Opinions on our favourite girl names?

[WeArePregnant11]

We are pregnant:D

It's still very fresh and new, so we won't tell our families yet. But for quite some time we honestly didn't think this would happen (especially when we were younger), so we're super excited (I'm so happy I could cry [I actually did cry...] and she feels the same). Sooo, baby names...

My wife is American, I'm Swiss and we live in Edinburgh...
So, we are really wondering whether our favourite names would work here and in the UK in general.

First names:
Tara (my wife's favourite and I really like it as well)
Clarissa
Miranda
Magnolia (maybe as a first or middle name)

Middle names:
Magnolia
Millicent
Payton
Ylva

My wife would love to honour her late grandmother, so we're considering the name Magnolia, but we both think that could be overly feminine and princessy when combined with the first names we like...
I personally really like the name Ylva (also for personal reasons).

So, yeah. What do you think? Would these work for a child growing up in Scotland?

(Btw, I'll be starting a similar thread for boy's names, I hope this isn't bad mumsnet etiquette...)

YY to Magnolia being synonymous with "dull, predictable, unimaginative".

This is a really strong association is in the UK.

It's not just a name for paint, it's shorthand for the most boring, default, couldn't-be-arsed paint colour. It's what estate agents paint rentals with.

Here are some people discussing it on Houzz

Having said that it's only really boring as a paint colour. It's the colour that's boring not the word, and the trees are beautiful!

If you didn't know better you'd think the pain colour was pink from that picture though wouldn't you!

Binkowl: weird that people would use the name of such a beautiful tree for this colour... I absolutely agree :)
And people seem to have super strong opinions on it. So, Magnolia is probably better for a middle name (if anything). The paint association seems to be to strong to use it as a first name...

I do not like Mirabelle. It's just too fruity imo...

Navyandwhite: may I ask why you don't like the name? (Is it just the sound, or does it remind you of something or...?).
And do you like Clarissa, Miranda or Magnolia?

Girl names are difficult, imo.

I only like Tara from your list.
Magnolia- traditional ( and horrible) paint for the rental properties
Miranda-Comical TV character
MIllicent -G of T character, I think, "The Red witch"
Never heard of Peyton or Ylva
Clarissa- prefer Clara or Larissa

The GoT character is called Melisandre
Miranda: comical character? Huh. The only TV Mirandas I know are from the devil wears Pravda and sex and the city.

But thanks :)

Oops. Pravda :D

What the heck??! Prada. Why does my iPad want me to write Pravda... I don't even know what a Pravda is

I like Tara best. Even though it's a place name originally, the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. Very important archaeological site.

Magnolia is very dramatic but would work well as a middle name. You know when you have a 'what's your middle name' conversation with someone at least she'll make a more interesting contribution than those with Rose or May.

I really don't think it's worth getting worried about tv characters with names you choose for your child, unless it's a super specific unique name like Tyrion or something. But with more "normal" names, it's just not important. Only some people will relate the name to a particular character anyway (I've no idea what Miranda comic you're talking about, for example) and even fewer people will do so in the next couple of decades when your child is growing up. And kids their age probably never will!

To me it seems kind of like saying "oh you can't call your son Michael, there's a character in that soap opera I watch called Michael!"... Like, so what??

I thought that everyone knows Miranda from BBC🙂 "Life is not easy for Miranda..." Qiute funny, actually. I did not say "you can't name your child this name and that name", just said my associations with the names, that's all. Happens that only Tara gives me a positive vibes.
Yes, Melisandre, of course.
Pravda is a newspaper of the Russian /Soviet Communist party and also a girl's name after the revolution. Means "Truth".

I don't watch tv, so that's probably why... I didn't think you were telling us what we can/can't do, don't worry :)

Communists...? Huh.

And I agree, Tara does give me positive vibes as well :)

And I do like the association with the historic site.

Love the name Tara. Makes me think of the gorgeous plantation in GWTW.

I know you just mentioned it in passing but I like Nola! I'm 29 weeks pregnant, might consider it myself!

Love Tara as well, living in Ireland it's pretty appropriate!

Nola is super cute. But it is a nickname, imo. And I personally have this weird thing about not putting a nn on the birth certificate... I'm not sure why, because there are some names where I actually prefer the nickname, but yeah...

My DN is Finola and Nola as a nn. Great name. Finola is also Scottish/Irish so great in Edinburgh. I'm not biased at all

Finola is super cute :)

But I guess it's just too much of stretch to honor a Magnolia.