Help! Can I use these names?!

[Northernrose]

Hello...help please!
We are expecting number 2, not for a while yet but can't seem to get this out of my head and so I thought i'd ask you wise folk for your thoughts!

Noah has been our favourite name for a ds for years and years, long before it's recent surge in popularity..

It would have been dc1's name but she is a lovely wee girl and we called her Anna, with Kathleen as middle name after my maternal grandmother.

Question is..can we have these names going together even though they end with the same sound and are both 2 syllables...?

We don't even know if it's a boy or girl and the only other names we like are Joel for a boy and Beth, Zoe or Leila for a girl...

Over to you folks! Thanks in advance

Joel or did you say Joe? I reckon you'd get that a lot! Leila, people may break out into song!
Zoe..... not that keen.
Beth is my favourite, such a kind name.
Noah is nice too.

I think you can have Anna and Noah.

I prefer Noah to Joel.

I think Beth is very pretty. I quite like Leila too. Less keen on Zoe.

I dont think the fact that they both end with the same sound and are both 2 syllables matters at all. I would never have thought of this to be honest.

The only pet hate I personally have with similar sounding names is those who insist on calling all their children by a name beginning with the same letter e.g. Lynette on Desperate Housewives: Preston, Porter, Parker, Penny, Paige. Aaaargh!! it drives me insane! sounds so ridiculous and DH and I giggle every time we hear it (Im aware this particular family isnt real btw but you know what I mean) anyway, Im rambling and this is completely irrelevant.

Both are lovely names.

I adore the name Leila - dd would have had this name except we have a 2 syllable name with both syllables beginnig with L also. Beth is beautiful too. Would this be nn for Elizabeth? Really dont like Zoe. Sorry.

Joel is lovely too but I prefer Noah.

I think 'Anna and Noah' sounds and looks lovely

Yes, I agree - Anna and Noah really do have a lovely sound..

Thank you all so much! I actually feel so relieved that it has kind of confirmed to me that Noah is the one!!

I'm really interested by your reactions to Zoe, if I'm honest I don't love it myself, dh is more keen and it is his grandmothers name so we might use it for a middle name as i'd be happy with that.

Beth is my favourite girl's name (after Anna) and name of my BF who doesn't live close anymore which is another reason to go for it if it's a girl!

Barbie we haven't decided if it would officially be Beth or Elizabeth - what do you think? Dh really doesn't like Lizzie so I think he's less keen but I think it might be nice for her when she was older?! Any thoughts on that?

Also Barbie I am so with you on the same initial names!! Dh and I always laugh at that too !

thank you all so much... I am so relieved that you like Anna and Noah together! Probably sounds silly but I am someone who totally believes in not telling family and friends before the baby has arrived as I have seen so many rude reactions to other friends' choices of baby names that I just avoid it and figure hopefully they won't be as rude if they are meeting the little person in the flesh!! But I didn't know how I was going to decide if they sounded ok together or not...

Am now excited to find out if it's a boy or girl!!!

Elizabeth (nn. Beth) is our first choice for a girl!

Anna and Noah sound fine together. Both great names. Like Beth with Elizabeth as full name not so keen on your other two girls names. Like Joel but don't think it goes well with Noah so might not be a good idea in case you ever had 2 DSs IYSWIM. Not heard of Joel being confused with Joel really before, quite different sounds I think.

Thanks busy! great taste !! Out of interest would you, and ask others, to call her Beth from the outset? I'm less keen on Elizabeth but like the idea that if she wanted to she could be Elizabeth, Eliza, Beth etc when older?

Thank you MissMash - saying Noah and Joel out loud together iswym...sound a bit awkward don't they?! I think we would choose something else for a ds2 if there ever was one so I guess that shows that deep down I definitely prefer Noah if this wee one's a lad!
Thanks for that!

I don't like Noah at all.

It's a bit precious, imo.

Both Elizabeth and Beth are beautiful but think I would go with Elizabeth as she then has the choice of both when shes older (as opposed to "just" Beth as she has no alternative wheras with Elizabeth she has quite a few choices).

I think if you both start the ball rolling on the nn of choice being Beth, it will be Beth instead of Lizzie if that makes sense as she will more than likely introduce herself as Beth if shes always known as this. To be honest Im with your DH on this one and much prefer Beth over Lizzie. You just cant go wrong with a name like Elizabeth though. Its classic, timeless and very pretty. It goes with Anna too - stylistically, if that makes sense.

Can completely understand why you would want to use DHs grandmothers name, particulary as a middle name as its lovely to choose a name with a sentimental reason to it.

Not telling family and friends is definately not silly and very, very sensible imo - given the fact that I've recently said my boy and girl choices to various family and friends and received faces being pulled and really negative comments I really wish I had kept my big mouth shut. Its different on here as you dont have to face anyone after, if that makes sense. You can do as you like, wheras for instance, if I tell my MIl we're thinking of the name XXXX and she says "oh God no!! thats awful" it almost makes it too uncomfortable/ awkard to use.. or maybe Im being silly!!!. Anyway - what Im trying to say is - I caompletely understand!!!

Do you mean your finding out sex?

Hi, yes we would probably say 'her name is Elizabeth, but Beth to family and friends'. I actually really like Elizabeth but always shorten names, so would make it clear that her nn was to be Beth (as opposed to Liz). DH loves Beth, he'd probably be happy for her just to be Beth! But I think both Beth and Elizabeth are beautiful so it's nice for her to have both :)

Barbie and busy - thanks! I think you are right - it was actually my idea to have Elizabeth but call her Beth, whereas DH was like Busy's DH and happy with just Beth. He doesn't like Lizzie (neither do I particularly) and so was less sure about Elizabeth "incase she wanted to be Lizzie!" I think she could choose what she wanted of course and agree that it's much less likely when we have called her Beth all her days! I think he might have been worried that other people might call her Liz/Lizzie but not if we are saying her name is Beth, which is what we would do.

Amazingly he has just come and told me that her would like a dd2 to be Elizabeth, but called Beth, to give her the option! Wow! And he has no idea I've posted on here about these names!!

Thanks for your help so far! And Barbie I'm glad someone undertands my thing about not saying their name and I'm so sorry you've had some negative reactions...I've posted on your thread and think you'll know just the right name when the time comes!

And yeah we think we'll find out at the 20wk scan, DH is very keen, as he found out with dd1 and loved knowing, but we kept it completely to ourselves so we got a surpruse early and knew her name etc, and everyone else still had their surprise on the day she arrived! Are you finding out Barbie?

Actually I love both Noah and Joel. And agree you can have Anna and Noah. If you'd had Noelle and Noah it might have been tricky, otherwise fine.

I have Anna and Sarah, and it's never occurred to me that their names are too alike.