Find me the perfect name?

[popsicle1984]

I've realised that most girls names I like fall in to 2 categories:

Old fashioned nature names - Pearl, Clementine, Iris
European girls names ending in A - Athena, Flavia, Valentina

I thought that maybe if I could find a name that fitted in to both categories it might be the perfect name!

can you think of any that fit in to both? I did think of Flora (old fashioned, nature, Roman goddess of flowers and spring and ends in A!) but... well the margarine thing holds me back!

So there's your challenge!

Still not seeing many obvious nature names! I realise a lot ARE nature names, just not that clear!

jacinta

Anna.

It's the perfect name, but there are more than two catagories. Don't get me started.

Foreign For example.....Chloe. French. Neither old fashioned or ending in a.

Modern such as Courtney.

I could go on.

Flora

Clytemnestra

Veronica: is a flower, ends in "a", is European (you get lots of Veronikas for example in C Europe). However I suspect you won't like it because its not pretty or Mediterranean sounding. Is my MILs name
which may be clouding my judgement though

Violetta also fits your criteria and has a more Latin feel.

Will return if I think of others.

Ercia, it is the latin name for the Scottish flower Heather.

Sorry, that shold read Erica.

Rhea. Greek goddess, one of the really ancient ones. Mother Earth, basically.

OK, I'll explain my suggestions.

Marina - the sea
Margarita - daisy OR pearl
Rosanna, Rosalba, Rosetta - all derived from rose, a flower
Sylvia, Silvia - woods/forest
Dahlia - a flower
Prunella - a flower and also means 'little plum' or 'sloe'
Nerissa - sea sprite
Selina - the moon

Nigella is a flower.

Dahlia
Zinnia

End in an 'a' but not exactly european!

Fauna
Gaia
Magnolia

None particulaly European though, sorry. You're right your criteria are v tight

Ava is latin for bird

Of course Dahlia is European, the flower was named after a Swedish botanist called Dahl.

Oo, birds - Robina?

Bianca is European, ending in a and means white (like snow?) -according to one crap baby name site it has something to do with nature anyway!

Calla is Greek and is also the name of a flower

Dahlia is Swedish/Scandinavian and a flower

Eira is Welsh (are you counting the UK as part of Europe?), something to do with snow

Isla is Scottish (island)

Lilliana

Luna

Neva is Spanish (snow)

Rosa
Rowena

Sierra Spanish (mountain)

Viola

Percy that's so obvious now you mention it, didn't know that! I was just thinking they weren't so much Southern European.

I'm being a bit slow tonight!

Cordelia?

Nigella i think that's the latin for the flower love in a mist
anthea means flower
angelica is a herb

Delia is also derived from Island (if that's naturey enough!)

Tallulah means leaping water, but isn't European and doesn't end with the letter 'a', only the sound.

Dora is sweet, but doesn't fit most of your criteria (and then there's 'the explorer' issue )

I've got an Iris (so obviously love that!) and Valentina was on the list - I applaud your taste! I also have a Verity.

Love Saskia and Marina. DH's Serbian side of the family have some great names like Patunia (which I believe is from the flower, Petunia) Daphna and Jelena, which I like too.

A great source of European names for inspiration is a model agency website such as Models One, as the women are from all over the world. Just looking now at the first page of women whose names start with A has yeilded
Alicia, Anais, Alba, Alyssa and Amber

OP didn't specify southern Europe, did she?

A lot of Latin-sounding flower names incorporate the name of a botanist - Magnolia is another (Magnol - French)
Zinnia (Zinn - German)
Fuschia (Fuchs :)

sorry, Fuchsia (I always get that the wrong way round)

Zinnia's a great name