asking for opinons was a bad idea... but im doing it again anyway

[princessvikki]

so im having a little girl in august and decided on the name mae norma (both are family names) i posted this morning about how to spell mae and mentioned that her middle name was going to be norma and everyone that commented hates it and im panicing
i did consider norma mae as suggested on my other post but mae is such a common middle name i think its getting a bit naff.
my 16 month old is rose margaret which i love and i was thinking they go together with out being to matchy.

what about Mae Norah which is very similar but a little less 'old lady', or Mae Dora?

Why Norma? Is there a family connection or are you going for old lady chic? If the latter, there are many nicer names.

I like Mae Norma.

norma is my nanas name, im really close to my grandparents if i was having a boy he would have had my grandads name.

i did consider nora as dora is also a family name and i thought it combined both but when i mentioned it to a freind she fell about laughing and told me a joke which ruined it

You wanted to use Norma after a relative so I would stick to your guns and not worry about what complete strangers think It's not like your DD will be addressed by both names all the time.

Norma Mae does flow a little better than Mae Norma but if the second one is only a middle name then they'll never really be used together so probably doesn't matter very much in the end. Mae is much nicer than Norma IMO, wouldn't go with Norma for a first name but can see why you might want to use it as a middle name if it's a family name.

Sorry but Mae Norma doesn't even flow. Norma Mae is nicer. Yes I'n with you everywhere you look a little girl has got Mae, May or Mai for a middle name but look at it the other way. You won't get many Normas in. Class

Definitely not may/mae/mai as a middle name. However, I do love Mae as a first name. When you actually think about it how many little girls are there with Mae as a first name and not as a middle name as I don't know any. It's a lovely first name and I love how you're using your nanas name too. And it goes so lovely with Rose Margaret. Perfect I would say so please don't panic.

Personally I like middle names to be meaningful to & loved by the parents, and think this is much more important than how pretty they are considered by the general population (or mumsnet!).

That said, I actually think Norma IS pretty.. I wouldn't use it as a first name because of how others perceive it, but as a mn it is great.

Nora is also nice (what was the joke?!)

Naming your DD after your nan is lovely, but I do think Mae Norma doesn't quite flow? How about another middle name?

Mae Alice Norma
Mae Olivia Norma
Mae Elizabeth Norma
Mae Charlotte Norma
Mae Kathryn Norma

Norma is a fine name - there are ALWAYS people who don't like a name - you'll never fine one everyone likes. if you like it, stick with it.

The 'flow' of the name is dependent on your surname, and the number of syllables - I think Mae Norma on its own could potentially work, although Norma Mae is 'easier on the ear' at a first read. Mae Norma Greenaway (3 syllables) sounds good to me, for example. I think Norma is lovely, but very 'old lady chic' in a way that may sound quite dated in a few years time. If you want to swop the names over, would you consider Nora: much cooler imo, and still close enough to feel like a tribute?

I think Mae is overused as a middle name, but less common as a first name - but tbh, I wouldn't let it's popularity bother you - ds has a consistently top 10 name and has only once (now 11 years) had another xxx in his class.

I think it's lovely name. A lot of people don't like the name we have picked for our DS but I don't care, there will always be someone who doesn't like the name you choose

I disagree with many posters here - I think the flow of the names is absolutely fine (and complements you dd1's name perfectly). Everyone seems to favour a 1 syllable middle name ATM, but it is merely a fashion. Mae is an underused 1st name and I would definitely stick with it and ignore the opinions of a bunch of strangers on the internet. Given the significance of Norma to you, I think you should definitely stick with that too. Good luck!

Personally I'd much rather have Mae as a first name than Norma. Norma was Marilyn Monroe's real name but I really can't picture her as a Norma.

Mae Norma may not flow that well, sounds a bit like 'enormous' but it doesn't really matter as it's just a middle name and it has sentimental significance for you.

deepdarkwood is right. We haven't been given any clue to the surname, so none of us are in a position to judge whether the names flow well or not. It doesn't matter so much how the forenames sound in isolation, it's the full name that matters. Unless you are going to use both forenames all the time, and there's been no indication of that here.

Fabulous names. Stick to your guns on it.

I'd go with Norma Mae though as it definitely flows better.

I agree. Norma Mae sounds a lot better than Mae Norma if you say them together.

Although how often will you be saying the two together? So if you like Mae better than Norma as a first name, keep it that way.

I like Norma. I think it's probably due a come back.

Honestly I would go for your original plan Mae Norma

We hardly ever hear people's middle names and they are lovely.

Agree with Fenella - Norma is such a cool name and definitely due a comeback. My cousin has a baby Norah and it is just such a cute name for her.
But not many people say first-name-middle-names, like MrsMeerkat says, so if you like mae better just stick to what you'd liked best in the first place. Both are lovely options and I don't often say that on MN!

Everyone's a something-Mae these days.

But hardly anyone is Mae-something

If you're not double barrelling it, it's not like most people will ever know that her middle name is Norma - and if it's paying tribute to a grandmother who has been important to you, then don't "tone it down" - this is a name that has meaning, not just to look pretty.

Your DD won't be called "Mae Norma" by most people, they will call her "Mae [your surname]" - does that flow? If so, go for it. Mae is used as a middle name a lot, it will be unusual as a first name.

Concentrate on the first name, and pick the one you love. Changing the order of the names for 'flow' is silly. The middle name will rarely be used and as others have said, we can't really comment on the flow without the surname.
Regarding your op, I think Mae is lovely and a perfectly acceptable spelling.

I never understand why it should matter if it flows or not? No one will be calling your DD Mae Norma out loud will they... my DDs middle names don't really flow or match their 1st names properly but now they are young adults, it's all a bit irrelevant as middle names don't really get discussed the older you get. I don't think anyone particularly knows mine apart from very close friends and family.

I think it's really touching that you want to call her after your much loved Nana and your DD will love that association when she is much older. My DD adores her middle name which is unusual and after a long ago relative that my Dad told me about.

How about Mabel as first name with nn Mae?

Mabel Norma is lovely