Teacher struggling with names

[ARodeoQueen]

I'm 25 weeks and we don't know if I am having a boy or girl. We love old man boys names like Walter, Wilfred, Oswald but we are struggling on girls names. I really love long girls names. My favourites are Genevieve and Evangeline. The problem is I have one lovely niece and her name is Evie. So I feel that they are too close to her name.
To complicate things further me and DH are teachers. I would really like a name that I haven't taught - which narrows it down significantly. Whenever I hear a name I just picture a face of a child I've taught. If that makes sense! I want a 'new' name. It was really hard naming my son 5 years ago and this one is harder. Middle name will be Joan if it's a girl. I do like Gwen so potentially Gwendolyn or Guinervere. I'd be greatful of any suggestions. Thank you!

Can you play around with the recent ONS girls name data list? Filter it for names over, say 8 characters, then go through the less popular ones?
I'm sure someone popped up the nice, but underused names the other day.

I love Gwendolyn n Gwen!

These were all used fewer than 50 times in 2023, so you might not have taught any-

Althea
Cordelia
Corinne
Delphine
Dolores
Estelle
Georgette
Isadora
Juliana
Leonie
Natasha
Roberta
Selina
Tamara
Theresa

How about Marianne or Rosalind?

Russell Howard has a very funny “bit” about all his favourite names being his wife’s exs!

Katerina,shortened to Katja or Kat?

My friend who are teachers have tended to use names that were more popular when we were children - one actually said it was because she'd never taught a child of that name.

I don't think Genevieve and Evangeline are too close to Evie, if it helps.

Also a teacher! I've taught lots of girls so will have a think about some standout names:

Juliet
Wilhelmina (could NN Willa)
Dorothea
Alethea
Rosalind
Amalia

I love Isadora! It makes me think of Isadora moon, though (not necessarily a bad thing!)

The rest of that list is lovely, too.

Maybe if you go for a generation or two in from the old lady names, you might find some nice ones?

Caroline?
Stephanie?

Seraphina
emmeline
octavia
cordelia
clementine
theodora
henrietta
rosalie
aurelia
meredith
juliette
cecilia
vivienne
tabitha
dorothea
annabelle
anneliese

Seraphine (a)
Clementine

Evangeline is very close to Evie, as that’s a well known nickname/shortening. You could very easily end up with an Evie of your own when she gets older. Genevieve if pronounced the proper (French?) way doesn’t have the Eve sound in it and could be shortened to Gen/jenny.

Vivienne
Venetia
Rosamund
Emmaline
Martha

Look to the 1960/1970s for names that you don't hear in the classroom. I teach too and it's very hard choosing a name that you haven't taught, everyone is familiar with and deserves a come back.
Leigh is pretty.

We chose names that I had never had in my class or in my nursery and didn’t know any child outside of those settings with those names either. It was really difficult as I have worked with children since I was 16 and I was 39 when I had my first. Even argued with my husband as he suggested names that I absolutely could not use (difficult families, notorious locally)

Both times came back from maternity leave to have a child in my class with the name of my baby! I couldn’t believe it 🤣

My teacher best friend did exactly this (well, they're possibly more 1950s) for her two DDs - she's got a Barbara and a Susan.

It’s so tricky, isn’t it?
If it helps at all, we chose our son’s name before I taught any with the same name. I went on to know two boys with the same name before I had my son, but it didn’t sway us. His name wasn’t popular at the time but is now. I would say there’s one in most year groups in my current primary school. However, I don’t associate his name with them at all.

Henrietta (can be Etta for short)
Hermione (can be Mia or Mione)
Mariella
angelica / Angelina
Eleni
jennifer
josephine
Alison/Alicia
Nina
katerina
Penelope (can be Penny or Nell)
Dorothy
Emmeline
Annabelle
Francesca
Georgina
Tamsin

a few ideas there - I like Gwen and I like Evangeline but honestly I think too close to the cousin’s nam unless the nickname is genny (which is lovely).

I actually really like your name so far Gwendolyn Joan. Really cute and unusual.second to that on my list I’d say Hermione Joan or Penelope Joan. Or you could also use Philippa and have a Pippa Joan?

I was going to say Genevieve even before I read that name in your post! I don’t think it’s too similar to Evie at all. It’s beautiful

GJ are a difficult to say letter combination, but I guess you won't use both together once she's been introduced to everyone.

Alysette was on my list and fits the mediaeval French theme

Jessica
Delores
Madeleine

I met a Kalantha the other week - I think she is Kat sometimes. I thought how usual but very pretty.

I went for classic names, but not that common. Think I had taught 1 or 2 of ds and only 1 of dd. No negative connotations!

What would i go for today?

Theodore
Peter
Robert
Grufydd

Rita
Lillian
Seren
Ffion/Fiona
Felicity
Audrey

Veronica

Love Rosalind. Can be shortened to Rosie for casual.