Thoughts on these girls' names

[RebeccaReads]

Our still fairly long list is:

Clara
Elizabeth (if shortened would be Libby)
Josephine
Helena (pron. Helen-a)
Louisa
Lucie (this spelling)
Petra
Serena
Tess

We are looking for something feminine but strong, classy / classic, and classless at the same time. I'm not really sure that Lucie fits the "strong" criteria, but we like it. We have an 'H' surname, and can't decide whether the alliteration with Helena is OK (I think this would otherwise be my favourite).

I'd welcome thoughts on what kind of associations these names bring to mind (not just 'like'/ 'don't like' comments). I'm particularly keen to rule out anything perceived as pretentious!

I'm not sure about lucie as it seems a bit out of sync with the rest of the list.

Serena will bring lots of 'ah your mum likes tennis' comments but it's no bad link.

Petra will be a blue peter dog for many

Nice list though. I like all but the above.

I love Clara and Elizabeth. Clara makes me think of a ballerina, but that's from a book I read as a child. Other than that don't really have any associations. Clara is a bit 'posh' maybe.

The others are all nice enough, but not ones I particularly like.

Helena makes me think of Helena Bonham Carter which makes me think of planet of the apes, but again I think that might just be me!

Louisa i'm not that keen on because when I was at school every second girl had louise/louisa as a first or middle name.

The only one that is a bit pretentious is Petra imo.

Elizabeth is my favourite. I'm not so keen on any of the others apart from Lucie but I would spell it Lucy.

Lucie.

Biased. It is my name

Thanks. I love Lucie, hashtag. I appreciate that it doesn't really 'fit' with the other names on our list, but it's just a lovely name that I've always liked, and that DH is also keen on.

Clara Elizabeth has a lovely flow :)

Love Clara.

Like Elizabeth, Helena (but not alliteration), Louisa and Tess.

Really dislike Petra and Serena, sorry, and don't like that spelling of Lucy.

Clara & Libby are my faves

Nice names.

I think Helena is lovely.

Love Libby and Helena.. I genuinely don't get the problem with alliterative names - everyone I know who has one sounds like a film star to me!

Lucie will spend her entire life going 'that's Lucie with an 'ie''...

Like Louisa (though all I know are nn-ed Lou - are you ok with that?) and Serena is cool. Tess I think 'of the D'Urbervilles', sorry!

I really like Clara and Tess.

Lucie is nice.

Love Clara, Tess and Petra (really gorgeous strong name!).

The others are fine too - good list of names you have there..

Love the first few, alliterative names are great, think Josephine is beautiful and underused at the moment. Love Clara but think it may be beginning to be quite popular. Elizabeth is lovely, classic with lots of different nicknames to choose from as she grows older. Louisa beautiful. Don't like the last three though. Loads of your names were on my short list but had a boy this time.

Thanks all. Interesting to hear so many negative reactions to Petra. I'm half German and it is a fairly normal sort of name there, so I find it a little hard to judge how it might be viewed here.

I'm not really that happy about Lou, deal, so will bear that in mind!

Will Josephine inevitably become Josie? Again I'm not really that keen.

I like Clara and Tess.

Clara - not keen, but that may be because it sounds awful with an Australian accent, and I'm in Australia
Elizabeth - like it, esp with nn Libby, but seems popular, although that may just be on MN
Josephine - favourite from your list. It will get shortened though. I like the nn Josie, although Jo is another possibility. Or Sephie.
Helena - not keen, never have been, don't know why.
Louisa - OK, but not if you don't like nn Lou.
Lucie - not keen, and as pp said, she will forever be saying "that's Lucie with an 'ie'".
Petra - like it, something different.
Serena - OK.
Tess - like it, but would probably go for Tessa or Theresa and have Tess as nn.

None of them seem remotely pretentious to me, but again, as I'm in Australia I find those perceptions a bit baffling sometimes.

I like Petra and Tess the most.

Lucinda is strong and IMO v pretty - shorten to Lucie for a little girl. I know a few who spell it Lucie and don't find the spelling too much of a problem.

I also like Helena and Josephine (nn Jo), and Elizabeth. Not madly keen on the rest.

LOVE Clara & Louisa
Like Elizabeth & Helena & Josephine & Lucy but only this spelling
Really don't like Petra. Serena makes me think - Williams and Tess - d'Urbervilles, and that's such a sad story...
Elizabeth (if shortened would be Libby)

I LOVE libby and want this to be my daughters name if we have a girl next time! So I vote Elizabeth!

If not Clara Is lovely :)

Clara - Dislike
Elizabeth (if shortened would be Libby) - Strong & classic. really like. Though prefer the nn Beth
Josephine - Really like. I love the name Jo.
Helena (pron. Helen-a) - My favourite by far.
Louisa - OK. A bit 80's maybe?
Lucie (this spelling) - dislike this spelling but Lucy is lovely.
Petra - dislike
Serena - too similar to Sienna which is a really faddy name I can't stand
Tess - Quite like, but would go with Tessa I think?!

So, on balance, Helena or Josephine!

Thanks all. Yes, we would shorten Josephine to Jo (if we shortened it at all). I also like Joanna but can't use it.

I like Beth as a shortening of Elizabeth, but can't use it as it's too close to one of my DS's names, so Libby is my favourite alternative. Elizabeth is a family name, so if we don't use it as a first name it will be a middle name.

I think I'm scoring Petra and Serena off the list. And will consider Lucy / Lucie spelling (although am sentimentally attached to Lucie).

I still really like Tess, but it does feel a bit like an incomplete name to me. I'm not keen on Tessa (for no good reason - bad associations from my schooldays) or Theresa. Wonder if, at a push, we could use Tess as a nickname for Esther (which I also really like)?