Amelia or Temperance?

[TransatlanticCityGirl]

Hello!

I'm having a bit of an internal debate about two girl names I quite like...

I have always loved the name Amelia. I found it in my family tree many years ago before it became popular again.. one of the earliest female ancestors I could trace (back in the 1600s!) was called Amelia and I immediately fell in love with the name. I also like it because it makes me think of Amelia Earhart and I think it would be cool for my daughter to share a name with such an amazing woman. The husband loves this name too, so it sounds like a winner... except that in the last couple of years, it has become very popular in the UK, and I am not keen to give my child a name that will be very common. (How dare those other parents choose this name!! LOL)

The other name I like is Temperance. I came across it in the tv show 'Bones', where the lead character is called that, or Tempy for short. It's quite unusual / unique (a fairly important driver for me), and I think it sounds sweet. I also like it because then my daughter would share the same initials as me (as no matter which name we choose, her middle name will be Catherine, which is also my middle name).

So what would you go for?

Amelia
or
Temperance (Tempy for short)
???

Temperance is awful and Tempy is beyond hideous.

Amelia lovely - please choose it.

How about Abstain?

I really like Amelia. I'm not keen on virtue names, generally, as I think they're a bit difficult to live up to. Temperance might work as a middle, but that's as far as I could go with it. (I love Bones, too, however!). I've seen the nn spelt as Tempe, too, I think.

Temperance/Tempy is really, really appalling. Sorry - but it really is awful.

She'd just get called Temp. And imagine if she was a grumpy child - her nickname would just be "Temper."

Actually, you have got to be kidding about this name, surely?

It is spelt Tempe in the books.

Do you really need to ask?

Amelia is nice. Temperance will turn out to be a drunk.

Also - you need different initials. Otherwise she'll be opening your post/upset that you've opened hers until the day she moves out...

Temperance would grow up to be a raging drunk and serial shagger for sure

Do it!

X-post

Amelia! Is Temperance even a name? Tempy? Oh lord..........

We've just named our DD2 (12 days old) Amelia and we, obviously, love the name. I was a bit concerned due to Amelia being polled as the ninth most popular girls name in the UK for 2009/10 but I thought if we shortened it to Mia as a nickname she would be ok and it's a name that will age well. I, also, loved that name-sharing with Amelia Earheart was cool.

I mentioned it being the ninth most popular name to my midwife and health visitor and neither had heard it around here for at least eight years which put my mind at ease, a little.

Temperance is lovely too but Amelia is my choice. I, too, love Kathy Reiches' novels and Bones.

If you like Temperence (which I would not choose - in fact I think the author Kathy Reichs chose it in a tongue-in-cheek way because in the books the character is a recovering alcoholic) - what about another "virtue" name - Faith, Hope, Mercy

Amelia is nice but it and it's nn are all quite popular (if that matters to you)

Temperance

or Joy

What about Marianne? - similar feel to Amelia?

temperance is really awful sorry you did ask
and tempy or temp is just cruel . please don't do it.

what abot clemency

We're not looking for a virtue name especially, I just liked the sound of Temperance!! I just think it sounds pretty.

The other name on the longlist is Imogen (Imi).

We always avoided virtues, surely a temperance is going to end up the biggest party girl ever? Just like Chastity is the biggest......ever?

I love Grace, but imagine if she wasn't very? ....

I've not come across many Amelias - more Emilias (which is also pretty)

Amelia is lovely, personally I wouldn't care about it's popularity.

Temperance is just awful, nickname Temper??!!

Amelia is lovely - and with your family tree is perfect.

So - it is popular. That would be because many people like it as it is a beautiful name.

Temperance would be a disaster - how can you even consider it? It would be cruel. Every time she got in a mood her friends would tease her "temper, temper!" and sure thing she would grow up to have a drink problem.

Really - it is not about the sound, it is about the meaning. You are not that cruel, surely.

I think Temperance is just tempting fate - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement

Amelia is lovely,though I like Imogen even more.

Temperance is dire. Ugly and just awful.