Please be brutally honest...

[toobreathless]

I am about 5 seconds pregnant with DC2 :) but so excited & like to mull over names.

We have DD who is Hazel.

We have some criteria:

1. Easy to say & spell
2. Ideally not top 100
3. Not 'trendy', this is more important than not top 100 IYSWIM
4. Not too 'frilly'
5. Probably not ending in 'a' - names like Anna tend to run into our surname.

We like:
Lilith
Iris: I worry this will become trendy.
Ivy
Laurel: too similar an ending to Hazel?
Helena: two 'H's too much with Hazel?
Joy
Ellen

DH grandma was Rhoda & we would dearly love to use this as a MN but it's quite difficult to match up. Any ideas for good first names to go with this?

Boys:
Benedict: is this in danger if being trendy?
Clement
Hugo
Edwin
Ernest
Alec
Gregory
Percy
Ambrose
Seth

What do you think? Would like to know if any names really put you off in particular. Be as honest as you like!

Lilith and Ivy are gorgeous names for a girl. Love them. And as mum to a Seth of course i think its a fabulous name too!!! We always get compliments on it. And he's the only one we know too which i like!

You could have Elena (eh-lane-a) rather than Helena. Although it does end in 'a'

Not sure on boys name list. What about Isaac?

Missed off Juliet

Iris- love
Ivy-love
Laurel- not keen
Helena- you said shouldnt end in a?
Joy-love
Ellen- not keen, very common

Benedict- not keen, not easy to say or spell
Clement-sorry but nooooooo
Hugo -love
Edwin-love
Ernest-love- ish
Alec-nope
Gregory-nope
Percy- love
Ambrose -noo
Seth-love

favorites from your list are Iris and Seth

The 'a' thing: surname not that far off Mason.

Anna Mason/Elena Mason tend to run together.

The extra syllable (sp?) on Helena seems to distract from it running together.

Love it but there are loads of Seths here in sw London

Ivy for pink and Percy for blue such a cute name love it :)

Lilith - ok but rather lispy
Iris: ok
Ivy - don't like
Laurel: ok
Helena: lovely
Joy - lovely
Ellen - nowhere near as nice as Helena

Benedict: like it
Clement - don't like it
Hugo -ok
Edwin - horrible but Edward/Edmund both lovely
Ernest - like it
Alec - no
Gregory - yes
Percy- hideous
Ambrose - not nice
Seth - the name I hate more than any other name, ever: horrible and hissy sounding

Lovely to see positive responses. Interesting to know that Seth is not that unusual in London. Is it 'on the way up'?

Issac..ummm. Not sure it works with surname & a bit too popular but along the right lines.

Lilith - probably end up Lily (one of about 20 in her class)
Iris - I know a few under 3 so could be on the rise
Ivy - I know 2 little Ivy's, I think it's dreadful
Laurel - no, really no.
Helena - love, but not with Hazel I think
Joy - unless DC2 is going to be born aged 74 then no.
Ellen - fine

Benedict - quite sweet, I don't know any
Clement - no
Hugo - fine, but not to my taste, I know several
Edwin - prefer Edward
Ernest - don't like the nn Ernie
Alec - no, but Alex is ok
Gregory - meh
Percy- I really like this
Ambrose - makes me think of custard
Seth - ok

I'm in London and a I know 3 Seth's, weirdly they're all twins!

Seth and Noah
Phoebe and Seth
Arlo and Seth

I am expecting DC2 also and am trying to build a list of potential names - one of them is Hazel! Do you meet many other Hazels? I don't like the shortening 'Haze', how do you shorten your DD's name (if you do at all)?

Really like Seth but I know a couple so it's clearly getting more popular. Like Hugo too, would be on our list but it clashes with our surname.

Agree Lilith would become Lily (of which there are really an awful lot, so doesn't meet your 'not top 100' criterion).

Like Ellen and Laurel. DSis is called Joy (and is not 74!)

From your list, I love Iris and Ivy (and Hazel!) - Alec (but I am biased, I have one :o ), Clement and Ambrose.

Do not like the others as much as these, but do not "hate" any of them. They are all nice names.

Others that are on our list and might fall under your criteria:
Astrid
Zelie
Sibyl
Chloe

Etienne
Quentin
Arthur (popular in the UK?)
Louis
Victor

I think Iris and Benedict are already pretty trendy... I know one Iris and two Benedicts under 2.

Lileth makes me think of Frasier.

I quite like Ivy and Hugo.

All girls names good apart from Helena. Boys- only really like Seth.

Thank you ladies.

I suspect Edwin is out as my grandparents are Hazel & Edward, & I think it would be just weird if we had Hazel & Edwin/Edward/Edmund.

Holycamera good point about Lilithnrimh shortened to Lily. That would drive me nuts.

Lilith - ok but not great
Iris: love this
Ivy - not keen
Laurel: like this
Helena: like this too
Joy - gorgeous
Ellen - no, sorry

Boys:
Benedict: nice name, like Ben too
Clement - no way!
Hugo - nope
Edwin - old man's name
Ernest = ditto
Alec - dull
Gregory - nope, too 80s for me
Percy - horrible!
Ambrose - yuk
Seth - love this :)

(Oh, and our DD is a Ruth).

Really like Astrid from Magdalena's list too (would be on our list, but another one that clashes with the surname). Cressida would be our 'dream name' for a DD but really really clashes with surname sadly. Serafina was on the list last time but feels more fancy than surname so jars a bit. Still like it, might add it to the list this time.

Boys' names are so much harder - I like Michael, but DH has a cousin with this name and our surname so would be a bit weird! Also like Rupert or Reuben, but clashes with Ruth (can't have two Roos).

Lilith
Iris: isn't this trendy?
Ivy; not keen on this
Laurel: prefer Lois
Helena: also like just Helen
Joy - love
Ellen - love

Boys:
Benedict: I don't know any but Ben is popular.
Clement - no
Hugo - love
Edwin - could grow on me
Ernest - fastest milkman in the west, so no!
Alec - like(ish)
Gregory - love love love
Percy - dreadful
Ambrose - dreadful
Seth - nice

Emsyj:

Thank you! We do not shorten Hazel & no one has dated try and call her 'Haze.' The only two I know are my Grandma (80s) & a lawyer friend who is impossibly elegant and in her 30s.

In 2010 according to stats there were 120 babies called Hazel giving it a rank of 380.

Good stuff - tis firmly on the list, doesn't clash with Ruth, works with our surname, everyone will have heard it and know how to spell it but unlikely to be a dozen of them in their class at school... Ticks all the boxes!

I think there were 70-something Ruths in 2010 and we've yet to come across another toddler Ruth...

Magdalena: LOVE astrid, have added it to the master list. Also like Quentin.

I think my feelings that Iris & Benefict might be on the rise are true and think we will cross those ones off.

Very helpful.

Umm...Ruth is growing on me!
Damn iPhone should read 'Dared call her Haze!'