DC3 and looking for classic names

[Moopsy]

Hi ladies,

We have 2 gorgeous daughters Josephine and Iris and we are now TTC for dc3. I'd love a beautiful classic English name but not too popular. I feel I did well with Josephine but failed a bit with Iris as while it is beautiful, it is becoming increasingly popular. So here are our ideas so far...

Girls:
Marianne
Ariadne (dh favourite but I feel too close in sound to Iris)
Madeleine
Harriet (my favourite)
Phoebe (getting too popular?)
Isolde
Elinor
Isobel
Matilda (nn Tilly)

Boys:
Miles
Alistair
Henry
Hayden
Toby

Struggling so opinions and suggestions welcome,

thank you for your help.

I like Matilda but that's getting more common. I love Elinor as well. I like Toby and Henry for boys names.

I especially like Harriet and Marianne from your list. How about Caroline, Laura or Emmeline?

Isadora? Can call her dot for short.

Marianne -- a bit meh imo.
Ariadne (dh favourite but I feel too close in sound to Iris) -- not really close to Iris but I don't think it goes with Josephine.
Madeleine -- lovely but will be shortened to Maddy - don't know if that's a problem.
Harriet (my favourite) -- I love this one too. I think it goes really well with the two others while still standing out on its own. NNs are lovely too (Hattie, maybe Hettie, maybe even Harry, cute for a girl imo)
Phoebe (getting too popular?) -- nice but maybe a bit weak beside Josephine and Iris, which I see as strong names, perhaps because Phoebe has an EE ending..
Isolde -- too many I initials.
Elinor -- would be shortened to Ellie, and there are thousands of them everywhere.
Isobel -- again an I initial, and there are millions of them, between Isabelas and Isobels.
Matilda (nn Tilly) -- I prefer Tilda as a nn, but Matilda is lovely imo. However, it is popular.

Boys:
Miles -- very nice.
Alistair -- would be my choice.
Henry -- very nice but also very popular.
Hayden -- would avoid. Doesn't really go with the two others.
Toby -- I would choose between Toby and Alistair , despite the EE ending. Maybe Tobias?

So from your list:
Madeleine
Harriet
Matilda
Alistair
Toby/Tobias

How about:
Louisa
Honor
Rosalind
Mirabel
Annabel
Cleo
Clara
Laurel
Helena or even Helen
Greta

And Leonora

I love Harriet & Henry

Love Harriet and Elinor from girls and Alistair and Henry from boys
Would say Henry is a very popular boys name and Harriet is more or at least as popular as Iris in my area

Marianne and Madeleine are both lovely. So is Isobel, but very popular of course.

Love Isolde and Alistair, or how about Antonia and Quentin?

I love Marianne. Dh wouldn't let me use it or I probably would have done.

Helena is fantastic as well.

Arabella
Henrietta
Lillian

Simon
Edgar
Peter

Isobel and Phoebe are too popular for you.
I really like Marianne and think it goes well with other DCs names. I only know one, late 30s, lovely person. Plus the one from Sense and Sensibility.
I also really like Harriet but don't think it goes as well with the other DCs as Marianne.

I think Alistair goes best from the boy names. Henry is too popular for you.

Other suggestions:
Rebecca
Cecilia
Margaret
Mary
Lydia

Hugh
Nicholas
Frederick
Francis
Anthony

Love Josephine! From the suggestions so far I think these are the most timeless (and lovely) names:

Marianne
Harriet
Isolde
Helena/Helen

Alistair
Miles
Quentin
Francis

Other suggestions: Louise, Cordelia, Clement or Leonard?

From your lists:

Marianne
Or
Alistair

Suggestions:

Vivienne
Or
Gregory

Or

Penelope
Or
Fraser

How do you pronounce Ariadne?

Love the rest of your girls list except Phoebe, I have an irrational dislike of phoebe for no good reason & don't think it sounds 'classic'.

Isobel is very popular, Matilda is getting trendy.

Or...
Georgina/Georgiana (sp?)
Elizabeth
Catherine
Audrey
Claudia
Constance
Verity
Felicity
Cecilia
Emmeline
Roasalind

Will try & pop back later to do the boys list!

Madeleine is gorgeous. Other suggestions I like on here are Eleanor, Helena, Rosalind, Catherine. From the boys' names list I like Alistair and Gregory. I'd also suggest Cameron, Callum and Duncan.

toobreathless, I would pronounce it Arry add nay - sort off :o

I like

Marianne
Phoebe
Isolde

Miles
Alistair
Henry

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, it kind of changed my opinion on some of the names I had in mind... I think I have kind of crossed off Ariadne (I pronounce it Arry-Anne but I don't her want her to spend her life correcting people), Marianne (dh went Mary-Anne?), Isolde (I find it sad sounding after all...), Phoebe (Friends really ruined it), Madeleine (love it but reminds dh of McCann case), Miles (dh hates it now... )

Out of the names suggested I really like Georgina, Arabella, Felicity, Rosalind.

And for boys I realised I forgot to mention William...

And what about Louis? Or is that too posh?

I really like Rosalind with your other DDs names if you are pronouncing it Roz-alind. If Rose-alind then maybe sounds overly similar with Josephine.

Georgina and Felicity are both nice.
Arabella seems a bit frilly compared to other DDs names.

Louis isn't particularly posh. Think Louis Walsh off that music programme for one. William and Louis are both nice, but I still think Alistair is best from your list. Also William is pretty popular.

hahaha, thanks! Think Louis Walsh has killed it for me now!

Saw this a few days ago and meant to reply. Love your girls' names. I wanted a Josephine... DH not sure. DS resolved problem!
How about Connie or Vivienne? Are they 'classic' or just old fashioned? Tis a thin line! I do like Marianne though (but hate Marianna!)
Not so good on boys names - Miles I like. Milo? Or too popular and possibly up oneself? Nicholas/ Nico? Same applies really

Elinor is nice. I really like Emmeline - might nick it!

What about Alexander for a boy?

Agree that Louis is dreadful.