Our shortlist - opinions?

[ParsleyCake]

Wow, turns out that once you are actually pregnant, baby names become a very serious business and long time favorites suddenly don't seem suitable!

Anyway, we are looking at unusual but non-bullying inducing names, ideally with a 'magical' or 'different' feel to them...so far, these seem to be unisex and unusual to the point of being very rare as names.

Boy: Griffin/Griffyn
Girl: Cleo/Griffin

What would you think if your friend named her child one of these?

Also, I would prefer a long verion of Cleo and Cleo just be the nick name, but I'm not keen on Cleopatra! Ideas? I made up Cleophreia (Cleo-freya) but it sounds too pretentious

I think Cleo's lovely. Like you, though, I'm not convinced about Cleopatra and I really don't like Cleophreia at all.

Griffin certainly wouldn't be on my list, but I don't actively dislike it. Griff as a nn is quite nice.

Not sure about Griffin. Like Cleo

Like Griffin very much.

Cleo is a cats name, sorry.

I quite like Griffin for a boy, I wouldn't use it but it's quite cool. I don't like it at all for a girl though, I really don't think it's a unisex name.

Not sure about Cleo, I kind of like it but did know a cat called that which makes it hard to think of it as a little girls name. I don't like any of the long forms though.

Love Cleo. Cleophee? (With accents. Can't do it on my phone) Prefer just Cleo tbh.
Griffin is ok for a boy, not really my thing. Think it's terrible on a girl to be brutally honest.

I know a Cleo who is actually Cleona (rather than a Cleopatra). I believe it can also be spelled Cliona.

Maybe Ariel, Titania, Columbine, Merlin or Oberon if your looking for 'magical' names?

I know a grown up Griffin, Griff for short, and he's really cool
I totally hear you on how different baby names seem once you're pregnant, our pre-preg shortlist completely disappeared!

Griffin unusual but nice for a boy. Definitely not for a girl. Cleo is lovely itself, no need to lengthen it just for the sake of it.

Cliona is pronounced cleena or cli-uh-na so nothing like Cleo

Thanks. I prefer Griffyn for a boy too, it's just that I first heard it as a girl's name (spelled '-in')
Ariel - I actually know an old lady called this, if you can believe it! Do like it a little tho
Titania and Columbine - far too posh for our surname
Merlin - don't like it sorry
Oberon - already considered as a middle name actually, but too posh for hubby lol

Think, short, unisex and very unusual but need to not sound posh or pretentious. Our crossed off list includes Kestrel (girl) for instance

Fern
Bracken
Meadow
Merryn
Mirren
Fox
Arlo
Bran
Rickon
Tyrion

Yes I like Game of Thrones!

Hmmmm - how about:

Girls: Briar, Eden, Nova, Ember

Boys: Carter, Hunter, Orion, Dale

Wren for a girl?

what about Cassiopeia instead of caliofreya.

Cassiopeia way too bonkers for my taste! I like Clio though

Also thought of Raven for a girl. Or Rowan? Could easily be for a boy or a girl. Aubrey, Indie, Dakota, Devon?

If my friend used these I'd say; Cleo isn't the worst I've heard, but Griffin, really, have you lost your fucking mind?

Cleo is fab, although personally I'd spell it Clio, like the muse (or the car, I guess, but I still prefer this spelling!)

Griffin is good too - sounds cool, without being too 'out there'. Makes me think of Harry Potter and Hippogriffs. Not great for a girl though.

Rowan is my other favourite of the suggestions so far - genuinely unisex, but especially love it for a girl.

A few more:
Calypso
Persephone
Xanthe
Morwenna
Aster
Calliope
Avalon
Elysia

Orion
Caspian/Cassian
Zephyr
Torin

Sorry, just read your criteria and realised most of my suggestions are on the long/flowery/pretentious side! Will have another think...

Cleodagh.

Imo Cleo is good enough to stand as it is, doesn't need to be lengthened, but Cleobel is rather nice.

Griffin is a nice name for a boy.

SlinkyB, Thank you, I love Merryn!

Xanthe, Torin, Briar also good. I like Orion too but its already in use as my friend's cat's name lol

Never heard of Griffin for a child. Nor Cleo. Don't like either of them very much I'm afraid. Do you like any other names.

Cleo could be a nickname for Cleone? (Possibly pronounced Cleeonee, not sure!)

I like Griffin (nn Griff) for a boy, but not for a girl.
I'm in Australia where Cleo is the name of a well known magazine, similar to Cosmopolitan, so I can't get away from that association.
Of previous suggestions, favourites are Orion, Ariel, Xanthe and Morwenna.
Another possibility is Elowen (Cornish name meaning elm tree).

Can you not get a name with Cleo on the end? So rather than Cleopatra, Patracleo(n). Except obviously not that. I just can't come up with anything.