First child - all up to me

[CupcakeNabber]

I don't know what I'm having yet and the father is not in the picture so I'm having to make a decision by myself which is both very exciting and intimidating. My surname is 3 syllables in length. My mum, bless her, has suggested Pearl which although sweet I can't help but think of the pearl extraction process so Pearl is out. For boys I tend to like traditional names such as James but I'm getting stuck for girl names. ATM I like anything from Nancy to Jane. What names can you suggest? Also is Samantha too dated? (not keen on Sam or Sammie though tbh)

I can't use Alice, Emma or Autumn.
For boys I can't use Thomas, David, William, Peter or Jack.

Im not sure about Samantha - I think it would be v hard to avoid the shortenings you dislike.

Others to consider: Susannah, Rachel Amanda, Ruth, Belinda, Libby/Elizabeth, Harriet, Imogen, Zoë, Rebecca

Boys: Alexander, Samuel (or do you dislike Sam for boys as well?) Daniel, Joshua, Marcus, Luke

Lacey
Louise
Claelia or Laelia
Giselle
Maryelle
Rosabel
Rosanna
Freya
Anya
Demi

Maximilian
Lucas
Elliot
Elias
Paul
Nathan
Jeremy
Timothy
Amaury
Lucian

We've just had a Charlotte.

I also liked Amelie and Eloise.

If you like Samantha but not the nn options and feel it's a bit dated maybe you would like Samaria nn Aria

Dylan, George, Miles, Milo, Elliot, Henry
Rebecca, Carla, Maeve, May, Charlotte, Harriet, Emily, Emma,

Elliot
Joshua
Jacob
Joseph
Sebastian
Oscar
Oliver
Isaac
Edward
Wilfred
Frederick
Lawrence
Nathaniel
Tobias
Theodore
Henry

Beatrice
Clara
Josephine
Matilda
Jemima
Audrey
Fearne
Verity
Lydia
Freya
Isabel
Emilia
Jessica
Chloe
Penelope
Esme
Sophie
Lucy
Louisa
Juliet
Helena

What is the pearl extraction process?

Current favourites are:

Laura
Felicity
Ella
Zara
Charlotte
Amelia
Kate
Genevieve
Juliet

Jeremy
Elias
Reuben
Benjamin
Oliver
Patrick

What about Samara. I knew one and her name was never shortened, maybe because it’s shorter than Samantha, but also there is more emphasis on the 2nd syllable than in Samantha — subtle, I know

Tabitha
Sophia
Tamara

James is great!

@Cindie943811A

What about Samara. I knew one and her name was never shortened, maybe because it’s shorter than Samantha, but also there is more emphasis on the 2nd syllable than in Samantha — subtle, I know

I love this, some people are using James as a middle name for girls too and I think this name is perfect for it, Samara James!

Yay go for Jane!

Edward and Patrick are great suggestions for a boy ☺️

I love Samantha but if you don't like the nicknames you shouldn't use it.

Jessica
Allison
Alyssa
Ivy
Claire
Daphne
Scarlett
June
Faye
Phoebe
Genevieve
Esme
Adele
Beatrice
Simone
Nina
Sienna
Elodie
Lucy
Vivienne
Audrey
Sadie
Lillian
Willow
Lacey
Fiona
Margot
Matilda
Josephine
Eloise
Vera
Frances
Noelle
Estelle
Edith
Adeline
Holly
Molly
Cora
Leona
Juliette
Serena
Eva

Luke
Jonah
Preston
Joshua
Pierce
Jude
Zachary
Tyler
Kyle
Sean
Marcus
Owen
Nolan
Calvin
Charlie
Lewis
Everett
Nicholas
Jeremy
Adam
Winston
Quentin
Conrad
Samuel
Archer
Milo
Malcolm
Cody
Henry

Edward
Jack
Charlie
Oscar
Thomas
Daniel
George
Henry
Harry
Louis
Max
Ben
Samuel
Jake
Jacob
Joshua
Arthur
Zach

Nell
Heidi
Maria
Josie
Lucy
Ruby
Rosie
Ellen
Eva
Elsie
Daisy
Clara
Betsy
Penny
Tess
Rose
Julia
Beth
Olive
Hazel
Violet

Love Nancy,one of my favourites along with Sadie.

What about Savannah? Similar to Samantha.
Nancy is nice enough.

Don’t use Samantha if you don’t like Sam

If your surname is 3 syllables and you like classic, then 1 or 3 syllables or a soft 2 syllable name is probably best. Pearl is best as a middle name IMO

Susannah
Serena
Marianne
Adela
Claudia
Philippa nn Pippa
Beatrice nn Bea
Constance
Katharine nn Kate
Frances
Cassia

Jude
Nathaniel nn Nate
Gabriel nn Gabe
Guy
Joel
Patrick
Laurence
Elijah nn Eli
Alistair
Rafe
Jacob nn Jake
Daniel nn Dan
Thomas nn Tom

How about Flora or Lucy
For boys Max or Seth

Definitely not Jane or Grace - all of those that I've met have the pain in the ass gene.

Perhaps Pearl could have the middle spot?

@sauceyorange I'd imagine she is talking about how pearls are taken out of the oysters. I've seen it on TV.

Pearl really is a fab name though. Not a fan of Samantha, nothing wrong with it I just don't really like it.

I really like James for a boy.

I like Samantha but I do think people naturally will shorten it to Sam or Sammy. It's a shame it's always shortened because Samantha is a lovely name.

Hannah
Jessica

Jacob
Ethan

Love Pearl and Nancy. I also like Harriet, Florence, Lydia, Matilda, Ava. For boys how about Zachary, Theodore, Toby, Samuel?