Need traditional/classic girls' names, but am very picky!

[Lorelai]

Hi

I'm only 9 weeks, but I like to plan ahead DH and I have a boy's name we like, but are struggling with girl's names (well, I am anyway!). I like names that are very traditional but classic (timeless rather than old-fashioned) - boring some might say but that have good (and unusual) nicknames, oh, and nothing too girly!

To give you an idea, here are some names that I either like but can't use, or don't like, or am considering but am not sure of:

Elizabeth (DD's name - love it - something like this ideally)
Kathryn (my mum, and same first initial as me, not sure I want to use it)
Rebecca (like it, but one of my cousins used it, plus I don't like the nicknames)
Charlotte (too girly)
Anne (love it, but doesn't sound good with our surname)
Margaret (am considering it because I love the nicknames, but a bit old-fashioned possibly)

Any other ideas? I don't want to decide just yet, but want to get a shortlist in my head that I can mull over whenever I am bored at work I have some free time. If it helps, the boy's name we like is William Thomas (to be known as Billy - I have to plan nicknames too!)

My dd is Rose Margaret

We have a Miriam and think it definitely comes into the classic but not over-used category. Ours is also called Mim (by big sister Harriet aka Hattie!).

Our Harriet's middle name is Mary (my Grannie's name) which we considered for DD2 so rather liked that Miriam is another form of the same name.

Cassandra
Melinda
Dawn
Paige

?

Also how about Lorelei?

Ruth
Eleanor
Isabelle / Isabella
Rosemary
Rebecca
Susannah
Lucy
Eloise
Cecily
Annabel
Catherine

Margaret- think Thatcher

Judith seems to be coming back in
Jennifer

Alice
Martha
Rose
Mary

If you do a google search on 'most popular baby names 1880' there is a website that will list off lots of good suggestions for classic names. You can obviously type in different decades for different ideas. I have found this to be v useful - although still not actually decided despite being 39 weeks ahhhhhh!

Have an 8-week-old DS, but had he been a girl we were thinking of Elizabeth, but would have called her Beth. And William was in the shortlist for DS. So maybe our taste is similar?

Anyway, on the grounds it might be, DD is Josephine but known as Josie.

I was also thinking a Louisa May Alcott quartet would be nice

Good luck with the pregnancy.

i am loving:
laura
ruth
martha
rebecca
and think margaret and miriam are pretty good too.

Thanks all - some really good suggestions here! DH and I are agreed on Margaret, Emma, Laura, so those are definitely on the shortlist. I am also going to try and convince him on Susan/Susannah, Eleanor, and Louisa, and keep Josephine, Alice and Rose on a back burner as I think they may grow on me

Esme
Elsie
Henrietta
Dorothy
Betsy
Lilly
Violet
Iris
Loretta

I think you're on the money with Margaret. I used to really dislike it but it's really growing on me.
It sounds very classy as a formal name and there's a stack of fab nicknames.
It's also classic but not overused.

I love Margaret too it is my cousin's name and her dad called her Megan as nn.
Elizabeth and Margaret is very Royal Family isnt it

Anna
Betsy/Betty
Iris
Mary
Laura

Charlotte is lovely. I really like Meg and Daisy and Maggie is okay but not so fond of Margaret.

Marianne
Naomi
Georgina or Georgiana
Isobel
Isodora
Maeve

Ida

Lavinia

Evelyn

Lillith

If you want classical names then anything biblical will fit -

Eve
Sarah
Naomi
Ruth
Rebecca
Mary
Dinah
Delilah - if you can get over the whole Tom Jones thing
Esther

As far as nickname go, I think that is up to the child. A lady I wokr with has a daughter, the same age as me, named Charlotte. Her mum always intended to call her Charlie but even as a young child she insisted on being called Charlotte and nothing else!

What about:

Anna
Grace
Emma

All pretty timeless and don't sound oldy-fash. Emma sounds so much nicer than Emily too.

I like Margaret but prefer Marguerite

Margot
Clara / Clare
Eliza or Elizabeth with Bessie/Bess as NN
Frances
Lillian
Marie/Maria
Esther
Nancy
Julia or Juliet
Judith
Rowena
Marjorie
Virginia
Marian
Regina
Penelope

Lydia
Beatrice
I know you like Margaret but Marguerite is nice too
I know a baby Sarah and it's not a name you hear often now
Victoria

Another one - Helena

Please not Margaret, it's so middle aged and ugly.

Elizabeth (DD's name - love it - something like this ideally)
Kathryn - I prefer Katya
Rebecca - use Rachel instead, it's much nicer anyway
Charlotte - I like Lottie. Don't think Charlotte is 'too girly' but what about Juliet or Violet?
Anne (love it, but doesn't sound good with our surname) what about Annabel, matches Elizabeth and mgiht work with sur name.
Margaret (am considering it because I love the nicknames, but a bit old-fashioned possibly) Maybe I stink of wee here, but I LOVE the name Margaret. I like Maggie, Margot and Greta. It is so hard to choose between those great names. I'd put Margaret on the bc though. That matches Elizabeth well too.

Penelope and Rosamund also go with Elizabeth. Love Rosemary as well. Romy for short. Lovely