Help - baby girls names!

[Browniee]

First baby is due in May and I’m really struggling with names for our girl. The only thing we’ve decided on is that she will have Mary as a middle name in memory of someone we’ve lost recently.
Me and OH can’t seem to agree on any names except two:

Effie
Nell

My absolute favourite name, which I can’t get out of my head is Elsie (OH is lukewarm about it - he thinks it sounds too old fashioned).

Other names we like are:
Edie (both of us)
Molly (OH)
Amelia (OH - I think it’s pretty but too popular now)

So my question is - if you disagreed on names before your baby was born did it all fall into place once they’d arrived?!

And does anyone have any suggestions along these lines that would to with Mary as a middle name?

I like Amelia Mary best.

Definitely not Molly Mary.

Nell/Effie/Elsie don't work with Mary as a middle name imo.

You can't have Molly Mary as it's the same name. Plus most of your name choices end in a Y which isnt great for the mn Mary. Does it have to be Mary. Would you not consider Marie...
Amelia Mary is okay, but A tad too M heavy.
Catherine Mary
Olivia Mary
Evelyn Mary
Jessica Mary

We have a Nell who's full name is Helena. Also know an Eleanor nn Nell so maybe that's an option for you.

You say you both like Edie, and I think it's the nicest of the bunch.

I agree with what the others are saying about Mary not going well as a middle name - maybe slot another middle name in between?

And yes, name choices do seem to fall into place when the baby arrives.

Thank you for replying and your comments.. Yes good point to both about Mary not working very well with most of the first names.

I’m torn because we really want to have Mary as a middle name because it was someone I’d love to remember in name form, but it’s hard if it then dictates what first name we have.

Could you use Eleanor or Helen/a and call her Nell or Elizabeth/Elspeth and call her Effie.

Eleanor Mary
Helena Mary
Elizabeth Mary
Elspeth Mary
(I use Effie as a pet name for my daughter)

DramaAlpaca - that’s a really good idea, I hadn’t thought about adding another name in between but that would keep more first names open to us! Thank you!!!

Elizabeth Mary is gorgeous

Florence Mary
Alexandra Mary

I do really like the name Elizabeth - a really close friend is named Elizabeth but her nn is Liz so it might work if we nn’d our daughter Effie!

Do you not like Mary as first name maybe hyphenated with something.
I know hyphenated first names everyone's cup of tea, but just to bring more opinions to the table.
Mary-Beth
Mary-Rose
Mary-Jane
Mary-Kate
Mary-Lou
Mary-Grace
Mary-Joy
Mary-Jo

Molly is a nickname for Mary - could you go fully traditional and do that ?!

A friend has an Effie short for Josephine which would work beautifully - Josephine Mary

I’m not a snob and wouldn’t treat someone different for their class but I would avoid something like hyphenated names because society is very judgemental & it’s so heavily linked with being from a poor / unemployed background. It’s a shame though as lots of countries don’t have the same class association with names.

I have an Evelyn who is only really known as Effie. Evelyn Mary sounds lovely. Also Eleanor Mary nn Nell is nice.

Other names that might appeal to get the names you both love & worth well with Mary....
For Nell
Analiese / Annabelle / Noelle / Eleanora / Melanie / Delphine

For Effie
Josephine / Stephanie / Meredith / Fiona / Elspeth / Efra / Evelyn / Freda

I wouldn’t worry about whether the first and middle name flow well together given there’s a sentimental reason - no one ever says their names together anyway & the flowy style of consonants to vowels etc is only a current trend - I do think I’d avoid Molly and Mary together though as it’s a bit like naming a child Beth Elizabeth

Eleanor is lovely! Nell for short
Eleanor sounds lovely with Mary

I’m no naming authority though - I do think no matter what you choose someone will think it’s awful for one reason or another. I think it’s a good idea to know what those reasons are to see if they’d bother you or not but then to go with your heart. I really couldn’t stand comments about E.G initials so it totally put me off the name my daughter initially had but the name she has gets comments too of people thinking it’s old fashioned or fuddy duddy or ‘clunky’ & for whatever reason that just doesn’t bother me at all.

Thanks Bumblebeesmum - the Mary for the middle name was very special to me and really want to honour her so I think you’re right...maybe the names not “flowing” isn’t the end of the world as it’s more about the sentimental reason.

And to both who suggested it I’m going to add Evelyn to the list of names as it’s really pretty and would work with Effie too 😄

I love Elsie! There are a lot of 'old fashioned' names around at the minute so are no longer old fashioned! I recently met a Dulcie which I really liked which I guess is another old fashioned one.

You've got a few E names on your list. What about Esme or Emily? X

I love Nell and Effie. But I'd go for a longer name, with those as nn. Effie in particular is very cutsey.

Loads of lovely suggestion for longer names here.

I'd have Elizabeth Mary nn Nell (or Effie if that suits her better when she's born).

I like Nell the best. Really dislike Effie.

I love Nell and like Elsie. I think Nell Mary is gorgeous, and Elsie Mary is okay.