Section in a few hours, girk's name advice!

[babyblabber]

Am in hospital waiting for me ELCS which is this afternoon. I know it's a girl, DH doesn't and we still can't agree on a girl's name! We're in Ireland so not all the top UK names are as popular here. Surname is very common so would prefer something not so common.

Penelope - is my top choice, vetoed by DH.
Ella - is his, vetoed by me as too common/boring.
Juliet and Elodie - we both like but I HATE jules and Elle/Ellie and think they would be inevitable especially when she's a teenager and that would really annoy me!
Chloe - is a name I've always loved & DH likes but having been so popular for so long, I wonder is it boring? It's top 10ish last 5 years at least. And with common surname it just doesn't dound special enough!
Eva - is one we both like but so many Ava, Eve, evies etc it's not exactly unusual.
Clara - I like but most irish people pronounce it like Lara which I don't like, would that wreck my head or would I learn to live with it?!!
Layla - was just on the radio & DH thinks that should be it now!

Why do I have to find a problem with all of them?!!! I could love Chloe, Juliet or Clara (especially Juliet I think) but they all have some "issue"!

I think choosing a name with a nickname that you hate is probably a bad idea - you're right that as a teenager she'll probably end up with a nickname, and as those two are the most obvious for the names, I think it might not be terrifically sensible.

Chloe & Clara are lovely, and for what it's worth I think Ella is also very pretty.

I'm biased because I have a Chloe!

Clara or Penelope.
Good luck.

I like Juliet and Clara best good luck

Phoebe? Chloe is quite nice, prefer Layla tho!

I'm Irish but UK-based, OP, and I'm not sure what you're getting at about a different Irish pronunciation of Clara - everyone I've heard pronouncing it in England or Ireland has pronounced it to rhyme with Lara.

Clara or Juliet. Chloe is very 15 years ago, Penelope has a jodhpurs-and riding-hat ring to me, and Eva and Ella are just everywhere - you might as well call your baby 'Girl'.

Would go for Clara too.

Also confused about the pronunciation of Clara in Ireland. Dh is Irish and would say it the same way that I do.

Romilly?

Really lovely names.
Juliet, Chloe (not boring), Eva (bit different to Avas and Evies) and Clara are fab.
Good luck this afternoon!

I wanted Chloe for dd but we couldn't agree so didn't use it. So wish I had as I haven't met a little one. So I say go for that! The rest are fairly nice apart from Layla which I really dislike

I'm English and also pronounce Clara to rhyme with Lara... How else is it pronounced?

I love Juliet. I know two and neither are shortened at all.

Penelope - bit too frilly for me
Ella - I know two little Irish Ellas
Juliet and Elodie - I really love Juliet. Call her Juliet at home and remind yourself that it really doesn't matter what her teenage friends abbreviate her name to. Elodie is nice too.
Chloe - so boring.
Eva - As well as two Ellas I know two little Irish Evas. Nice name though.
Clara - I don't know what you mean re. Irish pronunciation either. Do you mean that the first 'a' would be quite flat compared to a Southern English pronunciation?
Layla - prefer it spelt Leila, Layla is too 'Laaaaaaaaayla, you got me on ma knees'

Oh and good luck today!

Thanks all. I think at this kate stage it'll be Chloe. Or Juliet if I can accept someone someday will say jules!

Clara to me is Clar, like Car, -ah. Most people here pronounce it more like Clah-rah. Does that make sense?!

Don't just choose Chloe because you think it won't cause you nickname pain, loads of people will call her Chlo.

I think I know what you mean re. clah-rah. You'd prefer the first 'a' in Clara to be pronounced like the a in 'car' rather the a in 'dad'.

I'm sitting here like an idiot saying 'Clara, Clara, Clara' to work out how it sounds when I say it.

Juliet with nn of Lettie?

Ah ok, I would pronounce Lara like car-ra but without the c so that's probably why I'm confused. I wouldn't use a flat 'a' like in dad for Lara or Clara.

I love Layla! It'll also be a little story for her about how you heard it in the hospital and "knew" it was for her

Ps I also like Layla but prefer the spelling Leila.

And if you say your surname is a common one, along the names of Murphy for example, well I bet there are a million and one Chloe Murphys knocking about in Ireland whereas Juliet Murphys will be far and few between.

Still don't entirely see what you mean about the 'a' sound in Clara. You mean you want a short 'a' like in 'dad'? I've never heard it pronounced as anything other than 'CLAH-ra.'

No I think she's worried that it would be pronounced with a short a. In Dublin names like Lara and Tara are often said with a short first a.

I think she means she doesn't want a short 'a' but that is how people near her pronounce it. I've never heard it pronounced anything other than 'clar- rah' either though.

Julianna?
Eloise?

I have a friend called Clara - pronounced as Claire-a, rather than like Lara. I think she will get a mix of pronunciations, but I like either. No much help