to give our baby one of these names? I would appreciate some MN views in order DD to avert a potential name disaster.

Emma is fine with your surname.

M.B. definitely sounds terrible.

B.B. is very twee.

E.B. runs very quickly, but is the best choice out of the three I think.

BB sounds fine to my ear as does EB, not so much Molly imho.

I would personally rule out Molly. But the other two are fine. If you think Beatrice may be shortened to Bea then is have to rule it out too. Don't see what's wrong with Emma?

MB doesnt sound too bad, but BB does. EBis the best.

Emily would sound better. Could also Have

Emily Beatrice B

I think Emma is best, too.

The little girl I know with the same surname is called Charlotte, which I also think flows nicely!

There have been a number of threads on Baby Names (maybe 2 years ago now) with someone with your surname trying to find a name.

As I recall, Beatrice* was one of their preferred names - you may want to search for them.

*I remember this as I 'helpfully' pointed out that in the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' theme song, Will was 'Shootin' some b-b a l l outside the school'. Basket ball. Bea.

MB isn't too bad. BB is - sorry, that sounds like one of the girls in trouble in a Marvel comic, and if you shorten it to Bea then it actually sounds quite funn! EB sounds absolutely fine though.

Well done for thinking about it in advance, I only thought about what DC's full first name sounded like with the surname, not the abbreviated version they'd actually be known by, now they sound like a film noire detective

I think a 3 syllable name will sound best with your surname. Flows better IMO.

Not keen on Beatrice Ball though.

Not molly there are a million around us (up north).

Emma is lovely and timeless

Emma is just about workable, although something odd happens to the sound of your surname when I try to say the whole thing. It... sort of... wants to stretch out in the middle - every time I say it, it ends up as either "Emma "Bawwwwww" (if I try to say it normally) or "Emma Bull" if I try to say it fast IYSWIM. I think it's because the name runs quite fast, and it's hard to get from the m sound to the b sound properly. Also, it sounds a bit like "I'm a b.all" or "I'm a bull"...

I'd look at other names along the same line as Emma, but a bit longer and with more open vowel sounds. Maybe Emilia, Emily, Amanda (although that could be shortened to Mandy, which would sound like mandible when joined with your surname )...? Although, when you put an a sound at the end of the first name, the first name and your surname meld into "able" - Emmable, Ellable, Amandable, Emiliable, Tessable, etc, which would bother me.

Gosh, naming is hard.

My mum has this as her maiden name and combined with her first name, her nickname as school was 'cannonball'. (It's a fairly outdated girls name now though and obviously not on your list!)

Molly sounds a bit silly, Beatrice is OK, but I think Emma works best. Perhaps with a longer middle name (Emma Beatrice, for example).

If you like Beatrice, what about Bethany or Elizabeth?

I agree with the PP who said that three syllable names would probably flow best. Meredith, Helena, Francesca, Natalie, Stephanie, or Patricia could work (some better than others)...

Oh now he tells you (aargh) well Emma of the three probably works best.

Caroline was the name that popped into my head.

The problem with Elizabeth are the various nn such as Betty .....

True, Allalonenow - I forgot about Betty! It really is difficult, isn't it?

Hmm... Clara? Jessica?

Olivia Ball?

I know someone with the same surname as you who has 6 DDs! I have never thought of it as being problematuic before but now I have tried the names together I can see what your husband means. I like Emma the best.

Francesca would work well.

Or problematic. Sorry for the typo.

Bea B sounds terrible it will get shortened i think by the time she got to school but the rest are fine imo but it is your little girl call her what you like

How about Bobby?

I think Emma sounds fine.

They're all nice but Emma is my preference.

My sister is an Emma Kate.

Emma would be my preference but only yours matters (and DH's)