Modern spellings for classic names?

[14B01F2021P]

What do we all think of this? For example, we have DD due and I love the names Lily and Ruby but for some reason I really love them spelt like:

Lillie
Rubie

Am I being completely stupid here? Please don’t beat around the bush. I’ve had a few moments this pregnancy where hormones have took over and I wanted to name her something ridiculous then the next morning I think “what the f*%k was I thinking?!” I won’t mention in case anyone has kids named that name but I highly doubt people do

Does anyone here have a little one with a classic name that has a modern spelling or twist?

Another we considered was Gracie :) modernised Grace

Hate 'incorrectly' spelt classic names sorry!

Polish and Welsh names are sometimes the same as English, but with different spellings. I think they're seen as "unique" spellings when they are not.
Thomas and Tomasz, Alice and Alys.

Perhaps that's an alternative for you?

"Lillie" is how Lillie Langtry spelled her name (short for Emilie) and she was born in 1853, so not really a modern version.
Rubie looks ugly though (Ruby is lovely)

Think of your poor child desperately searching for a pencil with her name on in the gift shops on holiday OP.

I don't mind ie on the end of names like Lucie etc but just think the child will spend all her life telling people which is a faff.

I love Marlowe,@14B01F2021P. Why does your MIL get a say in what you name your child?

I much prefer the traditional spellings except Lucy/Lucie and Holly/Hollie for some reason where I don't mine the ie, maybe because it's a recognised alternative spelling rather than made up. I much prefer Grace to Gracie which is a nickname to me. I also know a load of Gracies so its certainly not unique.

It’s not a unique name so why do you want a ‘unique’ spelling.

What about Lilliby or Rubilly?

If you’re naming your kid Ruby because that’s going to be her name why not spell it as Ruby?

I met a Sharlotte and even now it still infuriates me.

Lillie is a perfectly legitimate spelling of the name. The famous Victorian beauty and mistress of Edward VII was Lillie Langtry.

Lillie is a recognised alternate spelling and fine to use

Rubie is a misspelling and unlike Lily is a name that doesn’t have a ton of alternate spellings so would always be misspelled by everyone

Gracie is a pet form of Grace but could be used alone like other nicknames (Tilly etc) but why not just use Grace and call her Gracie

Personally I think genuinely unique names spelled in a standard way look better than classic names spelled in a different way.

Younique spellings are dire. Don't. It's just naff.

Names have histories, which is part of their appeal. If you don't want a name with a history, pick something modern or a noun. If you want something unusual pick something unusual.

Modern spellings = miss-spelling which just makes you come across as illiterate

Some work. Lillie and Lucie are fine. Rubie and Daisie are not!

I quite like unique spellings as long as you can dicifer what the name is.
My sister is Aimee (Amy). Its not that unusual now but it was when she was born. My DD is Molly Im sort of kicking myself now for not going with a more imaginative spelling say Molliegh Mollee.Molli
Incidentally though Grace and Gracie have a different pronunciation.
Grace is Gray-s.and Gracie is Gray-see. There's a youneek spelling for you
I've met a Lili (Lily) and a Melhoney (Melanie) which I thought were lovely.
Other alternative name spellings.
Nancie (Nancy)
Frayah Freya
Kloee Chloe
Typhanie (Tiffany)
Nykoel (Nicole)
Shannyn (Shannon)
Olivier (Olivia)
Jaid (Jade)

Lillie doesn't look that odd or modern to me. It's been in the top 200 or so for a while now and as others put has been used for a while, though I more often see it as a nickname for Lillian.

I'd assume Rubie was a nickname of a longer name. It looks...incomplete somehow.

Gracie isn't modernized and neither really are any of these nicknames. It's a current trend, but it's not entirely new. I have a great-grandmother whose name was Lottie. She had a sister named Addie. There was an Orley in the generation above (which might be a nickname or the dreaded surname as first name trend). These are styles that come and go rather than anything modern.

If you want a classic, but unusual name, it may be an idea to look through the Office of National Statistics list of names, and look for names that above 1000 (my DD2 likes to say her name is in the top 3000, this was unintentional on my part, but she likes it) or look through things like findagrave.com or familysearch.org to look back through older names that have fallen out of use which will be more unusual than using a less popular spelling of very popular names.

Lillie is fine and is a well known alternative spelling

Rubie however, looks silly. You wouldn’t spell it Rubee, Rooby or Roobie would you?

I do love unique names but I think my gut tells me “don’t do it”

Listen to your gut op.

I know this has reached a conclusion now, but my immediate thought was Gracie Lou Freebush.

Kristoffer (Christopher)
Gaibreal Gabriel
Duglass (Douglas)
Nykolas Nicholas
Jaiden (Jayden)
Lukah (Luca)

OP what do you think about Hollie or Lucie? They're lovely.

Otherwise some less usual names I can think of:

Thalia
Primrose
Xena
Anneliese
Tamsin

Or call her Grace on BC and Gracie in person.

I'd want to pronounce Rubie as Rub-ee rather than Rube-ee, it looks odd

@Greenteandchives

Think of your poor child desperately searching for a pencil with her name on in the gift shops on holiday OP.

I know of a child who had her name changed to Sophie by deed poll, aged 10, for this very reason.

@Awwlookatmybabyspider

Kristoffer (Christopher) Gaibreal Gabriel Duglass (Douglas) Nykolas Nicholas Jaiden (Jayden) Lukah (Luca)

Not sure if you're taking the piss or not ...

@Greenteandchives

Think of your poor child desperately searching for a pencil with her name on in the gift shops on holiday OP.

Hah, i've never found anything with my name on in gift shops