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!

Ruth and Hazel is a good combo .

Also think Hazel and Astrid is good (and equally, Ruth and Astrid).

We must have similar taste, do me a favour and post more boy name ideas - I'm really short of those!

Am I the only one who hates the name Seth??

Seth was the Egyptian God of Chaos and Destruction dotacha know?

Just saying.

Iris
Helena
Hugo
Ambrose

lovely

And congratulations OP

And love Astrid as well

I love Joy (I adore Hope) and Iris out of your girls names. I do think that Iris is on the up though, so would avoid that if it bothers you.
I also agree that Lilith will get Lily.

Out of your boys names, Hugo is cool. I also like Edwin and Seth. I think Ernest and Percy are dreadful. And Ambrose sounds like a cow.

Girls

Love Juliet. Was on my list for dc2 but he was a boy.

Not keen on the rest. Ivy will always be Ivy Brennan to me but obviously not for your daughter's future friends. Lilith, Frasier's ex-wife.

Boys

Love Hugo, Alec and Seth. Edwin is okay. Not keen on the rest

The only Hazel I know has a sister Heather, but I like Hester too. Norah is nice too but does end in an "a" sound as does Lorna which I think goes well with Hazel.

Some of the boys name are a bit "wet" I think to do go with a strong name like Hazel. Alec is nice (it was on my list) and I prefer Gregor to Gregory.

Amck - I was going to say that I prefer Gregor to Gregory. There is another (similar) Scottish name that I know I like that I just can't put my finger on.

Lilith - like it, but will probably be shortened to Lily (trendy)
Iris - okay. Have never met any Iris's.
Ivy - hate it
Laurel - okay. I don't think it's too similar
Helena - love it, but it ends in an 'A'! Thinking of your 5th criteria Don't think 2 'H's would be a problem if the middle name's start with different letters.
Joy - love it
Ellen - like it, but is easily shortened to Ellie, which is kind of trendy

Benedict - love it. Don't know any Benedicts.
Clement - makes me think of oranges.
Hugo - don't like.
Edwin - okay
Ernest - okay
Alec - like this
Gregory - love it. But DH vetoed this one for us because he thought it was too girly.
Percy - don't like. (DH also thought this was girly)
Ambrose - isn't this a brand of custard?
Seth - okay

Oh, and I know a Hazel with a sister Heather too. There is a third sister in this family though.

Rita?

So sorry just re-read op, NOT names ending in a

slightlyjaded was vaguely aware of the meaning of Seth.

Saying that Lilith means 'of the night' & was Adams first wife expelled from the garden of Eden (according to Jewish legend) as she wouldn't submit to him. Makes me like the name more!

Glad to hear you (both) like Astrid! Sadly Hazel, Iris and Astrid have been vetoed by DH , so I am pushing for Antonia.
Love these "punchy" yet elegant names.

Oh and I forgot to add Bartholomew to the suggestions list, might be an alternative to Benedict?

Would worry Hazel & Heather are a bit matchy with two H's & both nature orientated. Agree lovely for a possible DC3!

Lorna & Rita out but Lorna in particular is lovely.

Yama: Is it Gordon?

Yama - Craig?

toobreathless Lilith is lovely - and 'of the night' is all mysterious.

It's the hissy sound of Seth that I don't like

I know Heather and Hazel siblings too....

LOVE Antonia Magdalena.

Not sure abOut Bartholomew but you have just reminded me of barnaby which we've added.

I like Tierney too but that probably doesn't fit the brief. Marnie?

Boys: Logan, Joe?

I know 2 Benedicts under 1

Amck and Magdalena - not Craig or Gordon. Both quite common during my childhood. I wasn't keen then but the older I get the more I like them. Not Douglas either but like Douglas. Gah, maybe it's an imaginary name.

I like Dougray actually but dh did this face when I suggested it for dc2.

LOVE Bartholomew with Bartie as a shortening.

I think Hazel and Clover sound nice together, or Hazel and Louisa. Hazel and Laurel not great together. Hazel and Joy lovely.

yama - Gavin, Calvin, Cairn, Callum, Colm?

Nope. Quite like Duncan though. Although I remember thinking it was an awful name when Alf from Home and Away called his son Duncan back in the 80's/90's.

Just goes to show how much we change as we age ...

Lilith - very nice but a bit unusual for me
Iris - lovely name but might get popular
Ivy - like
Joy - no. Only because I knew a Joy once years ago and she was a bit of a misery!

Not mad keen on any of the boys names. Not Percy it's dreadful. Seth is growing on me a bit and don't mind Gregory.