Too quaint/old fashioned??

[YummyMummybee]

My husband and I want to name our first girl after my mother Mary, I love both Molly & Maisy which are pet forms of Mary but feel they are too popular at the moment.
I did a bit of research on the web and came accross Marybella or alternativly spelt Maribella and I have to say I love it. To me its very girly, uncommon and quite prim & proper which I love.
Please give me your honest opinion on Marybella! The second name would be Catherine after my nana.
Molly Catherine
Marybella Catherine
Thanks in advance!

Maribel Catherine is really gorgeous imo.

You are right about your assessment of India and how it ends up -- 'not quite in the middle' is spot on.

Don't use Polly Mary -- it sounds like polyamory.

I love Lyra too, and Mary in its own right (as well as Marie either hyphenated or unhyphenated with another French name, such as Marie Louise, Marie Claire, Marie Therese, although you couldn't tack on another name afterwards so Catherine would be out), and I think Astrid is fabulous.

(Also love Alice, Matilda, Hilda, Edith, Frida, Agnes, Agatha, Bridget, Cosima...)

sorry-- Alice was another suggested name, not my name

Haha gpants sorry-I misread your post lol - Alice is lovely xx
Math anxiety Maribel Catherine really is lovely & is on the shortlist-must research Maribel a bit more have never encountered one. Lyra is fab another mn suggested this. We have a double barrelled name so will need to avoid the hyphenated.
Posted another thread re India as I am intrigued to find out more about it. It really is between Maribel, India & possibly Molly.
What type of girl do you picture a Maribel being xxx

I think Maribel is lovely - although am personally biased towards 'bel' endings on names as opposed to 'bell/belle'. '...bel' is so much more simple, elegant and feminine without being overly frilly. :)

As such it will stand in good stead into adulthood and will date less too (so still sounds fresh in spite of the passing of the years/fashions).

My DD was going to be called Mollie India :)
As it is her middle name was changed to Olivia, although I am still not quite sure why. I still like India a lot.

The Maribel I knew was Puerto Rican and was really stylish, hip, great cook and generous with her PR recipes, loved latin dancing clubs.

Thanks girls-
Slinkingoutinsocks- I only came accross Maribel from researching varients of Mary and it means either beautiful Mary of is a variation of Maria Isabella in Spanish. Being completely honest I had never heard the name before. Is it used much in the U.K? I think too you are right it would date well.

Hulababy-fab choice in names:) I think you made a good call India is too much of a statement name to be used on its own. Mollie Olivia is beautiful.

Mathanxiety from my research today its seems Maribel is very common in the Philippines and in South America. Thanks for giving me a picture for the name:) x

Only other thing I can think of is that when I finished college I worked in a French ski resort for a season and the resort was called Meribel!! Very happy time in that beautiful place x

This thread seemed to disappear off the boards-why?

My Great-Grandmother was a Mary Jane but called herself May, as did Queen Mary. You could always spell it Mae or Mai.
Also, Mary is Mair in Welsh -pronounced My-r, although I did have a lecturer at uni who was called Maire and that was pronounced Maura.

I'm not a fan of marybella and think Mary would be better. DS has a friend Mariela which is very similar, but much nicer (in my opinion!).

I knew a Mariel at school (could've been Marielle). Lovely and v unusual

I went to school with a Meriel which I'd ever heard of before - very exotic in those dark and distant days.

Marybella sounds like Marbella in Spain. When is your DD due?

What is wrong with just using Mary? I think it's a lovely name, no need for any add-ons!! My DNiece has a friend called Mary

There's Máire, which can be pronounced Moya (as in the woman from Clannad). Or just Moya.

Mariela and Mariel are gorgeous. And May is really sweet, with a sort of retro charm.

I absolutely wouldn't do Marybelle because of Mary Bell. Too many people will think of the murders instantly when they hear the name.

What about Mariella, as in Frostrop.

I like Mary Catherine. I don't like Molly at all but plenty of people do.