help choose name for my baby girl

[plumchutney]

Our baby girl is due next month and we can't decide on a name. Our list is quite long so please say which name/names you like most and which ones you like least.

Our favourite name is Florence but as our surname begins with F we'll probably have to rule it out.

I also like Violet but DH says it sounds too similar to violent.

The other names in no particular order are:

Isla
Hope
Grace
Lily
Polly
Isabel
Isabella
Isadora
Esme
Edie
Tess
Cara
Clara
Carys
Amber
Zoe
Letty (if DH allows Violet)

Why can't you have Florence F....?

Letty (Violet) - lovely
Zoe - no (page 3 girl)
Amber - no (as above)
Carys - lovely
Clara - nice, also like Clarice
Cara - lovely
Tess - lovely
Edie - really don't like - too harsh
Esme - lovely
Isadora - no
Isabella - like
Isabel - ok
Polly - no too keen
Lily - too popular
Grace - nice but too popular
Hope - not keen, very american
Isla - prefer others

Your list is great. I love Florence as well - does it matter that your surname begins with F?

Esme, & Cara.

Don´t like the others.

Thanks for the comments so far. We thought Florence F would be a bit of a mouthful as our surname is also quite long - 8 letters. Any other suggestions welcome.

What a nice list. I love Edie and Letty.

Agree with others you there's no reason not to go for Florence if you love it.

BTW there was a thread on what you think someone called Zoe would be like the other day. here I think the general consensus was that most people think of Zoes as middle class, creative types. Page 3 girl didn't feature once if I recall correctly!

My favourites are Amber, Clara and Carys.
A lot of the others are too popular and will date in a few years, IMO.

Isabel (though prefer Isobel), Clara and Polly are my favourites from your list though Isabel is very popular.

I also like Edie and Tess.

You have both my DD's names on your list

Fav = isadora

least fav = carys

Isla -- like a lot
Hope -- like a lot, LOVE Esperanza
Grace -- meh, too popular
Lily -- meh, too popular
Polly -- insubstantial
Isabel -- too popular
Isabella -- same as Isabel, and also frilly
Isadora -- LOVE
Esme -- like a lot
Edie -- getting too popular
Tess -- LOVE
Cara -- a bit wishy washy, prefer Corinne
Clara -- like a lot, LOVE Lara
Carys -- LOVE
Amber -- dislike, bit of an airhead name
Zoe -- LOVE
Letty -- I would use Letitia as a first name, with Letty as a nn, not Violet (I agree with your DH on this name, also think it's too delicate a flower to name a child after)

So,
Isla
Hope
Isadora
Esme
Tess
Clara
Carys
and Zoe are my favourites,

and I suggest
Esperanza
Corinne
Lara
and Letitia.

Love Polly & Tess

Like Lily, Grace (both extremely popular - don't know if that bothers you?), Clara, Hope.

Prefer Cerys to Carys.

Florence is just fab, just depends on what kind of F surname it is. Would choose this as long as the combo doesn't sound too tongue-twisty.

Isla - ok
Hope - very pretty
Grace - beautiful (no 1 for a good reason)
Lily - cute
Polly - ok
Isabel - prefer Isobel, lovely name, probably is the no 1 once you factor in all the spelling variables
Isabella - too ornate
Isadora - lovely
Esme - cute
Edie - feel it should be short for something, but cute
Tess - lovely
Cara - ok
Clara - ok
Carys - not overwhelmed
Amber - no
Zoe - no
Letty (if DH allows Violet) - stylish

I also don't think Florence F....... is a problem. If that's your favourite, go with it. I quite like alliteration too.

Along with your DH, I think Violet sounds too much like violent!

From the rest of your list I prefer Isobel/Isobella (I'd spell with the o), and Isadora.

Edie is lovely as is Tess, I like Isadora, my niece's best friend is called Isadora she is 12, lives in France - it sounds lovely in 'french' !!! though it gets shortened to Izzie which is a shame.
Letty is nice, my 1st DD is called Scarlett, for a while she wanted to shorten it so I suggested Letty - lasted for a day!

Florence and Violet both lovely but agree that alliterative names are not great.

Isla - ok
Hope - nice
Grace - ok
Lily - nice
Polly - nope
Isabel - love it but as Isobel
Isabella - yes
Isadora - lovely
Esme - lovely
Edie - nice
Tess - nice
Cara - don't like this
Clara - ok
Carys - no
Amber - no
Zoe - hate this
Letty (if DH allows Violet) - no

I like Florence as well but I am not keen on alliterative names in general...sometimes they work tho (I knew a Lizzie Langford, and Freddie Flintoff is OK? Bertie Burton tho for example not so good)

I also like from yr list

Edie (tho the name is actually Edith )
Isla esp if you are Scottish at all
Polly ooh yes due a comeback tho it's a nickname really...
Clara (said Clare-a)

Some on yr list are quite popular if that bothers you - eg Grace (3 in one yr at our school), Isabel (I was at an event today with about 20 under 7s and 3 of them were called Isabel), Lily and Amber.

I think Polly is a lovely name. Definitely one of my favourites, unfortunately we have a cat named Polly so can't use it. Bah.

Isla OK
Hope LOVE IT
Grace OK
Lily LIKE
Polly DISLIKE
Isabel LIKE
Isabella LIKE
Isadora OK
Esme DISLIKE
Edie DISLIKE
Tess OK
Cara LOVE IT
Clara LIKE
Carys OK
Amber LOVE IT
Zoe LIKE
Letty DISLIKE
Florence DISLIKE
Violet DISLIKE

Redbin is a good name for a girl

Hope-Like
Lily -Like
Isadora-Love
Tess-Love
Cara-Like
Clara-Like

Al the others were no, but non terrible.

Thanks everyone - it does help to hear your opinions. I'm not 100% sure about any of the names listed so I'm keen to hear new names too. At the moment I really like Hope but I'm sure I'll change my mind again soon. What do you think of Hope? Does it sound too American or twee? Do you know any girls called Hope?

I have the same issue in that I like Clementine and Clara but my last name is long and begins with CL.

I am considering Florence, it is beautiful.
I think Tess and Clara are beautiful and a bit different without being "different"- Also I can't think of any famous Clara's so no imagine spring to mind when you here it.

Hope is beautiful, my DN's middle name is Hope and it works quite well as a middle name-I'm not sure if it is substantial enough as a first name? Maybe pick two and if she comes a bruiser she isn't a Hope?

Also- I forgot- I really like Polly too! But thats because I knew a Polly who was an amazing artist and really beautiful and kind!

What about Martha, or Liberty (if you like a virtue name?) or Plum since both our nicknames have plum in... or Rose or Rosa or Primrose or Ivy or Iris? For florally names.

I've been going through the name books again - what do you think of these? Thanks.

Eliza
Elise
Iris
Cate
Nina
Pearl
Honor
Gwen
Gwyneth
Susie
Nina
Norah
Audrey