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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Which names do you like?Holly, Olivia, arabella, genevieve

37 replies

Tweediewalker · 29/07/2013 22:39

Which names do you like
Holly Jane Auty
Olivia Jane Auty
Arabella rose Auty
Genevieve rose Auty
Please let me know your favourite if any :-s lol

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Kikibee · 29/07/2013 22:41

Olivia Jane sounds best IMHO

DizzyPurple · 29/07/2013 22:44

All quite pretty although I always imagine Genevieve would be a nightmare for a child to learn to spell!

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 29/07/2013 22:44

Lol it's a nightmare for me to spell too!

OP posts:
manicinsomniac · 29/07/2013 23:56

Arabella Rose hands down - beautiful.

The other three are all lovely too but that's definitely my favourite

GW297 · 30/07/2013 00:22

Olivia and Arabella go best with your surname I think. Olivia is my favourite of the two.

Mollie272 · 30/07/2013 02:48

I think Genevieve Rose is my favourite - very pretty!

EatYourCrusts · 30/07/2013 03:19

I only like Holly!

everlong · 30/07/2013 05:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

howcomes · 30/07/2013 05:18

Arabella Rose sounds gorgeous, genevieve is lovely too but I think it would get shortened to Gene (Jenny) which is not quite as special sounding.

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 07:48

Arabella by far - a beautiful name.
As pp said, wouldn't like Jen/Jenny as a nn for Genevieve.

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 07:51

I agree on the Jen thing, that's what has stopped is so far I think. The only thing we have thought of is using Eve as her nn :-(

OP posts:
mummybare · 30/07/2013 07:52

Not keen on Arabella. Holly is sweet and Olivia is pretty, but Genevieve wins it for me, and great nn potential.

mummybare · 30/07/2013 07:54

X post - the nn thing could be good or bad depending on your pov. But there's always Vee, Vivi or Viv if you don't like Gen/Jen/Genni/Jenny.

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 07:59

Thanks mummybare, I do like Viv and Vivi. I wouldn't mind any of those, I think my husband is scared that when she gets to school kids will nn her gen. I am wondering if I shorten her name to eve or Evie on a daily basis she might introduce herself as eve or Evie at school. Although I love genevieve so much I would rather not lol!

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TheRealFellatio · 30/07/2013 08:00

I am not keen on vowels butting together, as would be the case with Olivia Auty, Holly Auty and Arabella Auty. I find it doesn't flow well as a sounds and is quite difficult to say.

Also I think Genevieve is the prettiest name there of the lot so I'm voting Genevieve.

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:06

She would definitely need to go by the name Eve or Evie on a day to day basis by the time she goes to school if you want to avoid any shortenings you don't like as once she's at school, you will have no control over her nicknames!

Ra88 · 30/07/2013 08:10

Olivia .. because its my daughters name I love it Grin

Original poster
Tweediewalker · 30/07/2013 08:11

Do you think that would work? My husband is worried that Evie isn't a natural nn an sounds a little forced?

OP posts:
Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:20

Re TheRealFellatio's point - 2 of my DDs and I have a vowel butting onto another vowel (surname inherited from dh!). Whilst I accept that there may be other names that might sound "better" with our surname, it meant disregarding so many names I liked. In the end I decided to go with names I loved rather than get too bogged down with our awful difficult surname!

Onyabike · 30/07/2013 08:28

Evie sounds fine from Genevieve, I think that it's a natural shortening and definitely doesn't sound forced at all. Go with the name you love the most. You honestly have no control over what your DC become known as once they get older so don't worry about nicknames that may or may not ever happen, particularly at the expense of a name you love!

Morgause · 30/07/2013 08:32

Arabella sounds a bit "panto" to me. Or a spinster aunt. Not sure it goes with the surname two "a" sounds one after the other don't flow well.

outtolunchagain · 30/07/2013 08:34

I know a delightful Arabella , but I adore the name Genevieve

ShowOfHands · 30/07/2013 08:50

Arabella and Genevieve are both lovely, but Genevieve is prettier by a country mile.

Holly and Olivia are just meh. You can't move for tripping over them. I also wouldn't shorten Genevieve to Eve or Evie due to its popularity. I wouldn't choose such a beautiful name and then shorten it to a ten a penny nickname. All that said, pick the name YOU like and sod popularity and the opinion of a miserable old MNer.

BTW, my dd's name has a popular shortening which I particularly despise and I've never used it. We do shorten her name but in a way that felt natural once she was here. She's at school and doesn't recognise the shortening I dislike. I think somebody used it once and she just looked blankly at them.

yournotfat · 30/07/2013 09:34

My friends daughter is Genevieve. They have always called her Evie. When she started school she just introduced herself as Evie. No problems at all.

formicadinosaur · 30/07/2013 10:17

You can get so many lovely nick names from Guinevere. Neve, eve, vera etc.

Holly and Olivia are quite bland sorry.

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