Please come and help with our girls’ shortlist - down to 5 but going round in circles!

[TempsPerdu]

I’m 33 weeks with DD1, C-section booked for 6th December but also have placenta previa so she might end up arriving sooner. After much agonising (and arguing!) DP and I have whittled down a very long ‘shortlist’ to five, but now we’re stuck. We’re after something fairly unusual, but not too try-hard or pretentious (I am aware that my taste does veer towards try-hard/pretentious, but we’ve already rejected the worst ones!)

Surname will be double-barrelled and made up of two common one syllable names - think ‘Flynn-Bell’

Your honest thoughts/opinions on the following are very welcome (no further suggestions please as it’s taken us 33 weeks to get this far )

Greta
Rowan
Gaia
Viola
Aster

Middle name/s will be some combination of Rowan, Emmeline and Alice, depending on what works best. Thanks!

No apology needed Trampire - no one ever seems to agree 100% on names! 🙂

Rowan is lovely. I like Viola and Greta too. I know boys and girls called Rowan and it works just as well for either.

Greta Rowan is lovely. These are both names on my long short-list.

Greta Alice gets my vote. It's an amaaaaaazing name!

Rowan Emmeline

Greta- actually really cute, maybe Greta Emmerline
Rowan - your happy to have it in the middle so leave it there
Gaia - love it but what would it get shortened to?
Viola- I like but I'd pick violet over viola.
Violq Rowan
Aster - meh

Think about how Greta would be pronounced. My grandmother was Greta and it was said Greeta but most people would go with short e like Greta Garbo. Just because if you choose it you'll be really annoyed if people can't get it right!

Greta - I really like it and I don't know any

Rowan - I know a baby girl named Rowan but to me it just sounds weird on a girl. I really like it on a bit

Gaia - I like it. I know one

Viola - nice. I think it's prettier than Violet

Aster - dislike it

I love Viola but wonder whether everyone would assume Violet.

Gaia is too hippyish for me I'm afraid. I like Rowan and Aster.

Can't quite work out why I'm not mad keen on Greta, I much prefer Greer for some reason.

Sorry I really dislike Greta, it sounds harsh and frumpy to my ears. Viola gets my vote.

Another vote for Viola

Greta is wonderful! I also like Aster and Viola. My preferences would be:

Greta Emmeline
Greta Alice
Viola Alice
Aster Rowan

I love Greta. It was on my list but DH vetoed it

I don't like Greta, I find it very harsh.

My favourite is Gaia, and I like Aster too.

I see Rowan as more of a boys' name.

Viola is OK but I always think of the musical instrument.

Greta Rowan. Definitely.

I like Rowan as a boys name but prefer Rowenna for a girl.

Thanks for all the new replies - definitely some food for thought here. Seems that Greta in particular provokes strong reactions either way! Quite liking it with nn Ettie/Etta to soften it up a bit.

One other pick that nearly made the shortlist was Xanthe - any thoughts on that? We ended up rejecting it as being too posh, but still wobbling a bit...

Greta

Xanthe is really nice too, but not quite as cool as Greta imo. More elegant and classic. Depends what you're going for.

I don't think it's 'posh' anymore, if that's the only worry. I've met a couple of little Xanthes recently who didn't seem especially 'posh'.

Is Aster actually a real name?

I like Greta.

Xanthe is fab.
I love X names.

Only like Viola from that list - apologies! Roman reminds me of the former Archbishop of Canterbury....

I like Xanthe. I knew a girl with that name once and everyone called her Xanny.