Help Choosing Baby Name

[nike0828]

I'm having a hard time choosing a name for our baby girl. When I scroll through the top 1000 name list, there aren't many names that stick out to me or that I know I love. I don't like names that are unfamiliar and I'm not too concerned about popularity but trying not to pick a name in the top 5. One common theme among my names is that they all have an "L" in them... I think I must like the "L" sound. I am 95% set on the middle name June because I think it's cute and it subtly honors my mom, grandpa, and DH. Can anyone provide insight or give some tips for where to go from here?

Overall list of names I've at least slightly considered:
Emily nn Emmy
Emmeline (pronounced -lyn at end... don't like line or leen) nn Emmy
Olivia
Lucy
Natalie nn Allie
Lillian nn Lila
Annalise or Anneliese nn Annie/ Allie
Eloise nn Ella/ Lucy
Julia
Allie
Elizabeth nn Ella/ Lizzie
Charlotte

Top choices/ thoughts right now (in no specific order):

Emily June / Emmeline June (pronounced -lyn)
-I do really love the nickname Emmy and can picture calling her that as a baby and young girl. Emily is a name I've liked for a few years while Emmeline is a name I found that I like if I want something a little less "standard" sounding. I do think that Emily may be a tiny bit "boring" to me but I do like it. I think these are both sweet, classic, professional sounding.

Natalie June
-I've liked the name Natalie for a few years but its ranking fluctuates depending on my mood. I really like that this name's meaning has an association with Christmas because it would honor my grandma who was born on Xmas. This baby is also due right before Thanksgiving which is the start of the Xmas season. I like that this name has "Alie" in it so her nickname could be "Allie" which is a name I've liked since I was a kid. I think Natalie sounds pretty, classic, and professional enough.

Olivia June
-I think this name sounds really gorgeous but I like but don't necessarily love the nickname "Liv" and I don't picture calling our baby/ young girl Olivia 24/7.

Lucy _ (not June)
-I really love this name for a little girl while my DH doesn't. I also don't think it fits well with middle name June. I also struggle with it maybe not being professional enough when shes older.

Anneliese June
-I think this name is pretty and the first name would also honor my mom on top of middle name. The nickname Annie sounds cute to us.

Lillian (Lila) June
-I like the way Lillian looks on paper (professional) and Lila is a cute nickname. I find Lila a little hard to say for some reason though and our 3 syllable last name has an L in it too.

Which ones are your favorites? Any tips for helping narrow from here? I've been stuck at this point for a few months now!

I love Natalie, its classy and timeless and will suit a baby up to an old lady. Plus not as commonly heard as Lila/olivia/Emily type names. And love Allie

I like Emily. I'm not sure anybody would automatically pronounce Emmeline 'lyn'

Natalie is cute and I really like Allie as the nn

I really like Lillian nn Lila too. It's a nice change from Lily

Have you considered Livvy as a nn for Olivia rather than Luv with has a bit of a harsher sound

Olivia June is really pretty.

Emily nn Emmy - ok, bit boring
Emmeline (pronounced -lyn at end... don't like line or leen) nn Emmy - sounds like Emlyn, which is a boy's name ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emlyn_Hughes Emlyn Hughes])
Olivia - yawn
Lucy - nice but popular
Natalie nn Allie - dated. Allie isn't a natural shortening, she'll be Nat.
Lillian nn Lila - no. So many Lily/Lila/Lola etc around
Annalise or Anneliese nn Annie/ Allie. - Annie is nice
Eloise nn Ella/ Lucy - No. Lucy as a nn for Eloise is too strange and there are far too many Ellas and Ellies
Julia - ok
Allie - Not keen
Elizabeth nn Ella/ Lizzie - why all these Ella and Allie names. Ella is so boring
Charlotte - nice

Just pick a name you like not one name and another to use as a nn.

How about Elodie? I think that sounds very similar to Emily but is a bit sassier.
I love Emmeline but I don't think anyone will pronounce it how you want them to.

Emily June / Emmeline June (pronounced - your pronunciation of Emmeline would problem need a lot of correction and for that I would probably drop the name. Emily is popular and has been for years, though it’s reducing in popularity. For that reason it seems a bit dull to me, but it’s a fine name.

Natalie June - Natalie seems a bit dated to me, from the 90s, but it’s good name. Nat is the more intuitive nickname than Allie, which might not stick

Olivia June - Olivia is just so popular that there’s nothing I can really add.

Lucy _ (not June) - if your DH doesn’t like it then it’s a no go, but I wouldn’t concerned with professionalism. It’s a popular name and if it’s the ‘ee’ sound at the end your concerned with, there are so many popular names like that, that I think professionalism concerns are unfounded.

Anneliese June - my favourite on your list. Anneliese is fresh and pretty, without being too popular. Annie is super cute

Lillian (Lila) June - not a fan of Lillian, it seems so much clunkier than simply Lily. Also Lily seems a more natural nickname than Lila. Like I said earlier, you can try to use a non intuitive nickname but there’s a chance that it might not stick, and your child prefers a different option.

I would pronounce Emmeline as Emma-leen as in Pankhurst and I imagine most people would. I also think shortening Natalie to Allie is strange. So I would avoid both of those.
I love Anneliese and Lucy. What about Alexandra nn Allie?

I love Emily June.
Why not spell Emmeline Emmalyn if you don't want the Leen pronunciation or
Natalie is very pretty. Although Ive never met a nice one. I think Nat would be the obvious shortening.
Olivia is beautiful, but I don't think it's any good to you if you dont like Liv
I can't stand Lilian.
Julia is okay I'm not sure about Julia June though.
I love Lucy.
Don't like Charlotte.
Allie is nice.
Annelise is gorgeous.

You do know you don't get to pick a name and a nickname? Nicknames evolve organically over time and they suit the child.

I think you are being way too prescriptive here. Also Ella for Elizabeth / Allie for Natalie? They aren't natural nicknames.

Sorry but I really hate the trend of "given nicknames"

I like Julia best but not with June, so given that I vote for Emily June.

I like Natalie June, I know of a Natalia who has Tallie as a nickname
I’ve also got a work colleague with an Emelia who is known as Emmie

Some of the nicknames are a bit weird… Ella is typically short for Eleanor or even a name in its own right. It’s not short for Eloise or Elizabeth. Allie is usually short for Alison and I don’t get it for Natalie or Anneliese. Don’t choose Emmeline if you want a non standard pronunciation, you’ll spend your lifetime correcting people. There are some lovely but quite ubiquitous names on your list like Emily, Olivia, Lucy, Charlotte. I love Anneliese June and Annie would be a nice, natural shortening.

@Crunchymum

You do know you don't get to pick a name and a nickname? Nicknames evolve organically over time and they suit the child.

I think you are being way too prescriptive here. Also Ella for Elizabeth / Allie for Natalie? They aren't natural nicknames.

Sorry but I really hate the trend of "given nicknames"

By nickname, I mean what family members (i.e. me and my DH) can shorten it to if we want. We like longer names but don't picture calling a newborn baby by their full name so we like to have options. Their full name can be used at school, paperwork, friends etc. and if another nickname develops, that's fine.

If you decided to have a Kate with Katharine/Catherine on the BC
nobody would bat an eyelid.

It's quite normal to have a nn for a baby with a longer BC name, or just a cute one like Georgie for George or something.

Better to think about it than to find that little DC gets called a nn you don't like.