Can you please put on your judgy pants and tell me what you think?

[maimainomai]

Suggestions from my DH and I (those that neither of us hated / tossed out straight away).

More suggestions are also welcome. Thanks :)

Clarissa
Gemma
Katharina
Carlotta
Severina
Dora
Dana
Alma
Leta
Helena
Elena

Anton
Emil
Sebastian
Emmanuel
Immanuel
Julian
Severin
Boris
Florian
Louis
Erik
Julius
Dimitri
Max

Out of your girls names. I only like Helena and Elena. The others are dreadful sorry.

My DD would have been Anton. If shed have been a boy. I was read hot on it. I don't like it now.
Emil. No
Sebastian. Its okay.
Emmanuel. Yes but you'd have to upper middle class to suit it.
Immanuel. See Emmanuel.
Severin. Is shocking. Where did you swipe that one from.
I love Julien and Louis.
Max is okay. If not a tad boring. However. Boring also means safe.
Erik. Nice name. However I'd assume he was named after a Grandad or uncle.
Dimitri. No
Julius. No.
Boris. If it wasn't for that clown, I'd say Yes. As its one of those names. Its so awful. Its adorable

As you’re not living in the U.K. I’ve changed my mind & think Erik Carlotta & Dana are fine

Love Clarissa and Dora although I would use Dorothy or Dorothea with Dora as a nn.

I really like:

Carlotta
Severina
Alma
Helena
Elena

Anton
Emil
Julian
Florian
Julius

How about

Antonia
Or
Quentin

@Penny
The child may very well go to school / kindergarten etc in the UK...

My isssue with Max is that it's so short. I mean, I can still 'make' a nickname with it but it seems like max is already the nickname... And Maxie seems childish.

'Yes but you'd have to upper middle class to suit it.'

Huh. That seems ridiculous to me. Not sure how to respond to that one tbh.

Additional information: i am able to pronounce a British th in everyday speech but probably not when I'm screaming / calling. I'm having visions of me accidentally spitting / having spittle down my chin. Or biting my tongue. (so no Dorothy probably wouldn't be a good idea)

Well, I like most of your names!

Gemma-OK. Middle Ages name that deserves a comeback...but maybe not yet.
Katharina - yes
Carlotta- not keen on first sight but could grow on me.
Severina- hm, not sure
Dora- dull
Dana - ok but bland
Alma - yes
Leta- yes
Helena - love this
Elena- yes but prefer Helena

Anton- yes
Emil - yes
Sebastian- generally not keen but could grow on me.
Emmanuel-a bit too religious
Immanuel -as above
Julian- yes
Severin- unusual. Not sure
Boris- in theory yes but Boris Johnson has wrecked this name
Florian- like but hard to pull off in UK
Louis - yes
Erik- yes
Julius -yes
Dimitri - an odd one in the mix. Only if you’ve got links to countries with this name
Max- yes but ordinary compared to some of your other names

And yes to Clarissa as well.

Maximilian would be the full
What nationality are you? I bet there are some really beautiful names from there that would work well here.

Clarissa: like

Gemma: no dated not time for a comeback.

Carlotta: Ok like Lottie as a nn.

Severina awful

Dora the explorer so no.

Dana: like
Alma: old lady name not in chic way.

Leta: no

Helena: like and like Lena as a nn.

Elena: ok

Anton: ok
Emil : no looks like you misspelt email.
Sebastian: like

Emmanuel: no

Immanuel: no

Julian: like this, unusual but not out there.

Severin: no

Boris: god no it’s awful, and people will think you love the PM if we have the misfortune to end up with Bo Jo

Florian: I really like this.

Louis: nice but popular.

Erik: like

Julius: no

Dimitri: like

Max: ok but boring.

Love:
Alma
Helena (nn Nell)

Like:
Dora
Elena
Emil
Sebastian
Julian
Louis
Julius

What about Isadora, Leonora, or Eleanora?

Or for boys, Fabian or Caspian?

The only names on that list I like at all are Sebastian and Louis.

I really like Eleonora, thanks :)

@penny My nationality is... Idk, complicated....? I've just spent about 30 minutes typing a response comment (and then deleted it). So yeah, I don't know how to answer that.
Where I was born? My parents? Grandparents? Or what's on my passport? Or where I grew up? Or the language we spoke at home? The language I speak with my grandmother? The language I'm now trying to learn to speak with an other part of my family? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm not trying to be rude (I hope I'm not being rude!!) but I'm not sure how to explain it without writing a small book. And this is the baby name board so definitely not the place for that.

My husband says that he feels 'English or mostly English'. (he had one non-English grandparent. So yeah.)

Dimitri - an odd one in the mix. Only if you’ve got links to countries with this name it was my granduncle's name (although he wrote it differently). :)

My husband has also suggested Caspian but I don't like it...

Love Carlotta (but wouldn’t want it shortened to Carly, as Carlotta is such a fabulous name and I don’t like Carly)

For boys I like Max and Sebastian from your list

I like Helena, Elena, Sebastian and Emmanuel from your list.

Julian and Helena are my favourites from your list

What's your mother tongue (ie the language your mother spoke/speaks with you) and your native language (ie the language of the country you grew up in)? If neither of them were English then definitely avoid "th" and any other English sounds you're not 100% comfortable saying.

I like:

Dora
Alma
Helena

Sebastian
Max (I would use Maxim as the full name)

I dislike:

Carlotta
Severina

Immanuel (spelling just looks "wrong" to my English eye, even though I realise it might be spelt that way in other languages)
Severin

Helena and Sebastian are nice. Other than that no.

Helena
Julian or Max
Sorry, I’m not keen on the others.

I think you have some lovely names, especially Helena, Katharina and Carlotta and Max, Louis and Sebastian. I know lots of UK kids and some adults with these names.

Severina is a song by The Misssion, I love it! Are you Goths?

Clarissa, Helena and Severine ( much prefererable to Severina) for girl.
Sebastian for boy.

NameChange

I speak German with my mother. But my mother doesn't 'identify' with Germany, if that makes sense. :)
My father preferred Italian.

The th and English 'rl' sounds.
Like world, girl or whirl. I've just decided to imitate my husband and drop the r (unless it's essential. You couldn't pronounce terms like 'really' or 'realistic' without an r sound. Well, I mean you could but...)

Here goes...

Clarissa - unusual, lovely
Gemma - nondescript
Katharina - looks like you can’t spell
Carlotta - meh
Severina - trying too hard
Dora - The Explorer
Dana - just no
Alma - just no
Leta - just no
Helena - lovely
Elena - lovely

Anton - OK
Emil - OK
Sebastian - trying too hard
Emmanuel - lovely
Immanuel - looks like you can’t spell
Julian - OK
Severin - too Harry Potter
Boris - Johnson!
Florian - trying too hard
Louis - gone off this since royal baby
Erik - No unless you’re Scandinavian
Julius - trying too hard
Dimitri - No
Max - lovely

First impressions only - good luck!

Are you Goths?

The sub culture? No, not at all. We did however get married in a (mainly) Gothic church...

@DesperadoDan

No need to be sorry. Someone called one of my grandparents' names a spelling mistake.👍 It's not offensive if you ask for it. IMO.

Anyway. I'm not sure there's a clear trend... Seems like the responses are pretty much all over the place.... (?)

I absolutely adore Eleonora btw.