Ivy or Annabel?

[Horsesandatoddler]

DD due in a couple of weeks and we can't decide!
Ivy and Annabel seem to be top 2 of our short list which also included Isobel, Poppy and Emily. DH isn't keen on Annabel being shortened to Annie but likes the full name.
Thoughts?!

I think both are lovely but I think Annabel might be shortened to either Annie or Bel/le. My daughter gets called a variation of her name I never intended because it is what people default to.

Annabel. Ivy isn’t in my top ten but Annabel is.

Ivy.

There are Annabels everywhere.

I prefer Ivy.

Annabel. It’s a lovely name.

I find Ivy to be incredibly unattractive. I dislike both the sound, connotations and the plant. Strong dislike.

I really like Ivy but know many more of those than Annabels. If that bothers you at all.

I swear there are many many more Ivys (and similar Evie, Eva, Ava) than Annabels. Definitely Annabelle. It will age better and is classier.

Anything but Ivy, frankly. Doesn’t have a nice sound to it and the plant is ugly!

Can’t bear Annabel I know it’s really popular but I would go Ivy out of the two

Emily and Isobel are both lovely.

Not keen on Ivy or Poppy.

Annabel is okay but a bit a bit fussy for my taste.

I would go for Ivy, as you might not be able to avoid Annabel being shortened forever. Isobel sounds like a nice compromise too if you both like it as you still have the same end sound, without the risk of ber being Annie (assuming he's ok with Issy that is!).

Ivy is much more popular than Annabel, statistically, but I'm guessing that doesn't bother you as all of your other choices are quite popular.

Ivy and Poppy are my favourites.

Ivy isn't nice at all, it's such a drab sounding name, and the plant is a bit of a boring looking weed.

I like Emily.

I was going to say the other way round 😂
I only know one Annabel (a grown up) and she doesn't shorten her name

I had two childhood friends called Annabel and in all the years I’ve known them, I’ve never know their names to be shortened!

It seems unlikely she will be ‘Annie’, Annabel is pretty standalone and people don’t associate it with a nickname in the way they would with Izzy etc.

Ivy = clingy plant

Annabel. I like all the shortened versions - Anna, Belle, Bella, Annie, and the long version is elegant.

Ivy is a clinging plant that wrecks your brickwork.

Thanks all!

Think we're leaning towards Annabel. I've been a teacher for 11 years and only met one Ivy so I think the popularity is yet to make it up to the secondary schools!! Of the Annabels I've met none of them were shortened to anything which reassured DH! I don't mind more popular names having seen the difficulties kids with more unique names get with constant misspelling and mispronunciation. At the moment every class I have seems to have an Isobel/Isabel/Isabelle and a Poppy but Annabels are less common.

Isobel was the original favourite but DH is very put off by one of DS's friends with the same name who is a bit of a nightmare 😂

We've got an Annabel - as a (young) adult she has chosen to go by Anna l, which I like. Bit that annoys me is that over her life time the popularity of Annabel spelling has waned and Annabelle spelling now overwhelmingly the preferred. and I don't like it. I think it's frilly, pretentious and a cut and shunt name!

I love both names! Personally my favourite is Ivy - I love how short and simple it is and gorgeous for all ages. Annabel is lovely too, another of my favourites, I’m just more of a fan of names that aren’t easily shortened, personally.

Love Ivy! Pretty name that would be my choice I also love Emily too as I have one and she is very sweet. I actually think the plant is pretty I don't know why people moan about it.

I really don't like Ivy. Annabelle is better but out of your names I prefer Isobel

My sister was almost an Annabel. She was named Abigail in the end though. I think it might end up misspelled as Annabelle a lot, which would annoy me. Ivy is very popular here. I would expect an Annabel to be the only one in her class. However, I would only use Ivy if I was happy with her being known as "Ivy initial" at school.

There is an Ella in my son's class, and she was known as Ella B, until the other Ella changed schools. I find it really weird because it feels like she's only part of her name now and like she really should be Ella-Bea!

Ivy/evie/ava/isla are absolutely everywhere and totally unmemorable and overdone.

I don’t know any little Annabels and it’s not my cup of tea but very inoffensive.

Ivy - seems to blend into all the Evie, Ava, Eva and Isla names. Clingy weed that's difficult to get rid of. Ivy Brennan.
Annabel - will be Anna, Annie or Bel(le). The Annabelle spelling is currently more popular
Isobel - nice but there are so many Isabellas and Isabelles. She'll be 'Isobel with an o' or Izzy
Poppy - lovely
Emily - safe, classic