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.

What about Seren?

This was what I was about to suggest and was on my list (had boys though). I much prefer it to Serena -although it’s so similar it has a very different feel.

Looks like I am the only person who immediately associates Serena with the Handmaids Tale 😂

DH’s niece is Cleo as a shortening of Cleona.

DD2 was going to be Theodore if she had been a boy. Loved it with the nickname Teddy. Third DC is a boy and he is not called Theodore because it just didn’t feel right in combination with DD1 and 2’s names and our style of name. No regrets going for something else.

Love Serena. I know one who uses Nina as a nickname.

Other options-
Sabrina
Susannah ("Susie")
Selina
Saskia
Talia
Lydia
Talitha
Sylvie

Oh Serena is so lovely!

I love Serena - when we chose for our own DD our criteria was - a name that wasn’t too cutesy in case she was a Tomboy / something that worked well for a child as well as an adult. As well as something that couldn’t be shortened OR something that we liked the shortened /nick name of

serena fits all the above and I love CeCe as a potential nickname

Same here!
Really like Claudia though if that feels right. Wait til she's here

Ha! You’re not wrong, I did like June as a middle name too but that combo is a no-go 😂

I do like Saskia too, thank you to the poster who suggested that! I think having the shortlist and seeing what feels right when she’s here is going to be the way to go.

My husband and I always said when we have "girl's name" or a "boy's name"...

Never being serious that that name was going to be our child/ren's actual name.

With our boy we never intended on knowing the baby's gender until they were born but did find out beforehand.

We went through MANY alternative names of what this little boy could be called but the name we'd picked out years earlier was THE ONE.

However, I also had a family name that I wanted any boys to have as a middle name.
He ended up with a totally different middle name.. his name suits him and I can't imagine he would be anything else. I knew the second I saw him that our chosen name was the right one.

My advice: don't stress over the name... even if it takes you weeks after baby is born. I think, at some point, it will just come to you and you will just know.

Congratulations 👣 x

I had a baby’s month ago and this was my girls’ name list.

Anne
Irene
Iris
Sylvia
Helen
Beatrice
Phoebe
Martha
Florence
Stella
Shirley
Rosalind
Clarissa
Priscilla
Leonie
Nora
Charlotte
Olivia
Alyssa
Miriam
Vivian
Valerie

Serena would have absolutely made my list if I had thought of it!

All options are gorgeous

some more for you:
Cecilia
Clementine
Florence
Selena
Celine
Ophelia
Malia
Delilah
Astrid

Cleo is a name in its own right, not necessarily short for anything. It’s the name of one of the ancient Greek muses.

Serena Williams is pretty tough.

How about Celine, Soraya or Selena?

I knew a Serenna years ago with the emphasis on the 'ren'

I like Saskia but failing that how about Corinne?

As soon as my girl was a bump she was Carey (it’s a name that has family links) when she appeared she was Carey and has owned her name. She’ll be 22 in December. Was always pissed off that there was nothing with her name on in gift shops on school trips though 😂😂😂😂

How do you know its “not her” when she isn’t yet born?

Neither do I OP! The Serenas I know are all fiesty!

I get the meaning implies it, but serene isn't necessarily a soft notion.

I also like Claudia, but I'm really not fond of all the Chloe, Cleo kind of names. I think you'd feel short-changed if you go with something short and snappy like that after wanting Serena or Claudia, which have more elegance.

This might be even worse than Serena but what about Seraphina?

Selina
Sabrina
Sara
Shara
Seren
Saskia
Sarah
Charlene
Carys
Katie
Isabel

Love the name Serena only ever known two who are both absolutely lovely. Claudia is also a really nice name though. Sorry op no help really!

Wait and see when you meet her

Me too!

Cassandra
Seren
was

Lucia ?

Yes I’ve never understood what people say about babies not looking like a particular name and ruling out an otherwise perfectly good name solely based on that. Babies look like squashy potato people no matter what they’re called. My kids certainly did 😆