Annabel or Penelope?

[orti]

These are the only names we both like but im still undecided. What image do these names conjure up and which do you prefer? Could I get away with the nickname Nel for Annabel?

My vote is for Penelope - it's far prettier than Annabel and I adore Nelly and Penny as nn's.

Annabel is prissy. Penelope is fab!

Don't like Annabel. Its a top of the Christmas tree fairy name. Annabel..Tinkerbell.

(Only bel name I like is Isobel. the rest just seem frippy and trying too obviously to be 'smart')

Quite like Penelope. Sort of 50s name. In that vein though I prefer Pamela.

Still confused. Ive been trying Annabel on my baby and its not really her, or me. I think she is more of an Anna. (My mother hates Penelope and manages to make the name sound awful!) To confuse matters, everyone calls our baby Lulu at the moment because she was going to be Lucy so I want to include this somehow. Shall i go for Anna/Annabel Lulu (chavy?) or go for Anna/Annabel Lucy? We have a short surname so I wonder if I should go for a longer forename.

Anna Lucy would be lovely

Lucy Anna is better...

Anna Lucia is lovely if you don't mind the lost girl. but she was lovely.

Annabel Lucy the Ls run into each other.

Lulu sounds unbelievably privileged to me. I wouldn't want it on the birth cert, but I can imagine a little girl called Lulu and her bedroom is like a palace fairy wonderland.

Lucinda is nice, but I think a lot of people would dislike that.

Thanks Magaly. I really like Lucia aswell but my partner has a problem with foreign names - it's italian i think. He thinks they sound tacky if you're not eg. Italian. He's daft - right? May try persuading him again on this as I do think Lucy is a tad dull.

I like Annabel- think of an English rose- pretty, perhaps a little shy.

I love Penelope- think of a confident, elegant girl/ woman with dark hair.

Penelope Lucy is the best.

Boobz Your Penelope is GORGEOUS! And you are a great photographer.

I have a Lucia. She gets called Lucy. If we have another DD, I'd love to use Penelope as a name. Or Alice.

So, definitely Penelope! Very cool name, underused and interesting.

Annabel is fairly pretty but there are lots of names ending in 'Belle' or 'Bel'.

Penelope is far more classy

Agree that Boobz' Penelope is cool!

Boobz how do you pronounce Lucia when you use the full name and what reaction do you get when you tell people her name?

Do you mean me?

We pronounce it loo SEE ah. We don't live in the UK, here (Germany) it's not commented on.

My English friends and relatives all said they liked it, but I think they secretly thought it was a bit odd. Sometimes they'll ask what made us choose it, or if it's a common name here (it isn't) or so. So yes, no-one's SAID anything negative. They all say Lucy.

Some people on here were a bit iffy over our chosen pronunciation, but now she's here, we've had no problems.

I love Penelope!

I really, really, like Peneolope. I think Poppy is cute as a nn.

She is adorable Boobz.

I am biased of course - but she is cool. We've only had good comments about her name, but then who would ever say to your face that they don't like it? I like Penelope because it's underused but not made up or wacky, because there are lots of cool and cute shortenings (Pen, Penny, Polly, Nell, Penpots etc) and because I can imagine she will be a very classy Penelope when is older but a very girlie one right now...

But then I would say all that, wouldn't I?

Boobz, I have a Penelope who is a few months older.

She is also very cool.

Penelope lends itself to all sorts of nicknames. As standard, she is Penny and also Penn. But she gets PenCakes, Penny Crayon, PenPants, haven't used PenPots yet but might start!

I get nice comments on her name, mainly from old ladies - but I knew it was old fashioned before I called her it - I didn't want a fashionable name.

Penelope is much classier.

Annabel has gone from fluffy Sloane name to incredibly common in a matter of months. Not keen.

Penpants! Fabulous - am adopting that one as of today!

Pen is officially too cool for school. If she were a character from the Breakfast Club, she would be Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald rolled into one.

You have very good taste Pfft.