Help name baby girl?

[Beth191]

Hello! So we're expecting baby girl in the summer and trying to come up with names - me and my husband tend to like different names, he doesn't like any of the old lady names that are coming back and I don't like anything that was particularly popular when we were at school on the 90s/00s (Rebecca, Claire, Nicola, etc.) like he does.

Joy is a generations old family middle name that means a lot to me so that's non-negotiable, and our surname is 2 syllables starting with Sh.

Top picks that we both agree on so far:

Julia
Chloe
Lily
Clara
Anna
Leah
Nora (DH not sure at all about that one but I love it)
Rosie
Holly (this would be our favourite...we won't use it on a summer baby though because Holly Joy is very festive!)

DS is Charlie William if that helps at all.

All suggestions and opinions welcome, we like all the names above but not 100% on any yet...I wasn't sure about Charlie for DS until he was born though so I'm not looking to name her before she's born, just to have a list of a couple of names we love to choose from when we meet her!

Julia - nice but I don't like Jules. Julia Joy a bit too much
Chloe - dated due to overuse around the turn of the millennium
Lily - insipid and overused
Clara - I dislike this
Anna - nice
Leah - nice but insipid
Nora - not sure but I'd go for the Norah spelling
Rosie - a bit twee
Holly - nice but Christmassy

The Joy isn't all that relevant. Middle names aren't used very often.
Which goes best with the surname?

Julia - a bit dated. Giulia is a nicer spelling to brighten it up!
Chloe - Alright but quite 90s
Lily - boring
Clara - Love! Elegant and classic
Anna - Another favourite! Same as above
Leah - 90s and chavvy
Nora - really not a fan!! The old lady baby name trend is very cringe to me
Rosie - twee, a dog name
Holly - nice but not the most interesting

Lily
Clara
Anna are my favourites
I prefer Rose to Rosie

Julia - a bit dated. Giulia is a nicer spelling to brighten it up!
Why would you use the Italian spelling?

I prefer it and as I said freshens it up a bit. Julia alone is a bit 90s to me.

Leah is pretty and fairly unusual these days, Leah Joy, nice

@MaloneMeadow , but she'd be asked if she was part Italian a lot and it would be misspelt often. I wouldn't recommend it.

I know a teenage one - no Italian connection at all and never any issues here

@MaloneMeadow , whatever.

I love Nora - it’s so sweet! Other more traditional names that I currently adore are Sylvia, Isabelle and Tabitha

I love Julia - classic but I don’t know any young ones and I’m a teacher. Also love Clara but that’s more popular. Holly is my least favourite.

Chloe, Clara, and Nora/Norah are my favourites. Not keen on Holly at all (but then I’ve known several bitchy Holly’s so my judgment on that one is clouded!).

Eloise.

How about Norie as an alternative to Nora. I know a little girl named Norie.

@Bearcub01 , does she have an older brother called Jack?

No. She does have an older brother but not Jack.

I think I prefer Nora to Norah, it seems more elegant somehow.

But actually I really prefer Laura, Dora or Flora. Or maybe Maura.

Nori is a type of seaweed..

Thanks everyone! Julia and Leah definitely seem to be splitting opinions - either lovely and underused or 90's and "chavvy"...I didn't know a single Leah or Julia growing up in the 90s so maybe more popular in certain regions!

Definitely not up for the Italian spelling of Julia but thank you for the suggestion 😊

I'm hoping to sway DH towards Nora and I'm glad not too many people thought Holly Joy was too festive!

Oh and the people that said Charlie and Rosie sound a bit twee together...I absolutely agree and hadn't really thought of it so thank you! I've also realized that Rosie Joy sounds like a type of particularly floral candle or maybe an air freshener 😅as does Rose Joy, so Rose/Rosie is off the list!

Sylvia Joy is actually my grandma's name! I do like it but I think a direct copy of her name would be a bit much! I love Isabelle but there's 3 commonly accepted spellings and I don't want her to have to clarify spelling all the time...it's a beautiful name though and would absolutely be in the list if it weren't for that!

Nora, Anna, Leah and Clara are top of my list so far I think. Thanks for suggestions and opinions everyone 😘

Anna is my fave.

I like Clara but really don’t like Carla and worry it would get mixed up with that

I like all your names but Charlie and Leah or Charlie and Clara are a bit too samey on sounds for me.
i really like Anna and Nora

I love Nora, really different… I also love Clara, but maybe too similar to Charlie.

Anna I find a bit dull and Lily seems to be every other child I know.