Opinions Pls, as blunt as you like...

[Nancy66]

Having commenting on lots of others choices, I'd be interested in views on mine.

Now that I am finally up the duff, I don't feel quite so embarrassed thinking about names.

Girls:

Violet
Tabitha
Nancy (it's not actually my real name)
Annie
Elspeth
Edie

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick)
Finn
Johnny
Raphael

Feel free to say if too poncey, too chavvy etc....I'm very thick skinned.

Maeve makes me think of Mavis which makes me think of the old bird from Coronation Street.

From OP list...

I like Annie and Finn best.

If you want Jonny - why not go for Jonathan, and then shorten it. Then he'd have a proper full name to use when older too. Prefer Jonathan to John.

I love all of them (except Violet). Really prefer the grown-up version of names though e.g Patrick-Paddy, Edith-Edie

I prefer Edith to just Edie, for BC purposes.

Violet and Rapheal for me, others are a little too common where I live esp. Finn and Edie

Violet, Edie = lovely.
Annie = nice but not v exciting

Tabitha - I really don't like this.

Not keen on the boys' names, sorry.

Now I DO like Maeve and did ponder this years ago for dd1, but ultimately was put off by the Mavis connotations! Esme is gorgeous.

Maeve is nice, Mabel better.

If you're both fair then Finn is perfect for a boy as it means fair warrior. I love that name.

And I would choose Nancy or Elspeth out of your list. Violet makes me think of Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Tabitha is bit too posh for my taste.

DD2 is Meabh(trad spelling) depends how Irish you are especially with O'Connell.We were going to go with Ruadhri for a boy.Try www.dublinuncovered.net/irishnames.htmlfor Oirish names. Love Finn and Esme . Good luck

Girls:

Violet - like it
Tabitha - sorry, don't like it, makes me think of a cat or Bewitched
Nancy (it's not actually my real name) - liked it until 'I'll do anything'
Annie - nice
Elspeth - not a fan sorry
Edie - LOVE LOVE LOVE this. If I hadn't been set on a welsh name this is what I would have chosen for DD1

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - like it but be prepared that people will assume he's a Patrick anyway
Finn - have always liked this. Friend used Fintan as middle name recently and I love that even more
Johnny - nice enough but doesn't grab me
Raphael - it's a nice name but way too posh for me but you might not mind that

Anyway, would go with Edie or Finn from your list

I have a Finn ( finbar)
ds1 middle name is padraig ( paddy) after my mum
love all your names esp violet and elspeth
and raphael is exquisite rafa for short though without doubt.
edie contemporarily is desperate housewives resident loon/ vixen schemer and on balamory ( if unfamiliar do look on you tube under balamory edie mcready for vile confirmation)
but still like it!

Hi Turniphead love the handle!. No not in the old country. Get on fine with the name after the third polite correction and careful stressing of pronounciation! Mine is worse(also gaelic) so Meabh no sweat. Have a DB named Eoghan and DS , Abigail!! DD1 is also v english!Having one with an english name and one irish balanced things in our house but at the end of the day they were names we liked and we thought sod it. Know an Elvis if Nancy66 still considering!!!

PS:not yet sure if utter delight applies to DD2 especially after last night.

I also really like Jean - but OH says it sounds like a washer woman.

lol
when in hospital with dd, the priest came round to coo at the babies, and asked what we'd called her
we said not sure - maybe irene or nina [is nina irene]
he said "jean's a nice name"

oh and dds middle name is Niamh, she was going to be Siofra ( sheefra) (which means precious little elf) or maeve ( anglicised for ease) or Nora after gran.
For a boy we also liked Gabriel and Noah and Leo
we are from Irish stock

Like all the girls names. But please Patrick not Paddy. He can always be called Paddy if you like, but give him the option. I have a Patrick who is Pat, Paddy, PJ, Patch or Patrick depending on who he's with - it's a brilliant name. And he's in a school of 400 and a football club of 75 and he's the only one!

Tabitha is a cat's name.

The others are ok but Elspeth is hard to say when you're little!

i like finn or maybe finley, dont like any of the others sorry

nobody has ever sung a show tune at me! (it is my real name)

Like violet and Edie

Raphael at a push

Congrats tho!

What about Elspeth Jean.
Could be Jeannie, could be Elsa. Both really old-lady but in a user-friendy way.

I quite like most of the names, not so keen on Raphael although my aunt's ex-dp was a Raph(ael). On boys' names, Paddy and Johnny are nice on a child, but I'd suggest actually registering baby as Patrick or John, and just telling people your preferred form of that name, writing it in at groups. Later, if he prefers to be Patrick/Pat or John then he has that choice.

I don't object if people call my ds his full name (Daniel), I just say we call him Danny. Patrick is my ds's middle name, my cousin already has a Paddy in his generation.

Know what you mean about boys' names though, lots I like are taken already.