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Need help making a short list

13 replies

CaptainStrange78 · 20/08/2015 14:50

I love names but as result I've got a long list of about 40 names and I really need some help narrowing them down as I don't think 40 children is a realistic goal. Please give honest opinions. Thank you!

Girls:
Clara
Ida
Cora
Viola
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta
Flora
Cecilia
Aggie - short for Agatha
Octavia
Ana - short for Anastasia
Lucretia
Eva - short for Evangeline
Clementine
Claribel
Minerva
Georgiana
Ophelia
Emmeline
Persephone
Millicent

Boys:
Albert
Phillip
Clarence
Ernest
Francis
Edgar
Everett
Horace
Wesley
Cecil
Wilbur
Roland
Cornelius
Casper
Aldous
Bennet
Hector
Percival
Silas
Wilfred
Humphrey

OP posts:
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NotAllThoseWhoWanderAreLost · 20/08/2015 15:12

Clara - okish
Ida - old lady
Cora - like it but does remind me of the sappy wife in Downton Abbey
Viola - old lady
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta - nice, prefer Rosalie to Rosetta (think of Rosetta Stone)
Flora - margarine
Cecilia - Suggs song! 'you're breaking my heart...'
Aggie - short for Agatha - old lady/Christie
Octavia - Skoda car
Ana - short for Anastasia - 50 Shades of Grey is still too much of a thing
Lucretia - pretentious
Eva - short for Evangeline - Eva nice but very popular
Clementine - popular on here but personally I think it's awful
Claribel - sounds like a ski resort
Minerva - Harry Potter
Georgiana - makes me think 'Darcy' as I love Pride and Prejudice, but quite a nice name
Ophelia - pretentious
Emmeline - ok if nn Emmy or something
Persephone - really pretentious
Millicent - bit butch sounding, nn Millie is the opposite and very girly girly

Albert - very popular on here
Phillip - ok, bit 'meh'
Clarence - god no
Ernest - god no
Francis - ok
Edgar - god no
Everett - dear god no/surname
Horace - only if you really hate the child
Wesley - see above
Cecil - see above x2
Wilbur - and again
Roland - another one!/Rat
Cornelius - Fudge? terrible name
Casper - ghost. Jasper is (slightly) better
Aldous - Huxley, try-hard
Bennet - surname and girly, no teenage boy will thank you for being called Bennet
Hector - dog's name
Percival - awful
Silas - okish
Wilfred - ok if you actually call him Will, Fred or Freddie
Humphrey - another one for if you really hate him

Sophronia · 20/08/2015 15:25

I like these ones...

Girls:

Clara
Ida
Viola
Rosa - but not Rosalie or Rosetta
Flora
Cecilia
Aggie - prefer it short for Agnes
Octavia
Ana - prefer Anna
Lucretia
Eva
Clementine
Claribel
Minerva
Emmeline

Boys:
Albert
Phillip - prefer it spelled Philip
Clarence
Ernest
Francis
Edgar
Everett
Cecil
Wilbur
Roland
Cornelius
Hector
Percival - prefer just Percy
Wilfred

My favourites are Claribel, Cecilia, Minerva, Albert, Clarence and Cecil

WankerDeAsalWipe · 20/08/2015 15:37

Your shortlist is:

Clara
Cora
Rosa
Flora

Edgar
Francis
Wilfred (Fred)

BlackberryandNettle · 20/08/2015 15:40

Clara - like it and also like Lara
Ida - not keen
Cora - really like
Viola - really like
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta
Flora - really like
Cecilia - love it
Aggie - not keen
Octavia - like it but pretty posh
Ana - like it
Lucretia - awful, pretentious and reminds me of 'creature'
Eva - too popular
Clementine - don't like Clemmie or Clem
Claribel - sounds made up even if it's not!
Minerva - awful, could get nickname Minnie which = fanny
Georgiana - like it, bit of a mouthful though
Ophelia - really not keen, dislike the sound plus too posh
Emmeline - ok
Persephone - v posh but do like it and cute nicknames
Millicent - dislike, full name sounds uptight, nn milly weak/babyish

Boys:
Albert - ok, bear in mind prince Albert piercing
Phillip - refreshing, quite like
Clarence - not keen
Ernest - nn Ernie could be cute, quite like
Francis - ok
Edgar - not keen
Everett - not keen, try saying in a common accent dropping ts!
Horace - really not keen
Wesley - bit different, Wes is an ok nickname
Cecil - bit wet?
Wilbur - unsure
Roland - not keen
Cornelius - awful, too much, can you really imagine using on a day to day basis?
Casper - love, would spell Caspar although not sure why!
Bennet - surname, gordon bennet
Hector - secretly love, not brave enough to use!
Percival - prefer just Percy.
Silas - dislike
Wilfred - ok, Wilf,Wil,Fred all ok
Humphrey - awful

phoqueaduck · 20/08/2015 15:53

Clara - pretty
Ida - a bit grannyish
Cora - okay
Viola - rather like this
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta - like Rosalie, not sure about Rosetta, reminds of Rosetta stone language learning stuff
Flora - butter?
Cecilia - pretty, but reminds me of a great aunt
Aggie - short for Agatha - nice, but not my taste
Octavia - not fond
Ana - short for Anastasia - love this
Lucretia - reminds me of the word secretion
Eva - short for Evangeline - Gorgeous
Clementine - orange
Claribel - no
Minerva - not a fan
Georgiana - lovely
Ophelia - love this name but the Shakespeare character connection would put me off
Emmeline - Love love love
Persephone - not massively fond of
Millicent - no

