I am having sleepless nights over girls' names!

[redandyellowandpinkandgreen]

We don't know what we are having but the boy's name was sorted very quickly and with no problems. Girls is much harder!

The criteria is English, I prefer longer names that you can shorten when they are little, Old-fashioned, could be the name of someone aged 80. I presented DH with a longlist and he rejected half of them so the current shortlist is:

Alexa
Beatrix
Primrose
Harriet
Eliza
Daisy
Nell

DH is freaked out by names he hasn't heard of or that he thinks are too unusual so he has rejected: Cecily, Hetty, Dulcie, Tabitha, Jemima, Zinnia and Constance.

I would prefer it not to be in the top 100 but will give on this one as I don't think anything too out there will get past DH.

Any other ideas? I love flower names but think we have exhausted them all. I love Nell but would prefer something longer we could shorten to Nell but am not keen on Eleanor or Helen.

Help!!

I love Beatrix from your list. Bea is a lovely shortened version.

Love Cecily, Harriet, Daisy and Constance.

Don't like Beatrix but love Beatrice.

Nell - erm nn for Penelope maybe?

I wanted Cecily. My DH couldn't say it without adopting a fake speech impediment. No idea why. 4 yr old DS had no problem! Going to sneak it in as middle name.

Primrose or Eliza are nice from your shortlist.

Other 'old names': Vera, Florence, Evelyn, Lilian, Joan, Edith, Pearl...

What about Agatha? I decided I liked that the other day but do you think DH bought it?! Admittedly short versions like Aggie are a bit dodgy.

Helena -> Nell ?

Violet

Gosh, this could be me and Dh!

Love Eliza and Beatrix

I too love Cecily and Dulcie

Eliza

Leonora NN Nell?

Eliza, as in Elizabeth nn Eliza (or one of the many lovely alternatives).

Also like Nell, I think it originates from Penelope.

Alexa - great
Beatrix - prefer Beatrice (Beatrix sounds like cartoon ancient axe wielder)
Primrose (Prim for short - Nooo)
Harriet - solid and traditional
Eliza - nice and different
Daisy - bit prissy
Nell - dislike (sounds short for something)

Love Violet and Cecily

I like Harriet and Daisy from your list.

Alexa - my favourite from your list, feels very modern in a good way
Beatrix - ok. Prefer Beatrice but know 3 under 5 which would put me off
Primrose - not good: twee character from Fifi and the Flowertots
Harriet - like
Eliza - Ok, but the first thing I think is "Doolittle"
Daisy - a better flower name than Primrose
Nell - ok as a nn for something else

What about: Imogen, Miranda or Lucinda?

NKinDXB

I love Florence and it was my Grandma's name but that got crossed off the list by DH too. Also like Pearl and considered Edie rather than Edith but they didn't make the cut!

LittleCheesyPineappleOne I thought maybe Helena but I don't love it and would only be choosing it so I could go with Nell really.

kizzibear Violet is one of my favourites but it sounds wrong with our surname. I am tempted to ignore that and go for it anyway but I think there is teasing potential combined with surname.

Eliza. Eliza is a really lovely name.

Jemima isn't unusual at all.

My mum hates Primrose too! I think she might actually refuse to call the baby it if we go with it. I love it but she has worn me down with her hatred

Why not just name her Nell? It doesn't have to be short for anything.

Edith - Edie
Helena - Nell
Margaret - Daisy
Elizabeth - Eliza

Dd has a friend called Eliza Primrose - which I think is lovely (she doesn't, by the way, and insists on Lizzie!)

Primrose was Harold Shipman's wife so that puts me off (as well as not actually liking it!)

Of your shortlist I'd go with Alexa, Beatrix or Eliza.

Fenella is another Nell option but I'm not sure about it and I am sure your DH won't go for it!

Aniela is another name (pronounced An-yella, Polish originally I believe) which could be shortened to Nell.

Or you could call her Ellen or Elin and shorten it to Nell.

Cecily and Dulcie are lovely too if you can twist DH's arm.

Jessamine?

I have a Daisy and love it but also on my short list were Eliza and Jemima.

It's very hard, just remember it has to be a name you LOVE.

Good luck

Charlotte - lotte
Elizabeth - betsy, libby, liza
Katherine - Katy (always reminds me of What Katy Did)
Grace
Eleanor - Nell

Love Harriet and Daisy

Really don't like primrose

Nell (from Nellie) comes from Ellen, because it is Ellen backards (kind of), so you could use that.

I love all these old fashioned names but I'm having the usual DH problems with names such as Edith and Pearl.

I wouldn't mind of they made counter-suggestions, but don't you find that they always just say NO!