1st child - choosing name so difficult!

[Wilbur32]

Hi, this is my first post. I am a first time mum to be and have always loved thinking about what I would name my child. Of course name preferences have changed throughout the years since I was 8! Now I have to make an ACTUAL decision I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.

We are not finding out the sex of baby so need opinions on both boy and girl name possibilities please.

Boys:
Mason
Harry
Jacob
Ethan
Jack
Robert
Oliver (Ollie)
Jamie
George

Girls:
Grace
Penelope (Penny)
Lois
Isla
Aria
Erin
Daisy
Evie

Looking forward to reading opinions... good or bad!!

To be honest, they're all such different kinds of names, that it's hard to give an opinion. If I had to choose and it was for my baby, I would choose Grace and George, but then I quite like traditional names.

Congratulations!

Most of the names on your lists are very popular, not sure if that bothers you?

I like Harry, Jacob, Jack, Robert, Oliver, Jamie (prefer James “Jamie”), George, Grace, Penelope and Lois. I dislike Mason and Aria.

My favourites are Robert and Penelope.

I am not that bothered about the names being popular. Would rather know I like the name then try to find something less popular just to try to be different I think.

Jamie is the best of your boys names. The others are too popular and meh.

Not mad on any of your girls names but if I had to choose one it would be Aria as it sounds the nicest and is the least common.

Pick something that makes you smile when you say it. You're going to be saying it a lot!

And don't tell ANYONE what you choose BEFORE baby is born because they all have a bloody opinion.

And congrats

I like all of these names but they’re very popular!
My favourites are Harry, Oliver, Lois and Daisy. I really do like them all though!

It's a big decision isn't it ?!
I like most of the list. The only ones I'm not keen on are Mason, Robert and Aria.

If you find lots of names you like but can't decide , try a couple of things. Write them down with the surname to see how they look, make sure initials don't spell anything offensive lol, try shouting it out like you would in a park and see how you feel about it ! You'll be saying it A LOT.

Oliver & George
Isla & Evie

Lovely names 😊

I love harry for a boy !

Penny for a girl !

Jamie and Isla are lovely, and go very well together.

I love Harry, Jack, and George. Harry and Jack are especially popular but this really doesn't worry me with such great names. Robert is also very usable - a solid classic. I like Oliver but nn Ollie puts me off. I dislike Mason, Jacob and Ethan. Mason and Ethan feel trendy in a negative way.

I love Penelope, Daisy and Grace, and I like Evie and Erin. Lois feels dated to me but it could grow on me. Isla and Aria just seem super trendy and blend into the crown names.

Sorry, typo - I mean 'blend into the crowd' type of names. A Freudian slip perhaps since Isla is used in the royal family!

Sorry OP, got carried away there, one baby, not two ! 😄

Mason - not massively keen. Love Morgan which seems similar?
Harry - really like it
Jacob - really like it. And love Jake as nn
Ethan - not keen but it's ok.
Jack - really like it
Robert - not keen. Sounds very dated to me.
Oliver (Ollie) - indifferent as I just know so, so many
Jamie - like it
George - like it

Grace - love it
Penelope (Penny) - dislike this. Not sure why.
Lois - not keen, especially as I taught one who pronounced it Loyss (Welsh and/or Nigerian pronunciation, I believe)
Isla - like it
Aria - love it
Erin - really like it
Daisy - it's ok but not overly keen
Evie - quite like it. Would use Evelyn or Evangeline on bc

I'm torn on the boys - Harry is probably my favourite.
I'd go with Aria Grace for a girl.

I also always loved baby names and spdnt ages picking the names of my 2 boys. They are all great names. Try saying them aloud with your surname. See what goes best. My faves are:
Harry and Oliver
Lois and Aria

The only one I wouldn’t go for is Evie, I love this name but there are so many Eve/Eva/Evie/Ava’s around at the moment. I have friends with kids with some of these names and me and DP always forget which is which.

I like all the names on your list - not very helpful I know!

I hear you! Don't stress though. When DD was born she didn't look like any of the names on our shortlist, so spent the first week without a name while we tried different ones on for size!

Mason - absolutely no
Harry - ok, should be Henry or Harold on birth cert.
Jacob - nice
Ethan - no, I just hear 'ether'
Jack - ok, should he John or Jonathan on bc
Robert - nice
Oliver (Ollie) - lovely
Jamie - nice, if short for James
George - lovely

Grace - lovely
Penelope (Penny) - lovely
Lois - nice
Isla - nice
Aria - no
Erin - ok
Daisy - ok
Evie - ok

My favourites are Oliver and Penelope.

They are all so popular they are quite bland to my ears I'm afraid. Robert and Penelope are probably my favourites at a push.

I really like Erin for a girl
Jacob from your boys list

My favourite three:

Harry
Jacob
Robert

Penelope (Penny)
Lois
Erin

George, Grace, Isla and Evie are bland nowadays, IMO. I think Aria will seem dated in the future. Don't like Mason or Ethan.

My top tip is to choose a name you really love, popular or not.

You'll inevitably narrow your list down in time, and you'll know for sure shortly after meeting him or her.

As for your list, they are all perfectly nice names apart from Mason, which I hate, and Daisy which is twee & toddlerish. As an adult woman I would hate to be called Daisy.

I like George and Penelope

Mason - I like it, although MN opinion seems to be that it's downmarket
Harry - OK as nickname for Henry
Jacob - like
Ethan - like
Jack - don't like
Robert - like
Oliver (Ollie) - OK
Jamie - OK as nickname for James
George - like

Grace - like
Penelope (Penny) - like
Lois - frumpy
Isla - faddy and insipid
Aria - like, pretty and quirky
Erin - no
Daisy - like
Evie - OK but extremely popular