Alice? Anna? Thea? And what about boys names!?

[PickUpStep]

Can I have your opinions on some names please?

Our girls shortlist list is unfixed but we keep coming back to Alice, Anna and maybe Thea. I can imagine using Alice or Anna, and Anna was in the running when we named our DD. I think Thea sounds and looks really nice, but I think I'm struggling to imagine using it, maybe because I've never met one. Any opinions on these?

Boys names - 😭
I like Toby but dh not so keen. I like Oscar, but can't imagine as a little baby. We both like Luca, but I do go hot and cold on it. Matthew maybe but does it sound a bit dated now? I just don't love any boys names!

Neither of us are keen on obviously shortened names as first names (Ellie, Alfie etc).

So-
Alice, Anna, Thea,
Toby, Luca, Oscar, Matthew

Any opinions on these to help me love or disregard them or any other suggestions gratefully received!

I like Matthew but it was popular, so within a particular age group it is heard a lot!

If you want classic names that were not used so much in recent decades how about John, Peter or Mark?

Thanks all 😊 I think you have reinforced Anna and Alice as the girl-options, and Thea as a nice idea but not really in the running. I can't see making a firm decision until they are here and I know what they look like but I'm sure I can be happy with one of those. I think Anna would need a 'stronger' sounding middle name - Charlotte, Grace, Elizabeth?

Interesting to see some Matthew-love... I wish I wasn't such a sheep but some approval from other people kind of does help make my own mind up! I somehow thought that Luca and Oscar would be more popular with mn. Thanks for the other name suggestions too, I will think on some of them. I like Theo but dh has a good reason not to so we can't really use it. George, see pp about London vs 'educated' accent (Georwge vs GeoRge)!

I love both ways of saying George! Its not a huge problem to my ear.

You have to like it though. There was a whole category of names I didn't go near because of my own pronunciation.

Not sure about John, but I like Peter and Mark... I wouldn't have thought of Peter but you've nailed it right that I prefer classic names which are not too over-used but not too old fashioned either and I think that fits that category. I have a cousin called Mark who I see at most once every few years and even then might not get round to speaking to, would that matter?!

Oscar and Luca are lovely names too!

I know they are popular at the moment so didn't think to mention them.
If Matthew is the name you really favour I'd not worry about a previous generation having the name.

My one son has a classic name that's used widely and as a smaller kid he loved hearing it in stories and history or even for a TV reporter!

In his school there are only a couple of others. The big name in his year is Aidan/ Aiden.

Re Harriet you've reminded me of when I was at uni. I suspect I have a similar accent to you. I went to a northern uni l(full of Northern accents) one of my classmates was a Harriet. I was told on numerous occasions that I didn't pronounce her name correctly as I said 'Harri-uht'. It could have been worse, my parents would have said 'Arri-uht'. I'm pregnant and having the same issue with names, especially with having parents and grandparents with very cockney accents. Thea would most definitely be Fia

Thea sadly sounds awful if you live somewhere where people pronounce Th as F. The different pronunciations of George aren't an issue imo.

Your second names are nice but Grace (like Rose) is a bit of filler middle name now so I'd go for Elizabeth or Charlotte, or something less common but still classic like Alice Matilda /Anna Beatrice /Alice Rosalind/ Anna Frances.

Matthew, Mark, and Peter are all classic and under-used. Luca (unless you're Italian) is much faddier than Eleanor, it doesn't really 'go' for me.

I went to a Northern university too, so I feel the the pain of suddenly being aware of your accent (though half jokingly maintain I don't have an accent, everyone else does!). There were two tribes, the northerners and the private school kids. And then me 😁 My Northern friends ribbed me for being 'posh' or for saying things wrong. The private school lot were more diplomatic but there was occasional mickey-taking of the way I say speak (I reciprocated, then married the main culprit 😉) and funnily enough they never called me 'posh'!

In reality, my accent is not strong, I would stand out against some of the people I grew up with and I'm not dropping sounds all over the place, but it retains that North-London edge (and gets stronger when I'm full-swing telling a story to my dad or similar, I'm told). I love hearing a proper cockney accent (rare now), it reminds me of my grandad 😊 Harriet as I say it has a proper 'H', but a nearly non-existent 't' unless I make the effort to add it on, at which point it sounds rather deliberate. So, Anna, Alice or Dave it is!

*the way I speak

I imagine Thea is Tia but I would pronounce it Fear. Not keen.

I’ve never met a nice Anna so that very much clouds my judgement.

Alice is great.

From the boys names I’d go with Oscar or Luca.

Love Alice and Anna. Anna perhaps a bit more classic. Thea is nice but I know a few and some pronounced The-a and some pronounced Tay-a so may cause pronunciation issues. Really like your boys names. Probably prefer Luke to Luca.