Alice or Marnie ?

[bebeontheway]

We are expecting a girl & have narrowed it down to these two names.

Do we go classic with Alice, and risk the royal baby being given this name and it soaring in popularity?

Or do we go with Marnie? More unique and quirky. Not short for anything, just Marnie. Our other daughter is Lara. Are the sounds too similar 'Lar' and 'Mar' ?

Would love some opinions!

I don't mind Marnie but I did know one was constantly called Marnie, Marnie, Bacon Sarnie at school and I can't get that out of my head!
I also know 2 little boy Marni's but I think it might be an abbreviation of the East African name Ky-Mani.

I love Alice. I have a tiny little sister called it so very biased!

My 86 year old Auntie Marnie is really a Margaret. I just thought it was her nickname, never realised it was another recognised diminutive of Margaret. I like it, OP.

Alice.

Don't like Marnie at all.

I have an Alice too. She totally suits the name & I love both her and the name dearly. I really like the name Marnie too though - sorry, not very helpful

Marnie - lovely a little unusual but still recognisable.
Alice - Classic, literary and Darling I can see why you'd be worried of it soaring in popularity with the Royals potentially using it.

If the royal baby is the only reason not to use Alice then I'd go for it. Both Charlotte and George have had a bump since they were used but the effect isn't that dramatic - George was climbing in popularity anyway before the Cambridges used it.

I think as many people avoid the royal names as follow them.

Marnie Alice

Really really love Marnie

Not keen on Alice

Alice, because I would see Marnie as more of a shortening for something. I also just don't like the sound of Marnie - a cross between mardy and moany, with a bit of American pronunciation of money thrown in.

Marnie, I would prefer to be called Marnie.

Alice. I think it's unlikely to be the new royal baby, and even if it is, so what?

Alice.

Marnie reminds me of 'moany'.

Alice! Lovely name.

Not keen on Marnie. Sounds whingy.

Also having same dilemma re: royal baby name, as we want to avoid it. We have John Arthur in mind for a boy - hopefully John is safe even if Arthur isn't I guess there's only a 50/50 chance of it being a girl to start with and even then they may not go with the bookies' favourite?

Alice for me. I really dislike Marnie, though don't know why.

I love Margaret with Maggie for short though.

Also worried about the Royal baby! I'm avoiding James, Henry and Arthur, although I like them all.

It's a pain when you really like classic names, isn't it?!

Marnie sounds like it should be short for something. I'd go with Alice.

I find Alice a bit boring. Marnie immediately makes me think of Tippi Hedren (Dakota Johnson's gran) in the Hitchcock film with Sean Connery. I wanted Marnie, but DH vetoed it.

Marnie always makes me think of seafood sauce. Seriously I don't understand either.

Alice is classic and pretty but I'm really in love with the name Marina. I'd have called DD that but it sounds bad with our surname.

Marina Alice sounds v posh

MARNIE is from Geordie Shore ! Alice all the way!

Definitely Alice. Easy to spell, elegant, and timeless.

Marnie on the other hand sounds a bit twee and cutesy to me, with undercurrents of mardy as pp have mentioned.

I like Marnie, I would be reluctant to use it because in the current celebrity name trend she might get called Armani a lot.

Alice on the other hand is pretty much ubiquitous.

Alice is boring, Marnie is cute!