2 weeks to go.... HELP with name choices!

[loz1997]

Hi everyone

We our expecting our first child early September and we do not know the gender - seems a rarity these days.

Me and my husband have been going back and forth and we have a list for both genders, last name will be Williams just in case we are clearly missing something when putting the names together lol.

Girls

Florence (Flo)
Dulcie
Lyla
Aubrey (Bre)

Boys

Alfie
Kit
Sonny
Elijah (Eli)
August (Gus)

Would love to hear your thoughts or any other suggestions based off the vibe of names above.

Thanks :)

I ,like Florence, Dulcie, Alfie and August but all are fine and ok names

Florence (Flo) - Florence is OK, but don't like Flo
Dulcie - all I hear is Dull. Awful.
Lyla - I don't like it. Isla is better
Aubrey (Bre) - awful. Man's name and Bre is too much like Brie

Alfie - overused and a bit of a naughty boy name
Kit - ok if short for Christopher but just Kit isn't great
Sonny - no. You are naming someone who will be an adult in a few years
Elijah (Eli) - OK. don't like Eli. They are two different first names.
August (Gus) - Gus is OK, August isn't ok. Angus is better.

Your list seems a but unfocussed and the names are either overused or awful.

Given that the surname is a common one, I'd be looking for a name that one sounds good with the surname, but isn't in the top 50.
Avoid the go to middle names of Rose/Grace/May and James, as the full name might be too common.

Lyla and Florence are nice.
dislike Dulcie and Aubrey

alfie is very popular near me
Kit and Sonny are good. I know brothers with this name combo
Eli and Gus are are also popular near me

Florence (Flo) not a fan, it's a popular name but feels a bit of a mouthful to me. I prefer Flora
Dulcie - not a fan. Also somehow feels like a mouthful say the 'l' properly.
Lyla - ok
Aubrey (Bre) - not a fan of Aubrey. Bre is ok if short for Sabrina.

Alfie - ok. Prefer Alfred as a long name
Kit - I love Kit. I don't like Christopher so would just go for Kit
Sonny - not sure
Elijah (Eli) - not a fan
August (Gus) - I like August but not Gus. I know quite a few Gus but short for Angus round here.

Ideas of similar vibe
Peggy
Trixie
Lyra
Remi
Ada

Ned
Otis
Albie
Ezra
Reuben
Rudy
Remy

Florence (Flo) - like the full name but really not keen on Flo, prefer Florrie or Flossie for a childhood nickname.

Dulcie - really sweet but probably not great on a grown woman.

Lyla - like, although it is a bit of the moment.

Aubrey (Bre) - Dislike the full name as it was historically a male name and just doesn't feel right to me as a girls name. Bree is nice as a nn for Sabrina.

Alfie - Ok but there are a lot around and they're usually 'cheeky chappies' in my experience. I dislike short forms on the BC but don't like Alfred.

Kit - Love but only if Christopher on the birth certificate.

Sonny - infantile

Elijah (Eli) - this is one where I deviate as I do see Eli as a name in it's own right and I much much prefer this to Elijah so I'd just go with Eli. In my experience, young children really struggle to pronounce Elijah and he'll have to get use to answering to 'Eliza' instead from his peers.

August (Gus) - Quite like.

My favourites are Lyla and Florence (not Flo), and Kit (Christopher) and August/Gus.

Like Aubrey for a girl and Kit & August for a boy. Elijah is okay.

Lyla and Florence are a bit over-used presently. I know quite a few dogs called Alfie and one really annoying child, so that personally puts me off it!

I like elegant retro Florence - although I much prefer the nn Flossie or Florrie to Flo, thanks to “Aunt Flo”.

Aubrey is quite pretty too - I don’t think it originally being a male name really matters as there are hardly any male Aubreys about now. I do think there will be Audrey confusion though.

Less keen on Lyra and Dulcie as they feel quite trendy to me. Plus I don’t think Dulcie has a nice sound.

Elijah and August are nice- I have a preference for elegant August but that’s personal taste. I do prefer similar Elias over Elijah as well.

Kit is lovely but I don’t like it as a standalone name- it’s too nickname for me. Sonny is even worse as it’s a juvenile sounding nickname imo. Alfie is just not my cup of tea (I prefer Alfred) but nothing wrong with it as such - like most people, I know several young ones.

Personally I like the sound of Florence and August best with your surname (although August and Aubrey would make a very cute sounding sibset!).

Suggestions: Nancy, Audrey, Flora. Angus, Augustine, Jonah, Cassius.

Florence (Flo) - lovely if you don’t mind it’s popularity

Dulcie - not one of my favourites but ok

Lyla - lovely, if you don’t mind the popularity of similar names (Lila, Lilah, Lily, Lola, Layla, etc)

Aubrey (Bre)- I like this. It’s much more popular for girls than boys these days (around 50 boys and 260 girls were called Aubrey in 2023) and I like the nn Bre.

