Harper or Nova?

[tuxedocat]

We have a DD due at the end of the year and struggling a little on the name.

Harper, Nova and Harlow are my favourites but I know that Harlow gets a right dragging around these parts 😂

If you want to ask mumsnet you should suggest things like poppy and hermione.

Nova is cool - as in the astrophysics term

Ha! Poppy gets rounded slated as being a twee name that no grown woman should have. Hermione gets a no! It's forever a Harry Potter name.

There are no names on MN that get a universal thumbs up.

Harper is super trendy now - to the extent people sometimes forget about Harper Lee and just think of it as a modern celeb name imo. Harlow is also heading the same way - it's not as popular as Harper but I think both could date your daughter (again people often won't think of Jean Harlow but of the celeb kids with the name).

Of the 3, Nova would definitely be my pick. While Nova is quite trendy and it's popularity is mostly celeb-led too, to me it's strong space imagery overcomes that - many people will automatically think of things like Super Nova's before they think of cars or celebs (so it feels a bit "classier" somehow imo ). It also has the benefit of being well -used in some European countries too.

😂 I’m quite enjoying the strong opinions if I’m honest, I’m not offended at any of the comments. I knew asking MN would be interesting and it’s certainly been that!

Stella reminds me of the beer, not sure on Nora it reminds me of a bit of a granny name if you get my drift.

I do find it funny how we each have our own connotations tied to things where we assume judgment on names straight away!

They're all awful. What about Orla, sounds like it has something of the NOVA and the Harlow about it. Parker is so ugly I can't. even. begin.

What about Marlie?, Shelby? Bellamy, Noelle, Willow, Bailey, they might appeal to you, they have that modern unisex surname vibe but aren't quite so harsh.

They're all awful. What about Orla, sounds like it has something of the NOVA

This sort of strength of feeling always bemuses me. Why is Nova awful, but Orla isn't? I find Nova much more pleasing to the ear than Orla. What's the big difference?

What about Marlie?, Shelby? Bellamy, Noelle, Willow, Bailey, they might appeal to you, they have that modern unisex surname vibe but aren't quite so harsh.

I think they all sound far harsher than Harper, apart from Willow maybe. Bellamy? 😬

I don't like any of them, agree with pp, all a bit 'chavvy'.

How about....

Nola instead of Nova?

Arla or Nala instead of Harlow ?

Piper instead of Harper?

@ManifestingJoy

They're all awful. What about Orla, sounds like it has something of the NOVA and the Harlow about it. Parker is so ugly I can't. even. begin.

What about Marlie?, Shelby? Bellamy, Noelle, Willow, Bailey, they might appeal to you, they have that modern unisex surname vibe but aren't quite so harsh.

We have an Orla in the family already. Noelle is pretty, but I am due in December so not sure that would change opinion 😬

Willow I don’t mind but it’s not for me, my husband did suggest it but said even he thought he would love Willow, but doesn’t.
Parker is also not a name for me (one I would think would be for a male IMO)

Harper

The other one is an old car.

I really like Nova.

I prefer Nova.

Other suggestions:
Nola
Hadley
Mallory
Hester
Marlow
Meadow
Marla

@Happenchance

I prefer Nova.

Other suggestions:
Nola
Hadley
Mallory
Hester
Marlow
Meadow
Marla

Marlow is quite pretty, I like that, Nola too.

They’re all very overdone and “current”. I work in a profession where I see lots of babies and children and Harper, Nova and Harlow are ten a Penny currently.

I love nova. Isn’t it off planet of the apes?
Harper is way too common.

Nell
Rowan
Marley
Beth/ Bethan
Maisie
Amy good?

OP, my daughter is named Henley.

Henley Rose.

If I put on here her name as a suggestion before she was born I would get;

'Henley-on-Thames'
'It's a place'
'It's a boat show'
'Henley Regatta'

Etc etc etc

Her name is perfect for her, we love it, and everyone who has ever questioned it, loves it too.

You're brave to put name suggestions on here, but it's such a personal thing, honestly whichever name you choose will be perfect.
I think Harper is gorgeous. ANY name has an association with something. A car. A place. Someone who somebody dislikes. A nasty person on your class as a youngster. A celebs child's name. A boring name. A too 'out there' name.

Names move on with the times. A Vauxhall nova was made in the 90s.

I like all 3 names of your choice! :)

My vote would be for Harper, but to be honest I don’t really like any of them

I find it fascinating name trends change at a much faster rate these days... back in the 80’s and 90’s sure, you’d get a few new and unusual names every now and then, but it feels like names go out of fashion within months nowadays! To be replaced by even more random and newer names!

@tuxedocat

Harper was the surname in the tv series my family, ran for about 10 years ( currently on iPlayer) it's fairly common as a surname so likely to have a child in a larger school with it.

When choosing her name, my thoughts is to think of her as an adult, looking for a job - does the name sound like one a woman with a career might have? Then shorten it to something sweeter perhaps as a child's nickname

Nova makes me think of the car.
Harlow makes me think of the town.
Harper is really pretty but the Beckham association would put me off.

Harper was the surname in the tv series my family, ran for about 10 years ( currently on iPlayer) it's fairly common as a surname so likely to have a child in a larger school with it.

I thought you were saying your family ran a tv series for about 10 years before I finally figured out you were talking about the actual show My Family

@Dandy0911

OP, my daughter is named Henley.

Henley Rose.

If I put on here her name as a suggestion before she was born I would get;

'Henley-on-Thames'
'It's a place'
'It's a boat show'
'Henley Regatta'

Etc etc etc

Her name is perfect for her, we love it, and everyone who has ever questioned it, loves it too.

You're brave to put name suggestions on here, but it's such a personal thing, honestly whichever name you choose will be perfect.
I think Harper is gorgeous. ANY name has an association with something. A car. A place. Someone who somebody dislikes. A nasty person on your class as a youngster. A celebs child's name. A boring name. A too 'out there' name.

Names move on with the times. A Vauxhall nova was made in the 90s.

I like all 3 names of your choice! :)

Ahh this is so lovely, thank you. Everything you said is so true, I’ve found it somewhat insightful to gauge a series of opinions and responses but I know deep down it’s our choice ultimately and we’ll figure it out. For the record, Henley is one I’ve never heard (or would think with those connotations) and it’s very pretty.

[quote gogohm]@tuxedocat

Harper was the surname in the tv series my family, ran for about 10 years ( currently on iPlayer) it's fairly common as a surname so likely to have a child in a larger school with it.

When choosing her name, my thoughts is to think of her as an adult, looking for a job - does the name sound like one a woman with a career might have? Then shorten it to something sweeter perhaps as a child's nickname [/quote]
Oh yes, so it was! It wasn’t something that sprung to mind.

Agree with what you said about the name as an adult. I do think that adds an element of pressure as a female, naming another female. I see so many very sweet names. I know likewise her generation will have a new wave of names compared to mine and many before and it’s hard to picture how that could be IYKWIM

Out of the three, Harper is okay. How about Scout? Although the names you like have softer endings. Carly? Darcy?