Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Rate my girls list/make suggestions

26 replies

Klex · 30/05/2023 12:22

Found out DC2 is a girl. Bit of a bugger for us as we find girls names much harder to agree on than boys ones.
Will be sibling to Andrew and one of the middle names (son has two so we plan 2 for this baby) will be Ruby.

So far we have:

Iona
Susannah
Iris
Ivy
Eden
Ada
Alice
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na)
May
Hannah
Skye

Open to other suggestions.
I like Scottish names and ones that are uncommon without being "out there"
(Nerd that I am I check all suggestions against the NRS baby name data for the last 50-ish years)

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Mumofgirls2017 · 30/05/2023 12:29

My favourites are Iris, ivy, Eden, Alice and Skye but with Andrew I’d probably say Hannah or susannah goes better. I’d imagine Andrew to have a sister called

Laura
Grace
Charlotte
lucy
georgina
harriet
eleanor
Bethany
jessica
clara
philippa
rosanna
louisa
felicity
eilidh
lydia

DuchessOfSausage · 30/05/2023 12:36

Iona - a bit long. nice but doesn't go with noun names and surnames.
Susannah - Nice but a bit long
Iris - ok
Ivy - don't like
Eden - awful
Ada - not keen
Alice - like a lot but a bit matchy matchy with brother's name
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na) - nice but long
May - no
Hannah - like
Skye - no

OttoGraph · 30/05/2023 12:41

Iona Ruby is the only pairing I like from that list

Erin Ruby

Fiadh Ruby said Fia like Mia

Ruibies · 30/05/2023 12:42

Love Iona and Eden.

I know 2 Andrews, one's sister is Imogen, the other's is Heather.

Groutyonehereagain · 30/05/2023 12:47

Whatever you choose, don’t give your daughter a name that has different pronunciations or is difficult to spell. If you do she faces a lifetime of corrections.

A three syllable name seems to fit well with Ruby.

Harriet
Leona
Maria

KeepSmiling89 · 30/05/2023 12:51

All lovely names. My favourites are Iona, Susannah, Iris, Alice and Catriona. Can I suggest Isla as a possibility as well?

Fivemoreminutes1 · 30/05/2023 12:52

I love Susannah but wonder whether or not it would work alongside Andrew.
how about:
Elspeth
Fenella

Justputitdown · 30/05/2023 13:31

Love Iris and Iona, also like Susannah and May

FlounderingFruitcake · 30/05/2023 13:37

I like them all except for Skye which is too Paw Patrol. However, maybe I’m missing something but if you like Ca-TREE-na then why not spell it Katrina/Catrina. Spelling it Catriona when you don’t want it pronounced Cat-ree-OH-na seems like you’re setting up a lifetime of unnecessary corrections. Both variants are lovely, I’d just aim to spell it how you want it pronounced. My absolute favourites though would be Iona, Alice and Ivy (in that order).

AuntieJune · 30/05/2023 13:42

Like, in order of preference:
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na) I'd spell it Katrina if you want that pronounciation, she'd be correcting people forever)
Susannah - nice and not heard much, not sure about the H on the end
Iris - nice
Ivy - I like this too
Ada - nice
Iona - quite nice

All nice enough but a bit bland:
Hannah
Alice
May

Too hippy for me:
Skye
Eden

Thequeenofwishfulthinking · 30/05/2023 13:44

I like Ivy and Iris. Love Ada. Ds5 was going to be Ada Elizabeth if he’d been a girl.

Original poster
Klex · 30/05/2023 15:21

FlounderingFruitcake · 30/05/2023 13:37

I like them all except for Skye which is too Paw Patrol. However, maybe I’m missing something but if you like Ca-TREE-na then why not spell it Katrina/Catrina. Spelling it Catriona when you don’t want it pronounced Cat-ree-OH-na seems like you’re setting up a lifetime of unnecessary corrections. Both variants are lovely, I’d just aim to spell it how you want it pronounced. My absolute favourites though would be Iona, Alice and Ivy (in that order).

It's a Gaelic name. That's the Gaelic spelling.

