Iris - too "old lady"? Ruby - too common? or Ramona

[Michellephant]

Hi everyone,

We're struggling to think of a name for our rainbow baby. We like the name Iris because it is a flower name (our angel was called Poppy) and it also means rainbow (which is what our baby is) but I'm wondering whether it actually suits a baby? I also wouldn't want people to nickname her Izzy as I think people will then assume she is called Isabelle and I don't like that name.

Ruby is one we had as a potential name when we named Poppy. I'm not sure whether it is too common/popular (however you want to word it).

I really like Ramona and like the idea of using Romy as a potential nickname but I'm unsure about the name.

Ideally I want a name that links in some way to our angel, so flower names were high up in my list but my OH doesn't like a lot of them. The surname would be McDonald so it can easily result in the full name sounding really common. For example, Daisy McDonald sounds a bit farmer-ish to me, as does Rosie... agree?
I also liked the idea of using Opal as a middle name as it is the birth stone of our angel baby, but then I started to wonder whether it is weird to be trying to make a connection between them? What do people think?

I also like Dorothy (Dot, Dottie). The main thing I'm struggling with is imagining myself saying these names to 1. introduce the baby to people 2. shout across the park/playground etc

Anyone else really struggling to pick names for girls?!

I love Ramona and Iris. I always wanted a Ramona, DH vetoed it though and Iris are my favourite flowers.

I have a 12 year old Iris, and her name has never been shortened to anything, and we don't know any others.
I love Ramona too, it was on our list for ds, but he was a ds. Would definitely use in future though. Gorgeous.
Also love Dorothy (also on our list for ds!!), Dottie and Dolly are awesome nn.
Ruby is lovely, but soooo popular, and that would definitely put me off.

Iris is beautiful. If we have an unexpected daughter I will name her Iris.

My dd is a Ruby, but popularity doesn't bother me I think Iris is beautiful & the personal meaning it has to you will make it all the more special.

Ramona. V cool name. Love it

Iris opal is cute. Adore opal particularly.

Romilly, Isis (eye-sis) Lottie pearl

Ramona reminds me of some American books my brother and I used to read (Ramona and Beezus). I like Iris a lot as well and would be surprised if it became popular.

Have you considered Sorrel? It is a herb rather than a flower.

Tis also the name of a colour of a horse's coat and tali/mane.

I loved the Ramona books too! I would worry about "moaner" though...

I love Iris, I think it is a beautiful name. Our surname starts with S so I don't think we could use it but I would if we could :)

Opal is great - that is one I'll never get to use, sadly!

There are lots of beautiful flower names/associated names to choose from, although I think Iris is beautiful.

Others to consider:

Dahlia
Violet
Primrose
Lily
Blossom
Marguerite
Peony
Posy
Fern
Holly
Azalea
Flora
Camellia
Heather
Ivy
Jasmine
Petunia
Zinnia

I like Iris. Don't think it is old lady at all. Is this because you really like the name though or because it means Rainbow?
Not a fan of Ramona at all. Romilly is very pretty though
Roisin is Gaelic for Rose [Roe-sheen]It is usually spelt with an accent over the final i
Scarlett works with McDonald, it's a colour of the rainbow too and the colour of a Poppy so a subtle (or not so) tribute to her sister
Violet, both flower name and colour of the rainbow
Marguerite /Margaret/Margot - Daisy for short but I think only Marguerite works with McDonald

Sorry, I've not been on here to see the responses for a while so I had a bit to catch up on.

Some names have been mentioned as alternatives: Violet, Scarlett, Romilly. OH hates them all. He's really hard work with names. Roisin is a lovely name but not one that I would use for my own child, I think we probably all have names like that!

I am in two minds about Iris. Whilst it is close to what I want from a name, the name itself isn't 100% doing it for me. It's really difficult. I'm toying with using it as a middle name but unsure right now. I like that there are people with Iris' who haven't had the name shortened.

I feel like I'm not getting anywhere because I keep going in circles with names!

My OH likes Macy and Edith but I think another M name with the surname McDonald (both our names begin with M) is a bit cheesy?!

I absolutely love iris, one of my fave girls names.

Ramona would have been top of my list if this wasn't a blue bump, but I'm actually put off a bit by the Mona thing which pp have mentioned.

Having said that, I have a 3 syllable name which is commonly shortened. But I can honestly say it never has been. I know my DM was pretty strict over it not being shortened when I was little.

Ramona is a redneck neighbourhood where I'm from. (Sorry)
I know one Iris age 6, it's not going to rocket in popularity in some places. If you love it, use it. I gave DS2 an unusual name, it's unusual in the national charts, we seem to bump into them all the time (2 others at preschool alone). Meanwhile DD is an Isabel and has yet to share a class or lesson with another Izzy.

Ramona definitely redneck where I am familiar with too.

I think names like Macy McDonald have a lovely ring to them, but I am Irish and it is done quite a lot in Ireland. However, I don't like Macy as a name. Macy's is a department store and huge parade. It's a nicknamey name which is fine for a baby but not really for someone in her 30s or 40s in a more formal situation (imo - I know this is controversial).

I love Edith, and Edie is a sweet nn. Edith McDonald has a nice Scottish ring to it.

How about Esme? (In my mind it's pronounced Esmay)
Lucy?
Ivy?

lljkk, I'm in the UK so we don't have "redneck" areas, just what we call "chav" names and I don't think I've heard a name like that being used by chavs so that's not an issue. They tend to have Chardonnay and Mercedes for example!

Edith does look nice with McDonald actually. I think Evie is very popular though and people are going to mishear us when we refer to her as Edie. That's what I think will happen anyway!

I don't like Esme or Ivy but Lucy is nice but again, OH says no.

My OH has 3 Isabelle's in his class next year so crazy popular in our area!

Nah -- Edie is EEdie whereas Evie has a short E sound.

What about Renata?

Chardonnays and Ramonas would be found in different parts of redneckland. Ramona is one of those quite exotic names that became popular in the 1930s in the US, the Chardonnay of its day, now passed down to granddaughters. ExH's cousin's ex-wife is Ramona, from a very small town in Kansas where the only employer is a meat packing plant.

Mercedes is a lovely name when used by Spanish speakers. I know a lovely Elisa Mercedes who is Cuban-German and it struck a chord with both families. A pity it's lost its original meaning in the UK and is now associated with brand-name-bling naming trend.

I don't really understand the difference in sounds in Edie and Evie? My friend has a baby called Evie and she says it exactly how I'd say Edie?! I've never heard it sounding any different. Maybe it is an accent thing?

I don't like Renata. I don't want names that don't sound particularly fitting in the UK because we have such ordinary names ourselves.

I am glad I've started thinking about this early because I'd hate to be struggling for a name too close to the birth... or even after the birth! Hopefully by trying to find a name now I'll settle on one by the time she comes!

All the Evies I know (including my late gran and an aunt) are 'Ev' as in 'every' - a short E sound. Or like 'heavy' with a dropped H.

Edie otoh is EE-dee as opposed to Eddie.

My gran's name was short for Evaleen and my aunt is Evelyn, short E sound as in 'heavy', not pronounced with a long E as in Evelyn Waugh.