Boys:
Albert - classic
Phillip - bit boring
Clarence - difficult to pull off
Ernest - no
Francis - Love this
Edgar - Allen Poe
Everett - surname, no?
Horace - no
Wesley - surname?
Cecil - old man name
Wilbur - Confused
Roland - no
Cornelius - too much
Casper - quite like, but could be a bit too friendly ghost
Aldous - no idea how to pronounce this
Bennet - surname
Hector - not bad
Percival - Percy, whingy Weasley brother
Silas - sounds a bit evil
Wilfred - old man, but could be Fred/Will, which I like
Humphrey - surname

Best ones (IMO) are:
Clara, Ana(stasia), Eva(ngeline), Georgiana, Emmeline
Albert, Francis, Casper, Wilfred

RachelZoe · 20/08/2015 16:51

Out of those I would only choose:

Girls:

Anastasia

Claribel

Boys:

Albert (would shorten to Albie)

CaptainStrange78 · 20/08/2015 22:31

Thanks, I could have missed those connections between names like Octavia being a car. That's why I put it on here, so I'd get honest opinions.

OP posts:
swimmerforlife · 21/08/2015 07:27

Girls:
Clara - alright
Ida - okay, a bit 1920s.
Cora - no, reminds me of that awful woman off Eastenders
Viola - no, it's a musical instrument
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta - I really like Rosa by itself but no need for the longer versions.
Flora - okay
Cecilia - fine
Aggie - short for Agatha - bloody awful.
Octavia - okay
Ana - short for Anastasia - love it, very pretty.
Lucretia - no, very pretentious.
Eva - short for Evangeline - really like it but prefer just Evangeline.
Clementine - really like it.
Claribel - big no, sounds made up
Minerva - god no, I first misread it as Mirena
Georgiana - okay but a bit pompous and makes me think of Jane Eyre
Ophelia - nice
Emmeline - love it, my favourite
Persephone - no, no, no. Again pompous.
Millicent - like.

Boys:
Albert - no, Old man
Phillip - okay but very bland
Clarence - massive no
Ernest - definite no.
Francis - okay
Edgar - no
Everett - like
Horace - god no, bloody awful
Wesley - no
Cecil - no, old man
Wilbur - no, as above
Roland - no
Cornelius - no, never heard of it before
Casper - yes, lovely name
Aldous - I don't even know how you pronounce that.
Bennet - no, surname
Hector - god no
Percival - no, looks so pompous.
Silas - love it, my favourite
Wilfred - okay
Humphrey - surname but okay.

afink · 21/08/2015 13:01

Clara - Lovely, but very 'now'. I predict that this will be as common as Evie in the next few years.
Ida - Love it.
Cora - Very nice, but can only imagine it suiting a very quiet, dreamy, blonde girl.
Viola - OK. I prefer Violet.
Rosa - short for Rosalie or Rosetta - I like Rosa and Rosalie, but not Rosetta.
Flora - Margarine. Cows.
Cecilia - Fussy.
Aggie - short for Agatha
Octavia - Poncetastic.
Ana - short for Anastasia - OK, nothing special.
Lucretia - Poncetastic.
Eva - short for Evangeline - Overused. Boring these days.
Clementine - Don't like much.
Claribel - a bit wet.
Minerva - Harry Potter.
Georgiana - Nice.
Ophelia - DH and I like this one, but could never think of a nice shortening for it.
Emmeline - Nice.
Persephone - Ughh.
Millicent - Prissy.

Albert - Not keen.
Phillip - wet.
Clarence - SUPER wet.
Ernest - Love this, but it's a guilty pleasure.
Francis - More wet than Phillip but less wet than Clarence.
Edgar - Nooooo.
Everett - It's a surname.
Horace - Just...don't.
Wesley - As for Horace.
Cecil - And again.
Wilbur - pigs.
Roland - rats.
Cornelius - poncetastic.
Casper - I hate this name, but I think it's quite popular, so prob just me.
Aldous - Try hard
Bennet - it's a surname
Hector - See Horace.
Percival - Awful.
Silas - Black cloaked villains with twirly moustaches robbing barns in the 1920s.
Wilfred - OK. A bit dim.
Humphrey - Elephants. Hippos. General large, grey, wrinkly animals.

BeautifulBatman · 21/08/2015 13:10

Cecilia. Love that name.
Francis. I quite like that too.

It's a big fat no to the rest of the selection, especially the boys list. Do you not want your child to like you??

BeautifulBatman · 21/08/2015 13:13

afink - poncetastic - I'm totally lol'ing at that Grin

RedToothBrush · 21/08/2015 15:28

Interesting list!

