Please help! DD is 1 week old and no name.

[vik123b]

Have a shortlist for girls names. The two names we cant decide on are Hermione and Betsy. Just interested to hear peoples views.

I love Hermione but DH prefers Betsey. Few things do put me off Hermione though - will it be a nightmare for her to learn to spell? people can't pronounce it (Hermy-won) and obviously Harry Potter (will she be teased and compared to Hermione Granger? Our surname also begins with a hard G). Love Betsey but worry is too cutsey and she may hate it when she gets older and don't want it shortened to Bet (she wouldnt be Elizabeth as my daughters middle name is Elizabeth so don't want to use again). We have quite kooky style so think either suit us as a family. Need to make a choice!

We like both names so whatever we choose for first name the other can be the middle name. We like Bluebell also for middle name (my other 2 children have two middle names) so would be either:

Hermione Betsey Bluebell

Or

Betsey Bluebell Hermione

Also, if we chose Hermione do you think we could use Hetty as a nickname? DH lost his Nan yesterday whose name was Stella, not keen on Stella and doesn't fit with our names but Hetty has same meaning (Star) or could you think of some way to incorporate it into the name?

And Betsey is a crap name for an adult, seriously, don't lumber her with it.

I'm not keen on Hermione either tbh.......as it happens we have a Betsy too (( nn for Beth ))

A friend of mine recently had a baby called Edith (( Edie for short )) I love it, it's a classic and both names work well.

Tbh tho op you should go with the name you both like so long as it isn't Betsy

Definitely Hermione, it is a safer choice imo, Betsy suits a very girly girl, feminine, not tom-boyish so if you have cutesy delicate genes go for Betsy.

Hermione is the best name by a long long way.

Betsy will be hard work for an adult to pull off.

Betsy or whatever spelling is too cutesy and once she is past the age of 7 it will not suit her-better a name she can grow into.

Love Hermione and if its a name you've loved for a long time then go with it.

Hermione is such a beautiful name. Go for it.

Congratulations!

If you are worried about spelling, then I really wouldn't go for Betsey.

Love the names Stella/Estelle.

Congratulations on your little DS, OP. I agree with the poster who says to hang fire - choosing a name is so important. It shouldn't be rushed.

My feeling is that Hermione and Betsey (I appreciate this may be a variant spelling, but it just looks misspelled to me) are really very different names. Hermione, as you say, is a real classic and very elegant. Not sure what nn you could use, not that you need to have one i guess.

Betsey/Betsy is cute for a little girl and can be cool for the right kind of teen or adult. I would class myself as kooky/alternative etc and I like to think I might be able to carry it off, but most people I've known through work or education aren't and couldn't. I'm just saying this to illustrate that it will only suit a handful of teenage, full grown woman and that our kids don't necessarily grow up the way we anticipated. If going for Betsey/Betsy, I'd try to choose a longer name. Bettina? Bethany? Just so that she'll have some choices.

Saminthemiddle, I'm not cutesy or girly really. Baby does look like a Betsey but don't all babies look cute so can carry off cute names, i am thinking more longer term whereas think hubby just thinks more baby/toddler. When I have mentioned to friends my two choices most prefer Betsey and say just suits me and my hubby, not many prefer Hermione which amazes me when I just think it is so lovely, wonder what it is that people don't like but suppose just boils down to each individuals preference. Our other choice (which I probably shouldn't mention as have discounted it and everyone will like it best and I'll be back to square one) was Elodie.

Good point Anjou about how they grow up not necessarily being as we imagine. I'm not sure aged 12-16 I would have carried the name Betsy off, maybe more as i have got older when I have found my own identity I would but its a very good point. Think Hermione might be easier to carry off.

We have thought about shortened versions of Hermione and puts hubby off that there arent obvious nicknames but could have Mione (my-o-nee or my-nee) or Minie (cute while she is little, (i cant have Maya or Mia as one of my friends daughters is called Maya), Hermy is also growing on me, but tbh I like it just as Hermione but think it will inevitably get shortened so we might as well choose then leave to her friends.

Sorry should say we might as well choose a shortened version THAN leave to her friends.

Am quite amazed at the lack of Harry Potter references , was rather worried everyone would say you can't use it because of HP.

I like betsey but i love cutesy names :) what are your other childrens names can i ask?

Cheese Toastie - friend has a girl called Edith. This is what happens when you have a child when nearing 40 (6 months of my 30s left!), most names are taken

Other possible nickname but not sure if stretching it a bit could be Hetty which links in with DH Nan who passed away yesterday being called Stella as it also means Star.

Sorry. I like Elodie!

I worked with an extremely intelligent, competent, charming woman named Betsy. Her name didn't hamper her in anyway. If anything, it made her more memorable, and she has had astounding career success. I understand the need to want a more "formal" name when you get older, but I don't grasp the logic of having to shed your ends in -y/-ie moniker once you're over 18. I like having a cheerful, friendly - dare I say comforting? - sounding name. And people have always responded better to it than when I use my formal, more "adult" name. So you just never know.

Good point Yougratemycheese, my name ends in a ie sound and have never felt the need to change, I like my formal name but when I say it for things like the Doctors or hospital it just doesn't feel like it's me, feel like its someone else as I have never had my full name.

I like Elodie too but do think it is ranking below Hermione on the list and DH wont consider it as prefers Betsey/Betsy.

I prefer hermione personally but do like Betsey also. If you picked Betsey and she hates it when she's older she could also use one of her middle names, a lot of people do.
You seem very keen on Bluebell so why don't you call her that? She could be Belle or Bella(sounds a lot like Stella) for short.

Going back to the Stella/Star link, there is actually a large asteroid called 121 Hermione so could be argued it has a star link . Hermione also means travel which am hoping she becomes an adventurous girl and has a passion for travel (something I wish I had been and done). Betsy is a short form of Elizabeth which means God is My Oath. I do feel I identify more with the meaning of Hermione than Betsy but do people still choose names looking at their meanings nowadays?

Really wish I didn't over analyse/research everything/!

I do like Bluebell but not sure about it as a first name, not sure our small town is ready for it . Like Clementine also as a middle name (quite xmassy - she was born NY Eve).

We have a short one syllable surname so do feel we can get away with longer first and middle names.

Just looked up meaning of Elodie, is German and means wealthy! Maybe should reconsider it

Congratulations.

I like Hermione. Hate Betsey Bluebell though. Sorry but it sounds like the name of a doll in an Enid Blyton story.

And I don't think giving birth gives you the 'right' to the final say. If both of you aren't happy with a name, you need to think again and compromise.