Willa or Pearl

[ladycarlotta]

I'm 39 weeks and I think we have it boiled down to these two options for our baby girl. Which would you go for?

I'm aware they are both potentially quite trendy, with Willa being rarer in terms of use but more often mentioned in lists like these?

We also liked Ilse/Ilsa/Ailsa/Elsa but have issues with each of those options so I think we're just giving up on it.

Pearl by a country mile!
Willa is nothingy and will get confused with Willow.

Think of her in adulthood, not just as a cute infant and toddler. Select an adult name and then use whatever nickname you please day to day.

Give her some options.

Wilhelmina nn Willa, Billy, etc

I love Willa - I find it soft and pretty and fun

pearl I find a bit uptight

I like Willa. It's unusual but a real name. To me it sounds soft and also reminds me of Willa Cather. I know one but she's an adult.

I prefer Willa. Pearl sounds a bit Essex to me (maybe it's the Pearly Kings and Queens!).

When I came on here for advice I ended up dumping all the names I liked as I got put off! One in particular I wish I'd just gone for as I loved it and still do. In the end I asked the midwives on my ward to pick.

I'm not keen on either of them. Willow Pearl is nicer.
Pearl is much nicer than Willa as a first name.

Seems I’m in the minority, but I’m afraid I don’t like Pearl at all. I can’t imagine being called Pearl!

So, I’d choose Willa.

(Love Ilse though).

I like Pearl. I've been watching Whitstable Pearl and the Pearl character is Kerry Godliman, who is very cool!

Willa makes me think of the naughty toddler Willa Jean in the Ramona Quimby books but that's a very dated and niche reference. It will be constantly misheard and misspelled as the much more popular (and much nicer) Willow.

I'm usually one of the people who say that children are rarely teased for their names but I think Willa is just too close to 'willy'. Sorry. Pearl is pretty, but challenging in some rhotic accents.

I love Pearl.

And I think Willa might be a difficult name for a little one to say..

Oh I love them both! I think Willa is my favourite of the two, it makes me think of a cool, fun, feisty girl. I think Willa Pearl is lovely as first and middle though, unless you already have a middle name you're using.

I don't like Willa at all. Pearl is much nicer, although since we're discussing accents, Pearl can sound like Pell. ExDH had a friend called Pearl and for ages I thought her name was Pell until I saw it written down.

Willa is too close to Willow. Also very likely to get teased with a name like that. Pearl is lovely.

Definitely Pearl! What a lovely name.

Pearl wins.

Teenage daughter just asked willa what??? Definitely pearl

I like Pearl! Willa will just end up being called Willy by her classmates :(

I know a Willa , it's never mispronounced and it really suits her .

I love Pearl.

Willa sounds like a drunken Southern Belle saying "Willa, or won't ah?"

Wow, a lot of hate for Willa! Luckily I still like it. I am a Willa Cather fan though. And it's not necessarily short for anything, Willa/Guilla goes back over a thousand years.

Pearl we initially planned to use as a middle name as it has family connections but actually we've slowly ended up realising we really like it as the main event. But definitely will have it somewhere in the name, it might be Willa Pearl.

I do love Ilse but I just think the spelling will get annoying.

Thanks everyone! Really good to have feedback to ponder.

Pearl-fine.
Willa- dislike. And will get "Willy" teasing.

I don't understand this fixation on "she'll be called Willy" when nobody ever says that about all the little boys called William.

Pearl is already dated but classic, and was Janis Joplin's nickname so if you like music....
Sorry, but Willa is terrible. I love Winnie or winter.

Yep, I don’t get it either OP- I can only assume it’s because William and Willow are Top 50 popular and therefore people think they are less likely to be teased? 🤷‍♀️ (I like William, Willow and Willa, Wilhelmina etc - the Will nn is very cool and suits strong willed people imo 🤣)