Boys

Alfie - nice if you don’t mind the popularity

Kit - I don’t like this as a standalone name - prefer as short for Christopher

Sonny - it’s growing on me as it gets more popular - I know a couple who are primary age so it feels more of a name and less of a term of endearment now! I love it as a nn for something like Harrison.

Elijah (Eli) - my teen daughter says the one in her year gets called Ellie after some mispronunciations from teachers doing the register. That puts me off.

August (Gus) - I don’t know anyone called this so it feels like a month to me. It could grow on me though.

Do you like

Darcey
Sylvie
Brielle (nn Bre)
Maisie
Matilda
Connie
Adeline
Myla

Boys

Angus nn Gus
Archie
Orson
Casper
Rufus
Rudy
Jonah
Caleb nn Cal
Zachary
Ethan
Isaac
Felix
Ezra
Rory

Aubrey is a boy's name. Hate it for girls, love it for a boy.

Bit odd that for some names you are choosing a long-form name then specifying what shortening you will use and then in other examples just using a shortening. I like Kit but would always have it as short for Christopher.

Are you around children generally at the moment? Your list is unusual in that some are quite unusual, and some are 3 in a class!

What's your vibe?

Dulcie is my favourite of your girls names - it sounds musical and is a classic but underused name.

I like August (Gus) and also Angus as another option?

I actually do like all your other names too.

Florence (Flo) - lovely classic, yes popular and there are quite a few 6-9 year old Florence's in my area but I don't know any 3 and under. I like it, though Flossie is my favourite nn

Dulcie - seems a bit downmarket and completely different vibe to Florence. I'm not a fan

Lyla - ok. There are alot of L nane girls atound atm which all sound very similar. I prefer Lyra or Lara

Aubrey (Bre) - really not a fan. Though like Bre. I like Bryony nn Brie

Alfie - it's ol, a bit done to death but nice enough.

Kit - nice as a nn but would prefer a full name. I think it will date though

Sonny - ok, just not my style

Elijah (Eli) - lovely, my favourite of your choices. Also like Elias

August (Gus)- love August nn Auggie but hate gus

Lyla and Elijah, I don’t like any of the others.

Florence and Alfie are just too overused.

Florence; Kit or August

other suggestions

autumn
hazel
delilah
margot
mabel
eden
cora
daphne

elias
jasper
river
flynn
franklin
silas
rudy
rex
otto
leonard

Florence or August

Lyla is EVERYWHERE. In my baby class there's four. My daughter is Delilah and so I've kept it long and not shortened to Lila/Lilah.

Dulcie... no. Sounds like ice cream.

Florence also super popular right now.

Aubrey is super cute, also love just Bree!

Libby Williams for a girl or Caius Williams for a boy

Dulcie and Kit

If you go with Bre then the initial
will make the word Brew, which if you’re northern gets used everyday for meaning a cup of tea. I didn’t think the first name + initial would really be a thing until I had to have it embroidered onto the front of DD’s PE kit and then I wished I’d thought it through better…

congratulations lovely! I work with children so my opinions may be biased pre warning🙈

Florence- beautiful
Dulcie- a bit chavvy in my opinion
Lila- there are many Lila’s, Lily’s Lilia’s, Lyra’s Delilah’s etc and will be misspelt (guilty)
Aubrey- not for me personally

Alfie- very overused
Kit- absolutely love
Sonny- love it
Elijah- very popular
August- I love!!

Other options:
Felicity
Belle
Clara
Alice
Dorothy
Meadow
Cara
Etta
Nell
Pippa
Saskia
Josie
Meredith
Rosemary
Arabella
Kitty
Colette

Fergus
Wilbur
Bruno
Nate
Cohen
Atticus
Artie
Caspar
Flynn
Otto
Hugo
Monty
Rhodes
Austin
Felix
Blake

From your list, Lyla for a girl and Alfie for a boy.

Side note there's a reel on Instagram at the moment where someone mispronounces Dulce de Leche & I really think Dulcie might be off your list if you find it. (It is a giggle though so nothing serious).

Someone I know was telling me how delicious Dulls duh Lesh was. I had to ask what is was.

Having said that, my mind wants to read ceviche as seveesh, so I'm no better.

Florence (Flo). Alot of them
Dulcie dull ? Maybe Darcy? After the ballerina
Lyla nice
Aubrey (Bre) nice!
Boys
Alfie popular
Kit popular
Sonny popular
Elijah (Eli) like this one, do you like Zeke short for Ezekiel
August (Gus) ok

I love Florence with nn Flora.

Alfie / Alf is lovely but I would probably register them Alfred on BC.
I really like Kit.
Love the nn Gus but personally prefer Angus as full name.

Congratulations & goodluck with naming your baby!