OP posts:
ourflagmeansdeath · 30/05/2023 15:33

Iona - I don't think it's my taste and could cause pronunciation issues
Susannah - Not my taste, too old fashioned
Iris - Lovely
Ivy - Beautiful, love this name
Eden - Gorgeous!!
Ada - This is really pretty too
Alice - A bit plain but still nice
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na) - Once again not my taste
May - I like it but would never go for it because it's just too short and sounds unfinished. Does work for a middle name, hence its popularity lol
Hannah - Same as Alice, bit plain but nice enough
Skye - I like it but not my fav

My favourites are Iris, Ivy, Eden and Ada. I think they all go really beautifully with Andrew, but you may not want to go for Ada due to them being the same initial.

DrHousecuredme · 30/05/2023 15:52

Iona Ruby: it's nice and goes well together and will be fairly unusual. Not my taste but nice enough.
Susannah Ruby: very pretty
Iris Ruby I don't particularly like Iris and don't think the names go together well.
Ivy Ruby: names don't fit together at all.
Eden Ruby: nice and pretty but doesn't flow somehow.
Ada Ruby: strong no
Alice Ruby: a bit bland
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na)
I prefer Cat-ree-oh-na with that spelling and she would spend her life correcting people.
May Ruby: no too short and bland
Hannah Ruby: nice solid name if unspectacular.
Skye Ruby: lovely!

DuchessOfSausage · 30/05/2023 20:05

Iona Ruby is like 'I own a ruby'

PickledScrump · 30/05/2023 20:20

I’m assuming Iona would be pronounced as eye-oh-na rather than yona?
love Ivy.
really like Iris but it’s commonly used as a name for a rainbow baby as it means rainbow.
I know of quite a few Edens.
Alice is great too.

GoalShooter · 30/05/2023 20:24

My favourites are Susannah, Iris, Ivy, Ada and Alice.

Least favourites are Iona, Eden, May and Skye.

Hannah and Catriona are in the middle.

Original poster
Klex · 31/05/2023 06:50

DuchessOfSausage · 30/05/2023 20:05

Iona Ruby is like 'I own a ruby'

Baby is to have two middle names so in that instance the second middle name would go in the middle.

And to the other poster, yes its pronounced like the island.

OP posts:
ShoesoftheWorld · 31/05/2023 06:58

Susannah Ruby Iris.

Susannah is my stand-out favourite. Classic, pretty and unusual these days.

I also like Ada a lot but (unlike Susannah) it doesn't travel very well internationally (which would be important to me) - in other countries she'd get a lot of 'Ah-da'.

Hannah Catriona Ruby is also a lovely combination.

user1492757084 · 31/05/2023 07:08

Five sweet names for Andrew's sister:

Alice Ruby Morag
Catriona Ruby May
Hannah Ruby Elspeth
Skye Susannah Ruby

user1492757084 · 31/05/2023 07:14

Yes, most people will not be tricked with Catriona as that is the usual pronunciation. Ca-TREE-nuh.

I have never heard anyone say CAT-ree-own-uh

OverTheCountryClub · 31/05/2023 07:20

I think Susannah goes perfectly with Andrew and that's my top choice from your list. Also love Catriona and Skye. Hannah goes well too. I'm not a huge fan of the others.

Coronationstation · 31/05/2023 10:26

Iona - ok but you need to watch how it flows with your surname to avoid "I own a"
Susannah - ok
Iris - ok but very popular and of the moment. I don't think it goes with Andrew.
Ivy - as for Iris
Eden - awful
Ada - nice
Alice - nice
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na) - ok but the spelling / pronunciation thing could be an issue
May - no
Hannah - nice
Skye - awful

Some suggestions:
Andrew and Fiona
Andrew and Mirren
Andrew and Flora
Andrew and Aileen
Andrew and Heather
Andrew and Morag
Andrew and Eilidh
Andrew and Rhona
Andrew and Lorna

JamSandle · 04/06/2023 23:52

Iona or my favourite Ione.

KnickerlessParsons · 04/06/2023 23:56

Iona - nice
Susannah - love it
Iris - also love it
Ivy - no
Eden - no
Ada- God no
Alice - love it
Catriona (Ca-TREE-na, not Cat-ree-OH-na) - will be pronounced the way you don't like
May - no
Hannah - nice
Skye - no