Help us narrow down our long list!

[pixieloux]

We're really struggling (me especially) to narrow down our list. This is definitely my last pregnancy so maybe it's knowing that I'll never have the chance to use them again but we definitely need some help! Here's the list...

Boys: Dominic, Elijah, Jasper & Zachary | Girls: Beatrix, Cecily, Elodie, Felicity, Imogen, Margot & Penelope

& ones we're still undecided on but discussing...
Boys: Alexander, Arthur, Benjamin, Elwood, George, Julian, Oliver, Oscar, Reuben, Sebastian & Samuel

Girls: Calliope, Cecilia, Eloise, Emilia, Emmeline, Esmée, Evangeline, Evelyn, Florence, Francesca, Genevieve, Hazel, Hermione, Josephine, Lucia, Matilda, Ophelia, Persephone, Primrose, Seren, Sienna, Willow & Winter

Our children's names' are ranked #241, #156 & #365 (according to cso.ie) - probably more on the traditional side/well known names but not overly popular here (more so in the UK except maybe DD1 but it has risen in popularity since we named her, 6 years ago) I understand some names on the list are more 'out there' than others. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it (especially with how long the list is lol)

I love your names! We must have similar tastes! My absolute favourite from the boys list is Zachary. Second would be George (I know it's popular but I love it) and then Sebastian.
My favourite from your girls is Persephone or Penelope (as very similar sounding). Next would be Hermione and then Felicity.
Fab choices in general though, OP, don't think you can go wrong!

Not particularly looking for something unusual, @shaggedthruahedgebackwards (fab username by the way lol) We have passed on them before, for that reason, but knowing this is my last pregnancy? A small part of me is saying to go for something a little more daring lol.

I'm sure I've seen it but I'd have been much, much younger lol.

Cecily - Cicely is so much nicer
Elodie - one of those names that seems quite unusual but will be very popular, that's why it gets a no.
The boys' names I say no about I just don't like them.

Thanks, @KatnissK

Elodie is only ranked #365 here apparently (cso.ie), @MikeUniformMike

Imogen
Emmeline
Josephine
Primrose
Sienna
Willow

Zachary, love Elwood, and Sebastian.

If you love it, it's up to you.

Evangeline is beautiful x

@MikeUniformMike - Sorry read that as "is very popular"... It could well rise as Elle names seem to be quite popular. It happened with DD1's name too if I go by UK/US sites and chartings.

@sugarpiehoneyeye, I think it's just you and me with Elwood... Don't know what it is about the name but I've always loved it!

Elwood could be Woody which is quite sweet. I just thought Ellie.
Elijah too.

I like the following:
Eloise
Emilia
Emmeline
Florence
Genevieve
Josephine
Lucia
Matilda
Ophelia
Seren

Jasper
Benjamin
Julian
Oliver
Oscar
Reuben
Sebastian
Samuel

Don't like the following:
Dominic - "Dom", ugh.
Elijah - too religious
Zachary - outdated
Elwood - just no

Cecily/Cecilia
Margot - too close to maggot
Calliope - awful
Evelyn - outdated
Francesca - "Fran"
Hermione - awful
Persephone - awful

Neutral on the others.

Dom just makes me think of "Big Bad Dom".
Dominic is fine but it won't be Dominic it will be Dom.
Julian is a creepy name.

Zachary
Cecily

You've got some lovely names!
I'd go with Reuben or Zachary from your boys lists, and Imogen, Genevieve or Margot on your girls

Calliope I have a strong dislike for - I think it makes me think of Callipers which isn't a nice association

I was already a little put off by Dom as I used to look after a Dominic that went by it and let's just say, he was a bit of a handful lol. Dominic is great but I know Dom in inevitable even if we shortened it to something else.

I struggle to connect with boy's names for some reason... I feel like I could find fault with most of them where as we veto a girl's name and it somehow finds it's way back on the list lol. All I brought to the table with suggestions were our vetos from DS lol. I love Arthur but we decided against it because of initial sharing with DD1 - it seemed too matchy when it was just the two of them and Oliver was a top contender with DS too but we scrapped it because of popularity. Elwood, I love too but I understand not many people share that love lol.

