Arabella or Cecilia?

[Mum8]

Can’t seem to be making up our mind
Which one do you like more and why?
Arabella or Cecilia?

Like names that are not common (like not in the top 50 but not out there either) which is why I think I considered Arabella. I never heard it before except in a playgroup recently and it suited the little girl so much I loved it.
Annabelle seems more Common than Arabella
Arianna is nice but we considered it before and something just did not seem right for us to use it. We liked it but did not love it.
Another name I heard that I loved is Carina, but it is the name of the DD of an ex colleague of DH we still meet occasionally. So I don’t think I can use it.
Names are so hard. I want to find one that we love as opposed to just like...

FWIW I know two Arabellas and an Arabelle so may be on the rise. I find it a bit too frilly too. I like Cecelia and love the nn Cece

Carina is lovely.

You could definitely use it imo :)

Love Cecilia too but too similar to other DD’s name...
I would like to have a cute melodic name that uses another sound different from S, like Arabella or Carina, just to balance out other DC’s name...
But as the last we cannot use and the first one I’m not sure about, I need to keep looking... am I fussy or not? 😑😬

No, Mum8 I am still looking and struggling too...

User45632874 Good luck to both of us!! Just made a suggestion of the name Ariadne on your thread. It’s the name of one of my nieces so I can’t use it though I think I could as i have not even met her and I don’t see her family often at all. But I wanted a more Italian/Spanish name...

Arabella is beautiful.

Not a fan of Cecilia, and its meaning is grim.

horatioisabrick I like Carina too cause it’s so different from other DC’s names and melodic but we meet DH’s friend often and they live close by... Now if they moved and we lost touch yes that will be fine, I will not mind using the name. But as things stand out now I will feel utterly horrible. And our DCs are friends too...
I would ideally like to find a name that I like equally as much

SuperBeagle I thought so too that Arabella is beautiful and sweet but I keep hearing that it is too much like Cinderella, too Disney like and that throws me off.
If only Isabella was not that popular, I would have chosen that, as that can grow well on a person and it is elegant.
And I’m not sure if Arabella is that elegant to grow well with the person. It is definitely fresher than Isabella though and a melodic name too...

Cosima, Ramona...?

I have never equated Arabella with any of the Disney stuff...only the Belle bit...but Belle is my favourite princess anyway feisty etc. It's funny how we interpret names differently and we all have different takes on the same name (fortunately, or we'd all end up with similar names). I have always thought Arabella to be a strong name (especially when coupled with our surname) Isobel and potentially Isabella ...I have always thought of as Is A Bell and that put me off a bit but as I say we each have a different take on these names...wondering what dh will come up with...he has promised to start looking soon...his only contribution so far is Helen...shortened to Hell...Umm, best to catch him in a better state of mind me thinks!

Both are gorgeous and shorten nicely

Arabella. I'm not keen on Cecillia, I find it a bit harsh sounding. Prefer Cecily.

How about Carissa or Corrine

Carissa too similar to other DDs name with the S sound but I like this one. Not fond of Corinne
Cecily is now growing on me though with our Spanish surname it is kind of a mismatch and DH does not like it.
I Came across Lumina nickname Lumi and thought that was kind of cute but not sure yet
DD that’s 5 insists her favourite is Arabella but then she would, wouldn’t she? 😄

Not keen on Lumina, sounds like a contraceptive pill

Seraphina
Valentina
Ottilie
Leonora
Magdalene
Constance

What about Luma, Lua or Lucia?

Romilly or Romy any good?

Carlotta...

Carlotta is pretty.
Clemency
Juliet
Lucinda
Sophia

Aurelia now is growing on me too
So for our list so far we have:
Aurelia (new addition)
Arabella (maybe a bit princessy though melodic)
Cecily (DH is not fond of it, but I find it a bit retro which I like)
Cecilia (clashes with DD’s name as it ends in -sia and starts with L)

Sorry think I may remove Aurelia now 😳 Does not work in Greece, where it sounds like the word for rat aroureos. We have family there too so that will not work
Think I’m giving up 😆
For now the list is Cecily and Cecilia and hope to find something else too that will work...

Cordelia
Cassia
Cassandra
Gaia

I love Cecelia ❤️ nickname Cece

How about Aurora with Rory as a shortening?