Phoebe or Meredith?

[Lora69]

Hi ladies, please can you help me choose between my final two...

Phoebe Shailes
Meredith Shailes

The mn's I am thinking* of are

Meredith Raine or Meredith Willow
Phoebe Willow or Phoebe Elizabeth

What are your thoughts? Brother will either be
Henry James or Zachary Robert (if that matters?!)

thanks x x

which name would you yourself rather be called, which do you prefer said aloud???

Good points. I like Elizabeth but it just... knocks the mystery and beauty out of Phoebe -- Shailes. I think that with great names like Phoebe and Shailes you should go the whole hog with conviction whereas Elizabeth feels... plonked because it's sensible. (sort of). (I mean who is to know it isn't a family name passed down to every female, but..)

If I had the fab surname of Shailes to play with, and a prospective DD to call Phoebe, I would totally indulge myself and go with the Willow as well because it's just such an exciting combination of names.

Phoebe Willow Shailes. It just works. Even the rhythm is right. Dum-de, Dum-de Dum. It finishes on such a triumphant and decisive note. I want to know a Phoebe Willow Shailes!! Whereas, Phoebe Elizabeth Shailes is more winding and doesn't grab me the same. (IMVVVVVHO) Still very lovely of course.

On the plus side if she isn't a "Phoebe" sort of girl and is would prefer more of a traditional name, then Elizabeth is good to have as a stand by middle name. But no matter how much I didn't like the way my first and second name fitted together (and in fact much preferred my second name) it always seemed to daring/there was never the right time to say "Oh, I want to be known as XX". It takes a brave person to cast aside their first name as your identity is so steeped in it. I still wish I had but too late now!

Sorry for long post but I {heart} working out perfect names, and admiring prettier ones than my own!

Ah! I know why it doesn't grab me the same... it's because the Elizabeth also has the "th" that Meredith does, so it blurs the Shailes (which I love love love). Whereas Phoebe Willow Shailes are all very distinct and can be said fast without pausing to allow for distinction (my internal test!)

oh you are wonderful! such thoughtful consideration of my name choices, you sound as name obsessed as me! yipee!
I totally understand what you mean about going the whole hog with Willow and not Elizabeth- Elizabeth would always feel like a compromise whereas Phoebe Willow Shailes flows beautifully and is more ethereal :) Thank you for the lovely compliments on my surname! Made me blush, chuffed you think its a nice name to play with- its much better than my maiden name!!

Elizabeth doesnt have any major significance to me or my partner, other than my mums best friend when she was a young woman was named Elizabeth. I like Willow due to the nature undertones, have liked it since I read up on Wiccan magic when I was a teen, and maybe from Buffy lol. A weeping Willow tree actually grows strong outside my parent in laws lovely home :) A branch from the Willow tree was often used in wands for the magical properties of the tree, including fertility :) Not sure whether i 100% believe in it, but i love the mystery and history of it all..

Agree, takes a lot to change ur name- but i did this when i was 10 at a solicitors lol. and i think as parents you would know early on whethe ryou made the right choice, and if not you could use the mn gradually instead at a suitable age. but i am in love with Phoebe Willow Shailes now so thats it!! :D

THANKS so much X X X

Ooh, I'm blushing now! Glad to have taken part in the ponderings! Phoebe Willow Shailes is a fantastic name which is very strong whilst unique.

My parents would not have been able to process anything as far-fetched as name changing. To them it would have been a fancy, odd thing to do no matter how much a person didn't like their name. I am very that you got to do it at 10yo!

I feel strongly that names influence our lives, no just class associations, but the rhythm and flow, the tongue-twisting elements, the odd combinations, how strong/convicing it is (which is why I believe in going the whole hog) etc, all have a really subtle influence on how we are perceived. Oddly I love scanning lists of names just for pleasure, to see what works and what doesn't. Is there a name for name-obsessed people?

Phoebe Willow is beautiful. I have a Phoebe, she is my 3rd child. For my other two I had long lists of girls names but Phoebe was never on the list, I have no idea why. Anyway they were both boys. When I had my 20 week scan with dd and the sonographer and 2 doctors who had a look were all sure the baby was a girl, I remember phoning dh to tell him and saying 'I think we'll call her Phoebe' I just popped into my head and that was that

I don't want to be unkind but you wouldn't think Phoebe was ethereal if you knew what a little friend is constantly called - BEEFY. AAArrgh