Please be brutal(ly honest)!

[jusdepamplemousse]

No offence will be taken - honest opinions please. Having a hard time persuading DH to any of my suggestions as he thinks them all 'odd' and is worried about teasing. Would it be cruel to saddle a child with any of these?

Girl
Theodora
Persephone
Cliona
Hero
Eila
Darcey
Clara
Stella

Boy
Max
Aengus
Theodore
Ethan
Luca
Jeremiah
Joseph

I like most of them except Darcey and Ethan. They seem v at odds with your other choices.

Sorry - 'Max' should not be on there. 'Max' is sanctioned. But just Max, cannot be short for Maxamillian. I think Max on it's own maybe too short?!

I'd keep clear of Persephone with the Underworld connections and Cliona - too close to clitoris for comfort.

Don't know Eila btw. Is it pronounced like Isla?

Oh dear god never occurred re Cliona / clitoris. Ok. Thanks!

Maxamillian? No.

No to Hero and Cliona. I like all the others.

Eila - more like ai-la pronunciation wise.

Showy, why at odds just out of interest? I'm in Ireland so might be different connotations with some names maybe?

I have an Ethan. I know a Max (Maxwell), Theodore (Theo) and a Luca. All pretty standard names, I think.

I don't like Aengus, especially with the e.

"Theodora nice
Persephone will be shortened to Percy which is horrid
Cliona No
Hero OK
Eila everyone will always think it's a typo
Darcey no
Clara nice - but I prefer Clare
Stella nice

Boy
Max lots about
Aengus typo issue again. And a bit poncy (sorry)
Theodore nice
Ethan loads about
Luca sounds like a girl's name
Jeremiah not a nice person to be named after. And Jerry is grim.
Joseph lovely.

Hakluyt, who is the bad Jeremiah? Am I being dim?

Thanks everyone appreciating the honest feedback! At least I can narrow back my choices and go forward confident that the remainders are NOT odd!

Stella = beer

or battered wife (streetcar named desire)

I love Stella and Theo.

Lazymummy I know re beer but not such a big deal over here (not really popular). And streetcar too. Not great. But, stars! Stars are lovely. Definitely they are. Right?!

Theodora/Dora - lovely
Persephone - no
Cliona - big no
Hero - no
Eila - no
Darcey - no
Clara - lovely
Stella - nice

Max - ok
Aengus - no
Theodore - lovely (I know one, he's gorgeous!)
Ethan - no
Luca - no
Jeremiah - no
Joseph - nice, quite popular

I would say they are all fairly aspirational.

Clara is ok, Joseph too

Girl
Theodora - Like it
Persephone - Will never understand why people use it, pretty name/awful Myth
Cliona - Sounds like a house plant
Hero - Brand of hotdog
Eila - Nice
Darcey - Nice
Clara - Nice but makes me want to sing 'Long Distance Clara
Stella - Beer

Boy
Max - Like it
Aengus - sounds like the airline
Theodore - like it
Ethan - Nah
Luca - Like it
Jeremiah - Sounds a bit Amish/Evangelical (not offense intended, I just picture beards and horse drawn buggies)
Joseph - Like it

I love Clara and Joseph. Max, Ethan, Stella all nice. Not keen on the rest.

I'm such a fool. For a good minute or so I thought 'Girl' was one of your name ideas and was baffled! (I'm not well - obviously it's affecting my thinking ability!).

I like Theodora and Darcey. I also like Eila but think people would end up writing Ella. Stella, I quite like but I wonder if Estelle is better and then can be shortened etc.?

I like Max, Theodore, Ethan and Joseph.

My reasons for not being so sure about the others are the same as PPs have covered.

You've got some lovely names shortlisted there.

Theodora - love this and Thea
Persephone - no
Cliona - definitely no
Hero - absolutely no
Eila - never heard it before so no idea how to say it. Would it be confused with the very popular Ella or Isla?
Darcey - no
Clara - This gets a lot of love on MN but I really don't like it. Also it feels like it is suddenly being talked about all the time.
Stella - OK

Max - great but lots and lots of them about.
Aengus - Is this pronounced the same as Angus? I love the name Angus
Theodore - nice but prefer Theodora
Ethan - No.
Luca - Too feminine sounding
Jeremiah - too frilly for a boy's name
Joseph - OK.

Delphine - at 'Girl'. DH would probably love it!

Because you are in Ireland [and I am Irish] I would say:

Theodora - borderline pretentious - will definitely be shortened permanently
Persephone - only if you like Percy, the phone on the end is likely to result in a lot of nicknames, plus will be viewed as the height of pretentiousness
Cliona - haven't heard it for a while, never heard the clitoris connection at home
Hero - depends on your surname. Scores highly on the pretentious gauge but not as bad as Persephone
Eila - yes
Darcey - yes, not really to my taste
Clara - yes.
Stella - yes, though the nickname for the beer in the UK is wifebeater as it's so strong.

Boy
Max - yes
Aengus - quite oldfashioned so some ribbing possibly
Theodore - yes, again will be shortened
Ethan - yes
Luca - not unless you have Italian connections, otherwise it's pretentious imo [you did say be brutal]
Jeremiah - he'll just be called Jerry
Joseph - Joe

Girl
Theodora - too long and too fussy
Persephone - too long and too fussy
Cliona - lots of Clionas in my year at school, it's a bit 1970's. No one in Ireland will think 'clitoris' though.
Hero - bit much to live up to
Eila - It sounds nice but have you made up this spelling?
Darcey - will date badly.
Clara - great name
Stella - like it

Boy
Max - okay
Aengus - No way, sounds far too much like anus. And it reminds me of poor old Wandering Aengus and the salmon of knowledge.
Theodore - LOVE Theo
Ethan - nope
Luca - becoming quite common in Ireland
Jeremiah - only if you give birth to a 187 year old.
Joseph - okay

You've just reminded me of Theodora Fitzgibbon though, my mother makes all her Crimbo recipes.