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!

Viola Alice or Greta Emmeline, both lovely.

Viola
I'll never forget that image of Gwyneth Paltrow walking at the edge of the sea at the end of Shakespeare in Love. Beautiful name

I LOVE greta and emmeline

All the best with ur section :)

Xanthe Rowan is also lovely.

For some reason I can't help saying "Great Aunt Greta". It sounds like a harsh name to me and sounds like Gretel. Rowan and Aster sound like boys' names. Viola is ok, Violet us nicer. Xanthe is by far the nicest name to my ears!

Thanks icant - helps that we knew it would be a C-section from the outset (I have the added joy of fibroids as well as pp!) so it hasn’t come as a shock.

Ha Valerie, I do see the ‘Great Aunt Greta’ thing - it’s just one of those names I guess! Still like it though

Gaia, Aster and Xanthe are my faves.

Greta is definitely cool though!

I love the first 3 (I suggest Gaia and Greta on here all the time!)

1. Gaia
2. Rowan
3. Greta

I LOVE Greta. I considered it for DD. Although I'm glad we didn't go with it as she looks like a little shot putter so suits something more flowery.

Really dislike Greta, very harsh sound sorry.

Rowan is nice but a boy to me.

I really like Gaia, Viola and Aster. Gaia is very hippy though so depends if that works for you! Viola is much more traditional. Aster is just unusual so not sure what the feel is (maybe a bit American?) but I like its simplicity.

Xanthe is a leeetle bit try hard.

Love Greta, Rowan nice but would assume it's a boy. Don't like Rowena. If you like Aster how about Astrid, my current fave? Gaia ok, prefer Violet to Viola

Aah my favourite would be Aster Emmeline Xanthe Unique and beautiful!

Love Greta so much! Please pick it, and But I would go hard core on the nickname and go for Gretch...

Greta Emmeline Alice

Or

Rowan Emmeline Alice

I like Rowan the best

GREta or Aster

Have you thought of Aphra? Look up Aphra Behn.

Trouble with Greta is how to pronounce it. Gaia is a bit much to live up to.

Rowan Alice is my pick.

Or Aster Rowan.

Greta sounds very harsh to me and I don't think it looks very nice written down either.

Viola and Aster are both lovely.

Rowan Alice for me

Viola or Aster. I like Viola - it's much nicer than Violet. I've never come across an Aster and I like it a lot.
I'm not keen on Gaia (too hippy), Rowan (always seem like a boy's name), or Greta (feels like a "pretend she's an Austrian milkmaid" name)

Greta or Viola are really beautiful

not Gaia maybe Gabriella
Rowan - boy. Rowena
Viola - cake mix. Violet or Vera
Aster - don't like the ass sound. Anastasia
Greta sounds hard and reminds me of Grenfell. Maybe Grace
Daisy
Clementine - Clemie
Marsha
Ivy
Aubree
Matilda
Joanna - Jo

I would really like Asta spelled like that, but the er ending is unattractive. Second favourite probably Viola. But they're all fine, and all quite unusual, which is a plus.

Viola.

Is Aster a real name or is it made up?

Aster is a flower. V