Eleanor, Natasha, Marnie, Deborah or Christabel?

[bridgingtheabyss]

Just wondering what people think of these names, what if anything they associate with them.

Have a list of the top 2000 UK girls' names of 2008 or 2009 and they are ranked as follows:

Eleanor - 50
Natasha - 109
Deborah - 430
Marnie - 593
Christabel - not in top 2000

So bit of a variation in (recent) popularity!

Like everybody else I'd like my child to have a fairly unique name but when I read some of the 'unique' names on this page I cringe - they seem so pretentious.

Thoughts?

I suspect Eleanor is a lot higher than 50 if you add in the different spellings, and even more so when you add in all the ellies and ellas (and even if you are not planning to use one of these nns, there is a fair chance her friends will do so).

I like Natasha and christabel. Deborah sounds dated to me. Not a fan of -ie names, so marnie is not for me.

I love Deborah but DH didn't :(

I like Eleanor and Natasha, but really don't like Marnie (sounds too nicknamey and made up - I do know of one in RL though), Deborah (IMO a chavvy 70's name a la Lisa, Mandy etc..), Christabel (a little too much/prissy)...

I'm a Deborah and my maiden name was Smith (was so glad to change it when I got married!) so I am slightly biased.... I hate Debbie though and people often shorten my name, I am forever correcting them.

Eleanor's nice (also biased, my mum's name!), but as others have said, v popular ATM.

Natasha and Marnie I like too.

I'm afraid Christabel is pretty grim IMO, bit of a silly overdone name.

Christabel is nice and reminds me of Pankhurst.

Eleanor and Natasha - meh.

Deborah and Marnie are horrible.

Oi SnowPlace!

Love, love, love Christabel. Nearly went with this one for DD but it's a bit too similar to the name of another family member....

I like Christy as a nickname for Christabel, I would probably go for the shortened version to start with though.

I like Marnie too, quite original.

Not overly keen on Eleanor or Deborah, a bit old fashioned.

Natasha is my favourite, my Natasha is having her first birthday this week .

I really like Christabel - Pankhurst of course and, the first association in my mind, Christabel Von Bielenburg because of seeing a TV drama about her years ago. Just checked for sp. got wikipedia and learned she was played by Liz Hurley, I had no idea. Anyway, she, Christabel, was amazing and the name is a bit like a more unusal, crisper version of Annabel.

Marnie = Hitchcock film character. Otherwise quite nice, like Ella, in a revived old-fashioned name way, though more American.

Eleanor and Natasha - like both, not sure about Tash though.

Deborah - agree not quite old enough to be revived. Very fashionable in 60s, similar generation, perhaps slightly younger than Janet and Susan. Don't like Deb or Debs, I know, makes me think of Jackie magazine.

Eleanor is such a lovely name. Really pretty. It doesn't bother me that it is quite popular as it always has been and is a classic which will always be around, not just a popular fad. I would worry a bit about all the Ellies though.

Natasha is quite nice but feels a bit 70s and 80s to me.

Not keen on the others at all really. All a bit dated or nothing special.

My name is Deborah. Deborah at work, Debbie to friends and family. I've tried to train my family to start calling me by my "proper" name, but unfortunately the taser I ordered off eBay doesn't seem to work.

Eleanor - She'll get called Ellie, meh
Natasha - Don't like
Deborah - Go for it. You know you want to.
Marnie - Nah. Is it short for something?
Christabel - I like it. Sounds like a ballerina

Not Eleanor - far far too popular
Natasha - nice
Deborah - due a come-back
Marnie - the one I'd chose. It's got the "ee" ending without the tweeness, IMO
Christabel - bit fussy. What about Christina?

I wonder if you'd like:

Audrey
Claudia
Margaret - Meg, Maggie, Peggy

Love Eleanor hate Marnie, sounds like a dog or someone who can't say Marley

Like the first 3 and not the last 2. But I am biased since I have a Natasha. She is never nn Tash only Tasha, if at all.

Why exactly do I take exception to the name Marnie?
I think the -ie ending gives the impression of fluffiness. However, to me the name Marnie sounds like an adjective with a meaning that is not very positive -- maybe because it sounds a bit like 'mardy' and 'whiny' combined. So not fluffy to my ear (a good thing imo) but still negative.

I love Eleanor, I'd have definitely had it top of my shortlist.

However I am having a boy.

I like Christabel in theory. I doubt I'd go for it myself but it is unusual but still classic sounding.
I really really dislike Marnie. It just doesn't sound right out loud. I imagine it with an annoying twangy accent and a loveheart over the i.

Eleanor is a v pretty classic name.

I also like Christabel and Natasha.

Really dislike Marnie.

Christabel is lovely, I think it totally fits the bill of being unique but not too different.

Natasha and Eleanor are timeless classics.

Marnie I think is due to be the next Ruby/Poppy etc- a name everyone thinks is really 'different' that suddenly explodes in popularity. Had never heard it a year ago, now know 3 under the age of 1!

Christabel is lovely, I think it totally fits the bill of being unique but not too different.

Natasha and Eleanor are timeless classics.

Marnie I think is due to be the next Ruby/Poppy etc- a name everyone thinks is really 'different' that suddenly explodes in popularity. Had never heard it a year ago, now know 3 under the age of 1!

Eleanor

I believe Marnie is mostly used as a name in its own right but can be a shortening of Marina. I don't like that - it makes me think of the slapper Howard was always trying to get it on with in Last of the Summer Wine :o

Marnie was the name of a character in an Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name sometime in the 1960s. She was played by Tippi Hedren. Just google Marnie.

Personally the only one on your list I'd choose would be Eleanor. I think its very elegant. No need to shorten it, nn's aren't compulsory.

Marnie makes me think of the Hitchcock film, the character named Marnie is rather troubled so that puts a bit of a downer on it for me, but it's not as if that's a particularly recent or well-known film!

I've always thought the name Deborah was really pretty, but not so keen on Debbie or Debs, so the nn would always be a bit of a problem.

Eleanor - 50 - I really like this much better than just Ellie in my opinion.
Natasha - 109 - ok with lots of nn options
Deborah - 430 - not heard of many little girls called deborah but there were plenty at school with me, maybe due a comeback.
Marnie - 593 - love this. My favourite from your list. Quite a strong name.
Christabel - more girly than the others but still nice.