Name list - SO undecided!

[Joeybee]

Okay, so since August 2016 I've been brainstorming baby names. I had decided on Bethany Mae for a girl and Nathaniel Bryan for a boy.

However last year I totally went off both of those names, and I am now pregnant and REALLY need to make some name decisions.

So heres my shortlist. I'd really appreciate if people could tell me what they think and maybe suggest some other names that may also work.

My Surname is double barrelled, both names beginning with 'R', so no strong W or R sounds as it clashes with the surname!

Girls:

Violet - Fave name, but is it becoming too popular?
Genevieve - HATE 'Gen', Jen as nicknames which is what puts me off this name a little.
Edith - A bit too plain maybe?
Juliette - LOVE it, but would people spell it 'Juilet' all the time?
Elizabeth

Boys:

Hugo - LOVE this, but maybe it's getting too trendy?
William - Too popular?
David - Too dated?
Luca/Lucas
Albert (Bertie) - Does it clash with my surname?

Any suggestions would be great!
Middle name for a girl is likely 'Elsie' to honour my OH's recently deceased grandma.

Love Violet, but it is becoming quite popular.

Wouldn't use Genevieve if you hate Gen. You could push for a different shortening (Ginny, Evie, Vivi, Gigi etc), but Gen/Genny is the most obvious one.

I'm not a fan of Edith.

Love Juliet, but only this spelling, and yes, I think the majority of people would automatically spell it Juliet. That's the peril of the major association being one of Shakespeare's most famous works!

Elizabeth is fine. I'm an Elizabeth. I have no complaints about it, but make sure you're okay with Liz/Lizzy, because she will inevitably get that at some point.

Hugo is lovely. It's been relatively popular where I live for at least a decade now though, so I don't think it's any trendier than other popular boys' names.

Love William. Popularity wouldn't put me off, but you could always shorten it to Bill/Billy if you wanted to differentiate him from the sea of Wills.

Love David. Good, strong name with a great meaning ("beloved").

Not a fan of Luca or Lucas.

Not a fan of Albert/Bertie. I think that's more trendy than Hugo, if that's something that concerns you.

Suggestions:

• Alice
• Amelia / Emilia
• Adeline
• Catherine / Kate
• Daisy
• Daphne
• Dahlia
• Eloise
• Estelle / Stella
• Emmeline / Emily / Emma
• Eleanor / Elinor
• Esme
• Felicity
• Hannah
• Lillian / Lily
• Lucinda / Lucy
• Madeleine
• Matilda
• Polly
• Phoebe
• Sadie
• Tabitha

• Alastair
• Arthur
• Benjamin
• Daniel
• Edward / Edmund
• James
• Oscar
• Otis
• Peter
• Samuel
• Spencer
• Sidney
• Stanley
• Sebastian
• Thomas
• Watson
• Wilfred
• Winston

I like Violet, Edith and Hugo from your list.

Violet will date madly- it's the latest of the retro names to come back but once that dies off, it will disappear- it's actually quite ugly -'violent' - plus no good short form. Vi is terrible. Unlike Lily, Rose etc this is a flower name that disappeared with good reason!

I've known two Genevieves and both were Vivie. Gen isn't the obvious short form to me at all, as it's so tied to Jennifer. So don't discount this one.

Love Juliette- that spelling. Plenty of folk spell if this way.

Don't like Elizabeth and Edith nice but not as good as above (and trendy now)

I'd go for Hugo- slightly trendy but not half as much as Albert! And not fussed on the others.

Hugo or Juliette would be my choice, Genevieve second.

I love Violet, it's only around 70th most popular name but it is slowly rising.

I also prefer Juliette spelling. People will get use to this spelling, it's not exactly unusual.

I like Elizabeth. Classic, a million diminutives.

Other than Albert I like all your boys names. David is still actually in top 100 boys names so not dated per se.

Jennifer Elsie
Juliette Elsie, if they spell it wrong the first time, they'll get it right the next.
Jasmine Elsie

David is nice, not often heard of these days. David Hugo.

DD is Juliet and we get Juliette more often from people guessing spelling

Violet and Hugo are my favourites

Edith is lovely.

How do you pronounce Juliette?

Violet is beautiful, ignore weird people saying "if you chnage 1 letter it becomes..." funnily enough if you changed/added 1 letter to most names they could be something potentially horrible?!

