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.

All three are lovely names. But only Emma sounds right with your surname. Good luck with the decision, it's not easy.

Your surname was my grandmother's maiden name - she was Ethel, and her siblings were Bert (oh dear!!), Cyril and Stella (by far the best of the lot, namewise!).

As a pp suggested, I like a longer version of Emma such as Emmeline with the surname.

Our friend's little girls are called Elsie Ball, Louise Ball and Alice Ball. They are all cure as buttons.

With some accents mine 'Emma Ball' would perhaps sound very close identical to "I'M a ball".

As you were.

Emma ball

Round here I'm is pronounced Em so Emma Ball would be like saying 'I'm a ball' every time you had to introduce yourself.

Bea Ball and Molly Ball....really, really no!

I second everything that corporate said.

Emma Ball would never work if you were in Dundee.. (I'm a ball)

Molly Ball just sounds funny, and Bea Ball is a no no for me too,

I'd think of another name, I don't think any of them work with your surname.

I quite like Beatrice B, it sounds like a Marvel character...she'd be up there with Peter Parker (I have DC's with sci-fi / graphic novel related names though).

badidea how did you guess?

I knew an Emma Horn and she got the piss taken out of her a lot.

corporate greetings fellow taysider..

I can't believe anyone in dundee with a surname of horn would even consider the name Emma (what were they thinking?)

Am on the other side of the river these days but you can't take Dundee out of the girl and all that...

God knows what they were thinking?! Then again my maiden name rhymed with wanking and I don't know how nobody realised in all of my school years. Ha!

Margaret, with the NN Molly.

Only Emma works, it's a great name so use that IMO.

Amelie or Amelia Ball.

Molly Ball makes me think Volley Ball - sorry!

Not keen on Beatrice or Emma regardless of surname

I know a very nice Caroline Ball...

Amy Ball, Sophie Ball, lots of names will be fine. You just need to keep trying.

Emma Ball is a water-colour artist that does greetings cards & other stuff

Scrub Amelia Ball, sounds like I'm merely a ball. Amelie is pretty though.

corporate I'm an edimburger myself, but been 'up north' for a few years.

Can't believe you had a 'wanking' soundalike surname and weren't ribbed silly at school, again, what were your schoolmates thinking?!

Dunno how I went under the radar for that long!

Crystal would be a cool name.

icansee - I like it :-)

My exs surname is Groom. He has an auntie by marriage called Bridget known as Bridie..
But we had an awful time trying to find names that didn't sound weird with Groom. His suggestion of Star sounds like a prize at a county fayre, my favourites Grace and Gwennie sounded ridiculous. I feel your pain OP!!

Molly Ball - no, coz it runs into one name, The other names are ok but I think a longer, stronger name would work a bit better.