Wavering on the baby name I always thought I wanted!

[RedSheep26]

For years now I have felt quite set on Serena as the name I would give my daughter. Now I’m pregnant (due in December) I’m wavering!

For some reason it just doesn’t feel like her. I feel like it’s almost too soft for her, though that has always been one of the things I loved about it :(

I am now really liking Claudia, but DH does not like it. He likes Cleo, which I don’t hate but I feel is too nicknamey to give as her actual name.

Keen on any other ideas - not just Cl- names!! Or any experience from people who’ve gone off a name - I’m kind of hoping I’ll just know when she gets here, but increasingly fearful I won’t.

Happened to me too. Had a boys name set for over a decade with my DH. Had my first son and just couldn’t use it. Had my second, and again I just couldn’t bring myself to use it. Can’t tell you why, it just didn’t feel right. I would say though get your other options in and try and feel set on what you could otherwise use otherwise you’ll waver about and it’s not a nice feeling to be so unsure.

Have others lined up but I say don't settle on a name until baby is here. Pregnancy really changed my name preferences temporarily.

Wait until she actually arrives.
She might look like a Serena, or she might not.

I don't like Claudia, its clumpy to me. And I don't really know why. I think it might be an accent thing when said properly slowly and politely it nice, but shout it quickly across a playground and maybe not!

Serena is lovely! I like the serenity of it.

One of my favourite girl's names is Sienna; I like the warmth it evokes.

What about Seren my Dds friends little girl is Seren i think it is a lovely name.

Ooh don't like Cleo. Sounds like cat's name to me. I like Clara or Clarissa though.
How about Stella?

I always liked Serena, it was my top girl's name but DH hated it... honestly would not have suited our oldest at all though, in the end! I suppose because it suggests 'serene' you might worry it will cause people to roll eyes if you get a very loud, boisterous Serena.

I like Cleo, and Claudia. Chloe is a bit ubiquitous and meh IMO.

Colette?
Seren (a Welsh name I think, not quite as 'soft')

Sadie?

We had a boy name ready when DC 2 was born. Fergus. We totally loved it then when he actually popped out it looked completely wrong and we went with option 2.

as it turns out by the time he was about 3 months old Fergus would have been completely fine and now he’s an adult he could also carry it off. We do still like name 2 though!

All of which to say that you’ll have a better sense when she’s born but maybe have a couple of other choices in reserve.

I used to look after a Cleona but she didn’t like Cleo as a nickname.

A friend of mine had a situation almost identical to the friends scene where Rachel had given birth and didn’t feel any of her choices were right, it was her SiL who had sons and was done having babies, she suggested the name she went with for her baby girl. Maybe you’ll find babies name in a unique way!

She sounds like a Saskia to me.

Seren? Clara? Carlotta? Kayla?

You shouldn't overthink the name. Your baby isn't born yet, you don't know her character or anything about her.
I believe that a baby becomes their name. I wasn't keen on my second child's name at first but it is their name and I can't imagine them being a called anything else
I don't think any name suits a tiny baby they grow into their names. Remember you are naming a person who will only spend a few years as a small child and even less time as a baby

Anna?

I love Serena.

Claudine instead of Claudia? I also love a previous poster's suggestion of Saskia.

We had a couple of names for each child but waited until they were born before deciding as it’s true that even babies sometimes won’t “look” like certain names.

Sabina?

Selina? Celine? Sienna? I like Serena though and I think you’d regret not using your girl name if you always wanted to.
Maybe once she is here you’ll look and her and think yes that’s my Serena.

My mum changed my name after I was born for this reason! I was about 4 or 6 weeks old I think. She didn’t feel like the one she’d chosen was really ‘me’ so she just changed it, even though they’d announced the original name before my birth and had already been calling me by it for a month or more.

Like @KiwiFall, we kept a few different names in the mix until after they got here. We instantly knew which ones were right as soon as the babies were born!

What about Zoraya, or Raya as a nickname?

How about Carena? The hard C sound brings in the Claudia element with the same pronunciation as Serena for the rest?

I am a big fan of names with hard consonant sounds because they are easier to remember.

I know a Carena and she has never been known as a nn, it that helps!

Names we dream about are names for imaginary babies.

Those babies don't exist and now a real baby is arriving.

It is completely normal to see this baby as someone else, there own being rather than an idealised image

You might meet her and decide she is a Serena, but equally you might not.

Have a list and wait to meet her.

I was dead set on calling my daughter Shubina, I had loved the name for years but had 2 sons. When my daughter was born In the hospital I suddenly changed my mind and I called her Saffiya, Im glad I did cos I love the name more. It's strange how it happens but it does x

I think Serena is nicer than most of the other names suggested so far and it's not an in and out of fashion sort of name.

They quickly become the name you give them,whatever it is. Just park it for a couple of weeks for now and then come back to it. But I think you do really like Serena.

Cecilia
cora
celine
clara
sophia
seraphina
stella
juliet
helena
eloise
daphne
camilla