Down to two names!

[ClaraBean]

We both love both of the names but dh strongly favours one, and I strongly favour the other 😁
Which do you prefer, and why? (I won't say which is my favourite!)
Shirley or Susan
Middle name will be Jean

Other names that we seriously considered, but we're discarded are Barbara, Gwen, Maureen, Moira and Roberta.
Opinions please (so I can report back to dh 😁)

I’d still say that about Archie and Elsie. Pretentious and your kids will prob hate you.. 🙄

I like Susan. It's classic. Although I have a Gwen (Gwendolyn) so I'm very fond of that. I really wanted Maud or Sybil but was strongly shouted down by DH

I've just reread your list. I also loved Roberta but again DH said no. See also Phyllis. I think we'd get on well OP!

Susannah. You can't call a baby any of the others, especially Shirley! Poor kid.

Definitely Susan, although I
would try and do Susannah, but Susie is alright

Sorry but the names do sort of all sound like the cast of a comedy sketch from the late 80s about a very boring office.

Out of those two Shirley. Of all of them Gwen. David and Victoria Mitchell's daughter is Barbara Millicent.

No, she's Barbara Elizabeth June.

Just go for Myra that's a lovely name

No worse than Freya or Isabelle which will look dated in a few years.

Wow! I'm surprised at some of the strong reactions 😁 I thought they were all sweet, pretty normal names! I have an older daughter who is 16 (and whose name is Pearl) and she loves Shirley, Barbara and Gwen so I don't think these are going to be seen as terrible names by her generation. I don't know any babies so I have no idea what babies are being called at the moment so I had no idea Shirley is so wildly out of style!!
Anyway, Shirley is my favourite and Susan is dh's so I will wait a while longer and see if I get more voted for Shirley before I tell him 🤣

Susan is lovely.
I considered Kathleen, Mary and Pamela too.

Love the name Pamela!

Sounds like a list of girls from one of Enid Blyton's school stories!

I much prefer Susan to Shirley. Roberta is quite nice. Not keen on any of the others, especially Maureen and Moira! (Although I'd possibly choose any of them over Elsie )

You'll be ahead of the curve!

I like both but prefer Shirley. It makes me think of the beautiful Shirley Jones.

Susan and Gwen are nice. Shirley is horrible

It's interesting that your 16 year old is called Pearl. That would have been a slightly ahead of the curve name when she was born and now it's mainstream, and now you're on to the next trend which is 1940s/50s names which will no doubt be everywhere a decade from now. It'll be lots of Peters and Andrews and Susans and Valeries.

1. susan
2. gwen

i know a 5 year old roberta and it just sounds so clumpy.

Nothing wrong with Moira #biased.

Susan Jean or Roberta Jean are lovely

I like Moira.

Get Barbara back on that shortlist!

Shirley is definitely my favourite and Moria comes a very close second.

Susan I suppose but they’re all dreadful sorry.

Gwen if I HAD to choose but they are all dreadful names.