opinions on our chosen name: Heavenly Joy

[greenyish]

Just want to run it past a few strangers

Actually it's Tiger lily's first name.

Heavenly hiraani tiger Lily. I think.

Reminds me of a book a read as a present!-teen about a character called heaven-Lee. She and her siblings got sold to fund their parents lifestyle. I think. Was a long time ago.

I can't imagine calling a child Heavenly. It just doesn't fit with the screaming toddler having a tantrum in the supermarket. Or the hormonal teen refusing to come out of their bedroom...

But the world would be very boring if everyone had the same name!

Also read that book! Bit of a life sentence OP unless this is a wind up?

I thought of Heaven Leigh Casteel too! As far as I remember she didn't become a lawyer...

You want to name your daughter something you'd shout at the moment of orgasm?

Better than "Yikes" i suppose.

elQuinto you shout what?!

It's ghastly, OP. Unless you come from a naming tradition that uses this kind of name - I would associate it with Nigeria, perhaps other African-Caribbean countries too? - it smacks of some demented female tele-evangelist calling down the Holy Spirit with a gospel choir going wild behind her and a 0800 DONATE number scrolling across the bottom of the screen.

Oh please no! It's dreadful!

Joy is fine, but Heavenly is not - It may be cultural or religously symbolic to you, but not everybody will understand your culture and not everybody will follow your religion. Your daughter may even choose not to follow a religion when she is older.

She will get bullied at school. It's one of those names that even potential employers will be pulling a face at when they see her CV.

Plus it sounds like some sort of 'angel delight' flavour or paint colour.

Alternatives, with similar 'heaven' meanings could be;
Angelica/Angelique
Celesta/Celesse/Celeste
Celine
Selena
Sera/Serafina
Talia
Dionne
Irisa
Jennet
Leia
Meena/Mina

It sounds a pretty phrase but as others point out the issue lies with being an adjective. This means your daughter will have to say, 'I'm Heavenly'. Like saying 'I'm Beautiful' or 'I'm Amazing', this may be hard for her... Especially if she's feeling a bit unsure of herself in teenage years. I would go with something that has a similar feel, but is known as a name... Maybe Seraphina Joy, Angelina Joy, Azura Joy, Aurelia Joy. Good luck!

Awful, sorry. The Joy bit is lovely. Heavenly is too 'out there' if you live in the UK!

But some of the other posters' suggestions are lovely alternatives.

Joy is lovely, I think it's well overdue a comeback!

Heavenly is a bit vomit-inducing though.

It sounds like a euphemism for sex in a badly written romance novel.

It sounds a pretty phrase but as others point out the issue lies with being an adjective. This means your daughter will have to say, 'I'm Heavenly'. Like saying 'I'm Beautiful' or 'I'm Amazing', this may be hard for her... Especially if she's feeling a bit unsure of herself in teenage years.

^ This

It is a very pretty name, and also a very obviously not-English one. That's not a bad thing, necessarily. Like BikeRunSki I've always thought that the Precious/Blessing/Comfort type of names are rather lovely. Plus, 'Joy' is a very solid traditional English name so if she decides she wants something that no-one is going to comment on she can always drop the 'Heavenly'.

Incidentally, Celia, Celeste, Celestine, Diana, Skye, Thalia, Seraphina all mean heaven or heavenly (or something similar).

Joy is lovely. Heavenly is not.

How about Serena or Serenity instead?

Serena Joy is an embittered former religious icon in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Having preached against women's liberation before the religious revolution, she spends the entire novel grimly enduring weird religious sex ceremonies where her fully-clothed husband tries to impregnate a fully-clothed 'handmaid' lying in between her legs on the marital bed.

Just saying.

It's a nope from me, seeing as you're asking.
I'm all for unusual, imaginative names but Heavenly Joy is just so...pointed. Are you especially religious? It sounds praise-the-Lordlike.

Celeste is nice I agree. Skye is lovely.

A name like Heavenly will put her at odds with people straight away. Will she be able to live up to her name? I doubt it, she's only human after all.

Think again I say, but it's up to you.

Heavenly Joy sounds like the name of one of those 'massage parlours'.

No way. It sounds rude to me like a porn name.

Yes it sounds faintly orgasmic as well. Which is a bit weird.

Unless she's going to school with the Apple Martins, Fifi Trixiebell Geldofs and Inspektor Pilot Lees of this world she's going to feel a bit of plonker with a name like Heavenly Joy. It's too much of a statement and it's not fair to saddle her with that before you know who she's going to be.

Truly truly awful.

If you want use that name, get a pet.

As others have said: it sounds odd to a British ear but would be less so elsewhere in the world.

I think Joy is very very nice.
Heavenly Joy is pretty, and I was told (I'm not English) that if a foreign background is obvious many "strange" names become quite acceptable (I'm not English but am married to an English man)
So, if you love it and if there is a cultural connection then you should go for it!

Or what about Celia Joy? Celia means heaven after all...
Or what about first name (whatever you like, for example Mary) Heavenly Joy? So, Mary Heavenly Joy? Or Anna Heavenly Joy? Miriam Heavenly Joy?

Sorry, I think it's awful. IMO Heavenly isn't a name and Joy always makes me think of Joy of Sex