Elijah, Sebastian and Zachary have grown on me a lot though and I know a lot of our boy's list are traditional and safe choices so we can't really go wrong with them (Alexander, Benjamin, George etc)

Elijah and Felicity from your first list.

From the second:

Alexander
George
Julian

Cecilia
Emilia
Florence
Hermione
Josephine
Primrose
Willow

My favourites from your list:

Arthur
George
Oscar
Samuel
Zachary

Imogen
Emmeline
Florence
Hazel

Benjamin and Elijah are especially nice from your boys list. Domenic, Arthur, Alexander, Samuel, Oliver, Zarchary, Sebastian are all classic and timeless. I'd think about whether you like the diminutives as they're probably inevitable with all of those.

Cecilia, Felicity, Lucia (unless Italian/Spanish heritage), Elodie and Primrose are all quite girly and frilly.

Evelyn, Evangeline and Emilia are nice but will be lost in a sea of Evies/Evas and Amelias (relevant since your other kids have uncommon names).

Winter and Sienna are a lot less classic and elegant than your other choices, for me.

I'd avoid Hermione and Ophelia as they are so strongly associated with one character (one annoying imo, the other tragic).

Persephone is pretty but would probably end up as Percy which is less so. Your other long names have much nicer diminutives. Beatrix, Calliope, Emmeline, Esmée, Florence, Francesca, Imogen, Genevieve, Josephine, Margot and Matilda are all really lovely. Quite varied in terms of popularity though - anecdotally I know of lots of little girls called Matilda, Florence, Esmée and Francesca, the others less so.

Thanks @leemiller - Very informative! Thanks to everyone else too...

We've managed to shorten the list a bit lol. All nature names have gone as we've already got one child with an obvious one and another with a subtle one lol. The obvious literary names are gone too... We have an Aurora so often get the Disney association and know that we'd get the Harry Potter and Shakespeare ones too. We've considered shortened forms and also nixed any names that initial share/end in the same sounds - It's a petty reason, I know, but we've managed to avoid it so far and weren't getting very far in shortening things down so we needed to be lol.

The girl's list is pretty much the same (minus two names) but we've narrowed the set boy's names down to just Elijah & Zachary.

Maybes are now...

Beatrix, Dominic & Felicity have moved to the maybes list because of shortened forms. We like Bea for Beatrix but not Trixie (DH doesn't like Beatrice to avoid that either), I'm not sure if Dom is enough to put me off Dominic yet so I'll mull it over and we can't think of any nicknames we like for Felicity?

Calliope, Emmeline & Esmée because we think they'll be misspelt/mispronounced a lot?

Eloise because Louise is my middle name and Evangeline & Genevieve because DD2's middle name is Niamh (Neev)... Do they seem too much?

Sebastian - Do you think of Disney... especially with Aurora? If not, then it's a strong contender.

& Josephine which DH still isn't 100% sure on... He wonders if it's a bit old fashioned?

Elwood & Persephone were tough ones for me to let go of but I think I agree with most in that they're a little too 'out there' and Persephone will no doubt be pronounced as Percy-Phone most of the time.

Woah, that was a long post... Sorry!

I like Dominic and Sebastien
Penelope and Francesca

I really like Dominic and Cecily

I also really like Julian

love every single girls name youve mentioned apart from Francesca. But id factor in that Matilda is incredibly popular as is Florence and variants of Emilia etc I think my fave if I had to pick would be Cecily as I really like it and it doesnt seem to be used much.

For boys I love Jasper, Arthur and Elwood... I think Jasper the most

My friend put me off Beatrix because of the joke.
What do you call a bartender who juggles the drinks?
Beatrix.

I love it though, and Elodie.
Boys I like Reuben and Zachary

Ohh and I like Persephone too.

Thanks everyone! I know not everyone will want to read my long update above so I'll edit it down here...

We've narrowed it down to these:
Boys: Elijah & Zachary
Girls: Cecily, Elodie, Imogen, Margot & Penelope

& names that are now/still maybes are...
Beatrix, Dominic, Eloise, Emmeline, Esmée, Evangeline, Felicity, Genevieve, Josephine & Sebastian.

Names that I'm sad about loosing and may make a reappearance are: Alexander, Arthur, Elwood & Persephone but I doubt it in reality lol.

I've posted the reasons why are maybes are maybes above lol