Do you like Ottilie?

[Marmaladedandelions]

For DD due in the summer?

I'm really struggling with names and just can't decide - go from one to the other. I don't know any other Ottilie's but at the same time it isn't vastly unusual, I don't think.

If you don't like it, feel free to make other suggestions!

I know what you mean - used to work with a PITA Marion!

I am desperate to 'know' what this childs name is! It's almost harder when you've got two others as I do want the names to match (at least sort of!)

No, don't like marnie have only ever heard it in my days of reading bad American teen books.

Mairi?

I love Ottilie, it was on my list if DS had been a girl. I also liked Lyra, Lilia, Mabel, Jemima and Ophelia.

I quite like that, but having a name that's constantly misspelled myself, I'm a bit reluctant to send them through life correcting people! It is pretty though.

I also love Willow but it just doesn't go with our surname.

Now I like those Lyra us a definite contender.

I can't say I like Ottilie, I know one spelled Otterly too.

I like Rosamund, Madeleine, Elinor, Lillian , with your dc names.

I like Madeleine although I think I prefer the Madeline spelling. The problem with all those names is I don't like the nicknames that naturally derive from them. I don't mind Maddie too much but hate Roz, Ellie, Lillie - don't really like Lillian too much anyway as its a bit old fashioned.

For instance I love Katharine but hate Kath so that's out!

Katherine could be Nn Kate or Kitty. Much more usual than Kath these days.

Flora is lovely, it's hard to match it. Do you like Maya/Maia?

What about adelaide, meredith or claudia?

It's quite pretty. There's a few at baby groups though.

I know what you mean but we've never really 'given' nicknames here: my son has always been an Edward, not Ed or Ted. So any nicknames tend to come from school friends who naturally just shorten the name.

Not a fan of any of them grey - sorry; I am VERY hard to please, I know!

You will find the one!
Fwiw if you don't want a very popular name, Lyra is v much used just now.

Iola? Coralie?

I know, and that puts me off too! (Also the northern lights link!)

No, neither of them do it for me

Isola?

I don't really like that - it's okay but I don't think I'd use it.

I like Mariana, although I think you would probably get a lot of people asking how it's spelt (one "n" or two?) which you said you would like to avoid.

Marina is similar, but I think people will know how to spell it.

Or how about:

Margot
Serena
Erin
Rosamund with Rosie as nn.

Rosemary (ditto)
Clara
Eliza
Lucinda
Anoushka
Mariella

I like Ottilie.
What about

Honor

Miranda

Lucia

Anneliese

Lydia

Anna

Really like Mariana, OP. Also Odette Churchill = great heroine. Other ballet names could be Giselle (very pretty)/Gisela, Aurora, Clara, Carlotta, Pierina (as you know, two great early ballerinas), Ninette, Alicia...

Probably not your taste, but I also like Romola, Dorothy/Dorothea, Silvia, Cecily, Melissa

I am back to loving Ottilie again. Might even tempt me to have a third.

I am liking Serena, Lydia and Alicia from above :)

Serena especially is lovely - I am thinking of a calm sea or lake in the summer ...

I know you said you aren't a family for nicknames, but if you do go for Serena I always think Nina is a lovely shortening.

I'm not keen on Nina - there was a girl at my school called Nina I didn't like! Serena is gorgeous on its own I think.

I like Ottilie, could be Otty or Tilly for short, whether you intend to shorten or not others will.

How about Olive, Olivia, Ida, Marcella (Marcie)?

I don't like any of them either