Here's a challenge...

[adaloveslace]

Names for a baby girl that don't start in A or E, end in -a or -ie (or y), are outside the top 50, not shooting up the popularity charts AND not too barmy.

Told you it was a challenge

Everything I love so far seems to tick one or all of the above boxes, so I'm looking to add a bit of variety to my list. The names on my longish longlist that meet these criteria so far (none of them feels quite right though):

Juno
Camille
Juliet
Claudine
Vivienne

Any more?

looking forward to seeing your new list ada

hmm... I think it would be a bit weird to use Anouk. If it was a less unusual name I'd say go for it but it's so unusual that it could look like copying... However I'm kind of on the fence, usually I say if you love it then use it!

Just realised Anouk breaks the rules anyway! it starts with A...

You're right, of course minipie. DH doesn't even like it and the respective grandparents would rightly find it weird. It's definitely out.

Most of my preferred names break my own criteria by beginning with A or E or ending in A or E actually (Eliza, Julia, Emmeline, Adelaide), so this has been a great exercise in broadening my horizons. There are so many gorgeous names out there without a dominant vowel sound I. sight.

in sight

Marielle
Elise

Oops have just realised Elise starts with an e

ada- I can send you the full list of 200 if you want?

minipie, would you? That would be fantastic. I will PM you my email now. (Haven't sent a PM before but if I can grow a human, I'm sure I can figure this) [dons cape]

I wrote minipie but I meant moggle of course! D'oh

Lisette
Nicole/Nicolette
Maxine
Odile
Marian(ne)
Mariel/Meriel

Sharon
Tracy
Pauline
Justine
Cheryl
Kerry
Kelly
Margaret
Charlotte
Charlene
Helen
Tamsin
Ingrid
Kathleen
Catherine

Neve, Joanne, Constance, Susan, Jennifer

I know what you mean OP, all these -a and -ie names are getting quite annoying. I do have a soft spot for names beginning with A and E.

The names that I can come up with that don't fit these parameters also fit the other trends at the moment.

The Nature Based Names
Hazel
Sorrel
Clover
Juniper
Laurel
Wren
Iris

The Trait Based Names
Constance/ Constantine
Prudence/ Pru
Honor
Grace
Hope
Bliss

The Starts with M
Mabel
Mavis
Marlo
Morven
Muriel
Maeve
Marianne
Malin

The French Names
Simone
Odette
Clemence

It seems like if you try to escape one trend you just fall into another!

The only name that I have on my list that I can't really classify is Irene

Meg
Tess

Prudence
Tomasin
Meryl
Linnet
Wren
Nannette
Liv
Lane
Francine
Leah (RULEBEND!)
Yolande

Juno Juliet and Vivienne are moving up steadily- maybe not 'shooting' yet but they have all gone upwards in recent years. Esp. Juliet and Vivienne

Imogen ( is that top 50?)
Bridget ( love this)
Bronwyn
Caroline
Gwen
Lillian
Jacqueline
Josephine
Bethan
Judith
Loveday
Alix
Constance
Emmeline
Christabelle
Jessamine
Nadine
Marianne

Rowan
Nicole
Merryn
Lois

Juliet
Clementine
Heather
Violet
Alice ( too shooting up?)
Phoebe

Morag
Miriam
Kathleen
Kate
Jennifer
Merlynne
Megan
Dylan

Dove

Madeleine
Rachel
Frances
Ruth
Sarah

Dianne
River
Summer
Seren
Scout!

Manon!

Sorry, going to bed now. Great thread :)

Piper
Teagan
Celeste
Colette
Meredith
Beatrice / Beatrix
Yasmin
Lilith
Kendal
Patience
Ingrid
Rosemary
Rosalind
Kirsten

Of your list Camille, Claudine and Vivienne are on mine! Your surname isn't Smith by any chance, hence why you're searching for under-used names like me

Also on my list is Sabine, Delphine, Meredith, Celine, Corinne, Violet(te)

Celine was immediately poo-pooed by DH. My favourites are Camille, Delphine and Meredith but Sabine is growing on me too.

Can't believe this thread is still going - some brilliant ideas here. Thanks mumsnetters, you clever bunch.

Princessdave, I love your list. I have a similar but opposite problem with the surname - it's pretty unusual and quite ornate, so sort of demands something that lives up to it I think. I love Camille (obviously), Corinne (I toyed with this but the pronunciation issue put me off in the end), Delphine and Meredith (DH nearly fell off the sofa when I suggested Meredith though.) Violet is gorgeous.

My current favourite breaks one of my cardinal rules - Valentina. I also love Florence which is top 50 in the UK, but not where I'm living. My situation is complicated by the fact that we're due to relocate again when the baby is a couple of months old, and it could be to any one of three continents. So I'm trying to avoid anything currently or likely-to-be top 50 in various countries where I'll probably never end up living.

Meringue, Manon has come up in conversations with my DH. We used to live in France so I reckon we could justify it, but he says it's too French. He doesn't think Camille is too French though, or Valentina too Italian/Russian/Eastern European, so I suspect he just doesn't like it.