Violet is graceful, sweet and I think of the flower and the lovely scent, so far removed from violence! I know 1, 2 year old who totally suits her name but no others. Its only no.60 ish on name list isn't it? Hardly wildly popular. I only know as I would definitely use it for next DC if girl.

Love Luca and Albert from your boys list, Hugo is fun but just a bit too posh for me.

Elizabeth. Then you can call her Beth/any.

Hugo

I’d also go with Elizabeth or Hugo.

We have Elizabeth at the top of our list of names so watching this thread with interest.
Also considered Genevieve but discounted it.

Love Edith (maybe Meredith if you think it's too plain?) and Hugo

Violet - Top of my names list (DP's choice) but I have the same reservations as you. Love it though!
Genevieve - Love it! Can't use as it reminds me of a Brooklyn 99 character now but it's gorgeous
Edith - Not for me. I get that it's a classic, but I can't get into it
Juliette - So popular on mum sites but again, not for me at all
Elizabeth - Another entry on my baby name list for DD! Would you keep it long or use a nickname? (excuse me being nosey). Nice because it has the 'Beth' like 'Bethany.' Elizabeth Elsie might be a bit strange though seeing as 'Elsie' can be a nickname for Elizabeth, or is that what you intend?

Hugo - I really like this, but reminds me of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Not what most people would associate it with though!
William - It is popular, but one of those names that is just a constant popular, but without knowing too many. I know a few William's, but all different ages. Nice name.
David - FAVE. Classic, wonderful. I have a family member with this name and are always getting compliments on it (he's still a kid). When he was born I didn't know if David was too grown up for him, but it's fine
Luca/Lucas - Not my fave
Albert (Bertie) - Like it

@SuperBeagle Thank you for your lovely long reply.
it's funny that from your suggestions there are quite a lot of names that we did used to have on the list and had to remove for various reasons. I do like Daphne and Estelle, and hadn't considered them before. I LOVE Hannah, but it's a close friends name, Katherine is a cousins name and Sadie is our cats name...but I love those names a lot.

I really like Arthur...but worry it can't be shortened to anything. I really like Stanley too...but my Husband has vetoed it, grrrr. I'm currently trying to convince my Husband on Samuel too, he's put off because an old high school friend of his was called Samuel.

I think Hugo and David are my key contenders for a boy. For a girl I'm still loving Violet, but may have to see what happens with it between now and my due date. If I was still in the UK Matilda would've been our girls name. However here in Australia it's in the top 20 and so WAAAY too popular.

@MancUnicorn Thanks for your reply. If we went for Elizabeth we wouldn't use Elsie as a middle name, I'm not sure what we'd use....may a one syllable or short name to balance it out. I love Elizabeth as a whole name, but like Lillybet, Liza, Bea and Beth as nicknames

I'm so tempted by David...I just think it is classic and So lovely. Dave puts me off it a little, but I'm very tempted by it. I worry William may clash with my surname, but agree that although it's super popular, I've only ever met a few Williams. William, David and Hugo are my top Boy contenders I think.
And Elizabeth and Violet top on my girls list. I also like Cecilia but am put off by it meaning 'blind' when I have a congenital eye problem...feels like i'm jinxing myself a bit!

Art as nn for Arthur I think is great!
What about Viola?

Violet is very popular in my area. It feels like they are everywhere currently

I like Genevieve as I would shorten it to Ginny

Edith is gorgeous but Edith Elsie may be a bit much especially if shortened to Edie

Elizabeth Elsie doesn't work

Not a fan of Juliette though wouldn't see the spelling as an issue

Tbh I really like Bethany

Hugo is a name I personally feel will seem dated in the future it's nice but
William - it's a classic, it's pretty much always been popular and always will be. It's a lovely nn though I really like it with the nn Liam

David - I know a gorgeous little David and think it's wonderful I just hate Dave

Luca/Lucas - Lucas is gorgeous. My favourite from your names. Not as keen on Luca. I like Luke also. Not met any little Luke's

Albert (Bertie) is nice enough I prefer Bertram

Have you considered Hubert since you like Hugo and Bertie, you could have either with Hubert

I also love Nathaniel but not Bryan

I love Edith.
If this baby —that has his foot in my rib— was a girl she’d have been called Mabel Meredith (first and middle name, not double barrelled)
But he’s a boy so will be called Albert

—why didn’t that work—