Baby sister name to go best with Iris

[Neednameadviceplease]

Options are

1. Athena
2. Phoebe
3. Daphne

I like the fact that Iris is known but not overly popular. I am keen to hit the same mark and pick the one that is classy and ethereal, just as Iris is.

Pros/cons for each.

Phoebe - I feel it hits the same sort of timeless mark but is very popular so perhaps not
Athena - less popular but maybe slightly try-hard in a way that Iris is not.
Daphne - not popular and more timeless but not as “pretty” as the others?

Essentially want the one that hits the closest “tone” to Iris as I feel I really got it right with her name. OH really keen on Athena so if that fits the bill then ideal! V grateful for advice.

Delphine doesn’t go, though. It’s not Greek, it’s a French name meaning dolphin.

When I hear Athena, as I said up thread, I think "isn't that the one who sprang from her father's hair and had no mother". Then I think posters!

I don't know if I think elegant or try hard either. For sure I wouldn't naturally pair it with Iris, BUT, how much does that matter to you? I don't think my dcs' names necessarily go together. It's fine.

Pheobe too popular
Daphne nice
Athena lovely, I love its meaning and use to work with a very successful and amazing lady called Athena, always liked the name ever since.

Also like Ada, that would go nice with Iris

Apologies but Athena is too try hard for me, not ethereal and just makes me think of the poster shops. It also reminds me of names like Cressida and Titania which can sound a bit contrived. Appreciate that you may feel differently with Greek heritage.

Daphne feels a bit old fashioned so I'd pick Phoebe by default. Iris is a good name so I can see your dilemma. Scarlett came into my mind as a bit similar.

If Athena is your favourite then I’d go for that one. Personally I think that Iris and Theo match best with Phoebe, as they are all names which are familiar and popular, but any of the names would be fine. They won’t be referred to as a set forever.

Violet

I’d also add that Athena has risen massively in popularity over the last ten years fro 879th most popular name to 204th and rising quickly. If it keeps on the way it is, then I can see it approaching the top hundred (and I can see that as very possible and Greek names are a huge trend and Athena is familiar to most people and doesn’t have a difficult spelling or pronunciation). I’m just saying this to counter the view that Athena is too try hard. I think that in the next few years that is likely to fade as more people know a little Athena.

I agree with that re popularity actually. My worries about Athena are that it is strong and war-like to an English person’s ear as opposed to ethereal and elegant, which is how it sounds to a Greek person’s ear (and why in Greek it fits Iris very well but why I am concerned it doesn’t fit Iris well in English)

It doesn't sound especially ethereal to me... Trying to imagine it in the local accent might help? For example, it might become Ahfeenah where I am, (near London).

Of your list, I think the most "ethereal" one, is Phoebe. But, you are the one who will be saying it the most and maybe you'll send her to international school etc where the accent will be different.

Haha no definitely local school in London! So if Athena just sounds a bit mechanical and strong maybe it’s entirely different to Iris and therefore not right

Hi OP.
I like all the names on your list.
I’m not sure that many Greek Goddess names would sound ethereal in the way Iris might (I’m not sure I’d agree that Iris is ethereal sounding but it’s “light” sounding, which neither Daphne nor Athena are).
I think names that are light sounding (to me) are like:
Celestine
Joy
Ida
Emmeline
Rosaline
Eve
Lyra
Lydia and Grace (though I’m biased as I have used both)
Francine
Lisette

Now I know none of them are Greek goddess names..

I think as suggested above Selene is probably the lighter sounding Greek goddess names. Perhaps Hebe also but I’m not sure I have the right sound in mind.

@Neednameadviceplease

Haha no definitely local school in London! So if Athena just sounds a bit mechanical and strong maybe it’s entirely different to Iris and therefore not right

I'm not from this area originally either and I do have to test out baby names in the local accent before I choose them, as they can end up sounding completely different! But, it isn't always a bad different. Some names sound a lot nicer in London than they do in my (Belfast) accent! So you have to weigh it up and decide if you like it or not.

Our son has an Irish name, which (English) DH was fussy about as it had to make sense in English spelling for him, which many Irish names don't. For me the problem was that I didn't always like the pronunciation where we live or sometimes the names DH suggested sounded less nice in my accent. We found one which works in both! But it is an extra thing I've found we have to consider.

Yes I understand totally. Sorry I guess maybe ethereal is the wrong word. I guess I mean classy, effortless, chic, kind of whimsical. I don’t know if that makes sense.

Athena - I taught a really smiley, down to earth one. It didn't seem pretentious.
My own DD has Iris and Juliette as her middle names.

What about Sylvie/Sylvia OP?

Daphne is my dream name that DH hates :( please use it even if I can't!

I also suggested Athena but he vetoed that too!

I also know a Greek Atheni not sure if that's just a diminutive though?

classy, effortless, chic

Alexandra?

whimsical

Daphne or Phoebe I think are a bit whimsical.

Phoebe, Theo and Iris

I prefer phoebe. It isn't that popular really and Theo certainly is more popular so you can't rule it out on those grounds.

I think Athena is a bit OTT and a less ordinary name, which makes it stand out from iris and Theo for the wrong reasons.

Phoebe fits in. It's comparable.

Can you tell it's my favourite :)

Thing is, I think Daphne is rather light-sounding. It has similar sounds to Phoebe, just in a different order. I think maybe it still has that frumpy association, though - maybe from Daphne in Scooby Doo? But it’s definitely on the way back, and a few more babies and toddlers with it will evaporate that image. Daphne is a plant association, like Iris, so it fits well in that sense.

The first thing that comes to mind for Daphne is Scooby Doo. It’s very frumpy to me, not at all ethereal. Not as bad as Velma but I wouldn’t describe it as a nice name.
Athena is nice and being Greek you are one of the few families in the UK that can pull it off!
Phoebe is also lovely, probably my favourite of the three.

Of your options I prefer Phoebe. My first thought was Olive. Or what about Hebe or Thebe to keep with the Greek theme, similar sounding to Phoebe but lesser used.

Sorry I’ve just seen Theo so Thebe was a bad suggestion.

I like all your name choices, I think Daphne has the closest vibe with Iris. Have you considered Delphi, which hits the Greek spot and I think sounds great with Iris.

I think Delphi is one of those names that sounds great and somewhat exotic to U.K. ears, but would be bewildering to a Greek person - as if you’d called your child Coventry or something.