Is Emma a bit "meh"

[MrsSnow1]

DD1 due September. Already have 3 year old Henry.

I've always loved Emma. DH likes it also but thinks it is a bit bland. He really likes Bryony and Lana. I like them both also but really really love Emma. Is he right? Is it bland?

Thank you in advance :)

Emma is lovely and less common than people think. It's not unusual but I haven't met one under 20 for a while!
I work with an Emma who is remarkable, and their was an Emma as school who was strait as and a sports star who we all wanted to be best friends with when we were 10!
Never met a difficult one.

Known a couple of absolutely poisonous bryonys and agree it's really close to Brian which is the dullest of dull men's names! Baby Brian...
Lana I don't hate but it sounds like it is short for something rather than a name in itself?

It's a beautiful name.

'Inner city estate' ? [Hmm]

I like Emma but prefer Lana.

I like it. I like Gemma or Jemma more.

Boring

I'm American and it is mega popular here (like most little girls I know are named Emma) but I still love it. I like it way more than the other popular girls names here, like Isabella, Ava, Abigail, etc. which have started reading a little tacky.

I think the sound of Emma is absolutely beautiful and soft. It's classic and elegant and I like it FAR more than Lana and Bryony.

Pretty name.

Emma is a gorgeous name.

It's fine, a perfectly decent name. But I'm sorry to say IMO it is quite bland... I knew a load of them in school in the 80s and 90s. In fact I was very nearly called Emma myself. FYI it was also the most popular girls name in Germany last year. I also know 2 baby Emma's in the UK so I think it may be experiencing a (small) revival. I prefer Lana but much prefer Lara to throw another one into the mix. Not too keen on Bryony.

Definitely bland.

I was nearly an Emma too. I think most girls who were born between 1975 and 1985 were almost an Emma if they weren't actually called Emma!

Was it Rachel's baby in Friends that led to its current popularity in America? That must have been about 15 years ago now but maybe a name takes that long to go from slightly fashionable to wildly popular.

I'm afraid I find it totally meh. Every other girl at school was called Emma. It sounds a bit meek and unfinished to me.

I love Emma, it's one of the few nice names that will suit a person their whole life, from baby to old lady and everything in between.

Sorry, I'm with your husband. I think it's a really bland, dull name. And I've never met a nice Emma.

I like it. Everyone can spell and pronounce it.

Emma is lovely x

I have an Emma DD age 1. Shes the only one in her age group I know. Countless Amelias etc etc. Bryony and Lana are ok but it really depends on the surname. I have a complicated, 5 syllable, often misspelt one so wanted an easy first name.

Never met a bad one as well. In fact all the Emmas I know are highly respected in their field (medical/science/teaching) So for me those associations helped me choose. One of my best moments was when she was a few weeks old and we got chatting to an 80 year old Emma in the supermarket. She was lovely!

Of course when I was pregnant there was a thread here about Emma being deadly dull but I havent had that response in real life. Most are just happy it is easy to pronounce and spell. Which in itself makes it stand out from other names.

Truthfully though you need to choose a name that both you and your husband agree on.

Another plus it that DD said 'mumum' very early which I think is due to the repetition of m in her name and mummy. Took her another two months to say 'dada'.

If your husband thinks Emma is bland, why do you need a thread to prove to him that his opinion is wrong?

I don't get it. Whether I think Emma is bland or not is irrelevant. The most important person has already told you what they think. You should respect that a bit more than trying to mass support to 'win'.

I think if you aren't keen on Lana or Bryony enough, you both need to go back to the drawing board and compromise rather than trying to just get your own way.

I know a few young Emmas - can think of aged 3, 6 and 7 off top of my head. And hundreds my age (70's babies). It's a nice enough name but I do find it a bit bland - it seems to be one of the few names still popular a generation after its peak ( unlike, say, Sarah, Rachel, Claire), don't know why. If I hear of a baby Emma I tend to think it is OK but a bit of a boring choice.

Really do not like Bryony though and Lana has the backwards issue so do much prefer Emma to either of those! I like Lara as suggested, also like Ilana (Hebrew name meaning tree). And Anna, which I see as similar to Emma but nicer.