I am, however, about to rubbish your list and give you a bigger headache! This isn't to be nasty but to get you thinking and try and get some of those associations out there for you. Don't take it too personally! I think if you still love one of these, go for them regardless but be aware of the pitfalls.

Aggie, Agatha - I like Agatha but not Aggie. I think Maggie. Which is Maggie Thatcher.
Ana, Anastasia - I like Anastasia. I also am fond of Arianna / Ariana.
Cecilia - Try saying it with a lisp... Its difficult to say full stop without sounding like you have a speech impediment. Cicely is a nicer variant too.
Clara, Claribel - Definitely Clara of the two. Claribel is someone who couldn't decide between Claire and Isabel and ends up with a cow.
Clementine - ...Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clemennnntttinnnne. Prefer Celeste
Cora, Flora - Of the two I prefer Cora. Flora is another cow or a brand of margarine. I also prefer Coraline which I have a feeling will be up your street or Coralie or Cordelia.
Emmeline - Trying to make Emma/Emily sound posh. Would suffer from having to clarify which variant she was.
Eva, Evangeline - No. Just it and its varients are all WAYYYY to popular. Its worse than Emmeline for it. She would forever be telling people which one she was.
Georgiana - Same problem as Claribel. Either go for Georgia or Ana (or similar)
Ida - Eiderdown. Prefer Ada or even Adeline since you seem to prefer long names that can be shortened.
Lucretia - Not for me. Another poshing up of a perfectly good name, Lucy and its not a particularly pretty sounding one either. Go with Lucia if you want something along the same lines.
Millicent - Quite nice actually. Can't think of anything problematic.
Minerva - a brand of contraception.
Octavia - Skoda
Ophelia - I feel your balls. Nuff said.
Persephone - No. Percyphone is god awful and people will call her Percyphone.
Rosa, Rosalie, Rosetta - Pretty enough. Rose, seems to be the middle name of choice though so could feel a bit bland with her peers even if you go with Rosa. I do think gypsy a bit too. Prefer Rosalind to Rosetta.
Viola - Can't get away from it being a small Violin. And it just wants to be Violet which is going to be enormous. And it reminds me of Violent.

So my 'short' list version of your girls names would be:
Anastasia, Ariana, Cicely, Clara, Celeste, Coraline, Adeline, Millicent & Rosalind.

Albert, Phillip - Both too Royal for me. Albert makes me think of a Prince Albert piercing. Phillip is under used at the moment in my book but I don't think Prince Phillip, the Royal Foot in Mouth association is a good thing. I would image there will be a rash of them when he does cark it, which considering his age won't be too far off.
Clarence - Nothing wrong with it in my book, though not to my taste. Would be Clarry which I don't like. I prefer Clement or Laurence (Clemy or Laurie/Larry). -
Francis - Again, love. Its a family name and we nearly used and if we ever did have another boy (we won't) they would have this as a middle name. As a first name they would be Frank (because Franny is horrendous) though, so you'd have to be happy with that. Beware the current Pope is Francis, though I don't think this is a problem for me, because as far as Popes go, this one isn't doing too bad.
Ernest, Edgar, Everett - Echoing the Nooooo for Edgar. Edgar Allan Poe. Dark and Foreboding. On the other hand I LOVE Everett and Ernest. I shyed away from Ernest, as I wondered if it reminded me of the word earnest too much and would be a bit too serious for a child to carry off.. Everett is my favourite of the three and due a revival in my book. Means brave like a boar. I may be a little bit in love with it.
Horace, Hector, Humphrey - Horace erm, no. Humphrey, I think of Camels and humps rather than big grey wrinkly animals, but still the same train of thought. Hector is the best of the three and I'm not terribly fond of that. Plus Horace reminds me of an obscure video game for the spectrum called Hungry Horace...
Wesley - Yuk. Wesley Snipes. And it reminds me of that other horror that is Wayne.
Cecil, Roland, Percival - Cecil forever a lion now. Roland Rat. Ronnie is better. Percy Pig. Nuff said.
Wilbur, Wilfred - Not keen. Slightly prefer Wilburforce, but not keen on that either. Wilf is cute. Wilf is a wolf. But he might end up as Will, which would be a bit sad.

Cornelius - Hey Corny! Nope.
Casper - The friendly ghost. ^Jasper* is better.
Aldous - I think its one best left in the past tbh. People are too unfamiliar with it. Though, for me, Fred Aldous, is an amazing craft shop in the Northern Quarter of Manchester..... .
Bennet - Trying too hard not to be Benedict which is better. Think would end up being shortened to Benny rather than Ben.
Silas - TV Baddie. Murders people. Sylvester if you can get past Stallone (hey he usually plays the hero at least!), or Seth.

My 'short' list for boys would be:
Clement, Laurence, Ernest, Francis, Everett, Wilfred & Jasper

All of which is probably about as useful as a chocolate teapot as its about YOUR taste and not mine.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 21/08/2015 18:29

I really like Lucretia (great song!). Clara Lucretia or Lucretia Clara = great name.

Love Hector. Like Wilfred and Ernest but need to be careful re nicknames. Ernie is dreadful.

LOVE Roland - so glad to see it finally on a list. I've been recommending it for years!

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