Help! Can't find any names I absolutely love

[preggo39]

Hello all, partner and I are expecting our first baby in March and haven't yet come up with any names we both absolutely love. We don't know the sex.

Girl names I like:

Mabel
Olive
Willa
Nell

I don't like anything overly frilly like Annabelle or overly staid and traditional like Elizabeth.

Boy names I like:

Joe
Tom (can't use this)
Daniel (can't use this)

I also really like the name Osian for a boy but partner says no because we're not Welsh! Fair enough.

I don't care about the names being too popular, I just want to find something I love and that a baby can grow into. But maybe this is just how I'm going to feel until the baby's born and I've seen its face?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Well, I have a Helena and a Harriet (Hattie)

Jonah
Owen
Seth
Amos
Laurie

Tess
Orla
Iris
Maeve
Margot
Sylvie

(Love Nell!!)

Your girl names are a bit frumpy. I like Nell and similar names might be Tess, Bess, Jill, Meg, Ann, Ruth

Osian seems an odd choice if you have no Welsh connection, and I think people wouldn't know how to say it (it's OSH-ann). It's very popular in Wales, almost to the point of saturation. What do you like about it? Josh might be an option.

I really like Laurie! DP not keen.

You've definitely got my vibe, I really like Tess and Orla too. Problem with Tess is that middle name is going to be Jessica.

I think that's what's putting me off Olive and Mabel, the frump factor.

@KirstenBlest The sssh sound going into the vowel sounds rather lovely to me. And I guess also because it's a non-English name and I don't know any, it doesn't have any negative connotations for me. Whereas Josh feels a bit posh boy.

Tess
Polly
Erin
Ingrid
June
Hera

Girls

Alba
Margot

Boys

Matthew
Owen

I love Olive!

Una
Cleo
Antonia
Indi
Eden
Pearl
Bridie
Brooke
Tess
Norah
Ebony
Asha
Astrid

Torin
Caleb
Evan
Cosmo
Elliot
Baden
Corey
Jeremy
Logan

We came up with a long list of about 30 names we both liked (but perhaps didn't love) this list got added to during the whole pregnancy. In the last couple of weeks we pruned the names down to about 5 and when ds was born we tried each for a while to see what worked. (He's called Ash)

There probably won't be a lighting moment were you realise the perfect name and you magically agree. Most of the time the baby will grow into the name and you will love it.

Alternatively you can change it up to a year or so later. My sister changed dc2 name at 8 months!!!

@MooQuackNeigh Thank you, this is how I imagine it'll be.

I really like Ash!

Thanks everyone else too for your suggestions.

I love your girl names OP, don't find them frumpy at all! I'm pregnant with boys and definitely not having any more so you're welcome to my list...

Agnes
Martha
Ingrid
Hester (or Esther for the less brave)
Lois
Maude
Frances
Sybil
Greta
Frida
Nancy

Your boy names are nms so I'll leave that to others (and I'm having a hard enough time naming my two on the way!) 😅

I love Willa from your list and Eleanor nn Nell
Others I love...
Beatrix
Margot
Verity
Charlotte nn Lottie
Nina

I love Nell and Joe!

@pamshortsbrokenbothherlegs Ah, thank you! I do like lots from your list. Love Maude and Nancy. I think they'll be contenders if DP agrees...

Good luck naming your boys - I think they're even harder than girls!

What about Samuel for a boy? Rhymes with Daniel and the nn Sam fits in with your like of shorter names like Tom and Joe. Or Nathaniel nn Nate

For girls I love Olive. Other suggestions:
Nova
April
Raya
Greta
Astrid
Camille
Ada
Iris
Rita

I'm Welsh and I don't think you should worry about the lack of Welsh connection. It is a very popular name here but not to the extent that people resent it or see it as being over-used.
There's the Irish version, Oisin, too - pronounced Osh-een, I think.

@BeaLola I'm a Charlotte! Nicknamed Lottie and when I got to about 11 I absolutely hated it 😆 I'm starting to come round to it again now that I'm old(ish).

I also like Verity but DP a big fat no on that one.

@17caterpillars1mouse Sam is on the list!

These threads are so helpful.

At the moment, the two girls names I really like are Violet and Imogen.

Boys I like Aiden, Lewis and Bobby

Hesper and Fritha are pretty girls names that may be of a similar theme

How about Olivia for a girl? Much less frumpy than Olive.

@UsualChaos , I like Osian but I know far too many to use it. More than one on each side of the family, for a start.
Given that they all seem to have the usual Welsh surnames, the middle names have to be added. e.g. Osian Huw Williams, Osian Wyn Jones, Osian Wyn Bowen etc
I don't resent it but do see it as a bit overused

Might not apply to OP's child, but the boy would probably get Ossian, Oisin, Oshun, Ocean, Os-eye-un a lot

Josh isn't posh! Babies called Joshua in England & Wales since 1996 (darkgreener.com)

I really hate Nell, it's so ugly. (Not on your Nelly, Nelly the elephant.. and more.)
Maude and Violet are lovely.
Alice, Orla, Tess?
David, James, Henry?.

Penelope
Polly
Erica
Juliet

Laurie
Simon
Jonathan