Thoughts on Willow?

[MadamPomfrey]

I'm expecting baby no.2 and just found out it's a girl! I have one DS and the name we chose for him had he been a girl was Willow. We actually had that name before he was even conceived!

My DH still wants to use it, but I'm now not 100% sure. It's just entered the top 10 baby name list for girls (not that that matters completely, but I don't want something too popular that there will be X number of her name in her class/year). It can't really be shortened to anything very nice, again not that I want a name that can be shortened, but I worry about her getting a nn I hate/her being bullied.

Don't get me wrong, I still like it, I just don't know if I love it. DH however loves it so it would be helpful if I could fall back in love/get used to it again! I don't know if it's just not a novel idea any more as we've had it for a few years?!

Please let me know what you think of it!

Other names I really like but DH isn't sure about are:
Hazel
Olive
Autumn
Alice
Penny
Summer

Thank you!

Love Willow, it’s our puppy’s name! Ooops! We’ve similar tastes in names; I adore Hazel, it’s just so so cute. Penny is fab too. Olive also a class name.

Buffy was excellent, although it seems Sarah does not and has not attended any of the buddy conventions which is unusual.

Vote for willow, especially when she turned pro, after being called a rank amateur. (Buffy ref)

Yep. It was my favourite girl's name but we only had boys so when we ended up with a whippet cross we used it then 😂

Hazel and Heather are nice.
Billie is a bit different
Olive - oil
Willow - too popular and won't suite a chubby person, a bit too trendy
Alice - lovely, classic
Penny - ok but I'm not keen
Summer and Autumn are too seasonal and don't strike me as names, but they are better than Winter

How about Jill?

Cant stand Hazel. No idea why it’s made a comeback, to me it’s dated and reminds me of someone from the 80s with a bad perm.

I like Penny or Penelope as the long name. Hate Olive it’s so dumpy.

Alice is really popular, I like Summer.

I love Willow - it's my niece's middle name (funnily enough they also considered Olive)

Olive Willow is cute!

Detest Hazel, think it's really frumpy and imagine a woman in her late 40's.

Cant stand Hazel. No idea why it’s made a comeback, to me it’s dated and reminds me of someone from the 80s with a bad perm.

Same!

Olive Willow is awful. 2 trees.

I think Willow will be the new Lily.

Hazel is nice. Again, I know lots. I think it's the new Ivy. Also know loads of Olives.

What about
Fern
April
Hebe

Hebe is an unattractive word.

Azalea is pretty, so is Dahlia.
Or Linden.

I think Willow is lovely, and how about Billie as a nickname? It works for Billy and William.

Otherwise from your list I like Alice.

Name patterns tend to be quite localised, so there will be some schools with several Willows in each year group and some with no Willows at all. If you don’t know loads and loads of Willows now, odds are that won’t change rapidly in the next few years. Especially as Willow is an established popular name rather than a rapidly rising one. Willow is on the top ten now, but that’s only 85 more Willows than in 2020, which isn’t a huge increase in raw numbers.

It’s also worth noting that popular names aren’t as popular as they used to be. In 1996 24% of girls had a name in the top 10. In 2021 it was 11%.

Tbh I agree with you that Willow is no longer novel. I know quite a few. But even a top 10 name is not given to a high percentage of babies so I wouldn't let that put me off if I liked it.

I like it MUCH more than Olive, which I hate, but regardless of my opinion it's shot up the rankings. If you want novel, I don't think this is it.

Willow is pretty & I only know one.

April
Autumn
Bracken
Citrine
Coral
Emerald
Fern
Hazel
Iris
Lark
March
Topaz
Wren
Xanthe
are pretty names too.

However I love Sylvie or Silvia meaning woodland sprite.
One of DD1's middle names is Skye which also fits your theme

Honestly, choose a name you love and forget everything else.

All names come and go. I chose 2 names which at the time were pretty unusual... but are now usual.

You can't predict the future. Willow is a great name.

I love Willow. Although I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon anymore, I don’t think it’s a short term trending name. If not, I love Penny on your list.