My ex best friends have my favourite names

[destiney]

I loved the names Alicia and Clementine before I even met these girls. I like unusual names but not 'out there' where there are unlikely to be another child with the same name in the class.

I love the name Alicia and Alice for short. But my best friend was called Alicia and she just ghosted me one day and I never heard from her again.

Everyone in my life, all my extended family watched me grow up with Alicia and I still think about her about her. It's been 6 years now since the ghosting and I would never accept her back into my life. I was heartbroken.

But I also don't want my baby to be named after her which is the first thing everyone I know will think.

I have thought about Alice but it seems so popular that I would prefer to give my child a name which is a little more unique.

The next is Clementine. Clemmie was a university friend and we lived together for four years. She was lovely and we had so much fun. She moved abroad and got quite mean after meeting a new group of very wealthy, influencer friends. She barely replied and when we eventually chatted I felt awful after talking for 30 minutes that I decided she would have to make the effort to still be in my life. She never got back in touch again.

These are the names I have wanted for years and now I'm not sure how to proceed. Do you know any other similar names?

Similar in sound? Or in type

As a starting point how do you feel about

Alison/Alyson
Emmeline
Evangeline

Ailsa
Serendipity
Shiloh
Helena
Marilyn
Juliet

Clementine Alice

Caroline
Cora
Amelie
Emmeline
Amelia

For 'Al' names (All could be shortened to Ali):

Alice
Alison
Allegra

Other suggestions
Adelaide
Adeline
Emmeline
Octavia
Alexandra
Florence
Meredith

What is it you liked about the names Alicia and Clementine OP?

Lucia
Constantine

I would not worry about it - my son has the name of an ex boyfriend's dog. Not once do I worry about it

Elise
Ellie
Genevieve
Madeleine
Adelaide
Madison

@User6761 Thank you for all your suggestions.

I can't explain why I just love the name Alice/Alicia. It just feels the right balance between being a beautiful name and being strong. I am greek and have a greek name so Alicia being greek was a lovely tie in. Alicia is the name I always called my imaginary children as a kid.

I heard a name I really liked recently Alethea- but to me it sounded like someone saying Alicia with a lisp. I can't get that our my head now.

I like clementine because it feels so warm and summery and happy. It's elegant and has a lovely nick name too. It's fairly unusual although becoming more popular.

Thank you for all your suggestions

What about Althea rather than Alethea?

Clemency
Stacia

There are some beautiful Greek names.

How about Athena, Calliope or Calypso?

Alyssa
Eliza
Althea
Esther

@HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd do you have any other suggestions? I really like greek names :)

I think Althea sounds too much like Alfie which is the name of someone close to me so I would want to avoid

I’d just use them. You’ll remember your lovely child long after you have forgotten these people.

Anastasia
Felicity
Felicia
Naomi

I started to write a few ideas off the top of my head but actually thought Anastasia was Russian because its so popular there; But looked up some suggestions of names popular in modern Greece and found it was Greek, as is my own name. You learn something new every day...

nameberry.com/baby-names/507/greek-names-for-girls

Seconding just use the names you want to use. Once you have a child with that name you literally won’t give your old friends a second thought it will just become her name.

Eleftheria? I think it's beautiful. I just googled the spelling (a child at my son's school has this name) and a comment under the spelling post says her yia yia had this name and went by Elsie if you want a way to Anglicise it. My yia yia was called Theodora but went by Dora I literally found out at her funeral!

Clementine I don't like at all so can only offer names completely different, sorry!

(But I do agree on just using the names you love. Your daughter could have 15 other Alice's in her class but only one will be coming home with you).

Marina?
Felicity?
Cassandra?

@PrimroseWharf - I agree once it your child's name you won't think about anything else

Elysia? Or just Alice (I’d say Alicia is just as popular as Alice here, and there is confusion on how to pronounce so I prefer Alice). Or Alexandra

id use Clementine- it just sounds like you drifted apart and she wasn’t part of your family life/history for long so no reason not to use the name.

I'm not sure I'd let it stop you - as soon as you give your children these names, they are the only people you'll really associate with them.

But - Adela, Estella, Cassia, Sanchia, Felicity, Verity, Constancia, Cordelia, Antonia, Elisa, Cecilia, Cecily, Victoria might all stand in for Alicia

And Emmeline, Marianne, Evangeline, Vivienne, Genevieve, Marguerite, Christabel, Claudia, Celeste for Clementine

@ChiefWiggumsBoy I love Eleftheria actually - I think it means liberty or freedom. What would be a good nn? I'm not a fan of Elsie

id use Clementine- it just sounds like you drifted apart and she wasn’t part of your family life/history for long so no reason not to use the name.

i agree with this - it sounds like Alicia was horrible to you, and that your family knew her well so many people in your life may associate the name with her. But it sounds like Clementine was a shorter friendship and you drifted apart. That happens, no need to feel bad about that. So I would use the name if you love it.